February 15, 2024

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PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024

VOL. CXL

NO. 5

Penn moves to dismiss student lawsuit alleging poor response to antisemitism “The Complaint sweeps through decades of unconnected alleged incidents in search of a narrative,” University attorneys wrote in a response to the suit VIVI SANKAR Staff Reporter

Penn moved late Monday evening to dismiss a lawsuit brought by two students alleging that the University responded inadequately to antisemitism on campus.

In a 46-page brief viewed by The Daily Pennsylvanian, the University forcefully pushed back against a complaint

by College senior Eyal Yakoby and College first year Jordan Davis. The two students alleged in a December filing that Penn violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by subjecting them to a “pervasively hostile educational environment” that is discriminatory against Jews.

Attorneys for Penn said that the student plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed because the University’s efforts to combat antisemitism are ongoing. The attorneys claimed that Penn responded quickly and comprehensively to various incidents of hate that occurred during the fall 2023 semester, and they said this demonstrates that the students do not have standing to sue under Title VI. “The tragic events of October 7 have posed challenges for universities across the country. Penn is no different in that regard,” the attorneys wrote. “But this lawsuit is not the right vehicle to figure out the way forward.”

The brief marks the first response to the students’ 84page lawsuit by the University, which is being represented

by WilmerHale in the proceedings. A Penn spokesperson declined a request for comment from the DP, while Yakoby and Davis also did not respond to requests for comment.

Yakoby and Davis are represented by the Kasowitz Benson Torres team led by partners Marc E. Kasowitz, Daniel R. Benson, Mark P. Ressler, and Andrew L. Schwartz.

Kasowitz called the motion to dismiss “meritless” in a press release, asserting that “the antisemitic hatred, See ANTISEMITISM, page 2

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

DENTAL DEAN’S LEGAL DISPUTE Penn Dental School and its dean Mark Wolff — who also chairs the University’s antisemitism task force — are facing a lawsuit alleging retaliation to a department chair’s reported sexual misconduct ELLA SOHN Assignments Editor

Penn’s School of Dental Medicine and its dean are engaged in an ongoing legal battle with a former school administrator, who claims that he faced termination in retaliation for raising a sexual misconduct complaint.

Todd Singer — who served as the Dental School’s assistant dean for intramural and extramural affairs from 2019-2021 — first filed a lawsuit against the Dental School and Dean Mark Wolff in December 2022. In the suit, Singer alleged that he was pressured to leave his job after he complained of “sexually explicit and harassing conduct” toward his assistant by the chair of the school’s periodontics department. This conduct allegedly included nude images sent over a personal and Penn-affiliated email.

The department chair, professor Rodrigo Neiva, reports to Wolff and has been employed by Penn since 2019, though the central events of the complaint occurred throughout 2021. Proceedings in Singer’s lawsuit continued throughout the fall 2023 semester, with the latest developments

occurring as recently as January 2024.

Singer is suing under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 — which prohibit retaliation against an individual for reporting employment discrimination and sexual harassment, respectively. The lawsuit alleges that Penn — with Wolff’s assistance — acted to “conceal the conduct complained of

by Dr. Singer in the hope that it would not be subject to reporting or punishment” under Title IX. In addition to serving as dean, Wolff currently chairs the University’s task force on antisemitism, which was formed in November 2023. The task force has met consistently over the past few months to provide recommendations and policy solutions to combat antisemitism on campus.

Singer’s original complaint, which was filed in the Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania, also alleges a violation

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

See DENTAL, page 3

Penn Dental Dean Mark Wolff.

Students ‘panicked and puzzled’ by competitive Wharton club applications Applicants voiced frustration about clubs prioritizing personal connections and technical abilities JAMIE KIM Staff Reporter

university to offer a bachelor’s degree in AI in 2018.

Several students and faculty members voiced excitement and anticipation of the news of the new major.

“We are thrilled to offer a cutting-edge undergraduate program that will empower Penn Engineering students to become leaders and innovators in AI,” UPS Foundation Professor of Transportation in Penn Engineering George Pappas — who will be leading the program — said.

Pappas added that in addition to foundational AI skills, the curriculum will educate students on the widespread impacts of AI in engineering.

The semesterly process of applying to Wharton clubs is stressful, competitive, and often unfair, multiple students told The Daily Pennsylvanian — despite recent efforts to regulate the application process.

Students have previously voiced frustration to the DP about clubs with single-digit acceptance rates and multistage application processes, particularly when looking to meet new people and learn more about chosen interests.

Written applications typically precede one to two rounds of evaluative interviews before clubs notify applicants of their decisions, according to students.

The written portion of the standardized spring club application process for Wharton clubs closed on Feb. 2.

The Wharton Council, which regulates Wharton club recruitment, has made efforts to make the application process more equitable over the past several years. Regulations implemented include a standardized application, uniform decision notification dates, and restrictions on conducting group interviews.

Wharton senior Erin Feng — the co-President of Global Research Consulting — told the DP that the club receives in excess of 100 to 200 applications each cycle.

The club currently has 70 active members, according to its website. She said that their team reviews applications on an objective scoring system based on both behavioral and technical elements.

Wharton senior and GRC co-President Shana Ahemode additionally told the DP that the club hosts wellness events and workshops to help applicants prepare for the technical portion of the interview process.

However, students say some clubs have implemented processes that circumvent these initiatives by turning to personal connections.

“It’s very reliant on who you know,” Huntsman Program first year Shubham Dixit — who applied for clubs this application cycle — said. He felt that optional coffee

See AI, page 3

See CLUBS, page 2

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Amy Gutmann Hall, set to open this summer, will be the home of the new artificial intelligence major.

Penn to offer undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence, the first in the Ivy League Students and faculty expressed excitement for the new engineering degree, which will be available next school year GABRIEL STEINBERG Staff Reporter

Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science announced on Tuesday that it was launching a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence.

The Raj and Neera Singh Program in AI — which will become available to students in fall 2024 — is the first of its kind offered in the Ivy League, and one of the first AI undergraduate engineering degree programs offered at a major United States university. The curriculum consists of courses in machine learning, computing algorithms, cognitive science, and electrical and systems engineering, among others.

According to an Engineering School press release, students in the program will be “empowered to develop responsible AI tools that can harness the full knowledge available on the internet,” allowing them to make transformative SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

scientific discoveries and health care breakthroughs.

The program’s courses will be taught in Penn Engineering’s newest building, Amy Gutmann Hall.

Students pursuing the degree choose at least one course unit from several AI-specific categories, according to Penn Engineering’s website.

Options include Introduction to AI, Machine Learning, Signals & Systems, Optimization & Control, Vision & Language, and AI Project — in which 30% of the course grade is awarded for an AI development.

Students can also concentrate in robotics, vision/language, machine learning, data/society, and health/systems.

Carnegie Mellon University was the first U.S.

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2 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

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Penn’s ‘supersonic woman’ Katalin Karikó featured in Pfizer Super Bowl commercial Karikó, an adjunct professor at Penn, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine alongside Drew Weissman for their work on mRNA vaccine technology SAMEEKSHA PANDA Staff Reporter

2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine laureate and adjunct professor of neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine Katalin Karikó was featured in Pfizer’s Super Bowl commercial on Sunday.

The commercial promoted the biopharmaceutical company’s 175-year history, contextualizing its efforts to “outdo” cancer as the “next fight” among science’s greatest breakthroughs. Karikó was featured alongside female medical trailblazers Marie Maynard Daly and Rosalind Franklin, as well as other renowned scientists like Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, and Einstein.

During the 60-second advertisement, named “Here’s to Science,” Karikó was shown in a newspaper clipping that described how her pioneering work on mRNA technology exemplifies the role of women in advancing medical science.

