December 8, 2016

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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Former Penn cop says in suit he was fired for having a beard

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Joseph Lewis said a department policy on beards was discriminatory NICOLE RUBIN Staff Reporter

Joseph Lewis had been a Penn Police officer for close to six years before his sergeant told him to shave or go home, according to his legal complaint. A debate over the alleged medical reasons for him to keep his beard led to his eventual dismissal from the force. A lawsuit filed last month claims the University racially discriminated against him by asking him to shave. Lewis began his career as a Penn cop on April 13, 2009. His attorney, Timothy Creech, said Lewis was required to attend a disciplinary hearing for allegedly claiming falsely that his supervisor instructed him to shave. During the hearing, the sergeant admitted he had told Lewis to shave, Creech said. Lewis is a black man who was diagnosed with pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), a skin reaction in which the skin becomes inflamed after shav-

Undocumented students hold meeting with administration REBECCA TAN Staff Reporter

SEE BEARD PAGE 6

NEW COLLEGE HOUSE CREATES TRADITIONS PAGE 3

The American flag can become a symbol of that better America rather than the one that has disappointed so many of us.”

- Alessandro van den Brink

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OFFENSIVE ATHLETE GROUP MESSAGES

F

ive undocumented students met with administrators for two hours on Wednesday night to discuss the University’s commitment to undocumented students. Penn President Amy Gutmann, to whom the students had initially

written asking for a meeting, was not present. “We were not upset,” said College senior Daisy Romero, who attended yesterday’s meeting. “The people who were there are people who can make the changes we are looking for.

They showed the support that we believe the president equally shares.” The meeting, which lasted from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., comes two weeks after undocumented students wrote to Gutmann asking for a meeting and a week after Gutmann announced

Penn’s status as a sanctuary campus. Though other universities had proclaimed their “sanctuary” status before, Gutmann’s proclamation on Nov. 30 had a ripple effect in SEE MEETING PAGE 3

Students discuss how to be an ally The discussion was led by student group TableTalk STEPHEN IMBURGIA Contributing Reporter

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JULIO SOSA | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The TableTalk event stimulated conversation about allyship in light of recent racist events that targeted black students at Penn in the past weeks.

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In the wake of a racist group message targeting black freshmen at Penn and other hate crimes against minorities, many students have been left fearful and rattled. Others, however, are wondering how they can help. TableTalk, a student group dedicated to promoting conversations among students, held a forum Wednesday night on how students can become better allies for marginalized groups. College senior Sophie Beren, the founder of TableTalk at Penn, explained her aspirations for the event. “The official mission statement of TableTalk is to bring different types of people together at Penn who wouldn’t interact under ordinary circumstances,” she said. “Our goal today is to bring different people from the Penn community

together who may not face issues of allyship, or are not experts on issues of allyship.” “We hope that people walk away knowing a little bit more about what it means to be an ally,” she added. The format of the event was greatly focused on individual experiences — a testament to TableTalk’s commitment to conversation. College freshman Camila Johanek praised the event’s design. “For me, TableTalk is about forging community,” Johanek said. “This event is especially important because allyship and understanding everyone’s perspectives and cultures are both crucial to forging that community.” Many upperclassmen similarly recognized the merits of the discussion. “I think it’s a really important event, especially in the context of the election and the way our country is going,” College sophomore Sophia Simon said. SEE TABLE TALK PAGE 2

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December 8, 2016 by The Daily Pennsylvanian - Issuu