February 10, 2022 by The Daily Pennsylvanian

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 VOL. CXXXVIII NO. 4

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GUTMANN RESIGNS PENN PRESIDENCY

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Penn President Amy Gutmann has resigned her position to become U.S. ambassador to Germany

U.S. Senate confirms Gutmann as U.S. ambassador to Germany

Gutmann to host farewell event today ahead of departure to Berlin

Former Provost Wendell Pritchett will serve as interim president

The event will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Penn Commons

IMRAN SIDDIQUI Senior Reporter

JARED MITOVICH Senior Reporter

The United States Senate has officially confirmed Penn President Amy Gutmann as the next U.S. ambassador to Germany. Gutmann was confirmed by a vote of 54 to 42 when the Senate convened Tuesday afternoon. President Joe Biden officially nominated Gutmann after months of speculation on July 2, 2021. Shortly after the confirmation, Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok wrote in an email to the University community that Gutmann has officially resigned the Penn presidency and that she “will shortly be departing Philadelphia for Berlin.” “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the

entire University community, I want to thank Amy for the extraordinary work she has done in leading the University of Pennsylvania,” Bok wrote. “Her tenure as President has been among the most impactful in Penn’s history. She has led Penn to new heights of eminence and in doing so established herself as one of the most highly regarded academic leaders in the world.” Former Provost Wendell Pritchett, who serves as senior advisor to Gutmann, was tapped as SEE AMBASSADOR PAGE 7

Undergraduate case count continues to climb, rising to over 600 Over 80% of all cases came from the undergraduate community JONAH MILLER Senior Reporter

The undergraduate COVID-19 case count continued to increase sharply last week, reaching a semester high and continuing to hinder the possibility of a return to fully normal campus life for the foreseeable future. Over 80% of all positive cases came from the undergraduate community, which had 633 SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

positive tests during the week, the highest ever undergraduate case count. The undergraduate positivity rate also continued to climb for a third consecutive week, reaching 13.05% — up SEE COVID-19 PAGE 3

Amy Gutmann, the longest-serving president in the University’s history, will hold an event today to thank students and reflect on her 18-year tenure following her confirmation as the United States ambassador to Germany. Gutmann, who resigned from the Penn presidency on Tuesday, sent an invitation emailed to all undergraduate students which stated the event will be held on Feb. 10 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The event will take place under the heated tent at Penn Commons, according to University spokesperson Ron Ozio. “Dr. Gutmann wanted a chance to thank everyone this semester before her eventual departure to Germany. Students can walk through the tent to greet her, and there will also be some students performing,” Ozio wrote in a statement emailed to The Daily Pennsylvanian. He declined to comment on what students will be performing, and whether Gutmann will be speaking at the event. Gutmann was confirmed by a vote of 54 to 42 when the Senate convened Tuesday afternoon, seven months after she was officially nominated for the ambassadorship by President Joe Biden. Shortly after her confirmation, Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok wrote in an email to the University community that Gutmann will soon be sworn in and “will shortly be departing Philadelphia for Berlin.” Gutmann is the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to Germany.

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“Working with the inspiring students I’ve known as president has been without a doubt the greatest privilege and joy of my life,” Gutmann wrote in the event invitation. The invitation states that attendees must RSVP to the president’s office in order to attend the event. Attendees will be required to wear a mask and show a green PennOpen Pass upon arrival. College senior Tori Borlase, the president of the Undergraduate Assembly, said she will be attending the event. She noted some of Gutmann’s accomplishments during her tenure and expressed gratitude for Gutmann’s involvement with Penn’s student body. “[Gutmann] has done a lot to increase the amount of scholarships for students, increasing the endowment, and a lot of other initiatives,” Borlase said. “I think Penn will definitely miss how involved she was with students.” On Feb. 4, Penn selected former Provost and special advisor to the president Wendell Pritchett to be interim president until University of Virginia Provost M. Elizabeth Magill begins her tenure as Penn president on July 1. Pritchett, who served as a senior advisor to Gutmann until her confirmation, will be the first Black individual to serve as president of the University. “I do have great faith that the next president of the University will continue to build upon [Gutmann’s] legacy and ensure that Penn becomes the best place that it can be,” Borlase said. CONTACT US: 215-422-4640

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Participants deem first Penn Global Seminar in two years a success — despite COVID-19 cases Eight group members tested positive for COVID-19 before departing Ecuador ABBY BAGGINI Contributing Reporter

After completing the first global seminar to travel internationally since spring 2020, half of the seminar members tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to quarantine in place. The class, PHIL 226: “Philosophy of Biology,” which was led by Philosophy department Chair Michael Weisberg, landed in the Galápagos Islands on Dec. 31 with a course teaching assistant and 14 undergraduate students. After a 10-day trip — which College junior Arnav Lal said was “transformational” — the group was scheduled to return to Philadelphia on Jan. 11. However, when the class arrived in mainland Ecuador, eight group members tested positive for COVID-19 and completed their quarantine in Guayaquil while the remaining seven returned to the United States.

Nigel Cossar, the executive director of Penn Abroad, said that his office worked with Weisberg, the students, and their emergency contacts to develop contingency plans even before the class’ departure in case students tested positive while overseas. “We kicked into gear straightaway,” Cossar said. “We made sure we had a local partner who continued to support the group for the five days [in quarantine]. We had that partner on the ground going out and getting groceries and snacks and water and delivering it to their rooms. We had meals being delivered through the hotel. … So we made sure there were various resources and support for those students while they were quarantined.” Weisberg added that the connections he had in Galápagos assured Penn Abroad that they could control potential COVID-19 outbreaks. “Whatever contingency plans need to be made, this is a good trip for that, because we have great connections. And in that respect, I think that paid off. There were, as you know, some complications in the trip, but it didn’t turn into a crisis of any kind,” Weisberg said. Despite the complications, Cossar said the course was “a huge success,” noting that COVID-19 risks will be an inherent part of international travel as long as the pandemic continues. Weisberg, who leads the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance, has taught the Penn Global Seminars three times — two of which culminated in a trip to the islands. This time, the group lived on a boat, visited national parks, and met locals. Although students testing positive was unanticipated, Weisberg said, the group focused on the unexpected benefits of quarantine. “It was not the norm, but it was an incredible trip,” Weisberg added. “[Quarantine in the hotel] was an interesting bonding experience. I don’t think students often have a chance to bond with a professor like that. I think we made the best of a complicated situation.” Lal said that although he did not test positive on the

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trip, he felt that his classmates’ initial concerns about accessing food, Wi-Fi, and basic necessities were handled “really, really well.” “I don’t think anyone had worries about those things, which is really nice to hear,” Lal said. Lal said that he was immediately drawn to the course content and the international travel component, and added that the highlight of his trip was being able to snorkel and interact with the wildlife. “Being a part of nature was an opportunity that is not only unique, but it’s just a special moment to have,” Lal said. Students met with the Indigenous people who inhabit the islands, and observed how human activity interacts with ecology on Galápagos. Both before and during the trip, Lal worked with his peers to craft a policy proposal as their final research project on developing a model for less intrusive tourism on the islands. “What we really did during the trip was think about

Penn Student Government seeks to work with incoming president, expand club resources PSG will also work to improve COVID-19 accommodations WILLIAM KUSTER Staff Reporter

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As they return to an in-person format, Penn Student Government leaders shared their plans for the remainder of the spring semester with The Daily Pennsylvanian.

