WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
A BROKEN
Penn behind peers on sexual assault education
CULTURE
Survey results show Penn students lack confidence in administraion CAROLINE SIMON Deputy News Editor
According to the largest survey on sexual violence at college campuses ever administered, Penn falls short of its peers in educating its students about sexual assault and fostering an atmosphere of safety. The American Association of Universities’ Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct, whose results were released on Sept. 21, was conducted at 28 schools, and every Ivy League university except Princeton participated. Compared to those other schools, Penn students were less familiar with the University’s sexual violence policies. Among all institutions, 24 percent of respondents were very or extremely likely to understand their school’s SEE AAU COMPARISON PAGE 3
STUDENTS BOYCOTT WESLEYAN PAPER
Only 30 percent of sexual assaults at Penn are reported ISABEL KIM Deputy News Editor
About a third of Penn female undergraduates say they’ve been sexually assaulted, according to the results of the American Association of Universities’ Campus Climate survey, whose results were released on Sept. 21. Specifically,
PAGE 2
27 percent of female undergraduates have experienced “nonconsensual penetration or sexual touching involving physical force or incapacitation” since entering college. But there’s an interesting discrepancy when the statistics are examined more closely: Only 30.7 percent of women who said they were sexually assaulted while at Penn actually reported it by senior year — a small fraction of the total number of women.
At the same time, 58.1 percent of students overall believe that a report will be taken seriously by the administration, raising the question of why Penn students don’t speak up. For one, it’s not a Penn-specific issue, according to Jessica Mertz, Penn’s director of student sexual violence prevention and education. “Instead of looking at what it is about Penn culture,” Mertz said, “what is it about campus cultures in general that create a
higher risk for sexual assault?” The AAU survey suggests that it isn’t because students don’t believe in the university’s ability to advocate for them. Rather, it’s because they don’t believe that what happens to them is serious enough to report or important enough to go through the hassle. “It gives us data in here about the reasons students don’t report, and it’s actually SEE REPORTING PAGE 5
60-second pitch nets student startup $10,000
Perhaps the university ought to protect students from their own bad decision-making by taking some options off the table.”
Competition was hosted by former AOL CEO Steve Case JENNA WANG Contributing Reporter
— Theodore L. Caputi PAGE 4
NUMBERS ON THE BOARD BACK PAGE
COURTESY OF RISE OF THE REST
Penn Engineering student William Duckworth (far right) won $10,000 as part of Steven Case’s Rise of the Rest pitch competition.
FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
On Tuesday, Penn startup Fever Smart won $10,000 at a student pitch competition. Fever Smart was crowned the winner of the first-ever Rise of the Rest student speed pitch competition at the National Constitution Center in downtown Philadelphia. Penn Engineering senior William Duckworth, CTO of Fever Smart, beat out nine other finalists and over 75 initial applicants in the competition, which was hosted by former AOL CEO and Revolution Ventures Chairman Steve Case. “It feels great,” Duckworth said. “I went out there and pitched first. I was worried, but it felt great to win and be able to go up and accept the giant check.” Duckworth, along with Wharton seniors Aaron Goldstein and Collin Hill, are the founders of Fever Smart, a company that develops small, non-invasive
temperature monitoring systems. The $10,000 prize, presented by Revolution Ventures and Blackstone Charitable Foundation, will go directly towards their startup. “We’ll probably use [the money] to keep working on funding some of our [business-to-business] platforms,” Duckworth said. “We’re doing a pilot program with Walgreens right now, and we’re working on expanding our clinical presence as well.” At the competition, student teams rattled off 60-second “speed” pitches, followed by 60 more seconds of questions from Case and a panel of judges. The students’ presentations, while short, impressed the judges. “Students are as sophisticated at solving complex problems as some of the high gross entrepreneurs I come across around the country,” said Amy Stursberg, executive director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and a judge of the student pitch competition. “Some of [their] companies look really exciting and interesting.” SEE PITCH PAGE 5
ONLINE 7 DAYS A WEEK AT THEDP.COM
2 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Petition calls for boycott of Wesleyan newspaper Debacle similar to Penn ‘water-buffalo’ incident MITCHELL CHAN Staff Reporter
The recent uproar at Wesleyan University is not the first time a top-tier school has been shaken by outcry over race and political correctness — the incident echoes a controversy that struck Penn 22 years ago. Two weeks ago, a student op-ed published in The Wesleyan Argus received widespread condemnation in the Wesleyan community after criticizing the Black Lives Matter movement. A petition, which has at least 172 signatories, calls for withholding funding from the Argus until a number of conditions are met, including mandatory social justice training for staff reporters and page space reserved for “marginalized groups.” Some students have gone even further, calling for an outright boycott of the Argus. The aftermath of the Wesleyan controversy has a lot in common with Penn’s 1993 “water buffalo” incident. The
debacle began when Penn student Eden Jacobowitz shouted, “Shut up, you water buffalo,” to a largely black group of female students who noisily passed his room. Administrators brought disciplinary action against Jacobowitz on the grounds that he had violated Penn’s racial harassment policy. The resulting public outcry questioned Penn’s commitment to freedom of expression, especially after Jewish cultural experts explained that Jacobowitz’s use of the term “water buffalo” was based on widelyused Hebrew slang, which describes a loud person and is not inherently racist. “Even ‘Doonesbury’single quote for comics and Rush Limbaugh came to a rare meeting of minds, agreeing that Penn’s handling of the incident warranted mockery,” wrote Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, in his book “Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate”, which cites the water buffalo incident. But a new level of outcry came when The Daily Pennsylvanian,
COURTESY OF SMARTALIC34 | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
in response to the incident, published a series of editorials by op-ed columnist Gregory Pavlik. Pavlik, one of the few conservative writers on the DP’s spring 1993 staff, criticized the civil rights movement’s effect on individual liberties. The DP, like the Argus, quickly came under fire for running the op-eds. “If the DP prints it, then we must infer that they agree with [it] and condone it,” over 200 of Pavlik’s critics, including Penn students and faculty, wrote in a letter to the editor titled “African
American Community Responds to Pavlik.” Students disappointed in the Argus are now saying similar things at Wesleyan. “That the Argus chose to give this man somewhere to share his disrespectful opinion and to then have the Argus and its staff members defend the publication, hiding behind the argument of ‘well, it’s not my opinion, but he’s allowed to have it’ is frankly a great disappointment,” Wesleyan student Michael Ortiz wrote in an editorial on Sept. 21.
The DP coverage of the water buffalo incident prompted a mass boycott of the DP, and many at Wesleyan are now calling for a boycott of the Argus as well. On the morning of April 15, 1993, just as Jacobowitz’s case was gaining national attention, a group of black students confiscated that day’s entire DP press run — all 14,000 copies. When DP staff tried to get the papers back, they were met with threats and racial epithets. While an appeal to administration and disciplinary authorities from the DP yielded no assistance, the media rallied behind the Penn newspaper. “The national media [...] always notice the unpunished silencing of the press, and they asked the university if and when charges might be brought against the individuals responsible for suppressing the DP,” Penn History professor Alan Charles Kors wrote in his book “The Shadow University: The Betrayal Of Liberty On America’s Campuses,” which includes a chapter on the water buffalo incident. Newspaper theft is legally considered a form of theft. In
the same year as the water buffalo incident, two people at Penn State — who were caught stealing papers from newsstands — were charged with theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy — all first-degree misdemeanors in the state of Pennsylvania. Reactions to the boycott and mass theft of the DP put the Penn administration in the middle of a difficult conflict between two core Penn values: diversity and open expression. Then-Penn President Sheldon Hackney himself struggled to address the anger and resentment caused by the water buffalo incident without making a statement that could be interpreted as limiting free expression. On this front, at least, Wesleyan President Michael Roth has made himself clear. “Debates can raise intense emotions, but that doesn’t mean that we should demand ideological conformity because people are made uncomfortable,” Roth said in an online statement on Sept. 19. “Censorship diminishes true diversity of thinking; vigorous debate enlivens and instructs.”
