THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
Phila. top cop to lead nat’l task force on police-community relations JOE LI Staff Writer
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey will co-chair a presidential task force on police-community relations, the White House announced on Monday. In response to recent events — including the shooting of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., which sparked protests around the country — the White House has created the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to research and examine how to effectively reduce crime while building public trust. Ramsey will co-chair the task force with former Assistant Attorney General and George Mason University professor Laurie Robinson. Besides serving as the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Ramsey is also president of the Major Cities Chiefs Police Association and the Police Executive Research Forum, which is a think tank for policing strategies. Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush, who works with Ramsey on the executive board of the Philadelphia Police Foundation, said “Commissioner Ramsey is a well respected leader in the police community. I think he is the best candidate for this position.”
PROTESTERS
MARCH AGAINST FERGUSON DECISION Over 100 people protested the decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown
INSIDE NEWS PHILA PREPS FOR MAYORAL CAMPAIGN A look at the current candidates planning to run in the Democratic primary PAGE 3
RED CROSS HOUSE PROFILE
ILANA WURMAN/SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR-ELECT PAGE 7
OPINION LIFE AND DEADLINES The stress of deadlines doesn’t have to tarnish the worthwhile moments PAGE 4
SPORTS
HARRY COOPERMAN & MICA TENENBAUM City News Editor & Contributing Writer
Students and others took to Philadelphia streets Monday — literally stopping traffic at 34th and Walnut and 33rd and Market streets — to protest in the wake of the grand jury decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the
shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. The protest, organized by Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation, began at 1 p.m. at DuBois College House. Before the march, event organizer and College senior Emanuel Martinez spoke to those that were gathering from the steps of the Du Bois entrance. “Even though
students of color are a minority at Penn, we want to show that our voices are loud,” he said. A banner in front of him read, “No Justice, No Peace.” Members of African Rhythms and other students handed out buckets — makeshift drums that would animate and energize the students during the march.
Protesters walked in fierce solidarity, responding to the leaders’ chants: “No justice, no peace. No racist police.” “I just don’t want my son, the child of an Ivy League graduate, to walk down the street in fear for his life,” a student who preferred to remain anonymous said at the protest. The group grew as the protestors made their way through
Penn’s campus. They stopped outside major buildings, including the high rises and the Quad, chanting for the buildings’ occupants to “walk out for Mike Brown.” Police and a few photographers trailed the procession down Locust Walk. About 100 protesters marched into the Huntsman SEE FERGUSON PAGE 2
FIXATED ON FRESHMEN A look into Penn basketball’s use of its freshman class so far this year BACK PAGE
QUAKERS’ DOMINANT DEFENSE
Mental health hotline to centralize resources
The HELP Line, launched Monday, lets students call a central number for help JOE LI Staff Writer
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ONLINE FERGUSON PROTEST VIDEO Check out video of the scenes from yesterday’s protest THEDP.COM
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Penn has taken a step forward in addressing the decentralization of student mental heath resources with the creation of a 24/7 hotline, which was launched on Monday. The HELP Line, which will be administered by the Division of Public Safety, will be a resource for students, staff and faculty who
Counseling and Psychological Services: 215-898-7021 215-349-5490 (Nights and weekends)
are seeking time sensitive help for mental health issues. DPS dispatchers who have been trained by Counseling and Psychological Services staff will answer calls made to the HELP Line and connect students in need with professional counselors from CAPS. Previously, students would have to call different numbers, depending on whether they were calling CAPS during business hours or after hours. With the new HELP Line, a trained dispatcher will be able to pick up a call any time and talk to a student or staff member on the phone while another dispatcher
reaches out to a clinician. If the dispatcher senses that the student might be in danger, he can send a police officer to the student’s location. Professor Rebecca Bushnell, who co-chairs the mental health task force, said that the new central hotline will be beneficial because many Penn students and staff don’t know what number to call when feeling troubled. “We’ve talked to many people since last spring, including parents, students, staff, faculty members and many of them just didn’t know,” Bushnell said. “This is how we concluded that a new hotline needs to be set up.”
University Chaplain’s Office: 215-898-8456 Student Health Service: 215-746-3535
ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
Office of the Vice Provost for University Life: 215-898-6081
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush emphasized that the HELP Line is not a substitute for CAPS, but an extension of its service. “This number is just one more tool for people to know where to call,” she said. “It’s a number that’s easy to remember.” CAPS Director Bill Alexander, who trained the HELP Line dispatchers, said the HELP Line will be a great central resource for students. “It helps them get to the right place when they don’t know where to call,” he said. Apart from the HELP Line and CAPS’ regular number, students can also call the Reach-A-Peer Helpline
Reach-A-Peer Helpline: 215-573-2727 (9 p.m. - 1 a.m. every night) Letter-writing service (Any time)
for help with mental health. President of RAPline Antonia Diener said that the major difference between RAPline and the HELP Line is that the RAPline is a peer help line. “When you call RAPline, you will talk to a fellow Penn student instead of a professional counselor. We will listen to you and try our best to help you,” she said. The creation of the HELP Line stems from the work of the mental health task force, which was commissioned in February after several student suicides. The task force is expected to issue its full recommendations early next semester.
Penn Student HELP Line: 215-898-HELP 215-898-4357
CONTACT US: 215-422-4640