The photo of Karikó comes to life to sing words of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” singing the last words of the line, “I wanna make a supersonic woman of you.”

Karikó shared her appearance in the commercial alongside other famous scientists in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “It can’t be better than that.”

Karikó told the Philadelphia Business Journal that she

knew about Pfizer’s Super Bowl commercial in advance and watched it with her family members on the phone.

Her work alongside Penn Medicine researcher Drew Weissman on mRNA vaccine technology — for which they won the Nobel Prize — served as the foundation for the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in 2020. Their groundbreaking 2005 study found that mRNA can be modified in the laboratory to reduce RNA’s inflammatory potential and produce higher amounts of antigenic protein.

Over 500 million doses of these two vaccines have been administered in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Karikó and Weissman have since won a multitude of awards for their research. Among others, they won the Dean’s Distinguished Award — which was awarded by then-Penn Medicine Dean Larry Jameson — along with the 2021 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award and the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

The duo have also been named TIME Magazine’s Heroes of the Year, and were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

DEREK WONG | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Students voiced specific concerns about applications’ competitiveness and the necessity to have connections.

CLUBS, from FRONT PAGE chats were an additional evaluative round in the recruitment process.

Dixit added that clubs that encouraged students without previous experience to apply seemed to evaluate technical abilities through all parts of their recruitment processes.

“It honestly just left me really panicked and puzzled,” Dixit said.

Others described the process as random, stating that club applications have become a game of volume rather than a way to pursue true interest.

Wharton first year Sakyo Maeda — who also applied to various consulting clubs this application season — explained that the low chances of receiving membership to certain clubs encourages a “shooter method” where students apply to as many clubs as possible in hopes of receiving admission to at least a few.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Katalin Karikó speaks at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine after winning the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

ANTISEMITISM, from FRONT PAGE discrimination, and harassment permeating Penn’s campus has if anything worsened.”

“Rather than trying to avoid responsibility, Penn should be instituting the kind of effective measures outlined in the lawsuit necessary to protect its Jewish students who fear for their safety,” Kasowitz wrote. “Instead, Penn is engaging in the equivocation and denial and, yes, indifference that its former president so callously and disastrously displayed during the recent Congressional hearings.”

Throughout the filing, Penn sought to demonstrate that it has not been “indifferent” to antisemitism or intentionally discriminated against Jewish students, as Yakoby and Davis suggest. Attorneys cited the University’s ongoing implementation of a plan to combat antisemitism announced last November, as well as continuing probes into various incidents of hate.

“Although Plaintiffs color their Complaint with conclusory assertions that Penn acted unreasonably or improperly, their allegations instead make clear that whenever Penn has been made aware of any incidents of alleged or actual antisemitism, its response has been conscientious, forceful, and thorough,” attorneys wrote.

Yakoby and Davis’ lawsuit sought relief including tuition refunds and requiring Penn to end discriminatory policies and practices against Jewish students. It also requested that the University take preventative measures — including terminating the employment of allegedly antisemitic faculty and staff, expelling students who engage in antisemitic behavior, and instilling mandatory antisemitism training for Penn community members.

But Penn’s attorneys said the students’ complaint “sweeps through decades of unconnected alleged incidents in search of a narrative” and added that a lawsuit cannot legally force changes to Penn’s policies and procedures. Even still, many of the students’ allegations did not constitute illegal conduct — even if they were controversial, the attorneys wrote.

“Plaintiffs devote 29 paragraphs to Penn’s decision not to shut down the Palestine Writes Literature Festival,” the attorneys wrote. “But Penn’s decision not to shut down

Maeda told the DP that an essay he reused from the previous application cycle got him an interview with a club that he was rejected from when he used it before.

“It’s a process we have to go through, but you might as well shoot your shot,” Maeda said. “You just throw all your efforts out there and wish for the best because you don’t know which clubs you’ll hear back from.”

Wharton senior and Wharton Council co-Chair Ashley Song told the DP that making club recruitment fair and low-stress is a collaborative effort.

“We can enforce a lot of policies, but at the end of the day we share the work with students in making sure that it’s not an overwhelming part of student life,” Song said.

Song encouraged club leaders to be mindful in ensuring they are not causing undue burdens on their applicants.

Maeda, however, told the DP that he believes more can be done. He suggested implementing a limit on the number of clubs students can apply to, stating this could encourage students to only apply to clubs in which they are truly interested. speech that Plaintiffs dislike is not a violation of the law.”

The University also indicated that it may still pursue disciplinary action in response to incidents of hate that occurred last semester, given that some probes have not yet concluded or are being kept private in keeping with “relevant laws and policies regarding student privacy.” Attorneys also repeatedly noted the precedent of academic freedom, which they said invalidates any legal liability for “Penn’s decision not to censor or discipline pure political speech.”

WilmerHale, the firm representing Penn, helped former Penn President Liz Magill prepare for the Dec. 5, 2023 congressional hearing on antisemitism. The testimony from that hearing ultimately contributed to her resignation four days later. The law firm also represents the University on a price-fixing class-action lawsuit that alleges Penn and 15 other private schools colluded to reduce need-based financial aid.

The ongoing legal action follows a series of incidents that the plaintiffs argue contribute to a hostile atmosphere. They cite a perceived lack of adequate response from the University administration, graffiti, and allegedly antisemitic speech — including phrases like “intifada revolution” and “from the river to the sea.”

The plaintiffs have asserted that Penn failed to enforce its own policies to protect Jewish students from discrimination, harassment, and intimidation. The seven policies they claim the University violated include the Code of Student Conduct, Guidelines on Open Expression, Penn’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy, and the Faculty Handbook.

“Penn must be forced to protect its Jewish students and stop applying a double standard when it comes to antiJewish bigotry,” Mark Ressler — a partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres who is representing the students — wrote in a statement to the DP after the lawsuit was filed in December.

The allegations are part of a growing national lens on antisemitism in higher education, which has spawned multiple federal investigations and probes into Penn specifically. The lawsuit is partially funded by the Combat Campus Antisemitism Foundatin, which is also helping to fund similar lawsuits at other universities, including Harvard, according to the Kasowitz press release.

“Penn has not decided against pursuing disciplinary measures; it simply has not concluded its investigations and disciplinary proceedings,” attorneys wrote.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Penn asked for the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging a weak response to antisemitism on campus.

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NEWS 3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Penn professor, renowned climate scientist Michael Mann wins over $1 million in defamation suit Mann – a professor in the department of Earth & Environmental Sciences — won a suit against two right-wing bloggers on Feb. 9 ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporter

ELLIE PIRTLE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Former Polish President and Nobel Laureate Lech Wałesa spoke about the future of democracy in Europe at Perry World House on Feb. 12.

Former Poland president speaks at Penn about future of democracy Wałęsa discussed how prospects for democracy have changed globally, given threats posed by Russia to Ukraine and the rest of the Western world, and shared his hopes for the future CHARLOTTE COMSTOCK Contributing Reporter

Former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa spoke at Perry World House about geopolitics and the future of democracy in front of over 100 Penn community members on Feb. 12.

Trudy Rubin, a journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer and visiting fellow at PWH, moderated the conversation. Wałęsa discussed how prospects for democracy have changed globally, given threats posed by Russia to Ukraine and the rest of the Western world, and shared his hopes for the future.

“You are a generation that has a chance of using our success today to achieve a true democracy,” Wałęsa said to the audience. “If you don’t succeed in your trials, you will curse me and our whole generation.”

