WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
BASKETBALL SUPPLEMENT INSIDE
SHOWDOWN OVER PILOTS
New Phila. mayor, city council call on Penn to give the city $6.6 million EUNICE LIM Staff Reporter
Philadelphia’s newly elected leaders have their sights set on a shared cause: urging nonprofits like Penn to help fund Philadelphia schools. Jim Kenney, former Fels Institute of Government instructor and newly elected mayor, and Helen Gym, 1993 College graduate,
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former Daily Pennsylvanian editor and newly elected Councilwoman, ran for office on a Penn-centric platform. If elected, they agreed to work with large nonprofits in Philadelphia, including and especially Penn, to revive the city’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program. PILOTs are monetary contributions that nonprofits voluntarily make to their cities to maintain essential services like road maintenance and trash pickup. Penn was involved in a five-year PILOT program from 1995 to 2000, during which it annually contributed $1.93
million, 55 percent of which went to the school district. Penn did not renew contributions after 2000, and has since stood firm on not paying PILOTs despite ongoing pressure and criticism from activists and student groups like the Student Labor Action Project. In protests over the last few months, SLAP has called on Penn to pay a sum of $6.6 million in PILOTS in order to fund Philadelphia’s struggling school system. Penn has refuwsed, citing an annual commitment of $800,000 to SEE PILOTS PAGE 3
... the University should not rest on its laurels.” -
Penn Dems President Sean Foley
Defining the cultural group comfort zone Some clubs help students learn about new cultures ELLIE SCHROEDER Deputy News Editor
College junior Tunmise Fawole never thought she would join a sorority — let alone Penn’s Asianinterest sorority alpha Kappa Delta Phi. However, after an acquaintance encouraged her to attend a rush event, Fawole, who is Nigerian, decided to give it a try. “I remembered thinking during the process, ‘This is really outside of my comfort zone,’” she said. “I went to rush and ended up really liking it, and it kind of snowballed from there.” After joining, Fawole took on more and more leadership roles, and now serves as the sorority’s external vice president, representing her sorority to the other culturallyaffiliated Greek organizations. Although joining a cultural club is a way for students to find a home at Penn and stay close to their roots, for some, like Fawole, it’s a way to learn about an entirely different culture and immerse themselves in a new group of people. W ha r ton senior Ryan Hull joined the Japanese Students Association as a sophomore after deciding he wanted to join a cultural group, though he is not Japanese. The organization stood
Forget reading: Incoming freshmen will watch ‘Citizen Kane’ Penn’s next theme year is the Year of Media ELAINE LEE Contributing Reporter
his Indian friends. “I’ve definitely lea r ned an enormous amount about South Asian culture — there’s no way you can’t,” McManus said, adding that he’s learned some Hindi because they often sing pieces in the
Next year’s freshmen are in for a treat: Their academic year has been announced to be the Year of Media, and unlike the many previous freshmen classes who were assigned to read novels, they will be instructed to watch and reflect on the classic film “Citizen Kane.” Though the Penn Reading Project will be in its 26th year and the majority of past projects have been centered on novels, next year’s theme will stand out in PRP archives as the first one to focus on a film. “One reason why we chose this, both the theme and ‘Citizen Kane,’ has to do with election politics,” New Student Orientation and Academic Initiatives Director David Fox said. “It has a fairly significant part of media, so this would be related to the presidential election, which will be interesting to freshmen who arrive.” The main question to focus on is, according to an Almanac press release “Can we ever really interpret and understand a person’s life?” One of the ways in which the film director, Orson Welles, approaches this line of thought is to switch the narrative between different observers, a technique that would not only distinguish “Citizen Kane” as one of the greatest American films ever
SEE CULTURAL GROUPS PAGE 5
SEE YEAR OF MEDIA PAGE 5
COURTESY OF BALLARI PRODUCTIONS
Despite his non-Indian heritage, Wharton and Engineering senior Brendan McManus joined Penn’s Indian a capella group, Penn Masala, in the spring of his sophomore year.
out to him because he took Japanese class at Penn and had always heard about Japanese culture from his mother, who lived in Japan for a few years. “It’s really opened my eyes to Japanese culture, and also how other East Asian cultures work,” Hull said, adding that his
experience in the club ultimately motivated him to study abroad in Japan for a semester. Similarly, Wharton and Engineering senior Brendan McManus decided to try out for Penn’s Indian a cappella group, Penn Masala, during the spring of his sophomore year at the suggestion of some of
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2 NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015 NOTES FROM
ABROAD
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
World events can alter study abroad plans
Penn Abroad cancels programs when risks arise JESSICA McDOWELL Staff Reporter
Last March, College sophomore and Daily Pennsylvanian Sports Photo Editor Ilana Wurman received notice that the summer study abroad program in Tel Aviv she had considered was canceled. The notice, which was sent in an email, gave no explanation for the cancellation. The program was new; last summer would have been its first year in operation. The Penn Summer Abroad website no longer lists Tel Aviv as one of its location options. This was not the first time study abroad plans have been canceled, adjusted or changed. In recent years, many students have altered or sometimes canceled their study abroad plans to reflect current international affairs. Penn Abroad Director Nigel Cossar stressed that student and faculty safety is the number one priority in dealing with study abroad programs and that risk factors are always taken into consideration when either canceling or adding programs. “We work closely with our partners on campus and around the globe in support of this endeavor,” Cossar said in an email. While Penn Abroad provided Wurman with no reasoning for the cancellation of its Tel Aviv summer option, it is far from the first time Penn has canceled study abroad programs. In 2011, The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Penn Abroad would pull sponsorship for programs in Egypt in the wake of a travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State, and that
students would be encouraged to apply for backup options elsewhere in the Middle East. A year later, Penn Abroad released another announcement from the Department of State, announcing the suspension of student visas to and from Syria. Currently, the only official Penn-sponsored programs in the Middle East listed on Penn Abroad’s website are in Israel, Morocco or Jordan. This semester, 24 students are studying abroad in the Middle East — 18 in Israel and six in Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan. Cossar said that the decision to cancel previously offered programs was based on a number of factors, citing “natural disaster, civil unrest, public health outbreak, militancy or conflict” as examples. Penn Abroad maintains a list of heightened risk regions on their website. While some students can petition to travel to regions marked as “Medium” or “High” risk by International SOS, an emergency and travel information service, students are almost universally restricted from studying in regions marked as “Extreme.” College and Wharton junior Andrew Gegios was among the students who found themselves dissatisfied with the Penn-sponsored study abroad programs. As an Arabic language target in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, Gegios knew that he would study abroad in the Middle East, but said he felt underwhelmed by his choices. “I felt kind of closed-off. Like I have to pick from one of these,” he said. Instead, Gegios petitioned to participate in a program in Beirut, Lebanon. In order to apply, he had to complete
a formal application in addition to a form petitioning to have the outside program approved by Penn and another form petitioning to travel to a Heightened Risk Region. Lebanon is marked as a “Medium” risk region, with the areas close to Syrian borders carrying a “High” risk label. But while Gegios had to do some extra legwork, he said that he was not concerned about studying abroad in a region with supposedly higher risk. “I’ve studied abroad a lot, am pretty independent and I even visited Beirut briefly last summer. I think because I had a very good grasp of the security situation and am pretty careful and aware when abroad, I had no reason to worry,” he said. “There’s always the worry that the situation might deteriorate, but there was no reason [to expect that].” But while Gegios found no reason to worry, another student did. A College and Wharton junior, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy concerns, had intended to study abroad in Lyon, France the fall of her junior year. In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks around France — the most prominent being a shooting at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that left 11 people dead and as many injured — the student said her parents grew concerned about her safety. Just a few days after the attacks at Charlie Hebdo in January, a kebab shop near a mosque in Lyon exploded. While there was no direct connection made between the two attacks, the student said the sequence of events was enough to make her rethink her plans to study abroad. While the student said that she didn’t have any specific reason to think she would be unsafe, she
COURTESY OF ANDREW GEGIOS
Feeling underwhelmed with Penn’s study abroad offerings in the Middle East, College and Wharton junior Andrew Gegios petitioned to study in Lebanon through an outside program.
