Penn owns over $3 billion in University City real estate,
DP analysis finds
The Daily Pennsylvanian analyzed the property values of Penn’s real estate holdings in University City
EMILY SCOLNICK Editor-in-Chief
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania own over $3.3 billion worth of real estate in University City — three times as much as any other educational institution in the area — according to an analysis of city property records by The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Penn’s real estate holdings in Philadelphia include the buildings on campus, University of Pennsylvania Health System facilities, several properties around the city, and many off-campus houses traditionally leased by students. Using the City of Philadelphia’s property records website, the DP analyzed over
1,600 properties located within the boundaries of 29th and 42nd streets and between Powelton and Grays Ferry avenues — the area depicted in Penn’s online Large Campus Map.
According to the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position detailed in Penn’s fiscal year 2024 financial report, the net book value of Penn’s facilities — excluding properties within the Health System — is closer to $3.9 billion. In an interview with the DP, Penn Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli said that the discrepancy between Penn’s records and the city’s can be attributed to a delay in
Penn faculty criticize lack of University transparency after student visa revocations
In statements to and interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian, faculty members criticized Penn administration’s lack of transparency and clarifcation since announcing three visas had been revoked
ISHA CHITIRALA AND FINN RYAN Senior Reporters
Higher education institutions have offered varied responses as the number of student visa revocations has continued to rise across the country. But two weeks since the news of the terminations first came to light, Penn remains silent.
An April 7 email from International Student and Scholar Services to the international Penn community announced that “at least three” student visas were revoked by the federal government. Since then, in statements and interviews to The Daily Pennsylvanian, faculty members have criticized the Penn administration’s lack of both transparency and clarification on the issue. At the time of publication, the Trump administration has revoked over 1300 student visas across the country.
Penn learned of the changes to the students’ immigration statuses through a check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program database — an online system managed by the Department of Homeland Security that tracks the records of international students studying in the United States, according to ISSS.
“Know that we will make every effort to provide you with timely guidance about recent immigration policy changes,” the April 7 announcement read. Since its initial message, Penn has not informed the wider University community of further revocations,
nor has it announced additional support to international students and faculty. Following numerous requests for comment, a University spokesperson did not disclose if any additional Penn students have been affected.
After multiple requests for clarification, a University spokesperson told the DP that Penn is checking students’ visa statuses twice a day through SEVIS. ISSS later added that it was monitoring the impacts of a new federal policy terminating the visas of all South Sudanese passport holders.
“I’m very concerned about this issue — what’s happening is outrageous,” Douglas Darian, the Mary Amanda Wood Professor of Physics and Astronomy, wrote in a statement to the DP. “Students and faculty, as well as general citizenry, should all be protesting. I also wish the administration issued more and frequent updates as well as a statement of support. In an ideal world Penn would also offer legal assistance.”
School of Veterinary Medicine professor Andrew Vaughan emphasized the need for clarity regarding the immigration statuses of Penn community members in an interview with the DP.
“You’re hard-pressed to find one of these professors who doesn’t have at least one international student or
See VISAS, page 6
the city updating its records — illustrated by the fact that Gutmann College House, which opened in the fall of 2021, does not appear on the city’s website.
On the city’s website, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania are listed as the owner on the deed of around 185 properties on Penn’s campus map, making Penn the largest real estate holder in the University City area. By comparison, Drexel University is listed as the owner of just 12 properties worth just under $1 billion total, and the University of the Sciences — now owned and recently put up for sale by Saint Joseph’s University — also owns
12 properties worth close to $200 million. The University City Science Center, which was established in 1963 with significant help from the West Philadelphia Corporation — of which Penn is a member — owns six properties. Of the 20 properties with the highest estimated value within Penn’s campus map — which include several Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia facilities, Domus Apartments, Brandywine Realty Trust’s Philadelphia campus, and the area containing the See PROPERTY, page 2
Nia Matthews, Musab Chummun elected as UA president, vice president
Wharton sophomore Nia Matthews was elected president by a vote of 1,169 to 964 over College junior and former Daily Pennsylvanian staffer Nicole Muravsky, and College sophomore Musab Chummun was elected vice president with 1,319 votes
CHRISTINE OH Staff Reporter
Wharton sophomore Nia Matthews and College sophomore Musab Chummun will serve as the Undergraduate Assembly’s next president and vice president. Matthews was elected president by a vote of 1,169 to 964 over College junior and former Daily Pennsylvanian staffer Nicole Muravsky, and Chummun was elected vice president with 1,319 votes. The Nominations and Elections Committee announced the results on April 15 at 10 a.m. after voting closed on April 10 at 10 p.m.
In a statement to the DP, Matthews described the campaign as “one of the most strenuous and intense, yet meaningful processes of [her] life.” Chummun similarly wrote that the experience was “one of the most exhilarating, eventful, and moving things” he had ever done.
This spring’s election also decided leaders for the 2026, 2027, and 2028 Class Boards. Wharton junior Vedika Jawa, College sophomore Natasha Kobelsky, and College first year Mert Kayabas were elected as the presidents of the 2026, 2027, and 2028 Class Boards, respectively. The results were released after NEC convened a See UA , page 3
KATE AHN | SENIOR DESIGNER
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA WIGUNA Matthews (left) and Chummun (right) were elected as the UA’s next president and vice president.
ANDREA BARAJAS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Researchers at the Annenberg School developed a new interactive map that shows proposed NIH funding cuts may lead to an estimated $16 billion in economic loss and 68,000 jobs lost.
Map co-developed by Annenberg researchers estimates economic, job loss impact of NIH funding cuts
The map shows that proposed NIH funding cuts may lead to an estimated $16 billion in economic loss and 68,000 jobs lost nationwide
SOPHIA NEAMAN Staff Reporter
A new interactive map co-developed by researchers at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication shows that proposed NIH funding cuts may lead to an estimated $16 billion in economic loss and 68,000 jobs lost nationwide.
In February, the National Institutes of Health proposed a funding cut — a 15% cap on indirect costs — that could cost Penn $240 million. While a judge temporarily halted the changes following Penn and 12 other universities bringing a lawsuit against the NIH, a team of academic researchers from Penn, the University of Maryland, the University of Utah, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Oregon led the effort in creating the data-driven map to communicate the impact NIH cuts would have at national, state and local levels.
“Universities, hospitals, research institutes, and businesses that receive NIH grants would lose money that is crucial for research,” the site read. “Medical research would be slowed, making it harder to cure diseases and keep people healthy. The U.S. could lose its standing as a world leader in medical research, science, and technology.”
Data was collected from a public database of NIH grants that were active in 2024 and estimated the economic impact of NIH funding reductions from a report
published by the United for Medical Research Coalition.
Joan Bossert Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Annenberg’s Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media Alyssa Sinclair, professor and Scientific Director of Annenberg’s Communication Neuroscience Lab Danielle Cosme, and Annenberg Vice Dean Emily Falk are all members of the Penn team that co-developed the project. Sinclair co-led the effort with University of Maryland Biology professor Joshua Weitz.
The map cites a possible economic loss of $322 million in Philadelphia County alone, and the site encourages readers to contact their local representatives to share opinions on and “call attention to these funding cuts.”
In an article published by the Annenberg School, Falk stressed the importance of research funding.
“Medical and scientific breakthroughs supported by the U.S. government impact all our lives,” Falk said. “Research innovations are at the core of many things that enhance our daily lives and keep us safer.”
To date, the NIH has terminated three Penn research grants due to incompatibility with agency priorities. Termination letters were sent to Penn’s Office of Research Services stating that their awards were “incompatible with agency priorities, and no modification of the project could align the project with agency priorities.”
Palestra and Franklin Field — the University Trustees own 11. Of the remaining nine, Penn has been involved in developing or overseeing four of the institutions — three being CHOP facilities and one being the Domus apartment building.
Carnaroli told the DP that Penn’s development strategy has evolved over the years from “Penn as a developer” to “Penn as landowners.” The difference, he said, lies in the University’s change in approach from using its capital to construct buildings on the land to renting the land to a third-party owner and having them invest in development.
“Penn’s real estate strategy is to attract outside investment from the private development market. Penn leased the land to The Hanover Company, a Houston-based developer, for 65 years,” a Facilities and Real Estate Services webpage describing Penn’s involvement with Domus reads.
According to Carnaroli, Penn’s first major independent developments included The Inn at Penn and the Penn Bookstore, as well as developing the intersection at 40th and Walnut streets that now houses Acme Markets, Cinemark University City, and Panera Bread.
Although Penn does not own CHOP, the hospital is part of the Health System and closely affiliated with Penn Medicine. CHOP’s real estate holdings encompass six individual properties totaling just over $600 million. Other sites affiliated with Penn Med include Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, which is centralized in several different buildings worth a total of $67.4 million; Pennsylvania Hospital, worth $32.4 million; and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Nursing Home, properties that together are worth $31.2 million.
While the VA Hospital is not part of Penn Med, the institution has a formal partnership with the Health System.
The nearby Penn Med facilities owned by the University Trustees — which include the main Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, HUP offices, the Perelman Center of Advanced Medicine, and two office buildings on Civic Center Boulevard — are worth about $460.3 million. Additional properties located off campus — one in Rittenhouse Square and another suite at 8th and Walnut streets — are worth nearly $27.6 million, bringing the total value of local Penn Medicine real estate to nearly $488 million.
