December 7, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 30

INSIDE : 04

Editorial: Carry compassion into 2024

scrutinized in 11 Magill congressional hearing

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NEWS 3

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

on Magill to amend the statement to clearly suit in announcing that he was ending all donations Carey Law professor Amy Wax — criticized Penn’s Penn’s response calling support a diversity of views and communities on to Penn. Huntsman, whose family has donated tens “glaring double standard” in failing to protect his campus. of millions to Penn over the course of three genera- client’s academic freedom given recent events. He Students on all sides of the issue also responded tions, wrote in an email to Magill that the University condemned Magill’s “hypocrisy” on free speech to Palestine with anger. On Sept. 22, over 200 Penn community had become “almost unrecognizable” due to admin- for defending the Palestine Writes festival while the members, including students, signed a letter as- istrators’ response to antisemitism.

University sought to sanction Wax. Writes festival, serting that the event violated several University While speaking at an Oct. 16 Heritage FounOn Nov. 20, hundreds of faculty and staff memstandards and would create a “hostile” environment dation event in Washington, D.C., 1965 Wharton bers across the country signed an open letter calling for Jewish students. Another group accused Magill of graduate Ronald Lauder confirmed he would also on Penn to defend faculty, students, and staff who Israel-Hamas “marginaliz[ing] Palestinian students” by conflating halt donations to Penn. The announcement came were facing targeted harassment for their pro-Palescalls for Palestinian liberation with antisemitism. one week after threatening to end his financial sup- tinian views. The letter asked that Magill release a war dominates Palestinian and Arab affinity groups continued to port. statement in support of the “academic freedom and defend the festival. Penn Arab Students Society, Penn Throughout October, dozens of additional safety of Penn faculty being maligned and attacked.” the Occupation, and Almaydan — the Forum donors, including 1964 Penn Carey Law graduate The attempt of the Jewish student group Penn campus discourse Against of Penn Arab Graduate Students — published a joint Henry Silverman and 1967 College graduate Ste- Chavurah to screen the documentary “Israelism”

The Daily Pennsylvanian’s coverage of campus tensions has ranged from the Palestine Writes Literature Festival to backlash from donors and trustees KATIE BARTLETT, BEN BINDAY, AND ELLA SOHN Senior Reporters and Staff Reporter

Penn has been in turmoil with multiple controversies this fall, beginning with the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and intensifying after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Throughout the past several months, students, donors, and faculty have raised questions about free expression on campus and the University’s response to antisemitism and Islamophobia.

As the story continues to evolve, here is the recap of what has occurred throughout the fall, ranging from the Palestine Writes Literature Festival to backlash from donors and trustees.

Palestine Writes Literature Festival Controversy and concerns about antisemitism started in late August and September with the lead up to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which took place from Sept. 22 to Sept. 24.

The festival celebrates itself as the “only North American literature festival dedicated to celebrating and promoting cultural productions of Palestinian writers and artists.” While not officially sponsored by the University, events were held at Irvine Auditorium, Penn Commons, and other University spaces.

The festival sparked fear and outrage among Penn students, alumni, and community members as well as national Jewish groups who objected to the inclusion of speakers with antisemitic histories.

In response, Penn President Liz Magill, Provost John Jackson Jr., and School of Arts and Sciences Dean Steven Fluharty published a statement addressing criticism on Sept. 12. Administrators condemned antisemitism and expressed support for the free exchange of ideas, including the “expression of views that are controversial and even those that are incompatible with our institutional values.”

In response to Magill’s statement, 36 Penn faculty members signed a letter on Sept. 17 in support of the Palestine Writes festival, indicating “deep concern” with administrators’ statement on the festival and

statement on Sept. 17, asserting that the festival was “a long-awaited affirmation of their belonging and worth.”

Amid the controversy, Penn Hillel offered a campus wide show of support for Jewish students and demanded further University action. Their Shabbat Together event was held on Sept. 22 for all students, politicians, and alumni to promote unity on campus and fight antisemitism.

Amid the controversy, the festival was still held from Sept. 22 to 24. Organizers sold over 1,500 tickets and garnered over 1,000 additional views on livestream. Participants included Penn students and faculty. Pink Floyd’s lead singer, Roger Waters, who was among the most controversial speakers at the festival, attended via livestream.

Donor and trustee backlash Concerns about antisemitism from donors and trustees started amid the Palestine Writes Literature Festival controversy.

Multiple current members of Penn’s Board of Trustees signed an open letter on Sept. 21 to Magill calling on her to take additional steps to distance the University from the Palestine Writes Literature Festival.

The letter was signed by more than 2,000 Penn alumni and University affiliates, who expressed “deep concerns’’ about the festival. Notable signatories included Robert Stavis, Andrew Heyer, and Marc Rowan, who is also chair of the Wharton Board of Advisors.

The pushback from alumni intensified after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Following the attack and amid frustration with Magill’s response, dozens of donors pulled their support and openly criticized Magill for what they saw as her failure to combat antisemitism.

Rowan was the first to publicly pull his donations, calling on Magill and University Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok to step down, emphasizing that the attacks on Israel prove that “words and ideas matter.”

On Oct. 14, Vahan Gureghian, who served as a trustee since 2021, announced his resignation from the Penn Board of Trustees. He cited Penn’s “embrace of antisemitism” and response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival as driving factors in his decision.

One day later, 1987 College graduate Jon Huntsman Jr. — a former University trustee, governor of Utah, and United States ambassador — followed

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phen Levin, pulled their financial support, joining in the backlash.

Administration, faculty, and the debate over free speech After violence broke out between Israel and Hamas, Penn announced that it would defer all University-affiliated travel to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank for the foreseeable future. In an email to the Penn community, Magill and Jackson wrote that they were “devastated by the horrific assault on Israel.”

On Oct. 15, Magill issued a second statement calling the Hamas attack a “terrorist assault” and distancing Penn from certain festival speakers with “a public history of speaking out viciously against the Jewish people.”

Three days later, Magill warned that Penn would not tolerate hate speech amid recent demonstrations for Israel and Palestine. She acknowledged that “deeply held and disparate views of the Israel-Palestine conflict” were causing tension on campus and emphasized the University’s support for free speech.

Penn faculty members spoke out in response to ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas. On Oct. 24, over 300 faculty members signed an open letter supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against the Hamas attacks. The letter praised Magill’s Oct. 15 statement condemning Hamas and called for respectful dialogue on campus, stating that “freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.”

Meanwhile, the University’s response to the Palestine Writes festival drew criticism on grounds of academic freedom. On Oct. 28, the Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors published a statement claiming that administrators and donors’ response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival “impaired” basic academic functioning.

In the statement, AAUP-Penn’s executive committee wrote that the absence of faculty consultation about some parts of the University’s response to the festival — which included eliminating course requirements within the Department of Near Eastern Language and Civilizations — represented a “clear violation of academic freedom.”

The response of University leadership also prompted comparisons to other free speech controversies on campus. In an op-ed to The Daily Pennsylvanian, David Shapiro — lawyer of Penn

further added to the growing debate over free speech. The film follows the lives of two young American Jews who, after witnessing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, develop a conflicting relationship with Israel. The documentary has drawn controversy from national organizations for its critical portrayal of Israel.

Penn denied Penn Chavurah’s request to screen the documentary. On Nov. 28, AAUP-Penn wrote in an “urgent message” that the University’s refusal to allow the film screening violated academic freedom.

AAUP-Penn’s executive committee announced that Penn Middle East Center Director Harun Küçük resigned in response to “inappropriate pressure from administrators.” Küçük’s resignation amid heightened campus tensions during the Israel-Hamas war generated concern among Penn community members.

Penn Chavurah screened “Israelism” in Meyerson Hall on Nov. 28 despite alleged threats of disciplinary action from the University.

On Dec. 1, the Middle East Studies Association expressed “dismay” over Penn’s decision to prevent the screening of “Israelism,” claiming that the ban endangered the principles of academic freedom.

Antisemitic incidents Many instances of antisemitism have taken place on campus this fall semester, particularly after the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.

On Sept. 13, two days before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, a spray-painted swastika was discovered in a spray room on the fourth floor of Meyerson Hall in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The swastika has since been painted over.

On Sept. 21, one day before the Palestine Writes Literature Festival was scheduled to begin and a few days before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, an individual vandalized the Penn Hillel building while shouting antisemitic rhetoric. The individual “started smashing things, yelling ‘F**k the Jews’ and ‘They killed JC’” upon entry, according to a witness.

A religious structure belonging to Chabad at Penn — intended to be used for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot — was vandalized on Sept. 28. At the time, the Division of Public Safety told the DP that it had not identified a connection to any antisemitic meaning or group.

Read the rest at thedp.com

4 NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

In Photos:

2023

jan

feb

Jan. 13 – After announcing the formation of the Red and Blue Advisory Committee in October of 2022, President Liz Magill kicked off the new year with the "Tomorrow, Together" forum, inviting members of the Penn community to share their thoughts on Penn's future.

Participants answered questions on large notepads, like “How do we accelerate the creation and application of knowledge?” and “How can we best advance our shared priorities of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?”

Feb. 22 – Over 30 students and community members affiliated with Students for the Preservation of Chinatown and the Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes gathered outside College Hall prior to the University Council meeting and Open Forum, demanding that Penn commit $10 million to preserve the UC Townhomes.

This event followed Fossil Free Penn protestors interrupting a Penn Alumni event and rallying on Drexel University’s campus with Drexel for Justice in the same month.

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

NEWS 5

march

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL AND ABHIRAM JUVVADI Photo Editor and News Photo Editor

The Daily Pennsylvanian documented the stories of 2023 — the triumphs and obstacles, the joy and heartbreak, of a community feeling the consequences of events around the world. In a year defined by student-led activism on campus, these images capture a pivotal moment in history.

The Israel-Hamas war brought about a myriad of demonstrations across the Penn community, where students took to the streets across campus and in Philadelphia. Cherelle Parker,

a Penn graduate, won the Philadelphia Mayoral Election, becoming the first woman elected to the office. Rallies for unionization sprung across campus – ranging from resident advisors to graduate workers – calling for a stronger collective voice to advocate for their shared concerns.

Month-by-month and day-by-day, the DP’s photographers were on the front lines of the biggest stories during this transformative year.

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

ABHIRAM JUVVADI

april

may

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

Mar. 10 – Penn men’s and women’s basketball endured heartbreaking losses against Princeton in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal, ending both teams’ conference seasons. Despite standout performances from Jordan Dingle and

Kayla Padilla last year — who no longer play for the Quakers — Penn succumbed to the Tigers in every matchup, accumulating six losses to Princeton alone.

july

june

April 3 – United RAs at Penn organized a rally in support of resident advisors and graduate assistants’ efforts to unionize. Philadelphia mayoral candidate and 1993 College graduate Helen Gym, Pennsylvania state Rep. and 2013 Engineering graduate Rick Krajewski, and local union leaders were invited as guest speakers.

“RAs are often the first people who notice when a young person is struggling or having academic issues and don’t necessarily feel safe talking to someone formal," Gym said.

April 26 – Over 200 Penn graduate student workers gathered in April to advocate for improved working conditions, financial security, and protection against discrimination.