PSG leaders said that they will work to improve COVID-19 accommodations, expand on the group’s prior initiatives, expand club opportunities, and establish a relationship with incoming Penn President M. Elizabeth Magill.

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The Undergraduate Assembly — the elected branch at Penn responsible for improving student life — highlighted several recent initiatives to address the challenges of the Univer-

the potential ways we could actually implement [the model] if it were to be a reality,” Lal said. This semester, there are eight global seminar courses that are set to travel either over spring break or in May. Classes will travel to Greece, Mongolia, India, Australia, Iceland, France, and Japan. Of those destinations, Cossar said Japan is the only country whose quarantine policies may pose a challenge to student travel. “That all said, it’s still fairly early February, and a lot can change. Omicron is kind of moving its way through countries in the world,” Cossar said. As Penn Abroad plans for the next series of global seminars, Cossar said his biggest takeaway from the Galápagos trip was the importance of “working collaboratively across campus.” “We couldn’t have done this on our own just through Penn Global. We needed the support of CITRA, risk management, and student health. There are so many offices that made it possible,” Cossar said. sity’s transition away from a hybrid learning environment. Last semester, the UA collaborated with the Center for Teaching and Learning to improve accommodations for students, especially for those who tested positive with COVID-19. UA president and College senior Tori Borlase told the DP that UA worked to update classroom recommendations for professors, in order to guarantee either recorded lectures or set up a Zoom option for students unable to attend in person. SAC also boasted its highest recruitment in recent memory this past fall, according to SAC Chair and Engineering junior Evan Bean. In total, it welcomed 33 new clubs with a wide variety of focuses — ranging from consulting to health and well-being. “It’s very common for groups to just stop existing. One of the main missions is to stop that from happening — keeping as many clubs active and alive as possible,” Bean said. Expanding storage for club equipment is another initiative SAC is pursuing, as well as continuing to improve opportunities to facilitate club collaborations, according to Bean. SEE STUDENT GOVERNMENT PAGE 7

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NEWS 3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

COVID-19 FRONT PAGE

from 9.73% last week. Since the week of Jan. 2, 1,761 undergraduate students — nearly 20% of the undergraduate population — has tested positive at Penn’s testing sites alone. Positive cases across the Penn community also increased for a third consecutive week. A total of 757 community members tested positive for COVID-19 during the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 — up from 680 the week before. The campus-wide COVID-19 positivity rate also rose during the week from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, reaching 6.77% among all community members, an increase from 4.74% during the previous week. Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian on Feb. 8 that indoor social gatherings cannot resume until cases are reduced, specifically naming the undergraduate community’s continued increase in positivity rate. “All of us can do our part to limit further transmission, by staying home if we do not feel well, even if it does not trigger a red pass,” Dubé wrote. “While we are all eager to loosen restrictions, we must only do so when it is in the best interest of the entire Penn community.” In a Feb. 1 email to all Penn students, Dubé and Vice Provost for University Life Mamta Motwani Accapadi announced that the restrictions on indoor social gatherings and event registration remain in place, citing the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases among undergraduate students. Dubé and Accapadi wrote they would reassess the on-campus positivity rates weekly to decide whether to permit public gatherings and event registration. On its COVID-19 Dashboard, the University wrote that encouraging trends are expected to resume next week, despite the multi-week surge in cases. The number of students in isolation saw an increase, breaking yet another declining trend, rising to 532 — up from 426 during the previous week. Despite the expansion in isolation housing, which was announced on Jan. 20 to include housing positive students at the Sheraton University City Hotel, on-campus isolation capacity dropped to 42.7% availability — down from 60.3% the prior week. The increases in positivity rates comes as community members get tested less, with the number of tests last week declining to 11,175 from 14,353 the previous week — following the end of the University’s gateway testing policy, which required all students, faculty, staff, and postdoctoral students to receive a COVID-19 test through Penn upon campus arrival through the end of January. Following the conclusion of the gateway testing program, all students are now required to resume participation in the Penn Cares screening testing program. Fully vaccinated students are required to test once every other week, and unvaccinated community members are required to test twice each week. Community members who have tested positive for COVID19 within the past 90 days are exempt from screening testing but are required to continue reporting symptoms and exposures through PennOpen Pass.

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Path@Penn to replace Penn InTouch on March 14 ahead of advance registration Updates include calendar functions that allow students to map out non-academic conflicts JACOB POLLACK Staff Reporter

Penn InTouch’s replacement, Path@ Penn, is set to go live on March 14, in time for fall 2022 advance registration. Here is what you need to know about the new and improved platform. Path@Penn, which was created by Next Generation Student System, will be a renovated version of Penn InTouch and offers many changes that students have been asking for. Updates include permission request forms for classes, graduate and undergraduate class course filters, and calendar functions that allow students to map out non-academic conflicts. “It’s basically a jumping off point to resources like registration, academic planning, financial aid, and student accounts,” Next Generation Student System User Experience Project Manager Deborah Long said during a Feb. 3 Zoom information session. Penn InTouch and Penn.Pay will be down from March 3 to March 13 to transfer students’ academic and financial records to Path@Penn. In an email sent on Feb. 2, Student Registration & Financial Services encouraged Penn students to declare or make changes to their major or minor selection by Feb.18. SRFS also recommended to request a transcript before March 1, if needed, before the system outage. Canvas will not be affected by the outage. On March 14, all Penn students will

Penn professor Phillip Gressman

Penn professor submits map for Pennsylvania redistricting using computational strategies The map was created using computational redistricting methods RACHEL MILLER Senior Reporter

Penn Mathematics professor Philip Gressman is a part of a team of 12 mathematicians across the state that submitted a congressional district map to the

have access to Path@Penn, but students will only be able to search for classes starting on April 4. Advance registration for fall 2022 will start on April 18. Path@ Penn will not contain spring 2022 course information until final grades have been submitted in mid-May. Path@Penn’s registration and planning section will contain two main options to organize course selection: Cart and Plan. “The Cart is a place to put specific sections of courses in order to request registration during advance registration or register for courses during course selection,” Rob Nelson, Executive Director for Academic Technology & Planning, said in a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “The Plan is where you will put courses you want to take in future terms. When registration for future terms arrives, you will be able to add those courses to your cart for that semester.” Advance registration will also change with the advent of Path@Penn. Students will have the ability to request multiple alternatives for their courses rather than just one, swap classes seamlessly, and see how many requirements are left to complete their major. “We think this is an improvement because typically students want alternatives for specific courses. Students will also be able to indicate the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, etc.

