November 7, 2019 by The Daily Pennsylvanian

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019 VOL. CXXXV

NO. 52

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Voter turnout on campus increased five-fold from 2015, the year of the last mayoral election, according to Penn Leads the Vote data released Wednesday. On Tuesday, at least 1,058 students voted for mayor and city council positions. In November 2015, only 213 students voted on election day. Philadelphians re-elected in-

cumbent Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney and upended City Council’s two-party dynamic by voting in a progressive third-party candidate, marking the first time since 1980 that a third-party candidate or independent won a city-wide election. In Philadelphia’s City Council system, five at-large seats are essentially reserved for the majority party — currently the Democratic party — as each party can only put up a maximum of five

candidates. This leaves two at-large seats left over for candidates in the minority party, seats which have traditionally been occupied by Republicans. This year, the Working Families Party, a progressive independent party, succeeded in winning one seat, while Republicans also won one seat. Benjamin Oh, Penn Leads the Vote co-director and graduate student in social policy, said pro-

gressive policies, like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, likely played a role in increasing voter turnout. “These really visionary policies that have been proposed on the national level help students conceptualize how the issues politicians, national and local, deal with on a daily basis really influence their lives,” Oh said. “A lot of students have said, ‘I want to vote because I believe in this policy and I want to show

support for it.’” While turnout in local elections has sharply risen in recent years, it pales in comparison to voter turnout in last year’s midterm election. Data from Penn Leads the Vote shows that 8,426 students voted in the 2018 midterms. “Interest in engagement doesn’t really translate into local politics,” Oh said. “There was one year where there were some of the precincts that had

zero voters, or just one voter who showed up to vote for the entire day.” Penn Democrats President and College junior EJ Carlson said Penn Dems encouraged voter turnout via a Facebook page, personal texts, and the group’s voter guide. “Not only do we post all over our social media that it is Election Day, but we also provide a SEE ELECTION PAGE 3

Men’s basketball knocks off Alabama to open season

PHOTO ESSAY

Freshman Dingle hit game-winning shot

JACOB WESSELS Associate Sports Editor

MEN’S BASKETBALL PENN ALABAMA

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Penn Closet next to Williams Cafe accepts gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories. This photo essay shows where you can recycle hazardous waste, clothes, and more.

SEE WASTE MANAGEMENT PAGE 2

OPINION | Penn, extend the ED Deadline

“The University must immediately create an extended early decision deadline for all applicants affected by these recent natural disasters and political events.” -The DP Editorial Board PAGE 4

SPORTS | Moving on without Sedky

Penn squash will be without Reeham Sedky, who graduated last year. Sedky was among the best players in college squash during her four years. BACKPAGE

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Down goes Bama. In a fast-paced, back-andforth contest on Tuesday night, Penn men’s basketball opened the season with an 81-80 victory against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Before the game there were a number of questions about who besides senior forward AJ Brodeur and senior guards Devon Goodman

and Ryan Betley would earn the start for Penn (1-0). Just minutes before the opening whistle, coach Steve Donahue had an answer in freshman guard Jordan Dingle and junior guard Eddie Scott. “I knew sometime within the past week [that I would be starting],” Dingle said. “I figured it out just by the way we were lining up at practice.” Noticeably absent for Penn was sophomore forward Michael Wang, who did not travel with the team. “He’s probably week-toweek with pretty severe tendinitis,” Donahue said. “He hasn’t been able to practice

NEWS

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Duckworth ﬁnds grit is not always the best predictor of success

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for a week now.” The Red and Blue came out of the gates firing, as Scott knocked down a three on the team’s first possession. Alabama (0-1) showcased the up-tempo style of new coach Nate Oats by playing at a frantic pace in the first half, but the Quakers proved they could hang with the Crimson Tide, going into the half tied at 35. “We play fast as well, I’m just a little different in that I want to make sure we get a really good shot at the end, and pace is part of that,” Donahue said. With the high tempo came

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WASTE MANAGEMENT >> PAGE 1

Waste Management Locations on Campus

KYLIE COOPER

Electronic waste including old computers, phones, printers, tablets, batteries, and charging wires can be recycled for free at Van Pelt Library’s Tech Center, located in the basement. SOPHIA DAI

Prescription drugs can be disposed of in the Division of Public Safety’s lobby on 4040 Chestnut St.

SEEKING TUTORS Boutique bicoastal tutoring company now seeking tutors for Executive Functioning Skills, Math and SAT! Email: lorins@creative-academics.com

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In the Harrison College House lobby, anyone can recycle batteries and light bulbs. Light bulbs can also be recycled in the lobbies of Du Bois, Gregory, Harnwell, Kings Court English College Houses and more.

Start Your Master’s Degree in Education as an Undergrad! Submatriculation Information Session Nov. 20 | 12 -1 p.m. Amado Recital Hall, Irvine Auditorium

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Eyeglasses should be thrown away in either the rear kitchen of FRES, the Levy Lobby, the Staff Lounge of Tanenbaum Hall, Room 102 of the Clinical Research Building, or the main entrance of Fagin Hall.

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NEWS 3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Duckworth study finds grit doesn’t always determine success Cognitive ability predicted success at West Point JONAH CHARLTON Staff Reporter

Penn Psychology professor Angela Duckworth and a group of colleagues published new research finding that grit is not always the most important predictor of long-term achievement. The study, which focused on more than 10,000 students at the United States Military Academy, found that cognitive abilities were the best predictor of academic and military grades, but physical ability and grit were more important for making it through the grueling initiation training. Like her previous research, Duckworth and her team used what she calls the “Grit Scale," a survey composed of 12 items, featuring questions that measure

whether setbacks discourage an individual and whether a person never gives up. The study found cognitive ability is negatively correlated with physical ability and grit, while concluding physical ability and grit are positively correlated with one another. Duckworth also found that students with the very highest levels of cognitive and physical ability were less likely to graduate from West Point. Duckworth said her team found that while grit is important in making people persist on difficult tasks, she told Penn Today "it’s not the best predictor of every aspect of success.” Duckworth has conducted extensive work on the concept of grit, leading to her New York Times bestselling book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” The book teaches readers that “the secret to outstanding achievement is not

talent but a special blend of passion and persistence" called grit, according to her website. “We accumulated all this data in part so we could answer more definitively the question of whether grit predicted success outcomes,” Duckworth told Penn Today. “We now have more confidence in our original conclusions. At the same time, we wanted to explore where, perhaps, grit wasn’t the most important factor.” The study was done in conjunction with a group of professors and researchers from Penn, Duke University, and West Point. In an extension of her book, research, and work at Penn, Duckworth is set to teach a pioneer course entitled “Grit Lab: Fostering Passion and Perseverance” this spring. The course will focus on students developing a passion and then building grit to continue with that passion.

AUDREY TIRTAGUNA

Penn Pyschology professor Angela Duckworth has conducted extensive work on the concept of grit, leading to her New York Times bestselling book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.”