The highest-valued property within Penn’s campus map is Brandywine Realty Trust’s Philadelphia campus, which is worth $370,556,400, according to the city’s property records website.
Penn’s off-campus property holdings include some University-affiliated facilities or Universitysponsored housing. For example, the building occupied by Penn’s Greenfield Intercultural Center is owned by the University and located just off campus. Penn also owns several buildings along Walnut and Spruce streets that house several of Penn’s greek life organizations. However, approximately 65% of the University Trustees’ individual properties are off campus and unaffiliated with
University facilities.
Penn’s off-campus presence in University City has often garnered attention and criticism, including its participation in efforts to develop the area formerly known as Philadelphia’s Black Bottom. As the University and its facilities — both medical and academic — continue to expand, the effects of this development have changed the architectural landscape of the area and affected how the area is viewed.
“The university has not always been a good neighbor or player [in West Philadelphia], especially for the surrounding lower income communities that have been continually displaced over the decades,” City and Regional Planning professor Jamaal Green wrote in a statement to the DP. “We are [a] major anchor institution but still act as if we are not a fundamental force in the development of this area of the city.” 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration’s recent “assault on higher education” could also impact Penn’s approach to real estate, according to Carnaroli. He said the University’s evaluation of development opportunities may change to prioritize “replacements” for buildings requiring reinvestment of resources as opposed to growing campus itself.
“Non-profit educational institutions like Penn are both asset and people intensive,” Carnaroli wrote in a follow-up email. “To carry out our mission, we require facilities to carry out our broad education, research and service missions, in addition to the people who perform those services.”
The University Trustees also own properties located further off campus, but their mailing addresses are listed those of Campus Apartments and University City Associates — two off-campus housing companies that Penn has partnered with since their inceptions.
Campus Apartments was founded in 1958 by Alan Horwitz to help create a higher standard of offcampus living for Penn students. Horwitz still serves as chair of Campus Apartments, and company CEO David Adelman sits on the Penn Medicine Board of Trustees.
The company launched a partnership with Penn in 2003 and has worked with the University on several campus projects since then; it also owns many properties around Penn’s campus. UCA, which is managed by Campus Apartments but completely owned by Penn, also owns many off-campus properties.
Campus Apartments and UCA also manage Penn’s greek housing — including key pickup and maintenance requests — even while many of the chapter houses are owned by the University.
“We recognize that we don’t provide housing for all undergraduates, so we want them to have … safe options off campus,” Carnaroli said.
Another prominent local real estate agency, University City Housing, is owned and operated by 1964 College graduate and former University Commonwealth Trustee Michael Karp. According to the DP’s recent analysis, Karp or UCH are explicitly listed as the owners of just over $41 million worth of real estate near campus on Philadelphia’s property records website — but lease out many others that they do not explicitly own.
Saxbys workers bring demands to management as Penn location reduces hours ahead of permanent closure
The demonstration came as the coffee shop reduced its hours this week, eliminating weekend operations at the Penn campus staple ahead of its offcial closure in early May
ISAAC
POLLOCK AND DANIYA SIDDIQUI Staff Reporters
Saxbys employees at the 40th and Locust streets location staged a “march on the boss” on Tuesday, alleging that the store’s operating hours changed without adequate notice.
Several workers — both on and off shift — delivered a collectively written letter to two members of Saxbys upper management present at the location on April 15. The demonstration came as the coffee shop reduced its hours this week, eliminating weekend operations at the Penn campus staple ahead of its official closure in early May.
“As the team members who run this Saxbys, we were not informed of a closure date until this Sunday, April 13th,” employees wrote in the letter that was read aloud Tuesday. “In a brief message, our manager told us we would be closing on May 2nd. This date negates weeks of verbal reassurance that we would be open until the UPenn semester was finished.”
Labor Relations Act, differentiating the “march on the boss” tactic from a walkout.
“If we were to actually walk out off of shift, that would technically start a strike,” the Saxbys employee said. “What we did is federally protected concerted activity. The National Labor Relations Act, Section 7, grants you the right that two or more of your coworkers are able to express demands and grievances to your management. Colloquially, it’s called a ‘march on the boss.’”
The April 15 demonstration centered around three demands. Workers asked management for the ability to complete their final weeks at Saxbys “without unnecessary and stressful working conditions,” for there to be no more changes to operating hours, and for Saxbys’ notolerance lateness policy to be abolished for the remainder of the store’s operation.
Another Saxbys worker — who also requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation by management — said that if workers are penalized or fired before May 2, they could lose eligibility for severance pay — a benefit the union has actively “fought for.”
“Because our last demand letter was all basically ignored and kind of exacerbated, we all wanted to have our voices heard,” the worker said. “Especially with the closure announced, we thought we didn’t have anything to lose.”
hearing on April 14 to investigate a complaint raised by an anonymous student against UA presidential candidate and College sophomore Nicholas Kwok, who previously served as vice president of internal affairs for the 2027 Class Board, and vice presidential candidate and College first year Leo Ding, who served as vice president of internal affairs for the 2028 Class Board. The complaint alleged that Kwok and Ding violated the NEC’s Fair Practices Code while campaigning. Following the hearing, the NEC determined that both candidates had violated the FPC and removed them from ballots.
“While I’m disappointed with the outcome of the hearing, I respect the NEC’s role in overseeing the process,” Ding wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I appreciate everyone who supported me throughout the campaign. For now, I’m taking time to reflect, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the Penn community.”
Matthews and Chummun ran on a platform — coined “A Proven Penn” — centered on delivering practical change through experienced leadership, student-focused budgeting, renewed commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion and wellness efforts, and a push for greater transparency in student governance. Throughout the campaign cycle, both candidates highlighted the importance of continuing the UA’s legacy of tangible, student-driven improvements. Their platform emphasized “small projects” created by UA members that “created lasting change” while also promising to “[scale] up big-picture advocacy.”
“After two years in the UA, including time on the Executive Board and Cabinet, I’ve built strong relationships with administrators and developed a deep understanding of how things work behind the scenes,” she wrote. “I want to use that experience to help student groups navigate challenges and ensure their voices are heard.”
“For notoriously busy days where management knew ahead of time that we were to be left with very little coverage, few people, if anyone, was informed or asked to come in, and management left team members understaffed,” the letter read.
Saxbys management did not respond to a request for comment.
On March 17, employees delivered their first letter to management, demanding that Saxbys comply with Philadelphia’s paid sick leave law, which the employees are alleging the company has routinely violated by writing up and terminating employees for using paid sick leave.
A Saxbys employee — who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation by management — said that when the first letter was delivered, management “just kind of ignored it.”
Letters from both the first and second march on the boss cited Section 7 of the National
According to the letter, though team members had asked to be notified of changes to available hours prior to schedule releases, they were “repeatedly ignored.”
The letter also emphasized what workers described as a culture of “intimidation.” Both employees who spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian said that shifts were frequently filled by people from headquarters without consulting local employees or asking them to cover shift.
In January, it was announced that Saxbys would close in May as Penn Dental Medicine is set to transform the space as part of an expansion driven by the 2021 opening of the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and the school’s longstanding plans to enhance sedation services, according to a Penn Dental spokesperson.
This expansion will be supported by capital funding and fundraising efforts scheduled for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
In December 2024, Saxbys workers announced plans to join Workers United Local 80 — a Philadelphia-based chapter of Workers United that primarily supports local baristas.
The letter from employees stated that they hope for a response from management by April 18.
Matthews similarly emphasized her goal of reshaping how students perceive the UA and what it can accomplish. She explained that she aims to make student government more visible and accessible.
“Students should know about student government from the moment they step foot on campus, and recruiting efforts will be high this fall,” Matthews wrote. Looking ahead, both Matthews and Chummun reflected on the shared commitment that they plan to bring to their roles.
“Nobody has all the solutions, but I am confident that Nia and I can work together to navigate an everchanging environment to find needed answers,” Chummun wrote.
“I’m excited to continue working alongside the many student groups who have supported us,” Matthews added. “There’s power in numbers, and I truly believe we can accomplish so much together.”
The NEC previously hosted two debates — one on April 2 and another on April 9 in the McNeil Building — where the UA presidential and vice presidential candidates explained their platforms and plans for the roles.
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Saxbys on 40th and Locust streets on Jan. 14.
Editorial | Protect the Penn we were promised
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Penn was founded with a purpose distinct from its peers. While other colonial colleges trained clergy, Benjamin Franklin envisioned an institution rooted in public service, scientific advancement, and the practical improvement of society. Nearly three centuries later and 12 weeks into a new United States presidential administration, that foundation is beginning to crack. Sweeping federal actions
| Penn’s values are clear. It’s time to follow them closely
have defunded research, dismantled diversity efforts, and targeted international students — policies that clash with the very ideals Franklin set forth. Now, as we stand before his creation, our home, it raises a difficult question: Do we rebuild it into something easier to accept, or fight to preserve what it was always meant to be?
The past 80 days of the second Trump term have been anything but normal. His administration has made eradicating diversity, equity, and inclusion a crucial policy point, with over 50 universities, including Penn, currently being investigated for their policies surrounding it. As a result, Penn has scrubbed websites and faculty titles. While Penn was trying to avoid federal scrutiny, its self-censorship has effectively shown us that equity-related commitments are expendable when politically inconvenient.
