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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 VOL. CXXXIII NO. 65
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
FOUNDED 1885
High hopes for Penn’s first black provost
Wendell Pritchett, a legal scholar, began his term as provost on July 1 ROBERTA NIN FELIZ Staff Reporter
After a racially tense year — both nationally, in light of the recent events in Charlottesville, Va., and locally, after a racist GroupMe incident targeted black freshmen on Penn's campus — black students at Penn feel hopeful that the appointment of Wendell Pritchett to the position of Penn's provost is a step in the right direction. Pritchett, the first black provost in Penn's history, formally took office on July 1 of this year, replacing former Provost Vincent Price, who has gone on to become president of Duke University. A Presidential Professor of Law and Education at Penn Law School, Pritchett has spent his career studying urban policy and race relations. College junior Mariama Diallo, the chair of Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation, said she felt hopeful about his appointment, noting that Pritchett's research seems to indicate that he cares deeply about the black community. She added that Pritchett has a lot of work to do when it comes to improving the experiences of black students at Penn. “I think [Pritchett] needs to work on bettering the relationship between black Penn and the University because we don’t have the best relationship," Diallo said. "We don’t like going to the administration for things because we can’t depend on them.” "It’s nice to have a black person [as] the provost but it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t do anything for us," she said. The Office of the Provost did not respond to requests for comment on this article. UMOJA Co-Chair and Wharton senior Briana Johnson said having a black provost gives the black community a sense of security that the issues affecting the lives of black students will be addressed. In November last year, numerous black freshmen were added to
With OCR’s shift to the fall semester, significantly more students have begun studying abroad in the spring KELLY HEINZERLING | Senior Reporter
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s Penn students on campus prepare for another windy fall in Philadelphia, 241 of their peers will be packing their bags for a semester abroad across 25 different countries. This number is a 45.1 percent decrease from the 439 students who studied abroad for their fall semester two years ago. And the reason behind this decrease is simple: In the past two years, on-campus recruiting has been conducted in the fall instead of the spring. For the first time in 2016, OCR was held
in the fall. Director of Penn Abroad Nigel Cossar said numbers already indicate that this change is closely correlated to the decrease in the number of students studying abroad in the fall and a sharp spike in the number of students studying abroad in the spring. Before the OCR shift, roughly 85 percent of all the students going abroad for the year would do so in the fall, Cossar said. Last year, 236 students studied abroad for a semester in the fall and 241 in the spring, which means only 49 percent of students going abroad went
in the fall. These figures are likely to replicate themselves this year, Cossar said. “We expected it in the longer term,” he added, “but we didn’t expect it in just one year after the OCR change.” The increase of students studying abroad in the spring has affected where students are choosing to study as well. Cossar noted that many popular destinations, such as various universities in London, SEE ABROAD PAGE 3
SEE PRITCHETT PAGE 3
To welcome new members, minority groups use range of strategies These groups provide freshmen with a ‘safe space’ GIOVANNA PAZ Staff Reporter
Many student clubs on campus can be highly selective and hierarchical. Minority coalition groups strive to break this mold by providing a more inclusive community. They work particularly hard at the beginning of the year, using a range of strategies to engage minority students who are new to Penn. “I think it’s hard to find people on campus from my kind of background,” said College junior Justina McMinn, who is a member of Penn First, an organization that provides
resources for first-generation, lowincome students. “It’s a safe space. You know when you come in you’ll find someone who has something in common with you, who understands the struggles at Penn.” Penn First reaches out to incoming freshmen before they even arrive at campus by making use of the Penn College Achievement Program, which is geared towards FGLI students and is jointly funded by the University and federal grants. Through PENNCAP, Penn First identifies and connects FGLI students to discuss the resources available to them on campus. A challenge faced by minority coalition organizations is reaching out to students who may be weary
of joining groups with members of similar backgrounds, said Chair of the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and Wharton senior and Yen-Yen Gao. Gao said within the Asian-Pacific Islander community on campus, there is a fear of being stuck in the "Asian bubble," but added that there are many different opportunities that the community can offer students. “On one side, we have a very student-activist feel where we will organize people for different causes and rallies," Gao said. "On the other side, we’re very much about uniting the community with casual events
OPINION | Letter from Pres. Amy Gutmann “Across our campus, the ideals of inclusive and open community are fundamental to the Penn experience.” PAGE 4
SPORTS | Not Your Average Underdogs
Columnist Jacob Adler breaks down how Penn football, ranked third in the preseason media poll, breaks the archetypal mold of underdog. BACKPAGE FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
SEE RECRUITMENT PAGE 3
DANIEL XU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Some minority groups have contacted incoming freshmen before they have even set foot on campus using the Penn College Achievement Program, which is funded by the University and federal grants.
NEWS Penn’s intense club culture
NEWS HamCo delays move-in
Some clubs are more selective than the University itself. PAGE 7
Renovations shift some student arrivals to today PAGE 2
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