Kelly Writers House hosts first Latina Poetry Night with renowned poets Speakers discussed immigration and the art of poetry ECE YILDIRIM Staff Reporter

Kelly Writers House hosted its first-ever Latina Poetry Night Monday, featuring a bilingual poetry reading and a discussion of topics including immigration and the art of poetry. The event featured four Latina poets: Marta López-Luaces, Lizabel Mónica, Azahara Palomeque, and Mercedes Roffé. Palomeque, the associate director of Penn’s master’s program in Social Policy, said she came up with the idea for the poetry night from similar events she had attended elsewhere. “As a poet, I go to New York often, and there is like a group of Latino poets doing amazing work there, and I thought, why don’t we have it here?” Palomeque said. “Kelly Writers House is the perfect place for that, so I proposed the idea and they loved it.” Each poet read a selection of her work, and audience members asked questions once all the readings were completed. Mónica, a Cuban transdisciplinary artist and Ph.D. candidate in Spanish and Portuguese Languages

MARIA MURAD

The event featured four Latina poets: (left to right) Marta López-Luaces, Lizabel Mónica, Azahara Palomeque, and Mercedes Roffé read their poetry at the Kelly Writers House event.

and Cultures at Princeton University, described how she tries to combine visuals and poetry in her work. “I take pictures of things and scenes and then I translate those pictures from visual into the reading,” Mónica said. Palomeque, a Spanish writer, poet, and journalist, talked about the connections between her poetry and her identity as an immigrant to the United States, adding that she only began publishing after she immigrated. “I work here 9-to-5 and everything is in English,” she said. “If I don’t practice Spanish and make an effort, I forget it even though it is my native language. Sometimes I realize I am losing vocabulary and I don’t like it.” The poets also shared different outlooks on the writing process. While López-Luaces, a Spanish poet, novelist, and translator, said poetry “just happens,” Argentine poet Roffé stressed the importance of using writing strategies during dry periods of creativity. “I wouldn’t say that you just sit and wait for inspiration to come, because if you do, it will never come,” Roffé said. “Don’t worry if you work with strategies — you are not going to write something that does not

come from you.” The event was co-organized by the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, the Hispanic and Portuguese Studies Department, and the Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean Steering Committee. While other Latinx poetry events have taken place at Penn in previous years, this was the first organized by Kelly Writers House. “I have always really, really loved poetry, so it was really cool to come hear poems written in my native language and in the language I grew up with,” College sophomore Jazmín Estevez-Rosas said. Estevez-Rosas said, however, two of the speakers were Hispanic rather than Latina and said she wished there had been more diversity. “I feel like it would nice to have a little bit more diversity in terms of the perspectives and more Latinas of color and including more diverse backgrounds between the authors,” Estevez-Rosas said. “It was really exciting to know there was going to be this type of event, especially as a Latina who is interested in literature and poetry,” College sophomore Arianna Acevedo-Ithier said. “To see other people who are Latina and able to present their work was very inspiring to see on this platform.”

Criminology expert says implicit bias is not main cause of racial profiling He argued structural issues are more significant EVIE ARTIS Staff Reporter

Ojmarrh Mitchell, a criminology professor at the University of South Florida, spoke about racial profiling and proposed ways to combat the issue at Penn on Wednesday. During Mitchell’s talk, which was part of the Criminology Department’s Fall 2019 Colloquium Series, he argued that while racial profiling is often attributed to implicit bias, structural and institutional factors play a bigger role. Mitchell talked about pretextual traffic stops, where police officers make individuals pull over and proceed to investigate them for an unrelated offense. He shared the story of Robert Wilkins, a defense attorney who was pulled aside by the Maryland State Police for a drug search on the grounds of speeding. While Wilkins knew his rights and refused to consent to a search, he ended up standing out in the rain with his family as the police and a drug-sniffing dog searched his car, only to find him

ELECTION >> PAGE 1

lot of resources to our members and the Penn community,” she said. “If they see that people are passionate about who is running, there is more incentive to go out and vote.” “Voter turnout was substantially larger this year, but unfortunately these voters did not fight for improved city governance,” College Republicans Communications Director and Wharton

innocent. “Robert Wilkins was stopped because he fit a racially biased drug courier profile. And hence the term, racial profiling,” Mitchell said. He said that although pretextual stops disproportionately affect people of color, they are conducted as standard procedure in policing nationwide because policymakers hope they will reduce crime. “Proactive, aggressive, investigatory stops have become an essential element of U.S. policing,” Mitchell said. He cited the example of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Operation Pipeline, a three-day training course for uniformed police officers, which taught pretextual stop tactics to more than 27,000 police officers in 48 states to identify drug traffickers. Mitchell said current research on racial profiling focuses on implicit bias, but studying larger structural issues could lead to more effective policies. He said pretextual stop tactics stem from the structure of police forces, where officers who conduct frequent investigatory stops are rewarded and those who do not are

penalized. While some state legislatures and police departments have tried banning the mention of race from drug courier profiles to deal with this problem, Mitchell said this approach is limited because it focuses on police reports rather than the root causes of racial profiling, and the phenomenon persists despite new legislation. Mitchell argued that implicit bias training is ineffective because it mimics classroom learning, instead proposing a policy academy model combining classroom learning, practice, and coaching. He also advocated the use of technology to monitor police actions, describing how the New Orleans Police Department posts officers’ body camera footage for public viewing. To better understand the mechanisms producing bias, Mitchell added, researchers should conduct interviews with officers and communities affected by racial profiling. Attendees remained curious and skeptical about Mitchell’s perspective on implicit bias, calling it “onesided” and “relative.” Syed Hassan Zulfiqar, a firstyear Criminology master’s student, said he has faced racial profiling in

Ojmarrh Mitchell, a Criminology professor at the University of South Florida, talked about pretextual traffic stops, where police officers make individuals pull over and proceed to investigate them for an unrelated offense.

sophomore Corey Paredes wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. WFP candidate Kendra Brooks won one at-large City Council seat on Tuesday, with fellow party candidate Nicolas O’Rourke narrowly losing out on the second minority party at-large seat to a Republican incumbent. Oh said increased civic participation by students played a role in bolstering the campaign of Brooks. “Our ward actually gave Ken-

dra Brooks the second-highest number of votes out of any of the wards within Philadelphia,” Oh said. “That is a signal students, almost more than any other demographic group, really care about the issues that are at hand now.” Carlson said Penn Dems didn’t endorse the WFP candidate but the group hosted Brooks and O’Rourke at a club event. And even without an endorsement, the Penn Dems voting guide featured the two candidates, in an effort to

inform members of their candidacies. She said the WFP’s strength was a sign of establishment politics losing power in the city. “The fact that the Working Families Party was able to get so many votes, and pull votes away from Democrats, in order to get their own seats, that’s notable,” Carlson said. “It’s definitely a signal that the Democratic machine in Philadelphia is getting a little bit weaker, for better or for worse.”

his home country of Pakistan. He hopes to return to Pakistan after graduation and help the Pakistani government develop policies to prevent racial profiling. Hassan said while he came to the event to gain insights for future research, Mitchell’s suggestions may not be received the same way in Pak-

istan as they would be in America. “Since we don’t really have good education backgrounds, [there aren’t] funding opportunities for students back from Pakistan to pursue research work that could be policy that the government could actually implement, so that’s sort of a drawback,” Has-

san said. Mitchell remained hopeful that change is possible. “Every police organization has the ability to set out what they value,” he said. “We’ve all internalized these stereotypes, so it’s not good that you have these biased actions, but it’s normal.”

SHARON LEE

Randall Miller, a Saint Joseph’s University history professor who specializes in Philadelphia politics, said the city clearly experienced a notable leftward shift during this election cycle. As a result, Miller said establishment Democrats are under pressure to shift their ideology towards the extremes. “The Democrats can’t simply assume because we control everything, we can do anything we want,” Miller said. “There has been a real progressive push the

last several years.” Miller also said while it was unusual for third-party candidates to do so well, Brooks and O’Rourke were able to capitalize on strong campaigns to have a strong finish. “There was external money to help these candidates,” Miller said, referencing the hundreds of thousands of dollars Brooks raised — the most of any Philadelphia third-party candidate in history. “The candidates were well organized.”

