THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Student death ruled a suicide Engineer Alfredo “Freddy” Abravanel died on Monday LAUREN FEINER Editor-in-Chief
A medical examiner confirmed Wednesday morning that a graduate student’s death was ruled a suicide. Administrators informed the Engineering community of Engineering graduate student Alfredo “Freddy” Abravanel’s death in an email on Tuesday. He had died “unexpectedly” the
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day before, the email said. Abravanel’s death marks the 12th student suicide since Feb. 2013. Abravanel graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2016 and had submatriculated into the Master’s program for mechanical engineering and applied mechanics. Due to his connection to both graduate and undergraduate communities, the University opted to send an email to the entire School of Engineering and Applied Science, notifying them of his death. The email, sent by SEAS Dean Vijay Kumar, Vice
Provost for Undergraduate Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price, notified students of a support session that was held Tuesday starting at 2:30 p.m. in the MEAM Conference Room, Towne 227. Originally from Greece, Abravanel “was known as a careful and creative thinker who would always have a unique thought or perspective to share,” Kumar and MEAM Department chair Robert Carpick wrote in a separate email to the MEAM
community. “He was enthusiastic about engineering and was eager to solve challenging problems. Freddy was a smart and curious student; often quiet in class, and inquisitive during office hours. He was regularly seen dashing happily between MEAM classes and projects and his economics classes. He will be remembered as a lighthearted student with an easy smile.” Abravanel had planned to graduate with his Master’s in May 2017. He was 22 years old.
TRUMP MAY HAVE DONATED OVER $1.4 MILLION TO PENN
MBA student, 27, dies on Monday Benjamin Schüttler graduated from the Huntsman Program in 2012 CHARLOTTE LARACY Deputy News Editor
Wharton MBA student Benjamin Schüttler, known as Benji, died on Monday in Philadelphia due to complications from surgery, according to an email from administrators. Schüttler was 27 years old and from Atlanta, Georgia. Schüttler was pursuing an MBA at Wharton as well as a Masters degree of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, according to the email sent by Vice Provost of University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum and Wharton MBA Program Vice Dean Howard Kaufold on behalf of President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price. In 2012, Schüttler received undergraduate degrees from Wharton and the College as part of the Huntsman program. As an undergraduate, Schüttler was involved in the International Affairs Association as a Model United Nations conference planner and contributed to Penn International Business and the Social Impact Consulting Group. Cade and Kaufold wrote that Schüttler was greatly influenced by his study abroad experience in Senegal as an undergraduate. He hoped to connect his passions for social impact, economic development and education into his work, the email said. After graduation, he worked for the Boston Consulting Group in Athens, New York and Philadelphia. He took part in an elite global social impact initiative at BCG before returning to Penn this fall to begin his MBA studies, concentrating on Entrepreneurial Management, the email said.
If you can’t win a free and fair election based on your ideas, then your ideas suck and you should change them.” - Joe Tharakan PAGE 4
The University could be his largest beneficiary LUIS FERRE SADURNI Senior Reporter
On a Tuesday afternoon 32 years ago, Donald J. Trump found his way to Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. It was Oct. 23, 1984, and it was the first time the realestate tycoon would speak at
the University since graduating from the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce almost 14 years before. The lecture room overflowed, as 900 students crammed to hear Trump tell the story behind his booming empire. He fielded questions afterwards and a student asked if he would share some of his fortune with his alma mater. “I’ll match you dollar for
dollar,” the billionaire joked. “Seriously, we’ve been contributing to Wharton and I always will.” But, like his college years, Trump’s donations to Wharton — or Penn, for that matter — have remained a mystery. Rumors on campus and previous reporting have mostly concluded that the Republican presidential candidate never made significant donations to Penn, despite
flaunting his Wharton degree throughout the election. Yet, an exhaustive search by The Daily Pennsylvanian found that Trump may have cumulatively donated at least $1,480,500 to Penn, based on University reports, his foundation’s tax filings and other sources. Over the course of the last three decades or so, Trump has been identified on a number SEE TRUMP PAGE 3
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Dissatisfied with aid, students will lobby SFS Some students skipped meals to save money JULIA BELL Staff Reporter
Penn’s financial aid website claims that the University “commits to meeting full demonstrated need for four years” — but that hasn’t been the experience of all students at Penn. A group of seven students dissatisfied with their financial aid packages and Student Registration
and Financial Services’ treatment of their financial situations are compiling their stories anonymously and planning to collectively send them to Senior University Director of Financial Aid Elaine Papas-Varas later this semester. The students’ discomfort stems from what they see as a lack of transparency and consistency during the process of securing their financial aid packages. Many students reported hearing different information from various financial advisors and faced
prolonged negotiations to ensure more aid. Some find providing extensive documentation to SFS difficult or invasive. “There are a lot of middle-class students who aren’t considered low income, but we have other problems too,” said College sophomore Danielle*, the student who is organizing the collective letter to SFS. Danielle, like others interviewed for this article, requested anonymity to speak candidly about their personal finances. “The thing that gets us is that
on the website they say that they will meet 100 percent demonstrated need, but they don’t tell you the specifics of that until you’re accepted and you see what you have to pay and you try to fight for a better package.” Danielle found that her financial aid package didn’t accommodate her after her family suffered financial setbacks. “For my family personally — my parents went bankrupt twice, they have like seven credit cards they SEE SFS PAGE 5
Mental Health Resources Wharton MBA Program Office: 215-898-7604 School of Engineering and Applied Science Advising: 215-898-7246
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): 215-898-7021 (Nights and weekends, ask for CAPS counselor on call.)
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Division of Public Safety: 24/7 “HELP” line, 215-898-HELP (215-898-4357) Student Health Services: 215-746-3535
Student Intervention Services: 215-898-6081 University Chaplain’s Office: 215-898-8456
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Trump is test case for childhood bullying, prof says Leibowitz believes insults are smokescreen NICOLE RUBIN Staff Reporter
To Linda Lucker Leibowitz, an expert in the Graduate School of Education in studying childhood bullies, Republican nominee Donald Trump has proven to be a perfect test case. “Donald Trump’s history of verbal insults and attacks on a variety of people — women, Muslims, the disabled and more — demand that he be held accountable for his insulting words and how it will reflect on the millions of school-age students that school counselors are working hard to protect,” said Lucker-Leibowitz, who serves as associate director of the Executive Program in School and Mental Health Counseling. She told The Daily Pennsylvanian, “As a school counselor,
my goal was to build resilience in kids. And how do you do that? You try to wrap around them with good role models and people who will model the kinds of behaviors that we want our kids to develop.” When a young boy watches a man say the offensive things that Trump has said, Leibowitz explains, it is possible that it gives the child permission to do so himself, giving the impression that that is what men do. Having spent 35 years as a teacher, senior career teacher and school counselor within the district of Philadelphia, Leibowitz has worked first hand with children and bullies. She believes that the only way to create a positive outcome of the rhetoric of this election, is to discuss it with children. Asking kids how they feel about it, if it has happened to them, or if they have felt targeted can open the conversation and make a “glass-
COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE | CREATIVE COMMONS
Linda Lucker Leibowitz, an expert in the GSE, studies childhood bullies and concluded Donald Trump would be a perfect test case.
half-full” view of this situation. Kids, she said, cannot analyze what he says, but take it at face value, which can go one of two ways: They can be empow-
ered by it and use it as permission to act in such a way, or they can feel targeted by it. Children who watch bullying, she said, are impacted by
it, adding, “I think it touches all of the times when we have felt personally attacked for one reason or another, and it makes all of us feel very powerless right now.” Politically speaking, Leibowitz said the rhetoric Trump uses has nothing to do with politics, but is personal. She also believes that he is using his insults as a smokescreen, a tactic normally applied to children in which they take attention away from inner feelings and project it on others. The fact that people are engaged by Trump’s comments, she said, speaks to what needs to be taught to kids and the country about having a clearer multicultural perspective. School teachers, principals and administrators have worked hard over the years with zero tolerance laws to work against bullying on a wider scale. “For someone to come in and tear
down all of the work we have done on such an enormous scale speaks volumes of the kind of man he is,” she said. Hearing what Trump is saying, and seeing the impact it can have on today’s children, Leibowitz said that “we cannot let this happen.” The only way to fight back, according to her, is to empower children to stand up for themselves. “If we don’t take advantage of the opportunity to teach kids now, not only to take care of themselves, but to stand up for themselves and others and understand that our difference are unique.” There are those, she claims, that use their inner powerlessness to engage with Donald Trump, and “the rest of us are scared to death.” “If you cannot be kind, and you can’t build people up, I find it hard to believe that you could be a democratic ruler.”
Penn profs weigh in on Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize in Literature
Debates arose since the award was for “literature” MADELEINE LAMON Staff Reporter
Everyone seems to have something to say in response to the announcement that Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. After weeks of no response, Dylan finally commented on his award in an interview with The Telegraph saying that the honor is “Amazing, incredible. Whoever dreams about something like that?” He also confirmed that he intends to attend the Nobel Prize Gala in Stockholm, Sweden on Dec. 10 “if it’s at all possible.”
While Dylan kept his reactions low-key, many individuals in literature and musical communities reacted strongly to the announcement. Some showed support for the legendary songwriter, while others criticized the prize being granted to such a well established song writer. Within the literary communities at Penn, the reactions are no less diverse. Many professors showed support for the literature award being given to a song writer, especially one as influential as Dylan. “As a literary figure, I think without question, he deserves it,” English professor and contributing editor at Rolling Stone Anthony DeCurtis said.