choices for their requests, but if they do not, the system will look at classes harder to get into and prioritize them to assist in obtaining the most optimal schedule,” Nelson said in a written statement to the DP. A swap feature will also be included on Path@Penn. It will be a conditional add/ drop system that solves the problem of students dropping one course to add another one, only to lose both classes. “There was always the possibility that someone would grab that [open] spot in class,” Nelson told the DP. “Swap guarantees that won’t happen. You will only actually drop the class if you get into the class you want.” Another service that has been added is Path@Penn’s progress bars that will help students see how many requirements are left for their major. Some Penn students are eager for the addition of the progress bars, including College senior and incoming Penn Dental Medicine student Adam Rose. “I’m a [biology] major and have two minors, and I can’t tell you how many times when I’m registering for courses I had to go to different department websites to make sure I was checking everything off. To have everything built into the registration system is really nice,” Rose said. Path@Penn will also transition all classes to be labeled with four digits

instead of three. Students can search courses with the old, three-digit code or the new, four-digit code. Penn Labs will also make adjustments to Penn Course Alert and Penn Course Review to accommodate these changes. Financial aid information will be embedded into Path@Penn, allowing students to choose an award year, track their financials, and contact financial services staff. “When you’re planning for the present and past, you’re going to be looking at the current system: Penn InTouch. When you’re planning for the future, you’re going to be looking at the Path@Penn site,” Adam Sherr, Penn’s Senior Advisor and Lead Functional Analyst, said at the Zoom information session. Path@Penn also hopes to prevent crashes from happening on popular registration days by using performance testing. Next Generation Student System offered virtual information sessions throughout the fall and spring semesters. Online guides on how to navigate the new system will be available on Path@Penn and the SRFS website by March, according to Nelson. “The initial release of Path@Penn in March is really our foundation,” Long said in the Zoom information session. “We plan to collect feedback so that we can make changes and enhancements as soon as the summer and into the future.”

Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania to be considered for approval in the Pennsylvania redistricting process. The map was created using computational redistricting methods, according to Gressman. This means high-performance computers were used to test different options for potential congressional maps that comply with the legal requirements. Currently, Gressman’s lawyer Sam Hirsch said that their map is one of 14 different options that are waiting for approval by the judge of the Commonwealth Court. Redistricting occurs every 10 years based on new data collected by the United States Census. Gressman said that when redistricting occurs, maps are typically drawn manually. He added that this means that maps are drawn one at a time — which is a much slower process. “If you draw maps computationally, you can crank out thousands and thousands of maps a day, with each one a little better than the last one trying to improve on the margins,” Gressman said. Another benefit of computational redistricting is that its methodology is transparent, as the exact code they used to create the maps can be shared, Gressman

said. When people hand draw maps, it is unclear why they make the decisions that they do, Gressman said. Hirsch said computational redistricting used to be utilized to determine if hand drawn maps were gerrymandered. He added that data scientists used to generate thousands of random maps and then compare a potentially gerrymandered map to the randomly generated ones. Hirsch said if the hand-drawn map was significantly different than the randomly generated ones, it would be investigated for gerrymandering. Gressman explained the map-making process as a “multi-objective optimization problem” since they must comply with a variety of legal standards. He said that the maps must be considered fair to both Democrats and Republicans, split as few counties as possible, and take minority representation into account — among other factors — making the process very complex and tedious. Students on campus have also been involved with the redistricting process. Penn Democrats Political Director and College sophomore Lucy Kronenberg said that it is essential to highlight the major impacts

that this new map could have in future years. “[The map] determines what the districts will look like for the congressional districts in Pennsylvania for the next 10 years,” Kronenberg said. “It’s especially important in a state like Pennsylvania that has been a major swing state in past years and has been so close in so many elections.” The final decision on the map is still being decided on by the judge, but the implications of this decision are major, according to Hirsch. He said that a fairly drawn map means that each voter has equal power, and, thus, will validate the value of an individual’s vote. Gressman and Hirsch both predict that computational redistricting will become the status quo by the next redistricting cycle after the 2030 census, as their technology and efficacy are improving. “Computers are able to solve this problem in a way that they weren’t before,” Gressman said. “Computers can [draw maps] in a way that’s transparent and they can do it in a way that give the courts the opportunity to make sure that their priorities are being respected.”

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4 OPINION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

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OPINION Suicide is common at Penn; let’s talk about it

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2022 VOL. CXXXVIII, NO. 4 138th Year of Publication ALESSANDRA PINTADO-URBANC President PIA SINGH Executive Editor JONAH CHARLTON DP Editor-in-Chief TYLER KLIEM Design Editor TORI SOUSA News Editor EMI TUYẾTNHI TRẦN News Editor DELANEY PARKS Assignments Editor SOPHIE APFEL Copy Editor JESSE ZHANG Photo Editor ASAAD MANZAR Opinion Editor PHOEBE LEUNG Social Media Editor MATTHEW FRANK Sports Editor ESTHER LIM Sports Editor KAVEEN HAROHALLI Video Editor NICOLE ZHAO Podcast Editor GREG FERREY Business Manager RAUNAQ SINGH Technology Manager ANVIT RAO Analytics Manager BAILEY CAMPBELL Marketing Manager

Guest Column | What efforts can we take as a Penn community to combat suicide? Content warning: The following text contains mentions of suicide and can be disturbing and/or triggering for some readers. Please find resources listed at the bottom of the article. rom 2013 to 2018 — in a span of five short years — 14 Penn students died by suicide. Then on Sept. 9, 2019, the Executive Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Dr. Gregory Eells, tragically died by suicide. Yet, still to this day, we as a Penn community have barely discussed any of this, if at all. Suicide is not easy for me to write about, or for anyone really, but this needs to be addressed. While writing this column, I quite literally had no particular direction or outline of what I wanted to say. But as challenging of a topic as it may be, the conversation surrounding suicide must start somewhere, anywhere. I work for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and I absolutely love what I do, but of course it is not easy. When people inquire about my role, often I simply cannot put into words how much this work has impacted me. I have spoken with a variety of individuals while on shift, and each conversation somehow leaves me more impressed with the strength and courage we as humans have in battling suicidal thoughts and related mental health matters. I firmly believe that anybody who deals with suicide or suicidal ideation in any capacity, to whatever extent that might lead to, holds incredible strength that is practically indescribable. Suicide is never straightforward and cannot ever be plainly understood or explained. Every conversation is difficult, meaningful, and memorable for me, and I love that this work allows me to constantly learn more about something so innately

want to help, but oftentimes we simply don’t know how to. But what kind of twisted world do we live in where it is much more common to joke about suicide (i.e., “That exam made me want to kill myself”) than to hold meaningful conversations about suicide? As a student, I hear such jokes all too often. Just in case, I’ll clarify by directly asking if they mean it, and once I realize it’s just a joke, I feel disgusted. So, there are two concrete steps we can take. First, let’s open the dialogue regarding suicide, instead of dismissing or neglecting its hold. A stigmatized, perhaps unpleasant, conversation must start somewhere, but it can start anywhere. Second, let’s avoid joking about suicide, and correct such remarks if we do hear them. I think it’s the least we can do for now.