The group, Graduate Employees Together at the University of Pennsylvania, collected signed authorization cards from over 1,900 Penn doctoral, master's, and undergraduate student workers to form a union.

“Many of [the graduate workers] felt blindsided by the COVID-19 pandemic and did not feel supported by Penn’s response. And coupled with the inflation and the rising cost of living, [this] has spiraled out of control,” College Ph.D. candidate Luella Allen-Waller, the group’s field coordinator and organizer, said.

ANA GLASSMAN

ABHIRAM JUVVADI

May 15 – The University honored Class of 2023 graduates at Penn’s 267th Commencement ceremony in May. Magill, Faculty Senate Chair Tulia Falleti, and award-winning actress and singer-songwriter Idina Menzel, this year’s Commencement

speaker, gave speeches to the crowd.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the ceremony for his granddaughter, a 2023 College graduate, leading to stricter security measures.

aug

sept

Aug. 28 – Penn welcomed the Class of 2027 and new transfer students at the annual Convocation ceremony, which took place at Franklin Field for the first time in recent memory. Liz Magill led the students through an interactive exercise with multicolored cards to encourage them to develop a “fisheye lens” while at Penn and be open to fresh new ideas and a broad perspective.

Sept. 25 – Writers and performers celebrated Palestinian art and culture with speeches, dance numbers, and spoken word poetry at the Palestine Writes Literature Festival in September. Almost all of the performers emphasized the deep ancestral roots of their culture, and called for Palestinian liberation from Israel while criticizing European legacies of settler colonialism.

In the following weeks and months, the festival sparked fear and outrage among Penn students, alumni, and community members as well as national Jewish groups who objected to the inclusion of speakers with antisemitic histories.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI

oct

June 14 – In July of 2022, plans to build a new arena for the Philadelphia 76ers in the Chinatown area were first announced to the city. Almost a year later, the fight against the implementation of the new arena intensified as demonstrators marched from 10th and Vine streets to City Hall in protest of the proposed threat to a historical and cultural district.

Local activist and student-led organizations — including the Students for the Preservation of Chinatown (SPOC),

NATHANIEL BABITTS

MOLLIE BENN

Juntos, and POWER Interfaith — were in attendance.

Various community members and leaders spoke as well, including rising College junior and SPOC co-founder Taryn Flaherty, Pennsylvania state Rep. and 2022 School of Nursing Ph.D. graduate Tarik Khan, and Asian Americans United co-founder Debbie Wei. The parade also featured the largest rainbow flag in Philadelphia history, measuring 200 feet long.

July 26 – President Joe Biden visited Philadelphia’s Navy Yard in July to promote his economic agenda, his vision for a clean energy future, and the importance of unions.

The White House adopted the term “Bidenomics” to refer to its economic agenda of making public investments, lowering costs, and growing the middle class. At the event, Biden described Bidenomics as a plan for “building the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

dec ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

nov

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

DEREK WONG

Oct. 16 – Over 100 Penn community members gathered in front of Van Pelt Dietrich Library and rallied for Palestine for over seven hours on Oct. 16. The event — which stood in solidarity with Palestine and criticized Magill’s response to the conflict — was the first of several demonstrations over the next month.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI

On Oct. 20, around 400 community members marched in support of Israel, emphasizing Jewish unity while urging Penn to denounce pro-Hamas and antisemitic rhetoric that some allege is present on campus. A second rally was hosted on Nov. 3.

ETHAN YOUNG

Nov. 8 – 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate and former city councilwoman Cherelle Parker won the 2023 Philadelphia Mayoral Election in November against Republican David Oh, becoming the first woman to be elected mayor of the city.

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian in February,

when asked about the role of Penn students in the Philadelphia community, Parker stated that “I think students at the University of Pennsylvania understand that they have a very unique opportunity to impact Philadelphia in a way that will put others on a path to self sufficiency and give them access to opportunity."

Nov. 14 – Dozens of Penn community members began occupying the ground floor of Houston Hall on Nov. 14, part of a multi-day teach-in to protest Penn’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. The demonstration was organized by Freedom School for Palestine, a self-identified collection of Penn students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of freedom of speech at Penn, and the institution of "freedom of thought on Palestine."

Individuals who refuse to leave the building after closing hours have been required to provide their PennCards to Penn Police and University staff members each night.

ETHAN YOUNG

Dec. 5 – Penn President Liz Magill testified in front of the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce alongside Harvard University President Claudine Gay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, and American University History and Jewish Studies professor Pamela Nadell regarding antisemitism on college campuses.

6 OPINION

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

Opinion

139th Year of Publication

THIS YEAR’S BOARD

Editorial | Carry compassion into 2024

JESSE ZHANG President EMI TUYẾTNHI TRẦN Executive Editor IMRAN SIDDIQUI DP Editor-in-Chief LILIAN LIU Design Editor COLLIN WANG Design Editor JARED MITOVICH News Editor MOLLY COHEN News Editor SAYA DESAI Assignments Editor ALLYSON NELSON Copy Editor JULIA FISCHER Copy Editor ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL Photo Editor CAROLINE MAGDOLEN Opinion Editor KIRA WANG Social Media Editor CALEB CRAIN Sports Editor ALEXIS GARCIA Sports Editor GEORGE BOTROS Video Editor RIANE LUMER Podcast Editor MATTEO BUSTERNA Diversity & Inclusion Director JOSH TRENCHARD Business Manager GRACE DAI Analytics Director MADISON SMITH Marketing Manager KRISTEN LI Product Manager AKANKSHA TRIPATHY Consulting Manager ZAIN QURESHI Finance Manager

THIS ISSUE’S TEAM SOPHIA LIU Deputy Design Editor JOSEPHINE BUCCINI Deputy Design Editor ABHIRAM JUVVADI News Photo Editor DEREK WONG Opinion Photo Editor DIAMY WANG Deputy Copy Editor LAURA SHIN Deputy Copy Editor CHARLOTTE BOTT Deputy Copy Editor MADDIE PASTORE Deputy Copy Editor WALKER CARNATHAN Deputy Sports Editor EMILY CHANG Deputy Opinion Editor YOMI ABDI Deputy Opinion Editor VINAY KHOSLA Deputy Opinion Editor

LETTER SUBMISSION Have your own opinion?

Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com.

Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Land on which the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian stands is a part of the homeland and territory of the LenniLenape people, known to the original Indigenous people as “Lenapehoking.” We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold The Daily Pennsylvanian and the University of Pennsylvania more accountable to the needs of Native American and Indigenous people.

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

DESIGN BY LILIAN LIU

In 2020, The Daily Pennsylvanian published an editorial encouraging students to look forward to 2021. After all, at that time, students were being welcomed back onto campus, a COVID-19 vaccine was on the way, and there were bountiful new opportunities for student activism beyond the 2020 presidential election.

Three years later, our trajectory as a campus community is considerably less certain. We have been shaken by international war and tragedy in Ukraine, in Israel and Gaza, and in countless other regions. There is no foreseeable end to these conflicts, and we are entering into another precarious presidential election year. While there will likely be

sunny moments in 2024, it would be dishonest to say that 2024 is only clear skies ahead.

We don’t know what is going to happen, and we don’t have control over it. What we do have control over is how we respond.

When moving forward through difficult times, it is critical that we practice and recognize compassion. Give what you can provide and what those around you need. Compassion is not just about grand gestures. It’s also holding a door open, handing someone a box of tissues when they sneeze, or offering a kind compliment when it wasn’t expected. It’s waiting for your friend to finish collecting their thoughts before you jump in. It’s providing extensions and flexibility for peers who are

struggling to finish assignments. It’s being a shoulder to cry on or just being physically present when someone needs you.

Compassion reminds people that they exist, that they are heard, and that people care about them. In tumultuous times like these, not all of these feel like a given, even if we think they are.

At Penn, we struggle not only with macroscopic global trends but also with the minutiae of the University student experience. Our challenges extend beyond the headlines that have attracted national media attention. While answering big questions about free speech, political influence, and rampant fraud at Penn and peer institutions, we have also dealt with issues that are closer to home. How do we access the academic and mental health resources we need? How do we burst the Penn Bubble and address homelessness, public safety, and drug use in our community? How do we decide what to study or who we study with? How do we do our laundry?

It is important that both the DP and Penn as a community continue to address the macroscopic and the microscopic of our news cycle, as the two often intersect and overlap.

We must also be mindful that, at the end of the day, we are all human. And as members of this community, we have many shared experiences, responsibilities, and thoughts about the world around us, despite our many differences.

We never really know, definitively, what other people are going through. So,

in difficult times such as these, it is important that we avoid rapid-fire and knee-jerk reactions and each do our part to spread understanding and kindness.

What this can mean in practice is engaging in conversation with people we disagree with — moving beyond our status quo and being open to having our opinions challenged. It can mean purposefully looking for common ground, listening actively, and asking thoughtful questions. It can also mean being vulnerable and honest about when words hurt and when we need to step away from a stressful situation. Throughout all of this, compassion is key — both for others and for yourself.

As we all wrap up our final exams and projects and depart Penn for our holiday break, let’s contemplate what lies ahead in 2024 and reflect on all that has happened in 2023. Let’s weigh the toll that the year has taken on our psyche whilst acknowledging the compassion that we have been given and that we have given out in turn.

Let’s be deliberate about continuing to bring compassion into our lives in 2024; with it, we can make the days ahead better.

Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Editorial writers are not involved in any news reporting on related topics.

Letter from the President | Staying informed is a continuous, imperfect process I couldn’t tell you the number of times I have woken up in the past year to dozens of emails telling me that The Daily Pennsylvanian did something shameful or wrong.

2023 was a difficult and challenging year for the world. Wars, conflicts, and tensions around the globe and country resounded loudly and clearly in the Penn community, and the DP is no exception. Being a facilitator of campus discourse, we at the DP witnessed history-making elections, communities in pain, and protests across the political spectrum.

With one breaking news story after another, the DP saw its readership soar to an extent not seen since the days following the 9/11 attacks.

Working at a student newspaper is often a unique experience in these times, and no one necessarily prepares you for the intensity, frequency, and unprecedented nature of the news cycle — all on top of our regular academic responsibilities. Similarly, no one prepares you for the backlash, attacks, and threats that have become all too normalized in the life of any journalist today. Despite this reality, every time an email titled “Shame on the DP” arrived in my mailbox, I took it as an opportunity to reflect on the question “What exactly is our role in the Penn community?”

The climate of our era is certainly not insular, and events on the other side of the world can be achingly close to home for some of us.

While having a front-row seat to events of the day and seeing everything up close is a privilege for those of us at the DP, it presents its own burdens as well. Putting our personal stakes aside, whether we have one or not, and informing our community of the snowballing news cycle is challenging. The unrelenting news has rarely afforded any of us a moment to grieve and process, and unconstructive criticism has hardly aided that effort.

Our responsibility, as the press in our community, is not to take sides. A recent editorial in the DP did a wonderful job of clarifying our process, ethics, and community guidelines.

We are here to collect the facts and present them; we are here to incorporate all sides of the conversation no matter the issue. We are here to give a voice to those who would otherwise go unheard; and, we are here to provide some sense of clarity in what can feel like a convoluted atmosphere. Of course we denounce

hate, and we uphold our long-established editorial policies with contemporary perspectives from all walks of life.