“The first time Alan Ginsberg heard Dylan he wept because he [Ginsburg] thought that ‘I’m irrelevant,’ because this is where poetry is going.” Others lamented the timing of the award. “The only complaint I would have is why didn’t they do it ten years ago? I’ve been listening to Dylan my whole adult life,” English professor Paul Hendrickson said. Since seeing Dylan as a youth in 1974 at the University of Michigan, he noted that it’s “better late than never – I’ve been waiting on it all these years.” Some criticized the Nobel Prize as a whole. “I think the Nobel Prize is ove r r a t e d ,” English
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A Book Talk How Fast Can You Run? by Harriet Millan
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Based on the life of Michael Majok Kuch a Lost Boy of Sudan Assistant Professor of English University of Pennsylvania
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featuring HARRIET LEVIN MILLAN Associate Teaching Professor of English, Drexel University with MICHAEL MAJOK KUCH Director, Policy Research & Transformation-National Analysis & Evaluation Division, Office of the President, Republic of South Sudan Set across a backdrop of refugee migration that spans Africa, America and Australia, How Fast Can You Run is the inspiring story of Michael Majok Kuch and his journey to find his mother. This is a story of a survivor who in facing challenge after challenge summons the courageous spirit of millions of refugees throughout history and today. A book signing reception follows. For more information, contact the Center for Africana Studies at 215-898-4965 or visit our website at https://africana@sas.upenn.edu FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC If you require reasonable accommodations, please provide at least 5 days notice
Thursday, November 3, 2016 6:00 pm University of Pennsylvania Center for Africana Studies Max Kade Room 329A 3401 Walnut Street
professor and poet Charles Bernstein said. “I think the literary awards are not that credible in my view. And so, the idea that there is this much tension focused on this award, it seems to be mostly kind of silly.” Bernstein also noted the discrepancy between Dylan and the typical recipients of the award. “He’s certainly not a poet, not a novelist, he is a wonderful songwriter. And there are many great songwriters, there are many great film makers, there are many great composers, none of whom are generally awarded this particular prize.” But no matter their view on the institution as a whole, most seemed to have a personal appreciation for Dylan’s work. “The words are the words are the words — it’s where you
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Since Bob Dylan is a songwriter, many people — including Penn professors — disapproved of his Nobel Prize win for literature.
can find them and if they move you,” said Hendrickson. “I’ve often said to my writing students that if I can find literature
on a bathroom wall, I’ll read it if it moves me. And I think I’ve been moved by Dylan my entire life.”
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of University reports as a donor or pledged donor for specific amounts. However, these reports do not distinguish between donors and individuals who pledged to donate. Without this distinction, The Daily Pennsylvanian could not verify whether these donations were actually made, or were simply pledged and never followed through on. Donations or pledges according to Penn annual reports Trump’s most significant donation may have gone toward Wharton’s Campaign for Susta ined Leadership, which helped fund the construction of Huntsman Hall. A 2003 Wharton Report to Investors lists “all gifts” made to the campaign between 1996 and 2003. Trump appears on a list called the “The President’s Circle”: a select group of individuals who made “gifts of $1,000,000 to $4,999,999.” University annual giving reports don’t disclose contribution amounts — instead, benefactors are listed according to the dollar range of their donation or pledged donation. If he followed through on his pledge, Trump could have donated a minimum of $1 million or close to $5 million over those years. The University refused to disclose Trump’s donations, saying donor information is private. Trump himself did not return the DP’s numerous requests for comment. The DP searched through 32 annual giving reports issued by both Penn and Wharton between 1968 and 2007. Most of these reports are kept in the University Archives and Records Center, and Van Pelt Library. However,
a significant amount of reports are missing, making it difficult to trace Trump’s exact history of donating or pledging donations to Penn. Trump’s name shows up five times between 1996 and 2001 in University-wide giving reports as having donated or pledged a minimum of $25,000 each of those years in unrestricted gifts — gifts to be used entirely at Penn’s discretion. These gifts are in addition to his donation to the Wharton Campaign for Sustained Leadership. The most recent times Trump shows up is in the reports for 2006 and 2007, when he may have donated or pledged between $100,000 and $499,999 to Wharton each year. A sum of the minimum amounts Trump may have pledged or donated to Penn shows the Wharton graduate may have donated $1,350,000, solely based on Penn’s annual
NEWS 3
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 investigating Trump’s donations to charity. Through his reporting, Fahrenthold identified $7.8 million in charitable giving from Trump’s personal wealth since the the 1980s. He also found numerous occasions when Trump would pledge a donation, but not follow through with it. “The other two times he gave $1 million dollar gifts he made sure everyone knew it,” he said, noting a donation Trump made to a Manhattan Vietnam Veterans’ memorial in 1983 and a televised fundraiser for veterans in January of this year. Yet, John H. Zeller, vice president for development and alumni relations, told the DP in an emailed statement that Penn “has an exceptionally high rate of fulfillment” for pledged gifts. “A commitment(pledge) to annual giving is paid within the fiscal year it is made,” wrote Zeller, refusing to comment specifically on Trump’s donations. There is also the possibility that Trump donated anonymously to Penn and chose not to be listed on annual giving reports. But, Mark Frazier Lloyd, director of the University Archives and Records Center, said he thinks Trump didn’t make anonymous donations to Penn. “He loves to promote whatever he does,” Lloyd said. “If he would have made a major gift here he would insist that it go public.”
The donations also coincide with a gift Trump made to fund a project closer to home. In 1996, the Wharton graduate donated over $100,000 to the Penn Club of New York, according to a Jan. 28, 1997 DP article. The Penn Club — founded in 1994 — is a private clubhouse in Midtown Manhattan for the use of Penn students, alumni and faculty with membership. The gift is described as Trump’s “first major donation” in the article, but then-Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Virginia Clark did not specify the exact amount of the donation. The DP reached out to Clark, now Assistant Secretary of Advancement at the Smithsonian, last week, but she did not return requests for comment. However, a Penn Club administrative assistant, who refused to be named, confirmed Trump is listed as a “founder” of the Penn Club. The minimum gift to be considered a “founder” was $150,000, according to The Washington Post’s book “Trump Revealed.”
The tax filings also show Trump repeatedly gave thousands of dollars to New York University, Columbia University,
Trump’s name is not a ubiquitous fixture at Penn as it is on skyscrapers and hotels across the country.” Fordham University and other educational institutions.
But Trump’s name can be spotted on a plaque in the Class of 1968 Seminar Room in Van Pelt Library, which his graduating class donated in 2003. The plaque names Trump and other lead donors of the project, but it is unclear what his minimum donation to the room was. 1968 Wharton graduate Douglas Cox has been his class’s gift chair for 45 years, but could not recall the minimum donation to get a class member’s name on the plaque. “We usually contact people who are willing to give $1,000 or $25,000,” Cox said of class gifts organized every five years. “They’re major gifts, but not huge gifts.” Cox refused to comment on Trump’s involvement in class donations over the years. Even beyond his classmates, those who have been at Penn the longest also see Trump’s relationship with the University as an enigma. “Ever since I came [to Penn], the word on the street has been that [Trump’s] donations have not been significant,” said archivist Lloyd, who has worked at Penn for 32 years. “What does the word significant mean? I don’t know … ”
20 It would be closest to or perhaps the biggest one gift of his life if he followed through with his pledge to Penn.” - David Fahrenthold
giving reports. At least one expert familiar with Trump’s history of charitable giving was skeptical about Trump’s pledges or donations to Penn. “It would be closest to or perhaps the biggest one gift of his life if he followed through with his pledge to Penn,” said The Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold, who spent months
Donation to the Penn Club of New York This string of donations Trump may have made in the late nineties roughly coincides with his children’s enrollment at Penn. Donald J. Trump Jr. began classes at Penn in 1996 and Ivanka Trump in 2000.
Donald J. Trump Foundation Records show Trump also donated small sums to Penn through his personal foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation. Three decades worth of the foundation’s IRS tax filings obtained by the DP revealed the charity has donated a total of $5,500 to Penn and Penn-affiliated groups since the foundation was established in 1987. The first donation was a $3,000 gift to the “Wharton Business School Club” in 1988, followed by $2,500 to “The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania” in 1989.
Class of 1968 Gifts Trump’s name is not a ubiquitous fixture at Penn as it is on skyscrapers and hotels across the country. Numerous Penn buildings and programs are named after well known benefactors like Ronald Perelman, David Pottruck and Walter Annenberg. One of Penn’s most well known gifts was 1959 Wharton graduate Jon M. Huntsman’s $40 million unrestricted gift to Wharton, which led Penn to name the business school’s academic building in honor of the benefactor.