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complex to grasp. I feel proud knowing that I can somehow save lives, but it makes me so much prouder when I connect with individuals, and I can practically feel their strength and resilience. Some therapists at CAPS have spoken up regarding their concerns for suicide contagion, the process by which indirect or direct exposure to suicide can trigger similar thoughts and behaviors in susceptible individuals. Interestingly, during my own training as a suicide and crisis counselor, we learned that contagion is a largely unfounded misconception. But whether this remains a myth or not is not my place to debate. Rather, I think we can all agree that a complete lack of meaningful discourse regarding suicide only fuels stigma, perpetuates ignorance, and dismisses tragedies.

Often, people immediately hear the word “suicide” and are either extremely uncomfortable or extremely alarmed. Notably, there are a range of suicidal behaviors, from a concrete plan to suicidal ideation to everything in between. There are many other myths out there about suicide, but I am not here to educate on how we should respond if and when speaking with an individual who is struggling. Rather, I want to focus on opening up a dialogue surrounding suicide, an undoubtedly hefty subject that can affect us all to differing extents. When it comes to suicide, we often feel more comfortable discussing it anonymously or not at all. There exists a subreddit in which users can anonymously share their suicidal thoughts, behaviors, or plans. Individuals usually check up on each other and support one another despite the anonymity. There’s no doubt that people

CAMPUS RESOURCES: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 The HELP Line: 215-898-HELP Counseling and Psychological Services: 215-898-7021 (active 24/7) Student Health Service: 215-746-3535 Office of the Vice Provost for University Life: 215-898-6081 University Chaplain’s Office: 215-8988456 Reach-A-Peer Helpline: 215-573-2727 (every day from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.) 215-515-7332 (texting service available 24/7) BRIDGET YU is a College senior from Los Angeles studying psychology. Her email address is bridgtyu@sas.upenn. edu.

The dystopian reality of ‘Don’t Look Up’

College does not have to be the best years of our lives

THIS ISSUE

Iskra (The Spark) | The importance of how Netflix hit ‘Don’t Look Up’ satirized COVID-19 disinformation and climate denial

Cloobeck’s Call | Saying that “college is the best four years of our lives” sets unrealistically high expectations now and low expectations later

BECKY LEE Deputy Design Editor

LILIAN LIU Deputy Design Editor CALEB CRAIN Deputy Design Editor ALICE CHOI Deputy Design Editor SOPHIE NADEL Deputy Copy Editor AVA DOVE Deputy Copy Editor ALLYSON NELSON Deputy Copy Editor DEREK WONG Opinion Photo Editor ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL Sports Photo Editor LILIANN ZOU News Photo Editor TAJA MAZAJ Deputy Opinion Editor ANDREW YOON Deputy Opinion Editor VALERIE WANG Deputy Opinion Editor LEXI BOCCUZZI Deputy Opinion Editor CAROLINE MAGDOLEN Deputy Opinion Editor JENNIFER FRANK Copy Associate CAROLINE DONNELLY MORAN Copy Associate LAURA SHIN Copy Associate NORA YOUN Copy Associate

LETTERS 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.

etflix original “Don’t Look Up” premiered on the platform in early December, almost immediately becoming the most streamed movie on the platform. With an all-star cast composed of names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Timothée Chalamet, and more, the movie’s debut success was not a surprise. But, what I believe makes the movie especially notable is the creative commentary on the problematic politicization of science and the discrediting of the scientific community. “Don’t Look Up” follows two astrophysicists who discover a massive comet hurtling toward Earth, on a trajectory to make impact in around six months and result in mass extinction. However, the scientists are faced with disbelief, apathy, and political maneuvering at every turn — billionaires, on the other hand, just see a new venture. “Don’t Look Up,” however, is not just an entertaining film but a necessary satire of the tense relationship between the scientific community, government, and general public. While the impending climate disaster looms, positive advancements in ameliorating the crisis continually stall due to deniers of climate science and willfully ignorant politicians funded by exploitative capitalists. Accordingly, “Don’t Look Up” is consequential because of its digestibility: utilizing Hollywood stars to underscore the current conflict between science and politics. During their meeting with President Orlean, a caricature of Donald Trump, the scientists are disregarded and the science itself is ignored. The politicians’ indifference and the scientists’ incredulity draw a sharp, if not eerie, comparison to the initial mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Trump administration in which the threat was belittled and even entirely denied for political reasons. To any viewer, the whole exchange is infuriating and seems quite ridiculous — how does politics matter if everyone is dead? The refusal to acknowledge the role of science in informing prudent and necessary policy does not just apply to COVID-19, but also to the climate crisis. While our polar ice caps melt at faster rates than ever before and sea levels continue to rise, there still exist large swaths of deniers in the form of average citizens, industry tycoons, and politicians alike who downplay the severity of the threat. But the absurdity in “Don’t Look Up” doesn’t end there. After being met with ridicule and inaction from the White House, the two scientists appear on a talk show in which the hosts generally disregard the actual science. Meanwhile, a satirized version of The New York Times, worried about reputational damage, pulls media support from the scientists. Here we clearly see the fine line that has been toed by media conglomerates, who are still beholden to profits driven by viewership and readership despite their duty to inform the public, in coverage of COVID-19 and climate change. Moreover, this exchange highlights the disturbing effect that disinformation campaigns and scientific disbelief can have on supposedly objective news outlets. While

science should be incontrovertible, the politicization of the field has made it potentially toxic for media outlets. Even while the end of the world as we know it is hastening its approach as a result of climate change, profits still reign supreme. At one point in the film, the mission to destroy the comet is aborted at the behest of billionaire Peter Isherwell since it contains trillions of dollars of rare earth elements. The ease with which Isherwell is able to disrupt a planet-saving mission because of the pos-

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX, DESIGN BY ALICE CHOI

sibility of profits is unbelievable — but it is also our political reality. Oil and fossil fuel tycoons, through major campaign contributions and PAC money, push the deregulation of fossil fuels and stall climate change mitigation policy. The complex connection between capitalism, campaign financing, and policy is — not so subtly — discussed in clips of the film’s producer Adam McKay admitting that Isherwell is a caricature of tech giants such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk — both of whom have poured millions into space exploration. The film ends with the Earth being destroyed by the comet with only the ultra-rich being able to escape and survive. While the movie is intentionally dramaticized, the dangers of climate change threaten humanity in many of the same ways. Much of humanity refuses to acknowledge climate change in the same unbelievable ways. “Don’t Look Up” takes an important step in making the absurdity of climate denial — and science denial at large — abundantly clear while provoking reflection and comparison. Penn students and organizations can glean important lessons from a movie like “Don’t Look Up”: Even if seemingly paradoxical, the best way to inform communities and galvanize action is to make these issues palatable to an audience that might otherwise avoid these hard conversations. While climate change and various issues of poverty, homelessness, and more are inherently topics that are difficult to discuss, engagement with them is crucial — and such engagement necessitates elements which make understanding easy and, even occasionally, enjoyable. Given the wide popularity of “Don’t Look Up,” I don’t think it’s uncalled for to say that we need more creative media that is both appealing and thought-provoking, not just one or the other. VINAY KHOSLA is a College first year studying philosophy and political science from Baltimore, Md. His email is vkhosla@sas.upenn.edu.