ultimately decided that she didn’t want to take the risk. “I wasn’t as concerned as my parents, but then I thought about it and realized that they wouldn’t worry for no reason,” she said. She said that once her parents grew concerned, they contacted her advisor, who said that her safety could not be guaranteed. Instead, the student said she is working with her advisor now to find a way to study abroad during a later semester. While for some students, world events can close doors on study abroad options, for others, it can open them. Over the summer, President Obama announced an reopening of borders with longtime political rival Cuba, and College junior and former 34th Street Editor Mark Paraskevas was there to witness the impact. The program, which is a
Penn-sponsored program, has been offered for several years, according to Paraskevas. But, compared to past participants, who struggled with navigating an adversarial country, Paraskevas said conditions are improving. Five students are currently studying in Cuba this semester. “Our Internet access now is probably better than for kids last year, because of the changing processes,” he cited as an example, saying that WiFi hotspots are now affordable for “almost any traveler.” Last year, Cuba was recognized by the United States as an “interest zone,” and therefore did not have its own embassy. Now, not only is the embassy reopened, but Paraskevas said that he got to visit and meet the interim ambassador. Also as a result of the more
relaxed borders, Paraskevas said that his mother, who came to visit him, was able to fly directly from JFK airport in New York, “which is a very new thing.” Past participants in study abroad programs in Cuba, including Paraskevas, had to fly to Cuba on a chartered flight from Florida. While Penn Abroad did not comment on any specifics, Cossar said that any consideration would rely on risk assessments of the region in question, among other factors For Gegios, though, Penn Abroad’s priority should be in making as many options available to students as possible. “I think they definitely should be forming new partnerships to expand the Penn Abroad network, so students can [have] more choices.”
Engineering prof. uses color to spot concussions immediately The new technology will be useful in contact sports KATHLEEN HARWOOD Contributing Reporter
This past month, Penn professor Shu Yang and her research team made a breakthrough that hopes to bring a new solution for injuries — more specifically, concussions — to the table. In the most simplified
explanation possible, Yang of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and her group hoped to manipulate defined materials to produce a measurable spectrum of color in relation to force. By being able to create this spectrum, people would be able to measure the degree of blunt force trauma experienced by an athlete. If the material were to be incorporated into a football helmet, for example, it
would display different colors in relation to the degree of an impact. In creating this material, Yang’s group was attempting to mimic the rainbow iridescence observed on the surface of soap bubble, opals and butterfly wings in a synthesized material. Yang described this central question as, “If I change the structure I can change the color. If I destroy the structure, I can
have it disappear. But how does one record a color?” The material that the group ultimately selected was a form of thermal plastic that could be manipulated into maintaining the same internal structures as those of opals and other crystals. The polymer would be initially melted and solidified in a mold consisting of silica beads. Then the beads and mold were removed, leaving polymer crystals
Your chance to be heard! All members of the University community are invited to bring issues for discussion to the
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 4:00 P.M. BODEK LOUNGE, HOUSTON HALL
that could mimic the desired light-refracting features. Finally, the researchers applied varying amounts of force to the polymer and documented the color change. The next question became how commercial consumers of this product would be able to measure the impact of a hit through different colors. Yang said she hopes that computer scientists at Penn would be able to help develop a cell phone app that could use the litmus scale as a reference spectrum. Users of the app would use the iPhone camera — which is much more effective than the human eye — to capture the point of interest on the helmet of an effected individual and then determine the magnitude of the force by the scale. “Of course,” Yang said, “this product would not replace the
typical means of diagnosing a concussion ... [But] as a parent if you have a child that was hit, this material could give you the immediate peace of mind to know the severity of their injury and decide whether or not to pull the child out of the game.” The time that it takes to transport a person to receive an MRI scan or X-ray could make a huge difference to the efficiency of the received treatment, she added. The development of helmets and other protective gear would provide results on site, potentially saving lives of athletes as well as members of the armed services. Yang was recently named the recipient of the 20152016 George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research for her efforts in “pioneering the synthesis and fabrication of responsive soft materials.”
House-Brewed Fresh-Baked Perfect.
INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO BE ASSURED OF SPEAKING AT COUNCIL MUST INFORM THE OFFICE OF THE UNIVERSITY SECRETARY (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015. 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 http://www.upenn.edu/secretary/council/openforum.html. The Office of the University Secretary may be contacted at ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu or 215-898-7005.