Wharton Women event puts on a ‘Corporate Catwalk’
The group held its annual fashion show Tuesday ELAINE LEE Contributing Reporter
If the chance of winning gift cards for Bloomingdale’s, Sweetgreen and Soulcycle wasn’t enough incentive to attend, beauty and fashion experts from Saks Fifth Avenue drew a crowd of students to Houston’s Hall of Flags for Wharton Women’s signature Dressing for Success event. On Tuesday, Wharton Women organized its annual fashion show, themed “Corporate Catwalk,” to
demonstrate dress codes in various industries. In collaboration with Bonded Boutique, a retail store located at 38th and Spruce streets, the club outfitted 15 to 20 volunteer models who strutted Bonded dresses and jumpsuits. In contrast with last year’s theme of “Pretty in Pink,” the ensembles of this fashion show displayed more muted and neutral colors, with tunics and pumps of faded yellows and blues, black, navy and beige. Dressing for Success is one of Wharton Women’s numerous philanthropy events, and all proceeds gathered from donations
and raffle tickets for luxury gift baskets go to Career Wardrobe, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that helps outfit and prepare disadvantaged women for the professional workplace. Career Wardrobe uses donations to buy clothing and provide professional development education for the 3,000 women they serve every year. The event also involved a panel of experts from Saks who spoke on professional attire and makeup techniques for interviews. Seth Barton-Roberts, a Saks makeup representative working for Giorgio Armani, brought his favorite concealers and eyeshadow palette
PURCHASING SERVICES ANNUAL SUPPLIER SHOW 2015 AT ANNENBERG CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS 3680 WALNUT STREET
DISCOVER NEW AND INNOVATIVE SUPPLIER SOLUTIONS AND SAVINGS
Wednesday SEPTEMBER
2015
10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM
• Over 50 suppliers • Door Prizes • Supplier Samples • Lunch
Follow us @PurchasingUPENN #SupplierShow2015
• Exchange your surplus office supplies at the “Office Supplies Swap” table • Green Purchasing Award Presentation
For more details and advance registration:
http://www.purchasing.upenn.edu/show15.php
to demonstrate tricks for covering dark circles under the eyes and maintaining a natural look. “I liked how it was small and we could really get an interaction with the people who were presenting, especially the representatives from Saks doing the makeup,” College freshman Molly Dorshimer said. Dorshimer served as a volunteer during the makeup demonstration. “I thought that was really helpful, because they were showing a transition from a day look to a night look, so it was two really useful looks.” Danielle Selip and Dawn Toroker, Saks fashion representatives,
gave tips on skirt length and how to wear a fitted jacket. “Interviews are about how you present yourself, and personal appearance can be key to your success,” Toroker said. Though the event was free to all Penn students regardless of gender or school, it was suggested that all attendees contribute a $5 donation in the spirit of philanthropy. Last year, Wharton Women raised over $3,000 through raffle tickets and donations, and the club is hoping to raise even more this year by implementing Venmo and Square to facilitate the donation process for
those without cash. “We’re definitely aiming higher this year,” Vice President of Philanthropy and Wharton junior Sarah Liu said. “We have a lot more prizes this time, so I think we should be able to raise more money from that.” Wharton Women reached out to local shops, restaurants and department stores for donations, ranging from spa tickets to Chipotle gift cards; the total value contributions amounted to nearly $7,000, and donations were organized into seven gift baskets that students could purchase raffle tickets to win.
THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
NEWS 3
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Swipe Out Hunger to solidify campus presence $4 SNAP challenge to roll out this year
— participants will further understand food insecurity, a problem faced by a large number of West Philadelphians. In planning the $4 SNAP challenge, Swipes hopes to engage the group of upperclassmen who aren’t necessarily on the meal plan. The challenge is set to occur during Hunger Awareness Week.
Additionally, Swipe Out Hunger Penn will be hosting a number of volunteer days at Philabundance, a nonprofit food bank that serves the Philadelphia region. Last semester, all the money raised from the donation days went to Philabundance. “Based on the money we raised, we were able to give out 14,000 meals last year,” said
College sophomore Jake Wieseneck, Swipe Out Hunger Penn’s marketing coordinator. Swipe Out Hunger is a national organization that has been recognized by the White House, Forbes and The Case Foundation. Its arrival at Penn was prompted by two students’ experience with a classroom project. After taking an Academically
Based Service Class taught by Netter Center Director Ira Harkavy in which students were given the assignment of identifying a problem in the local Philadelphia community and proposing a solution, founders Lansing and Abrams decided to bring Swipe Out Hunger to Penn. Spring 2015 was the first semester for Swipe Out Hunger Penn, and the group focused solely on donation days. “We had to educate all students on meal plans about our movement, and explain how and when to get involved,” Lansing said in an email. A big part of operating Swipe Out Hunger is meeting and negotiating with Penn Dining and Bon Appétit, something that Swipes’ members acknowledge is not always easy. “At first, Swipes was really an organization based off whatever give and take we could get with Penn Dining,” Wieseneck said. Kirkpatrick’s responsibilities as vice president include meeting and negotiating with Penn Dining. “It’s been very interesting working with Penn Dining. There have been a lot of positives to working with a large organization,” she said. The most helpful thing Penn
Penn students are relatively pessimistic about the University’s ability to effectively deal with complaints of sexual violence. Students at Penn were less likely than average to believe that a victim of sexual violence would be supported by fellow students in making a report, that campus officials would take the report seriously or that the safety of the victim would be protected. Compared to the overall results, Penn students were also less confident that campus officials would conduct a fair investigation, take action against the offender or address factors that may have led to the incident. Penn students were much less likely than average to intervene if
they suspected a friend had been assaulted, if they witnessed a drunk person heading for a sexual encounter or if they witnessed someone acting in a sexually violent manner. For the most part, rates of actual sexual violence were higher at Penn than among all 28 schools that participated in the survey. The rate of Penn undergraduate women who reported
nonconsensual penetration or sexual touching since entering college was 27 percent, compared to a national rate of 23 percent. Of the seven Ivies that participated, only Yale and Dartmouth had higher rates of nonconsensual penetration or sexual touching. Penn freshmen also reported a higher rate of sexual violence than the average rate, at 22.8 percent versus 16.9 percent overall.