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OPINION The conservative crisis CUP O’ JOE | And how to cure it
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2016 VOL. CXXXII, NO. 99 132nd Year of Publication COLIN HENDERSON President LAUREN FEINER Editor-in-Chief ANDREW FISCHER Director of Online Projects ISABEL KIM Opinion Editor JESSICA MCDOWELL Enterprise Editor DAN SPINELLI City News Editor CAROLINE SIMON Campus News Editor ELLIE SCHROEDER Assignments Editor LUCIEN WANG Copy Editor SUNNY CHEN Copy Editor NICK BUCHTA Senior Sports Editor TOM NOWLAN Sports Editor WILL SNOW Sports Editor TOMMY ROTHMAN Sports Editor
You don’t have to be a Republican to know that “The Donald” is not the best candidate Republicans have to offer. Trump’s alumni status continues to embarrass Penn, to the extent that Columbia University mocked him in a football halftime show two weeks ago. Trump seems to inhabit an alternate reality where the election is rigged by the “dishonest media” and “people in certain areas,” where global warming is a hoax invented by the Chinese to steal our jobs and where Ted Cruz’s father helped assassinate JFK. Where did he get such wacky ideas? Perhaps from Fox News, or the even more partisan Breitbart.com, which has published headlines such as “Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?” Considering that the former chairman of Breitbart.com is now Trump’s campaign manager, it isn’t a stretch to believe that Trump willingly surrounds himself with conservative conspiracy theorists. But Trump didn’t create the far right fringe — decades
of increasingly fearmongering rhetoric from Republican politicians did. Even (relatively) sane Marco Rubio’s famous gaffe: “Let’s dispel with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing … ” implies that President Obama is deliberately trying to undermine the United States. The idea that the president is intentionally sabotaging his country is ridiculous, but some people — probably including Rubio himself — believe it. In fact, it’s one of the tamer things Republicans believe about Obama. Out of all Trump supporters, 65 percent believe Obama is a Muslim and 59 percent believe Obama was not born in the United States — both obviously untrue. This separation from reality is the biggest problem that Republicans face nationally. The collective party has surrounded itself in a thought bubble, which is older, whiter, more male, more rural and more religious than the voting population at large. Only an overwhelmingly white group could sincerely
believe that asking a black audience, “What the hell do you have to lose?” is a smart idea. Only an overwhelmingly male group could sincerely believe that an on-tape admission to sexual assault could be hand-waved away as “locker room talk.”
cerely believe that the stench of racism could be washed away with a tweet of the candidate eating a taco bowl, literally captioned “I love Hispanics!” These delusions are not sustainable in the long-term. I am not the best political strategist, but even I know
If you can’t win a free and fair election based on your ideas, then your ideas suck and you should change them.” Only a group of rabid Clinton-haters could sincerely believe that Trump’s press conference stunt before the second debate with Bill Clinton’s accusers was some stroke of genius instead of predictable, pathetic nonsense. And only an erratic campaign with a single consistency — antagonizing Mexican immigrants — could still sin-
that there are some things that Republicans must do in order to move forward and prevent the next Trump. For one, stop abusing and obstructing government. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) proudly promised four more years of investigations into Clinton should she win the White House. Maybe the first Benghazi investigation was warranted, but the seventh
was not, and nakedly partisan attempts to smear political opponents through Congressional means don’t help your party, they just ruin Congress. It is tempting to offer red meat to your base through “principled obstructionism,” but it isn’t a good long-term governing philosophy. Secondly, stop cheating. Stop disenfranchising people who disproportionately vote against you. Over and over we see Republican state officials pass voter ID laws in an attempt to ensure that demographics that vote Democrat face barriers to voting. These laws were recently struck down by federal courts in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas among other places. If you can’t win a free and fair election based on your ideas, then your ideas suck and you should change them. You should not try to artificially keep your party alive by suppressing opposing viewpoints. Finally, enter the same reality the rest of us live in. Blaming the liberal media at every turn can lead to echo-
JOE THARAKAN chamber lunacy quite quickly — no matter how biased they are. As one disgruntled conservative at Penn put it, if the media is biased against Republicans, then “more Republicans should become journalists.” There is plenty of room for a conservative party in American political discourse. I’m sure there are many rightleaning Penn students longing for a party that can reflect their values. At the moment, the GOP isn’t it. JOE THARAKAN is a College senior from Bronx, N.Y., in the Biological Basis of Behavior Program. His email address is jthara@sas.upenn.edu. “Cup o’ Joe” usually appears every other Thursday.
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Not born this way
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KEEN ON THE TRUTH | Sexual preference may not be predestined from birth after all
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“The idea that people are born gay — or lesbian or bisexual — is appealing for lots of reasons,” noted John D’Emilio, former director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “It’s an idea designed to allay the ingrained fears of a homophobic society and the internalized fears of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. What’s most amazing to me about the ‘born gay’ phenomenon is that the scientific evidence for it is thin as a reed, yet it doesn’t matter.” What matters, D’Emilio observed, is its political impact — and the fact that “liberal heterosexual allies love the idea.” It moves the practice of homosexuality from the realms of culture, choice or morality into the realm of inborn identity — a much easier position from which to demand societal acceptance of the gay lifestyle. But D’Emilio’s comment begs the question of actual truth: If someone feels attracted to the same sex or identifies as homosexual is it reasonable to claim — scientifically — that they were “born gay” in substantively the same way that one might be born red-haired, light-skinned or left-handed? Interestingly enough, the answer is no.
As D’Emilio hinted, the scientific research on the matter indicates that erotic samesex attraction is derived from an unknown combination of environment, choice and genetics. As a 2016 meta-study reviewing over 500 articles on the subject noted, the popular notion that “sexual orientation is an innate, fixed, and biological trait of human beings” is scarcely established by “scientific evidence.” What is established by the scientific evidence? For a long time, the answer was “scarcely anything.” Twin studies were conducted on self-identified homosexuals as early as 1952, but at the time it was difficult to collect representative information. With small samples recruited in systematically biased ways (among psychiatric patients or through “homophile” publications, for instance) results were erratic. In some studies identical twins always reported the same sexual preferences as their co-twin. In other samples studied, every identical twin pair reported discordant sexual orientations. No definite conclusion could be reached until, around the turn of the century, a small handful of large and reasonably representative studies
were finally conducted. These studies may well have been the kind that D’Emilio had in mind. For even focusing on those that tend to favor the notion of being “born gay,” a 2013 article in the journal, Science, points out “gene sequences can’t be the full explanation … the identical twin of a gay man … only has a 20
dance rates cited by Science obviously explode the simple version of the “born gay” narrative in which sexual preference might be compared to biologically determined traits like skin tone, a more sophisticated approach is required to get a better idea of the degree to which genetic factors might predispose someone to experi-
But regardless of which study you look at, the fact remains that there are no rigorous grounds for the biological determinism of the ‘born gay’ narrative.” percent to 50 percent chance of being gay himself.” Since these studies consider twins raised together, a simple concordance rate of approximately 35 percent would not provide good evidence that genetic factors were at play. After all, identical twins raised together experience environments from birth that are about as similar as any two human beings can possibly have. Thus, while the low concor-
ence same-sex attraction. Thus, good studies attempt to separate a little further the influence of genes and environment by comparing concordance rates obtained from identical and non-identical twin pairs. A reasonably representative 2000 study, for instance, found roughly 30 percent concordance for identical twins and only 13 percent concordance for non-identical twins — indicating that genes
play a relatively small role in determining sexual orientation. A Columbia and Yale study, dealing with one of the most representative samples to date, found a roughly 10 percent concordance rate on selfreported same-sex attraction for BOTH identical and nonidentical twins — suggesting that genes play an even smaller role in the etiology of same-sex attraction. But regardless of which study you look at, the fact remains that there are no rigorous grounds for the biological determinism of the “born gay” narrative. Even the numbers in the 2000 study suggest a weaker genetic component to homosexuality than that associated with crime (which enjoys about 50 percent concordance for identical and 20 percent concordance for non-identical twins). Yet few would embrace a notion of “born felonious” comparable to the popular notion of “born gay.” This is, in part, of course because homosexuality may be considered a positive, or at least neutral, trait while crime is antisocial. But the fact remains that a trait which a strong majority of identical twins do not share, can scarcely be claimed pre-
JEREMIAH KEENAN destined from birth. Genetic predisposition doubtlessly plays a role on some level — as it does for nearly all human experience — but, on the science, it seems that other factors are likely to be — as D’Emilio hinted — much more decisively influential. However controversial the “born gay” narrative may be, in the interest of truth it should be amended to fit the scientific research we have available. When there is a dissonance between public opinion and scientific knowledge, it is worthwhile to correct it. JEREMIAH KEENAN is a College senior from China, studying mathematics and classical studies. His email address is jkeenan@sas.upenn.edu. “Keen on the Truth” usually appears every other Thursday.
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maxed out on because they were paying for debts, and those are debts that SFS doesn’t consider as debts,” Danielle said. She was unsure what methods SFS used to evaluate her family’s situation. “They never told me. They have their own standards of what can be considered a debt and what can’t be,” Danielle said. “For that, I guess they’re just gonna assume they were spending on random things. But no, they were paying for things like the home that we lived in, that we were kind of stuck in for awhile. And it wasn’t even a home, it was like an apartment that we just couldn’t pay for. And now it’s foreclosed.” This year, Danielle is living on 45th Street and did not purchase a meal plan. Although her work-study job covers her rent, she found that she did not have enough left over to buy food. She began eating only one meal a day, lost 25 pounds and ended up applying for food stamps. She did find relief from oncampus organizations like Student Intervention Services, PennCAP, Greenfield Intercultural Center and La Casa Latina. They provided meal vouchers and encouraged her to appeal her financial aid through the reevaluation process. “It’s out of their own time,” she said of the students who assisted her. “It’s not because this what administration is telling them to do, it’s because they see the administration isn’t helping [students], so they want to do it for them.” Danielle was disillusioned by the conflicting messages she received from the SFS website and SFS advisors. Even within the SFS advising system, she found inconsistent information. “One time I called and asked if I had to take out any more [money], they said no,” she recounted. “Next time I came in, they said I had to take out another [payment] or else I would be put on registration hold and couldn’t attend school next semester.” She also reported a backand-forth exchange with an SFS advisor that prompted her to reevaluate her financial aid package.