Certainly, there will be moments when we fall short. We, as student journalists, are also learning along the way by talking to all of you, our readership, whether through an interview or a complaint email. We seek feedback, support, and contributions which address the DP’s shortcomings or fill in gaps in our coverage.

However, it is never okay to harass and threaten our student journalists to create a desired narrative. At a time when factual information and media literacy is needed more than ever, coercion and harassment will only dwindle the amount of people who are willing to make a tremendous commitment to this profession. Threats to student journalists, or journalists in general, destabilizes the institution of the press and indeed an important pillar of any worthwhile democracy.

I am proud of our journalists who, despite immense hostility, have carried on with their work with grit. Our journalists go out of their way to inform our readers and seek the truth, often risking their own safety. Though working at the DP can feel like being at the eye of the tornado that is public discourse, we also deeply understand our commitment to inform our communities, at Penn and beyond, and the consequences that come along. We service our community through reporting and writing, we only ask that the essence of this job be respected and recognized.

Now, you may be thinking, what does a 22-year-old know about professional journalism? What does he know about resolving political and social conflict? Or about centuries of conflict and history? The answer is I don’t, and I think it is presumptuous for any of us to claim that we do. While I cannot possibly speak for everyone my age, as a college student who needs to become much more well-read on geopolitics, I am still constructing my own worldview.

My knowledge, or the lack thereof, presented its own kind of opportunity: a chance to read as many news articles, listen to as many voices, and take in as many different viewpoints as possible. What I’ve loved the most about being a student journalist is attending election events of different

PHOTO BY DEREK WONG

President of The Daily Pennsylvanian Jesse Zhang reflects on the importance of honest journalistic reporting and staying informed.

parties, protests of different points of view, and discourses of different ideologies and backgrounds. It is inherent in our trade that we must talk to people with different perspectives constantly. This serves to enrich my own, by adding perspective to my own previously held beliefs. At a time when it seems everyone is compelled to be for or against something, I cherish those conversations which allow me to take a step back and engage in civil discourse with a learning mindset.

Working at the DP, I am compelled to read up on the historical context of current events to inform my perspective, because I know my literacy will have consequences in how well I can do my job. The journalist in me forced myself to read everything from start to finish before coming to a conclusion so as to maximize my learning. Especially at a time when public discourse is accelerating, it is essential that we take the time to become more wellread and educated instead of rushing to take sides.

Many of today’s issues are close to home for our community members, so we should expect nothing less than emotions and passion. Though it is easy to assign labels and jump to conclusions about each other, it is much harder to, as the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” put it, “seek first

to understand, then to be understood.” At the DP, we always seek to be a forum where people from all sides can engage in said civil conversations, though I will be the first to admit that we don’t always perfectly achieve this goal. We are hardly foolproof at maintaining all civil, societal conversations and resolving social issues, and we welcome constructive feedback from all in our community. We seek to understand through our reporting, and we can only ask for the same in return.

My perspective is hardly flawless, and just like other student journalists, I am evolving to become more well-read through consuming media and engaging conversations across the spectrum. We can all do better at staying humble, becoming more educated, and participating in a wider variety of civil discourse. As members of the press as well as of our community, the DP’s commitment in driving those conversations is unwavering for as long as Penn stands.

JESSE ZHANG is a Wharton senior studying business economics and public policy and marketing from Shenzhen, China. He is the president of the 139th Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. His email is zhangj@thedp.com.

We should be grateful to attend Penn ERIC’S EXPLANATION | Students often forget that Penn is a top-ranked school with an abundance of resources As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded that this is a time to be grateful. We should always be grateful for health, loved ones, food, and a roof over our heads. But one thing that we may forget to be grateful for is attending Penn. For starters, 17 million people in the United States are enrolled in college, but fewer than 1% of college students attend an Ivy or Ivy-plus school. Attending a prestigious college is an amazing opportunity that we forget we have at times.

Globally, we may feel that our school is not given the same recognition as HYPSM. Our school’s name — University of Pennsylvania — does not help with name recognition.

When telling people where we go to school, I think at one point we have all had to explain the difference between Penn and Penn State.

However, what others think of our school should not matter! According to the U.S. News and World Report, Penn is ranked the sixth best university in the nation. According to QS World, Penn is the 12th best university in the world. The Wall Street Journal ranks

Penn as the best university in postgraduate salaries; Penn is also ranked number one for both undergraduate nursing and business. In terms of graduate schools, U.S. News and World Report ranks Penn as the fourth-best law school and the third-best medical school.

Our school may not be given the same recognition as other top universities, but it is one of the leading universities in the world. Despite these rankings, I know many students who still wish they attended a different school.

My friend, who is in the LSM program, still wishes he got into Stanford. He claims that the name recognition and the ability to attend the best university in the world is much better than Penn.

Stanford is a great university and may have better name recognition, but attending Penn is an achievement in and of itself. More importantly, attending a different university does not guarantee better outcomes; as previously stated, Penn graduates have a higher post-graduate salary and have access to the massive Penn alumni network which can lead

to many opportunities. We would not know if “better ranked” schools are better than Penn because we won’t attend, so we shouldn’t care. In terms of attending the “best school,” it is an opinion and you should not care about a label.

Every year, thousands of students apply and are not given the chance to attend Penn.

There are thousands of students who wish they were able to receive the same education as we do, yet people are not fulfilled. Penn by no means is a perfect school; no school is.

But, we should still be proud to attend Penn and have access to its abundant resources.

Interested in research? Try cold emailing professors in Penn’s several different schools, or look on CURF for assistance.

Looking for a book? Penn has access to millions of books. Looking for a place to study?

Try Fisher Fine Arts Library or any one of Penn’s 19 libraries. Penn has funds to support many of our endeavors and world-class faculty to assist us. The academics at times may be rigorous, but if we want to learn we

have to be challenged.

Do not forget that there is a reason you applied here. Make the most of your time here at Penn. Focus on making your time here great — we are only here for a few years. Remember the joy of receiving an acceptance and be grateful to be able to call Penn home. When we graduate, we will be a part of a legendary alumni community and will be able to say we attended Penn. We all worked very hard to be here and are working even harder to receive our diplomas. Never forget the amount of famous people who have walked down Locust Walk and have sat in the same classrooms as we now do. This holiday season — and always — be proud to call yourself a Quaker.

ERIC NAJERA is a College sophomore studying history from Rolling Meadows, Ill. His email is najerae@sas. upenn.edu.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

Students deserve more time off from their corporate-style calendars SOSE’S STANCE | Penn students should receive longer breaks throughout the semesters

PHOTO BY DIEGO CÁRDENAS URIBE

Columnist Sose Hovannisian argues that Penn students should advocate for more breaks away from the campus’ pre-professional culture.

Each university that makes up the prestigious Ivy though having its many tangible fiscal benefits, can be League has its defining factors. For Penn, I’d argue rather detrimental on students who aren’t interested in that this factor is money. 71% of Penn students come such business-driven careers. Put simply, it creates an from the top 20% of wealthiest families in America, environment that makes being at Penn feel more like and the Philadelphia campus simply serves as a a networking event than a collaborative and colorful springboard for the further accumulation of their gen- college campus. erational wealth. Even for those Quakers who don’t Keeping up with the fast-paced, competitive nature come from extremely privileged backgrounds, the at Penn undoubtedly leads to burn out in students and opportunities provided through Wharton, the Uni- leaves hardworking Quakers in need of breaks and versity’s boast-worthy alumni network, and the sheer time off and away. Our days are always full of tasks prestige of its name on your resume are enough to put to be completed: classes to attend, assignments to them on track to catch up, if not surpass, their already submit, teachers to meet with, networking events to wealthy peers through careers in finance, consulting, frequent, and a social life to uphold, leaving little to or law. no room for downtime or any extensive periods for The existence of this pre-professional culture, self care.

Even during the weeks where we feel on track and on top of our work, there is always more to be done — another application to fill out or another interview to prepare for.

This feeling of never really being able to “clock out” resembles the workaholic corporate life most graduates take on after their time here, and is one they will likely experience for the rest of their lives. It’s crucial to realize one thing here — this isn’t normal.

It’s not normal to spend your freshman year of college hunting for an internship at a major bank or financial firm. It’s not normal for a 19-year-old to be crying over a Morgan Stanley interview. It’s not normal to go to classes in a full suit every day just to help your chances of being recruited. Of course, it is admirable that Penn students are so ambitious and are willing to start their professional careers at such a young age.

Yet, it is just as admirable to be a young adult, who can learn from experiences and mistakes, and not spend their prime years as a global trade analyst while our peers at other universities make unmatched memories.

As this environment exists, and likely will continue to exist here, it’s vital for Penn’s administration to give us students the breaks we deserve. Compared to the other Ivy League and local institutions, Penn has the least amount of break days in the academic calendar.

Penn only allots 13.3% of the school year for University breaks, compared to Princeton’s 20.8%.

Fortunately, this year, students do have an additional couple of days off during winter break, as our start date was pushed to Jan. 18, 2024. In past conversations, the Office of the Provost has emphasized that “the well-being of our students is one of [Penn's] highest university-wide priorities." This extension of winter break to 27 days admittedly is a step in the right direction and aligns with the Office of the Provost’s statements. Yet, it isn’t enough.

A 27-day winter break should be a standard, not a privilege, at a University like Penn that demands so much from its hardworking, restless students. What’s

more, I’d argue that breaks during the actual semester make a huge difference in one’s experience.

For example, being able to leave campus and go home for Thanksgiving was the perfect opportunity to escape the reality of approaching deadlines and social pressures that loom at Penn. More so, it gave me enough time to regain some confidence and drive going into what is arguably the hardest part of the semester. But, this chance to regroup before the finals period is not universally experienced by Penn students. Since Thanksgiving break only lasts from Thursday to Sunday, students who hail from places many hours away may not be able to afford a trip with a quick turn around, both financially and academically. International students are at a great disadvantage when it comes to this break, along with students on the West Coast and other far corners of the world.

Penn's mid-semester breaks pale in comparison to those of other Ivy League universities. While Princeton grants five days for fall break, Cornell offers four, and Yale provides three, Penn only allows two. Similarly, during Thanksgiving, Princeton, Harvard, and Brown students enjoy a four-day break, and Cornell and Yale students have five days off, whereas Penn students only get a two-day break.

Penn students, who I would think can all agree on needing more breaks, should come together to petition for more days off. As most Quakers plan on entering the financial field and working long hours, we should be able to “clock out” from school now before we truly have no breaks. Even if that means “calling in sick” every now and then, we deserve more time off at this corporate-mirroring institution.

SOSE HOVANNISIAN is a College sophomore majoring in communication and minoring in history and consumer psychology from Los Angeles. Her email is sosehova@sas.upenn. edu.

Our academic freedom is at stake ALLISON’S ATTITUDE | What’s at stake when donors limit academic freedom Free speech and academic freedom are at the core of a healthy university and, more broadly, a healthy democracy. It is increasingly apparent that one of the greatest perils of today is these rights, coupled with strong demand for political engagement, being curtailed by various forces. We have most recently seen this phenomenon with the demands that Liz Magill resign over her delayed and inadequate response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and antisemitism on campus.