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NEWS 3
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
Planned Parenthood speaks on its role in politics
PILOTS
>> PAGE 1
the Penn Alexander School and other involvement through the Netter Center. Aside from Columbia, Penn is the only Ivy League school to not pay PILOTs. According to the most recent data, Harvard pays nearly $10.1 million in PILOTs, while Yale contributes $8.1 million. With Kenney and Gym in office, however, many expect there will be a more rigorous push for a PILOT program. Kenney’s online platform states that he will work with the Office of Property Assessment and a special task force to determine the total value of Philadelphia nonprofits and their level of contribution to the city, and then look for ways to increase the contributions through PILOTs and SILOTs, Services in Lieu of Taxes. In her online platform, Gym also states the importance of encouraging “our nonprofit giants to revive the City’s once thriving PILOT program,” and says that the best way is not a forceful one. “I think the most important thing is to get our best civic actors really engaged with the issue of funding inequity of the school district. The question of whether Penn
Ivy League
PILOT
Payments
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career working for Planned Parenthood. According to Gross, Planned Parenthood is the largest women’s healthcare system in the country. “We have a niche that we can move politically and electorally,” she said. In terms of the political climate of Pennsylvania, Gross noted that the Nov. 2 election was “a really critical election” for Planned Parenthood. In what is believed to be the first time in Pennsylvania’s history, there were three simultaneously open seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, leaving available an unusually significant window of political influence. As a result, Planned
Parenthood took measures to focus on voter turnout for the election. According to Gross, the experience was mostly positive. “Voters were very receptive of Planned Parenthood” at the door this summer and fall, she said. As far as Planned Parenthood’s appearance in the 2016 elections is concerned, Gross said she believes that women’s reproductive rights will continue to be at the forefront of the political debate. “It has become such a partisan issue,” she added. In addition to speaking about the role of women’s reproductive health in politics, Gross touched
on the services Planned Parenthood has to offer. According to Gross, Planned Parenthood works on three main fronts: health, education and advocacy. The institution also performs “invaluable resea rch” and “lifesaving discoveries that are helping millions of Americans,” she said. For talk attendee and College junior Jessie Lu, Gross’s insider perspective was particularly appealing. “It’s always cool to hear from someone who is actually participating in making the decisions and trying to figure out how to present this institution to an interested individual,” she said.
PILOT
mayor’s office to address the funding inequities. “I think there’ll be a great partnership with City Council and the Mayor’s office,” she said. “We just came off of four years with a mayor who didn’t see schools as a major investment, but we’re going to see a change in how we prioritize public education, and I’m excited.” Penn Political Science lecturer and Fox senior fellow Mary Summers, who has been working with students interested in the debate around PILOTs, expressed hope about the new leadership. “Both of them [Kenney and Gym] seem to be addressing the issue from a collaborative stance to find appropriate ways to solve the crisis of education in our city,” Summers said. “The ‘make Penn pay’ rhetoric is not the way to begin the conversation, and I’m hopeful that they will approach Penn in a spirit that President Gutmann and the Board of Trustees and the faculty will respond to.” Groups like SLAP and Penn Dems are also enthusiastic about the newly elected leadership, maintaining that Penn needs to do more to help Philadelphia schools. “Sure, Penn already provides a great deal to the community, but the University should not rest on its laurels,” said College senior and Penn Dems President Sean Foley.
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contributes generously to our city is not debatable. I acknowledge it, and I think they earn and deserve praise for it,” Gym said. “But, we’re
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trying to send out a message to the nation that Pennsylvania being the worst state in funding disparity is something that no one should stand
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Last night, Maggie Gross, the vice president of External Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, spoke to Penn students about Planned Parenthood’s role in recent and upcoming elections. Penn Democrats, Lambda Alliance, Penn Association for Gender Equity and Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault sponsored the lecture as a part of the “Week of Action” campaign set forth by the Obama
when Planned Parenthood was in the national spotlight. Over the summer, an anti-abortion activist group released videos portraying alleged illegal activities involving the use of fetal tissue for research. Since then, Republicans in Congress have argued in favor of defunding the agency. According to Penn Democrats Vice President Max Levy, Gross’s talk was especially pertinent given the focus on women’s health in the events leading up to the 2016 election. “Planned Parenthood is still incredibly relevant when looking at women’s issues,” he said. Gross has spent her entire
A He Ein lbe Nealth ste rt tw C in or are k
SARAH EISLER Contributing Reporter
administration. The Week of Action, which began on Nov. 8 and will continue through Nov. 15, strives to increase support for the “It’s On Us” campaign, a national program that works to educate college students about sexual assault prevention. Gross’s speech was the second lecture in a series of events dedicated to Penn’s Week of Action campaign. Other events will include the chalking of Locust Walk with the statistics of the Campus Climate Survey and a bystander training program that aims to educate students about sexual assault prevention. This lecture came at a time
Ca Vi the lla dr ge al A C m Ph oll eri ys ege can ic o ia f ns
The lecture was part of the Week of Action campaign
programs or dictates on entities and organizations.” Gym said that she looks forward to working together with the
presents
A BOOK TALK by
KENNETH L. SHROPSHIRE
DAVID W. HAUCK PROFESSOR PROFESSOR OF LEGAL STUDIES AND BUSINESS ETHICS DIRECTOR, WHARTON SPORTS BUSINESS INITIATIVE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
5 Ways to ReThink: 1 REDUCE YOUR WASTE Be conscious of your trash and think about what you could reuse. That old t-shirt or glass bottles and jars are just waiting to be upcycled.
2 LEARN WHERE IT ALL GOES
Tuesday
November 17, 2015
5:30 PM
3601 Walnut Street
In Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports, Wharton professor and frequent media commentator Kenneth L. Shropshire takes a sober look at the unique leadership challenges facing sports organizations today and in the process offers a snapshot of where we are as a society in terms of comprehending and healing destructive ideas about race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and perceived “difference.” Light refreshments will be provided 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 This event is co-sponsored with the Penn Bookstore
Go to the movies and learn about waste management, environmental sustainability, and where you fit in: Nov 11 — “Trash Dance” ARCH 108 12pm-1pm
3 REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE PAPER Print only when necessary, setting your printer to double-sided. Reuse the blank side of single pages.