“He would just bring up another way to say ‘ask your parents for money’ and I would just bring up another way to say that I couldn’t. The end of that conversation was just ‘fill out a reevaluation form.’” Danielle said she did fill out a reevaluation form, which was sponsored by a student group on campus, and said she received a greater financial aid package. She believes the culture of SFS is changing — albeit slowly. “They have a new director. She wants to make a change about [SFS] which I think is great, but a lot of the changes they want to do up top aren’t going down to the people who are handling the students,” she said. After Danielle’s parents divorced, she had to prove that they had separated on her financial aid forms. She felt that the level of documentation required was invasive — she had to fill out forms about details of her parents’ divorce that she didn’t know herself, and certainly didn’t want to provide to an administration, she said. Danielle is speaking up because she believes many students are reluctant to voice concerns about their financial aid situations. “There’s a lot of students here who aren’t speaking up because they’re afraid, maybe ashamed, to say anything,” she said. College sophomore Hannah*, another student, also said her family falls in the “awkward” middle-income bracket: not lowincome, but not able to afford tuition either. “We barely were able to make tuition because she [Hannah’s mother] had to take out of her savings for retirement in order to pay for my tuition,” she said. “We still had to take out a loan. And despite all of that we’re still walking on eggshells.” Like Danielle, Hannah was frustrated by the process of document verification and the limited information it can convey. “I believe that SFS does a very thorough investigation, so they’re working off the information you provide. But [the Free Application for Federal Student Aid] and [College Scholarship Service Profile] — which is pretty stupid in itself,
NEWS 5
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016 you have to pay to get financial aid — that doesn’t paint the full picture. For example, there might be cases of parents who were never married.” Because there was no documentation of Hannah’s mother’s relationship to her father, her mother’s co-workers had to write letters to SFS to prove that she was a single parent. Another student at Penn, College junior Liz*, found a discrepancy between the financial aid policy advertised on the website compared to her reality. When she received her financial aid package, Liz and her mother realized that they wouldn’t be able to afford the parent contribution that they were supposed to pay, so they resorted to finding the money in other places. “When I was a freshman I got my financial aid package and I saw my parents couldn’t afford it without getting loans, and I thought it was weird,” she said, “but I really wanted to go to Penn — I was in love with Penn — so I convinced my dad that it was fine and that we’d make it work.” After she was accepted to Penn through the Early Decision program, her dad lost his job, which strained the family’s financial situation. Their financial aid package was further complicated by the policy for scholarships, which the student did not know until she came to Penn. “I had a lot of scholarships, but then I found out that my scholarships couldn’t apply to my parent contribution, they only got rid of my work-study,” she recalled. “So then I couldn’t find a job freshman year. Because they don’t really advertise how outside scholarships work too much to freshmen.” After Liz’s dad lost his job, she said her financial aid package adjusted to reflect the change. However, she still couldn’t afford to pay for school. “When he lost his job and they lowered it a bit, but not that much — only by $1,700. My financial aid is really good compared to a lot of people and they’re giving me a lot of money and I appreciate that. But I still can’t afford it — if the cost of attendance is way more than what my parents make together, I don’t understand how you expect me to pay $7000 out
of the blue.” Liz is covering the parent contribution portion of her tuition by withdrawing loans. “I would always end up crying because I felt so hopeless,” she said. “And I know a lot of people have to take out loans and I don’t have a problem with loans — it’s just there was this no-loan policy. And I want to go to med school, so I’m going to have to take out a lot of loans then. And my parents don’t help me with my cost of attendance at all.” Even though Liz’s sister started as a freshman in college this year, her financial aid package was initially identical to last year’s, she said. However, she is waiting to fill out a re-evaluation form for financial aid, because her dad recently became jobless and she is waiting until he is recognized as unemployed. She was hesitant to do it while her father was on strike with a worker’s union, because he was receiving a stipend of $400 per week, she said. “I don’t know what number to put as his income and that’s why I’m waiting, because we have to have a really good explanation for why our expenses are higher than what we make per year,” she said. “My parents aren’t together and I’m kind of estranged from my dad so talking to him about money is really frustrating for me.” For Liz, the system of income bracketing for levels of financial aid and the Penn Student Insurance Plan was also confusing. “Because my dad hasn’t had benefits for a while, I have to get the Penn Insurance and it’s so expensive,” she said. “I already can’t afford to pay my base price and they give me the half-grant, but I just don’t understand how these brackets work. Am I just right above the bracket?” Liz originally didn’t receive any grant money, but negotiated for a half-grant at SFS, which means that she will only have to pay for one half of the insurance policy price herself. “I’m excited about that, however I still have to pay $2,500 before Nov. 1, which is probably going to end up being loans,” she said. Her finances have dwindled to the point where she has not had
MEGAN JONES | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
On-campus organizations such as PennCap and Greenfield Intercultural Center have helped students unhappy with their financial aid packages.
enough money to buy food. “I struggle to eat a lot,” she said. “I’ve been eating so many processed foods this year because I’m on no meal plan at all, whereas last year I was on a smaller meal plan.” Liz acknowledged that living on campus was not the cheapest housing option, but said that she thought their financial aid would increase because her sister was entering college. The change in financial aid was much less significant than she anticipated. “This summer I knew I was going to struggle after I saw my financial aid so I applied for food stamps, which are really helpful but they’re only a supplement and technically you’re supposed to work 20 hours a week to keep them,” she said. “I’m working 10 now, I’m going to start working 20.” While enrolled at Penn, students cannot work more than 20 hours a week or have more than two jobs. Students on food stamps cannot work any more or less than exactly 20 hours each week. Liz acknowledged that some SFS policies may be changing under the new administration. But she was hesitant to praise them. “I know there’s going to be a lot of changes, and when I went to ask about SFS to ask about this grant for my health insurance, they
were like ‘Oh, I don’t know, because all the policies are changing right now.’ I’m excited for these changes, but I’m apprehensive because what if I’m right above the bracket again?” Elaine Papas-Varas, senior university director of financial aid since last March, said that transparency was a priority for SFS. “The intention and the goal for SFS is for all students to come in and have a positive experience,” she said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that every student is going to have positive, good news. But every student will have the truth and every student will have a clear explanation of what’s happening in their files.” Hannah believes that SFS employees are friendly — but sometimes lack complete understanding of students’ situations. “They’re very friendly people — I don’t want to demonize them or anything — but I feel like they really got to understand that we want to come here,” she said. “That’s the only reason why we’re pressing so hard … Penn is not only Ivy League, it’s a second home. They really just gotta understand that. It’s not like, ‘oh, if it’s too much, why don’t you just leave?’ You brought us here for a reason. We chose to be here for a reason.” *Names have been changed.
6 NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Multi-Purpose Room at Pottruck closed for months The MPR was ostensibly closed to repair damage JENNA WANG Staff Reporter
For months now, the same red sign has greeted visitors at the front entrance desk of Pottruck Health and Fitness Center: “MPR Closed Until Further Notice.” The Multi-Purpose Room at Pottruck, which contains a variety of exercise equipment, padded mat areas and punching bags, has been closed since the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year for reasons unknown to students. According to Kevin Bonner, associate athletic director at Penn Recreation, the MPR was shut down in May for repairs to a flood-damaged floor. “A f lood caused by an air
handler unit damaged the floor and sub-flooring,” Bonner, who declined to give an interview, said in an email statement. “Complicated and multi-layer repairs have been progressing since the summer.” Bonner did not specify when the room would be open again, noting only that it would reopen “as soon as possible” and that “any amenities usually found in the Multi-Purpose Room can be found elsewhere in Pottruck.” However, this is not true for equipment such as the punching bags and padded mat areas that were exclusively found in the MPR. Some students who had been regular visitors to the MPR found the temporary shutdown frustrating. “I’m very salty it’s closed,” College junior Red Joseph said. Joseph, who said he would
visit the MPR around three times a week to use its punching bags, said that his biggest complaint with the MPR’s shutdown was the lack of information given to the public. “Apparently the renovation was only supposed to be for a weekend or a month, but it’s gone on for three, four months,” he said. “I feel that at the very least they could be a bit more up to date about when it’s going to be open, and just be open and honest about it.” Amenities like punching bags are not available in other places outside the MPR in Pottruck because “it was determined that there was not a safe space in Pottruck for punching bags,” according to Bonner. However, one was bought for the other gym on Penn’s campus, the Fox Fitness Center, after the MPR’s temporary
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closing. Similarly to Joseph, Wharton and College sophomore Jeffery Gao said he had expected the MPR to be open by now. “When I came back from summer vacation, I went to the MPR because I wanted to work out and the normal gym was too crowded,” Gao said. “I assumed they were renovating and they would bring it back soon, maybe a few weeks or a month. But now it’s November and I don’t know what’s going on in there.” Joseph suggested that Penn Recreation update students more publicly and frequently about the MPR’s repair progress. “I don’t appreciate the lack of information,” he said. “Even if it takes them a long time, I wish they’d provide more information about it.”