I am not going to belabor the details of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, Magill’s response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, or the demands of billionaire donors for Magill to resign from her post. Even more harshly, one previous alumna claims to charge Magill with complicity in genocide, a claim that I find unfounded and obscene. I do, however, want to explore how this situation relates more broadly to shared faculty governance, why we should protect it, and ultimately why Magill should not resign.

Shared faculty governance is the “joint responsibility of faculty, administrators, and governing boards to govern colleges and universities … to have primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research, [and] faculty status.” In short, it’s the idea that faculty and administrators share the responsibility and power to make decisions about how to run the school, and ultimately, who runs the school.

On Oct. 28, Penn’s American Association of University Professors published a statement expressing grave concern about “violations of academic freedom and shared governance [and] the coercive power that trustees and donors are exercising over academic matters that are the purview of the faculty.”

Marc Rowan, who chairs the board of Wharton and made the single largest donation in Wharton’s history of $50 million, has been at the forefront of this movement to violate academic freedom. He urged other billionaire donors to donate one dollar in lieu of their normal amount to punish Penn and its students for enabling the Palestine Writes festival to occur. This

campaign to donate ridiculous amounts to Penn certainly has the ultimate goal to evict Magill from her post, further confirmed by the billboard trucks around campus that aggressively stated how shameful Magill is.

Although the Palestine Writes Literature Festival may have had some speakers that shared controversial views, it was critical for Arab and Palestinian students to congregate and express their identities in a space that was celebratory of them. It is not the place of any donor, no matter how deep their wallet, to influence the political climate or the spaces of academic freedom on campus.

Just last week, the Middle East Center director resigned because the University administration refused to allow Penn Chavurah, a progressive Jewish group, to host a film screening of “Israelism.” The AAUP released another statement addressing how this decision is a blatant violation of academic freedom.

This phenomenon is becoming a trend: Penn is only one of many schools that are being limited in their free speech and academics. While Penn has one of the lowest free speech rankings in the country, other schools like the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida with higher free speech rankings still have faced external pressures to change their curriculum or research activities to align with certain political interests.

Sarah Jackson, a presidential associate professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, mentioned these universities in a class of hers that I am in.

In an interview, she explained that “in the last decade, we have seen an increasing number of concerning incidents in which the principles of shared governance and academic freedom at universities have been bulldozed. In these cases, faculty are often the first affected, and thus, faculty have great concern about these issues.”

It’s not only faculty who feel the insidious effects of political schemes controlling the academic freedom and shared governance of our University.

As Mackenzie Fierceton noted in an interview with

PHOTO BY CHENYAO LIU

Columnist Allison Santa-Cruz argues that Liz Magill should not resign despite recent controversies.

the Prospect, “students who rely on scholarships are forced to realize that their education is dependent on elite, conservative donors who can impose their political preferences on the University to silence speech on campus.”

I must note that the effects of political control on the ability to express free speech are not only being controlled by one side of the aisle. There are many valid concerns about the effects of cancel culture, perpetuated by people who tend to be liberal.

What’s most apparent, now more than ever, is that free speech is under attack from all corners, and it’s a product of the greater American political mood and climate. The ultra wealthy have only become wealthier in recent years and, as a result, are trying to exert even more control over America’s academic and cultural institutions.

So no, I don’t believe Magill should resign just because ultra-wealthy people want her to. We have

to recognize that this move is a political ploy with the potential to have extremely detrimental consequences for not only us students but also faculty.

Magill is in a very vulnerable position with much less power than we would typically assume.

It is not for the ultra wealthy, the administrators, or even the faculty to decide what we should read, hear, learn, speak, or think. That is one of the most beautiful things about education: We can be freely exposed to a myriad of ideas and frames of thought that we will agree and disagree with. It is the mark of the American ideal of education. We must fight to protect the freedoms that are necessary to create the learning environment we deserve.

ALLISON SANTA-CRUZ is a College junior studying communication from Jackson, Miss.

Her email address is allisant@sas.upenn.edu.

Addressing mental health disparities for Black Ivy League students GUEST COLUMN | Ivy League institutions need to prioritize the mental health of their Black students We are one month away from 2024, which means it is the moment when people look back on previous years and make goals for the new year ahead. It has now been almost four years since 2020, the historic year in which the world completely turned upside down. For the United States specifically, in addition to dealing with a global pandemic that highlighted disparities that persisted across various facets of society, an insisting reality had to be faced: institutional racism in the United States.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May of 2020 which was a catalyst for change and truth, it became evident that the United States still had a long way to go in repairing its legacy of racism and white supremacy. I remember watching the news and scrolling through social media during that time and seeing difficult conversations take place. Additionally, multimillion dollar companies were also addressing their racist ideologies as well as pledging to do better. Some of it felt genuine and some of it felt performative.

The racial reckoning of 2020 illuminated systemic inequalities that had long been festering, and academic institutions such as Penn are not immune to these disparities. Ivy League universities, renowned for academic excellence, were forced to confront the legacy of racism and slavery that is still present on their campuses and that they are falling short when it comes to fostering safe and welcoming spaces for their Black-identifying students. It was clear that their commitment to diversity and inclusion should extend

beyond recruitment brochures and statistical quotas.

Four years later, Black students still feel unsafe and unseen when attending predominantly white institutions, which has a direct effect on their mental health.

HBCUs should not be the only option for Black-identifying students — they should feel safe and supported regardless of which institution they choose to attend to pursue a higher education. Therefore, spaces, staff, and curricula must consider the unique experiences of Black students and prevent them from feeling like a token representation or an afterthought.

It is important to address the intersectionality between race and mental health, specifically in Ivy League schools where Black students bear the weight of not only academic expectations, but also the burden of representation. The isolation stemming from being a minority in these academic spaces can contribute to a sense of alienation and heightened stress levels.

Furthermore, many Black students deal with impostor syndrome. Both in and out of the classroom, there is the constant fear of being misunderstood or having to justify one’s presence.

Ivy League institutions such as Penn should do more than simply address the issue, and it is no secret that they have the financial means to do so. Therefore, Penn and other Ivy League schools should commit to providing free or heavily subsidized mental health services for their Black-identifying students and staff, specifically for their graduate students, for whom mental health services are severely lacking. Indeed, undergraduate

students have access to the Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, which is a start to foster a sense of belonging for Black-Identifying students, however, more should and has to be done.

Penn has Wellness at Penn; however, the resources are severely lacking for Black-identifying students.

Counseling resources at higher education institutions rarely take into account the diversity of their student body. Many students complain of the limited access to mental health resources or often feel dismissed and misunderstood by the staff because they are not equipped to address their specific needs. It is important that these resources are led and staffed with culturally competent professionals who are familiar with the unique experience and needs of being Black in the United States and attending an Ivy League school. There is a need for more Black therapists, increased financial resources from Penn, and a designated safe space in the school that can address and support the specific mental health needs of their Black-identifying students.

Moreover, the high costs associated with private counseling services can create an additional layer of stress for Black students already navigating the challenges of academia, so ensuring that the school is equipped with appropriate and sustainable resources to support their students can make a considerable difference. Access to free, good quality mental health care for Black students attending predominantly white institutions is vital to not only supporting them but also destigmatizing seeking help. Creating safe spaces for

dialogue and normalizing conversations around mental health is a crucial step in fostering an environment where seeking support is viewed as a sign of strength, not weakness, specifically in the Black community where there is limited knowledge and access to mental health resources.

Even though the main goal of prestigious institutions is to foster academic excellence, it is important to stress that it goes hand in hand with prioritizing the mental health of all students. Especially at Penn, it is necessary to recognize the university’s racist history and the fact that Philadelphia is considered one of the most segregated cities in the country. The racial reckoning of 2020 reinforced the need to address the systemic issues that persist in various fields, especially academia.

Therefore, we must challenge these institutions to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to ensure that their commitment to diversity and inclusion extends to every aspect of the student experience. If more inclusivity is going to be pledged through increasing acceptance rates for Black-identifying students, then it is also crucial to foster a safe environment for them.

KHADIJETOU DIAGANA is a second-year student in the Master of Public Health program.

She is from Nouakchott, Mauritania but has been living in the United States for the last seven years. Her email is diaganak@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

Penn grapples with overturn of affirmative action, evolving legacy policies Prospective students saw a return to fully in-person Quaker Days and changes to the 2023-24 Penn application, including new school-specific supplemental essay prompts ELEA CASTIGLIONE Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

From the overturn of affirmative action to The Daily Pennsylvanian's reveal of a quiet restructuring of legacy admissions policies, Penn Admissions was marked by change this year.

Prospective students saw a return to fully inperson Quaker Days and changes to the 2023-24 Penn application. Penn community members shared their thoughts about the future of college admissions post-affirmative action, and the DP analyzed the impacts of Penn’s test-optional

4000 SPRUCE ST. COPABANANA.COM

Penn’s undergraduate admissions visitor center is located in Claudia Cohen Hall. policy.

Jan. 9 — Penn Admissions announced that the test-optional policy for first-year and transfer applicants will continue through the 2023-24 admissions cycle.

Jan. 18 — Penn received over 59,000 applications to the Class of 2027, a record number of applications and a 7% increase from the 2021-22 cycle.

March 1 — Jordan Pascucci was named vice

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THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

dean and director of admissions after a threemonth search to replace John McLaughlin, who left Penn in 2022.

March 22 — A DP analysis found that Penn Admissions had quietly refined policies related to legacy admissions.

For the Class of 2026, Penn Admissions updated its information webpage, removing the section implying that legacies should apply through the Early Decision program. The First Friday drop-in hours — designed specifically for the children of Penn alumni, faculty, and staff — were also discontinued.

March 29 — The DP spoke with Penn administrators, professors, and students about the likely overturn of affirmative action in college admissions by the Supreme Court. In statements to the DP, President Liz Magill and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule affirmed Penn’s commitment to diversity as crucial to the University’s mission.

March 30 — Penn released Regular Decision admission results for the Class of 2027. The University did not immediately release demographics data nor an exact number of admits.

April 13 to 15 — Hundreds of admitted students attended Quaker Days on Penn’s campus.

Tours and programming were offered all day for the first time in three years. In 2022, on-campus sessions returned.

June 28 — Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule presented admission

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statistics for the Class of 2027 to the University Board of Trustees, including that 3,474 students were admitted from 48 states and 97 countries, resulting in an acceptance rate of 5.8%. Legacy students made up 14% of the Class of 2027.

June 29 — The Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in college admissions in a 6-3 decision.

July 20 — Penn community members spoke with the DP about the implications of the overturn of affirmative action for both Penn admissions and college admissions as a whole, with many echoing criticism of the decision and concern for the future. Administrators, faculty, and students discussed the ambiguous nature of the decision’s wording, possible next steps, and the impact that the decision will have on Penn’s community and society as a whole.

July 31 — Penn Admissions added a new, school-specific essay prompt to the 2023-24 Penn application. Three other changes to the application were also announced.

Aug. 30 — A DP analysis found that approximately 30% of the Class of 2026 did not submit test scores in 2022, the third-highest percentage in the Ivy League.

Aug. 30 — Pennsylvania state Sen. Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia) introduced legislation that would eliminate legacy admissions at public and private colleges and universities across the state, stating that they violate the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.