Results were similar for the other three undergraduate years. The percentage of Penn students who said they were victims of harassment, interpersonal violence or stalking was similar to national rates. Despite the daunting numbers, only 14.1 percent of Penn students believe that sexual assault is a problem on campus, compared to a national rate of 20.2 percent
PATRICK ZANCOLLI Staff Reporter
The young Penn chapter of the national organization Swipe Out Hunger is planning to expand its efforts this fall. In addition to bringing back meal swipe donation days, Swipe Out Hunger is incorporating new efforts, such as a $4 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program challenge, into their program this school year. The organization is currently led by Wharton junior Grace Kirkpatrick, since its founders, College juniors Liza Lansing and Jessie Abrams, are abroad. “I really want to see Swipe Out Hunger Penn solidify its campus presence,” Kirkpatrick said. The group’s main effort this semester is introducing the $4 SNAP challenge, in which participants are only allowed to spend the amount of money that those on SNAP benefits have, for a single meal. Swipe Out Hunger Penn, also known as Swipes, hopes that in taking the $4 SNAP challenge — which was undertaken earlier this year by Gwyneth Paltrow
AAU COMPARISON >> PAGE 1
definition of sexual assault. At Penn, the rate was only 10.7 percent, the lowest among the Ivy League schools that released comprehensive results — Harvard, Yale, Brown, Penn and Dartmouth. Penn respondents were comparatively uninformed about where to make reports of sexual violence or misconduct — students were very or extremely knowledgeable at a rate of 12.6 percent, compared to 25.8 percent overall. In this category, Penn’s rate was also the lowest of the Ivies that released comprehensive results. The results also indicate that
RITIKA PHILLIP | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Swipe Out Hunger’s chapter at Penn launches its new initiative: the $4 Snap Challenge.
Dining has done for Swipes is connecting the organization with experts and other people they know, such as Bon Appétit’s “food fellow,” who has played a large role in bringing about the $4 SNAP challenge. However, working with such a large organization has its drawbacks as well. “Whenever you’re dealing with a company, you have to balance their interests with our interests,” Kirkpatrick said. Swipes ultimately cuts into Bon Appétit’s profits, since they donate a portion of the money they would have gained from each unused swipe. Proving to Bon Appétit that losing profits is worthwhile because Swipes is a dedicated program has been their biggest challenge, Lansing said. Looking toward the spring semester, Kirkpatrick and Wieseneck have further goals in mind. Kirkpatrick would like to see Swipes team up and collaborate with other groups and organizations, while Wieseneck hopes to expand their advocacy efforts. Swipes is currently working with Penn Recreation to set up a 5K in the spring, proceeds of which would go to Philabundence.
and higher rates at the other Ivy League schools. When the survey results were released, Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price called Penn’s statistics “deeply troubling” in an email sent to all Penn students and promised to arrange meetings with student leaders across campus to discuss how best to tackle the problem.
Now Leasing! Flexible Leasing • Single and Double Rooms • Individual Leases • All Amenities and Utilities Included
Call 215.662.0802 Email AxisLeasing@AltmanCo.com
Stop in 20 South 36th Street Today to learn how to make The Axis your home away from home!
I Registered!
HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE IN PENNSYLVANIA!
LIVE
BUY LOCAL
1 Go to register.votesPA.com 2 Fill out the form & submit
your application 3 Use the application number to track your submission 4 Get your voter registration card in the mail In order to vote in the Philadelphia Election on Nov. 3, you must be resitered to vote by Oct. 5
LEASE TODAY & RECEIVE SEPTEMBER FREE THE BEST APARTMENTS IN U-CITY! Close to Everything • Free Shuttle to Campus • On-Site Laundry 24/7 Maintenance • Variety of Floorplans • Close to SEPTA
Follow @PennVoterEd #PennVotes
Call, Click or Tour Today! 4104 Walnut Street 215.382.2969 www. l i vea t uca . com
4
OPINION Warren fines
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 VOL. CXXXI, NO. 78 131st Year of Publication
MATT MANTICA President JILL CASTELLANO Editor-in-Chief SHAWN KELLEY Opinion Editor LUKE CHEN Director of Online Projects LAUREN FEINER City News Editor KRISTEN GRABARZ Campus News Editor CLAIRE COHEN Assignments Editor STEVEN TYDINGS Social Media Director PAOLA RUANO Copy Editor RILEY STEELE Senior Sports Editor
THE QUIXOTIC QUAKER | Why your college may decide what’s “right for you”
S
en. Elizabeth Warren recently wrote an op-ed about her plan to mitigate America’s $1.2 trillion student loan burden by imposing fines on universities whose alumni are unable to pay off their student loans. Her intention is for universities to have “skin in the game” as “risksharing” penalties incentivize colleges to reduce their cost of attendance and/or improve student outcomes. Makes sense, right? Don’t buy it. Warren’s plan is well-intentioned, but it will have unintended consequences that could undermine students’ personal freedom and eliminate academic programs that lead to low-paying jobs. Currently, students who take out loans make their own academic choices and are held financially accountable. They decide for themselves which academic path will offer the best cost-to-benefit ratio based upon their own definition for success — which may or may not include a well-paying career.
Because of this freedom, students can “bet” on themselves, even against the odds, by deciding whether or not the expected marginal benefit of choosing a specific major at a given school will be worth the costs. If Warren’s plan is adopted, colleges may eliminate or limit admission to programs that don’t provide a “good enough” financial payoff. Consider most music performance programs. The average mid-career salary of a music major is a paltry $51,400 — a manifestation of supply and demand. Many students major in performance, but the supply of music performance jobs is limited. Those who don’t “hit it big” may be saddled with college debt they find difficult to pay. So what might happen to music majors at some universities? Fearing future “Warren fines” the school may begin to make academic decisions on behalf of its students — and either shut down its music program or limit enrollment to only the most promising performers. In
the end, how many performance music programs would be left? All college programs associated with traditionally low or lower wage careers are at risk — goodbye special education ($46.8K), criminal justice ($58.8K) and social work
Warren’s plan turns students’ academic pursuits into a numbers game.” ($46.6K) majors! Colleges under Warren’s plan will only be incentivized to host programs that lead to high average salaries, such as actuarial mathematics ($119.6K) and chemical engineering ($116.7K). Hello STEM education! Warren’s plan turns students’ academic pursuits into a numbers game. And while you may bet on yourself as an anthropology major ($58.1K)
who’ll beat the odds, it is unlikely that your college will. Some argue from the viewpoint of academic paternalism. Perhaps the university ought to protect students from their own bad decision-making by taking some options off the table. But paternalism assumes that the university knows what’s best for individual students. In academics, there is informational asymmetry. Universities receive only signals about a student’s potential — usually GPA and SAT scores — without knowing what the student knows about their own capabilities. Relying solely on signals negates the value of one’s own self-awareness. I propose an approach that treats educational investments like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission treats financial investments. The SEC won’t stop you from investing in a risky company — but it requires that publicly traded companies disclose the necessary information for you to make informed decisions. Right now, the Higher Education Act
of 1965 requires colleges to publish graduation and retention data. Perhaps it should expand reporting to include other outcome data, such as salary by academic program. This way, students can make wellinformed decisions about their educational investment. The greatest danger of Warren’s plan is that, if implemented, it could stifle yet-to-be great achievers. What would she have thought of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, who studied liberal arts at Sarah Lawrence College? (Behold the double whammy of a traditionally lowpaying degree earned at one of the country’s most expensive colleges!) Would Warren have let him learn the critical thinking skills he uses as mayor — or would she have quickly shuttled Emmanuel to the computer science department? If colleges had to decide whether each student’s educational path was economically sound, we might be deprived of the likes of media mogul Oprah Winfrey (speech communica-
THEODORE L. CAPUTI tions and performing arts, Tennessee State University), TV host David Letterman (broadcasting, Ball State), former Disney CEO Michael Eisner (English/theater, Denison University) or even — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (speech pathology, University of Houston).