LIZZY MACHIELSE | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
The MPR at Pottruck, which contains a variety of exercise equipment, has been closed since the beginning of this semester.
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Penn Hillel announces new Innovation Endowment fund Designed to support and increase Jewish innovations GIOVANNA PAZ Contributing Reporter
Penn has another prize for innovation — this time, for ones that contribute to Jewish life. On Sept. 29, Penn Hillel and Hillel International’s Office of Innovation announced the establishment of the Eleanor Meyerhoff Katz Jewish Innovation Endowment. The Endowment will fund three projects which include the Innovation Summit, the Innovation Fellow and the Innovation Award, which are all designed to cultivate creative ideas that embody Hillel’s goal of inspiring a commitment to Jewish life. T he I n novation Sum m it will bring together hundreds of Hillel professionals from around the United States to explore strategies for reaching and impacting future generations of Jewish students. The summit will take place on Dec. 8 in Orlando, Fla. during the Hillel International Global assembly. The Innovation Fellow will receive resources to supervise the summit and to serve as an aggregator of Jewish innovations. The Innovation Award will then honor the “boldest and brightest” idea presented at the summit. In line with the theme of community impact, any Hillel center can apply for the award, which includes a cash prize. The goal of the endowment is to provide forward thinkers in the Jewish community with an outlet that is supportive of enter prising projects, Penn
NEWS 7
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
MASTEROFOFSCIENCE SCIENCEININ MASTER NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP(NPL) (NPL)
Are you an undergraduate interested in Interested in in social impact and innovation? Interested social impact innovation? “doing well by doingand good”? Consider the NPL program’s Spring 2017 Consider the NPL program's Spring 2016courses! courses!
Why not get your Bachelor’s & Master’s NPLD 510: Social Innovation in 4.5 years? Wednesdays (1pm - 3:30pm) NPLD 510: Social Innovation Instructor: Peter Frumkin Wednesdays (1-3:30pm) Instructor: Dr. Peter Frumkin
COME TO OUR INFO SESSION:
Mon.
OCTOBER 10th
NPLD 562: Nonprofit Law*
NPLD 562:1/18, Nonprofit Law*4/5, 4/19 Wednesdays, 2/1, 2/22,3/22, Wednesdays 1/20,(5:30pm 2/3, 2/17, 3/2, 3/16, 3/30 - 8:30pm) (5:30-8:30pm) Instructor: Don Kramer Instructor: Don Kramer Raising Philanthropic Capital* Capital* NPLDNPLD 563:563: Raising Philanthropic
3:00pm
Fridays, 3/17, 4/14 (9am - 5pm) Fridays 1/22,2/10, 2/19, 3/18 (9am-3pm) Instructor: Greg Hagin Instructor: Greg Hagin
NPLDat570: & Finance NPLD 564: Social Entrepreneurship theNonprofit Bottom of Planning the Pyramid* Tuesdays Fridays, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7 (9am - 5pm) (1:30-4:30pm) Instructor: Nancy Burd Instructor: James Thompson
BECCA LEE | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
The Eleanor Meyerhoff Katz Jewish Innovation Endowment has been designed to inspire creative ideas that embody the Jewish community.
Hillel Board member and 1982 graduate Sally Katz said of the endowment, which is named for her mother. “Penn and my mom were both cut from the same cloth in terms of trying to be innovators on a local and global scale,” she said. “My mom’s spirit was all about giving to the community and thinking outside the box, and that’s Penn Hillel in a nutshell.” Executive Director at Penn Hillel Rabbi Mike Uram said the endowment is indicative of Penn Hillel’s influence on Jewish student life at campuses all over the United States. “Penn Hillel has been a national leader in creating new and innovative ways of creating Jewish life for all Penn students.
Some of those innovations that have started at Penn have spread nationally to other schools,” he said. For example, he added, Penn Hillel’s “peer-to-peer” program, which allows student interns to plan programs for their friends outside institutional boundaries, is now a model used on campuses across the country. “Students seem to be really excited about it and I know I can say for myself that I think this is an incredible opportunity for Jewish students, not just at Penn but across the country,” College senior and Hillel Student Board President Katie Hartman said. “I’m graduating at the end of the year, but as a student I’m excited to see where it goes from here.”
Courses are open NPLD 587: Building Nonprofits that Thrive NPLD 565: Financial Managment of Nonprofits* Saturdays 1/23, 2/20, 3/19, 4/23 (9am-4pm), to graduate and Sundays 3/20 (9am-4pm) Fridays, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3 & Mondays, 1/23,1/24, 1/30,2/21, 2/6 (1pm - 4pm) undergraduate Instructor: Dr. Meredith Myers Instructor: Bruce Boylston students! Fireside Lounge *Indicates 0.5cu courses. NPLD 587: Interpersonal Dynamics in Nonprofits that Thrive
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Saturdays, 1/21, 2/18, 3/18, 4/8 & Sundays, 1/22, 2/19, 3/19, 4/9 (9am - 4pm, 12pm on 4/9) Instructor: Dr. Meredith Myers
NPLD 720: Data Analysis for Social Impact
Interested in submatriculation?
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Undergraduates can now submatriculate into the Master's 792:Social Entrepreneurship ofNPLD Nonprofit Leadership Program. This exciting option Tuesdays (5pm allows students to earn -a8pm) Bachelor's and Master's degree Instructor: Peter Frumkin in 4 ½ years. *Indicates half credit courses.
For more information, contact:
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Adam Roth-Saks Associate Director NPL Program adamsaks@sp2.upenn.edu 215.898.1857 www.sp2.upenn.edu/nonprofit
Do you want to use your Penn education to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you have an idea for a commercial venture that has a positive social impact? Could you use $100,000 to help turn your idea into a reality? If so, then the President’s Innovation Prize is for you. Information sessions held in the Fireside Lounge (2nd floor of the ARCH):
November 10, 4:00 PM November 29, 3:00 PM December 5, 4:00 PM
Deadline: January 13, 2017
Application information can be found at www.curf.upenn.edu/prizes
8 NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
iAspire aims to connect students and graduates The platform was launched in September JESUS ALCOCER Contributing Reporter
iAspire is a platform that matches students looking for an advantage in their career search with students and recent graduates who already have a foot in the industry. The site, launched in September, has more than 180 users and is working on a lucrative partnership with Foursquare. Engineering senior Hannah Cutler has been cooking the concept for two years now. Her first idea was to create a site that aggregates events about networking and careers in order to make the information more readily available to her classmates. However, she realized this goal was not specific enough. Working in the GovLab two
summers ago, Cutler met Beth Noveck, former chief technology officer of the Obama-Biden transition team and director of the White House Open Governance Initiative. Noveck has dedicated her whole life to the idea of expert networks in government. What she realized is that policymakers have trouble pinpointing people with answers to their very specific questions, especially since government titles provide very little guidance as to what people know. “I realized that there was a gap, and expert networking provided a bridge,” Cutler said. “While job descriptions tell you in vague terms the skills they require, they don’t tell you how to get there. And chances are, there is someone on campus that can tell you what to be in the lookout for, who to meet and how to make yourself more marketable
in general.” Although growing its customer base is iAspire’s focus for now, College senior and co-founder Jeffrey Wang does not discount the possibility of monetizing the service soon. “We are looking for people prepared to make lengthy engagements. People that can create a substantial relationship out of which both parties can benefit,” Wang said. While iAspire is not the only player in the market, it createsa distinct value proposition. There are companies that provide similar services: Handshake, JobStart, MentorNet and WayUp, for example. None of these sites provide for long-term, in-person interactions, and none are tailored to college students. JobStart charges close to $600 per month for six Skype chats and pays mentors around $80
per hour. Furthermore, JobStart mentors select mentees, which denies mentees the opportunity to be paired with their best match. MentorNet focuses on STEM and health care careers only. “At iAspire we know that you’ve filled enough forms — we do not want to classify you into a box,” Cutler said. “We want to give you the opportunity to describe yourself fully — if you are a polisci major with a minor in art who does graphic design on the side, that is perfectly fine. Our system can automatically handle responses like this and make matches, our competitors can’t.” Cutler said they are working with machine learning experts at the Wharton School and the Engineering School to improve algorithms. She contrasted iAspire’s services with Penn’s
Major Dinners
COURTESY OF FLAZINGO PHOTOS
The iAspire platform aims to connect professionals with students, to help answer any questions that students may have in that specific job.
services. “You are placed on a bucket depending on your major and told to apply to a preselected list of companies. You are an econ major — here, apply to the Bank of America. Having gone through the recruiting process ourselves, we know that
the essential information requires talking to someone with experience, not reading a job description,” she said. As of now, the partners are working on developing corporate partnerships and will seek venture capital once their initial phase of expansion is complete.