OPINION EDITORIAL

Extend the ED deadline for students affected by natural disasters and strikes

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2019 VOL. CXXXV, NO. 52 135th Year of Publication JULIA SCHORR President SARAH FORTINSKY Executive Editor ALICE HEYEH Print Director BEN ZHAO Digital Director ISABELLA SIMONETTI Opinion Editor MADELEINE NGO Senior News Editor THEODOROS PAPAZEKOS Senior Sports Editor GILLIAN DIEBOLD Senior Design Editor JESS TAN Design Editor LUCY FERRY Design Editor TAMSYN BRANN Design Editor GIOVANNA PAZ News Editor MANLU LIU News Editor MAX COHEN News Editor DEENA ELUL Assignments Editor

ast year, Penn extended the early decision deadline for applicants whose lives were disrupted by Hurricane Florence. In 2012, Penn did the same following Hurricane Sandy. The 11-day extension in 2018 for students in affected states — from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12 — provided a buffer for those unable to submit materials because of circumstances outside of their control. This year, Penn must extend its early decision deadline to accommodate students from areas where the California wildfires and the Chicago public school teachers union strike have presented unforeseen obstacles to apply to college. The Chicago Tribune reported that the teachers strike meant that seniors were unable to submit their applications with the correct materials in order to meet early decision deadlines. While local Chicago universities like the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago extended their deadlines for students affected by the strike, Penn has failed to make accommodations for these students. Other schools, including Columbia University, Temple University, and the University of Virginia, pushed back their deadlines to accommodate

students displaced or otherwise disadvantaged by the fires. Given the precedent set last year by Penn’s extension for students in the southeastern United States, the University should be wellequipped to make similar accommodations giving students additional time to submit their materials, especially considering that California represented one of the highest concentrations of admitted Penn students in the Class of 2023. Admissions is already a stressful and difficult process, with a purported goal of creating the best possible incoming class for Penn. It is to the detriment of Penn’s incoming class to disadvantage or exclude students limited by forces outside of their control. This is particularly true for students coming from the Chicago Public Schools system, where teachers are striking to reduce class sizes and provide better support for students in underfunded schools. These students are already competing with applicants coming from public and private schools with better funding and more support for college-bound students. They should not be further disadvantaged by the fact that the strike happened to occur at the same time Penn

JESS TAN

asked for teacher recommendation letters. Penn set a precedent last year when the administration made the admirable decision to extend the deadline for people affected by Hurricane Florence. This year, the University has not been cognizant of the problems that students across the United States are

facing and has hindered the pursuit of a Penn education for many students. For the past week, the University has ignored this issue, not offering any extended admissions deadlines. The University must immediately create an extended early decision deadline for all applicants affected by these recent natural disasters and political events.

DANNY CHIARODIT Sports Editor MICHAEL LANDAU Sports Editor WILL DiGRANDE Sports Editor KATIE STEELE Copy Editor TAHIRA ISLAM Copy Editor DANIEL SALIB Director of Web Development AVNI KATARIA Audience Engagement Editor SAM HOLLAND Online Projects Manager CHASE SUTTON Senior Multimedia Editor MARIA MURAD News Photo Editor ALEC DRUGGAN Sports Photo Editor SAGE LEVINE Video Producer SAM MITCHELL Podcast Editor REMI GOLDEN Business Manager JAMES McFADDEN Director of Analytics JOY EKASI-OTU Circulation Manager SARANYA DAS SHARMA Marketing Manager SHU YE DP Product Lab Manager

THIS ISSUE

First-years, it’s okay not to know what your next four years look like

CONNOR’S CORNER | First-years, it’s okay not to know what your next four years look like

dva nc e r eg ist r at ion recently opened, allow i ng st udent s to sta r t scheduling courses for the upcoming semester. This is inevitably accompanied by stress, particularly for first-year students. While everyone has to figure out their spring semester classes, many first-years also feel a pressure to plan out their next four years here at Penn. This pressure stems from “Penn Face.” This phenomenon — the tendency of students to act like everything is fine and that they have everything figured out when, in reality, they are stressed and struggling — is prominent here at Penn. It’s a problem especially among freshmen, who want to act like they have adjusted to life at Penn very easily, when in reality, the adjustment period is rough. Scheduling is just one layer of

a person’s Penn Face. Students often feel like they need to figure out their major, minor, or concentration because everyone else has their four years figured out. While many of us came to Penn with an idea of what we wanted to study, it isn’t necessary to have a four-year plan that is set in stone. Throughout each student’s four years at Penn, their interests and goals can change quickly, and the pressure that we place upon ourselves to figure out our classes for the next four years is simply unrealistic. Students also feel a pressure to avoid “wasted” classes. But there is no such thing as a wasted class. If a class interests you, I say take it. It may fill a major, minor, concentration, or sector requirement, or it may not do anything. Even if you end up hating it, it is beneficial to discover that you are not interested

Do not stress. I know that this is basic advice, and it’s easier said than done, but it is important to remember.” in a certain area of study before pursuing a degree, although monetary restrictions sometimes permit this from being possible. A first-year’s biggest worry should be the upcoming spring semester. The next four years at Penn should be a period of exploration, and I think that coming up with a “four-year plan” pigeonholes students. Trying to plan out the next four years can inhibit students from exploring other interests, and this can serve as a severe detriment in the future because they

could miss out on major opportunities that may not fit with what they originally saw themselves doing. Do not stress. I know that this is basic advice, and it’s easier said than done, but it is important to remember. We have four years to discover ourselves and figure out what path we want to take ourselves down. Leave your options open, and do not get caught up in the idea that everyone has everything figured out; they do not, and it is not necessary to have your next four years planned out. Take the time to decide what truly

QUINN ROBINSON Design Associate NATHAN ADLER Design Associate AVA CRUZ Design Associate

OPINION ART

BIANCA SERBIN Associate Sports Editor MIRA SHETTY Photo Associate KAREN WONG Photo Associate SUKHMANI KAUR Photo Associate ISABELLA COSSU Photo Associate DANA NOVIKOV Copy Associate EMMA SCHULTZ Copy Associate AGATHA ADVINCULA Copy Associate

LETTERS Have your own opinion? Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com. Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics.

SARAH KHAN is a College sophomore from Lynn Haven, Fla.

CONNOR BRANDON interests you and what you can see yourself doing in the future, and go from there. For now, freshmen, plan your spring semester, and let the rest of your time here at Penn fall into place. CONNOR BRANDON is a freshman from Skippack, Pa. studying Nursing. His email address is cgb2001@ nursing.upenn.edu.

PATH must address the critical issues present in Penn InTouch REISMAN RECENTS | Penn InTouch needs to be easier to navigate and more informative for Advance Registration

dva nce Reg ist rat ion for the spring semest er ha s b eg u n, a nd Pen n st udents a re scou ring Penn InTouch for courses to take. Yet, beyond opening an extra tab for Penn Course Review, students often have separate tabs for their academic planning worksheets, the department(s) for their major/minor/program, and course listings from every semester prior at a minimum. Students are stuck surfing through multiple tabs and different departmental pages to assess which requirements they already fulfilled and find courses that they need to take for their respective studies at Penn because Penn InTouch is both difficult to navigate and not informative. And this just adds more stress to an already stressful process. Penn has announced that a new course registration app called PATH will replace Penn InTouch in the near future, but when the Academic Technology and Planning team implements this change, they should fix the problems that plague the current system. Penn InTouch has many problems that need to be addressed, especially with the academic planning worksheet.

ILYSE REISMAN

ERIC ZENG

major-specific course requirements). Also, the worksheet page does not offer access to any information about courses taken in

department websites are all different, rarely linked, and do not offer students perfect information about course selection.