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Community members advocate against gentrification, fossil fuel investments Throughout 2023, the Penn and Philadelphia communities opposed the University’s investments in fossil fuels and gentrification in West Phila. and Chinatown DIAMY WANG Staff Reporter

Throughout 2023, the Penn and Philadelphia communities protested against the University’s investments in fossil fuels and gentrification in West Philadelphia and Chinatown.

Jan. 10 — The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that two Penn Band members, who were part of the group that interrupted the Homecoming football game against Yale in October 2022, were suspended from band activities until January 2024. They also were prohibited from holding leadership positions in the band at any point in the future.

Feb. 10 — Fossil Free Penn protesters interrupted a Penn Alumni event — at which Penn President Liz Magill was present — for class presidents, demanding Penn commit $10 million to the preservation of the University City Townhomes. The group marched from the UC Townhomes to Huntsman Hall before interrupting the event. Attendees of the event later told the DP that they felt “alienated” and “uninformed” after the protest.

Feb. 21 — The Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes joined Drexel for Justice — a student-led abolitionist group — for a rally on Drexel University’s campus.

Feb. 22 — Over 30 students and community members affiliated with Students for the Preservation of Chinatown and the Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes gathered outside College Hall prior to the University Council Meeting and Open Forum, demanding that Penn commit $10 million to preserve the UC Townhomes. Multiple students stated their belief that Penn has a responsibility to protect the UC Townhomes.

March 3 — Over 50 protesters affiliated with SPOC held a demonstration against the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena in Chinatown. The protest started outside the Campus Apartments office and later moved to the Inn at Penn, where the University Board of Trustees was meeting. Multiple students entered the meeting but were soon asked to leave. Campus Apartments Chief Executive Officer David Adelman is the chair of 76 Devcorp, the private development company behind the proposed arena.

April 19 — The Asian Pacific Student Coalition delivered a presentation about the proposed 76ers arena at the final University Council meeting of the 2022-23 school year.

NEWS 9

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

PHOTO BY CHENYAO LIU

Fossil Free Penn held a rally on the College Green on Oct. 30.

April 19 — Penn joined a coalition to fund support services for UC Townhomes tenants with a $3.5 million settlement. Residents and advocates called the settlement both a victory and the first step in a continued struggle.

April 26 — The Committee on Open Expression held a meeting to hear community concerns about its proposed interpretation of the University’s open expression guidelines. FFP members raised objections to several clauses of the interpretation.

June 11 — Protesters rallied against the proposed construction of the 76ers arena in Chinatown. Multiple Penn students — including several affiliated with SPOC — spoke at the event.

Aug. 15 — All UC Townhomes residents were to leave the site by this date. IBID Associates sought the help of Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program to help relocate the remaining tenants.

Aug. 28 — Penn Disorientation Guide released its annual issue criticizing Penn’s relationship with and treatment of its students and staff, as well as the wider Philadelphia community. The publication also hosted its first-ever Disorientation Week.

Oct. 1 — FFP organizers criticized Penn for employing lobbyists who were also hired by fossil fuel companies in a press release. The next day, FFP members set up a table on Locust Walk to distribute pamphlets with the names of the lobbyists.

Oct. 2 — Police Free Penn and other community groups hosted a panel at the LGBT Center to the University’s relationship with Black Philadelphia. Topics discussed ranged from the UC Townhomes to Penn’s role in West Philadelphia gentrification.

Oct. 30 — In a legal complaint written by FFP and filed with Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, activists argued that the Board of Trustees is violating state law by investing in the fossil fuel industry. Over 150 Penn faculty, alumni, and student groups, as well as location, national, and international organizations signed the complaint. Penn community members — including representatives from Penn’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, SPOC, and Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes — hosted a press conference announcing the filing later that day.

Dec. 3 — The Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes hosted a candlelight vigil at the site of the UC Townhomes.

The event merged with a pro-Palestinian march that started in Rittenhouse Square, and speakers emphasized common stances against gentrification and the war in Gaza.

fellows participated in a vote to unionize, ultimately landResidential ing in favor of union recognition, 892-110.

May 31 — Penn Medicine residents and fellows prepared for the bargaining phase of their union campaign. advisors, Graduate student workers graduate April 24 — 1,900 doctoral, master’s and undergraduate student workers signed authorization cards. The group, which is called the Graduate Employees Together at the students, Penn University of Pennsylvania, aims to join the United Auto union.

April 26 — Hundreds of graduate student workers atMed staff push for Workers tended a rally in support of union recognition in front of Hall. union recognition College Sept. 6 — Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors called on the administration to adopt a policy of neutrality regarding graduate student in 2023 unionization to avoid interference with the voting and deci-

Penn saw a major push for labor organizing in 2023, and administrators allegedly repeatedly attempted to deter these efforts SOPHIA LEUNG Staff Reporter

Throughout 2023, employees from across the University advocated for better working conditions and representation. From residential advisors to Penn Medicine residents, Penn saw an increase in union organizing across the University.

Residential advisors March 15 — A supermajority of residential advisors and graduate resident associates filed for union recognition with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing in a press release that they were “consistently undervalued and unpaid.”

March 26 — The University argued that resident advisors and graduate resident advisors were not employees, but instead serve in a “student leadership role.”

April 4 — United RAs at Penn organized a rally in support of the RA and GRA efforts to unionize at Penn, attended by approximately 70 students, community members, and local politicians.

Aug. 29 — The NLRB officially recognized RAs and GRAs as employees, formally allowing them to vote on unionization.

Sept. 28 — RAs and GRAs voted to unionize under the Local 153 branch of the Office and Professional Employees International Union.

Oct. 9 — The NLRB officially certified the union election of RAs and GRAs, allowing the workers to enter negotiations with the University.

Penn Med residents and fellows Feb. 19 — Over a third of the 1,400 residents and fellows in the University of Pennsylvania Health System began unionization efforts through the Committee of Interns and Residents.

March 22 — Penn Medicine leadership pushed back on efforts to unionize leading up to the NLRB election by hiring a law firm specializing in union avoidance and publishing a website offering information “developed to provide factual information about unions” — which organizers said carried clear anti-union sentiments.

May 8 — Over 1,000 Penn Medicine residents and

sion process. This came in response to what AAUP-Penn President Amy Offner referred to as “anti-union” web pages published by the University over the summer.

Oct. 4 — GET-UP organized a rally, attended by roughly 300 Penn community members, before attempting to enter College Hall to deliver a letter to President Liz Magill detailing their intention to unionize. The letter, with nearly 500 signatures, was delivered by about 14 organizers who were allowed into the building.

Oct. 8 — GET-UP filed 3,000 authorization cards with the NLRB to request formal union recognition.

Oct. 15 — Graduate student workers criticized Penn’s “anti-union” web pages, featuring “frequently asked questions” about unionization.

Nov. 2 — GET-UP expressed frustration with Penn’s argument for the exclusion of over 1,000 workers, including Educational Recipient Fellows, from its union proposal.

Nov. 26 — Penn argued in to the NLRB that certain first- and second-year graduate students did not qualify to be considered employees in GET-UP’s unionization efforts.

Labor Advocacy Feb. 9 — Falk Dining Hall workers demanded better treatment and payment from the University, citing a desire to be fully integrated into the Penn Dining system rather than treated as third-party workers.

Nov. 30 — Employees of the Steinberg Conference Center called their work environment toxic and hostile, recounting mistreatment towards housekeeping workers that they anonymously compared to being treated like “slaves.”

PHOTO BY NATHANIEL BABITTS

The RA rally for unionization on March 31.

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10 NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

Students, donors call for Magill to resign, as Pa. Gov. Shapiro slams testimony before Congress Magill expressed regret for her remarks about genocide amid national uproar JONAH MILLER AND EMILY SCOLNICK Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter

Penn President Liz Magill is under fire from dozens of public officials and Penn community members for comments made during Tuesday's congressional hearing on antisemitism.

During the hearing, Magill said it was "context dependent" when asked whether individuals calling for the genocide of Jewish people violate Penn’s code of conduct.

Penn Hillel, the White House, Pennsylvania’s governor and United States Senate delegation have joined the chorus of criticism of these remarks, with many donors, students, and politicians calling for the president to resign.

The scrutiny follows a now-viral exchange between Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Magill during the hearing.

Stefanik asked whether individuals who call for the genocide of Jewish people violate Penn’s policies or code of conduct, describing calls for "Intifada revolution" among some protestors on campus as calls for genocide of Jews.

“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment,” Magill told Stefanik, later adding, “It is a context-dependent decision."

This response prompted Stefanik to continue probing.

“This is the easiest question to answer, 'yes,' Ms. Magill,” Stefanik said. “Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? ....This is unacceptable, Ms. Magill.”

Magill ultimately reiterated that calling for the genocide of Jews "can be harassment."

Among those criticizing Magill are billionaire donors Bill Ackman and 1984 Wharton graduate Marc Rowan — the chair of Wharton's Board of Advisors, who asked Penn's Board of Trustees in a letter how much reputational damage the University is willing to accept.

The statement drew extensive criticism from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who said the testimony “was an unacceptable statement from the President of Penn" in comments to reporters on Wednesday after a visit to Goldie, a Jewish-owned Philadelphia restaurant that was confronted by pro-Palestinian protestors on Sunday night.

“Frankly, I thought her comments were absolutely shameful,” Shapiro said. “It should not be hard to condemn genocide.”

Shapiro — who is expected to visit Penn Hillel tomorrow for the first night of Chanukah — said Magill needed to give a “one-word answer” and that she “failed to meet

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM that test.” The governor said that Penn’s Board of Trustees needs to determine whether Magill’s testimony under oath reflects the views of the University and its board.

Shapiro added that he has spoken to Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok “multiple times” and has delivered “concrete recommendations” on the steps to take to make sure all students feel safe on campus.

“They have seemingly failed every step of the way to take concrete action,” Shapiro said. “The testimony yesterday took it to the next level. It was a failure of leadership, clearly.”

Shapiro added that if calling for genocide of Jewish people on campus does not violate policies at Penn, then there is something wrong with the University's code of conduct or a failure of leadership from Magill.

On campus, students and faculty also expressed concern for Magill's testimony.

“Penn Hillel condemns, and is seriously concerned about, aspects of President Magill’s testimony," Executive Director Gabe Greenberg and College juniors and Penn Hillel co-presidents Lauren Krasilovsky and Olivia Domansky wrote in a statement published Wednesday.

Penn Hillel said the most notable concern was Magill's "inability to state clearly that calls for the genocide of jews constitute bullying and harassment."

“Calls for genocide against Jews do not depend on the context,” a petition demanding Magill’s resignation, that was signed by at least 5,300 people at the time of publication, read.

Progressive Jewish student group Penn Chavurah and Penn Against the Occupation criticized the hearing in a statement signed by pro-Palestinian groups at Harvard and MIT. “We see through the political theater and condemn the hearing for what it was: a diversionary charade meant to distract from the ongoing genocide in Palestine by targeting students of color,” the statement said.

The signatories also demanded a call for a permanent ceasefire and end of U.S. aid to Israel, protection of free speech, and an end to conflation of antisemitism with antiZionism.

“Our universities’ leadership have made it more than clear: students who speak out on the ongoing genocide in Palestine will be silenced and sidelined by the very administrators responsible for protecting them,” the statement said.