Center for the Study of Contemporary China
November 7 @ 6:00 PM | RSVP by November 4
China’s Green Development and the Rule of Law
Latin American and Latino Studies
Harrison College House • Seminar Room M-20 (First floor)
November 10 @ 6:00 PM | RSVP by November 7
Communication
Du Bois College House • Multipurpose Room Each semester, the College in collaboration with the College Houses and academic departments and programs holds a series of dinner discussions on majors, minors and academic programs. These dinners provide an opportunity to meet with faculty and upperclass students in a small, relaxed setting, and are free of charge. Please RSVP by the required date at the URL below. Contact Rebecca Poyourow, Assistant Dean, at poyourow@sas.upenn.edu with any questions.
http://www.college.upenn.edu/dinners/
Alex Wang Assistant Professor of Law, UCLA Thursday, November 3, 2016
4:30-6PM Stiteler Hall B26, 208 S. 37th Street
Basketball Preview November 9th issue
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SPORTS 9
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
Red and Blue look for pair of conference wins VOLLEYBALL | Bears and into this weekend,” junior captain
Bulldogs await Penn
REINA KERN Contributing Reporter FRIDAY
Brown (4-16, 2-8 Ivy) 7 p.m.
Providence, R.I.
SATURDAY
Yale (15-4, 8-2 Ivy) 5 p.m.
New Haven, Conn.
Penn volleyball heads into another Ivy weekend after two big victories over conference rivals. The Quakers (10-12, 5-5 Ivy) will travel to both Brown and Yale this coming weekend and are looking to keep their two-game winning streak going. “We are pretty confident going
Kendall Covington said. “After the first round of Ivies every team improves so we are going in with clear heads and clear minds.” As the squad heads into these two critical matches, keeping the team culture alive is extremely important. “I’m trying to get everyone to stay as energetic as possible. I’m a very vocal captain and strive for positivity,” Covington added. The momentum gained from a very successful weekend against Ivy foes Harvard and Dartmouth could prove to be critical for the Quakers as they continue through this second round of Ivy matches. “This past weekend is going to give us a lot of momentum for this upcoming weekend,” sophomore outside hitter Courtney Quinn said. “Harvard was tied with us so it was a big up move for us to jump ahead in the rankings.” Not only were these two big conference wins, but they also have shown that the Quakers are a
PETER RIBIERO | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Junior captain Kendall Covington will look to boost Penn volleyball’s Ivy record above .500 during a pair of road contests in New England.
dominant force in the league when they are at their best. “We’re excited for the next two weekends because we have something to prove,” Quinn continued. “It is important to have that confidence that we can win fifth [sets] if it comes down to it,” she added, pointing to Penn’s five-set victory over the Big Green on Saturday.
As the team looks forward to these matches against Brown (4-16, 2-8) and Yale (15-4, 8-2), the Quakers are keeping their own goals in mind: to dominate two Ivy squads that will be very determined in their own right. The Bears are looking to finish with a record approaching respectability, while the Bulldogs likely must win out to keep their Ivy
Penn to take stab at winning Invitational
FENCING | Quakers to
face nation’s top teams
BREVIN FLEISCHER Sports Reporter
Two top-ten football teams collide this Saturday when the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in primetime. Although that lede might appear to be misplaced in a fencing article, the all-important Big Ten showdown is the reason the Elite Invitational returns to Penn for the second consecutive year instead of alternating to Ohio State. This change in venue has been embraced wholeheartedly by the Penn fencing program, as the lack of travel affords the team more time to prepare for the intense competition of this Saturday, which includes matches against five of the top eight teams in the country. This intensity of competition is reflective of the lofty goals coach Andy Ma has set for his team. “Last year, the men finished eighth,” Ma said. “This year, hopefully we move up six or seven spots. Last year, we had eight men and women qualify for NCAAs. This year, I hope we have at least nine or ten.” One of the fencers who was most
responsible for last year’s success and who will be most relied upon this year is Justin Yoo. The sophomore burst on to the scene as a freshman a season ago and earned second team All-American and first team All-Ivy League honors. He was an integral part of the men’s team that won Penn’s first Ivy League fencing title since 2009, and he is hungry for more. “I want to win Ivies again. That was great,” Yoo said. “I think it’s very possible. Our team is still young, but there’s more to come.” Both Yoo and junior Arabella Uhry, an honorable mention AllAmerican herself, understand the importance of a strong showing at this Saturday’s invitational, agreeing that a competitive meet such as this has great implications on the rest of the season. “This meet will set the tone for how we’re going to fence for the rest of the season,” Uhry said. However, as Ma asserts, this meet is equally important for its role as an introduction to college fencing for his freshmen, many of whom he expects to contribute immediately. “We have great talent with our incoming freshmen,” Ma said. “They just need experience. This weekend is our first competition of the season. It’s more of a warmup for them.”
Looking for a home?
ARABELLA UHRY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sophomore Justin Yoo figures to once again be one of the Quakers’ top fencers in 2016-17. The season starts at home Saturday.
“This will be some fencers’ first competition, so it will be good to see how they fence,” Uhry added. “I’m sure we’ll rotate a lot to give everyone experience. I think that we’re coming in with a lot of depth this year.” However, it is clear that this event will be more than just a warmup and that a successful showing this weekend is not only preferred but expected. Last year’s men’s Ivy title and women’s fourth place finish have instilled a winning culture throughout the program. “Winning is a habit,” Yoo said. “So if we can get in the habit of winning this weekend, we’ll be
FOOTBALL >> PAGE 12
ball where the Tigers have arguably made their greatest strides. An experienced front seven led by linebacker Luke Catarius and defensive lineman Henry Schlossberg has allowed a measly 2.41 yards per carry – the nation’s fourthlowest mark – representing a stark contrast from the 2015 team that allowed Penn to run wild for 217 yards. So it might be an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object when that defensive front takes on a Penn (5-2, 4-0) rushing attack that has shredded Ancient Eight defenses. A completely healthy Tre Solomon has put up a league-leading 670 rushing yards and 5.6 yards per carry, while the team leads the conference with a stellar 183.1 yards per game on the ground. “I think what they’ve done
squad as they enter into these next two conference matchups. “One of our main goals is to finish top three in Ivies,” she said. “But one of our main goals to lead to that goal is to come out in the second set [of each game] on fire. The second set is what it is really about.” As Covington said, consistency is key here for the Quakers. Once they win the first set, it is important to keep with the game plan and stay composed. “It is important to carry it [momentum] through the rest of the match,” Covington continues. The Bears currently sit at seventh in the league while Yale rests much higher in second, but the Quakers are expecting both matches to be close battles as they strive to beat both opponents in their second meetings. However, the squad is on a roll and is eager to take on these Ivy foes. As far as the Quakers are concerned, nothing can stop them now.
is a great job obviously stopping the run ... and what you have to do to them is take what they give you -- can’t force the run or the pass,” Priore said. “We have to be smart with the ball, and the game is really going to come down to that turnover battle.” So while it may be difficult for the 108th all-time PennPrinceton matchup to live up to the ridiculous standard set by last year’s showdown, with two evenly matched teams going head-to-head with Princeton’s revenge, Penn’s undefeated league record and rivalry bragging rights at stake, it’d be foolish to bank against it. “[Last year] gives them a little bit of fuel, because we know that they’re going to be hungry to take back that win,” wide receiver Cam Countryman said, “but we’re just as hungry to make sure that we handle our business.”
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ready to win the next tournament and the next, and it just builds from there.” With any luck, that winning mentality will build to some Ivy League and even national titles.
title hopes alive. Of course, the Quakers lost to the Bulldogs in their last matchup. But rather than seeing this as a cause for pessimism, the team is using this as fuel to dig deep and beat Yale the second time around. “One of our goals going into this half of the season was to beat all the teams we lost to, so we have a strong mindset going into this game,” Quinn said. And although the team defeated the Bears 3-0 in the first round of conference play, the Red and Blue know they can not overlook their opposition. “Brown is a very scrappy team which we are not used to as much, so we have to be scrappy with them and outplay them,” Covington said. “From the start of Monday we’ve been playing hard and really preparing for these matches,” Quinn continued. With the Quakers currently sitting at fourth in the conference, Covington is setting goals for her
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
Quakers head to Princeton for rivalry road faceoff W. SOCCER | Seniors to
game of the season so you wanna go out with a bang,� Lombard said. They are usually one of our rivals and it’s a close game. Especially this year, with the points, it’s close.� Princeton will certainly come in fired up, as they will playing fresh off of a 6-1 thrashing of Cornell. Regarding the game plan, Penn coach Nicole Van Dyke has no plans of deviating from the successful formula for her team on the road, as they remain undefeated while traveling. “We just try to do the same thing. It’s out last week and we’re not trying to learn anything new,� Van Dyke said. “We just want to do the best we can at what we do well. We want to keep the ball and be a little more patient in certain opportunities. If someone shows up to training we want them to think we’re playing for the Ivy League title this weekend.� The defense has been especially formidable this year, with the Red and Blue only allowing 0.6 goals a game while having pitched eight shutouts. Senior
play final career games GREG ROBINOV Sports Reporter SATURDAY
Princeton (10-4-2, 2-3-1 Ivy) 7 p.m.
Princeton, N.J.