The crusade did not stop there: Donald Trump recently froze over $175 million of Penn’s federal research funding, attributing the decision to a transgender student-athlete competing on the women’s swimming and diving team in 2022. At the time of the student-athlete’s participation, NCAA rules required that transgender student-athletes be permitted to play at the collegiate level. However, in March, Trump retroactively applied a recent executive order — “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” — to freeze this funding. As a result, Penn has released a plan of proactive financial measures that aim to ensure its core values live on: “protecting our missions, sustaining our
culture, supporting our people, and judiciously managing our resources.”
Political attacks on universities have long reflected broader cultural and ideological battles. In the 1950s, McCarthyism saw professors blacklisted and fired over alleged ties to Communism, casting academia as a threat to national values. In the 1960s and ’70s, universities became focal points of antiwar and civil rights activism, prompting backlash — most notably from Ronald Reagan, who campaigned against the University of California system as a symbol of liberal excess.
Today’s critiques echo these earlier moments. From targeting diversity programs to questioning tenure, politicians continue to frame higher education as out of touch.
In March, Penn announced a University-wide hiring freeze in response to these anticipated funding cuts. To further reduce operational costs, both the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences implemented substantial cuts to their incoming graduate cohorts; in some cases, Penn rescinded offers already extended to prospective graduate students, citing financial uncertainty. Rescinding offers after acceptance not only destabilizes the careers of affected students, many of whom may have declined other opportunities, but also damages Penn’s reputation as an institution reliably committed to graduate education. Penn should be consistent with its founding values and fight to preserve what it was meant to be. The school should foster the spirit of a
liberal arts education by encouraging research and participation in academia through Ph.D. programs. It should use its other assets to increase its academic budget and close the gap left by federal fund cuts. Moreover, Penn must remain committed to inclusion and diversity by fostering spaces for academic discussion. The University should encourage free speech as long as it remains respectful to all groups on campus. When Penn bends, its values break. In times of tumultuous national uncertainty, it is essential that we as students focus just as much energy on caring for ourselves and each other as we do on responding to the world around us. We can’t control national policy, but we can show up for each other. That can mean checking in with friends or sharing food and laughter. Penn can rally around the political attacks on higher education through community building. Share resources. Show up. Continue to care. Building solidarity is a form of resistance, too.
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN EDITORIAL BOARD consists of senior staffers in the Opinion Department led by the DP’s Editorial Board Chair Sangitha Aiyer. Currently, that team includes Ananya Shah, Diya Choksey, Piper Slinka-Petka, Mariana Martinez, Mritika Senthil, and Mia Vesely. Questions and comments should be directed to letters@thedp.com.
Penn should embrace the educational potential of AI
ROSHAN IN MOTION | AI can’t change human behavior
“ChatGPT can teach better than me.” These are the words of School of Engineering and Applied Science professor Robert Ghrist, who confidently admitted that in spite of his years of studying mathematics, the artificial intelligence-based chatbot could teach it to students better than he could.
Ever since ChatGPT was released in 2022, the floodgates have been open; generative AI has now seeped into everyday life. Yet, many university administrators and students continue to resist AI, arguing that it will degrade our ability to think and learn.
I beg to differ. It seems that instead of limiting AI, Penn should embrace it in order to augment learning.
AI is better and faster at breaking down material — plain and simple. With all the information on the internet, chatbots like ChatGPT can find virtually any piece of information you might need. These tools have an infinite number of prompts that you can use to tailor your explanation just as you please, whether that be a simple explanation or one that goes into the nuts and bolts of a complex problem.
AI can even format information in noteready form so you don’t have to transcribe what your professor writes. A study done on a Harvard University physics class found that students in the class who were given access to an AI tutor learned twice as much as those who only had in-class instruction. This is not to say that professors don’t have a vast knowledge of their subject, only that they simply do not have the bandwidth to break it down in the multitude of ways a chatbot can.
Many who oppose the tidal wave of AI rolling into universities argue that AI precludes us from wrestling with deep ideas by allowing students to skim readings and summarizing corpuses of text in seconds. But wait: Haven’t students been avoiding this so-called intellectual strain for centuries? Before chatbots, you could have just asked a friend for the answers to a problem set the night before. Sites like Chegg and Sparknotes — where students could get a summary of all the major points of a novel in mere minutes — already existed. While the means to do so have definitely improved, if a student didn’t really want to wrestle with the ideas of a course in the past, they quite simply didn’t have to — the only difference is it may have taken them a little longer to embark on a so-called intellectual shortcut.
More importantly, this means the amount of effort a student puts in has always been the student’s choice. If you find a course stimulating, you may take the time to refine your knowledge on the material. If not — which, let’s be honest, is almost always the case — then the path of least resistance seems to be the way to go.
The use of AI will not change this fundamental axiom.
There is a more philosophical argument to be made that AI prevents us from learning basic skills such as critical reading and writing. In essence, AI will make all information so easily explainable that we will never have to develop these skills. However, it seems hard to say that one form of knowledge is intrinsically better or more necessary to be learned
than another. For instance, less people today know how to grow their own food than ever, yet food is one of the most integral pieces of our sustenance. The skills we learn should mold themselves to the tasks that are relevant in this day and age. And for those who still worry about the utility of basic skills, those skills are unlikely to go anywhere. Calculators were invented roughly 50 years ago, yet math education has been strengthened since then. Skills like these will always be taught because they serve as a baseline for more arduous academic pursuits — a means to learn how to think. If anything, AI will only lower the barrier to entry for baseline skills such as math and reading, which is all the more necessary considering that 54% of
adults cannot read at a sixth grade level in the United States. So where does that leave professors? Instead of replacing professors with AI, they can focus more on generating curricula that foster creativity and passion along with all the grinding work that needs to be done for a given subject. AI can also handle copious amounts of administrative tasks, which will free up time drawing up more engaging curricula.
ROSHAN GOPAL is a College first year from New York studying mathematics. His email is rgopal@sas. upenn.edu.
Is free speech on college campuses a thing of the past? VESELY’S VISION | College students should
This time last year, college campuses across the United States looked very different; encampments in support of Gaza were established at over 130 American universities, including Penn, and while they have since been dismantled, the fallout from interference with student speech is just beginning to materialize.
I wrongly assumed I was done speaking about this topic. After confronting the open expression guidelines Penn put in place at the beginning of this year, I didn’t think any developments of note would arise. However, I now see that I was wrong, and that speaking up is more important than ever before.
Multiple students at universities across the United States have been detained in response to their exercise of free speech. Namely, Rümeysa Öztürk’s case has garnered significant media attention. Öztürk, a doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained in late March by plainclothes officers in broad daylight while she was on her way to meet friends. She allegedly “engaged in activities in support of Hamas.” However, her friends said she did not go to any protests and that her only involvement in activism is an op-ed she co-authored alongside other graduate students at Tufts. I encourage you to read up on the situation, including her op-ed, to get your own grasp on what she said and her continuing detention. This is not a black-and-white issue. Members of a pro-Israeli group at Tufts have since spoken up against her detention. The restriction of free speech is the underlying fear we all
now face — regardless of political positioning. While I’m completely in support of actual “security risks” to the United States being removed, doctoral students who engage in civic activism are not the problem. The methods in which these students are being rounded up and moved to out-of-state detention facilities — in most cases swiftly and before judges can approve it — should be alarming for every college student and citizen of this country. Öztürk was detained by plainclothes officers — can you imagine being handcuffed by what appears to be a group of random men without identification? I can’t, and if you told me two weeks ago that that was the reality we were living in, I’m not sure I would have believed
you. The first calls for change often come from students, and while terrorists should be removed, it’s telling to see the government wield such heavy claims against international students who are arguably the most vulnerable. In the case of Columbia University undergraduate student and U.S. permanent resident Yunseo Chung, she has lived in the United States since the age of seven and is a straight-A student. The government claims that she is a Hamas sympathizer, yet it has been unable to produce sufficient evidence to back up these claims. U.S. district judge Naomi Reice Buchwald ruled that Chung cannot be detained and deported at this time and granted a temporary
restraining order against the government. Everyone’s voice is powerful — I personally value the platform the Opinion section of The Daily Pennsylvanian has given me every day — but am saddened by the fact that many on this campus can’t utilize it anymore due to fear of deportation and government retaliation. I love my country, and one of the reasons why lies in our First Amendment rights. The ability to speak up for what you believe in, against what you don’t, and hear viewpoints from all sides that challenge you is something that makes us unique and has put us at the forefront of worldwide democracy. I fear now that we are taking steps backward and turning away from these founding values. For those who are citizens but believe this isn’t their problem or that their documentation will protect them, I’m sure these students felt the same way about their green cards and student visas. How long is it before an issue important to you is at stake? I don’t know, but I do know I want to be able to speak about it and engage in the wonderful discourse that is a cornerstone of our freedom. I don’t want to live in a world where we witness people grabbed off the street for expressing their opinions, and neither should you.
JEAN PARK | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR The DP Editorial Board provides a pathway for Penn to progress in the environmental of ongoing challenges faced by higher education.
CONNIE ZHAO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Columnist Roshan Gopal advocates for embracing AI as a tool for learning at Penn.