Pennsylvania State Senator and 1992 Penn Carey Law graduate Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks) called for Magill’s resignation and pledged to vote against any state appropriations for the University until she resigns.

"The proper response in this case is ‘such a statement by one or more students would be abhorrent and something that in my view would warrant potential expulsion and would not be tolerated'" at Penn, Santarsiero told the DP. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not answer whether the presidents should resign and said the White House does not “get involved in private university processes and how they run their university" during a press briefing Wednesday.

“We do not stand for calls for genocide,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is unacceptable. That is vile. We will call that out.”

Rowan, a chief Magill critic, wrote in a letter to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday obtained by the DP that it was now "about the path forward" rather than "where we See REACTIONS, page 11

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Magill grilled in congressional hearing, attempts to defend Penn response to antisemitism In her opening statement, Magill focused on “essential” immediate actions that Penn is undertaking, including increased security and the formation of an antisemitism task force MOLLY COHEN, JARED MITOVICH, AND ETHAN YOUNG Senior Reporters and Contributing Reporter

House representatives scrutinized Penn President Liz Magill for hours on Tuesday, asking her to answer for what they described as “specific instances of vitriolic, hatefilled antisemitism” on campus this fall.

In the nearly five-hour-long hearing of the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Magill and two other university presidents fielded questions from dozens of members across both sides of the aisle about Jewish student safety, the role of donors in higher education, and the boundaries of free speech on campus.

Magill testified alongside Harvard University President Claudine Gay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, and American University History and Jewish Studies professor Pamela Nadell.

In her opening statement, Chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said the hearing was intended to hold university leaders accountable for the campus environment and address alleged reputational damage to higher education since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

“As you confront our questions in this hearing, remember that you are not speaking to us, but to students on your campus who have been threatened and assaulted,” Foxx told the hearing room, later speaking with The Daily Pennsylvanian about the “troubling” environment on college campuses.

In her opening statement, Magill focused on “essential” immediate actions that Penn is undertaking, including increased security and the formation of an antisemitism task force. She also emphasized the University’s increased vigilance to acts of hate and its strategy for “long-term change” that will allow Penn to become a higher education leader on combating antisemitism.

Balancing safety with free speech Magill emphasized the need for balancing the principles of safety and free expression on Penn’s campus.

“In these times, these competing principles can be difficult to balance, but I am determined to get it right, and we must get this right,” Magill said. “The stakes are too high,

REACTIONS, from page 10

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

President Liz Magill testified to the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding antisemitism on college campuses on Dec. 5.

and Penn would not be what it is today without the strong Jewish community, past, present, and future.”

In her testimony and a message to the Penn community minutes before she testified, Magill made note of Sunday’s pro-Palestinian march through Philadelphia, which culminated in a rally of over 500 attendees at 40th and Market streets. Penn Police are investigating graffiti along the Walnut Street march route.

“This hearing this morning takes place just two days after the Philadelphia community witnessed in horror the hateful words and actions of the protestors who marched through the city and then near our campus,” Magill said.

Discipline for antisemitism and Islamophobia The Sunday march, the most recent in a string of proPalestinian demonstrations criticized by Magill and Jewish students, was cited by many representatives, including Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), throughout the hearing.

Good said that the rally on Dec. 3 is indicative of antisemitism being a larger problem at Penn than Islamophobia.

As part of its antisemitism action plan, Penn will hire a new administrator with a skill set to prevent and respond to antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate.

In one tense exchange, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) repeatedly asked Magill whether individuals who call for the genocide of Jewish people violate Penn’s policies or code of conduct.

“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment,” Magill told Stefanik, later adding, “It is a context-dependent decision."

This response prompted Stefanik to continue probing.

“This is the easiest question to answer. 'Yes,' Ms. Magill,” Stefanik said. “Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? This is unacceptable, Ms. Magill.”

Magill ultimately reiterated that calling for the genocide of Jews "can be harassment."

Magill repeatedly said Penn’s approach to speech is guided by the U.S. Constitution, often disagreeing with characterizations made by representatives such as Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who said Penn "treats speech differently” depending on whether the criticism originates from left- or right-leaning groups.

“You're speaking out of both sides of your mouth," Banks told Magill after asking why Penn allowed Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters to speak at the Palestine Writes Literature Festival in September.

In response, Magill reiterated her condemnation of some of the Palestine Writes speakers facing allegations

of antisemitism, noting that the controversial September conference featured over 100 speakers.

Confronting Hamas and education about antisemitism Representatives also asked Magill about her acknowledgment and condemnation of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, which Magill described as “brutal and barbaric.”

When asked by Foxx about attending a briefing requested by the Wharton Club of Israel following Hamas’ attack, Magill replied that she would need to check her schedule to verify.

Several committee members referenced their own ties to the Penn community, including 1998 Wharton MBA graduate and Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), who asked Magill if Penn has the funds to address antisemitism.

"I am ashamed to be an alumni of your university," Williams said.

Magill also told Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) that she was “devastated” to hear that his constituent, a Penn student, reported that he is afraid to go to the library.

“The safety and security of our campus is my top concern," Magill said.

Several representatives focused on Penn’s level of commitment to education about Jewish history and antisemitism on college campuses. Magill noted that she is particularly proud of Penn’s Jewish studies program, specifically highlighting the Katz Center for Judaic Studies.

Multiple lines of questioning asked for each president’s assessment of specific phrases repeated by pro-Palestinian community members at demonstrations on their campuses.

“The fear Jewish students are facing is real and justified,” Rep. Kathy Manning (D-S.C.) said.

Beyond the witnesses Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) called for the committee to hold additional hearings, including on the topics of Islamophobia and affirmative action’s impacts on minority students.

The hearing drew a range of Penn students to D.C., including College senior Eyal Yakoby, who sued Penn on Tuesday and spoke at a House Republican leadership press conference about his experiences with antisemitism on Penn’s campus, and members of progressive Jewish student group Penn Chavurah, who held a rally and press conference along with other progressive and pro-Palestinian Jewish college groups.

failed." He said that he has heard from hundreds of Penn community members who were “shocked” after watching Magill’s testimony.

"The call for fundamental change at UPenn continues,” Rowan wrote.

Billionaire and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management Bill Ackman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “the world will be able to judge the relative quality of the governance at Harvard, Penn, and MIT but the comparative speed by which their boards fire their respective presidents.”

"I completely agree," Campus Apartments CEO David Adelman, a member of Penn Medicine's Board of Trustees, said in response.

1993 Wharton graduate and venture capitalist Josh Kopelman posted an annotated version of Magill’s Oct. 18 email to the Penn community with the caption, “It. Does. Not Depend. On. The. Context.”

"I wish I could quit giving twice," 1988 Wharton and Engineering graduate and billionaire Cliff Asness, who announced in October that he would halt donations to the University, wrote in a post on X. Various Penn alumni have also voiced concerns with the direction of the University in emails obtained by the DP, including 1984 College and 1991 Graduate School of Education graduate David Dormont.

In an email to Megan Ewing, the assistant director of classes and reunions at Alumni Relations, Dormont expressed concerns that the class’ 40th reunion would not be successful.

“The future of Alumni Relations is in jeopardy,” 1984 College graduate Betsy Levine-Brown wrote.

Ewing replied by informing Dormont that she would remove him “from the [reunion] committee list and any other committee communications,” which Dormont said he did not ask for.

“As a lawyer, either [Magill] or her legal staff failed to prepare for the hearing and it was an embarrassment,” Dormont told the DP. Multiple other 1984 alumni said they do not recognize their alma mater.

The question Magill was asked during the hearing “was a very slow and simple question, and she continued to double and triple down," 1984 Nursing graduate and 1991 Graduate School of Education graduate Kara Weiss told the DP. College junior Maya Harpaz — the student representative on Magill's University Task Force on Antisemitism — said she was “very disheartened” by Magill’s responses to Stefanik.

“Calling for Jewish genocide is bullying, harassment, and disgusting, period,” Harpaz wrote. “It should not be allowed or tolerated at Penn.”

Magill's testimony reflected "poorly" on her job to represent the University, according to College sophomore Lillie Abella, Penn Hillel's vice president of marketing.

“It hurts me to see that the Jewish community doesn't get that kind of protection that any other student group would,” Abella said.

Staff reporters Elea Castiglione and Diamy Wang and contributing reporter Gretta Maguire contributed reporting.

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THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM DESIGN 13

Design Showcase

2023

LILIAN LIU Design Editor

As a cross-publication department, ‘DP Design’ operates as a central hub for style and graphics across the whole organization. From movie reviews to think pieces on Penn student culture, designers supply the visual style and curate thoughtful illustrations for the colorful and varied subjects of articles from The Daily Pennsylvanian

and 34th Street. The obligation of the Design Department is often to work in obscurity; good layout and illustration act like a mirror, reflecting the articles they are responsible for. This showcase isolates just a few highlights from the 2023 Design year, displaying the breadth and depth of artists at the DP.

JOSEPHINE BUCCINI

MELODY ZHANG

for ‘The Rise and Fall of "It" Water Bottles’ (34th Street)

for ‘Economics department offers new math sequence for majors in place of MATH 1400, MATH 1410’

KATRINA ITONA

for ‘Corecore: TikTok’s Exercise in Technological Pessimism’ (34th Street)

BECKY LEE INSIA HAQUE

for ’Editorial | Understanding the DP's coverage of campus, donor reactions amid violence in Gaza and Israel’

for ‘Zara Tena | International students bring a unique openness to campus culture’

EMMI WU

for ‘Sose Hovannisian | Armenians are facing a second genocide – you should care’

LILIAN LIU

for ‘Editorial | A Message to Penn Administration Regarding Turkey and Syria’

ESTHER LIM

for ‘Brown’s Olivia Pichardo marks a step in the right direction for college baseball’

JANINE NAVALTA ERIN MA

for ‘Lexi Boccuzzi | Barbie and … the birth rate?‘

for ‘Can Machines Be Musical?’ (34th Street)

ANISH GARIMIDI

for ‘Kidz Bop: The Kernel of American Fascism?’ (34th Street)

ANI NGUYEN LE WEI-AN JIN AND ANI NGUYEN LE

for ‘Street’s Favorite Internet Trends of 2023’ (34th Street)

for ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall: Pennfluencers Tell All’ (34th Street)

COLLIN WANG

for ‘Near Misses’ (34th Street)

RED 14 SPORTS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

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BLUE IN REVIEW PHOTOS BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI AND WEINING DING

With the fall season in the books, take a look at how each of Penn’s teams did WALKER CARNATHAN AND VIVIAN YAO Deputy Sports Editor and Sports Associate

The 2023 fall season was action-packed for the Red and Blue. Many teams improved from their previous seasons while others failed to match their successes from last year. This year was a down year in terms of titles, but there were still plenty of highlights that should get fans excited for the future. Here’s all you need to know about fall sports.

Football After coming tantalizingly close to an Ivy title in 2022, Penn football again had its sights set on the crown this fall.

But thanks to a variety of factors, most notably the team’s propensity for turnovers and inconsistent play, the season ended in disappointment.

The Red and Blue ultimately finished with a 6-4 overall record, going 3-4 against Ivy League opponents. In the four losses, the Quakers committed a total of 14 turnovers, and no game more typified that theme than the season finale against Princeton. The Quakers turned the ball over seven times, including a season-ending interception in the game’s final minute.