Wałęsa led Poland’s first independent trade union, Solidarity, and played a key role in the country’s transition from communism to a liberal democracy. In 1990, he became the country’s first democratically elected president since 1926. When Wałęsa received the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, his wife Danuta accepted the award on his behalf, as he feared the government would not let him back into the country.

Rubin previously interviewed Wałęsa in the Polish city Gdańsk in 1989, when many Eastern European countries were on the brink of democratization.

At the event, Wałęsa explained that Russia and China are blocking further democratization by using old political methods, such as eliminating term limits for leaders. He recommended a reconstruction of governmental and economic systems.

“For building something new, we need to

strip the original foundations,” he said. “We need to establish an agreement for what kind of values we are going to adopt. Half of the world wants to build based on liberties, freedoms, and free markets, while the other half thinks this is not a good idea. We cannot get out of this division.”

Echoing the sentiments of the Cold War, Wałęsa characterized the division as a split between capitalism and communism. He noted the appeal of communism in theory.

“Many young people support communism because there are so many nice things written in it, like justice and equality,” he said. “But they do not know that it is impossible to achieve this.

Nobody succeeded at building communism, and for a long time, no one will succeed.”

Wałęsa, who has a background as an electrician, proposed his own “electrician’s equation” for measuring democracy.

“There are three elements, each counting for 30%,” he said. “Firstly is the constitution and rule of law, secondly is civic engagement, and thirdly — the power of the dollar. 10%, I leave purely to pleasure.”

In order to continue fighting for democracy, Wałęsa said that young people first need to understand which element they want to improve.

In Poland, he calculated that the level of democracy is under 50%, so he sees the battle as incomplete.

Wałęsa accompanied his words with an occasional witty remark. When asked what he is most wary of, he mentioned several things: first, Godand his wife, and second, Russia and China.

Wharton first year Kaiden Carey said that he found Wałęsa’s comments on the practical

The 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science: A Conversation with Dr. Aldon Morris Moderated by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi

failures of communism interesting, considering that Wałęsa spent his whole life fighting against communism.

“More and more young people are thinking about communism, but they haven’t seen the effects of it not working like he has, like other people from the Eastern bloc have,” Carey said.

College first year Pètra de Beer, who is from South Africa, said that she found Wałęsa remarks relatable and inspirational.

“So many of the takeaways, the ways [Wałęsa] discusses and looks at democracy, are so similar to the ways we look at it in South Africa,” she said. “The lessons are really universal.”

PWH organized the event in cooperation with the Philomathean Society, Penn’s oldest student organization. The society holds an annual oration each year inviting a notable figure to speak at Penn. Previous speakers include public intellectual Cornel West and primatologist Jane Goodall.

Wharton junior Michal Wyrebkowski, an international student from Poland, served as the Philomathean Society’s annual oration director this year. He said that he chose Wałęsa for his respected reputation in Eastern Europe and status as the only living person remaining from TIME’s list of most influential statesmen of the 20th century, among other reasons.

Wałęsa left the audience with his hopes for the future and belief that the best way to help accelerate the transition of Russia to democracy is not through armed conflict, but rather through peaceful negotiations and transformation of the political system.

“Based on trial and error in the 80s, we figured out we have to [fight communism] in the Solidarity spirit — not using weapons,” he said.

Penn professor Michael Mann was awarded more than $1 million in a defamation lawsuit settled last week.

Mann — a professor in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences — won the lawsuit against bloggers Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn Feb. 9. The case argued that Simberg, a former adjunct fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Steyn, a contributor to the National Review, had defamed him in a series of blog posts discrediting his climate change research in 2012.

In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Mann wrote, “there was no question” that the trial took time out of his schedule, adding that he would have rather spent the time mentoring students or teaching.

“But there was an important principle at stake here, and I had to see this through to its (fortunately, successful) conclusion,” Mann added.

Mann first filed the suit in 2012 following the publication of Steyn and Simberg’s blog. The pair claimed that Mann had manipulated his data and compared him to Jerry Sandusky, a convicted child molester who served as a football coach at Penn State. They also drew special attention to Mann’s “Hockey Stick” graph which depicted rising historical temperatures, and accused him of “scientific and academic misconduct.”

Pete Fontiane, a lawyer who represented Mann, called the decision a “big victory for truth and scientists everywhere” in a written statement sent to the DP. “[The] verdict vindicates Mike Mann’s good name and reputation,” Fontaine added.

During the trial, both Steyn and Simberg testified that they believed what they wrote in the blog post, according to The New York Times.

“We always said that Mann never suffered any actual injury from the statement at issue. And today, after twelve years, the jury awarded him one dollar in compensatory damages,” Melissa Howes, Steyn’s manager, wrote to the DP. “The punitive damage award of one million dollars will have to face due process scrutiny under U.S. Supreme Court precedent,” Howes added.

An attorney for Simberg did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Mann taught at Penn State for 17 years before beginning his tenure at Penn in 2022 and is regarded as “among the world’s most renowned climate scientists,” according to NPR. His X account, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has more than 200,000 followers.

In addition to his professorship, Mann serves as the director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media. According to its website, the center “focuses on the challenges and opportunities in communicating climate and environmental sustainability to the public and policymakers.”

While Mann wrote that he “wouldn’t expect or want” the University to be formally involved with the lawsuit and its subsequent proceedings, “the outpouring of support from my colleagues here at Penn has reinforced the strong affinity I have for this particular institution.”

The six-person jury reached a unanimous decision following the monthlong trial in the District of Columbia Superior Court. Simberg and Steyn were each found guilty of defamation and were ordered to pay one dollar each in compensatory damages and $1 million and $1,000 in punitive damages, respectively.

NOTHING SAYS I love you

Friday, February 23, 2024

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Moderated by: Dr. Tukufu Zuberi The Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations

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4 OPINION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Opinion

140th Year of Publication

THIS YEAR’S BOARD

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Love is alive at Penn

CHAT WITH CHLOE | Real-life rom-coms exist on campus

MOLLY COHEN President

the class’s accomplishments since turning 70 and/or since the 50th reunion. Highlights were included for those classmates who changed their lives and focus after retirement and followed their passions; whether it be travel, another business, or not-for-profit endeavors. Larry was one of her chosen subjects for the film, “Class Of 1968 Not Done Yet,” to be screened at the 55th reunion Oscar party. He claims she targeted him for a bit more than that, to which she did reluctantly admit. But alas, during the interview weekend at Homecoming in 2022, he again indicated no interest in getting to know her. But he did take a few photos of the interview at the Class of 1968 Garden, and a few weeks later, he sent them to her.

She responded with a thank you note. He called her when he received it and wrote her a song: “Sitting On The Beach In Delray” to the works of “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay.” She invited him to her home in Florida that January. The rest is history.

– Karen Whitestone Carr and Louis (Larry) Miller, Class of 1968

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LETTER SUBMISSION

DESIGN BY KATRINA ITONA

Who’s your Valentine this year?

If you don’t have one yet, don’t worry. If all else fails, you can always DM your Penn Marriage Pact 30 years down the line.

Penn’s prolific hookup culture, rooted in weekends of binge-drinking and weekdays of abundant academic and professional obligations, has discouraged many students from searching for serious relationships.

For some, the comfort of low commitment and immediate sexual gratification is ideal and even empowering, but for others, not so much. No matter how you feel, the general consensus is that there is a very specific romantic, or lack thereof, culture on our campus: The default label for relationships is casual.

This all leads me to wonder: Has dating changed drastically over time? Why do we constantly complain that romance is dead?

Has romance really diminished like we believe it has, or has it always been faithfully constant and just presented in a different way?