While Penn Labs is making strides to combine many websites students use while selecting courses, as much should be done in one place as possible.” There are symbols with vague definitions, an auto-assign setting that oversimplifies requirement fulfillment (like the rules with double-counting and

the past, which leaves students to remember every requirement or open up new tabs and fill in everything for themselves without any check. On top of this, the

At the same time, Penn InTouch is not very informative about the courses themselves. Even if someone declares a major or minor, students still

have to open up multiple new tabs to see which courses fulfill those requirements. Not only are students forced to edit the assumptions made by the course worksheet with auto-assign, but students have to open up multiple tabs on their computers to see which requirements they have already fulfilled (a course listing from a previous semester), the requirements they need to fulfill (website for the department), and which courses fulfill which requirements (a course listing for the current semester). And don’t forget Penn InTouch course search, Penn Course Review, and perhaps the academic planning

worksheet. To put it briefly, Penn InTouch needs to be more informative with regard to major and minor requirements. Requirements are a huge stressor for Penn students, especially when it is so hard to figure out how they need to be filled. While Penn Labs is making strides to combine many websites students use while selecting courses, as much should be done in one place as possible. Students should know by clicking on a course which requirements it fulfills for them. If the system knows that the student declared a particular major or minor, the system needs to

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ILYSE REISMAN is a College sophomore from Millburn, N.J. studying English and Music. Her email address is ireisman@sas.upenn.edu.

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adjust to the student’s requirements. The system should also tell students which requirements they already fulfilled when clicking on courses so students don’t have to keep checking their unreliable academic planning worksheets. Students should also be able to see a list of the classes that satisfy the requirements that they have not yet fulfilled. While students often turn to their advisors for questions related to majors and minors, there are discrepancies in academic advising, and many students are stuck dealing with Penn InTouch and all of its complications without the help of a faculty advisor with more practice using the system. The University needs to make changes to the Penn InTouch system in order to make this time of year significantly less stressful for Penn students. If Penn students have a better sense of where they are in their academic process, they will be able to make more informed decisions and feel more comfortable during the course selection process.

Scones Phones + Ice Cream Cones

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Penn Lightbulb Café Get a glimpse into the innovative and impactful research taking place at Penn Arts & Sciences at the Penn Science and Lightbulb Cafés.

THE LANDS IN BETWEEN: RUSSIA VS. THE WEST AND THE NEW POLITICS OF HYBRID WAR

MITCHELL ORENSTEIN, Professor and Chair of Russian and East European Studies

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Former U.N. peacekeeping force leader speaks at PWH William Lacy Swing discussed his experiences EASON ZHAO Staff Reporter

William Lacy Swing, former United States ambassador and diplomat, spoke about the history and controversies surrounding United Nation peacekeeping missions at a Perry World House event Wednesday night. Swing was the Special Representative of the Secretary General to the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he led the largest U.N. peacekeeping mission in history between 2003 and 2008. In a discussion with Penn Political Science professor Nicholas Sambanis, Swing shared his personal insights on the successes and challenges of U.N. peacekeeping missions. Swing brought the audience through the history of U.N. peacekeeping missions, from the first mission in 1948 to today. He said these have spanned different phases targeting interstate conflict, intrastate conflict, and civilian protection, respectively. Overall, Swing said these missions have played a positive role in promoting peace. “In all three phases, I think that

one can say that the U.N. has contributed in some modest but calculable way to the decline of total number of wars,” he said. Swing also pointed out challenges that peacekeeping missions face today, such as a shortage of resources, lack of media coverage, and difficulty coordinating between the U.N. and the countries supplying peacekeeping forces. He said the U.N. can improve peacekeeping efforts by working with a diverse set of organizations. “We should continue to expand on our network of partners, not just government organizations [but] NGOs, academia, civil society activists,” Swing said. “We also need to be seen as a U.N. that is much more open and much more inclusive.” Throughout the event, Swing drew lessons from his own background as a commander in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, which was established to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War. He said U.N. peacekeeping missions receive little attention around the world. “When I was in Congo, I used to say it [was] a silent war,” he said. “We’ve lost four million people in Congo, and it doesn’t reach page five of most major newspapers.” Audience members raised ques-

tions at the end of Swing’s speech. Political science Ph.D. candidate Yajna Sanguhan asked about the accountability of U.N. peacekeeping troops, referencing sexual abuse committed by Sri Lankan soldiers who were serving on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti. “There is no question about it. It is certainly an important issue,” Swing said. “These issues deserve constant attention.” He added that the U.N. has developed new training protocols and other policies to increase accountability. “I think what the talk also highlighted was what is the conflict about United Nations at large and what the problems are with the construction of the U.N.,” Sanguhan said. “It is important to have these sort of events to help students to develop a deeper understanding on this kind of issue.” At the end of the event, Swing listed challenges the international community is facing, such as climate change, inequality, and migration. He urged Penn students to consider public service careers that will let them engage with these issues. “It is kind of hard to leave off on a negative note like that, but it is inspiring that you can be able to do something,” College freshman Madison Weiss said.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019 • 6 P.M. SUZANNE ROBERTS THEATRE 480 South Broad Street, Philadelphia

Russia interference, from the Ukraine to the U.S., has forced citizens in the West to face the problems of election hacking, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, influence operations by foreign security services, and frozen conflicts. Citizens of the frontline states between Russia and the European Union have long been familiar with this type of hybrid war. In his talk, Mitchell Orenstein contends that these “lands in between” hold powerful lessons for Western countries. Increasingly, the political pathologies of these small states in Europe are Western problems, too.

EASON ZHAO

Visit SAS.UPENN.EDU/EVENTS for more information.

Former United States ambassador and diplomat, William Lacy Swing (left), led the largest U.N. peacekeeping mission in history between 2003 and 2008 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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NEWS 7

Wharton Council hosts former Venmo COO Mike Vaughan Vaughan shared his nontraditional career path ABI MURUGADOSS Staff Reporter

1997 Wharton graduate Mike Vaughan, the former chief operating officer of Venmo, spoke to Penn students about his path pursuing a nontraditional career on Tuesday night. Vaughan spoke at Wharton Council’s annual Business of Life lecture, which features members of the Wharton community with unique life stories and unconventional journeys to success. He shared his experiences as one of the first employees at Venmo, a mobile payment service owned by PayPal. Throughout his lecture, Vaughan stressed the importance of life purpose and longterm goals. Currently, Vaughan is an executive in residence for Oak HC/ FT, a venture growth equity fund investing in financial technology and health care information and services. Vaughan said he spent the majority of his senior year at Wharton developing a company rather than finding a job in consulting or investment banking — he believed developing a company was more valuable than taking classes that encourage entrepreneurship. After moving from one job to another in San Francisco, he became one of the first employees at Venmo and helped to build the company from the ground up. “I was the 13th user on Venmo,” Vaughan said. “If I stopped to think about Venmo, I probably wouldn’t have done it.” Vaughan said Venmo faced difficulties in its initial startup phase and made decisions that were “very reactive.” He shared a personal anecdote about a time when Venmo was four weeks away from having to provide payroll without sufficient funds

CHRISTIAN WALTON

Currently, Vaughan is an executive in residence for Oak HC/FT, a venture growth equity fund investing in financial technology and health care.

to do so. “I walked into the office, and it was literally like a funeral,” he said, adding that this experience taught him to persist in spite of difficulties and to not be too preoccupied with what other companies might be doing. Following the lecture, audience members participated in a Q&A session. “It was really cool how the event was pretty informal,” Wharton freshman Doan Nguyen said. “There was a lot of Q&A which doesn’t usually happen in lectures. We really got to learn and take away what we wanted.” One attendee asked about Venmo’s social impact. Vaughan acknowledged that while Venmo’s mission of sending money easily may not be altruistic, the company has tremendous potential to raise funds for charities and present social change. “I’m glad someone in the audience asked about Venmo’s capacity for social impact,” College freshman Jerry Cai said. “Venmo’s highly user-friendly and convenient model allowed for an unexpecting college student to contribute more than $3 million to the [children’s hospi-

tal at the University of Iowa].” College and Wharton junior Robert Sim, who led the Wharton Council subcommittee for the Business of Life Lecture, said the event was designed to showcase nontraditional career opportunities for Wharton graduates. “Events like these are what’s going to allow students to know that education is important, but there are opportunities beyond finance and consulting and that they can do big things as long as they are willing to take the risk,” Sim said. Wharton senior Jacob Port, a member of Wharton Council, said past Business of Life speakers have included 2018 MBA graduate and NFL lineman Justin Tuck, 1990 Wharton and Engineering graduate and astronaut Garrett Reisman, 2010 Wharton graduate and rapper Hoodie Allen, and Legal Studies & Business Ethics professor G. Richard Shell. “I think that seeing someone that has found success, not feeling funneled into the places that Wharton classically funnels people into, is an important message,” Port said.

