TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Papal visitors surf Penn couches
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I come with not a lot of credentials, but a lot of vision.”
Students open doors through Airbnb and Newman Center JEFFREY CAREYVA Staff Reporter
The pope’s upcoming visit to Philadelphia brings both opportunities and challenges to Penn students living on and around campus. While some are capitalizing on high housing rates for visitors, others are opening their doors freely and still others are restricted in having guests that particular weekend. Students who live off-campus are using the online renting site Airbnb to sell their spaces for the weekend. With over 1.5 million visitors expected in Philadelphia on the weekend of Sept. 26, the demand for housing is high, and space limited. As of Aug. 31, over 520 rentals were listed on Airbnb for the University City area from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. Among one of a dozen identifiable Penn students found on Airbnb, College junior and psychology major Matthew Dong has an “Apartment for Pope” at 3900 Chestnut Street for $150 per night. Dong has been an Airbnb member since August 2015, and this is his first listing on the site. Although he might make an easy $150 a night, Dong doesn’t plan to get rich quick off SEE POPE PAGE 3
HOMELESS DISPLACED FOR POPE PAGE 8
Penn administrators are finally taking clear responsibility for mental health on campus, which is their job.” - The Daily Pennsylvanian PAGE 4
LAUNCHING PRIDE Rececnt Penn grad wants to be first openly gay man in space ISABEL KIM Deputy News Editor
For Sayid Abdullaev, it’s not what he can do for space, it’s what space can do to amplify his message. Recently shor tlisted for K r uger Crowne’s Rising Star Programme, Abdullaev is 1 of 30 applicants shortlisted to travel into space. But the trip into space is just the beginning, and the winner will also be offered mentorship and a good amount of fame. If he wins the competition, he will be the first gay man to travel into space. Abdullaev is one of the youngest competitors, having just graduated from Penn. This spring, Abdullaev was a winner of
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The Daily Pennsylvanian’s inaugural Penn Ten, recognizing outstanding leaders in the Penn community. From youth, Abdullaev has been a human rights advocate. At age 10, he founded Youth for Peace. In 2013 he founded AsylumConnect with fellow 2015 Penn grad Katie Sgarro, an organization that helps LGBTQ asylum seekers when they arrive in the United States. He is also currently the United Religions Initiative Youth Representative to the United Nations. But even with his impressive list of achievements, Abdullaev doesn’t focus on what he’s done, but who he can represent. “I come with not a lot of credentials, but a lot of vision,” he said. “I am a young person, I met the young people who I want to represent. I’m a youth champion for a lot of causes.”
As a refugee himself, Abdullaev has a unique perspective on the world and the causes he supports because of his upbringing and experiences. Born in Krygzstan, he is currently a U.S. resident having sought political asylum, and is on track to becoming a U.S. citizen in two years. As a LGBTQ refugee and someone who comes from an economically disadvantaged background, he could have easily been discouraged to pursue his dreams, but his optimism is unstoppable. “I’m the person who doesn’t believe in impossible. For me, it’s ‘I’m possible,’” Abdullaev said. Abdullaev is interested in the Rising Star program, “not because of the glory of going to space, [but] because of the platform it’s going to provide.” In short, it’s not the space travel that’s SEE SPACE PAGE 5
Penn Law prof. and Roosevelt descendant writes WWII fiction Kermit Roosevelt conveys legal issues via fiction SYDNEY SCHAEDEL Staff Reporter
A JOCK AND HIS SOCKS
-Sayid Abdullaev
An enormous bookshelf covers one wall of Law professor Kermit Roosevelt’s office on the second floor of Penn’s Law School building, and more books litter the floor and are spread over his desk. On one shelf, the distinctive red and black spine adorns several copies of his most recent work, historical fiction novel “Allegiance.” Roosevelt is a study in contradictions. With a name that carries an association with not one, but two leaders of the free world, he comes across as much more suited to his current
line of work. In fact, Roosevelt prob- formal training, he writes fiction. ably more closely resembles the Roosevelt’s roots in legal studies students he teaches than anyone else come across clearly in both of the on this particular day. The sides of his fiction books that he’s published to glasses’ frames are neon green and he date. He described his first book, “In sports a Penn squash T-shirt. the Shadow of the Law,” as exploring Perhaps also analothe “nobility” of the legal gous to a few students’ profession. Roosevelt’s apartments or dorm latest book, “Allegiance,” rooms, a shield adorned centers around a young with the words “Winter man who has the opis Coming” hangs on portunity to clerk at the one wall. Roosevelt Supreme Court, which is a fan of the “Game Roosevelt also did shortly of Thrones” book after he graduated from series more so than the Yale Law School. shows. It’s appropriate His latest novel takes considering his other place during World War KERMIT ROOSEVELT contradiction: that with II, when the constituPenn Law Professor no English degree or tionality of detaining
Japanese Americans was being called into question. “What I was thinking about was post-9/11 national security measures, and in particular Guantanamo detentions,” Roosevelt said of the time frame when he began researching for the book in 2007. Roosevelt said he saw parallels between the events unfolding after 9/11 to what happened after Pearl Harbor. “There was a similar sense of fear, a similar overreaction, I think, in the name of national security,” he said, adding that in both periods of history, “You get these crazy situations where the government is trying to sort the dangerous people from the not SEE ROOSEVELT PAGE 5
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