KATE AHN | SENIOR DESIGNER
Senior columnist Mia Vesely examines First Amendment rights on college campuses in the context of student detentions and deportations.
Harvard took a stand. Penn must do the same
STRIPPING SCAMS | The battle for academic freedom is here
The battle for academic freedom is here. Last week, the Trump administration sent Harvard University a series of policy demands aimed at controlling who the university could hire, admit, or be led by, and what could be said, taught, or explored. But Harvard did not give in to these demands. Its lawyers responded to the Trump administration on Monday, saying, “the University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.” Hours later, the Department of Education froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university. Now, Donald Trump is threatening Harvard’s tax-exempt status, a status given to all institutions of higher education that act in the public interest. Despite the threats, Harvard took the first stand in defending academic autonomy. But the university can’t do it alone. Now, it’s up to Penn. Already, $175 million of Penn’s federally contracted research has been frozen under the pretext of being a response to Penn allowing a transgender woman to compete on its women’s swimming and diving team. Penn has not yet faced the same direct demands as Harvard. But, they’re coming. As one senior Trump administration official told Fox News, “This is just a taste of what could be coming down the pipe for Penn.” When it comes, Penn must not obey, must not sell its values. Though Penn’s leadership has a financial responsibility to its students, esteemed professors, and groundbreaking research teams, above all, it has a responsibility to the core principles upon which Penn was built — the essence of what Penn is. Ben Franklin, an innovator and founding father of our Constitution, created Penn to be a pillar of light and learning. Our commitment to freedom of inquiry and relentless focus on pursuing societal good are the foundations of our mission as an institution. As such, we have a unique responsibility to defend those commitments, especially since it is our alumni — who strolled down Locust Walk and studied in Fisher Fine Arts Library like any other Penn student — that are leading the charge against higher education. Trump was educated here at Penn. And yet, the very institution that shaped him educates students to live by the values he opposes. We stroll down Locust, debating politics with friends after an invigorating talk at Perry World House. We study at Fisher Fine Arts Library, tackling complex scientific and historical questions for classes with boundary-pushing professors. At Penn, our values of intellectual freedom and critical analysis are very much alive. But what would Penn be if its students and professors were policed? If curiosity was replaced with conformity? If dissent was treated as danger? It wouldn’t be Penn anymore.
The stakes are high because Penn is more than a school; it’s a multibillion-dollar, historic institution. If Penn doesn’t stand up for its own principles, who will? Why should students? Why should any American? Ben Franklin famously said that the Constitutional Convention birthed “a republic, if you can keep it.” To keep it, we must defy those who crusade against academia. History offers clear warnings. The Soviet Union controlled university curricula to align with Marxist ideology. The Nazis expelled dissenting students and purged “undesirable” faculty. Today, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has transferred control of the country’s
Penn needs a slam dunk
ANANYA’S ANALYSIS | Why don’t we offer athletic scholarships?
I think we can all agree that Penn excels across the board. We’re a hub for cutting-edge research, top-tier academics, and high-performing extracurriculars. But when it comes to athletics, there’s a glaring blind spot that Penn — and the Ivy League at large — has conveniently chosen to ignore: the absence of athletic scholarships.
Since 1954, the Ivy League has clung to its “no merit or athletic scholarships” policy like it’s a badge of honor. But in reality, it’s a competitive disadvantage. Penn is one of the few Division I schools in the country that doesn’t offer athletic scholarships, yet we’re paying the price — literally and figuratively.
Penn isn’t missing out on elite student-athletes because they don’t value a Penn education — they do. Today’s recruiting landscape values more than just academic prestige, though. When other top universities offer both a world-class education and a full athletic scholarship, it’s only natural that the most talented players will choose the school that supports them on all fronts — financially, academically, and athletically.
Sure, Penn can argue that the prestige of this place is enough of a draw, but that argument rings hollow for students from low- and middle-income backgrounds. This isn’t about convincing athletes that Penn is a great school. They already know that. It’s about giving them a financially viable option to succeed here instead of somewhere else.
This policy doesn’t just hurt our athletic prowess — it drains campus culture. At a time when student life feels more fragmented than ever, sports are one of the few forces that can unify us. Just look at the University of Michigan, Duke University, or the University of Southern California. Their games are campus-wide events. Their student-athletes become campus celebrities, igniting their school spirit. Beyond graduation, alumni still feel connected with their school by watching games from afar or heading back to their alma mater for famous rivalry games. Here at Penn, our student sections are often half-full, and games don’t get the buzz they deserve. That’s not a reflection of our athletes — it’s a reflection of the support behind them. Our studentathletes put in the work. They train, compete, and represent this school with everything they’ve got. The issue isn’t talent or dedication — it’s that we haven’t built an infrastructure that rallies the community around them.
If we invested in athletics the way we invest in Wharton info sessions, we could create something bigger than just good teams: We could build a culture that people are proud to be part of.
And there are signs of momentum. A former five-star recruit just committed to Penn men’s basketball. The University recently hired a new coach, Fran McCaffery, in hopes of revitalizing the program. Even he acknowledged the uphill battle: “We know that we have some challenges with regard to being a need-based institution in a world where guys are getting paid.”
In today’s college sports landscape, where name, image, and likeness deals and full scholarships are increasingly the norm, being need-based simply isn’t enough. NIL refers to a policy shift that allows college athletes to earn money through sponsorships, endorsements, and other ventures that use their personal brand — something that was prohibited until recently. As a result, student-athletes are now compensated in ways that go beyond tuition, and schools with robust NIL programs have a clear recruiting advantage. We are asking our coaches to compete at a national level without giving them the tools other schools take for granted.
Yet around campus, there’s still a hesitancy — a belief that athletic scholarships would unfairly prioritize student-athletes over others. But that view ignores the reality of college sports today. Penn’s athletes already balance grueling training schedules with a demanding academic load. Scholarships aren’t about giving them special treatment — they’re about recognizing that supporting top talent benefits the entire community beyond the court or field.
The landscape of college athletics is evolving. With the rise of NIL opportunities and recent legal developments challenging the NCAA’s amateurism model — which historically barred athletes from receiving compensation to preserve their status as “amateurs” rather than paid professionals — schools can now directly compensate athletes for their labor and the use of their NIL. Clinging to outdated traditions risks leaving our athletic programs — and by extension, our University community — behind. It’s time to let go of outdated Ivy League policies that no longer serve us. If we want to compete, we need to invest. Offering athletic scholarships isn’t a radical idea — it’s a necessary first step toward building a more spirited, inclusive, and competitive Penn.
is a College first year from Bonaire, Ga. studying political science and economics. Her email is aoshah@sas.upenn. edu.
universities to government-aligned foundations. Authoritarians consolidate power by suppressing opposition and constraining free thought. Eliminating independent decision-making within universities, a pillar of liberal society, is their first step. As Timothy Snyder put it in “On Tyranny,” “Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning.” In this context, Penn’s leaders must defend our academic freedom and self-governance. The Trump administration’s threats to cut funding on the basis of ideological conditions are, as noted by former university presidents, including former Penn President Amy Gutmann, “illegal under Title VI [of] the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and unconstitutional under the First Amendment.” Penn must resist any unlawful demands that threaten our mission. Because even if we capitulate, as Columbia University did, more demands will follow. Our compliance will only invite further intrusion. Instead, if faced with funding cuts, university leaders must uphold their responsibility to educate students and drive innovation by providing financial support through the endowment. Penn is nearly 300 years old. It will survive the next four years. But it must do so in a way that ensures higher education doesn’t falter — in a way that allows the United States to keep its place in the world as a leader of democracy, knowledge, and progress. This is Penn’s moral obligation. “Leges sine moribus vanae”: Laws without morals are useless. Our motto is a warning. Without moral courage, even the strongest institutions crumble. Penn must rise to the occasion with the courage its founding demands.
SOLEMEI SCAMARONI is a College first year from Houston studying philosophy, politics, and economics. Her email is solemei@sas. upenn.edu.
Teach votes, not just vectors
EDENLIGHTENED | Democracy needs the educated. Colleges need to provide that
In the most recent Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, published by the Annenberg School for Communication, only 7% of respondents could name all five freedoms of the First Amendment, with freedom of speech being the only right that could be named by over 40% of the population. To be concerned about the utter lack of understanding Americans have for how their government functions is an under-reaction. This is a full-on crisis: One that no area of society is excused from, but especially not universities.
If you think I’m overreacting about the First Amendment, where have you been the past few months? Sure, those who aren’t politically active don’t need to care about the right to assembly or petition the government at all! Only journalists are affected by freedom of press or speech! It’s not like our government discretely grabs dissenters and incarcerates them or anything like that!
For a liberal democracy like the United States, where individuals forge the political future through electoral politics, it is a problem when barely half of the population understands the current party dynamics or which branches exercise which powers, as found in the Annenberg School survey.
In liberal democratic societies like the United States, one can go their whole life not fully understanding many things — calculus, history, science, even the English language to a certain extent — but knowledge of government and current issues is not one of these things. Democracy only works if citizens make it work. That means staying informed, thinking beyond individual interests, and participating in collective decision-making. The founders were skeptical of this possibility, which is why they built a republican government. They feared the unchecked power of the masses. So, when the United States decided to embrace universal suffrage, it also signed the American people up for a common chore chart that entails regularly educating oneself about issues. This responsibility starts with getting a proper education on U.S. government.