Big Tech — Big legal risks Are Facebook, Google, and Amazon Violators or Victims of American Law?

Take LGST 205/805 Innovation, Marketing Strategy, and Antitrust and ﬁnd out Taught by PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp, an award-winning teacher and the most-cited antitrust expert in America. Hovenkamp, with appointments at both Wharton and Penn Law, helps students interested in tech, consulting, engineering, and ﬁnance understand how law impacts market structures and innovative business models. This course considers the role of antitrust law in controlling the competitive and innovation strategies of dominant firms and joint enterprises, including technology-driven companies such as Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Uber, and Microsoft. In each case, we will consider how firms adapted their strategies to rapidly changing competitive environments and ask whether antitrust law served to promote or to hinder innovation. Focusing mainly on American law and business, we will pay special attention to the role of intellectual property rights, especially patent law, in fostering both individual and collaborative innovation.

Link to syllabus: https://apps.wharton.upenn.edu/syllabi/2020A/LGST205401/

NEWS 8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

M. BASKETBALL >> PAGE 1

CHASE SUTTON

Senior forward AJ Brodeur had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to help lead the Red and Blue over Alabama. Brodeur was also effective on the defensive end, where he accumulated three blocks.

a lot of turnovers, as both teams showed some early-season struggles holding onto the rock, combining for 30 turnovers. The Quakers also struggled getting rebounds, especially on the offensive glass, as Alabama hauled in 17 offensive rebounds to Penn’s eight. Despite being undersized compared to the Alabama frontcourt, Brodeur showed why he is a two-time unanimous first team All-Ivy player, as he contributed 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half to go along with a dominant defensive outing that saw him collect three blocks. “He’s our warrior, we feed off of him,” Donahue said. “He had an outstanding night defensively. I don’t know how many they gave him credit for but I thought he had seven or eight

blocks.” The Quakers started quickly again in the second half. A three-pointer from Brodeur sparked an 8-0 run after halftime, and the Red and Blue never looked back, riding on strong play from Brodeur, Betley, and Dingle. With this trio and a supporting cast, Penn was able to stave off a number of runs from the home side. “We talked at halftime that we’re an experienced team that has been through this, [and] they are a younger team trying to find their way,” Donahue said. “Coming out of halftime [strong] is always a sign that you are a good basketball team, and I thought that set the tone for the rest of the game.” Dingle was especially impressive, as his 24 points marked a record for the most scored by a Penn freshman in a debut. The rookie helped to rally the Red and Blue when he

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took the ball away in transition and immediately nailed a three to put the Quakers up by four late in the game. “Leading up to the game, I was a little bit nervous, but as soon as I got out on the floor and started shooting around with the older guys on the team I felt very comfortable,” Dingle said. “Seeing their crowd all energetic is the type of thing I live for and thrive on.” Despite Penn leading for most of the second half, the Crimson Tide gave the Red and Blue a run for their money as the clock wound down. Riding the strong play of sophomore guard Kira Lewis, who finished with 30 points, the Tide were able to cut Penn’s lead to just two with 40 seconds left. After Brodeur missed a layup that would have seen Penn go up by four, Lewis nailed a three on the ensuing possession to send Alabama into the lead and the home crowd ablaze. Needing a bucket to win the game, the Quakers went to Dingle, who hit a tightly contested layup to put the Red and Blue ahead with just six seconds to go. “That wasn’t the play that was drawn up,” Dingle said. “We had a play that was drawn up for me but the guy denied me, so when I did get the ball too much time had already run off the clock and I just had to make a play.” With Penn holding a onepoint lead, Lewis was fouled on a drive with 2.4 seconds left and had a chance to put Alabama ahead with two free throws. With his team’s fate on the line, the sophomore missed both attempts to ice the game and hand the Quakers the victory. The win is Penn’s second over a Power Five opponent in consecutive years, after topping Miami (Fla.) by a score of 89-75 at the Palestra last December. The Quakers have opened their season with road wins for the second year running, and the team can now set its sights on getting off to another strong performance in its nonconference schedule to start the year.

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SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Here are some major storylines to follow as winter sports begin

Men’s swimming will need to replace star Mark Andrew KRISSY KOWALSKI Sports Reporter

As the leaves begin to fall off the trees, fall sports start to come to an end. Here are major storylines to look out for as winter sports get ready to kick off. Men’s and women’s swimming Last season, Mark Andrew ended his career at Penn with an eighth-place overall finish in the NCAA 400-yard individual medley, en route to becoming a first team All-American. The real question for the men’s team will be how they replace Andrew. The answer might just be junior Sean Lee. Last season, Lee was Penn’s first-ever Ivy League Champion in the 400 free relay, and he is likely to continue to be successful in that event. Hopefully for the Red and Blue, Lee can make the jump and push his way towards the NCAAs this season. On the women’s side, sophomore Catherine Buroker looks

to continue the success she had in her rookie season. Last year, Buroker was an NCAA qualifier in the 500 free and the 1650 free, becoming the second-ever Penn women’s swimmer to compete at Nationals. She was also an Ivy League champion in both of those races. Men’s and women’s squash Junior Andrew Douglas and sophomore Aly Abou Eleinen starred for the men’s team last season, and Douglas won a gold medal for Team USA at this summer’s Pan American Games. These two will be key factors to the success of the Red and Blue this season. Both athletes will look to pick up right where they left off and help men’s squash compete on the national level, as the team will look to maintain and improve on its No. 3 ranking. The women will have to deal with the graduation of a generational talent in Reeham Sedky. Sedky finished her career for the Quakers virtually winning every match, losing only seven in her four years. However, senior captain Jessica Davis is poised to fill

SON NGUYEN

Sophomore Catherine Buroker became only the second person in Penn women’s swimming history to compete at the NCAA Championships last year. Buroker will be defending her Ivy League titles in two events this season.

this huge gap after being named first team All-Ivy last season. Despite having big shoes to fill, Davis is the one to watch this year. Wrestling Coming off breakout rookie campaigns, sophomores Carmen Ferrante and Anthony Artalona were named captains for Penn wrestling this season. The two

capped off last year with a trip to the NCAA Championships and will only look to improve upon their performance from last winter. The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships in March will be a tournament to look forward to, as Artalona will look to repeat his run to the title from last year.

Artalona also came in second at last week’s Michigan State Open, having moved up to the 157-pound weight class over the offseason. The two sophomores will try to lead by example as the team seeks to improve from its 5-9 finish last season. Wrestling at 125 pounds, freshman Michael Colaiocco will

also be one to watch after turning heads with his fourth place finish at Michigan State. He came away with a 4-2 record, winning two matches by technical fall and recording bonus points in three of his four victories. Men’s and women’s fencing On the men’s side, the Quakers will try to improve on a 10th place finish at the NCAA Championships a season ago. Junior Michael Li finished eighth at the NCAAs while being named a second team All-American. Additionally, he placed fifth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional qualifier and finished the season with 31 wins. On the women’s side, senior Nicole Vaiani was the team’s highest finisher after placing 14th at the NCAAs last season. As a senior this season, she has one more shot at winning a national championship, and she will look to lead her team to a higher finish. Although both the men and women had winning records last year — 18-13 and 17-16, respectively, both teams will be aiming even higher this season.