4 CONSIDER SPECIALTY WASTE Unload old TVs, computers, cell phones, small appliances, calculators, monitors, keyboards, fax machines and more — at upcoming e-waste drives on campus, 11am-2pm: Nov 12 — Fagin Hall Lobby and BRB Lobby Nov 19 — Golkin Hall, Goat Lounge
5 BYO BOTTLE Use water filling stations in College Houses, the ARCH, Huntsman, and more places around campus to refill your own bottle. Try a reusable coffee mug too!
November 2 — 20, 2015 upenn.edu/sustainability
4
OPINION Caring for our veterans
WEDNESDAY november 11, 2015 VOL. CX X XI, NO. 100 131st Year of Publication
MATT MANTICA President JILL CASTELLANO Editor-in-Chief SHAWN KELLEY Opinion Editor LUKE CHEN Director of Online Projects LAUREN FEINER City News Editor
guest column by mike felker
E
very day, more than 50 Americans take their lives with a bullet — of these, approximately 15 are veterans. Twelve Marines from the same battalion committed suicide with guns after returning from serving in Afghanistan. Because they know how to use firearms, female veterans are six times more successful at committing suicide than nonveteran women. As a Navy hospital corpsman, I served as a combat medic with the United States Marines in the war in Vietnam, providing emergency medical treatment for our troops who
were the victims of guns and other weapons. This is what happened to one Marine who was shot in the chest while we were on a patrol in Vietnam: After the bullet perforated the layers of skin, muscle and bones, it traveled through his body, shearing, tearing and crushing the tissue and organs in its path. It produced a cavity that filled with blood from ruptured blood vessels. His heart continued to pump blood from the bullet hole in the heart wall, filling the chest cavity at a rate of about five quarts a minute. But there was no pressure to carry blood through the aorta and arteries. I tried to save him
by putting a dressing over the wound and administering artificial resuscitation. But with
quet around the remains of the leg, wrap a battle dressing over the stump, start an intravenous
As a 20 year old returning from the war I was overwhelmed by memories; 45 years later I am still overwhelmed.” no blood, there was no oxygen — just death. Other casualties I cared for were Marines who stepped on landmines hidden in the ground. In most cases, the mine would destroy the foot and part of the limb. I’d tie a tourni-
solution of plasma and give the wounded man a morphine injection. While waiting for the medivac helicopter to arrive to take the wounded man to where he could get more extensive medical treatment, I’d try to be
as comforting as possible. Two other corpsmen and I performed a tracheotomy to try to save a Marine who had the top of his head blown off by a mine in a tree, but we failed and he died. As a 20 year old returning from the war I was overwhelmed by memories; 45 years later, I am still overwhelmed. From my experiences I have some understanding how difficult it can be for younger veterans dealing with the despair and heartbreak of war. We must do all we can to provide the resources and outreach needed by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans to cope with memories of combat and post-traumatic stress disorder.
We need to increase awareness that suicides can be prevented, increase understanding of the strong link between firearms and suicide. We must do all we can to help our veterans. We must do all we can to stop the epidemic of suicide.
MIKE FELKER was a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from 8/68 - 8/72. He was a medic in the First Marine Division in Vietnam from 12/6912/70. He is currently the Graduate Coordinator, Dept. of Computer & Information Science. His email address is mfelker@cis.upenn.edu.
KRISTEN GRABARZ Campus News Editor
A letter to President Gutmann
CLAIRE COHEN Assignments Editor PAOLA RUANO Copy Editor RILEY STEELE Senior Sports Editor COLIN HENDERSON Sports Editor LANE HIGGINS Sports Editor HOLDEN MCGINNIS Sports Editor CARTER COUDRIET Creative Director KATE JEON Design Editor JOYCE VARMA Design Editor HENRY LIN Online Graphics Editor IRINA BIT-BABIK News Photo Editor ILANA WURMAN Sports Photo Editor TIFFANY PHAM Photo Manager AARON KELLEY Video Producer
MEGAN YAN Business Manager SAM RUDE Advertising Manager ALYSSA BERLIN Marketing Manager EMMA HARVEY Analytics Manager MAX KURUCAR Circulation Manager
THIS ISSUE EVAN CERNEA Associate Copy Editor KATARINA UNDERWOOD Associate Copy Editor LUCIEN WANG Associate Copy Editor KAILASH SUNDARAM Associate Copy Editor SUNNY CHEN Associate Copy Editor NICK BUCHTA Associate Sports Copy Editor
D
ear President Gutmann, We write to you on behalf of Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention, a student organization on campus dedicated to fighting sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking in Penn’s community. We reference your email in which you addressed the A.A.U. Campus Climate Survey results. Unfortunately, to the students and staff who have been personally affected by this type of violence, as well as to those who consistently work to prevent it, these results did not come as a surprise. We have long understood that sexual violence is entrenched in our community, and that it is bolstered and perpetuated by the institutions of sexism, homophobia, transphobia, white supremacy and ableism. We truly appreciate your efforts and those of Penn administration in administering the Campus Climate Survey and releasing the results. We hope that the data will be useful when creating new initiatives to end sexual violence, with focus directed towards the campus communities that are most affected. We fully support the creation of new campaigns to raise awareness about sexual violence, such as the national “It’s On Us” campaign and the “It’s On Us Penn” campaign. We thank you for the resources that are available to us, and we are glad that you are committed to redoubling efforts to effectively tackle this problem. While we understand that you find the survey results deeply troubling, many stu-
CARSON KAHOE Associate Photo Editor
TOM NOWLAN Associate Sports Editor JACOB ADLER Associate Sports Editor CAROLINE SIMON Deputy News Editor
letters Have your own opinion? Send your guest column to Opinion Editor Shawn Kelley at kelley@thedp.com.