To attempt to answer this question, prop your feet up and let me introduce you to three wonderful alumni couples: Scott and Lauren Kegler (1995 College graduates), Jennifer and Ariel Lechter (Class of 1993 graduates), and Larry Miller (1968 Engineering graduate) and Karen Carr (1968 College graduate).

When Scott met Lauren We may have missed each other if it weren’t for Senior Week in 1995. While we had a parallel existence all four years on campus — both athletes, unknowingly lived a floor apart in the Quad, members of Friars, hell, my work-study job was in the

varsity weight room for years — our paths rarely crossed, and if so, they were very cursory exchanges with little depth.

With all of the activities of Senior Week, we were out and about with our friends [when] we happened to gravitate to each other at each event. Unexpectedly, we just connected. It felt otherworldly, a bit confusing and complicated. There was nothing extraordinary happening other than [the two of us] having the time to have conversations that delved into deeper territory. We found ourselves talking quite a bit at each event.

As the week progressed, I found myself excited to see him, but I sat with these feelings for the rest of the week and tried to discard them as ephemeral Senior Week excitement.

After the graduation ceremony, we said goodbye and that we’d stay in touch. We spent a summer apart, but the conversations continued through phone calls and “snail mail” correspondence. Due to our postgraduation work arrangements, we both happened to be in [Philadelphia] in the fall of 1995, so we got together and the conversations and connection we felt continued and flourished. We’ve been married since fall of 1997.

– Lauren and Scott Kegler, Class of 1995 When Jennifer met Ariel Of course my last final exam EVER at Penn would be on the last possible day of exams. Everyone was already partying, but I was heading to the library. The library was empty, so it was easy for my girls and I to grab a big table in Rosengarten (the basement of Van Pelt Library). Oh my God! In walks Ariel, a super cute guy from Bogota, who served in the IDF and now plays rugby.

When Larry met Karen Karen and Larry didn’t know each other at Penn. Larry claims he didn’t know any women at Penn, hah! Karen first saw Larry at dinner on the Friday night of Homecoming in 2018. She thought he was quite good-looking (as did other classmates that night), but he had no interest in meeting her or anyone else at the time.

Fast forward to 2022: Karen was tapped to produce a documentary film for the 55th class reunion in May 2023. The documentary’s theme was to highlight key members of

Scott and Lauren, Jennifer and Ariel, and Karen and Larry are three charming examples of rom-com worthy meet-cutes right here on campus. They also serve as proof that dating has changed over the years. Instead of picking flowers for a bouquet like we did in the past, we pay clubs, sororities, and fraternities to deliver roses, often for a charitable cause! Instead of storybook meet-cutes, two in three Penn students resort to online dating. However, this doesn’t mean romance is dead. There is a beauty to this evolution, as getting to know different kinds of people is more accessible now than ever before. Penn’s hookup culture has always been prominent — The New York Times covered the topic 11 years ago — but somehow all three of these couples found their lifelong partners right on our campus.

Although the environment has shifted, the foundation of romance still stands. So, don’t lose hope. Maybe the love of your life is the guy sitting three rows down from you in your 200-person lecture hall that you’ve never spoken to. Maybe it’s the pretty girl you matched with on Hinge that you saw in a sweaty frat basement. Maybe it’s the person you had a 15-minute coffee chat with at Stommons. No matter who it is, I believe the stories from our alumni pointed out that love really does exist everywhere around us, albeit more silently now, right on this campus.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Quakers!

CHLOE CHEN is a College first-year from Vancouver, Canada. Her email is chloeec@sas.upenn.edu.

No, Senator, not all Asians are Chinese EMILY’S EYE | Xenophobic rhetoric has no place in American politics On Jan. 31, the leaders of many prominent social media companies testified before Congress, addressing concerns of children’s safety on their online platforms. In light of growing claims that such technology harms youth mentally and physically, the chief executives of Meta, Snap, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Discord were subject to intense interrogation from Senate members.

So, in a hearing about children’s safety, why was one leader’s citizenship status and nationality a recurring point of contention?

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was asked a whopping eight times by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) about his citizenship and connection to the Chinese government. Despite Chew repeatedly affirming that he is Singaporean, this “McCarthy-esque” questioning continued to proceed.

Because TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, there have been fears that the app poses potential security concerns and has the power to reveal sensitive information to the Chinese government. But regardless of these data breach concerns, the discussion about China was completely irrelevant to the hearing’s intended purpose: addressing children's safety on online platforms. The subject at hand revolved around the alleged risks posed by social media products, not data security. In fact, the hearing itself was titled, “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis.”

T he hea r ing’s divergence from questions about online safety to questions about citizenship and nationality — particularly addressed to the only non-white CEO testifying — demonstrates the underlying motives and racial prejudices present within Congress.

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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.

This was the story that everyone knew him by, but I didn’t know anything else about him. My interest piqued when I saw him on Halloween for a second, but there were no sightings until this moment. His really cute smile walked right up to our table and sat down. I lost it! My cheeks flushed, and I quickly escaped with the excuse of needing a snack. Later that night, still in the library, we exchanged a few smiles. My heart was definitely racing.

When senior week started, I was having a blast with my sophomore year roommate at the big event at Maui Beach Club, a perfectly cheesy bar on the river. I turned to say hi to some friends, but when I came back to [my roommate], my eyes met with Ariel’s.

[My roommate and Ariel] were about to do a shot. I said, not shy anymore, “I’ll do a shot!” Ariel then responded, “You! The beautiful girl from the library.” And that was it. 27 years married to the love of my life because I decided to study for my last exam!

– Jennifer and Ariel Lechter, Class of 1993

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Columnist Emily Chang highlights anti-Asian rhetoric in a recent Congressional hearing on social media.

Excessively grilling Chew about such topics makes it clear that Cotton was determined to find some thread connecting him to China. Both Singapore and China do not even allow dual citizenship, yet Cotton proceeded to ask multiple times if Chew was a citizen of any other nation and if he had Chinese citizenship. He also asked if Chew was a member of the Chinese Communist Party — disregarding the party requirement for members to be Chinese citizens — which Chew already established he was not. Therefore, these questions were not only offensive, but they were also a complete waste of time.

This highlights the flagrant hypocrisy that runs rampant in American politics, as other companies have experienced similar issues without the same level of scrutiny and discrimination. For example, there have been security concerns involving Apple’s connections to the Chinese government, yet the company’s white CEO was not questioned about communism.

Not only was Chew singled out in these questions about communism, but his answers were also blatantly disregarded. When asked if he had ever been associated or affiliated with the CCP, Chew sternly responded, “No, Senator. Again, I’m Singaporean.” Despite this definitive response, Cotton later asserted that he “dodged simple questions” about his relationship with the CCP. It is appalling how a clear “no” could be misconstrued as “dodging” a question, and this demonstrates how Cotton merely sought to advance his own narrative rather than actually listen to the answers being provided to him.

The fact that Chew had to repeat his Singaporean identity over and over again further exemplifies the disrespect he was forced to endure. The video footage of this interrogation is almost comical: How many times does Chew need to confirm that he is from Singapore, not China, before Cotton will finally believe him? Or is Cotton unable

to discern the difference between two Asian nationalities?

“This is absolutely phenomenal in its revelation of how racist our government is, not just because the question itself is Sinophobic, but also because it's clear that Tom Cotton can't tell Asians apart even when they tell him,” said journalist and editor Heidi Moore.

Though Chew is of Chinese descent, he has made it more than clear that his nationality is Singaporean, and only Singaporean. Just because someone is ethnically Chinese does not mean they are automatically from China and that they are automatically affiliated with the CCP. Even if Chew did hold Chinese citizenship — which he repeatedly confirmed that he does not — it would still be wrong to assume that he has any connection to communism.