THEODORE L. CAPUTI is a College and Wharton junior from Washington Crossing, Pa., studying finance/statistics and mathematics. His email address is tcaputi@wharton. upenn.edu. “The Quixotic Quaker” appears every other Wednesday.
COLIN HENDERSON Sports Editor LANE HIGGINS Sports Editor HOLDEN MCGINNIS Sports Editor
CARTOON
CARTER COUDRIET Creative Director KATE JEON Design Editor JOYCE VARMA Design Editor HENRY LIN Online Graphics Editor IRINA BIT-BABIK News Photo Editor ILANA WURMAN Sports Photo Editor TIFFANY PHAM Photo Manager CLAIRE HUANG Video Producer AARON KELLEY Video Producer
MEGAN YAN Business Manager SAM RUDE Advertising Manager ALYSSA BERLIN Marketing Manager EMMA HARVEY Analytics Manager MAX KURUCAR Circulation Manager
THIS ISSUE EVAN CERNEA Associate Copy Editor KATARINA UNDERWOOD Associate Copy Editor
SHUN SAKAI is a College junior from Chestnut Hill, Mass. His email is ssakai@sas.upenn.edu.
LUCIEN WANG Associate Copy Editor KAILASH SUNDARAM Associate Copy Editor
Not a chance
SUNNY CHEN Associate Copy Editor NICK BUCHTA Associate Sports Copy Editor PAT GOODRIDGE Associate Photo Editor GUYRANDY JEAN-GILLES Associate Photo Editor WILL AGATHIS Associate Sports Editor TOM NOWLAN Associate Sports Editor JACOB ADLER Associate Sports Editor CAROLINE SIMON Deputy News Editor
LETTERS Have your own opinion? Send your guest column to Opinion Editor Shawn Kelley at kelley@thedp.com. Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The Daily Pennsylvanian as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. All other columns, letters and artword represent the opinion of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the DP’s position.
M
KEEN ON THE TRUTH | Evolutionary theory does not provide a plausible materialistic explanation for the origin of life
any believe that the Theory of Evolution scientifically confirms a strictly materialistic view of the origin of life. I, like most Americans, am profoundly skeptical of this claim. But, unlike most Americans, my reasons do not stem from religion. They are, in fact, much more closely related to elementary probability theory and a family of proteins called aminoacyl tRNA synthetase. Most of the machinery of cells is made up of long strings of amino acids called proteins. The order of the amino acids in a protein determines its structure and function. Pearson’s “Campbell Biology” notes that because there are 20 different kinds of biological amino acids there is a 1/20th chance of getting the correct amino acid at any particular point in a protein — making it unlikely that functional proteins could be randomly assembled. Of course, Pearson oversimplified. Just like any mechanical structure, individual proteins still “work” with a
number of “wrong” amino acids in their sequences. On average, six different kinds of amino acids can be placed at any given site in a protein without inhibiting function. So the likelihood of randomly assembling a protein properly is 6/20 x 6/20 x 6/20 … and so on, as many times as there are amino acids in the protein.
little steps via natural selection. Such explanations are often disappointing because the probabilities assigned to each of these “little steps” either have nothing to do with biochemical reality (as in the pop-culture works of Richard Dawkins) or are ignored. But there is one type of protein that unquestionably
bases, and “fuses” its amino acid to the tRNA block. This “charged” tRNA now has RNA bases on one side and the amino acid which corresponds to them on the other. Ribosomes reading strips of mRNA can use charged tRNA blocks to accurately assemble proteins which reflect the information in the cell’s genes.
For example, even doubling the 6/20 chance above, the probability of getting a functional 400 amino acid protein from scratch is less than one chance in 10 to the 80th.” Since most proteins are hundreds of amino acids long, these probabilities become vanishingly small. For example, even doubling the 6/20 chance above, the probability of getting a functional 400 amino acid protein from scratch is less than one chance in 10 to the 80th. Biochemical evolutionary theory purportedly explains how such probabilities could have been overcome in
could not have been developed by Darwinian evolution: aminoacyl tRNA synthetase. The aaRS are a family of proteins that “charge” tRNA blocks so that they can be used in protein synthesis. Each particular aaRS binds to one of the 20 biological amino acids. Then when a tRNA block with a particular threebase code floats by, the aaRS protein binds to it, checks that it has the correct set of three
If the materialistic assumption is to account for the origin of life, it must account for this system — found in every known life form. But the aaRS protein family — or some version of that family — must have been randomly assembled without the aid of natural selection. After all, without a functional aaRS (or something doing its job), the proteins synthesized by a cell would have nothing
to do with the DNA in that cell. Without a way of at least somewhat accurately linking specific amino acids to specific RNA bases, the proteins assembled by a cell would be an entirely random function of whatever amino acids happened to be lying around. Thus, we are forced to ask the probability of obtaining by pure chance a version of the aaRS that “works” — that could at least, loosely speaking, link specific amino acids to specific tRNA blocks. But — given the fact that most aaRS proteins (even in bacteria) are 800-900 amino acids long — the math explained above yields a probability even less than one in 10 to the 80th. Such probabilities are beyond the point of possibility. Even assuming the entire surface of the earth were covered with mutation hubs, each about the size of a bacterium, feverishly reshuffling 400 amino acids every second, there could only be about 1 x 10^40 attempts at getting the aaRS in 13.5 billion years. This is over 40 orders of magni-
JEREMIAH KEENAN tude below the expected waiting time for getting a functional aaRS — even under the most generous of assumptions. Such a thing simply could not have happened. An increasing number of scientists are coming to recognize this problem, and I think the average Penn student should too. Evolutionary theory does not provide a plausible materialistic explanation for the origin of life.
JEREMIAH KEENAN is a College junior from China studying mathematics and classical studies. His email address is jkeenan@sas. upenn.edu. “Keen on the Truth” appears every other Wednesday.
THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
NEWS 5
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Strangers bond over food on #TableTalkTuesdays A variety of programs will foster unique discussions
signed up for the event yesterday. In 2015, Penn Dining has also worked with various other student groups, like Penn Environmental Group, to give out reusable water bottles, and Swipe Out Hunger, to educate students about food inequality. “It takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of money and it takes a lot of people out of their typical routine to work with students like this, but everyone gets very excited about it because [Penn] Dining is supposed to be about and wants to be about community,” said Pam Lampitt, director of Business Services. “We’re more than just food — we’re here to build community. TableTalk is a community-engaging endeavor, and it became apparent that what TableTalk is doing is not too dissimilar with what Dining wants to achieve ... so we were happy to support the club financially and to give them a place to hold their talks,” Lampitt said. TableTalk also has three other initiatives designed to foster student interaction and discussion. “TableTalks” brings two disparate student groups together to
JEFFREY CAREYVA Deputy News Editor
Tired of eating at 1920 Commons in silence, awkward elevator rides and the rush of unfamiliar faces down Locust Walk? TableTalk, which started at Emory University in fall 2014 and came to Penn last semester, hopes to increase interactions among Penn’s diverse student body. “Penn is marketed as the most diverse school, but when you get here there isn’t really a framework or a way to foster diverse student relationships, and I find that TableTalk is filling a void at Penn by encouraging people to reach out to others and meet other people who are different,” said College junior Sophie Beren, founder and president of the Penn chapter of TableTalk. “Once you hit second semester [of freshman year] or sophomore year, not many people are trying to reach out anymore or find new circles — everyone is pretty set and content — but I hope that
REPORTING >> PAGE 1
very similar to what we’ve seen in surveys that have been done for a long time around sexual violence, and the number one reason that came up in here is students not thinking it was serious enough to report,” Mertz said. According to the AAU survey, at Penn, 62.2 percent of victims of penetrative acts by force and 61.8 percent of victims of penetrative acts by incapacitation do not believe that the incident was serious enough to report. Mertz also suggested that students might have a particular view of what “reporting” means,
PITCH
>> PAGE 1
Startups from Penn, Drexel, Temple, Philadelphia University, LaSalle and the University of Delaware participated in the competition. Apart from Fever Smart, three other teams from Penn — C-Crete Technologies, Go Smart Track and Lavoisier — pitched as finalists. While these teams did not win the grand prize, the experience was still very positive and eye opening for the students. “It was an adrenaline rush,” said Matt McGuire, a secondyear Wharton MBA student who pitched on behalf of Lavoisier, an anti-counterfeit medicine startup. “I think we did very well.” Lavoisier recently took part in the first White House Demo Day this August, so McGuire and his colleagues have high hopes for
GREGORY BOYEK | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TableTalk, a student-run organization, started #TableTalkTuesdays yesterday in 1920 Commons to facilitate discussions between Penn students.
TableTalk will be able to break down that stigma that you aren’t allowed to keep branching out,” Beren said. The club’s newest initiative unique to Penn — #TableTalkTuesdays, which launched yesterday — hopes to create a community of discussion in Penn dining halls. Participating
students sat together in Commons and discussed a topic, this week’s topic being “The Penn Culture.” #TableTalkTuesdays will be held every two weeks in a different dining hall. “A lot of people grow and a lot of people learn from meeting new people ... and
which keeps them from going to administration. “In my experience, part of the reason is that students have an idea of what, in their head, they think what reporting means, and it’s very different from what it actually looks like and what the options actually are,” Mertz said. “Reporting doesn’t have to look like going to the police, necessarily; it could be different depending on what the person’s needs are.” “If people are experiencing coerced sex or incapacitation or force, but they’re not calling it sexual assault, then they’re generally not reaching out for help,” she added. And just because students
don’t report through “official” channels doesn’t mean that they’re not getting support. “For one student, that might mean coming to the Women’s Center and getting confidential support in the support group for a semester,” Penn Women’s Center Director Felicity Paxton said. “For another student, it might mean going to the sexual violence investigator and filing an official university complaint ... and that’s not to take away from the fact that we have low reporting numbers nationally.” “I think it’s important for us to remember that we’re trying to empower students to speak their truth in whatever way is most authentic to them,” Paxton said.
the future despite not winning the $10,000 prize. “Right now, we have a $200 billion market to capture, and we’re the best out there,” McGuire said. Rise of the Rest is a nationwide tour sponsored by Case’s venture capital firm, Revolution LLC, and intends to promote entrepreneurship in cities outside Silicon Valley. Case emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship when his team dropped by Penn earlier in the day to attend a technology showcase at the Singh Center for Nanotechnology. “250 years ago America was a startup, and it started not far from here,” Case told the crowd at the Singh Center. “This is a nation built by entrepreneurs, and in Philadelphia, you know this firsthand.” Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter, who was also at the event, called it a “remarkable” display of university talent and creativity. “I am very, very proud of what’s going on here at Penn,” Nutter said. “The things that young people — especially in university campuses — are coming up with are just incredible.”
TableTalkTuesdays are a way for different people to come together over a topic and to just learn a lot from one another,” Beren said. Tables were covered with butcher paper, so diners could write down their thoughts or what they discussed. Approximately 100 students
share a meal and to better get to know one another. Groups that have signed up for TableTalks include Active Minds, College Republicans and Penn Shabbatones, among others. Passersby may have noticed “CampusCouches” set up on College Green in September, a second program by TableTalk that aimed to bring Locust Walk-ers closer together. And “LookUp” hopes to cure the students’ addiction to their phones by using discussion placements and clear plastic containers to store phones in dining halls, encouraging diners to look up and talk to one another. According to Beren, placemats should be introduced into several dining halls in October. Members of TableTalk hope that their programs will help students make connections with their peers. “With all the mental health issues coming to the surface at Penn in the past few years, it’s really important just to have that outlet for students to come together and know one more face, and to talk to someone and to feel supported,” Beren said.
WINTER SESSION AT TCNJ! JANUARY 4 –22 Travel, blended and online courses may start sooner. Most undergraduate courses are 4 credits. Check out our convenient online offerings! Check for summer courses, too.
Visit:www.tcnj.edu/intersession
your
BIG FUTURE in very
Nanoscale science and technologies will dominate the future
Computer storage devices Molecular machines Electronics Sustainable energy
very
very
small things very
very
very very
very
very
Will shaping the Nano revolution be part of your future?
Open House on the Minor and Master’s submatriculation programs in Nanotechnology Date: September 30, 2015 Who: Penn undergraduates in science, Time: 6:00-7:00pm engineering, math or business, Location: Glandt Forum and anyone interested in the Singh Center for Nanotechnology Master’s program.