Unsigned editorials appearing on this page represent the opinion of The Daily Pennsylvanian as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. All other columns, letters and artword represent the opinion of their authors and are not necessarily representative of the DP’s position.
important campus issues, so we ask for your time to meet with ASAP specifically to discuss student concerns about sexual violence in our community. Finally, we invite you to attend this year’s Take Back the Night and show your personal commitment to standing up for survivors. We appreciate your sending a letter to us every year on Take Back the Night, but this year in particular we
dents have expressed that the manner in which the results were addressed made them feel more like statistics than people. We want to remind you of the importance of honoring personal stories, and would have appreciated your personal mention of support for survivors. We also believe it is necessary to address the rape culture that fostered these extremely high rates of sexual assault. It is critical to first acknowledge the prevalence of rape culture, as well as the cultures of racially based violence, violence facing disabled students, violence against LGBTQ students and other systematic violence before we can positively change our campus climate. As students, we are eager to hear what initiatives substantiate your promise to make every student safe from all forms of sexual harassment and assault on campus, so we ask: What will this look like? Will there be increased staff both for supporting survivors and for educational outreach? We encourage you to involve ASAP and other student organizations that are dedicated to this cause when answering these questions — we understand that culture change is the responsibility of both the administration and the students. If we are to heal as a community, hold perpetrators accountable and deconstruct the stigma that surrounds being a survivor of sexual violence, we need more resources, consistent support and sustainable, ongoing dialogue with Penn’s administration. We understand that you often meet with student groups to address
The Daily Pennsylvanian would like to thank the veterans who have served to protect our freedoms
welcome you to join us in person to either address the opening rally, or to hear the stories shared by survivors, or both. In solidarity, The Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Executive Board
IsaBELLA AUCHUS is a College junior from Jackson, Miss., studying Psychology. Her email address is auchusi@sas.upenn.edu.
cartoon
Sean mcgeehan is a College senior from Philadelphia. His email is seanmcgeehan@verizon.net.
The real drug policy problem
GUYRANDY JEAN-GILLES Associate Photo Editor WILL AGATHIS Associate Sports Editor
guest column by isabella auchus
I
n the wake of Ohio’s landmark vote against legalization, marijuana is clearly the sexiest topic in the drug policy debate. But what’s the most important? The opioid epidemic — the recent and meteoric increase in heroin and prescription painkiller abuse — poses one of the most serious public health threats of our time. And yet, it receives a fraction of the press coverage debating the pros and cons of marijuana legalization. Did you know that this past month, President Obama unveiled a $133 million plan to address our nation’s opioid epidemic? Likely not. It’s high time we start making the opioid epidemic a central part of our drug policy discussions. The opioid epidemic started about 20 years ago in an unexpected place: doctor’s offices. There was a notion among physicians that pain was vastly undertreated, as well as a belief that patients were more satisfied and less likely to switch providers if they received a prescription during their visit. Naturally, doctors began prescribing painkillers
the quixotic quaker | Hint: It’s not marijuana more liberally. How much more liberally? Prescriptions of opioid painkillers jumped almost threefold
similar to heroin (a drug most people know is dangerous), and they share similar side effects in terms of high addiction potential
The problem with prescription painkillers is the dissonance between their actual and perceived risk.” from 1991 to 2011. In hindsight, it is unsurprising that this increase had major, detrimental public health implications. The problem with prescription painkillers is the dissonance between their actual and perceived risk. Prescription painkillers are popularly viewed as a low-risk product, probably because they’re provided by a trusted source (i.e. a doctor). A 2008 study found that people perceived prescription painkillers as less dangerous than Viagra, the smallpox vaccine or even artificial sweeteners. But in reality, prescription drugs are extremely dangerous. Painkillers are chemically
and overdose potency. In 2013 alone, over 16,000 people died from a prescription drug-related overdose — around five times the number of fatalities of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a single year — and an estimated 2 million Americans misused prescription drugs. Aside from the human toll, there is reason to believe that the opioid epidemic may have a particularly severe effect on economic productivity. Opioids — which, in the past, almost always referred to heroin — were typically used by low-income individuals. But it is now middleclass, college-educated adults who are falling prey to prescrip-
tion drug addiction. It is wreaking havoc on small towns across America. Vermont — a state better known for moose sightings than addiction — was so severely affected that its governor made the opioid epidemic the main focus of his 2014 State of the State address. One study estimates that, in 2007, the total economic cost of prescription drug abuse exceeded $50 billion. Actions taken included fighting the problem at its source: by discouraging physicians from prescribing painkillers. Efforts to this effect included prescription drug monitoring systems to deter practices like doctor-shopping (where a patient visits several doctors to obtain prescriptions) and media campaigns encouraging physicians to think twice before prescribing painkillers. While these efforts will likely curb prescription drug abuse and addiction rates in the future, it created an interesting problem for those already addicted. When doctors decreased the number of painkiller prescriptions issued, that left fewer prescription pills to be illegally resold, thereby
significantly raising the street price of drugs like Vicodin and Percocet. Many of those addicted were now unable to afford prescription pills. Some found heroin — a drug many of them never dreamed of using — to be a cheaper alternative that provided the same “fix” as a painkiller. As a result, heroin use nearly doubled between 2005 and 2012, and overdose rates skyrocketed. To this day, opioid abuse rates — both in the form of prescription painkillers and heroin — are at severely elevated levels, and the human and productivity toll has been gargantuan. Many important problems are still unsolved in our country’s fight against opioid abuse. For example, research supports that Medication-Assisted Treatment, a combination of medication and behavioral therapy, is a costeffective treatment for opioid addiction. But a June 2015 study found that there is now a 1-million-person gap between supply and demand for MAT. These are the most urgent drug policy problems we can address today. And I hope that
theodore l. caputi these are the issues concerned citizens, media pundits and politicians will begin to broach. Marijuana legalization is certainly deserving of voters’ and the media’s attention. But we should not let the marijuana debate overshadow our country’s greatest drug policy concern: the opioid epidemic.
Theodore L. Caputi is a College and Wharton junior from Washington Crossing, Pa., studying finance/statistics and mathematics. His email address is tcaputi@wharton. upenn.edu. “The Quixotic Quaker” appears every other Wednesday.
THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
NEWS 5
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
Campus groups honor Veterans Day on Locust Walk Groups will promote awareness of veterans on campus CLARIS PARK Contributing Reporter
In honor of Veterans Day, student veterans will be tabling on Locust Walk from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to raise awareness of the holiday and of veterans on campus. There will be opportunities to sign a large thank-you card which will be sent to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center near campus, as well as opportunities to talk with and meet
CULTURAL GROUPS >> PAGE 1
language. “I didn’t grow up surrounded by other cultures, and I didn’t know I would enjoy being immersed in another culture until I actually gave it a shot.” Fawole, who is involved in black cultural groups like UMOJA and who is interested in issues of social justice, said that she brings a different perspective to conversations about race in her sorority. Likewise, hearing those conversations allows her to broaden her own understanding of social justice issues.