ver since the COVID-19 pandemic threw the rollercoaster of life’s expectations off the rails, I have been thinking about a cliché catchphrase that “college is the best four years of your life.” I’ve heard this many times from family friends as I was growing up. While I was in high school, it seemed like this aphorism had some merit: freedom, friends, and figuring out who I want to become. What more could I ask for? However, the pandemic has taught me that the overused proverb is misleading. The adage assumes that everyone is going to have a great time in college when that is not the case. I agree with Stephanie Yoon’s June 2020 column that it is silly to think that college should be the best four years of our lives. To put my own spin on this topic, the quote puts unnecessary pressure on ourselves to maximize our time with tons of classes and extracurriculars without slowing down and learning from failure. Believing in the maxim creates a lose-lose situation: We are either disappointed with our college experience when it fails to meet our expectations, or we worry that it will be all downhill after graduating. The saying reminds me of a conversation that I had with a friend last December in Clark Park. Sitting on a bench by the statue of Charles Dickens, the sky was

expression that “college is the best years of your life” reinforces a collective expectation that college is supposed to include close-knit friendships and nights filled with social gatherings. However, these expectations are challenging to fulfill, especially during a pandemic. College is memorable not only because of the friends we make, but also because of the growing pains that we experience together. We are all figuring out how to be functioning young adults, and learning curves can be difficult to climb alone. Even before COVID-19, life at Penn was full of challenges, from balancing demanding classes and extracurriculars to finding time for self-care. Many college students, including myself, have dealt with anxiety, depression, and other mental health struggles, especially during the pandemic at Penn and elsewhere. Imagine who you were before the pandemic. Have you changed since then? I know I have. I evolved from being a performing artist to a writer interested in history, constitutional law, and government. I struggled to let go of my past self, yet I feel more at peace with it now. If we embrace change in ourselves, then we can let go of the counterproductive cliché that college is the best four years of your life. The years we spend at Penn are molded by the world events that we experience,

PHOTO BY IPEK OBEK

gray and the trees were naked of their leaves. We were talking about our respective challenges with extracurriculars that we were feeling disengaged with. At one point, she confided that she doubted that college has been the best years of her life so far. I reassured her that I felt similarly and that we would get through this year together. I am writing this column to share that if you are experiencing similar disillusionment about life these past two years, you are not alone. I have qualms with the maxim that “college is the best years of your life” because everyone’s path is unique. In my case, I took a chance on some brand-new classes that intrigued me, including the “Pursuit of Happiness”, “Benjamin Franklin & His World”, and “American Monuments”. Letting my curiosity guide me has enriched my academic experience at Penn. On the social side of things, the

and living through history can hurt. Imagine the Penn students who studied during wartime, economic depression, or past health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic just happens to be our generation-defining challenge. We have sacrificed so much: graduations, family gatherings, and countless other experiences. Some of us have lost friends, family, and neighbors to this virus. Although we have lost much, we have also grown. Although going to college during COVID-19 has been challenging, it has taught me that predicting the future is often futile. We simply have to live each day as best we can. Let’s not label which years of our lives are going to be the best before we live them. JADEN CLOOBECK is a College fourth year from Laguna Beach, Calif. studying psychology. His email address is jaden@sas.upenn.edu.

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NEWS 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Students disappointed by Penn’s failure to readily enforce COVID-19 policies Many students have noticed peers not adhering to the double-masking requirement STEPHANIE CHEN Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

Penn had announced that all eligible students, faculty, postdoctoral students, and staff are required to receive a COVID-19 booster by Jan. 31.

Students on campus reported mixed feelings about the booster mandate and shared concerns over the lack of double-masking enforcement and non-hybrid class options amid the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 variant. Between Jan. 23 and 29, the COVID-19 positivity rate has more than doubled among undergraduate students. On Dec. 21, 2021 the University had announced that all eligible students, faculty, postdoctoral students, and staff are required to receive a COVID-19 booster by Jan. 31. Elizabeth McKeown, a sophomore in the College, is immunocompromised. Getting COVID-19, she said, would be “incredibly dangerous” for her. Since the pandemic began, McKeown has rarely left her residence to avoid being infected by the virus. The booster mandate, she said, protects students like herself. “I understand that people are tired of the pandemic and want to start going out, but what I don’t think that they realize is that I do, too, you know? Disabled people want to go out, too,” McKeown said. Some students said that they felt the University’s COVID-19 policies — such as double-masking,

AMBASSADOR FRONT PAGE

interim president last week and will serve in that role until M. Elizabeth Magill begins her term as the University’s ninth president on July 1, 2022. Magill was nominated on Jan. 13, and the entire Board of Trustees will vote on her nomination in early March. While Gutmann was confirmed with bipartisan support, she faced questions from Republican senators about the University’s monetary ties to China throughout her Senate committee hearings.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT PAGE 2

Student Committee on Undergraduate Education Chair and College junior Lena Hansen said that SCUE has three main initiatives for this semester: expanding CPR training in the College House system, improving advising programs, and working on disability advocacy at Penn. “Our priority is really creating a conversation between students and administration. We’re always happy to hear from students what struggles they’re facing, particularly looking forward to the new president and seeing what advocacy work we can do in that regard,” Hansen said. According to Borlase, PSG hopes to continue its work on initiatives such as excused absences for athletes and schedule changes, as well as other dining, housing, and transit projects.

testing, and isolation — are not being enforced with enough rigor. Engineering sophomore Ismat Agwedicham said she did not see the purpose of the University policy that stipulates the use of double-masking or a KN95 or N95 mask when it is not strictly enforced. “The double masking policy shouldn’t even exist, it’s not being enforced,” she said. “You can wear a single mask and nobody would care.” McKeown said that she believes Penn’s “biggest failure” is the current amount of time allowed between COVID-19 tests which she said allows students to spread COVID-19 without being detected quickly enough. In Oct. 2021, over 9,000 students received a red PennOpen Pass for non-compliance with the biweekly testing policy. McKeown hoped that the University would revert to mandated weekly testing, as in spring 2021. Penn recently updated its isolation guidelines to match the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s policy. Fully vaccinated members of the community need to isolate for five days after a positive COVID-19 test and mask around others for an additional five days after isolation. This is in contrast to the previous 10-day isolation

requirement, according to Penn’s Quarantine and Isolation Guidance page. McKeown said that the shortening of the quarantine period to five days is “incredibly dangerous.” She said that she had seen instances in which students were released from isolation despite being symptomatic. Enforcing hybrid options for courses could be one way to protect students who are vulnerable. However, McKeown said many of her professors don’t record their lectures, and it has been difficult to obtain accommodations. “I’ve been met with a lot of pushback from teachers who say that their classes are weed-out classes, or that they’re trying to catch students who don’t care [to attend class in-person], when truly all they’re catching is COVID-19,” McKeown said. On Jan. 22, second-year doctoral student in ethnomusicology Vincent Kelley started a petition — with the assistance of fifth-year doctoral student in neuroscience Ilenna Jones — that called on Penn to revoke its booster mandate for students. “People shouldn’t be required to get a booster to protect others since the booster does not pre-