All’s well that ends well. Penn women’s soccer has adapted that mindset as they look to close out the 2016 season at Princeton this Saturday. After battling back against Brown during Homecoming, the Quakers (9-3-3, 2-2-2 Ivy) managed to secure a draw and one point to stay ahead of the fifthplace Tigers (10-4-2, 2-3-1). Although there will be no postseason for Penn this year, the intensity is as high as ever. For senior Paige Lombard, this historic rivalry is more than enough motivation for her squad. “We always expect a battle against Princeton. It’s the last
DP FILE PHOTO
Senior forward Paige Lombard will lead the Quakers as they look to boost thier record above .500 in Ivy League play.
defender Riann Winget believes the back line has gelled, and good communication and positioning has kept the opposition off the scoreboard. “Everyone has been working together as a unit and reading each other’s positioning and knowing where they will be. We are really synchronized and the communication is flawless right now and that’s part of defense,� Winget said. For the senior class, they will
have only 90 more minutes to cement their legacy with the program before handing the reigns over to the younger players. Discussing her class’ impact, Winget sees the seniors as a source of motivation and unity for the newer faces on the squad. “I think we bring a lot of high energy, optimism, and togetherness. I think we’ve really helped strengthen the family dynamic that was here before we got here and continue the part of our team
that is a family and a unit,� she said. “We’re just really happy and energetic, and it brings everyone together.� Although it will her last time stepping on the grass in a Penn uniform, Lombard points out that everyone is treating it as any other contest that demands full effort and heart for the right outcome. “I think every game so far, all we want, as seniors and as teammates, is for everyone to give it their absolute all, and I think we’ve gotten that every game,� Lombard said. “If we go out there and give it our all and leave it on the field then we’ll be happy when we walk off.� Van Dyke recognizes that not the results went in favor of her team this year, but had nothing but praise for all those players who have competed valiantly throughout. “I’m so proud of this team because we can’t ever say they didn’t give a full effort. Every time they dealt with some kind of adversity, they always battled back. Going down at Dartmouth,
battling back, going down to Brown, battling back,� Van Dyke said. “It’s easy to crumble, especially after dropping a game in conference, but they haven’t done that. We’ve been in every game, whether we’ve won, lost, or tied.� In discussing giving the seniors a curtain call and getting them minutes in their final game, Van Dyke pointed out that granting those opportunities is an objective, but always secondary to leaving with three points. “I will tell you one thing: beating Princeton at Princeton would be better than any sort of senior night for this team because it’s just that rivalry that’s always there. It’s that game on the schedule where there is a red circle around it,� she said. “Coming out of our history with Princeton, a win would really do wonders for us,� Winget added. “Especially a shutout win, or a multi-goal win. But any win on the road, at Princeton — you can’t beat it.� So, the best sendoff for the Penn seniors would be one final win over their arch nemesis.
Tilton, Kneizys to wrap up careers versus dethroned Tigers FIELD HOCKEY |Senior
For the Quakers, this year’s duel with the Tigers (9-7, 4-2) will not be, as it had virtually been in prior seasons, the Ivy League championship game. For the first time in 11 years, a school other than Princeton will be taking home the Ancient Eight title. Harvard, which took down both Penn and Princeton in thrilling overtime contests, will receive that accolade. That said, the lack of a championship on the line does not undermine the importance of the game for the Red and Blue. For each of the last 11 seasons, the Quakers have fallen to Princeton and the losses have featured plenty on the line. For the Quakers, Saturday won’t be about blocking their foes from an Ivy League championship, but rather turning over a new leaf on this rivalry and starting fresh with a win. Coach Colleen Fink recognizes that
stars seek graceful exit WILL AGATHIS Associate Sports Editor SATURDAY
Princeton (9-7, 4-2 Ivy) 12 p.m.
Princeton, N.J.
As the season winds down to its final game, this week has been the last of 2016 for Penn field hockey. For the team’s two graduating seniors, they will take their last practice, their last lift and their last pre-game routine as Quakers. In appropriate fashion, their final appearance for the Red and Blue (11-5, 4-2 Ivy) will be against archrival Princeton.
this is a chance to shift the hierarchy in Ivy League field hockey. “I think it’s really important,� Fink said. “We still do have the opportunity to take that step and do something we haven’t done.� The senior class will be playing its final conference and regular season game on Saturday. Barring an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament – not likely given the team’s RPI – the Quakers’ season ends after the game. This year’s senior class is small, featuring just two players, but their impact has been immense. Both have been full time starters over the last four seasons, both are team captains, and both have played a huge role in the team’s successes in previous years. For Elise Tilton, who has started 53 times in her 56 game career with the Red and Blue, Saturday will be
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ZACH SHELDON | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
Senior midfielder Elise Tilton will play her final career game for the Red and Blue on Saturday when they take on 4-2 Princeton.
of the outcome, she will be looked at as one of the program’s greatest contributors in Fink’s early years at the helm. The team’s other senior and cocaptain, Claire Kneizys, does not carry over the same Red and Blue experience that Tilton boasts. Kneizys, before becoming a full-time and unquestionable star, was a starting back at Columbia. Naturally, Penn’s victory over Columbia this year, the first such occurrence since Kneizys’ transfer, was a special moment for her. “That game was very personal for me. It felt great to beat them.� Kneizys has been a paramount contributor on the backline for her sophomore and junior seasons. After a handful of games into her senior season, Kneizys was moved around in the starting lineup. She would play center defensive midfield, a position she had not played since high school. With just a handful of games left, Kneizys was determined to make the most of the opportunity. In fact, Kneizys scored her first goal for the Quakers as a center defensive
midfield, a game-winning overtime goal versus St. Joe’s. Since then, she has had a lot of success in the role and has been looked to as a senior member of the midfield even though she is still new to the position. “I wish I had been playing it longer because I really enjoy it now.� The two of them are not entirely sure what life will be like when they finish their last game, but they know that they will forever be a part of the program and cherish the memories that they have. “It’s very bittersweet,� Kneizys said. “We’re still going to have this family we’ll still be a part of this team whether we’re playing or not in the spring.� “It’s surreal. When you put this much time and emotion and yourself in a sport or program, it feels so weird for it to be over,� Tilton added. “It becomes a part of your identity.� For the seniors, Saturday is an all likelihood their swan song. As part of their final appearance they will look to buck a longtime trend and leave their legacy on the program. A win would do just that.
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a chance for her to finish strong on her own terms. Suffering from a hip injury for the vast duration of the season, Tilton was able to play close to 100% in last Saturday’s Homecoming contest against Brown, one of the first times this season where she has been that fortunate. In that contest, Tilton’s last at Ellen Vagelos Field, she had the chance to leave her stamp on the program and ran with it. She chipped in a corner with just minutes left to take the lead and ultimately win the game for the Quakers. “I think it was storybook for Elise to be able to score that goal to get the game winner. It was a really nice goal and she’s been scoring goals that way all season,� Fink said of her midfielder’s play this year. It’s a moment she won’t forget and for it to be on home Astroturf made it all the more special. “We’re very fortunate to play on that field and it’s been a fixture of my college experience,� Tilton said of her home field, later adding how hard it was to overcome the emotions that came with playing her last game in front of the home crowd. “It didn’t really hit until after that game.� That game-winning goal was Tilton’s 27th in her four seasons, placing her in close proximity in the record books to one of the program’s greats and field namesake, Ellen Vagelos. Tilton had the chance to catch up with Vagelos after the Homecoming victory over Brown and cherishes the opportunity to be the first student to play all four seasons on the state-of-the-art field. Tilton now looks to leave another stamp on the program in Saturday’s game against Princeton. Regardless
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discipline in their program. He’s an ex-Naval Academy coach who I think will turn their program around. I just hope he doesn’t turn it around for our game,� he laughed. When asked about Post’s strengths, McConnell made sure to emphasize their exceptionally aggressive defense. “I think they’re going to present us the opportunity to throw the ball, and we just have to execute and take care of business,� he said. Though some teams might see this as a game to play conservatively, McConnell says that the Quakers won’t be holding back at all this weekend. “There’s no change. We’re focused on executing the things that we want to get done this week and run our offense normally,� he said. “We’re gonna attack them just like we attack everybody else.� Senior quarterback Mike McCurdy emphasized that the key to avoiding a close call like last week is focusing on playing your own game. “It’s all about playing up to your standards, not playing to the opponents’,� he said. “We know
PETER RIBIERO | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior quarterback Mike McCurdy will be looking to finish his Penn sprint football career with a national championship on Saturday.
we’re a good team... It’s all about keeping people sharp, and holding people to the standard that you know they’re capable of across the board, including myself.� “We’re focused. We’re confident but we’re focused,� McCurdy continued. “We know 7-0 is a hell of a lot better than 6-1, and there’s no reason we should lose to this team.� Winning year is especially important for this year’s seniors (who all, incidentally, support our nation’s troops vehemently). “It means a lot, when we come here as freshmen it’s what we’re working for all four years, and every year it’s been our goal at
the start of the season,� said McCurdy. “This year we were finally able to pull it off. It’s a great feeling, there was a lot of hard work that went into it, I’m just happy for this whole team, especially the seniors and the coaching staff, it’s been awesome.� “We’ve been really working hard for this four years slowly improving, and this is it this is the year,� said senior left back Rob Diorio. “It means everything.� The game will kick off at noon this Saturday. This contest will conclude Quakers’ 2016 season, and ultimately determine if Penn is this year’s true sprint football national champion.
THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
Princeton awaits sneaky-good Quakers M. SOCCER | Team
can rise in Ivy standings
CHRIS PROANO Sports Reporter SATURDAY
Princeton (7-7-1, 3-3-1 Ivy) 4 p.m.
Princeton, N.J.