YEAR OF MEDIA >> PAGE 1
made, but also profoundly impact later movies. Fox said he hopes to also coordinate with faculty on the Cinema Studies Program so that filmmakers can potentially give talks on Welles’ work. “I think the most important thing in any given year is [for students] to think about the theme in conjunction with their lives here at Penn and to see just how many resources we have and how broadly we think
some student veterans. Additionally, students will be able to give donations in exchange for cookies and take part in a social media campaign. Information on different organizations, such as the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, will also be provided at some of the tables. A large number of Penn organizations and Penn-affiliated organizations will come together to promote the event. Some of the groups involved are the University of Pennsylvania Student Veteran Association, Veterans Upward Bound, the Naval ROTC and
Program in Mental Health Education Assessment, Recovery and Leadership for Social Workers Fellows. College of Libera l a nd Professional Studies junior and UPSVA Vice President John Grisafi said that generally speaking, veterans are welcomed on campus, but oftentimes students are unaware that veterans are also a part of the Penn community. “Veterans aren’t all what you think of from the movies,” Grisafi said. “They’re not always older guys who fought in Vietnam. Some of us are still
younger guys who want to go to school and are interested in different things. We’re not all sitting around at the [Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall] all the time. We’re not all people who need medical and mental health treatment. We are a very diverse community and a very integral part of Penn’s community.” Grisafi added that some veterans choose to hide their status while others fully embrace their military background and incorporate it into their civilian life. “It really depends on the individual,” Grisafi said. “The
Hull described his first time representing JSA at a meeting for the Asian Pacific Coalition, the umbrella group for Asian st udent orga n i zat ions on campus, as “a little intimidating” because he stood out as the only non-Asian in a room full of people. However, he said the rest of the members quickly accepted him and didn’t respect his ideas any less, saying “it makes me feel validated knowing that my opinion is counted.” For McManus, sticking out has been a challenge in another way — because he’s not Indian, he wasn’t allowed to go on India’s Got Talent or perform in Pitch Perfect II with the other
members of Masala. Though it was valuable to learn about a new culture, the friends they made were the most important part of their experience, the students said. “I consider JSA one of my closest families here at Penn,” Hull said. “It’s definitely one of the best experiences I’ve made coming here. Fawole said that her membership in aKDPhi allowed her to meet a whole group of women she otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to know, adding that the sorority’s small pledge classes make it easy to get to know each person on an individual level. She said joining the
sorority was the “best decision she’s made” here at Penn. The three students said that they would encourage others to get out of their comfort zones and join new cultural groups, regardless of background. “People will actually accept you if you’re not of their culture as long as you accept their culture,” McManus said. He said his fellow Masala singers are his best friends on campus, adding, “I don’t see myself as any different.” “If you’re interested in something, don’t allow something like your background to prevent you from pursuing it,” Hull said.
about any academic idea,” Fox said. “Citizen Kane” is a fictionalized biography of a character modeled closely on real-life newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The Almanac press release describes the film as an exploration of power and media that poses questions on the importance of the news, how the news can be manipulated and how power shapes leaders in both positive and negative ways. “In some ways, this is an ongoing theme that every year becomes more important,” Fox said. “Social media
certainly becomes a part of it, and it was especially nice that next year coincides with the election while media becomes increasingly important with every election in terms of documenting its raising attention.” While the majority of Penn Reading Projects have required students to read literature for themes such as the Year of Evolution, Year of Discovery and Year of Proof, other unique projects have included Michael Frayn’s play “Copenhagen” and Thomas Eakins’ painting “The Gross Clinic.”
Fox added that given the influence and ubiquity of media today, next year’s academic theme is sure to bring up thoughtful and interesting discussion. “This will be one of the interesting themes where students are ahead of us in certain ways, in terms of how to think about the media,” Fox said. “When it comes to social media, I think many faculty would tell you that they know far less about it than students do, so it’ll be an interesting opportunity for us to exchange ideas about this.”
best way to look at [veterans] is that it’s like a cultural group. It’s just that rather than being from a shared ethnic or national background, it’s from a shared experience that we all have.” In the context of the Penn community, Grisafi added that veterans have a lot to offer to Penn, which prides itself in having students of diverse backgrounds and experiences. “A lot of veterans are highly intelligent, ver y motivated people who could be very successful if given the opportunity,” said Grisafi. “We are all very motivated because of our
military discipline.” Grisafi himself previously served in the U.S. Army for 10 years, and he spent most of his military career overseas in South Korea and the Middle East. Currently, he studies history and East Asian studies. The tabling event hopes to bridge the gaps between veterans on campus and the rest of Penn’s community. “ We wou ld ju st l i ke t o i nc rea se awa reness of ou r p r e s e nc e, fo r p e o ple who m ight not rea l ize t hat t hey might even be in a class with a veteran,” Grisafi said.