Key Matchups: Volleyball hosts final matches at the Palestra this season Both field hockey and men’s soccer will take on Princeton EMILY CONDON Sports Reporter

With the weekend approaching, here’s a look at some of the key matchups for Penn teams as the fall season comes to a close. Volleyball vs. Dartmouth and Harvard The Red and Blue will play their last games in the Palestra this season against Dartmouth and Harvard. Saturday’s matchup against the Big Green is also Senior Night for the Quakers. “We are super excited because it’s Senior Night on Saturday and because it’s our last home weekend,” sophomore defensive specialist Carmina Raquel said. “We are really

excited to get to play in the Pal[estra] one last time for the season; we’re hoping to make it count. We’re playing for ourselves, playing for the Pal, and playing for our seniors especially.” The Ivy League volleyball schedule allows teams to play each other twice during the season, with the first matchup providing both teams with information useful in generating a game plan for the second. On the road two weeks ago, the Quakers defeated Dartmouth, 3-1, and fell to Harvard by the same score. “We are definitely going to review our film against both of the teams,” Raquel said. “I think for us, a really big theme we’ve been talking about in games and in practice is execution, putting our work into action, and being able to execute when it’s game time.”

ABOU EL ENIN >> BACKPAGE

@DAILYPENN

creasing number of top Egyptian squash players are making waves in the Ivy League. “In the past few years, people are starting to have this mentality of doing both at the same time. It’s always been like, you go pro or you go to school,” Jamila said. “Now, a lot of people are like, come to the U.S., you can do both at the same time. A lot of people say it won’t work, but there are exceptions.” Jamila was the first to commit to Penn. Amina followed her sister the year after and never really considered other schools, saying that having Jamila nearby was a big part of her decision. “It was mostly Penn,” Amina said. “At the end of the day, you want someone you know and who understands you.” Both sisters agree that family is something they rely on, and the support they

get from one another is a crucial aspect of their lives at Penn. Jamila describes her experience before her sister Amina enrolled this year. “It was a different experience last year because I was alone,” she said. “It was like, try to manage, try to figure everything out. America is a completely different experience than Egypt. Completely. The American lifestyle is so much faster, in Egypt it’s much more chill. “Last year [I was] adjusting to things. This year I feel like she’s adjusting but I know what’s happening and I’m here for her.” With two full years left at Penn for Jamila and three for Amina, the pair is looking forward to chasing the best of both worlds, motivated by each other and a vibrant international community.

Against Harvard, the Quakers came up against some tough blocking from the Crimson defense, and they will seek to combat the Crimson’s strength in that area this time around. Field hockey vs. Princeton On Saturday, the Quakers will face No. 8 Princeton at home in their final game of the season. Penn’s 4-2 record in Ivy League play reflects success against multiple Ancient Eight opponents this season, including wins over Yale and Brown most recently. However, Princeton will provide a difficult challenge for the Quakers, who have not beaten the Tigers since 2004. Princeton’s record in Ivy play is 6-0. The Quakers, led by senior midfielder Alexa Schneck, will look to add a blemish to the Tigers’ spotless record and end their season on a high note in the process.

Men’s soccer vs. Princeton Penn men’s soccer will also play archrival Princeton at home on Saturday. When the two teams played each other last season, the Quakers lost by a score of 2-1 in a nail-biting overtime game. This year, the Red and Blue, led by junior midfielder Joey Bhangdia, have shown a significant amount of improvement across the board, sporting a 2-1-2 Ivy League record with two games remaining. If the Quakers can maintain this success to finish out the season, it would be the first time since 2013 that they would finish with a winning record in the Ancient Eight. Penn’s final game of the year will come against winless Harvard, so a victory over Princeton on Saturday at Rhodes Field could carry the team to an impressive end of the season.

M. SQUASH >> BACKPAGE

the key to sustained growth within the team, and training seems to be going well in preparing the group for a successful season. “From what I can tell, [the freshmen] are really hungry, so I don’t think they’re feeling too much pressure,” Yacobucci said. “I think they’re more excited than anything else.” While the achievement of placing third in the country has not gone unappreciated by the Quakers, how these rankings affect the players’ mindsets is mixed. “We try not to look at the rankings too much, because they don’t really matter,”

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Yacobucci said. “How we finished last year has no implication on how we do this year, and really how much training we’ve done this year will speak for itself once we get into the season.” “I think that we’re grateful to be in the position of having a lot of success, but I think that we’re also hungry to keep pushing on and keep going further,” Douglas added. “I don’t think that we’d be disappointed with getting third again, but I also think that we’re certainly not satisfied with just meeting the status quo.” Regardless, the Quakers are putting an emphasis on team-wide

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Sophomore defensive specialist Carmina Raquel will look to help defend home court this weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard.

development, which will be crucial for maintaining success. “A personal goal would be just full-team success, and that really comes from everyone’s efforts, including myself,” Yacobucci said. “As a senior, I’ve got to make sure I stay focused and … make

sure we’re all in it together.” The season kicks off at the Penn Squash Center with the Ivy Scrimmages this weekend, before the group’s home matchup against Dickinson on Nov. 16. If recent history serves them well, the Quakers may be looking at another explosive start to the season.

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10 SPORTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Football searches for Homecoming Saturday win against Cornell Ray Priore has never lost to Cornell as Penn head coach CHARLIE MA Sports Reporter

Why not two in a row? A week ago, Penn football beat Brown in dramatic fashion to pick up its first Ivy League win of the season with a last second, gamesealing field goal from sophomore kicker Daniel Karrash. On Saturday, the Red and Blue will look to continue this momentum, as they face off against rival Cornell on Homecoming weekend at Franklin Field for the coveted Trusteesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Against Brown, we learned how to finish a game,â&#x20AC;? coach Ray Priore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We held the lead after going into halftime leading by two. I loved the energy the defense came back out with. We had four key turnovers, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to win those close games.â&#x20AC;? There will be two very evenly matched teams taking the field on Saturday. Penn (3-4, 1-3 Ivy) and Cornell (2-5, 1-3) will each come into the game with only one conference win. Both wins were against Brown, the team that currently sits

GARY LIN

Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Cragun leads the Ancient Eight in both receptions and receiving yards with 47 and 748, respectively. Cragun is averaging just under 125 receiving yards per game this season.

SEDKY

>> BACKPAGE ing by example. Last year, Davis earned first team All-Ivy honors after matching her career high of 11 wins in a season. Bouncing back from an injury-plagued sophomore year where she only appeared in four matches, Davis was indispensable at the No. 2 slot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to make sure that everyone on this team has the confidence that they can go out and win a match,â&#x20AC;? Davis said of her leadership goals for this season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at the top of the ladder, or whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at the bottom of the ladder, everyone has every chance of taking a game, taking three games, taking a whole match, whatever. I

at the bottom of the Ancient Eight standings. And both were won in similar fashion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with a gamewinning field goal in the final seconds of a high-scoring game. For the Quakers, it will be a very interesting defensive matchup. In the past three games, the Red and Blue have allowed 36, 46, and 44 points, respectively, while letting up 486, 551, and 413 yards of total offense, respectively. As a result, Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense is currently second to last in the Ivy League in scor-

ing and yards allowed with 32.9 points per game and 425.3 yards per game. Luckily for the Quakers, the Big Red is last in the Ancient Eight in offensive scoring, averaging just under 19 points per game, and second worst in total offense, generating only 348.1 yards of total offense per game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense is built on running the football,â&#x20AC;? Priore said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really done a good job running the football, so I think

just want everyone to believe that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the best position to give a great performance.â&#x20AC;? Meanwhile, Buchholz competed at the No. 4 slot, tallying 10 wins on the season last year. Along with Sedky and junior Haley Scott, Buchholz was one of only three Quakers to record a win in Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eighth-place finish at the Howe Cup in 2019. In addition to their seasoned core of veterans, Penn will also look towards a talented freshman class to fill Sedkyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes. The Quakers welcomed a relatively large class of five this year, with athletes hailing from the United States, India, and Egypt. The new faces havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed the team dynamic in any capacity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More freshmen have come in,

and they all offer something incredible to the team that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t obviously have last year,â&#x20AC;? Davis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I feel that the team is gelling just as well as it did.â&#x20AC;? Freshman Ashley Manning is one name to watch. The New York native starts her Penn career ranked No. 52 in the United States. Manning also brings a wealth of experience with USA Squash, having competed earlier this year at the 2019 US Junior Squash Championships and in 2018 by representing her country at the British Junior Open. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to replace Reeham,â&#x20AC;? Wyant said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing it with five for one.â&#x20AC;?