Sign-up: bit.ly/NanoOpenHouse
phone: 215-746-3210
theDP.com
6 SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
ROUNDTABLE
Bold predictions for the rest of the fall season DP SPORTS EDITORS
Discussing Penn Athletics... with more personal pronouns Penn football’s recent upset victory over Villanova — the program’s first in more than 100 years — has sent tremors throughout the Penn Athletics community. Unfortunately, none of us at DP Sports were bold enough to predict the incredible result. So with one major opportunity having already passed us by, it’s time for redemption. What are our bold predictions for the rest of the fall season? Sports Editor Colin Henderson: I will be the first to admit that I’ve been hard on Penn men’s soccer this year. But in my defense, the Quakers haven’t exactly given me much positive to talk about. In fact, the Red and Blue have been pretty much abysmal in non-conference play to start their season, having scored only 4 goals and managing to secure only one victory. We knew the squad’s offense would suffer due to the loss of Duke Lacroix, but its complete ineffectiveness to start the year thus far has been shocking. But let’s all take a step back for a second. First of all, the Quakers have faced three
FIELD HOCKEY >> PAGE 8
Illustrated. “She clearly has a knack for scoring,� coach Colleen Fink said. “She’s got great hand-eye coordination, and she wants the ball at the end of the game.� However, Hoover isn’t the only Penn player making an appearance on national lists. Hitti ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game with 0.86 and has already matched her 2014 assist total of eight. Fink also praised Hitti as a special player who has the unique
ranked opponents already, and they even managed to tie one of them. Secondly, star forward Alec Neumann and the rest of Penn’s offense is bound to catch fire scoring goals at some point. Take Tuesday night’s win over Saint Joesph’s, in which the team broke out for three goals, as evidence of things to come. After all, two years ago, Penn went 3-5-1 in non-conference play en route to an Ivy title. I predict that this team breaks out of its funk and makes a run at winning the league. Sports Editor Holden McGinnis: It’s time to get real bold. If you’ve followed collegiate sprint football throughout its history, you certainly know how dominant Army and Navy tend to be. While many schools struggle to fill a roster (see Princeton), the service academies cut down huge beginning rosters to build their teams. It’s been a few years since Penn beat one of the service academies (the last win was over Navy in 2010, when Penn shared the CSFL title). Last season, the Quakers came within a score of knocking off CSFL champion Navy, and this year I think they will actually pull off the upset. Penn has looked sha r p through its first two games,
making short work of Franklin Pierce and Post. Junior quarterback Mike McCurdy has also
been on point so far this season, throwing for 7 touchdowns and 556 yards, while the running
game has been efficient as well behind freshman running back Max Jones. It’ll still be a tough
game against Navy even if the offense gets going, but this is the year. Associate Sports Editor Will Agathis: No Penn squad has been more impressive this fall than field hockey. The team’s offensive play has been, in a word, stellar. Sophomore sensation Alexa Hoover has been absolutely unstoppable, averaging a mind-blowing 2.43 goals per game to lead the nation. The less-talked-about defense is also catching on rather quickly. After allowing nine goals in their first three contests, the Quakers’ backfield has upped the pressure and has quietly become one of the team’s strengths lately, only surrendering seven scores in their four most recent games. The team’s success is not only contingent on the offense, but the defense. For every big goal from Hoover is a gamechanging save from Liz Mata. For every offensive play created by Elizabeth Hitti is a fantastic defensive effort from Claire Kneizys. The offense gets recognition, the defense gets results. Look for the offense and defense to thrive in the conference matchups and to lead Penn to its first Ivy League championship of the Colleen Fink era.
League, Cornell, could not halt the surging Quakers this past weekend. Last year, the Big Red allowed the fewest goals in the Ancient Eight and notched the most shutouts, finishing third in the overall standings at season’s end. But the Cornell defense could not hold off Penn’s attacking prowess on Friday, as the Red and Blue stormed back to win, 3-2, in thrilling overtime fashion. Hoover and Hitti are not only impressive in their own right; their ability to work together on the field elevates the performance of the team at large.
“I love playing with Alexa,� Hitti said. “We joke when the coaches yell at us for not talking that we don’t really need to. It’s just that chemistry you don’t always find with every player. “She knows when I’m hitting the ball in. I know when she’s going to cut, so even if we aren’t talking, we are constantly moving off each other.� Hoover doled out equal praise for her teammate. “It’s awesome [playing with Hitti],� she said. “We get so pumped for each other.� So what sparked this ridiculous outpouring of offense in 2015? It
comes down to hard work and a team effort — which includes the defense too. “We really started to jell over the spring,� Hitti said. “We are really focusing on offense throughout the entire field. It’s not just getting it into the circle and getting shots, its stepping up on defense and pressuring there. It’s the midfield striking balls in the circle so the offense has more opportunities.� For Hoover personally, the defending Ivy League Rookie of the Year believes confidence and experience have contributed to her prolific goal-scoring, specifically
“not being afraid to step up in those big spots.� The Quakers have the ability to continue their offensive success as they enter the bulk of Ivy play. And, if the team can do so, it might have a shot at the record books — but not just at Penn. If the season ended today, Hoover would rank second all-time in NCAA history in single-season goals per game. Let that sink in. But the numbers are not all that matters. For now, be it because of their defense or their offense, the Red and Blue have their eyes set on a championship.
“It’s a great opportunity for Carrie, and she’s done a great job. Nobody anticipates your starting goalkeeper going down, and I think she’s done a really good job taking our coaching points. She’s watched a lot of video. She’s done a great job stepping into a difficult role.� Communication and trust between a goalie and the defense in front of her is key in the success of any team’s backline. It’s also something that can only grow out of logging hours of playing in games together as a unit, rather than something that can be figured out on the practice field. “I think last game we encouraged and challenged [Crook] to communicate more and she really has grown in that role,� said Van Dyke. “You have a certain
personality so you have to make sure you’re saying the right things and have that confidence which only comes from playing games. I think she will only get more comfortable as she plays more minutes.� Although Terilli’s injury has not been disclosed, Van Dyke was pleased with her progress in recovering from the setback. It is unclear how much longer Crook will be in her starting role. The uncertainty does not seem to be fazing the Red and Blue. For as long as Terilli is on the sidelines, it appears that Crook will continue to get the playing time and will continue to improve. With the full support of teammates and coaches, the Quakers look to be in good hands without their starting goalkeeper.
ARABELLA UHRY | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior quarterback Mike McCurdy has been terrific through two games for Penn sprint football, passing for 556 yards and seven touchdowns. If the Quakers are to beat Navy, he will need to keep up the strong performances.
ability to transition the ball offensively. “When we have been stuck in the defensive end for a bit, she will make herself available and has the stick-handling ability and the creativity to help work the ball up field,� Fink said. To put Hoover and Hitti’s accomplishments in perspective, Yale as a team only has eight goals and five assists ... total. Additionally, Hoover herself has more goals than Brown (11), and is tied with Harvard’s overall scoring output. With this duo at the helm, even the best defense in the Ivy
SUDOKUPUZZLE
W. SOCCER
Skill Level:
6 5
3 8 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) 7 4 6 1 contains every digit 1 to 9. Solution to Previous Puzzle: 1 9 5 3 6 1 8 5 2 8 1 2 6 6 7 1 2 3 8 The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 2 5 620 Eighth Avenue, 1 New 7 York, N.Y. 10018 Š Puzzles provided by sudokusolver.com
Create and solve your Sudoku puzzles for FREE.
For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Play Sudoku and win prizes
NEWYORKTIMESCROSSWORDPUZZLE Crossword
ACROSS 1 “Nice job, kid!� 8 Subjects in an intro chemistry class 13 ___ cat 14 Side parts? 16 Dead Sea documents 17 Moved on all fours 19 Gradually increasing rage 21 Leave amazed 22 Largest U.S. lake by volume after the five Great Lakes 25 “Piece of cake!� 26 Beat maker 27 Entirely 28 Cause of date night stress 29 Zilch 30 Turkey hen’s mate 31 Writer Dinesen 32 Mineral in sheets
33 What recently hired bosses are part of 37 Andy of cartoons 38 Tibetan spiritual guru 39 Tiny energy unit 41 Black hues, in Shakespeare 43 “Dittoâ€? 44 Cop a ___ 45 Subdue 46 One of 100 in a “Winnie-thePoohâ€? wood 47 Mislays 48 X 49 Planter’s bagful 51 Sculptor who pioneered Dadaism 53 Middle of the week ‌ or an appropriate title for this puzzle 57 Light 58 Playwright John who wrote “Look Back in Angerâ€?