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6 SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM
For trio of captains, it’s onward and upward
Class of 2016 instills new work ethic on team
theirs, the direction that the seniors set can be felt long after they leave. “We’re just happy to be a part of that in any way we can,� Quinn said. “Hopefully we can be good role models for the young guys, because I know when I was younger, I looked up to the older guys.� The team’s younger players feel the effects of this senior leadership in many ways, and it can manifest itself in something as
simple as the soreness from that extra rep in the gym or that extra sprint on the court. “I loved all the guys my freshman year, but I think we’ve definitely upped our training regimen in terms of lifting and additional fitness,� Frank said. While Quinn stresses that the players took the sport seriously back in 2012, just as they do today, the new regimen of morning lifts twice a week and the addition of an entirely
captain-run preseason — one that starts as soon as the athletes arrive on campus — speaks to the increase in physical intensity over the past three years. “The dedication, the work ethic, the commitment and the culture of the team have not [been] revolutionized since my freshman year,� Quinn said. “But they definitely have changed.� But as important as a good work ethic is, the ability to recruit elite talent ultimately decides a
team’s fate at the end of the day. And in squash, “elite talent� often implies international talent. Quinn, Frank and Odell’s recruiting class was the last one that didn’t feature at least one international recruit. Frank and Odell are Pennsylvania natives, and Quinn doesn’t fall too far outside the mold, hailing from Cambridge, Mass. “With having our coaches Gilly [Lane], who’s an amazing recruiter, as are Jack [Wyant] and Richard [Dodd], we’ve increased the talent on our team,� Frank said. “And even with this new talent, we’ve kept that work ethic that we needed to succeed with a less talented team in the past,� he continued. That talent is best seen in sophomore Marwan Mahmoud. As a freshman, the Cairo, Egypt, native headlined the team at the number one position and finished the season with a No. 11 College Squash Association individual ranking. To the current seniors, however, it’s about what you do with that talent that really matters. Although they themselves have no shortage of skill to offer to the team, it’s up to them to maintain that competitive atmosphere. It’s the high standards that they have set through hard work and discipline that are needed to take in new recruits and turn them into true Red and Blue squash
But the men aren’t the only ones who will have to deal with adjusted motivations this year. The women’s squad may have won the Ivy League this year, but it isn’t about to rest on its laurels. This year, the team has its sights set on its first Howe Cup championship — the de facto national championship — since the 2000-01 season. “There isn’t much room to grow for the women’s team
since they’ve had so much success,� Wyant said. “The ladies are really excited to improve on last year’s result.� Standing in the way, as usual, will be perennial Howe Cup finals stalwarts, No. 1 Harvard and No. 2 Trinity, who have met to decide the championship in three straight seasons. Led by a trio of All-Americans at the top of the ladder, the Red and Blue will look to reach the Howe Cup final for
the first time since the 200910 season. And heading into the season, the women are spending more time focusing on team building and recovery rather than on upcoming opponents. “Last year we were thinking about the outcome too much,� Tan added. “We’re focusing more on team bonding and making sure everyone’s been putting in their best effort.� Taking down the top two teams in the nation will take
a total team effort, so making sure that everyone makes it to the January matchup in New England will be an important goal. “I think we have nine or 10 really good players,� Tan said. “Our main goal is to stay healthy all season.� Close games provided plenty of trouble for both Penn teams as they combined for an abysmal 1-7 record in 5-4 matches. While most would point to the losses as weak points, Wyant
ANDREW ZHENG Sports Reporter
The year is 2012, and three wide-eyed freshmen walk onto Ringe Courts as Red and Blue athletes for the first time, eager to take No. 9 Penn men’s squash to new heights. If only it were that simple. Augie Frank, Liam Quinn and Tyler Odell were thrown in at the fourth, fifth and seventh positions on the ladder, respectively. All but one of the three newcomers finished the season with a losing record. Going down with them was the team’s national ranking as it dropped to 14th place and tied for last in the Ivies. It was Penn’s worst season since 2000. After that ill-fated 2012-13 campaign, the Quakers saw improvement in each of the following seasons, rising from 14th to eighth and finally seventh in their most recent finish. Now, heading into the 201516 season, all three of those freshmen stand tall as seniors and captains. This is the trio of Quinn, Frank and Odell — the leaders of a Penn team on the verge of a top-five breakthrough. Seniority demands respect on any sports team, but for an incredibly tight-knit group like
COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
In his final year with the team, senior captain Augie Frank looks to guide the Quakers past their seventh place last season to a top-five finish in the nation by inspiring the team with an unmatched work ethic.
EXPECTATIONS >> PAGE 8
The Quakers must also be wary of the nine teams ranked below them who will be gunning for upsets when they meet Penn this season. “The good thing about finishing seventh is that there are six teams above us,� Wyant said of the Quakers’ motivations. “However there are six teams below as well that we’ll have to show up for.�
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sees positives. “I see it as progress,� Wyant said. “You don’t really have moral victories in other sports, but you can have them in squash.� With the matches against Harvard and Trinity already shaping up to be dogfights, if the Quakers are able to find themselves on the favorable end of a 5-4 score, they’ll be adding another big ring to their collection. What a time to be alive.
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players. “I think we will certainly continue to try to recruit better and better players,� Frank said. “But honestly, Marwan last year was one of the most talented players I’ve seen, so it’s going to be hard to find a player that is way more talented than he is. “It’s about continuing to get kids who are of his caliber and challenging them so they can continue to develop while they’re here.� With a fresh batch of recruits, including another Egyptian recruit in Karim Hussein, the team’s work ethic and culture will once again be put to the test. “There are of course expectations that need to be set, and people need to get to that bar,� Quinn said. “So we, as captains, just hope to do as much as we can to help the team get there.� As Quinn, Frank and Odell enter their final year in the Red and Blue, it comes as no surprise that they will seek to continue the trend of upward progress and set a precedent for the years to come. Maybe they’ll make their mark by beating Harvard for the first time since 1979. Maybe they’ll cement their legacy with an Ivy League title. Whatever it is, the senior captains have the means and talent to make this season an unforgettable one for Penn. None of this will come easy, but as Frank puts it, “On the right day, anything is possible.�
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THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
LANE
>> PAGE 8
travel I had as a player really allow me to know the different situations the kids are in,” Lane said. “Having played here, I understand the academic requirements that the student-athletes are put under, so I think I have a good grasp of what they are doing on a daily basis. “In terms of squash, I think that those experiences, playing at the world level, being around the best players in the game and seeing what they do on a daily basis, has helped me as a coach tremendously.” His coaching resume certainly holds weight, as Lane spent much of the summer as head men’s squash coach for Team USA. His tenure with Team USA reached its climax in July during the Pan-American Games in Canada.
Lane described the spectacle as “the best feeling I have ever had as an athlete or coach. “For me, representing your country is the highest honor. When you wear the red, white and blue, there’s nothing better,” he continued. There truly is nothing better, as these games represented the bestever performance for USA Squash in terms of medals, with six overall. Lane helped guide the men to bronze in team competition, as well as in the doubles. Lane hopes to utilize this unrivaled opportunity from the world stage to improve his own coaching, as well as the professionalism of the program back in University City. “I want to try to bring as much of that experience back to here to try to make it as world class as it was in Toronto. At Penn, we want to give the student-athletes what they deserve,
SPORTS 7
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015 which is a great education, highly competitive athletics and an environment where they can succeed in both,” he said. While the women came off an undefeated Ivy season last year, going 14-3 overall, the men’s side is looking to improve on last year’s result. In 2014-15, the team struggled in Ivy play, finishing 3-4 in conference and 9-8 overall. Hopeful for the upcoming season, Lane places a lot of confidence in his squad. “They work hard on the courts and in the classrooms, they really respect each other, and they want to go out and win for each other. I’m just honored to be a part of that, and the culture around here is fantastic. And we are all striving to be great.” And if his team wants to see greatness in squash personified, it won’t have to look far.