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competitive advantage.â&#x20AC;? While neither the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nor womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual champion of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tournament had a home-court advantage, neither coach could deny that there is a certain comfort and competitive edge when competing on familiar courts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playing on these courts every day gives you a sense of comfort and is going to give the players who end up playing a sense of comfort as well,â&#x20AC;? Lane added. The opening of the Ringe Squash Center will also open the door for Penn

leads the Ivy in receptions and receiving yards while Starkey is just five spots behind his teammate. In the past week, members of both teams have been recognized for their performances thus far in the season. For Cornell, freshman linebacker Jake Stebbins was one of 24 players nationally named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List as the top freshman player in the Football Championship Subdivision. A three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week, Stebbins is 12th in the Ancient Eight in tackles, second in forced fumbles, fourth in sacks and seventh in tackles for loss despite starting just two games. For Penn, junior linebacker Brian Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after registering two tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Additionally, senior safety Sam Philippi has been nominated for the 2019 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award. Priore will enter Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game with an all-time record of 4-0 against Cornell. He would like to make it 5-0 by the end of the day and come out with Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first back-to-back wins of the season.

squash to host tournaments beyond the CSA Individuals that have not traditionally been hosted on campus. Tournaments such as the Howe Cup, which is an important marker of the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success, now have the potential to be hosted by the Red and Blue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached the [Howe Cup] final maybe three times at Yale and once at Princeton,â&#x20AC;? Wyant said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the time at Princeton, we lost to Princeton on their courts. Not to say that thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the reason we lost, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly advantageous.â&#x20AC;? Between Drexelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s courts, the new Ringe Center, and the impending opening of the $27 million Arlen Specter US Squash Center at the 32nd Street Ar-

mory, there will soon be no shortage of squash courts in the three square miles between Penn and Drexel. This allows not only Penn, but the Greater Philadelphia area, to be recognized as a destination squash city. Penn will host a round of Ivy League scrimmages at the new courts this weekend, which will be the first competitive matches held on these courts. The following week will mark the beginning of regular season play, as both the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teams start the season against Dickinson on Nov. 16. It will be just one of many opportunities this season for the Quakers to test out that new home-court advantage.

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the key to playing a good game this weekend will be our ability to stop the run, and on the flip side of it our defensive game plan is all based on what the offense does. If we can get up on them early and force them to pass the ball to win, that will play to our strengths.â&#x20AC;? Leading the way for the Cornell offense is senior running back Harold Coles, who is currently third in the Ivy League in rushing yards with 506 yards on the season. While Coles has been one of the

most efficient running backs in the conference, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, the Big Red struggle on the ground as a team, as they are second to last in the Ivy League in rushing yards. In the passing game, Cornell has not been able to find much success this season. Junior quarterback Richie Kenney has completed an Ivy-low 54% of his passes for 1282 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The Penn offense played without senior running back Karekin Brooks last week against Brown, and against the second-worst rushing defense in the Ancient Eight, Penn put up 66 yards on the ground. The Red and Blue could use the presence of the Ivy Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading rusher if they want to be productive running the ball. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anytime you miss a player like [Brooks], itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the next man up mentality. [Senior Abe Willows] has played running back before and had a great game on Saturday,â&#x20AC;? senior quarterback Nick Robinson said. Robinson and sophomore wide receivers Ryan Cragun and Rory Starkey have been able to find success through the air â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Cragun

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Individuals who want to be assured of speaking at Open Forum must inform the Office of the University Secretary (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 18, 2019. Please indicate the topic you would like to discuss. Those who have not so informed the Office of the University Secretary will be permitted to speak at the discretion of the moderator of University Council and in the event that time remains after the scheduled speakers. For the meeting format, please consult the University Council website at https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/open-forum. The Office of the University Secretary can be contacted at ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu or 215-898-7005.

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SPORTS 11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019

Penn women’s basketball opens season at home against Siena

The game is a rematch of last year’s opening victory TYIRA BUNCHE Sports Reporter

For the first time since March, meaningful college basketball will be played at the Palestra. The regular season Ivy League champs are back in action, and they’re ready to win even more games this year. Last season, Penn women’s basketball shared the regular season title with Princeton before being handed a loss by the Tigers in the Ivy League Tournament. However, there’s a long road ahead before March, and that road begins with a home game against Siena on Saturday afternoon. The Quakers opened their season last year against Siena (0-1), and they were able to edge out a 58-51 win on the road. Opening

their season with a win is important for the team to build momentum for the start of the season. With it being the first home game for either Penn basketball team and the unveiling of the team’s Ivy League Championship banner, the Palestra is bound to be celebratory and filled with emotion. However, there is still a game that needs to be played, and from the opening whistle, the celebration will need to be replaced with intensity. “It’s always important to get the first game on our floor. It’s a day we’re celebrating [with] last year’s banner, a lot of emotions, Homecoming, and it’s just going to be a really great day,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Starting off well is always important, but I also want them to cherish what they’ve accomplished in the past and blend that in hopefully with a good performance.”

NICOLE FRIDLING

Junior center Eleah Parker will lead Penn women’s basketball into the new season when the Red and Blue play Siena at home on Saturday.

With the graduation of key seniors guard Ashley Russell and forward Princess Aghayere, the Quakers are going to need to get offensive production from different sources. Russell led the team in minutes while Aghayere was third in that category, so

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their presence will certainly be missed. “[Ashley and Princess] were two big pieces, especially when it came to rebounding, pure strength, and intensity,” junior center Eleah Parker said. “[We’re] definitely looking for

a couple of players to step up this year and fill those roles, and [we’re] just putting an emphasis for everybody to rebound and make those hustle plays.” A large part of Penn’s offense is going to come from Parker, who will look to build on her dominant college career. With Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards under her belt, she is a candidate to compete for Player of the Year this season. “The growth that Eleah has made off the court to right now has been really impressive. She has made unbelievable strides for someone who has been as good as she was her first two years. She’s played the best basketball I’ve ever seen her play,” McLaughlin said. “She’s such a better leader than she was a year ago. Everything about her has matured.” Penn’s senior captains, guards

Phoebe Sterba and Kendall Grasela and center Emily Anderson, are also going to be a large part in guiding this team throughout the season. “They have displayed so much leadership already, and definitely our underclass looks up to them for leadership and guidance on and off the court,” Parker said. Their leadership is going to be necessary, as the freshman class will be folded into the mix immediately. Leading the firstyears is guard Kayla Padilla, who McLaughlin confirmed will be in the starting lineup on Saturday. The next freshman likely to receive playing time soon is forward Silke Milliman, from whom McLaughlin has seen continued progression. With a passionate Homecoming crowd filling the Palestra and Penn unveiling its banner, a win for the Quakers would be the icing on the cake this Saturday.

