WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Former admitted student involved in GroupMe The student added freshmen from Class of 2020 FB page DAVID MURRELL Staff Reporter
One of the people involved in adding black freshmen to a racist GroupMe chat had previously been admitted to Penn as a member of the Class of 2020, University officials announced Tuesday night.
Penn administrators sent an email saying its investigation determined that “one of the individuals being investigated in Oklahoma had been offered admission to Penn, accepted the offer in May, but chose, ultimately, not to attend. Having accepted Penn’s admission offer, he was invited to join and access the private Facebook group created for the Class of 2020, which is a common practice among many
colleges and universities.” The email added that the individual was able to access contact information from black freshmen in this way to add them to the GroupMe. On Tuesday morning, the University of Oklahoma announced that the student who was suspended in connection with the racist GroupMe messages sent to black Penn freshmen is no longer enrolled. A student at Tulsa Community
College was placed on “interim academic suspension” after being “identified with a social media group that posted racist messages identified by federal authorities to be potential criminal activity.” Vice President for University Communications Stephen MacCarthy confirmed that this was connected to the racist GroupMe messages sent SEE GROUPME PAGE 6
FIZZY FINANCES
How Philadelphia’s new soda tax could affect you LUIS FERRE SADURNI Senior Reporter
E
WHAT YOUR DRINKS COULD COST: NEW PRICE NEW PRICE
ORIGINAL
IF 20% IF 100%
OF TAX IS OF TAX IS
PRICE PASSED ON PASSED ON HONEST TEA $2.29 $2.34 $2.54 RED BULL $2.59 $2.62 $2.72 COCA COLA $2.24 $2.30 $2.54
education in the city. The tax will apply to sodas, teas, energy drinks and other beverages, but exclude others such as drinks that contain more than 50 percent milk, fresh fruit or vegetables. It is uncertain how prices will change for drinks sold at Penn. On campus, Penn Dining sells beverages through its cafés, retail establishments, residential dining halls and more than 250 vending machines. Since the tax will be levied on distributors, price changes will depend on whether distributors pass on the tax, or a portion of it, to Penn Dining through higher prices. Penn Dining would then need to decide whether to pass on the tax, or a portion of it, by increasing prices for students and faculty. “The distributor might decide that they’re just SEE SODA TAX PAGE 3
Faculty urge Amy Gutmann to protect undocumented students
Former Penn cop says University fired him for having a beard
Professors from all four undergrad. schools signed letter
The police officer said a skin condition meant shaving caused him pain
REBECCA TAN Staff Reporter
NICOLE RUBIN Staff Reporter
A former Penn Police officer sued the University on Monday over alleged racial discrimination motivating his dismissal, Billy Penn reported. He is seeking an undisclosed sum of money. The officer, Joseph Lewis, claimed he was fired because he maintained facial hair, which is reportedly against the policy for officers. His skin condition, which is called pseudofolliculitis barbae, primarily affects black men and stems from an issue with ingrown hairs that create bumps every time he shaves, Billy Penn wrote. He had applied for a waiver last August to keep his beard, on the condition that it remain no thicker than a quarter inch. Lewis, who is black, claimed that after he applied for the waiver, his supervisors began mistreating him. The lawsuit said Lewis was denied overtime requests and singled out among his colleagues. After receiving a merit condemnation from the Division of Public Safety, Lewis later was dismissed from DPS, which he attributed to discord over his skin condition, Billy Penn reported.
xperts are unsure how much the price of certain beverages will increase once Philadelphia’s “soda tax” goes into effect on Jan. 1, but the price changes could be abrupt. The price of a 20 ounce Red Bull could increase by as much as 30 cents, while the price of a two litre Coca-Cola could increase by as much as 50 percent, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian’s analysis of tax-applicable drinks sold at Penn Dining locations. When the tax passed in June, Philadelphia became the first major city in the country to pass a tax on sweetened and diet drinks. The controversial 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax — which fueled a historic lobbying battle between the soda industry and health advocates— was Major Jim Kenney’s ambitious approach to fund early childhood
JULIO SOSA | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Almost 100 Penn faculty members signed an open letter to President Gutmann advocating for the protection of the rights of undocumented Penn students.
SMART GLASSES PAGE 2
SEE PENN POLICE PAGE 2
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Nearly 100 standing faculty members signed a letter to Penn President Amy Gutmann encouraging the protection of undocumented immigrant students at Penn. Faculty from all four undergraduate schools signed the letter, which highlighted the passage of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an immigration policy implemented in 2012 to grant undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthdays and before
The Asian American community must wake up.”
June 2007 temporary protection from deportation. “DACA students attend the University of Pennsylvania and we benefit from their presence on our campus,” the statement said. “President-elect Trump is likely to either cancel DACA or allow it to lapse.” The letter, which was sent to Gutmann on Tuesday, comes just one day after President Barack Obama urged 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump, not to “endanger” the immigration status of students protected by DACA. The faculty recommended that Gutmann communicate to political leaders how significantly DACA SEE DACA PAGE 2
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-Amy Chan PAGE 4
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