During her senate committee hearing last December, Ranking Committee Member Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) referenced a recent report from the U.S. Department of Education that showed that Penn has received $86 million in donations and contracts from China since 2014. Risch asked Gutmann to explain her role in accepting these donations, and she explained that China’s contributions do not represent a large portion of donations given to Penn, and “[the University] gets about one gift every few minutes.” In her testimony, Gutmann also spoke about how her father’s emigration from Germany at the

start of the Holocaust has impacted her percep- Biden’s presidency. Last November, 1981 Penn tions of democracy and taught her to “always Law graduate and former Board of Trustees stand up against antisemitism, racism, and all Chair David Cohen was confirmed by the Senforms of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination.” ate to serve as U.S. ambassador to Canada. Penn professors previously told The Daily U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) was one Pennsylvanian that they are confident in Gut- of six Republican senators to vote in favor of mann’s ability to rebuild the United States’ the confirmation. He released a statement conrelationship with Germany after conflicts be- gratulating Gutmann on her confirmation, writtween former President Donald Trump and for- ing that her “accomplishments as one of the mer German Chancellor Angela MerkelTimes caused longest-serving presidents of the University The Syndication Sales Corporation Corporation The New New York York Times Syndication Sales rifts between the two nations. 620 of Pennsylvania and her commitment to global Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 Information Call:leadership 1-800-972-3550 Gutmann is not the only PennFor thatCall: have prepared her well for the role Foraffiliate Information 1-800-972-3550 ForFor Release Thursday, February 2022 Release Friday, February 4,10, 2022 will be serving as a U.S. ambassador under of ambassador.”

Borlase recently submitted a proposal to the undergraduate deans which pushes for more breaks in the class schedule — a project she had been working on for a few years. Another project PSG is working on is sending a letter to Penn’s new president, M. Elizabeth Magill, describing the student needs at Penn and providing her with guidelines on what she should prioritize. The UA plans on sending out a survey to the student body within the next weeks to give students the opportunity to have their voices heard by Magill during this transitional period, Borlase said. “I have no idea how the transition to the president will be, but she has been very receptive to students so far, and so I’m hopeful that she will be very open about what she will help students with,” Borlase said.

NEWYORKTIMESCROSSWORDPUZZLE Edited by Will Shortz

SUDOKUPUZZLE

Skill Level:

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0106 No. 1231

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

vent infection from COVID-19 nor does it prevent transmission of the virus by boosted individuals who are infected,” Kelley said in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian. Some students agreed with Kelley, saying that despite receiving a booster vaccine for COVID-19, they still tested positive. “The benefits of a booster in terms of stopping transmission are not really strong. I got COVID-19 when I had three shots,” second-year doctoral student in religious studies Hallie Swanson said. Jones echoed Swanson, saying she tested positive for COVID-19 just two weeks after her booster shot. Swanson said that the health-based and transmission-based justifications for a booster mandate did not appear “tenable” to her. However, Agwedicham and McKeown both believe Penn’s booster mandate is important to ensuring the health and safety of the immunocompromised and vulnerable. “I think that people who say that ‘it’s their body, their choice’ are prioritizing their own beliefs over the health of the people around them, which I think is unfair,” Agwedicham said.

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ANDREW MORRIS LINZER PUZZLE BY MEGHAN

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Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and and more more than than 7,000 7,000 past past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 ($39.95 aa year). year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay. nytimes.com/wordplay.

8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

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Five takeaways from men’s basketball’s win over Cornell The narrow win at Cornell serves as a reality check for the state of Donahue’s strategies CARTER LYNN Sports Associate

Not even Cornell’s barrage of heckling could stop the Quakers. On Saturday, Penn men’s basketball survived a late surge by Cornell to secure its second win of the weekend, 73-68. Here are some observations from the narrow victory: 1. Hitting open threes is essential. With the three-point shot as important as it is in the modern game of basketball, teams can’t afford to lose these opportunities. Against Columbia on Friday evening, the Quakers went a measly 5-24 from three; it was the team’s 62% shooting on two-point field goals that saved its night. Coach Steve Donahue attributed this to a lack of confidence. That lack of confidence came back around on Saturday against Cornell. Penn’s offense again moved the ball well, getting open looks for their shooters. However, Penn only shot 6-24 from three, including an abysmal 1-10 in the second half. At least a dozen of those were considered “open” looks. But according to Donahue, Penn’s sharpshooters — such as Max Martz, Jonah Charles, and Clark Slajchert — will start to see their shots going in sooner rather than later. If the process is right, the shots will fall. 2. Speaking of looks at open threes, the defense is giving up too many of them. Often picking up in a full court press after made baskets, there naturally were some holes in Penn’s half-court transition defense. The Big Red were able to move to the ball well to generate open looks from the three-point line without any Quakers closing out on them. Fortunately for Penn, Cornell was only able to convert 6-29 on three-point attempts, which was in part due to the stingy defensive adjustments made at the half. 3. But the defense wasn’t all bad. In reality, aside from the open threes given up in the first half, Penn was constantly hustling on the defensive end. Just as they did the previous night against Columbia, much of Penn’s early offense was sparked by their energy on defense. Penn was able to score 19 points off of 17 turnovers. It’s not just the stats that say it. Penn’s defense passed the eye test as well. Players gang-rebounded, crashed the offensive glass, communicated well,

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

The team watches senior guard Jelani Williams’ three-point shot during its game against Columbia on Feb. 4 at the Levien Gymnasium.

had active hands, and were diving for loose balls. Penn’s star guard Jordan Dingle, for one, was on the ground a number of times lunging for 50-50 balls. When the leader of a team is making the little effort plays, it rubs off on the rest of the team. Dingle set the tone for Penn’s hustle. Columbia and Cornell “crushed us on the glass at our place, and so we talked about how important rebounding was,” Donahue said, highlighting the team’s recent emphasis on rebounding. Against Cornell, Penn out-rebounded the Big Red 45-40. 4. The center rotation has been put in a crunch lately. Missing big men Max Lorca-Lloyd and Michael Wang, Donahue has elected to start Michael Moshkovitz. His backup? Freshman Nick Spinoso.

Spinoso’s hustle on the defensive end and passing ability out of the post on offense has opened up new doors for Donahue. Against Columbia and Cornell, however, Spinoso has struggled to produce. The Red and Blue could certainly use LorcaLloyd and Wang back in the rotation soon. Until then, Donahue has rolled out a new lineup to fill the void. 5. Without a center to anchor the second unit, Donahue’s small-ball lineup has dominated the court. For small-ball to be successful, a team needs five perimeter players who can all shoot it from deep. By employing either Jelani Williams or Martz at what would be the center position, the Quakers have just that.

The other key to Penn’s small-ball success? The emergence of sophomore guard-forward Andrew Laczkowski. Providing a nice offensive spark, Laczkowski scored 22 points, including 3-6 from three, over the two games at Columbia and Cornell. Against Cornell, Laczkowski notched a game-high +18 in the plus/minus. “You could see he had some nervous energy some of these games,” Donahue said after the Columbia game. “But every day in practice, he’s hustling, he’s making shots, he’s cutting, he plays with great energy, and he’s got good size.” With the way Laczkowski has been playing the past few games, it won’t be long before he’s a consistent regular in Penn’s lineup.