To make things worse, this is not the first time Chew’s words have been ignored. Back in March 2023, he delivered his first testimony regarding TikTok security measures and online safety, but assumptions about being Chinese and being connected to the CCP had already surfaced. It is unnerving that the same xenophobic line of questioning was re-employed a year later, demonstrating how Congress chose not to listen to Chew the first time around.

Our government’s consistent expression of xenophobic rhetoric is not only disgraceful, it is dangerous. We place our trust in America’s leaders and lawmakers, but it is difficult to rely on those that remain riddled with prejudice.

As political figures continue to wield their power in advancing these beliefs, it is not surprising that such sentiment trickles into the broader culture of our country.

EMILY CHANG is a College senior studying communication and law & society from Holmdel, N.J. Her email address is changem@sas.upenn.edu.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Penn administration farcically mistreats new student clubs GUEST COLUMN | Attention must be paid to how Penn institutions impose onerous hurdles upon new clubs and rob students of opportunities

ROGER GE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Guest Columnist Chapin Lenthall-Cleary highlights the bureaucratic hurdles facing many clubs at Penn.

It's no secret that many of the University's student clubs are brutally exclusive — often demanding prospective members submit applications and participate in interviews — only to bar most of them from participating anyway. It's no secret that this system of club exclusivity inflicts a variety of harms on students: It deprives them of opportunities to participate in academic, service, recreational, and other activities. It shuts them out of a significant avenue of making friends. It pits students against each other. It furthers a culture obsessed with credentials over learning (or whatever a club's mission might be). And, as if all of that weren't damaging enough, it wastes non-trivial amounts of students' limited time at the University.

It's far less well known, however, that the University's administration — especially the Office of Student Affairs — imposes numerous stringent, farcical, and sometimes nearly insurmountable hurdles upon new, often open-membership, clubs.

In October 2022, I founded Penn Humans vs. Zombies, a (then-not official) club that held live-action zombie apocalypse games with Nerf blasters in David Rittenhouse Laboratory. The games were open to everyone and attracted a range of undergraduates across various schools, plus graduate students, alumni, a few students from nearby schools, and, occasionally, a professor. We

required no applications or interviews, even for club leadership positions, which were filled by those willing to do the extra work to help run the games.

Against even the advice of some club officers, I refused to charge admission.

I don't want to oversell this: Lance or not, I wasn't killing any windmills. One silly game with an earnest mission, of course, wasn't fixing a broken system, nor was HvZ the only open membership club at Penn. But HvZ was at least one example of something the University desperately needs and badly though not completely, lacks places for Penn students to find community and friends with shared interests, free from demands to run a marathon in a rat race just for a chance at being let in the gate.

In fact, my uncompromisingly open membership policies are exactly what even OSA claims to want.

About a year passed before I realized that our zombies weren’t the most soulless people HvZ would have to face. Last fall, after hearing about HvZ, the building manager contacted me, demanded that I stop the games, and revoked my 24/7 access to DRL. I reluctantly agreed to stop holding the games in DRL, but I reached out to the director of OSA to appeal the decision, where I was met with a tsunami of bureaucracy and an instruction to stop the games until they gave approval. The process involved meetings between multiple members

Rethinking the College’s sector requirements THE TURTLE’S VOICE | Penn’s supposedly flexible curriculum contains relatively inflexible components If you ask an upperclassman in the College of Arts and Sciences who is neither a biology nor a psychology major, chances are they have taken PSYC 0001: “Introduction to Experimental Psychology” to satisfy the Living World sector requirement. If they are not a physics or chemistry major — and they are not on the pre-med track — ask what they have taken to satisfy the Physical World sector requirement. It is a good bet that they had taken either EESC 1000: “Earth Systems Science” or ENVS 1000: “Introduction to Environmental Science.”

The contrast is interesting. While more than 30 courses satisfy each of the other sector requirements in the College every semester, there are only around a dozen that fulfill the Living World and the Physical World requirement, respectively.

Many among these are known to be difficult classes, such as introductory physics, chemistry, and

biology courses. “It’s just hard, you know, that class.

I think it serves as a weeder,” College first-year Abraham Medina, a neuroscience major, testified about a chemistry course that satisfies the Physical World requirement. Other classes often delve into niche topics that may not be interesting to a non-major. This leaves a non-major, who wishes to enhance their GPA with general education courses and have a great experience, with only a few choices.

College first-year Victor Xu, a mathematical economics major, explains his rationale for taking PSYC 0001. “Honestly, there are not many courses that satisfy the Living World requirement. I thought psychology would be interesting, and many upperclassmen have taken this course and said that grades are good, so I decided to take it. But if I did not have the Living World requirement, I probably would not take this class, or maybe take it later as an elective.”

Paying the American diet toll M’S MANIFESTO | International students’ diverse dietary needs must be considered when offering University dining services A text from my friend lit up my phone.

“Dude, you’re literally getting the reverse Freshman 15!”

“The what?” I replied.

As an international student, I had no idea that Freshman 15 was a thing. But by the time I found out what it was, it was already too late. My eating schedule became very irregular: I skipped meals thinking it was more practical for me. Because of Penn’s poor dining services and few inclusive food options, my physical and mental health were severely affected by the end of my first semester.

Before coming to Penn, when people asked me what I would miss most from Colombia, I usually answered by saying I’d miss the food. But as my first semester flew by, I realized it went beyond missing my country’s food and more into an overwhelming transition and violent adjustment to the American diet, characterized by fast-food consumption, takeout over-reliance, and a lack of fresh food. It made my transition to college even more overwhelming than it already was.

I never expected diet to pose the challenge it did during my first semester. I didn’t expect my food options to narrow so suddenly. The differences between the American and other countries’ diets cause international students to mess up their meal structure. In the midst of the American diet, breakfast becomes the least important meal, meal times become arbitrary, and late dinners are frequent.

I found myself skipping breakfast because I couldn’t tolerate American breakfast foods: bacon, potatoes, sausage, casseroles. I stopped eating fruit, and I started eating only one large

meal a day. At the same time, I was pushing myself to be my best in my classes, clubs, and job while running on very little fuel. By winter break, my body was pretty much destroyed.

As I asked other international students about their dining habits, I found that my experience was not an isolated one. Some of them told me that they “just don’t know what to eat anymore.”

Others said that because of their international status, they had a limited budget to eat off-campus and that relying on Penn’s terrible food was torturous.

Surveys have shown that as international students transition into their lives at American universities, many face dietary challenges and health consequences. For instance, many international students report a halt in their fruit and vegetable consumption because they believe the United States’ options are not as fresh. Others report severe weight loss/gain and stomach issues from struggling to adapt to an American diet that consists mainly of meals large in sugars and fat.

Back in Colombia, I was used to having almost five meals a day. My diet included cereals and a variety of meats, vegetables, and fruits. Other international students also report being accustomed to multi-course meals, often characterized by a careful, homemade preparation. On the other hand, the American diet narrows down choices abruptly. International students describe their choices as pizza, salad, pasta, French fries, sandwiches, and chicken — which holds true to the quintessential Penn dining experience.

Being thrown into a poor dietary environment has a significant impact on students’ mental

of OSA, public safety, risk management, and others.

When I asked to be involved in these discussions, I received the canned reply, "[OSA has] not traditionally included students at this stage of conversation."

It took over a month to get permission from OSA to continue the games and about as long to sort out the actual process of getting a space. There was just one problem: OSA's Kafka-and-friends committee decided that HvZ had to occur in an athletic space.