30 SECONDS WITH:
YAN XIN TAN Favorite place to eat on campus? Sang Kee Who is your squash idol? Ramy Ashour Best movie to watch on squash road trips? I love “The Proposal.” Who has the hardest serve on the team? Reeham [Salah] What is your pregame ritual? I don’t really have one. I guess I eat rice? Best dance moves on the team? [Freshman] Mikaela [Salvesen-Quinn]
COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Penn squash assistant coach Gilly Lane had an incredible experience over the summer of 2015 to expand his resume, coaching Team USA at the Pan-American Games in Toronto, Canada, in July.
ROSTER >> PAGE 8
student-athletes here.” This spread among recruiting bases allows there to be a wealth of different stories from the student-athletes about how they ended up at Penn. For example, Yan Xin Tan, the women’s senior captain, took up squash at the age of 8, taking after her father. After playing the sport for a few
years, she joined the national team for Malaysia, her native country, and began to compete in worldwide tournaments featuring the best players from around the globe. And eventually found her connection to the Red and Blue. “It was actually at the World Juniors when I was 14 that I met Jack, and then again when I was 16 I met him in India for the same tournament, so I’ve been committed to Penn since
I was about 16,” Tan added. For athletes from the United States, however, the process seems to begin a bit later. Tan was able to start connecting with college coaches as early as the age of 14, whereas women’s senior captain Camille Lanier and men’s senior captains Augie Frank and Liam Quinn, all from the United States, didn’t start on the official recruiting trail until they were a couple of years into
high school. “Coaches a ren’t a llowed to officially reach out to you until summer going into your senior year, so you have to f launt your skills in as many tournaments as possible and make a name for yourself by beating higher-ranked players,” Lanier said. “The biggest thing for me was that I finished second at Nationals my junior year, so the summer after that is
really when I started talking to coaches a bunch,” Frank added. “I had talked with some coaches a little before that, but after that tournament I started talking to Jack and Gilly [Lane, assistant coach] a ton, and that’s when I realized I wanted to come here.” So although Penn squash may have a wide spread geographically, it certainly is not spread thin on talent. And although the players have taken
many different roads to get to Penn, the team really becomes a unit once everyone is here. “Ever y t h ing is different here — the food, the culture — literally everything is different,” Tan laughed. “It was tough coming here from Malaysia, but it helps to have the team around. You have a group of girls here that are like a support system. For me, the team is like my second family away from home.”
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SPORTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
SQUASH ISSUE INTERNATIONAL
TEAM OF
MYSTERY Teams hail from across East Coast and the globe DAVID FIGURELLI Contributing Reporter
Is it possible to describe something as both global and local at the same time? If any team can claim this paradox, it certainly has to be Penn squash. Together, the men’s and women’s teams compose potentially the most diverse binary of any group on this campus. On one hand, 11 of the 14 players on the men’s team are from the northeastern United States; on the other, eight of the 14 women’s players are international students, representing countries like Malaysia, France, Egypt and Canada. Only four are from the east coast of the U.S. But why such an odd geographic
Both Quakers’ squads are in it for the Ivy rings Expectations ride high for 2015-16 season COREY HENRY Sports Reporter
This yea r, both Penn squash teams will look to accomplish some big things, but one squad in particular will look to add some big rings. Last season proved to be a watershed moment for Penn squash, as the men captured their first Potter Cup win in six years while the women secured their first Ivy league championship since the 2007-08 season. Youth on the men’s side will be tantamount to the Quakers moving up in the rankings this season. The five freshmen who occupied the ladder last season, led by sophomore a nd second team All-American
Marwan Mahmoud, were responsible for 52 of the 89 individual victories for the Red and Blue last year. The rapid ascent of the men’s side over the past two years has had an impact on both squads. Having both teams ranked in the top 10 has provided continuity between the team’s goals. “ T h ey mot ivat e t he girls to work just as hard as them,” women’s senior captain Yan Xin Tan said. “We’re more suppor tive of each other since we’re working towards the same goals.” Sitting at No. 7 in the College Squash Association preseason rankings, the men’s team will be provided with plenty of chances to pull off upsets as they will play all six teams ran ked a head of them. SEE EXPECTATIONS PAGE 6
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spread? Originally a British sport, squash spread worldwide as the British Navy spread its reach across the globe, landing in all four corners of the world and bringing the game with it. So from U.S. prep schools to the Pacific Islands, squash can certainly be called a global sport. “What makes our recruiting extraordinary is that we have to look both domestically and internationally,” men’s and women’s head coach Jack Wyant said. “Squash is played by 20 million people in 80 different countries, so for us to try to be competitive in the league, we have to recruit internationally. “Over the past five or six years we’ve been to Poland, India, Egypt, Portugal, Czech Republic, Canada, Holland, Argentina, England — so we’ve been all over the world in our search to bring the best and brightest SEE ROSTER PAGE 7
Assistant Lane transitions playing success to coaching Associate head coach guided Team USA GREG ROBINOV Sports Reporter
COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Penn squash coach Jack Wyant looks to build off of a strong 2014-15 in which the women win the Ivy League and the men finish No. 7 in the nation. ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
After many failed attempts, the sports world says, “Great players don’t make great coaches.” Gilly Lane of Penn men’s squash begs to differ. The former assistant coach of Penn squash began a new chapter as associate head coach to Jack Wyant following his promotion in July. Shortly thereafter, he journeyed to Toronto with Team USA as a coach for the PanAmerican Games. He enters his fourth year with the program, having been on board since July 2013, in addition to a one-year stint during the 2010-11 season. Lane shared his enthusiasm for his new role with the new season nearly underway. “It’s great when people here recognize you, want to keep you
and want you to be here,” Lane said. “The program means everything in the world to me, having played here and having gotten so much from this experience. It was a great honor, especially only after two years of being here, but a big thanks to Jack and [Athletic Director Grace] Calhoun.” A quick snapshot into Lane’s playing career reveals quite a handful of accolades. As a player for the Quakers, he secured Team MVP, All-Ivy and even AllAmerican honors during each of his four years as an undergrad. Since going pro, he has claimed three Professional Squash Association titles, been a member of the U.S. National Team since 2007 and held a world ranking as high as No. 48. Lane believes this incredible exposure as one of the world’s foremost players equally benefits him as a coach. “I think the experiences and SEE LANE PAGE 7 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640