But even in such a season, the Quakers had much to celebrate. Sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson and freshman running back Malachi Hosley broke out as two of the conference’s premier skill players, with both

being named First-Team All-Ivy and Hosley winning Ivy League Rookie of the Year. It will be a long winter as the Quakers process the shortcomings of the season that was, but there is plenty to look forward to in the season to come.

Sprint football 2023 marked a down campaign for Penn sprint football, which finished 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the CSFL South Division. While the Quakers are usually toward the middle of the pack nationally, this season saw a sharp decline, mostly due to a struggling offense.

Penn averaged just 13 points per game this season, and scored only seven each in losses against Army and Navy.

Junior quarterback Ty Scherer completed just 44% of his passes, and the Quakers’ rushing offense managed under three yards per carry.

If the Red and Blue aspire to compete for a CSFL title in the coming years, they will need to find a way to compete with Army and Navy. The two service academies have dominated the CSFL for years, and Penn has not beaten either since 2017. When it comes to sprint football, the Quakers are still playing catch-up.

Men’s soccer Coming off a record season for men’s soccer, this year

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was a slight step down, but the team’s performance was more than enough to secure a second-straight Ivy League regular-season title, finishing the season with a 7-3-6 regular season record while going 4-1-2 in Ivy League play.

This first-place finish in the regular season meant that Penn hosted the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, which would determine who would earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Quakers’ season ended in disappointment, with the team losing in a penalty shootout to Brown in the semifinals.

Despite the less-than-ideal finish, many players were still recognized as some of the best in the conference. For the second year in a row, coach Brian Gill brought home the Ivy League Coach of the Year award. Senior goalkeeper Nick Christoffersen, senior midfielder Michael Hewes, and junior defender Leo Burney were named FirstTeam All-Ivy while junior forward Stas Korzeniowski was named Second-Team All-Ivy, and junior defender Ben Do received an honorable mention.

With many of these key players returning next season, the Quakers are poised to stay a strong contender in 2024.

Women’s soccer In coach Krissy Turner’s second year at the helm, the team showed marked improvement from what was ultimately a very disappointing 2022. The team finished the season with an overall record of 6-7-3 — doubling the number of wins from last year. Furthermore, Turner picked up her 300th win as a head coach in a 1-0 shutout of Lafayette, which was coincidentally the school where Turner started her coaching career.

However, the team fell short in conference play, where it finished with a 1-4-2 record and missed out on a spot in the Ivy League Tournament. The lone Ivy win came against Cornell in the team’s last game of the season, where Penn came back in the second half for the Quakers’ first conference win since 2021, and Turner’s first since starting her Penn tenure.

Senior defender Ginger Fontenot was named first-team All-Ivy while senior defender Maya Leschly was recognized with a spot on the academic team. Furthermore, the win against Cornell saw freshman forwards Mia Fuss and Abbey Cook score their first goals for the program, displaying the team’s promise as it heads into its third campaign under Turner.

Field hockey Penn field hockey opened 2023 with the toughest test imaginable: playing the reigning national champions in North Carolina. Though the Quakers lost that game, it ultimately served as preparation for an overall successful season.

Throughout the Ancient Eight slate, the Red and Blue firmly established themselves as one of the best the league has to offer. After earning a 5-2 conference record in the regular season, Penn drew Harvard — then ranked No. 9 nationally — in the Ivy tournament semifinals, but ultimately fell 1-0.

The Quakers faced a total of seven ranked teams in 2023, giving them one of the hardest slates in the nation.

While Penn was winless in those contests, the matches against Louisville, Saint Joseph’s, and Harvard were each decided by just a one or two goals. This ambitious scheduling is not only indicative of promise, but of the team’s ability to keep up with the best in the nation as well.

Volleyball Coming off of the program’s worst season to date, volleyball took a very small step in the right direction. After finishing Ivy League play with just one win last season, the team would manage to sweep Columbia for two conference wins in 2023. Overall, the team’s 4-20 final record looks rough on paper but is still an improvement from 2022.

Sophomore libero Abigail Reid has continued to grow into her role as a major contributor to the team while newcomers like freshmen outside hitter Zada Sanger and right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg made instant impacts.

Furthermore, the team was competitive in most matches, which bodes well for the program’s development heading into next fall.

Men’s rowing Penn heavyweight rowing enjoyed a successful fall season, with several top finishes at premier regattas. In the second season under coach Al Monte, the Quakers were competitive at all three of their showings this fall, highlighted by a dominant performance at the Head of the Schuylkill where the crew recorded the fastest boats in four different categories.

On the lightweight side, the Quakers were also routinely

toward the front of the pack, with top-three finishes at both the Navy Day Regatta and the Head of the Charles. Penn remains one of the strongest rowing programs in the Ivy League alongside tough competition like Harvard and Cornell. An excellent fall season bodes well for the team’s spring aspirations.

Women’s rowing After a historic summer that included a trip to the NCAA National Championships, Penn women’s rowing picked up right where it left off this fall. The Quakers swept first place in all three women’s events at the seasonopening Navy Day Regatta and also recorded a top-10 finish at the Princeton Chase.

The team coaching staff also recently added former Quaker Josie Konopka, who joined the team as an assistant coach this fall. With a recent graduate now helping the team, the Quakers hope to carry their momentum into another championship run in the upcoming spring season.

Men’s cross country Penn started the season off very strongly, finishing second at the Lehigh Invitational, first at the Main Line Invitational, and second at the Haverford Invitational.

Junior Dylan Throop led the team in several races, finishing in second place at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, earning himself First-Team All-Ivy recognition. In a meet that saw the team finish fifth out of eight teams, junior Luke Johnson and sophomore Sahil Dodda would finish 12th and 13th, respectively, on their way to second-team All-Ivy recognition.

At NCAA Regionals, the Quakers placed eighth out of 26 total mens teams present, and Dodda leading the group with a 22nd-place finish. His time of 30:07.7 on the 10k course was a personal best that earned him an All-Region team selection.

Women’s cross country Multiple program records were set by the Quakers this fall. Led by seniors Maeve Stiles and Liv Morganti, the team performed well at most meets this fall, including wins at the Lehigh Invitational and Haverford Invitation, and second-place finish at the Main Line Invitational.

Despite a slightly disappointing fifth-place team finish at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, the team bounced back at regionals, finishing third out of 27 to tie the best team finish at the event in program history and the best finish on the Lehigh course. Morganti finished fifth overall and set a program record with her time, securing a NCAA Championship appearance, where she would ultimately finish 144th out of 254 runners. Stiles also finished the season strongly, setting a career-best time while finishing eighth at regionals.

Both Stiles and Morganti would be named to the AllRegional team along with sophomore Lily Murphy who came in at 20th at regionals. The team’s successes set the track and field team up well for its upcoming indoor winter season.

Men’s golf It was a tale of two seasons for Penn men’s golf, which opened the season with two strong showings, including a third-place finish at the Temple Invitational fueled by strong performances from freshmen Hayden Adams and Max Fonseca.

However, the team slowed down in the second half of the season, finishing in the bottom three at its final two invitationals. Part of this can be attributed to improved competition, but Penn’s performance also declined as the course difficulty increased. With the spring season ahead, the Quakers will have plenty of opportunities to right their wrongs by the season’s end.

Women’s golf After a disappointing 2022 fall campaign, Penn came out strong and showed plenty of improvement, showing that its Ivy League Championship from this past spring was not a fluke. After finishing in sixth place out of 15 teams the year prior at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate, the team would finish in second this year. The team capped off its fall season with a second-place finish at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational.

Sophomores Julie Shin and Bridget O’Keefe — who carried much of the burden from last season — continued to cement themselves as major contributors to the team.

The immediate impact of freshmen Madeleine Zang and Maggie Ni bodes well for the team ahead of its spring campaign, where it’ll be looking to return to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

SPORTS 15

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

Freshman guard Tyler Perkins attempts a three-pointer against Villanova during the game on Nov. 13.

PERKINS, from BACK PAGE it manifest on the court in multiple ways — from the rebounding to the competitive nature.

Anyone at the Villanova game could tell that he is a bona fide scorer, but an underrated part of his game that most will overlook is his rebounding. Currently, Perkins averages 7.1 rebounds per game, second-most of the team and only 0.5 rebounds per game away from the team leader: junior center Nick Spinoso. In just his second collegiate game — the team’s matchup with Bucknell on Nov. 8 — he recorded 14 boards to accompany his 24 points for his first ever double-double.

“The overriding trait we really like was no matter what situation he was in, he just really competed,” Donahue said. “Whether that was his high school team where he played the whole time, had to score, or his AAU team where he had to be a piece, different roles. He just always was

VILLANOVA, from BACK PAGE first-half points. A dazzling display, Gayle, tasked with filling the vacant shoes of program great Kayla Padilla, has impressed early in the season as she ranks top 10 in Ivy League scoring.

“Offensive side, I think Gayle was unbelievable,” McLaughlin said. “She can make open and guarded shots, she can pull up real quick and get her shot off anywhere. It’s amazing what she can do.”

Despite these successes, the Quakers found themselves down seven at half behind Dalce’s early double-double. Dalce took advantage of her defender constantly leaving her to double Olsen by sealing out against smaller weak side defenders for easy layups.

Struggling in the third quarter for a second straight game, Penn failed to score for the first six minutes of the second half. Gayle was benched early due to foul trouble, and the Penn offense showed little spark without her. As Villanova’s lead ballooned to 16, the Quakers found themselves with their backs against the wall.

With no quit in sight, the Quakers clawed back into the game on the back of senior forward Jordan Obi’s two-way dominance. The Quakers looked beat early in the fourth with Gayle fouling out immediately after returning

engaged and played every aspect of the game.”

He’s a do-it-all, well-rounded which was apparent to Donahue from the moment they started scouting him. This type of play is what earned Perkins a starting position from the first tipoff.

To Donahue, the decision felt natural. Most freshmen would falter under the bright lights of collegiate starts, but Perkins didn’t.

“I think it was pretty apparent early on that he was one of our best all-around players,” Donahue said. “I try not to think of freshman, sophomore, junior, senior — just try to do it on merit. And Tyler really performed well in preseason.”

Perkins’ first basket against the Wildcats was a memorable one: A fast break three that turned into a four-point play after a foul. It was a great way to get his night started, as he went on to score 18 more points over the course of the evening. While he says he could not appreciate the moment until all the confetti cleared and the students left the f loor, the pandemonium of the night lived up to his expectations for the Palestra.

“That’s why I chose to come here. Because

like Georgetown, Lafayette, or Colgate. However, up until 2015, Villanova was a common non-Ivy foe for Penn. Though the clashes wouldn’t carry as much weight as they typically do when the programs meet in basketball, they surely constitute rivalry. As such, it’s no

Crossword

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Puzzle Answers

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$8, $9, $10 Two slices of plain, one topping, or specialty Price includes soda and tax.

One of the most affordable lunches on Penn’s campus!

47 Didn’t hide one’s opinion

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

levelheaded as something to work on.

“In high school, you can be up and down a lot but in college you don’t have that time,” Perkins said. “You have to be even because I’m playing against guys that may be 22, 23, 24 years old so just being levelheaded and knowing that it’s next play, next game. Each possession matters. Little plays will either win or lose the game.”