When I tried to rent such a space, I discovered that doing so would cost $75 an hour, or around $4,500 per semester for a four-hour game once a week, an impossible cost for our club. When I told the OSA director that having to pay this fee to continue our game would be as good as a death sentence for HvZ and asked for the fee to be waived or paid, I was told to go find funding. I'll say that again: We spent months waiting, only to be told that we needed to find a way to get the University to pay us thousands of dollars — that we'd use to pay Penn the fee they decided to charge us — to play a game that costs them nothing.

I did everything the OSA director suggested and more to try to get funding. As it currently stands, we have only a small fraction of what we actually need. And I'm not hopeful because this isn't the first time I've tried to get funding for a club.

Last winter, I founded Drone Club, another open membership club. This one was dedicated to building drones, and I was willing to teach less experienced students the electronics, soldering, physics, and skills involved in doing so. Initially, I paid largely out-of-pocket for parts, but this wasn't ideal or particularly sustainable, so I sought club funding. With significant effort and about a month's delay, we got $220, about half of what we requested, from the Common Funding Application, the very funding source the OSA director suggested we use to find thousands of dollars for HvZ. In fall 2023, in order to secure larger, more regular funding, I applied for SAC recognition, the primary avenue for regular club funding, for Drone Club.

Drone Club was rejected for the sole reason of not having been on the PennClubs website since Oct. 31, 2022 (yes, that’s over a year before we applied, and it’s different from the deadline listed on the SAC website). The stated reason for the requirement that inspired that rejection is that "student groups must be sustainable," which requiring students to check a box a year in advance obviously does little to confirm. Indeed, as I noted in Drone Club's application, where I asked SAC "not to reject us upon a technicality, and instead judge us upon our merits," Drone Club's mostly underclassman membership is an infinitely better metric for sustainability.

Even clubs that are accepted still aren't written

into the SAC budget until the school year after applying. Combined together, these requirements mean that, even if nothing goes wrong, a new club takes years to receive SAC budget funding. Under the current system, a sophomore who started a club now would graduate before having a chance at seeing any SAC budget funding.

The above is only a small fraction of the examples of Penn institutions' hostility towards new clubs: being denied tables at the activity fair, having Drone Club removed from the PennClubs website for not getting Engineering Student Activities Council recognition (which, according to the PennClubs website, isn't a requirement), and more.

If you're shocked by the severity and regularity of this problem, keep in mind that these are only examples of the University's administration’s hostility towards new, open membership clubs that I run (and therefore know about), which are doubtlessly a tiny subset of the full problem.

Despite this relentless onslaught, I still don't know how this story ends. There's still a scenario where a powerful administrator decides to put the welfare of students above rules and diktats, says, "Enough of this nonsense", and HvZ gets to return triumphantly to DRL, or at least to another good location, free from extortionate fees. There's still a scenario where Drone Club secures its funding for parts, and the many other clubs doubtlessly facing similar farcical obstacles are instead met with a well-lit road, not numerous Harnwell-and-a-halfhigh hurdles. Heck, there's still a scenario where OSA lives up to its stated ideals and starts staunchly supporting open membership clubs and exerting real force to get closed membership clubs to open up.

This hasn't been a happy story, and I'm frankly not betting on that changing. Nor, sadly, would a single exception for HvZ solve this massive harm to students, thrilled though I’d be to get such an exception. But this story isn’t over yet. If enough people, or even one person with enough power, decide to end this farce today and decide that doing right by students must always come first, there could yet be not only a happy ending to HvZ's struggle but also a bright future for all open membership clubs at the University. To the administrators who’ve caused this damage and to those who have the power to fix it, shape up.

The College advocates on its website that the curriculum has a “flexible structure” composed of general education, major, and elective courses.

This is true in general. I genuinely appreciate the College’s flexible curriculum, which allows many electives, and Penn offers various opportunities for interdisciplinary explorations.

But the Physical and Living World sector requirements seem strangely rigid, compared to both other College sector requirements and other undergraduate schools’ general education requirements. Why doesn’t the College add more courses that satisfy these two sectors? Or why not combine the two into a Natural World requirement so that there are more choices?

What I had found concerning was crowding in certain courses such as PSYC 0001. Oftentimes, I have felt that crowding is a worrisome phenomenon: It pushes people to make choices blindly and diminishes diversity. In the context of course selection, it also exhausts spots for certain courses while leaving others largely unused, creating imbalanced experiences of either being in extra large or small classes.

While the College unintentionally created this crowding, other universities deliberately limit students’ choices. Columbia, for example, gives students no choice for all of the six sectors in its famous core curriculum. Though students have

found the core burdensome, the curriculum, according to the school website, establishes an “intimate intellectual community that spans disciplines and interests.”

It may be hard to create such tight-knit intellectual communities given the curriculum policy at the College. But, we could argue that these crowded general education courses have helped us form new friend groups. We could also have these “crowded” courses to thank as conversation starters during coffee chats with upperclassmen and alumni. At the very least, we expanded our knowledge into a realm that we might not otherwise dabble in. And what is wrong about learning a bit more about psychology or environmental science along with other students at Penn?

The way to make everyone satisfied would probably still be to expand course choices for the Physical World and the Living World requirement, or to cancel them completely. But since this is unlikely to happen when we are at Penn, we might instead just appreciate these crowded classes for creating a shared body of knowledge among us.

health. Many studies show that students with poor dietary conditions are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. The dietary conditions at Penn have impacted my emotional well-being: It is very frustrating to feel like I have no high-quality dining options. The strain on my wallet as I buy groceries and off-campus food is also stressful, considering around a third of Penn’s international students are on financial aid.

The international student experience with the food at Penn can only be described as aggravating. Not only is the American diet more unhealthy than food in international students’ countries, but it also causes disruptions in meal

structure and health. As a school that prides itself on being diverse, Penn should really focus on making the dining experience more accessible for its international students. Not to mention an improvement in the food would benefit the whole student body, given recent events. It is clear that this becomes a matter beyond just food: It’s also about inclusivity, general well-being, and enjoying the college experience.

CHAPIN LENTHALL-CLEARY is a College senior studying physics and philosophy from Radnor, Pa. His email is chapin@sas.upenn. edu.

FRANKLIN LI is a College first year from Beijing. His email is liyuzhou@sas.upenn.edu.

MARIANA MARTINEZ is a College first year studying English and classics from Bogotá, Colombia. Her email is marmari@sas.upenn.edu.

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Columnist Mariana Martinez describes how she has been affected by Penn’s dining services.

6 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

In Photos: Lunar New Year at Penn Explore the diverse, multicultural ways students and faculty celebrate Lunar New Year CHENYAO LIU News Photo Editor

Every year, between late January and early February, billions of people around the world celebrate Lunar New Year — an important holiday in many Asian countries that is often celebrated for multiple days. This year, Lunar New Year occurred on Feb. 10, although celebrations at Penn began earlier and will continue throughout the coming weeks.

The Penn Museum presented its 43rd annual CultureFest! Lunar New Year celebration on Jan. 27. The day-long event featured song and dance performances from community organizations and Penn performing arts groups such as Penn k-Beats and Penn Lions.

Tena Thomason, the associate director of public engagement at the Penn Museum, said the Lunar

New Year celebration is one of the museum’s most popular events. “We are excited to work alongside our community partners to highlight this important cultural celebration, which incorporates diverse customs such as gift exchanges, lantern lighting, and offerings to deities,” Thomason said.

The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies hosted an event celebrating Seollal, or Korean New Year, on Feb. 9. Students had the opportunity to play yutnori and jegichagi, Korean traditional games associated with the Lunar New Year. Seok Lee, associate director of academics at the Kim Center, said that the Center hosts the event to celebrate Korean culture.