It’s no secret to the world that the American educational quality is embarrassingly behind its fellow Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Not only is the system underfunded, under-resourced, understaffed, and even under-attended, educational outcomes depend on your ZIP code because some asinine individual tied school funding to it. But to fail to such an extent is unimaginable even for the most imaginative of people. Thirty-nine states require at least half a year in civics education, and this is the result we get? If high school has decided to drop the ball, the responsibility falls to
higher education institutions like Penn to take up the mantle and make civics a required course for graduation.
It is not lost on me that Penn is filled with many who have a fair understanding of the government. (How did you think they got in?) It would be easier to have this education done in secondary school, where it would be more widespread, but the disparate quality of American schools calls into question if this education even can be effective. Even if all schools had the resources and attendance to effectively educate its students on how government truly works, moves by certain groups call into question whether or not this education could even be content neutral. So let’s just keep this a university level thing, shall we?
To those who argue that imposing a new requirement would severely burden students on their road to graduation, I say you are deeply mistaken. Here at Penn, we are not strangers to taking required courses. The University already mandates that we take language courses, a writing seminar, humanities courses, and STEM courses, even if your major has no remote relation with the topic. I’m studying philosophy, politics, and economics and still had to take biology. Adding an independent civics requirement would be nothing new.
Despite Penn having a society requirement (registered as AUSO), this sector does not consistently contain information relating to government functions. The new civics requirement would be tailored to do one thing and one thing only — make voters educated on how the government works. Sometimes is not enough.
Is there a concern that such a requirement would backfire? Of course. There is a very real risk that this requirement would just be another course unit most students try to just get over with. Lock in for a semester then proceed to forget everything. Or find the course with the lowest difficulty on Penn Course Review and just take that. Or even worse, do both. I wish there was a way around this to ensure every student uses their knowledge to make educated decisions in the voting booth, but the potential issues with effectiveness do not take away the legitimacy of attempting to bolster civic education through a condition of graduation. Democracy’s survival hinges on an educated populace, and if we aren’t trying to work towards that goal, what are we doing?
EDEN LIU is a College first year from Taipei, Taiwan studying philosophy, politics, and economics. His email is edenliu@sas.upenn.edu.
Senior columnist Ananya Shah asserts that prioritizing investment in student-athletes is crucial for fostering campus spirit and maintaining competitiveness in Division I sports.
The April 14 event, introduced by Penn President Larry Jameson and moderated by 1967 Penn graduate Andrea Mitchell, took place at Perry World House
SARAH SHAHED Contributing Reporter
On Tuesday, former University Board of Trustees Chair and former United States Ambassador to Canada David Cohen and former Penn President and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann spoke at a “Common Sense Diplomacy” event about their experiences as diplomats and the importance of alliances.
The April 14 event, introduced by Penn President Larry Jameson and moderated by 1967 Penn graduate and founder of the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy Andrea Mitchell, took place at Perry World House. The discussion began with an introduction from Perry World House Deputy Director and Bess W. Heyman President’s Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Michael Weisberg, who alluded to recent policy decisions made by the Trump administration.
“Perry World House is Penn’s hub for global engagement, but very importantly for today, it’s one of the manifestations of Ambassador Gutmann’s vision and strategy to try to connect Penn to the world and the world to Penn, and at a time when the world is facing unprecedented uncertainty, having back Ambassador Gutmann [feels] like a reassuring … full-circle
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post-grad,” Vaughan said. “We need to know that this is happening to be able to take proactive steps — to the degree that we can — to plan for the potentiality of if one of our international students’ visa is revoked overnight.”
He added that Penn has a “moral obligation” to protect students from a “fascist government” that wants to revoke visas “for no reason other than the personal ideologies those students hold.”
Vaughan urged Penn to “take a clear stand” on protecting the University’s international community, in addition to offering “clear guidelines” about the authority of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on campus.
Vaughan — who also serves as a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee — noted that faculty, including shared governance bodies, have “received no information and certainly not through any widespread communication.”
English professor Zachary Lesser also encouraged Penn to “speak out against these arbitrary and lawless actions.”
moment,” Weisberg said at the event.
The conversation began with a description of a diplomat’s unique role and discussed the experiences of the ambassadors present. Gutmann reflected on her years as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2022 to 2024.
During that time, she was responsible for bringing former Benjamin Franklin Professor of Presidential Practice and former President Joe Biden’s intelligence about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan for an upcoming attack on Ukraine to German Chancellor Olaf Schulz. At the event, Gutmann said that she was “not subtle” in delivering this message because she understood the potential consequences of Germany not taking action.
“That’s part of what an ambassador does,” Gutmann added. “That’s what sometimes is called soft diplomacy, but it ends up with really hard results: military aid, humanitarian aid. Germany has become the largest home for Ukrainian refugees.”
She recognized the importance of allyship and asserted that the United States would not have the ability to effectively respond to “autocrats” without its allies.
Cohen similarly told a story of his time as the U.S.
“Penn has actively and eagerly sought to enroll students from outside the U.S.,” Lesser said. “That creates a moral obligation to them.”
He cited Tufts University’s response to the March 25 detainment of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish student at Tufts who was arrested by ICE. Öztürk co-authored an article at Tuft’s student newspaper in March 2024. Tufts responded with a statement of support following her arrest.
“Rumeysa is a student, teacher, colleague, and a valued member of our community,” Tufts’ statement read. “Rumeysa’s presence on campus has been missed, as her genuineness and care for others have been felt deeply here at Tufts.”
Several peer institutions have offered support to their international students and faculty in light of sweeping federal action targeting higher education. Earlier this week, Harvard President Alan Garber announced the university’s decision not to comply with 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s demands.
A statement from Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth criticized a series of decisions from the Trump administration, including the revocation of student visas.
“The threat of unexpected visa revocations will make
ambassador to Canada, noting the tension between the countries.
He discussed historical events dating back to the Revolutionary War between French Canadians and Americans. He connected this to Canada’s displeasure with 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s threat of annexing Canada as the 51st state.
“On my first tour through the Canadian Museum of History, I noticed there was a huge exhibit on the way in which Canada has organized itself to protect against [the] United States’ invasion and taking over of Canada,” Cohen said.
While acknowledging Canada as a current ally of the United States, he added that the tie may be severed by the Trump administration’s actions.
“The trust [between Canada and the United
it less likely that top talent from around the world will come to the US — and that will damage American competitiveness and scientific leadership for years to come,” Kornbluth wrote.
Physics professor Andrea Liu similarly acknowledged the adverse potential of the revocations in an interview with the DP.
“I think it’s terrifying as a student, as an international student or scholar, to feel that you could be facing the full weight of the United States government against you,” Liu said, “and so the University really has to bend over backwards to provide support in a case like that.”
Liu emphasized the role played by international students and scholars on campus, along with the need to protect them against federal “targeting.”
“We benefit enormously from our international students and scholars,” she said. “… Penn has recruited them aggressively, and now it needs to stand up.”
She added that the revocations not only “raise serious questions about due process” on college campuses but were also delivered without “a reason.” She described some of the rationales — including traffic violations — as “outrageous.”
Her sentiment was echoed by Vaughan, who said, “It’s clear that many [student visas] are being revoked for
States that] had been built over 100 years [has] been broken by the Trump administration. … It took most of [Biden’s] entire four years to rebuild that trust … [which was] torn down in three months,” Cohen added. “But it just goes to show you the temporal nature of these things.”
Like Gutmann, Cohen stressed the importance of allyship between countries, calling it what “keeps the world together.”
He also reiterated the importance of alliances in preserving democracy against figures like “Donald Trump or Putin.”
“Alliance stands for democracy, freedom, equality, even diversity and inclusion, whether you’re allowed to use those terms or not, and it’s those values that were born here in Philadelphia,” Cohen said.
ideological reasons. That is, at best, unlawful — if not just outright illegal.”
“We’ve become a country I don’t recognize anymore,” Liu concluded.
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Penn has not released any new information or communications to the wider Penn community about visa revocations. VISAS
Penn community members gather for interfaith vigil honoring ‘martyrs of the Palestinian genocide’
The April 11 vigil — which was announced in an Instagram post by Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine — began around 10 a.m. on Locust Walk
FINN RYAN Senior Reporter
Around 40 Penn community members gathered for an interfaith vigil honoring “the martyrs of the Palestinian genocide” on Friday.
The April 11 vigil began around 10 a.m. on Locust Walk and took place after “over five hundred days of unimaginable genocide in Gaza,” according to a statement from pro-Palestinian organizers announcing the event. Groups including Penn Faculty, Staff & GradWorkers for Justice in Palestine, Philly Socialists, and the Philly Palestine Coalition co-hosted the event.
“We are witnessing a genocide in real time. There are no words to describe the depth of our continued heartbreak,” the statement read. “We have a duty to honor our martyrs.”
Numerous human rights organizations and experts — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations — have labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide of the Palestinian people.
The programming included several moments of silence, songs, and speeches from organizers. In one speech, an organizer underscored the right to mourn Palestinian lives that have been “silenced, brutalized, and disrespected.”
“It is our right to make faith when a soul has departed from this Earth,” the organizer continued. “It’s a human right to be laid in peace, to have your body respected as the soul leaves it.”
