September 14, 2015

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Mental health central to DPS training Previous training topics have focused on religious and LGBTQ tolerance ANNA HESS Staff Reporter

Students aren’t the only ones thinking hard about how to manage their stress. The Division of Public

Safety is introducing a new mental health-based training program for all of its employees, including the Penn Police force and PennComm dispatchers. DPS is working with members of the Positive Psychology Center housed in the Psychology department in the College to craft the training program. The center aims

to promote research and training in the mental health fields of positive psychology and resilience, which is the study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Karen Reivich, a researcher for the center, is working closely with Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush to create a program

that will help public safety on campus deal with high stress situations and respond effectively and calmly to emergency situations. Over the 2015-16 academic year, DPS will be holding these mentalresilience training sessions for members of PennComm, the police SEE DPS PAGE 7

TRUMP’S UNKNOWN PENN PAST

Penn keeps quiet on Trump, but previous DP archives reveal his connection COREY STERN Senior Reporter

Whether it’s his attacks on Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, his stance on immigration or his daily media appearances from Trump Tower, everybody seems to be talking about Donald Trump. That is, everyone but the Penn administration. Trump could become the first Penn graduate elected to the country’s highest office. (William Henry Harrison studied medicine at Penn, but left after a short time). And although the 1968 Wharton graduate has a substantial lead in the polls, consistently reminding voters he went to the Wharton School, higher-ups at Penn have kept quiet. President Amy Gutmann, Provost Vincent Price, Vice President for

University Communications Stephen MacCarthy and spokespeople for Wharton have all declined to comment on any of The Daily Pennsylvanian’s questions about Trump — even about apolitical topics such as Trump’s past service to the University. As has been reported by many news outlets, members of the Wharton faculty said they received an email from administrators asking them to refrain from talking to the press about Trump. While this hasn’t stopped professors from speaking out, it does highlight that the University is trying to avoid the Trump spotlight. In an effort to establish a more detailed look at how “The Donald” has interacted with his alma mater over the years, the DP sifted through its newspaper archives and other Penn resources. Here’s a timeline of the relationship Trump has had with Penn as a student, as an alumnus and as a parent. SEE TRUMP PAGE 2

DP ARCHIVES

A Daily Pennsylvanian article from 1987 highlights how Donald Trump left little lasting impact on University faculty. A March 1991 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian describes how Donald Trump’s photo was stolen from the Wharton Hall of Fame.

The roads less traveled

Open letter urges admin. to address mental health

Students take unconventional paths toward earning degrees

Timothy Hamlett’s mother is a signatory

VIBHA KANNAN Staff Reporter

CAROLINE SIMON Deputy News Editor

Last May, College and Wharton senior Jacob Slusser officially walked down Franklin Field with the rest of his graduating class. But this fall, he is back at Penn’, completing requirements to graduate at the end of this semester. On the other hand, College junior Annika Neklason plans to graduate a year early, having filled all her credits in just three years. While most students take the typical four years to finish their undergraduate degree, many students take a more unconventional path. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 13 percent of Penn seniors —1 in 8 students—fail to obtain their bachelors’ degrees in four years. Although Penn’s six-year graduation rate of 96 percent and it’s four-year graduation rate of 87 percen are far above the national average of 59 percent, a large amount of Penn students are still left on campus after their classmates graduate. Slusser’s fifth year at Penn has been a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. “It’s kind of been typical Penn—same place,

On Thursday, a group called the Hamlett-Reed Mental Health Initiative sponsored a silent march for National Suicide Awareness Day to honor Penn students who have died by suicide. The march culminated in the delivery of an open letter to the office of Penn President Amy Gutmann, urging the administration to take more decisive action in

ILANA WURMAN | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR

Penn students marched from 39th and Locust to College Hall on Thursday to honor Penn students who died by suicide.

STUDENT GOV. ELECTION PAGE 7

SEE PATHS PAGE 6

FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

Perhaps a fear of silence in casual conversation leads us to search for something else to say … ”

protection of student mental health. The letter is signed by Katherine Hamlett, the mother of Timothy Hamlett, and Linda Douglas, the mother of Theodric Reed. Hamlett and Reed are among seven Penn students who committed suicide within the last two years. Though Hamlett remains supportive of the University as a whole, she said she signed the letter in order to encourage the administration to more seriously address the issue that took her son’s life. SEE MENTAL HEALTH PAGE 5

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