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE F A B L E S
I S R A E L
D O U B L Y
J U S A K A N E W P A P A
A B E D
R A S E
O F T
A C T F O W O R E R N T H T H A D S P A P I G O N O T E O S N
C H R O M O
T A I L
B E V I I G P E
M O S S
A M T S
S I P S E M S E A R N G E R E D S I E N A G T S
O G R E S A T R I A
C H A R D S
A F T A
L O O N
F O R D
I V E D O S B A L L E E N E E T I N G P R E I P O S B L O T M E T S
59 Pops 60 Canadian airline with a directional name
Edited by Will Shortz 1
2
3
8
17 19
2 Part of X-X-X
27
3 Roof coating
30
4 Israeli novelist of “A Perfect Peace�
8 Charge
7
14
1 Big jerk
7 Campaign line of 2008
6
16
22
6 World capital half of which consists of forest
5
13
DOWN
5 Ball V.I.P.
4
23
10
21
29 32 35
42
36 39
43
45
40
44
46
11 Sound from a 13-Across 12 Modern energy sources 15 Finalize 18 Software giveaway 20 Sound during a heist 22 Bicep image, briefly 23 Lots
FOOTBALL IS BACK! HOME OPENER:
47
49
50
52
53
57
54
55
56
58
9 Dilly-dally 10 U.N. member between Norway and Pakistan alphabetically
theDP.com/sports
18
38
48
12
26
34
51
11
U.S. National Team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Ca. Coach Nicole Van Dyke recognizes the hole Terilli’s absence presents, but is also incredibly pleased with how her team handled the situation and Crook’s play in her short stint as starter. “The great thing is anytime you lose your staring goalkeeper it’s a challenge, and Carrie has done a great job stepping in. The team has responded well defensively, we’ve been a tight ship,� said Van Dyke. “However, Kalijah is an international goalkeeper and [at] Penn you don’t get too many players that played on a national team.
15
28
37 41
9
25
31 33
“Daily Pennsylvanian�.
No. 0826
20
24
at:
prizesudoku.com
The Sudoku Source of
>> PAGE 8
59
VS.
60
PUZZLE BY IAN LIVENGOOD
28 Pronto
40 ___ pedal
29 Onetime Coors alcopop
41 Set in stone, say
49 Placed 50 River through York
31 Chronic pains?
42 Religion founded in 19th-century Persia
32 Passing web fancy
43 Outdoor painting scenes
34 Die down
44 Khmer Rouge leader
54 Hoops legend with a statue in Philadelphia
46 Line connected to a pump?
55 Hydrocarbon suffix
47 Post-storm detritus
56 “And still ‌â€?
35 “Password� or “Pyramid� 36 Image in the Timberland logo
52 ___-Cat
Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past 24 When some kings and queens puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). are crowned Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. 26 They’re blown on Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/studentcrosswords. for good luck
SAT. 10/3 @ 3:30 PM STUDENTS GET IN FREE WITH PENN CARD! FIRST 500 STUDENTS GET A FREE RALLY TOWEL FOR MILITARY DAY!
THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
SPORTS 7
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Penn looks for positive results in next Ivy weekend
VOLLEYBALL | Team
preps for doubleheader GREG ROBINOV Contributing Reporter FRIDAY
Dartmouth (4-6, 1-0 Ivy) 7 p.m.
Hanover, N.H.
SATURDAY
Harvard (4-7, 0-1 Ivy) 5 p.m.
Cambridge, Mass.
Facing the defending champions is always a challenge. Facing the defending champions along with the team that just upset them is a nightmare. Such is the schedule for Penn volleyball, who travel Friday to Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H., to battle a hot Dartmouth side, followed by a Saturday trip the Malkin Athletic Center in Cambridge, Mass., to face the 2014 Ivy League victors, Harvard. The Quakers (7-6, 1-0 Ivy) seem to be in good standing and could be ready for this challenge, coming off of a three-game winning streak, including a 3-1 triumph at Princeton last Friday
TYDINGS >> PAGE 8
non-conference games against lesser opponents. Topping the Ancient Eight involves a grueling seven-game stretch that the Big Green haven’t yet conquered during coach Buddy Teevens’ second stint at the helm. The last few years, however, featured a Dartmouth squad on the cusp of glory. After spending much of the 2000s mired in the bottom half of the Ancient Eight, the Big Green have been a consistent threat since 2011. Teevens has overseen a renaissance in New Hampshire,
and a shutout of NJIT on the road the following day. Despite its extensive non-conference schedule, coach Kerry Carr was not concerned about the team’s fatigue going into the weekend’s strenuous doubleheader. “I got a lot of different players experience in the preseason, so I feel like we’re rested going into the Ivy League,” she said. One of the standout players for Penn this past weekend was senior captain Alexis Genske, who recorded 14 kills and 14 digs against the Tigers and had another 12 kills with four digs against the Highlanders. “I think our whole team played really steady, which made it easy to be more aggressive on plays [I] might not normally take a risk on, so that definitely gave me the confidence to swing harder,” Genske said. “Also, passing and defensively, we were communicating really well, so I knew which balls my teammates were taking, and which ones were my responsibility.” The Red and Blue will certainly need their strength when they take on the Big Green, who narrowly squeezed past the Crimson in a dramatic fivesetter last Friday. This effort was led by junior and 2014 honorable
mention All-Ivy Emily Astarita’s astounding 23 kills and captain Paige Caridi’s double-double. Dartmouth is currently 4-6 overall, touting its big win to kick off conference play. Saturday’s match against the defending Ancient Eight champs
might be even trickier, as Harvard boasts a veteran team full of firepower despite its 4-7 record. In their narrow loss to Dartmouth, the Crimson were carried by junior Corrine Bain, already a three-time Ivy League Player of the Week, who nearly
recorded a triple-double with nine kills, 29 assists and 23 digs. Last year, the Quakers beat Dartmouth and fell to Harvard. But with a new breakout performer, they hope to come away with two wins this time. Now one of the starters and
leading the team to four straight over-.500 and top-three Ivy finishes. The only other school to match that feat over the same period is Harvard. Dartmouth hasn’t just been alsorans during that time frame though; the team has been a legitimate contender, particularly since senior quarterback Dalyn Williams arrived on campus in 2012. The last time Dartmouth came to Franklin Field, the Big Green were just a chip-shot field goal from upsetting the defending Ivy champion Quakers on the road. Unfortunately for Dartmouth, Penn blocked that field goal and came back to win the
longest game in Ancient Eight history. The Big Green would only suffer one more loss during the 2013 Ivy stretch, falling by just three points at Harvard while becoming the only team to beat a dominant Princeton squad that season. If one of Dartmouth’s two shots at a game-winning field goal had gone through the uprights, the Big Green likely would have claimed a share of that elusive Ivy title. Last season, Dartmouth was the lone squad to beat Yale on the road, upsetting the Bulldogs in the 100th year of the Yale Bowl. While Yale — tied for second
in last year’s Ivy race — lost its star running back to graduation, both Harvard and Dartmouth have returned the core of each of their respective squads. And while the Crimson will still line up Paul Stanton Jr., Scott Hosch and Andrew Fischer on the offensive side, the Big Green have one of the few Ivy defenses that can actually hold that high-powered attack in check. Led by McNamera, Dartmouth also has two senior All-Ivy selections returning in 2015 with defensive lineman A.J. Zuttah and the Ivy League’s 2014 leader in interceptions, Troy Donahue. All in all, the Big Green have held two
weak opponents to just 8.5 points per game to start the year. Dartmouth’s defense is in many ways comparable to the defense against whom Penn’s offense put up 17 points last week against Villanova. But unlike the Wildcats, the Big Green won’t be missing their star quarterback in Williams nor either of his top receivers, seniors Ryan McManus and Viktor Williams. I fully expect the Big Green to come to Franklin Field and avenge their 2013 defeat, just as they stomped out the Quakers’ Ivy hopes at a rain-soaked Memorial Field in 2014. And while Harvard will have
ALEX FISHER | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Looking to stay above .500 and continue its three-game win streak, Penn volleyball will rely on contributions from the entire team this weekend, including middle blocker Michellie McDonald-O’Brien.