Track and Field etches multiple new records into the history books Multiple freshman athletes are among the new Penn record holders JOYCE DAVIS Sports Associate

Effective training, dedicated coaches, and resilient spirit have, according to coach Steve Dolan, turned the Penn track and field program into one that boasts impressive results at competitions with consistent success. This year, the consistent success now characteristic of the Penn program has continued. The Quakers concluded the first month of the new year with several new entries into their record book. Just over a month into the season, women’s indoor track already set 10 new records, while the men have added 14 new entries. And they are only just getting ready for the peak of the season. “We actually compete each week, and the goal is to keep getting better so we’re kind of building momentum towards the end of the season,” Dolan said. Among the new records are some freshman names. Freshman sprinter Caia Gelli is up and running, making a name for herself on the team and setting new program records like a welcome habit. Gelli made it to top-ten in the 400-meter dash with an impressive time of 56.22 seconds, placing her right below alumna Paige Madison, who ran 56.03 seconds back in 2010. Gelli also ran 24.29 seconds in the 200 dash, placing her fifth on the all-time leaderboard. According to Dolan, support from the team has been instrumental to the Gelli’s early career success. Freshman distance runner Bronwyn Patterson also showed off her skills in the mile, running for an impressive time of 4:45.82, putting her in third place for the fastest time behind alumnae Maddie Villalba and Ashley Montgomery. “It is a big adjustment to college because most of the athletes on our team, across all event groups, were sort of stars in high school on their teams or even in the state levels and so forth,” Dolan said. “It is a big adjustment when you’re in college and everybody is a really strong competitor.” On the men’s side, the freshmen are also proving their need for speed, notching times that place them high up in the Penn record books. Freshman mid-distance runner Edwin Klanke placed seventh on the top 10 800 list with a

strong time of 1:50.94. Freshman Titus Bretzke caught up right behind him with a time of 1:51.05. “The nice thing now, if you look at our schedule, [is that] we’re heading into our fifth indoor track meet,” Dolan said. “So at this point, I think a lot of the freshmen are getting more comfortable and acquainted with the college level and are able to compete.” Veteran members on the team are also showing their affinity for achievement, setting records of their own. Senior distance runner Ray Sellaro notched a top-three time on the 1,000, running 2:23.57 — 27 milliseconds from second place

and 45 milliseconds from first place. Sellaro also set the second-highest time for the mile run with a time of 3:57.89, only 86 milliseconds away from the all-time record. Senior Enoch Cheung had the fourth-highest all-time in hurdles with a time of 8.06 seconds, and senior jumper Tamara Grahovac made it into the top 10 with a skilled 11.78-meter jump. Of course, setting all these records requires that the athletes have the right mindset and stay motivated, which Dolan centers as an important focus for the team. “Everyone gets a little nervous and anxious right before a competition, but in the training,

we prepare them well so they know what to expect,” Dolan said. “And they feel confident in themselves and the work they’ve done in practice.” Ahead of the meet this past weekend, Dolan shared his strategy on preparing the team for further opportunities to make history. “We’re actually a couple [of ] weeks away from the Ivy League Championships, so we really want the team to be the best by then,” Dolan said. “We also have [the] outdoor season to come, so it’s not specific to one week. It’s kind of getting better each week, which is our main philosophy.”

Now-senior Enoch Cheung wins first place in the 110-meter hurdles during the Philadelphia Metropolitan Collegiate Invitational at Franklin Field on April 24, 2021.

PHOTO BY CHASE SUTTON

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SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022

The geography of the men’s fencing team

DESIGN BY TYLER KLIEM

From seven states and four countries, the fencing team comes from a variety of backgrounds DOMINIK BONDY Sports Associate

Sixty percent of the Quaker men’s fencing team hails from just four states, and that isn’t just a coincidence. Most players on the team came to Penn from the most prestigious fencing clubs in their regions, and the 20person squad features fencers from seven different states and four countries. As with their diverse backgrounds, many fencers had unique experiences as high school athletes. Raymond Zhao, a junior from Atlanta, competed in Nellya Fencers Club throughout high school, which makes a shortlist of distinguished clubs in the United States. “For the age groups between 1999 to 2001, [Nellya Fencers] churned out, for boys and girls, around 12 out of the top 15 fencers in the country,” Zhao said. When Zhao was still an aspiring collegiate fencer, Nellya Fencers was the best option among an already limited selection. Outside of California and New York City — which each host several top-tier clubs — those looking to fence at a higher level naturally gravitate

toward the top club in their area. USA Fencing only has around 40,000 registered members, and the sport becomes quite costly at a competitive level, which limits potential expansion. To stand out as a high school fencer, excelling within high school athletics is not enough. Joining a club is almost a necessity, and dues are expensive, with equipment and travel fees proving the same story. With higher than normal barriers to entry, USA Fencing is already at a disadvantage to maximize youth potential. But another threat to the sport’s expansion has been that fencing culture is not always focused around a love for the sport. As a high school fencer, Zhao recognized that the desire to attend elite universities underpinned a lot of his clubmates’ motivations. “To be honest, it’s a cash grab for a lot of coaches. People are obsessed with the notion of getting into Ivies from fencing, and then [the coaches] use their athletes really promotionally sometimes,” Zhao said. This was also understood and often even promoted by the coaches, who marketed their services as a means of both reaching top aspirations within fencing, but also for improving chances to get into prestigious colleges. Bryce Louie, a sophomore from Los Angeles, had a contrasting experience with his top-tier club. He, along with freshman Eric Yu, attended Los Angeles International Fencing Center, which had four first team

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All-Americans for the 2019-20 fencing season. But he didn’t view his experience as transactional or superficial to any degree. “My fencing coach is my second father, and I’ve traveled the world with him. I would take a bullet for him — I love him that much,” Louie said. “Through our camps and training sessions we developed a relationship. … My coach developed my character as a fencer and as a person.” Louie lived in an urban, less affluent part of central Los Angeles, which was certainly an anomaly among most of his peers in the sport. He had to consistently commute upwards of an hour to attend his training sessions, a rather unique experience for top fencers from New York City and California, who have the liberty of multiple clubs to choose from. While the United States has a distinct, affluent fencing culture, most parts of Europe and the rest of the world are exceedingly different. Finn McMullan, a freshman from Northern Ireland, pursued fencing through a vastly separate experience from many of his American peers. Living outside of Belfast in a small town called Comber, McMullan began his fencing journey because of a natural affinity for swords. “I live in a rural sort of area, on an old farmhouse,” McMullan said. “I used to swing sticks at what I pretended to be invisible bad guys when I was quite small

— maybe five, six, seven years old. Eventually, I asked my mom if I could do something with swords, so she Googled around and came up with fencing.” There was no prominent culture or true fencing community in Northern Ireland, and while many of his peers were having near-daily practices at their top-tier fencing clubs, McMullan would practice three or four times a week in a local school gym. “My fencing club, on an average night, would have maybe six to seven fencers, plus one to two coaches,” McMullan said. But this was quite the norm for European fencing, and, outside of a few larger fencing institutions scattered throughout the continent, many of McMullan’s peers had similar experiences. “There are a lot of nice facilities available in the U.S., and in Europe, I see less of them,” McMullan said. “Some clubs definitely have them; I know Paris has a club or two with a lot of those types of facilities. However, I think overall, Europe doesn’t have the same resources as Americans have with regards to facilities.” While the Penn men’s fencing team comes from a wide array of different perspectives and experiences, they have gathered in Philadelphia to compete as a team in Red and Blue. And by fighting as a team for each other every single day, they’re bonded by something far greater than their places of origin.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 VOL. CXXXVIII NO. 4

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Penn men’s squash claims Ivy League title with undefeated season

Junior Saksham Choudhary beats Cornell’s Nicholas Errington in three sets on Feb. 6 at the Penn Squash Center.

