November 3, 2016

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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

JULIO SOSA | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR

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.)

FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

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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November 3, 2016 by The Daily Pennsylvanian - Issuu