Developing qualities like levelheadedness takes time. But one thing that Perkins already has from the start is the unselfish spirit of Quaker basketball.

“I think he finds real joy in his teammates doing well, his team winning, despite or because of what he did,” Donahue said. “He just really has a great ability just to be engaged in the winning of the team more than personal accolades, which I think is sometimes hard for young players.”

Perkins’ career as a Quaker is just getting started, but he’s already picked up three 20-pluspoint performances. If he keeps playing like this, his career and statement performance over Villanova may just be the first of many.

to the court. Despite how bleak it looked, Obi did her best to make this so-called rivalry worthwhile. Looking determined as ever on the offensive side of the ball, Obi led her own fivepoint power play off of a bucket, steal, and an ensuing and-one. “[Villanova] scored the first nine of the half, [Obi] got it to 12, and from there we just kept pushing it,” McLaughlin said. “I knew that we had the effort in us to go out there and come back from a deficit. It’s an effort I knew we could reach in previous games.”

Junior guard Stina Almqvist and freshman guard Ese Ogbevire followed her lead, playThe New York ing aggressively on defense while continuing to Times Syndication Sales Corporation 125York, S 40th St. • (267) 292-2255 • zestopizzaucity.com 620 within Eighth Avenue, New N.Y. 10018 pour in shots as the Red and Blue pulled For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 five.

Friday, December 8, 2023 With only 40 seconds left, the matchFor hadRelease surprisingly lived up to the rivalry moniker. Down five, Obi scored off of a pump fake turned skillful give-and-go with senior forward Floor Toonders to cut the lead to three. Just seconds Edited by Will Shortz No. 1103 away from what felt like an upset, Villanova iced the game with two made free throws.

As hard a fought battle as any, Penn showed 30 and Madestrength a good ACROSS 50 Ingredient in some incredible skill against a point? some lip balms 1 Billically for expensive histor for m idable opponent. Off-ball clothing?

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15 Getrattles in position?

16 Once again

FOOTBALL, from BACK PAGE

when it feels like that, you can’t beat it,” Perkins said.

While that game stands as the biggest of his career so far, he actually takes inspiration from one of Villanova’s greatest: Jalen Brunson, who — by entering the NBA Draft — missed out on losing in the Palestra in 2018.

Both are left-handed, which is rare enough in the general population but even rarer in basketba ll. T he dom ina nt ha nd ca n be a gamechanger, as defenders are often used to guarding right-handed players. But beyond that, Perkins says that he admires just the physicality of Brunson as a player and how he gets to the basket, which is something that Perkins champions about his game. Similarly, he takes inspiration from James Harden’s game for how he gets to the basket, makes shots, and creates assists.

Regardless of how he has played so far, Perkins has a lot to learn — and he knows it. Perkins is a freshman at the end of the day. While he plays with a similar suave to that of his more experienced collegiate peers, he cites remaining

snowboarders” rule 4 Rescues from a junkyard, say 5 Babycakes 6 Cheeky attire?

7 Lose oomph 8 “Chances” follower 9 “You betcha!”

10 What an extended thumb and pinkie by your face might mean 11 Doggedly determined 12 Likely candidate for a breakdown 13 Sound of a bow shooting an arrow 18 What a pluviometer measures

PUZZLE BY ROBYN WEINTRAUB

22 In the thick of 24 “Sounds amazing, but I really shouldn’t” 25 Divination observation 26 Protagonist of Pixar’s “Your Friend the Rat” 27 “That was so fortunate for me” 28 Book that gets reread from the beginning around autumn 32 Pirate’s potable

33 Pool maker 35 Eatery not known for its entrees 36 Big house

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39 Barware for making grasshoppers and whiskey sours

49 Get into a spot, perhaps

41 Philosopher Friedrich

52 What’s the big fuss?

42 Leave sitting in a Monday-Friday: 11am-9pm breeze, say 53 ___ Valley 43 Relative of an (San Francisco apothegm 12pm-9pm neighborhood) Saturday: Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past Sunday: Closed puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

SPORTS

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 30

WHERE ARE THE

FANS?

PHOTO BY SUKHMANI KAUR

An empty Franklin Field in 2021. In recent years, Penn football’s attendace has not matched its historical peaks.

Football’s attendance at home over the past 20 years, in numbers With college football attendance down across the nation, see how the Quakers have been affected since 2003 ALEXIS GARCIA Sports Editor

A thrilling Homecoming victory, promising breakout campaigns, 13 All-Ivy honorees — this season, Penn football saw plenty of highs.

The lows? Attendance.

In recent years at least, Penn hasn’t been known for a packed Franklin Field. Granted, its two-tiered 52,958 maximum seating capacity is the fourth largest in the FCS. But with a storied 147-season history, vast and loyal alumni base, and free student admission, it certainly has the capability to. Instead, attendance has been on the decline over the past two decades.

Following the conclusion of Penn football’s (6-4, 3-4 Ivy) 2023 season, The Daily Pennsylvanian analyzed attendance at every home game since 2003 — excluding the 2020 season, which was canceled due to COVID-19 — pulling numbers from Penn Athletics.

No Penn football game this season surpassed 20% of Franklin Field’s capacity If you gathered all the attendees from each of the Quakers’ home games this season, and

packed them all into Franklin Field, only 56% of the stadium would be full.

Not a single home game in 2023 met at least a quarter of Franklin Field’s capacity, with the lowest attendance being Penn’s matchup with Georgetown on Oct. 7 — 2,250 attendees for 4.2% capacity. The season’s peak came on Nov. 4: the Red and Blue’s Homecoming clash with Cornell, which saw 9,408 attendees.

Not a single game exceeded five figures. The team has not played in front of a five-figure crowd since Nov. 12, 2022, when 10,370 fans flocked to Franklin Field to watch Penn take on Harvard in last season’s final home game.

In 2005, Penn football saw 49,115 more attendees at home that in 2021 Speaking of five-figure crowds, Penn’s highest attended home game in this analysis falls on Sept. 24, 2005. For this contest, the Quakers played for 23,257 attendees back when the team used to take on the Villanova Wildcats. Since 2003, Franklin Field has only seen 20,000+

attendees four other times: Nov. 13, 2013 versus Princeton (21,214), Sept. 23, 2006 versus Villanova (22,499), Nov. 5, 2005 versus Princeton (20,036), and Nov. 8, 2003 versus Princeton (21,060). The three matchups against Princeton were Homecoming games.

More recently, Penn’s lowest attended home game in this analysis was recorded just last season when football shutout Lafayette 12-0 on Sept. 24 in front of only 2,122 attendees.

Penn football’s attendance at home has not averaged above five figures since 2013 In the past two decades, average attendance per home game reached a peak in 2004 at 13,170 and fell to an all-time low in 2021 at 4,970.8.

It’s been 10 years since Penn’s attendance at home games last averaged five figures: 11,936 in 2013.

The only season in this analysis with fivefigure attendance at each home game is 2010, coincidently Penn football’s last campaign with a perfect home record. In every home game

since 2003 with a five-figure attendance, the Red and Blue’s win-loss record stands at 20-17.

Attendance at Penn football Homecoming games fell to an all-time low in 2021 With the significant drop in average season attendance following 2013 also comes lowattended Homecoming games. In that year’s Homecoming contest, Penn fell 38-26 to Princeton to a crowd of 21,214. In 2021, that number fell to 5,142 attendees.

In fact, Homecoming game attendance has only dipped below five figures four other times since 2003: 2023 versus Cornell (9,408), 2017 versus Princeton (9,073), 2016 versus Brown (8,047), and 2014 versus Brown (8,176).

Attendance averages highest at games against Villanova Those who are familiar with the team’s recent non-conference slates are aware of opponents See FOOTBALL, page 15

Women’s basketball falls 68-62 to Villanova after hard fought battle

Freshman guard Tyler Perkins powering men’s basketball to dominant victories

Freshman guard Mataya Gayle fouled out early in the fourth quarter

The DMV native led the Quakers with 22 points in their win against Villanova

SEAN MCKEOWN Sports Associate

KRISTEL RAMBAUD Sports Reporter

In the words of Joel Embiid: “It’s not a rivalry … they always kick our ass.”

Penn women’s basketball (5-4) came out to play at longtime Philadelphia foe Villanova (6-2), but their efforts came up short late in the game, ultimately losing 68-62. Villanova — which has won 20 out of the last 21 matches — pulled away yet another win over an outmatched Red and Blue squad. As rivalries go, this is as lopsided as they come in recent years.

Despite this loss, the Quakers showed off some incredible resilience in the face of tough competition.

Villanova dominated the paint from start to finish with Wildcat forward Christina Dalce, the national leader in offensive rebounds, putting back a plethora of her teammates’ misses throughout the match. Dalce met her career high in points early in the third quarter, and she would finish with a mind-boggling 18 points and 17 rebounds. Dalce’s stellar defense would also deter many potential drives to the basket throughout the match as she racked up three blocks. “[Dalce]’s an opportunities scorer, put backs and dump passes are how she scores,” coach McLaughlin said. “She’s not a one-on-one scorer, but she earns her team so many extra possessions. I don’t know if we ever boxed her out enough.”

The Qua kers’s defensive ga me pla n for the match was to put all available bodies on Villanova gua rd Lucy Olsen, the nation’s third-leading scorer. Penn’s perimeter defense stepped up big time, doubling her on every

proud of the effort we put out.”

On the other side of the ball, freshman guard Mataya Gayle rained down stop-and-pop jumpers from all across the court to the tune of 17

“Perkins … three-ball … corner pocket!”

The crowd cheered and roared at the sight.

Tyler Perkins — one of four freshmen on Penn men’s basketball — nailed a pump fake and then a three over the head of his defender to increase the team’s lead in its 76-72 win over No. 21 Villanova.

No one at Penn knew who Perkins was before that moment. Now, he’s on the March Madness Instagram page commemorating the win.

So, who is this new face on the block?

First and foremost, the freshman guard is a product of the DMV. No, not the Department of Motor Vehicles, but rather the D.C.-MarylandVirginia metropolitan area. There, basketball culture thrives. While underlooked in comparison to the nearby New York City metropolitan area, the DMV continues to produce up-andcoming basketball talent.

There is of course NBA superstar Kevin Durant, the cousin duo Angel Reese of LSU and Jordan Hawkins of UConn who each won NCAA Championships earlier this year, and Jelani Williams — Penn alumnus and D.C. native who fought through multiple ACL injuries to make his collegiate debut.

“Everybody plays hard. If you don’t play hard, you’re not gonna make it to the next step,” Perkins said of the DMV. While not coming back from any ACL injuries himself, Perkins has that same grit and toughness that Williams possessed. Coach Steve Donahue and the rest of the coaching staff have watched

See VILLANOVA, page 15

See PERKINS, page 15

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PHOTO BY JULIA VAN LARE

Now-senior Jordan Obi dribbles through two Villanova players at the Palestra on Nov. 22, 2021.

possession and restricting the so-called “elite” scorer to an abysmal three first-half points and a total of 14 points in the match.

“I loved how we competed, and I think we defended a really talented offensive team really well,” McLaughlin said. “I am really

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