The team — ranked No. 1 in the nation — claimed Penn’s first outright Ivy League title since 1969 Esther Lim Senior Sports Editor

The last time Penn men’s squash claimed the Ivy League title outright was in 1969. But this past weekend, in his fifth year of leading the program, Penn alumnus and coach Gilly Lane led the team to claim the highest conference honor of winning the title outright, for only the second time in program history. After a dramatic close competition against Princeton on the Tigers’ grounds, the Quakers clinched their first Ivy League title since 1974. And with the 9-0 win against Cornell at home the following day, Penn closed its regular season with an immense

record of 16-0 overall and 6-0 Ivy. Penn stormed into the start of the season with high-sighted goals, and made clear its intentions by toppling each of its first four opponents 9-0 in a single weekend. It was the first time Penn men’s squash entered the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, and with a roster bolstered with All-Americans and familiar returnees from its No. 2 seeded team of 2019-20, anticipations were remarkably intense. The campaign was fronted by four captains this season, with graduate student Andrew Douglas guarding a reliable stance in first position. “He’s achieved so much here at Penn,” coach Gilly Lane reflected at the start of the season, “and he’s already gonna go down as one of the best players to ever play at this program, I feel. We just feel really fortunate to have him back.” Another familiar return was graduate student Yash Bhargava, who co-captained with Douglas for

the 2020-21 season. Bhargava stood with a reliable senior pairing of Aly Abou Eleinen and James Flynn at the front of the lineup. The four totaled to 38 wins and just six losses, with Abou Eleinen remaining undefeated for 14 wins. “I think we did a good job,” Abou Eleinen told The Daily Pennsylvanian after the Quakers’ second four-match weekend. “Obviously, we rank No. 1 in the country right now, so we have all the pressure on us, and every team is trying to show up and beat us.” While seniors Krish Bhavnani and Zach Bradlow did not see much action on the courts, they did not drop any matches played. Junior Saksham Choudhary also posted an undefeated season with 13 wins. Fellow junior Dillon Huang came close, dropping just one match this season. Together with Brian Cowhey, Tushar Shahani, and Alexander Trauber, the junior class totaled to 35 wins and two losses. Although the sophomores and freshmen entered

PHOTO BY DIEGO CÁRDENAS

the season with the same level of collegiate inexperience, they posted results while playing in high positions, signaling an optimistic future for the program. Sophomores Dana Santry and Nick Spizzirri, who have been teammates since high school, remained reliable through the winter and stood strong in the lineup to secure Penn’s undefeated season. Freshman Nathan Kueh played the most matches among the first years with 12 wins and one loss, followed by Roger Baddour and Shaam Gambhir. They totaled to 27 wins and two losses, an immense debut season under the pressure of meeting the expectations of a nationally first-ranked team. Already coach Lane and his team have etched their names rightfully into Penn squash history. But with the strength of the underclassmen and the leadership of nationally recognized players, perhaps this success will continue into a Red and Blue tradition.

Sixteen Penn swimmers say teammate Lia Thomas should not be allowed to compete The student-athletes wrote that Thomas was taking “competitive opportunities” away from them, particularly spots in the Ivy League championship meet EASHWAR KANTEMNENI Deputy Sports Editor

Sixteen members of Penn’s swimming team are requesting that University and Ivy League officials refrain from taking legal action against updates to the NCAA transgender athlete policy — which could prevent teammate Lia Thomas from competing in events. The student-athletes wrote in their anonymous letter that Thomas was taking “competitive opportunities” away from them, particularly spots in the Ivy League championship meet, as originally reported by The Washington Post. Earlier this month, the Penn women’s swimming and diving team released a statement via Penn Athletics that expressed support towards Thomas’ participation. The University and the Ivy League have both previously released statements in support of Thomas’ ability to compete on the women’s team, and Penn Athletics said in a statement to ESPN on Jan. 20 that it will work to support Thomas’ eligibility for upcoming NCAA swimming competitions. While the Ivy League recently confirmed to Swimming World Magazine that Thomas will be able to compete in the upcoming Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships scheduled for Feb. 16-19, it is still unclear whether Thomas will be eligible to participate in the NCAA Championships scheduled for March 16-19. The NCAA announced on Jan. 19 that it will defer authority for eligibility to the national governing body of each sport on a sport-by-sport basis. The organization USA Swimming is now responsible SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

PHOTO BY SUKHMANI KAUR

Senior Lia Thomas competes in the women’s 200-yard freestyle during a swim meet against Dartmouth and Yale at Sheerr Pool on Jan. 8.

for providing eligibility guidelines, and recently released new guidelines for transgender athlete eligibility. The new Athletic Inclusion, Competitive Equity and Eligibility Policy by USA Swimming establishes that transgender women must maintain a concentration of testosterone in their serum at less than five nanomoles per liter for at least 36 months before the date of application, and also provide evidence that they do not have a competitive advantage over cisgender female competitors. The Olympic standard for transgender athletes is 10 nanomoles per liter, double the new USA Swimming standard. It is unclear whether or not this policy shift will impact Thomas’ NCAA eligibility, as she began her medical transition in 2019. The latest policies

also require that swimmers provide proof of medical documentation of having at least one year of testosterone-suppression treatment and will need to provide a one-time serum to ensure that their testosterone level is below the allowable amount for the sport. Thomas has undergone more than two years of hormone replacement therapy. Additionally, the NCAA press release urged “flexibility to allow for additional eligibility if a transgender student-athlete loses eligibility based on the policy change provided they meet the newly adopted standards.” Members of the women’s swimming team wrote in their letter that they “fully support Lia Thomas in her decision to affirm her gender identity and to transition from a man to a woman,” but wrote that when it came to sports, on the other hand, “the

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biology of sex is a separate issue from someone’s gender identity.” They added in the anonymous letter that Thomas, if eligible, may be able to break NCAA women’s swimming records, and alleged that this would not be possible if she had been competing on the men’s team. Shortly after the members sent the letter, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill preventing transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in the state, becoming the 10th state in the United States with such a law. Pennsylvania is not among these states. The NCAA has previously come out against these bans, saying that it “firmly and unequivocally supports” the right of transgender athletes to participate in sports in an April comment. CONTACT US: 215-422-4640