THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA
online at thedp.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014
Financial aid changes limit student summers As a result of new SFS practices, at least 28 students have withrawn from studying abroad this summer BY JILL CASTELLANO Staff Writer
S
ome students cannot afford to participate in Penn’s summer programs this year as a result of changes in Student Financial Services’ summer aid practices. New SFS practices have resulted in fewer grants to students. As a result, many students — at least 28 already — have withdrawn from studying abroad with Penn this summer, and enrollment in Penn Summer Abroad programs is currently down by 18 percent from last year. Now, summer abroad coordinators are afraid these practices could result in major
changes — programs could move away from need-blind admissions and some of them are in danger of not running at all. This poses a unique challenge for the University. Penn is the only Ivy League school with an aid program that offers summer grants to undergraduates taking summer courses or studying abroad, Director of Financial Aid Joel Carstens said. “The intention of how we’re distributing aid is to get as much as possible to as many students as possible,” Carstens said. “We want to ensure that as many students that can be supported by Penn will be.”
SEE FINANCIAL AID PAGE 12
Former assistant history prof sues Coverage of SP2 student’s death gave Penn for gender incomplete timeline of University response discrimination Ongoing Investigation: Mental Health at Penn
BY LAUREN FEINER Staff Writer
I
n late March, the Huffington Post charged that students and faculty felt the University was not supportive and transparent to them and the general public about first year Social Policy & Practice student Alice Wiley’s death, keeping it “Under Wraps For Weeks.” However, emails supplied by Dean of SP2 Richard Gelles and interviews with students and fac-
ulty at the school tell a somewhat different story. First year SP2 student Alice Wiley died in her home state of Georgia on Dec. 27. According to emails sent from SP2 administrators to faculty, her death was a suicide. The University informed students of Wiley’s death on Jan. 15, the first in a chain of events which made first year SP2 student Thomas Bick feel “like it was very hush hush,” he told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “It felt like
no action.” He also wrote a March 28 opinion piece entitled “Left Unsupported in Our Grief” for the Huffington Post.
“Less emails, more contact” Students and administrators countered that the school was just respecting the family’s wishes and let students know soon after learning of Wiley’s death. SP2 was not notified of Wiley’s death until Jan. 13, by her mother. They noti-
SP2 administration emailed announcement of death to school community (all students, faculty and staff) that included list of resources/supports for students (also first day of classes)
Courtesy of Kristen Childers
Alice WIley dies in home state of Georgia
SP2 students return to campus from winter break for fieldwork
fied SP2 administrators, faculty and students two days later via email, Gelles said. “Everyone that I spoke with [at the University] was kind and gracious and extremely considerate and so sad,” Wiley’s mother, Susan, said. “They were just so sad.” The Jan. 15 email did not include Wiley’s manner of death, a decision Bick criticized in the Huffington Post. The family requested it be told to the commuSEE RESPONSE PAGE 7
Email sent to all students about session “Stress, Distress and Suicide” facilitated by faculty and staff Session 2 of “Stress, Distress and Suicide” facilitated by faculty and staff
Memorial service held
Former assistant history professor Kristen Stromberg Childers is suing Penn for alleged gender discrimination in her tenure decision.
Kristen Childers claims her maternity leave adversly affected her tenure application BY YUEQI YANG Staff Writer
Dec. 27, 2013
Jan. 6, 2014
Jan. 13, Jan. 14, Jan. 15, 2014 2014 2014
Jan. 17, 2014
SP2 administration first learned of student’s death from mother
Former assistant history professor Kristen Stromberg Childers claims that she did not receive tenure because she took a leave of absence to give birth and take care of her children. Now, she is suing Penn for alleged gender discrimination. Childers, who taught at the History Department as an assistant professor from 2002-10, filed a complaint against the University on April 28, demand-
Jan. 29, 2014
Feb. 19, 2014
Dean of Students emailed all students, faculty, staff notice of memorial service 1/22; memorial service postponed to 1/29 due to snow storm (email notification to all school community)
Student’s mother told SP2 administrators the “unofficial” cause of death was suicide; SP2 administration called deceased student’s instructors to inform them of death and cause of death
SEE LAWSUIT PAGE 10
Feb. 26, 2014
April 2, 2014
Follow-up email sent to all standing and part-time faculty encouraging check-in and continued support of grieving students
Timeline of events
occuring after SP2 Suicide
The bike path to a world without homelessness College senior Nick Cernek plans to bike across the U.S. to break ‘social barriers to love’ BY EUNICE LIM Contributing Writer This summer, College senior Nick Cernek will set the (bicycle) wheels in motion to combat homelessness. Through his Living Without Walls trip, Cernek and his two friends Carter B. and Simon Skold will bike from Philadelphia to San Francisco over a span of two and a half to
three months, living off of $16.50 a day together and camping out in people’s backyards and on the streets when necessary. A long the way, they will buy meals for the homeless and hungry and share life stories, write music, keep a running blog on their progress and at the end, weave all the stories, music and experiences into a feature-length documentary. They will make stops in most of the big cities en route, including Pittsburgh, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Sacramento and San Francisco.
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For Cernek, the trip boils down to “breaking social barriers to love people.” Cernek said that his “mission is to spread God’s love. It’s why I exist, and I want to spread that love to anybody and everybody.” Another motivation for going on this trip is to break free from the 9-to-5, urban lifestyle. More than 3,500 miles is an extensive distance to travel on bicycle wheel, so the crew plans to travel light. “We’re only taking what we can carry, and I’ll probably pack a couple days’ worth of food, a camera, musical instruments, not a lot
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of clothing and some homemade soap, which should be fun,” Cernek said. Wanderlust and travel fantasies aside, an uncertain road realistically lies ahead for Cernek, Carter and Simon. “We’ll be at the mercy of whatever hits us,” Cernek noted, “and we’ll be relying on people’s generosity and friendliness, which isn’t always what we’ll meet.” Still, Cernek says that he is ready for the unplanned challenges, physical exhaustion and interpersonal conflicts that may arise. “I’m not going to be naïve, but overall I’m
just excited for the opportunity to bless people and live for that on a daily basis.” Many people — especially those at Philadelphia Bikesmith — have shown support for Cernek and his friends’ cause, but the three are still in the fundraising process. Currently, they have raised $1,754 of their $3,000 goal. Cernek plans to spend $1,500 buying food and $750 buying meals for the homeless — 75 meals at $10 each. The remaining $750 will support Project HOME , a SEE BIKING PAGE 10
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