They also expressed their “hat[red]” for having to “call
everyone here brave.”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you [that] you are brave for coming here to mourn,” the organizer said.
Two pastors of the Germantown Mennonite Church also spoke in “solidarity” with the organizers of the vigil.
The pastors described the Church’s upcoming “Holy Week” and what mourning means for “folks from the Christian tradition.”
“Our streets exalt God,” one pastor said. “They pray for the mosques and the houses every time the bombing begins.”
The vigil was originally scheduled to take place by the LOVE statue but was moved to Locust Walk after Penn put barricades around the statue the day before the event.
“In preparation for our Vigil tomorrow, Penn has already started barricading college green,” PAO wrote in an Instagram story before the event. “LET US MOURN.”
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
Shortly after, the event relocated to the lawn outside
Claudia Cohen Hall after Penn administrators requested that the demonstrators move, citing the University’s Temporary Standards and Procedures for Campus Events and Demonstrations. The vigil participants then began their programming, which included a “security briefing” that recommended behavior for the event.
Penn
appoints Mark Trodden as School of Arts and Sciences dean
Trodden will assume the role on June 1, according to the April 15 announcement from Penn President Larry Jameson and Provost John Jackson Jr.
CHRISTINE OH Staff Reporter
Penn appointed Mark Trodden as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor on Tuesday afternoon.
Trodden will assume the role on June 1, according to
“We want to create a space for mourning, to honor the Palestinian martyrs murdered by the Zionist enemy,” one organizer said. “However, mourning Palestinian lives at Penn is nothing short of the most political act we can engage in, meaning that we will experience the Penn administration as well as police attempt[ing] to stop us from honoring the event.”
The organizer emphasized that “we have your safety in mind” and noted that “if we decide to move locations because of disruption to our ability to properly mourn, that means that we stay together, move together, and don’t leave anyone behind.”
Organizers advised the participants not to “engage or speak to the police or Penn administration” and encouraged attendees to “ignore” individuals who tried to “disrupt the event.”
The safety briefing procedures mirrored the reminders listed on the initial event announcement post, which advised participants to “cover up with more than a face mask” and “leave your Penn ID at home.”
As the scheduled event began, Senior Associate Vice
the April 15 announcement sent to the SAS community by Penn President Larry Jameson and Provost John Jackson Jr. Trodden currently serves as associate dean for the natural sciences and the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics at the School of Arts and Sciences and has been a faculty member at Penn since 2009.
“It is a profound honor to lead the School of Arts and Sciences at this moment,” Trodden told Penn Today. “I look forward to working closely with colleagues across disciplines, and across Penn, to shape the next chapter in our School’s proud history.”
As associate dean for the natural sciences, Trodden currently oversees seven departments and 15 centers and institutes, a role in which he forms interdisciplinary partnerships across the natural sciences, according to the announcement.
“Throughout his career at Penn, Trodden has demonstrated a deep appreciation for the full range of inquiry and scholarship within the School of Arts and Sciences,” Jameson told Penn Today. “He has been a steadfast advocate for the humanities, a champion of interdisciplinary collaboration, and a trusted institutional voice in moments of both promise and complexity.”
Trodden — an expert in cosmology and particle physics — is also a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the United Kingdom’s Institute of Physics. His leadership reflects his contributions to national scientific advisory bodies and his dedication to mentoring emerging scholars in the field.
Trodden’s permanent appointment comes after former SAS Deputy Dean Jeffrey Kallberg assumed the role in an interim capacity in December 2024.
Kallberg, who has served on Penn’s faculty since 1982, had previously held the role of associate dean for arts and letters from 2010 until his appointment as deputy dean — a role in which he oversaw academic programs in the humanities encompassing 16 departments, including the English, History, Music, and Philosophy departments.
On Sept. 10, 2024, senior Penn administrators announced that former SAS Dean Steven Fluharty would be stepping down from the position at the end of the year. Fluharty was appointed to the position in 2013, and his 12 years leading the school make him the longest-serving dean in SAS history.
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Pro-Palestinian organizers hosted an interfaith vigil on April 11.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIC SUCAR Trodden was named SAS dean on April 15.
Slinka-Petka | Our athletes are showing up. Why aren’t we?
If Penn wants students to show up for sports, it needs to give us a story worth believing in
PIPER SLINKA-PETKA Sports Reporter
The Palestra is empty. Franklin Field is desolate. A tumbleweed occasionally rolls through Penn Park. Our athletes are unsupported, and so are their wins.
It is no secret that athletics aren’t a big priority at Penn. Some would argue that it’s because we’re so academically focused. I think we all know that’s wrong. Penn students spend more time planning BYOs than studying for classes. And other schools with intelligent students are still packing their stadiums. Look at Michigan, Notre Dame, or Duke students camping out for tickets — come on!
It’s also not a secret that generally, Penn’s teams are not wildly successful. While our losses might not be of concern to many Penn students, I think the athletes who spend hours practicing and sweating for a win would appreciate a little more recognition, and maybe even a student section that shows up.
But this isn’t news; many a cry has emerged from students begging Penn to show some school spirit and start winning. I’m not here to complain too. I’m here to propose a solution.
My solution is best explained using our city’s favorite sports team: the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles finished out their 2024-25 season with an incredible Super Bowl win and an additional Lombardi trophy to display. Their success could be attributed to their almost comically stacked roster. But what really sealed the deal is the cultural motivation behind the team. I don’t just mean a packed Lincoln Financial Field and every father in Philadelphia cursing at the TV — I mean a narrative.
Think about it: The Eagles created a story with their season. Jason Kelce, the team’s beloved center, retired. Saquon Barkley, a newly acquired running back and formerly neglected member of the New York Giants, suddenly broke former running back Terrell Davis’ season rushing yard record with the Birds. Defensive end Brandon Graham got injured in Week 12, only to return for the last game of the season (and his last pro game ever). Rumors swirled about difficulties in coaching and the tumultuous relationship between quarterback Jalen Hurts and star receiver A.J. Brown. Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parson called the Eagles’ dominant victory over the Cowboys the result of just “five plays.” These are all moments that built a narrative.
The Eagles winning the Super Bowl felt natural, right? It was like the ending to a perfect story. This “story” created a home field advantage for the Eagles wherever they went. A home field advantage isn’t just a phrase; it’s a studied, and yes, scientific, phenomenon. Studies confirm that teams perform better when they have a stadium full of emotionally invested fans. It’s not magic — players are merely rising to the energy around them. The Eagles didn’t dominate only because of their world-class players, but also because they knew what was behind them.
At Penn, we don’t have that for our athletes. Not
COACHES, from back page
forward Christian Ubochi, who played a combined nine minutes this season due in part to an injury to Thrower. Penn has also struggled to retain its top talent, with star freshman Tyler Perkins transferring to Villanova last spring and sophomore guard Sam Brown currently in the transfer portal.
With Spurlock joining McCaffery in Philadelphia, Penn will hope to rectify those issues and restore the program to its previous success.
Former Rider assistant coach Ben Luber was the second assistant coach tapped for McCaffery’s staff, Penn men’s basketball announced on April 10.
Previously, Luber served as the varsity men’s basketball head coach at the George School — a
because we don’t care, but because we’ve never been given a reason to. There’s no story pulling us in, no larger meaning behind the wins or losses. And without that, it’s hard to rally. But we can change this. Penn can create that story for our athletics.
First, we need a buyable social media presence, including a student-run “barstool” account (which nearly every other college has). We need our athletes to feel like people, celebrities even, that we want to root for. Give us personalities and rivalries and jokes. Students want pregame interviews and mic’d up practices; I want to see senior guard
boarding school in Newtown, Pa. — where he led the varsity team to its first league title in program history and to a runner-up finish in the state championship.
“I am enthusiastic about helping Fran McCaffery return Penn to prominence in the Ivy League,” Luber said. “I also cannot wait to work with him and bring an exciting brand of basketball to the Palestra.”
McCaffery called Luber “an excellent recruiter [and] phenomenal in skill development,” adding that he “really relates well to everyone.”
“I look forward to Ben having a tremendous impact on our program,” he said.
Luber is no stranger to the Pennsylvania collegiate basketball scene. Before coaching, Luber was a point guard at Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions in assists in his four seasons of play.
After graduating from Penn State, Luber played professionally in Israel and Iceland before
Stina Almqvist’s morning routine. We need to believe in the players to support their stories. Next, we need better branding: theme nights, tailgates, and good halftime performers. Scavenger hunts for free shirts, pop-up events on Locust Walk, rally towels at 1920 Commons, something. We have to make the games feel like something we can’t miss instead of another email in our inbox.
Right now is the time to do it, because we have the stories. We have a new and talented men’s basketball coach, Fran McCaffery. We have a star freshman guard, AJ Levine, returning to Penn
founding Ben Luber Basketball Academy, LLC, where he trained top hoops talent in Pennsylvania. One notable player under Luber’s tutelage was Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono, who won the 2016 NCAA national championship with the Wildcats.
Luber began his formal coaching career in 2010 as assistant coach of Rider’s men’s basketball program after spending a year as director of basketball operations. As an assistant coach, Luber helped lead the Broncs to tie the program record for wins in the 2010-11 season.
Luber left the Broncs in 2012 to serve as associate head coach at Binghamton for three seasons before returning to the Broncs in 2017.