“I know that on the West Coast now, Lunar New Year is a huge holiday,” Lee said. “I hope soon, on

[the] East Coast too, Lunar New Year can be a holiday [recognized] by the state government … Not only for Asian people, but for [everyone].”

The Asian Pacific American Nursing Student Association also hosted a Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 9, making dumplings at Gutmann College House. Wharton and Nursing junior Priscilla Wong, the financial chair of APANSA, said the club wanted to support students’ cultural identity, citing the underrepresentation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the nursing field.

Beyond club support, Wong, like Lee, said she wanted Penn to do more to recognize Lunar New Year. association, celebrated Lunar New Year with a dinner at the Radian. A meal was catered from Sang Kee Peking Duck House in Chinatown to ring in the new year with more than 35 attending students.

Leaders from Penncasila and other clubs on campus emphasized the impor tance of food and spending time with friends in celebrating Lunar New Year.

“Any way that you celebrate [Lunar New Year], as long as you’re doing it with the people that you care about, that’s all that matters,” Wong said. “Food is a big part of Chinese culture and other Asian cultures, so having yummy foods to eat is also a great way to celebrate. I think food and people are the two most important things — in no particular order.”

Continuing with the festivities, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association at Penn hosted their annual Lunar New Year Gala in Irvine

“Last yea r, the Nursing School tried to schedule an exam on Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year. First of all, making [Lunar New Year] more of a holiday that is recognized so students can be excused from things could be a good start,” Wong said. “Penn’s doing a good job of doing events; I know Penn Lions has been performing at every dining hall and things like that. That brings really good awareness, but there could always be more that can be done.”

On the evening of Feb. 9, Penn Chinese Calligraphy helped members write chunlian, or spring couplets, and fu, the Chinese character meaning “fortune.” These decorations are traditionally hung outside of doors during Chinese New Year.

Penncasila, Penn’s Indonesian student

Auditorium on Feb. 11. The event featured 20 performances, including dance performances from Penn Chinese Dance Club, and prize giveaways to the audience.

Beyond these events, the Penn community celebrated in many other ways. Harnwell College House took residents to the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Family Festival: Lunar New Year Event on Feb. 11, and Kings Court English College House celebrated with a Chinese New Year-themed study break on Feb. 7. The Vietnamese Student Association celebrated Tʎt, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year, with a fire noodle challenge during their general body meeting on Feb. 10. The Pan Asian Graduate Student Association threw a party in Bodek Lounge with performances from PennSori A Cappella, Penn Lions, and presentations from VSA and CSSAP.

PHOTOS BY CHENYAO LIU

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

DENTAL, from FRONT PAGE of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance, both of which relate to employment discrimination. In the lawsuit, Singer asked the court to grant him relief, including the reinstatement of his employment and compensatory and punitive damages.

In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, a University spokesperson said that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission — the state’s civil rights enforcement agency — investigated Singer’s allegations and dismissed his complaint: “The Commission also found that Mr. Singer did not report sexual harassment, nor did any sexual harassment occur.”

“We are disappointed that former Penn employee Mr. Singer has chosen to file this baseless lawsuit and we are confident that both Penn and Dean Wolff will be vindicated in this litigation,” the University spokesperson wrote.

In an answer to the complaint filed in February 2023, University attorneys denied that the Dental School and Wolff had engaged in unlawful retaliatory conduct under any federal, state, or local law. A subsequent defense filing in May 2023 said that Singer resigned from the Dental School after “repeatedly engaging in unprofessional and disrespectful conduct toward other employees.”

“Plaintiff is trying to use his knowledge of information that is sexual in nature and potentially embarrassing for that reason to conjure up a lawsuit” despite this information not being related to Singer’s own conduct, the University’s attorneys wrote.

The Penn spokesperson’s statement added that the Dental School did not terminate Singer’s employment and that Singer submitted his formal resignation via email.

Singer is represented by Console Mattiacci Law, an employment rights law firm that did not respond to a request for comment. Baker McKenzie, a law firm representing the University, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Sexual misconduct allegations against a department chair Singer was appointed assistant dean of the Dental School in May 2019 after serving as the president and chief clinical officer of a multi-specialty dental practice in New Jersey.

In an announcement following Singer’s appointment, Wolff called him an “extraordinary fit” for the Dental School, praising his “knowledge of multi-site, multidiscipline dental practices” that would allow the school to grow and see new accomplishments.

In January 2021, Neiva informed Singer that he had sent sexually explicit messages to Singer’s assistant and another Penn instructor, according to the plaintiff’s complaint.

Although neither the assistant nor the instructor worked directly under Neiva, their positions were subordinate to Neiva’s within the Dental School — as admitted by the University in a February 2023 filing.

The plaintiff’s complaint alleges that Neiva’s conduct of sending nude and sexually explicit images to subordinates violated University policies.

Penn’s sexual misconduct policy describes “sexual harassment” as any unwanted conduct based on an individual’s sex that “conditions an educational or employment benefit on participation in unwelcome sexual conduct … or a reasonable person would determine is so severe, pervasive, and/or objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to an educational or employment program or

NEWS 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024 activity.”

According to the complaint, Singer also reported Neiva’s conduct to Wolff, who “immediately … focused on any potential damage to the Dental School’s fundraising” and subsequently “emphasized that he did not want to have to replace Neiva.”

The University has denied these allegations. In its defense filing, Penn said that it “promptly organized” an independent investigation into Neiva’s communications with the two employees.

Penn’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Programs conducted the investigation, which included interviews and document review provided by the three people involved — finding no violation of Penn’s sexual misconduct policy, according to the University’s attorneys.

The PHRC, whose investigations often involve fact-finding, interviews, and documentation review, concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” to support Singer’s claim that he had reported Neiva’s misconduct to Wolff or experienced harassment from Wolff as a result.

A PHRC spokesperson told the DP that the commission is not able to comment on alleged complaints and cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

Alleged retaliatory conduct by Wolff Following Singer’s complaint about Neiva’s behavior, the lawsuit alleges that Singer experienced retaliatory conduct from Wolff. These alleged acts include Singer being “dismissed” and “rebuffed” when he asked for updates on an investigation into Neiva’s conduct — as well as a removal without warning from presenting at a symposium.

While the defendants acknowledged that Singer was removed from a panel, they attributed the decision to Singer’s communicated belief that the conference was a “waste of time.”

The parties offered competing versions of how exactly Singer’s employment at Penn ended. According to Singer, Wolff threatened his job and ordered him to “take a few days off” on June 30, 2021. The following day, Wolff allegedly told Singer that he was “done effective immediately.”

In contrast, the defendants claimed that the meeting on June 30, 2021 focused on Singer’s pattern of disrespectful treatment toward his colleagues. They described his management approach as “intimidation and bullying” — citing instances of him yelling and making colleagues feel uncomfortable.

In a February 2023 filing, the University argued that Wolff advised Singer to consider taking time off and suggested reconciliation meetings with his colleagues. After Singer allegedly refused to change his management style, Wolff and Singer discussed Singer’s resignation and the Dental School’s willingness to provide separation benefits, according to the defense.

Despite the competing allegations, both the University and Singer have agreed that Singer sent Wolff an email of resignation from the Dental School on July 6, 2021.

However, Singer alleged that his receipt of a severance agreement indicates that he resigned involuntarily, since such agreements are not offered to employees who resign voluntarily. In its defense filing, the University denied this claim regarding Penn’s severance agreement protocols, citing the “vague reference to unnamed ‘employees who resign involuntarily.”

The lawsuit is currently in the discovery phase, with expert discovery and depositions due by April 30 of this year. A final pretrial conference is scheduled to take place in October.