stalwarts of the Penn formation, senior Michellie McDonaldO’Brien is finally getting her chance to shine and has been putting on a quite a show at middle blocker. This past weekend, she led the team both days in hitting percentage, to the tune of .471 and .467 against the Tigers and Highlanders, respectively. Her prowess is a recent revelation for the Quakers, who are experimenting with a new attacking system. “We’ve been working on quickening our offense, especially as middles, since Kendall Covington and I are both on the shorter end of all the other middles in the Ivy League,” McDonald-O’Brien said. “But it’s more of an endurance game, a speed game and a finesse game for us rather than a power game. It’s all about being patient and knowing when to kill a ball, and when to just keep it in.” Penn was back on the courts Monday afternoon in preparation for the daunting task it faces in this weekend’s matches. “We could have easily taken a day off with midterms and sickness,” Carr said. “But I think the attitude of this team is we can get better every day — and need to get better every day — to beat the teams across the net.”
few, if any, real tests before its Oct. 30 matchup with Dartmouth, the Big Green will be battle-tested, facing Penn and Yale before traveling up to Cambridge, Mass. When the tale of the 2015 Ivy season is told, people will talk about Penn and Columbia beginning to rise. But they won’t be able to get far without talking about a senior-laden Dartmouth squad that is now ready for its moment in the sun. STEVEN TYDINGS is a Wharton senior from Hopewell, N.J., and is a senior sports reporter for The Daily Pennsylvanian. He can be reached at dpsports@thedp.com.
*knock* *knock* “Open up, RA on duty”
Check out this Thursday’s feature in
DOUBLE TROUBLE
BOLD IS BETTER
Penn volleyball will play its first Ivy weekend doubleheader this weekend in the upper Northeast
Our sports editors make their biggest and boldest predictions for the rest of Penn’s seasons
>> SEE PAGE 7
>> SEE PAGE 6
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Ending a two-decade drought STEVEN TYDINGS
NUMBERS ON THE
BOARD
COURTESY OF DARTMOUTH ATHLETICS
Darmouth quarterback Dalyn Williams will be key to the team’s Ivy title chase.
G
oing into the 2015 Ivy League football season, I expected a few things: Penn would be better than its underachieving final year under Al Bagnoli. Bagnoli would lead Columbia to its first win in over two years. And one more thing: That Dartmouth would win the Ivy League. That’s right. A squad that hasn’t won an Ivy title in nearly two decades will wrestle the championship away from the nationallyranked Harvard Crimson. While Penn got more points than Dartmouth in the Football Championship Subdivision football rankings this week (gee, I wonder why…), the Big Green may have put together a more impressive victory, albeit not against No. 4 Villanova. Sacred Heart, Dartmouth’s opponent in its home opener, marched into Memorial Field and promptly received a whooping to last a lifetime, falling 49-7. The week before, the Big Green’s defense shined in a 31-10 win over Georgetown on the road. FCS Preseason All-American Will McNamara, the captain and star linebacker of Dartmouth’s defense, took an interception to the end zone to help push the Hoyas down early. But you don’t win the Ivy League in
FIELD HOCKEY | Penn
set to smash records ANNA DYER Associate Sports Editor
They say defense wins championships. But while its too early to talk about championships for Penn field hockey after only one Ivy League contest, it looks like the team’s offense is ready to prove this well-known maxim wrong. After losing to Liberty on the first day of the 2015 season, the Quakers’ attack has been nothing short of unstoppable in the three weeks since. In fact, the offense has been more than dominant over the current six-game win streak. It’s been historic. Anchored around senior star Elizabeth Hitti and sophomore phenom Alexa Hoover, the Quakers (6-1, 1-0 Ivy) have scored
28 goals in only seven games, compared to just 45 throughout the entire 18-game 2014 season. If they keep scoring at this pace, the Red and Blue would have 64 goals for the 2015 season, which is only comprised of 16 games. That all goes without mentioning Hoover’s insane personal scoring run. So far, the Collegeville, Pa., native has already notched 17 goals, three more than her total from all of last year and only four away from Penn’s all-time single season scoring record. She ranks first in the nation in goals per game with 2.43, putting her ahead of No. 1 Connecticut’s leading scorer, sophomore Charlotte Veitner. And this impressive performance has not gone unnoticed on the national level: Hoover was pictured in the “Faces in the Crowd” feature of this month’s edition of Sports SEE FIELD HOCKEY PAGE 6
SEE TYDINGS PAGE 7
Uncertainty surrounds Penn’s goalkeeper situation W. SOCCER | Crook
filling in as starter MATTHEW FINE Associate Sports Editor
COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Since senior goalkeeper Kalijah Terilli went down with an injury two weeks ago, junior goalkeeper Carrie Crook (0) has filled in admirably. Crook has put together two shutouts as Penn has battled to a 1-1-2 record in Terilli’s absence. SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM
Tear, strain, break and fracture. In the midst of a season packed with daily practices and arduous games, injuries are an unfortunate and inevitable part of all sports. For Penn women’s soccer, injuries are the ill-fated reality with which they must deal. Right now, the team’s success depends on how the Quakers respond to the loss of a certain player and how her replacement performs coming off the bench. Starting senior goalkeeper Kalijah Terilli was hurt in the first half of the Red and Blue’s game against Clemson over two weeks ago and has been out ever since. In her spot, junior Carrie Crook has stepped in and played well,
ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
earning the support of her coaches and fellow teammates in the meantime. Although Crook never saw regular-season action in her first two years for Penn, she was ready for the challenge as soon as Terilli went down.
From the second I came in, [the team has] been really supportive. ” - Carrie Crook Penn junior goalkeeper
“I had been working hard for two years, and I knew I had to go in, hold down the fort, continue doing what [Terilli] had been doing during the season,”
Crook said. “We’ve had a little bit of a rough patch but we are working through it. I’m getting a lot more experience, so I can feel myself getting better.” This experience has been instrumental in Crook, along with the Quakers’ defenders, becoming more comfortable with one another. “I think a lot of it is understanding the tactical situations that will occur in a game and how to anchor the defense in response to that.” Crook’s teammates have rallied around her as well. “From the second I came in, they’ve been really supportive. I felt like they put their trust in me, which I really appreciated a lot, “ she said. Losing a team’s top goalie, especially one of Terilli’s caliber, is never an easy fix for a team. For context, in the summer of 2014, Terilli was invited to train with the U-23 SEE W. SOCCER PAGE 6 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640