Luber also served as recruiting coordinator at Rider and was highly successful in securing top young talent. During his tenure, Binghamton had three consecutive America East All-Rookie selections, and in the 2014-15 season, the team’s top three leading scorers were all freshmen.
In Luber’s second stint with Rider, the Broncs notched a 22-10 record and won a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title in the 2017-18 season.
With his recruiting and player development experience, Luber will be an asset to the Quakers, similarly to Spurlock.
Ronald Moore rounds out the list of assistant coaches as announced by Penn men’s basketball on April 11.
He is the third coach to join McCaffery’s staff, following Spurlock and Luber. After retiring from a professional playing career in Europe in 2021, Moore has been running a youth basketball program with his brother, who formerly played basketball at Vanderbilt.
After attending Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, which is only 20 miles from Penn’s campus, he went to Siena College where he played basketball under the leadership of none other than McCaffery. He flourished under McCaffery’s leadership and racked up some impressive numbers. Moore graduated as Siena’s
from the transfer portal. We have former five-star recruit TJ Power committing to Penn men’s basketball. We have Penn women’s tennis defeating Princeton, the reigning Ivy League champion. And how could I forget: We have Penn men’s squash becoming two-time national champions. We have the talent. We have the stories. If Penn wants us to care about athletics, we have to meet in the middle. Build the narrative. Create the story. Make the culture. Give us something worth showing up for, and we will. Our athletes are already showing up. It’s time the rest of us did, too. Because if we start showing up, we win.
all-time leader in assists and was the NCAA leader in assists in 2010. His class set a program record of 97 wins and was the only class to have four 20-win seasons.
He was later inducted into the Siena College Hall of Fame in 2017.
After college, he went Europe to play professionally, beginning in the Slovak Basketball League for a season before moving to the Polish Basketball League. During his 11 years in Europe, he played for 10 different teams. In 2021, he moved back to Philadelphia and founded Moore Brothers Basketball with his brother, Chuck Moore, who is currently a coach for Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. The company was created to boost youth engagement and excellence in basketball by holding clinics, personal training camps, and running competitive AAU teams.
“Ronald has a tremendous personality, and I get excited when I think about him working with our players on a daily basis,” McCaffery shared in a statement to Penn Athletics. “I believe he will be excellent in every capacity of coaching, from recruiting and scouting to player development.”
Just as McCaffery had an ear-catching nickname during his college days, being known as “White Magic” at Siena, Moore was known as Ronald “Rizz” Moore. When asked what he liked most about McCaffery, his answer was “his sense of humor.” Moore rounds out the assistant coach trio nicely, bringing his relationship with McCaffery and his passion and investment in basketball to the table. Combined with Spurlock’s player development experience and Fuller’s recruiting, Moore is excited for his future with the Red and Blue.
“I look forward to working with [McCaffery] and helping bring Penn basketball back to its place as the flagship program in the Ivy League,” Moore said in a statement through Penn Athletics.
Squash senior Nick Spizzirri is ‘all in’ on his Olympic goals
Coming of a recent CSA team championship, Spizzirri has high hopes for his future.
ANVI SEHGAL Sports Reporter
It was always squash for senior Nick Spizzirri. Well, it was tennis first. But squash was the first sport that clicked for an eight-year-old Spizzirri.
“Once you get good at something, you kind of want to stick with it,” Spizzirri said.
15 years later, the two-time national champion and three-time Ivy League champion has his sights set on a professional squash career — and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
With his 6-foot-3 frame and unmistakable agility, Spizzirri might have been biologically predisposed to be athletically great. His environment only supported his potential: He grew up in Greenwich, Conn. surrounded by people excelling in their sports. His twin brother, Eliot Spizzirri, is a professional tennis player, and his childhood friend, Dana Santry, is also on Penn’s squash team.
By the time he was thinking about college, Spizzirri was No. 2 in the country for under-19 squash players. Yet, he looked to a university that had never won a national championship for the sport.
“The ultimate decision maker was [coach] Gilly’s persistence,” he said. “I only saw upward opportunity [at Penn].”
Spizzirri immediately brought a new determined energy to the group, quickly becoming a star member of Penn’s team. Within his first season competing post-COVID-19, Penn won their first Ivy League championship since 1974.
“We were just breaking into that national championship contention when he got here,” coach Gilly Lane said. “He was obviously young, full of
that fight, that spirit, and that energy, but he also brought a winning mentality to the group.”
Spizzirri hit the ground running, racking up comeback victories in key matches and demonstrating his versatility in his first season. His career only continued to take off as he landed spots on the All-American first team for the 202223 and 2023-24 seasons.
With a dominant senior season, Spizzirri helped lead Penn to its first-ever national championship — and described the experience as the “culmination” of everything his team had worked for. Lane called Spizzirri the “extra piece” Penn needed to finally achieve the highest victory.
It would have been easy to go out on a high note. But he wasn’t satisfied yet.
Spizzirri chose to take his fifth year of eligibility even before Penn had won their first championship, citing a drive to take advantage of every moment of college squash he could.
“This year, it was more about us and just playing for each other,” he said.
After a triumphant year as team captain, he was ready to follow his teammates’ direction, classifying himself as a “silent leader” during his fifth year.
Lane called Spizzirri the “ultimate team guy” — a role he has embraced, but not singularly. Spizzirri described his game and his goals as “bigger” than himself, drawing motivation from the support of his teammates.
“When I was feeling pretty fatigued in matches, I would just look back, and it would give me another jolt of energy,” he said.
“In an individual sport, to have someone that has the team’s best interest at heart all the time, that’s the best thing in the world,” Lane said.
“Nick’s a guy that you’re going to pick for your team every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”
He regarded Spizzirri as one of his “favorite” players that he’s ever coached and credited him with bringing the program out of its decadeslong slump. Whether through the pressure he puts on himself or how he always wants to show up for his teammates, Spizzirri wants to be one of the greats.
“His wanting to be the best helped push us forward,” Lane said. He noted Spizzirri’s “grit, tenacity, and passion” as reasons why his teammates look up to him and the qualities that have allowed him to grow over his career at Penn.
“I was immature and played somewhat like a junior player,” Spizzirri said of his earlier seasons. “I think [coach] Gilly and playing here has
taught me a lot more about being a patient player and waiting for your opportunities, but, when you get those opportunities, to really take them and be all in.”
Spizzirri is carrying that mentality into the next years of his life. Originally intending to go into finance after graduation, he started seriously considering the option of playing squash professionally when it was announced that squash would be an Olympic sport for the first time in 2028. Now, he’s ready to work toward his childhood dream: He stuck with it, and he’s going all in.
“I always wanted to be an Olympian,” he said. “And now we’re off to the races.”
As he prepares to try out for the Olympics, Spizzirri is set to continue his training around the country and abroad.
“Hopefully, I can go all in and make the rest of my teammates and my family proud,” he said.
and remain with Penn. “See what dominoes fall, who we get. I’m curious to see what our roster’s gonna look like, but I’m just so excited that I’m gonna be on it. … I’m gonna do what I can, whatever [McCaffery] needs me to do on the recruiting front. Whatever help I can provide, I’ll be doing it.”
Power marks Penn’s most significant addition in portal history. After back-to-back seventh-place Ivy League finishes, the Quakers will seek to rebound next season with a number of new faces at the forefront.
“I think what Penn needs to know about him is how excited he is for this opportunity and how ready he is to go win and hoop,” Roberts said.
“Breaking records already, and we haven’t even hooped yet,” Roberts added. TJ POWER , from back page
SWIM, from back page
can all voice our concerns?”
During the rest of the 2021-22 season, Thomas collected multiple accolades at the NCAA level, including a national championship win, which drew broader attention.
During and after that season, Kaczorowski felt very upset and believed that “if you can read, and you [look at] Title IX … what [Penn and the other defendants] are doing is illegal.”
Growing up, Estabrook was also part of a powerhouse club swim team — Carmel Swim Club in Indiana, which sent swimmers to the 2024 Paris Olympics. At Penn, she specialized in breaststroke and qualified for Ivy League championships every year except the canceled 2021 meet. Estabrook reiterated the “toxic” and “polarizing” culture on the team during the 2021-22 season in a written statement to the DP.
Estabrook is currently studying to be a clinical mental health counselor and identifies as a devout Catholic. She wrote that she has “great compassion for people suffering from gender dysphoria” and believes that they “need real people to talk to who will empathetically listen to their stories and hurts.”
However, she wrote that she “[does] not think that the red carpet should be rolled out for individuals suffering from gender dysphoria in such a way that impedes other people’s rights simply based on their feelings of discomfort with their gender/bodies.”
Kaczorowski and Holmquist — the third plaintiff in the lawsuit — live together, and Kaczorowski noted that her lawyer suggested Holmquist join the lawsuit. “I can’t be silent about what occurred at Penn. It’s not something I want to just keep pushing down,” Holmquist said.
Holmquist — a two-time United States Swimming Scholastic All-American in high school — alleges that she was left off of the 2022 Ivy championships team roster due to Thomas’ participation in the event. Both Kaczorowski and Estabrook competed in that year’s championships.
Approximately 17 swimmers on the 2021-22 Penn women’s swimming and diving team could have represented Penn at Ivy championships. Holmquist told the DP that Schnur organized a swim-off race for the 17th and final spot on the championship roster less than two weeks before the meet, and added that she “wasn’t worried” or “nervous” about not making the roster after performing well in practice.