After hopping over Brown in the Ivy League rankings this past weekend in a 2-1 victory, Penn men’s soccer will try to maintain its form for their upcoming match against Princeton. The Quakers (5-5-5, 3-2 Ivy) hope to have a strong finish in the remaining two games of the conference season. After starting with a difficult win against Cornell, Penn then faced even tougher losses against Columbia and Dartmouth in the weeks after. The team showed their character and produced convincing results against Yale — a three goal win — and, most recently, Brown during Homecoming weekend. Although their non-conference record (2-3-5) is lackluster, the Red and Blue are keeping a stronghold at fourth place on the Ivy League table as of now, and this contest against their historic rivals can become another crucial game to propel themselves up the standings even further. Fortunately for Penn, Princeton (7-7-1, 1-3-1) is currently having a disappointing season, especially in Ivy play, and is seen as the underdog in this matchup due to poor form. Even though the Tigers have dominated this fixture, winning six times in the last nine years, the Quakers are hoping to turn around this stat in a few days and certainly have the chance to. At the moment, Princeton shares sixth place with Yale in the league table. They have drawn Dartmouth, won just a single matchup — against last place Cornell — and lost against
PETER RIBIERO | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior forward Alec Neumann will look to finish off his career as one of the Ivy League’s top offensive talents over the next two games.
every other team in the conference so far. The rivalry should produce a passionate and heated match as expected, and Penn is expecting to come out with a result. “The biggest tactical challenge is that Princeton is unpredictable with their play style and formations,” Penn coach Rudy Fuller said. “Even though we are comfortable with their personnel, we are not very sure about how they will approach us, but we are ready for whatever they do.” While their overall record has been far from perfect, the Quakers have also not statistically appeared strong. Opponents have outscored them 24-23, even though Penn has created numerous chances and outshot other teams 187-174. “I think that the team has improved defensively since the start of the season,” Fuller said, “and hopefully they continue improving this weekend. On the flipside, the relationships in the offense between the players has also been forming. “I’m proud that the team is always focusing on how to win the next game. Sometimes, players can get carried away with standings and stats, but I value that the team tries to look mainly on their next game.” A strong suit for the team though has been individual brilliance.
Senior Alec Neumann has provided eight goals in 14 appearances and is the team’s top scorer, while freshman Dami Omitaomu scored a match-winning brace in their last match against Brown. “Helping the team win and playing great together has let my confidence grow during any match,” said Omitaomu, who also won Ivy League Rookie of the Week after his heroics. “I am becoming more comfortable on the field and our growing chemistry has let me express myself more in play.” Fuller even commented that he enjoys watching what he called “a dangerous partnership” that has formed between Neumann and Omitaomu. Neumann deserves his own praise, especially after assisting Omitaomu with a lobbed pass against Brown last game. He not only provides the team with his reliable finishing ability but also with his ability in buildup play. Fuller praised the offense’s improved chemistry, and it has been growing to be an efficient force with Neumann on the field. Playing an away game at Princeton is not an easy task, but for the Quakers, they should expect to take advantage of their own momentum and the Tiger’s lackluster form.
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TAMING THE
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
Red and Blue one win from national title SPRINT FB | Team travels to winless
Post in CSFL championship game GRIFF FITZSIMMONS Sports Reporter
SATURDAY
Princeton (5-2, 3-1 Ivy)
SATURDAY
Post (0-6)
12 p.m.
Princeton, N.J.
12 p.m.
Waterbury, Conn.
up at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, Lovett leads the entire FCS with 14 rushing touchdowns while also having caught one and thrown for eight more, spearheading a balanced Princeton attack that leads the conference with 35.6 points per game. “Princeton has a great offense and John is a great player, but we’re just trying to play Penn defense, and we’re not really worried about anybody on their team,” linebacker Colton Moskal said. “It’s going to be a great matchup, and we’re just excited to play them.” Still, it’s on the other side of the
If there’s one thing Penn sprint football hates, it’s sharing. They’ve been Collegiate SprintFootball League champions five times in the last eighty years – and shared the title four of those times. Now, as they approach the finale of the CSFL’s postseason-less eight-week duration, Penn won’t settle for anything less than an exclusive and undisputed championship. The Quakers will square off against Post in Waterbury, Ct. this Saturday. Penn is the only undefeated team left in the league, but both service academies, each with a record of 5-1, are chomping at the bit to catch them. It’s not just a possibility, but a certainty that should the Quakers fall to Post this weekend, the winner of Saturday’s Army-Navy game in Annapolis will tie Penn’s record. It’s truly do-or-die for Penn if they want the solo CSFL title for the first time since 2000. One doesn’t need to be particularly optimistic to acknowledge that this game is Penn’s to lose. At first glance, it seems the cards are all but stacked in their favor. Penn will go into Saturday’s game with a perfect 6-0 record. Post will go in 0-6. Penn has had six CSFL Players of the Week so far, whether it Marcus Jones, Andrew Sutton and Mike McCurdy on offense, or Quinn Karam and Tom Console on defense. But the Quakers aren’t letting that go their heads, and for good reason. Penn almost lost their undefeated streak last week in a nail-biter finish against underdog Cornell. “I think our kids have regained their focus,” offensive coordinator Jerry McConnell said. “There was a lot of excitement about clinching at home and our focus wasn’t great in the first half, but the kids came out in the second half and were ready to go.” Post is a small for-profit college located not far from New Haven. They’ve been competing in the CSFL since 2010. It is senior night in Waterbury on Saturday, and though their record so far this year is undeniably poor, the future of their program looks bright. “They’ve got a lot of speed, they’ve got a lot of skilled kids that can play,” head coach Bill Wagner noted. “Their numbers are down a little bit this year, but they’ve got a new coach who’s instilling a lot of
SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 9
SEE SPRINT FB PAGE 10
CARSON KAHOE | PHOTO EDITOR
FOOTBALL | Red and Blue look to stay undefeated in
Ivy play in showdown with New Jersey rivals COLE JACOBSON Associate Sports Editor
I
f you were in attendance the last time Penn football and Princeton faced off, you couldn’t have asked for much more. A 10-point second-half comeback. A clutch fourth-down stop by then-junior Donald Panciello at the one-yard-line. “The Block,” when Panciello got a hand on Nolan Bieck’s game-winning field goal attempt at the buzzer. A walk-off touchdown by then-senior Eric Fiore to send the rowdy Red and Blue Homecoming crowd of 11,017 – Penn’s largest of the season – into a frenzy. And, most importantly, a seemingly impossible win in the 107th all-time meeting between two
passionately bitter rivals to keep Penn in contention for what proceeded to be an arguably even more improbable run to the Ivy League championship. So with the Quakers and Tigers entering their first rematch since then, the natural question is: how do you follow that? “Obviously that was a great win for our program, but that was last year,” coach Ray Priore said. “We don’t worry about encores; we just worry about going one play at a time and playing with a lot of emotion.” For Princeton (5-2, 3-1 Ivy), last year’s frustratingly close defeat was a microcosm of the Tigers’
season as a whole, as the squad lost four Ancient Eight games by only one possession en route to a deceptive sixth-place finish. But a vastly improved team that returned eight All-Ivy selections from a year ago – three more than Penn, the next closest team – has come out with a vengeance to prove that 2015 was a fluke, winning three of their first four conference games with the lone loss coming to unbeaten Harvard in overtime. Additionally, one advantage the Tigers could have this time around is the presence of do-it-all senior John Lovett, who missed last year’s game at Penn. Lining
DP SWAMIS
62 YEARS OF GRIDIRON GENIUS
WEEK EIGHT
Memes is a free elf!
It does not do to dwell on Memes and forget to live. Perhaps that is why my dear boss, Nearly-Heartless Nick, felt it was OK to leave me (and my fellow editors) behind to take on a very heavy workload tonight at the office while he attends Game 7 of the Quidditch World Series in Cleveland. I can’t really blame him. It will be a memorable night in Ohio, with an electric atmosphere in a sold-out stadium. I’m sure he’ll have a great time at the game. Oddly enough, a Penn student having fun at a sporting event happens to be Amy Gutmann’s boggart. Seriously, what in the name of
Colin “Ron” Henderson 32-14
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Merlin are Penn’s administrators thinking? Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels, but old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young. When was the last time a large number of students got interested in a sporting event on campus, let alone on the road? And Penn chose this occasion to shut the damn door on the fun? That’s rubbish! Rubbish! But people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right. So I’ll eventually get over Penn’s mistake of not allowing its own students to step onto Princeton’s campus and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t
Ananya “Colin Creevey” Chandra 28-18 PENN Brown Havard Cornell Ohio State Army
Anna “Luna” Dyer 27-19 Princeton Yale Columbia Cornell Nebraska Air Force
moderately enjoy sporting events back here at Penn. Our teams have been doing pretty well, most of the athletes are nice people and our football stadium even has a Snapchat filter. But I can’t stand Penn’s anthem. It’s Pennsyl-VA-nia, not Pennsylvani-A! Anyway, I suppose you want me to predict the score of this crucial PennPrinceton football game. But if Penn football pulls out a thrilling victory, and the University has prevented any of their fans from being there to see it, do Penn students start to care about Penn Athletics? Prediction: PENN 35, Princeton 31
Lauren “Sirius” Feiner 27-19
Carter “Padma” Coudriet 27-19
Nick “The Fat Friar” Buchta 24-22
Tom “Hagrid” Nowlan 24-22
PENN Brown Harvard Dartmouth Ohio State Army
PENN Brown Harvard Dartmouth Ohio State Army
PENN Brown Harvard Cornell Ohio State Air Force
Princeton Yale Harvard Dartmouth Ohio State Army
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