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Who will step up for women’s squash after Sedky’s departure? Sedky was a first team AllAmerican for all four years LOCHLAHN MARCH Sports Reporter

ARI STONBERG

Since Reeham Sedky’s graduation last season, senior captain Jessica Davis has become part of the new leadership for Penn women’s squash. Davis earned first team All-Ivy honors in 2018-19.

If you love something, set it free. That’s a lesson Penn women’s squash had to learn when superstar Reeham Sedky graduated last spring. In her wake, Sedky leaves behind an open No. 1 slot and a vacant captaincy. Sedky’s four seasons as a Quaker were nothing short of remarkable. As the resident No. 1 seed since her freshman year, she helped lead the Red and Blue to two appearances at the Howe Cup finals. Sedky was named first team All-America and first team AllIvy all four seasons at Penn and in her junior year, she became Penn’s first women’s Individual National

Champion since 1996. She capped off her stellar collegiate career by earning the Betty Richey Award in February, the most prestigious individual women’s collegiate squash award bestowed by the College Squash Association. “[She’s left a] huge void,” coach Jack Wyant said. “You can’t replace a player like Reeham. She’s a generational talent. [She was] virtually a win in just about every match she played for Penn.” Since her graduation, Sedky has turned her focus to the professional squash circuit, most recently winning the 2019 MTC Squash Russian Open this past August. As the No. 2 seed, she upset No. 1 Emilia Soini of Finland in three games to win the championship match. This secured her third victory in a row on the Professional Squash Association World Tour and qualifies her for the 2019-

2020 CIB PSA Women’s World Championship, one of the biggest events in professional women’s squash. Needless to say, Sedky is doing better than fine in her first season as a full-time professional. But the question remains: what about the Quakers? In terms of leadership, the Red and Blue are in good hands with their current captains, senior Jessica Davis and junior Julia Buchholz. “We have terrific captains this year,” Wyant said. “Jessica Davis [is] a great communicator [and] a really caring teammate. And Julia Buchholz is a junior. She’s just a classic overachiever. She’s had a very amazing career for us. Those are two very deserving captains.” Both upperclassmen have proven themselves capable of leadSEE SEDKY PAGE 10

Jamila and Amina Abou El Enin are Penn’s latest Egyptian power duo The sisters join a long line of Egyptian squash players NOA ORTIZ Contributing Reporter

A powerhouse sibling duo is taking Penn’s women’s squash by storm, as Jamila and Amina Abou El Enin have joined the ranks of high-performing Egyptian squash players pursuing athletic and academic excellence in the Ivy League. The pair’s dynamic impact at Penn is the latest twist in their long and successful squash career together. The sisters began their athletic journey at an early age and have never played apart from one another. This has given both sisters the chance to compete constantly

and push each other to new levels. “We started at seven,” said sophomore Jamila, the oldest of the two. “No – she started at six, I started at five,” said freshman Amina. “It was very early. Squash is big in Egypt, everybody loves and supports squash, so it was a very natural process.” “We started at the same time,” Amina said. “[Jamila] kind of got into stuff first, because she was older, but everything was always together. We were always in the same club.” The duo drew on Egypt’s national love of squash to inspire their athletic careers. “There are only two sports that are big in Egypt,” Jamila said. “There’s soccer and squash. So here it would be like football and

basketball. Like, a lot of people are still more into soccer, but because of how good Egyptians are at squash right now, people are getting more and more into it.” The pair was drawn to Penn by the promise of a great education and the opportunity to perform at a high level, both as students and as athletes. “Normally if you want to go pro you don’t really go to university because in Egypt you have to play more than 10 hours a day,” Amina said. “You don’t have that time here.” The sisters agree that in the past, having a professional squash career and getting a high-level education was impossible, but now an inSEE ABOU EL ENIN PAGE 9

Men’s squash is ready to prove that last season’s performance is the new normal

RITIN PACHNANDA

It’s not often that you see siblings on the same college sports team, but freshman Amina (left) and sophomore Jamila (right) Abou El Enin have joined the ranks of Penn women’s squash from Egypt.

Penn’s Ringe Squash Courts picked to host CSA Individual Championships The newly renovated facility features two show courts JESS MIXON Associate Sports Editor

ALEC DRUGGAN

Junior Andrew Douglas, the Quakers’ top player on the ladder, helped Penn to its first-ever No. 1 CSA ranking last year. Douglas was also a semifinalist at the CSA Individual Championships in early March.

Penn returns seven of nine starters from last season EMMA RONZETTI Sports Reporter

After Penn men’s squash jumped from No. 7 to No. 3 in the national rankings last season, expectations are high for them to deliver again this year. Not only did the group snatch the No. 3 spot in the final 201819 season rankings, but it was also the second-best team in a stacked Ivy League, and two players — junior Andrew Douglas and sophomore Aly Abou Eleinen — made the national men’s individual top-10 list. But with all of the pressure that goes along with this kind of

spotlight, the Quakers aren’t too anxious about the season ahead. With the team getting back seven of the nine players in the starting ladder from last season, the Red and Blue are confident that their strong performance last year will spill over into this season. Many players are eager to prove that they can compete with the same energy. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do,” senior David Yacobucci said. “I think we’ve got an edge over a bunch of the teams just with some young, hungry guys and a good facility. I think we have the best facility in the country now, so [we’re] looking forward to that.” “We’ve had a strong start to the season,” said junior Andrew Douglas, who ranked third

nationally last season. “I think it’s probably been our strongest preparation. And me and [Yacobucci] are running captains’ practices, and that has also been really productive, really positive.” So what has changed that could help Penn get over the hump this year? In addition to the renovated Penn Squash Center, the athletes have a new training staff to help them develop this season. Even though the team has several returning starters, it’s also true that twothirds of the players are underclassmen, half of whom are freshmen. This could be SEE M. SQUASH PAGE 9

The opening of the new Ringe Squash Center has spurred debate on campus. Regardless of the issue of its accessibility to students, it is undeniable that the Ringe Center will greatly benefit the Penn squash program in a variety of ways. The new courts will give Penn the opportunity to host the College Squash Association Individual Championships at the end of the collegiate season in March. The tournament marks the transition from team play to individual play, as athletes must qualify to play in the tournament based on their season ranking. The process of determining who will host the CSA Individuals, as well as other big tournaments, is a decision that has not frequently included Penn. “All of the schools bid for it, and historically, it’s been rotated around Harvard, Princeton, Trinity, and Yale just based on the sheer number of courts,” Penn men’s squash coach Gilly Lane said. “We’re excited that CSA chose us to host, as we have this brand new, gorgeous facility that we want to show off to the rest of the country.” While the old Penn squash facilities offered 10 courts,

only seven of which were actually useable for competition, the opening of the new Ringe Center provides 12 brand new courts, as well as a variety of other unique features. “Having two proper fourwall show courts will give the CSA great opportunities in terms of the ability to play the men’s and women’s finals concurrently, which has never been done before,” women’s coach Jack Wyant said. The new facilities also provide more extensive space for

by Brown in Providence, R.I. and the Red and Blue sent two players: now-graduated Reeham Sedky and current junior Andrew Douglas. Both players progressed to the semifinals, where they fell short of a title. This year, knowing that the CSA Individuals will be on campus provides a significant home-court advantage to those who will compete. “For someone like Andrew Douglas, who has a legitimate shot to win it, he gets to play on his own home court. The fact

RITIN PACHNANDA

The newly renovated Ringe Squash Courts will be in the national spotlight at the CSA Individual Championships in March of 2020.

spectators to watch matches, and it allows for increased flexibility in scheduling play. In addition, the ability to host tournaments provides great visibility to the program as a whole. The 2019 CSA Individual Championships were hosted

that he’ll be more familiar with every seam and every floorboard than anyone else who’s coming has to be worth — no one’s exactly quantified it — at least a couple of points,” Wyant said. “So there is a slight SEE RINGE PAGE 10

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