Following the swim-off, Holmquist alleged that Schnur appeared to avoid her, and after asking him where she stood, he responded that she would have to “wait and see if she made the team.” At the next practice, Holmquist learned that she had missed the team by one spot and believed that if Thomas was not on the women’s team, she would have made the championship roster.
“That was just extremely frustrating. … People who don’t go to Ivies go to a [different] meet. And I just did so horribly … my confidence was completely shattered. Pretty much of a wash of the season,” she said.
The lawsuit
After engaging in advocacy work during her college years, Kaczorowski said the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, also known as ICONS, contacted her in the winter of 2024 to secure funding for a Title IX lawsuit. The initial discussions about a suit came within the three-year statute of limitations for civil rights actions in Massachusetts — where the 2022 Ivy championships were held. Kaczorowski noted that ICONS reached out after 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump won the presidency for the second time.
“I’ve been thinking about [my experience with Thomas] for [at] this point for like five years, and [thought] I’d be a fraud to say no if money was there to do it,” Kaczorowski said. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that Penn Athletics administrators — while not explicitly stating that the swimmers could not talk to the press — threatened that their reputation “would be tainted with transphobia for the rest of their lives and they would probably never be able to get a job” if they spoke publicly.
All three plaintiffs reported in the lawsuit filing that they ”were encouraged” by the Penn administration to not speak out against Thomas’ participation on the team.
A request for comment was left with Penn Athletics.
“What I went through wasn’t okay,” Kaczorowski told the DP. “I just love Penn, and I love the team, and I loved my coaches and teammates so much. … I don’t want anyone else on any other team or school [to] feel similar to how I felt: … powerless.”
Kaczorowski said she quickly reached out to Estabrook to join the lawsuit, given that the two had “commiserate[d] all the time” while competing with Thomas.
“I kept expecting the adults in leadership positions to stand up, do the right thing, and prevent any of this from occurring. That obviously did not happen when I was at Penn, and I realized … that if I wanted to see real change, I had to be the one to take action,” Estabrook wrote. “I want to see enduring legal precedence set to ensure that this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
“I felt like my beliefs did not matter. … all of us who had dissenting opinions were bullied into silence, both by teammates and the Penn administration,” she wrote.
Holmquist told the DP that she believes that people can represent themselves however they want to, but “bringing that into an athletic atmosphere is completely different, just on the basis of men and women being able to compete and have different athletic capabilities.”
“You can’t deny that men and women are different athletes in so many ways,” she said. “How does that make any sense? … [Athletic governing bodies] ban a woman for doping for life and not just a year, because you will always retain an advantage, which is the same thing with male puberty,” Kaczorowski said.
The lawsuit also alleges that Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris and other members of the Ivy League Council of Presidents utilized Thomas to “engineer a public shock and awe display of monolithic support for biological unreality and radical gender ideology.”
All three plaintiffs cited Thomas’ records remaining intact as a source of frustration and motivation to pursue the suit.
“I look at the people that [Thomas] took away records from. It’s heartbreaking because I know those people work so hard to get those records, and they were obliterated,” Holmquist said. “Universities and institutions need to take account of what they [allowed].”
While the plaintiffs are suing the NCAA, Harvard — which hosted the 2022 Ivy League championships — and the Ivy League, in addition to Penn, the three swimmers emphasized allegations against Penn for mishandling the situation itself. Estabrook cited the school’s decision to nominate Thomas for NCAA Woman of the Year at the end of the season.
Estabrook called the nomination a “gut punch,” writing that Penn was “continuing to mock [the swimmers] after the entire year of abuse and brainwashing that [they] had just endured.”
“I would like to see his records taken off of women’s record boards, so that the young women coming up in the sport have attainable goals to strive after,” she wrote. “I would like a clear court decision to be set, so that it can help reform NCAA and conference policy regarding the exclusion of men from women’s sports.”
Political response
On Feb. 5 — the day after the lawsuit was filed — Trump signed an executive order explicitly barring transgender women from participating in women’s sports and promising to “rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.” A day later, the Department of Education
announced that it would investigate Penn Athletics for alleged Title IX violations.
“You can overturn any executive order, and we don’t know who’s going to be president in four years or in eight years,” Kaczorowski told the DP. “I felt it was important to try to enshrine women’s rights through the courts and the justice system, rather than relying on an executive order.”
On Feb. 11, the Education Department sent a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker and National Federation of State High School Associations President Bob Lombardi urging them to reallocate titles and awards earned by transgender athletes — including Thomas’ national championship and multiple program records.
The three plaintiffs spoke positively of developments since the lawsuit, including the NCAA’s policy change and the federal investigation. However, Holmquist also expressed frustration with “how ironic the timing is.”
“When the administration is making these changes … most are following [them],” she said. “But why wasn’t that [happening] when it was actually affecting 30 girls on the swim [team] in 2022?”
“I can respect anyone for wanting to be whoever they want to be. … Everyone has free will,” she said. “But when it comes to an athletic sense, the basis of athletics is competing against … each other’s [similar] athletic abilities.”
“I want women to be able to have a positive college athletic experience … and not have to deal with any kind of violation of their rights,” Kaczorowski said.
JACKSON FORD | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Former five-star recruit TJ Power committed to join the Quakers.
ABHIRAM JUVVADI | DP FILE PHOTO
Spizzirri played Yale on Jan. 28, 2023.
How three former Penn swimmers came together to sue the University
Content warning: This article contains instances of misgendering that may be disturbing and/or triggering for some readers.
The controversy surrounding the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports has been a polarizing topic for years — one that was brought to the national spotlight after 2022 College graduate Lia Thomas competed on the Penn women’s swimming and diving team at the NCAA level during the 2021-22 season.
On Feb. 4, three former Penn swimmers filed a lawsuit against Penn, Harvard University, the Ivy League, and the NCAA for allegedly violating Title IX by allowing Thomas to compete in the 2022 Women’s Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships. The case alleges
that the four defendants violated Title IX regulations by allowing a “trans-identifying male swimmer” to compete in the 2022 Ivy League Championships.
The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke exclusively with the three swimmers who filed the suit — 2024 College graduate Margot Kaczorowski, 2024 College graduate Ellen Holmquist, and 2022 College graduate Grace Estabrook — about their backgrounds and the process behind the suit.
Time at Penn Kaczorowski told the DP that she started swimming competitively at four years old, specializing in the freestyle and butterfly on a powerhouse club team in New
Jersey. After reaching a goal that many only dream of — competing at the Division I level at Penn — she wrote in the lawsuit that she was “crying in her [goggles]” during the fall 2019 semester, her first on the team, after Thomas announced her transition to the Penn women’s swimming and diving team.
After announcing her transition, Thomas took a gap year to undergo testosterone suppression therapy and returned to the pool in fall 2021. Kaczorowski told the DP that she was shocked to find that Thomas utilized the women’s locker room upon her return, despite having reportedly been assured that this would not be the case.
In the lawsuit, Kaczorowski wrote that the team received no prior notice before Thomas began using the
and
basketball on April 9. Spurlock spent two seasons with the Hawkeyes as the director of player development. He was the first assistant attached to Penn’s staff since McCaffery was announced as the program’s new head coach last Thursday. Spurlock also acted as one of the Hawkeyes’ lead recruiters during his assistant tenure. That
included his successful recruitment of four-star recruit Joshua Lewis, the No. 37 player of the Class of 2025. Lewis later decommitted from Iowa after McCaffery was dismissed as head coach in March. Before joining Iowa’s staff, Spurlock played professionally overseas for nine years. In college, Spurlock was a key rotation player at the University of Central Florida, averaging 11.4 points per game and 32.8 minutes per game for the Golden Knights as a junior in the 2012-13 season.
Spurlock’s addition further bolsters a staff that brings significant high-major experience to the Ivy League. McCaffery arrives at Penn
after 15 years in Iowa City, where he became the winningest coach in program history with 297 victories. McCaffery’s 12 career NCAA tournament appearances are the most by any men’s basketball coach in Ivy League history at the time of their hiring. Struggles on the recruiting trail were one of the most frequent points of criticism against former Penn head coach Steve Donahue, who was fired on March 10. The Quakers’ original recruiting Class of 2026 consisted of just two players — junior guard Cam Thrower and junior
women’s locker room and that when she expressed her shock to coach Mike Schnur, he said he could not do anything about it. According to Kaczorowski, Schnur reiterated that point throughout the season when responding to additional complaints from members of the women’s team.
A request for comment was left with Schnur.
“The root of it is that we are the women on the team,” Kaczorowski said. “How do you not ask us how we feel about it? This is our team. … Even if everyone else had a different opinion than me … how do you not ask every single person their opinion and have a meeting where we See SWIM, page 9
“First thing would be to develop relationships with my
and the recruits that we will sign and add a couple guys out of the portal to fill needs, hire a staff,” McCaffery said.
“Coach McCaffery is an elite recruiter, and he’s the man,” junior guard/forward Ethan Roberts told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “That’s why he’s our head coach.” Last week, Roberts also expressed that Penn would be active in the portal.
“My mindset is, ‘Load the wagon,’” Roberts said after announcing his own decision to forgo the portal
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Luber, Moore,
Spurlock are Penn men’s basketball’s newest assistant coaches.
