TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2015
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
‘Faculty master’ title scrapped
Title removed due to racial insensitivity CAROLINE SIMON Campus News Editor-elect
Penn has announced that it will stop using the title “Faculty Master” for its college house leaders, a term some see as evocative of slavery. The
ARABELLA UHRY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
position will now be called “Faculty Director.” The change comes after weeks of student protests on college campuses nationwide over racial discrimination. Harvard University and Princeton University have already chosen to eliminate the “Faculty Master” title, and Yale University has said it will make a decision by the summer.
In an announcement sent to college house faculty last Wednesday, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dennis DeTurck explained the change. “The faculty and staff of [College Houses and Academic Services] have been mindful of ongoing developments on campuses across the country. These include concerns
LIZZY MACHIELSE | ASSOCIATE PHOTO EDITOR
about the historical connotations of the title of ‘Faculty Master,’” DeTurck’s email read. “This small but important step will be taken immediately, and over the next few weeks all references in college house literature and on CHAS websites will be amended to reflect it.” SEE FACULTY MASTERS PAGE 9
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A DAY IN THE LIFE
MARYAM ALAUSA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JULIO SOSA | NEWS PHOTO EDITOR-ELECT
Newly elected freshmen reflect on campaign process
SEAS women: challenges and hopes for future
Candidates criticized superficial election goals but enjoyed meeting classmates
Women more represented in student body than faculty
JENNA WANG Staff Reporter
SHOBA BABU Staff Reporter
Since its election in mid-September, the Class Board of 2019 has spent a successful semester at the helm of its 2,435-member freshman class. As a group, the Class Board of 2019 is particularly diverse. Out of 11 people, seven are students of color, four are women and three are international students. Some members have had extensive experience on student government — College freshman and Executive Vice President Montell Brown was president of his high school class of 662 for four years — while others are brand new to the game. On their campaign trails, the current freshman board employed a range of creative strategies to elicit votes. Candidates chalked their names onto sidewalks, placed bowls of candy in common areas and slapped posters all over trees, bulletin boards and walls. They hung around in public areas and talked to anyone who was willing to listen for a minute about their cause. During the three whirlwind days of elections, many candidates walked around freshman college houses and dining halls with iPads in hand, actively soliciting votes. Some members cited the brief campaign
Among freshmen traversing the Engineering Quadrangle and hustling to introductory math classes, roughly four out of 10 are women. This year, women made up more than 40 percent of the Engineering Class of 2019, marking an all-time high for Penn. While the national average of incoming women in undergrad is around 20 percent, women make up approximately
COURTESY OF DEAN STEBE
Assistant Dean of Reasearch Kathleen Stebe operates the Stebe Lab, which has seen a peak number of women researchers this year.
OFF THE BEAT EP PAGE 3
SEE CLASS BOARD PAGE 3
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$56 million sure sounds like a lot of cash. But how much is it, really?
33 percent of the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s incoming class each year. The numbers only become more relevant as newer classes come in. As the deadline for regular decision approaches for the Class of 2020, Penn female engineers shared their experiences at Penn and discuss the past, present and future of the engineering climate for women. *** Wharton and Engineering senior Emily Chen began her transition into the Engineering School with a SEE SEAS WOMEN PAGE 7
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