SYDNEY CURRAN | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn Engineering introduced the first Ivy League undergraduate major in artificial intelligence.

AI, from FRONT PAGE Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in Penn Engineering and the Andrea Mitchell University Professor Robert Ghrist said that the program represents Penn’s forward-thinking mentality.

“This is in keeping with Penn Engineering being ahead of the curve — we led the way with early programs in computer science, in computer engineering, and in bioengineering. We are future-oriented, and AI is part of our future,” Ghrist said.

While programs at other universities offer concentrations in AI, Ghrist said that Penn’s AI major is a “unique fusion” of efforts from CIS and ESE that allows students to go “all-in” on AI in engineering.

Zachary Ives — the chair of the department of Computer and Information Science — told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the new major is meant to recognize artificial intelligence as its own discipline and distinct from other fields.

Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovksy Family dean of Penn Engineering, wrote to the DP that he sees the new program as an opportunity to tackle the challenges that face society, ranging from health

care to urban infrastructure. He wrote that AI will soon be used to discover new materials, synthesize new antibiotics, and design novel chips and circuits.

Engineering sophomore Emma Twitmyer shared her excitement at the opportunity to major in AI. “A lot of our existing programs already lead students in the direction of AI, but it’s super exciting to have all of your coursework and your degree reflect that specific interest,” Twitmyer said.

Engineering junior Cody Hopkins said that it is great to see Penn on the forefront of innovation.

“The infrastructure of professors and research they already have within data science and computer science departments gives them a great platform to build this new major off of,” Hopkins said.

Ives and Kumar agreed that the AI degree offers an opportunity for education on responsible use of AI. Ives said that AI needs to be trained to minimize bias and maximize its ability to behave in a safe and responsible way.

Ghrist added that while many people imagine a worst-case scenario where AI eliminates job opportunities, AI will need to be integrated into all professions in the future.

“The demand for educated leaders is sky high,” Ghrist said.

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8 LOVE NOTES

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Love Notes Yip-eee!

Thank you SEAS for making us as good as Wharton with a $20 printing credit.

Neems, Jesse: Thanks for your Love you to the Moon & incredible leadership through a challenging year. The DP is Saturn better off having had you as XOXO, its President! – The BoD Ky

To my giant nerd Dear Boulder, TO THE Anna: Congrats on becoming the Dear JoMen, boyfriend, UPENN PENNY Executive Editor of the DP! This So glad we are You live in the I’m thankful for LOAFERS: RWB (roomies is a huge job but we know you stratosphere, but BREAK A LEG you every day :) I love goxing on with benefits) ;) are up to the task.

Excited to see AT THE ICCAS! Love, night walks with how you make our 3 pubs shine YOU ROCK. Love, you your Ba(y/e) this year. – The BoD GO BIRDS. Sisyphus -vHe’s my manzz, he’s so fine, Zain Qureshi you’re my fine wine My Pakistani prince has a heart so true, He can never talk, since he always mews From Lahore’s streets to Karachi’s shore, Our love is true, forevermore <3

Long live mets fans

Miss Maya, Haze & Thu, Dear Here’s to the peripheral Thank you twenty..., and to my moms. one day being free of them.

Best, Cordially, Charlie You Know Whom

Kelly Bear, Roses are red Violets are blue These are the UPenn colors That is true I love and I miss you More than a panda loves eating bamboo.

Love, DL

Loveliest KimKatherine: Without a doubt, the Dear Radian 509, Tien, y’all rock. love DP wouldn’t run without you. We You give me a you guys so so appreciate your decades (!) of reason to much dedication to our fine institution. smile and write from, Thank you for what you bring to haikus an honorary the office day in and day out. <3, Katrina roommate – The BoD

Michael I told Irene Park you be careful. forced me You have big to spend ADMIN140! eye, small face I like. What’s your $3 for the WeChat? (For DP. emmi, rizzfully)

dear news 139, well, yes!

23 years ago, we met at a Dear A, GAPSA bbq & I wished u Love you so would ask me out. Now we’re much. together, pennies in a wishing Love, well. A million lifetimes with you your Secret wouldn’t be enough. You’re my Admirers light. I love you, Volkan.

Are you a successful business Happy Valentine’s Dear Elea, Maria, hey yeeun <3 Dear Mariana, and Ben, Day, Oli! model? Because every time when you’re I would jump I’m so happy you Thanks for being I think about you, my ROI sick, i’ll always into Volcan like a second could come and (Return on Interest) just keeps family, I love you chef for you.

Masaya for you. visit me! soaring. all tremendously. xoxo Love, I love you and Love, <3 diamy Sophia Juj miss you! <3 Love xoxo meam partner to dino to pookie bear to my favorite person <3 ur my sweet treat. happy valentines day!

Dear Blueberry, Happy Valentine’s Day girlie! You’re the sunlight to my flowerpot, food to my fish, sis<3 Love, Ham

Dear Bea, Happy Valentines Day thanks for helping me make machos CAROLINE MILGRAM #LatinaPower Sweetest 4th Gen Quaker! mad. #LoudLatinas by the <3 M & D & T & P Bounded decibels of our #SLAY voices.

roses are red, violets are blue, somehow cat goes woof when im with you - love, 427

ben binday you slay! happy valentine’s day! <3

JKA, thanks for letting Roses are red, spreadsheets are us crash at green, you’re the finest number home all the ninjas I’ve ever seen. time. Love Love, Sangeeta you guys!

Dear defPenn,

Matt,

Dear DP Accounting & Finance,

To my lime-loving,

Jules, Hi :)

Love you guys.

You are hella lit.

Thanks, droov

Truly living a blockbuster rom com with you. I love you my sweet boy.

XOXO Ky

Zain: Congrats on becoming the Dan Gingiss...

I love you more speed-loving, and DP’s Business Manager! We are than this square Leo-loving best confident that you are the right I find your cranium very friend, Leslie: could possibly person for the job and are so contain.

I love you! Happy attractive. excited for the financial future My beautiful :) Reverse Montresor. of the company. May this be the Love, Chuck early birthday! best year yet. – The BoD Carine Love, Ellie <3

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

Dear AN, To my favorite cat: Happy Valentine’s I love you from Day dear!! You the bottom of my are so special heart, ty for being to me and so my valentine amazing!!

Love you!

CC senorita awesome

Some of you are cooked out of your minds. In a good way though dear roomies(ish), thanks for all the laughs, mems, and love even though y’all r super stinky... ok, love u! c

I love hoagie!

Dear Amanda, shoutout to my lovely You are a great department s&p, zain, dhruv, friend, even sang, edward <3 (and erick the though you are fossil!) you guys are the best and make everything so worth it furry. btw do my

irene!

The beauty that lies in life, malingering with each breath

xx Sophia

-V

Dear Penn, Like walks on the beach, exotic adventures, immersing yourself in delicious cuisine and culture? Sign up to go to Israel for FREE! https://www.hillel.org/trip/penn/ xoxoxo, Penn Hillel

Dear Lara, Dear Jesse, Thank you for Roses are red having academic Violets are blue crisis with me, I’m producing this paper on Valentine’s Day and mental, and But I still love you! existential. :) Jared #50%

No sea could stop me if it’s just you and me. Wanna go out with me?

With love, MC

Molly: Congratulations on becoming Kelly Bear, Dear Jen, President of the DP! We are You have my You are the confident that you will fill the giant best. Say hi to whole heart, footsteps left before you with and then some.

M. leadership, creativity, and a fearless I love you, Love, dedication to student journalism.

Aymeric DL Let’s do this! – The BoD Steven: You took a brand-new Miss you C, I love you. I’m role, made it yours, and created hope all is proud of you. a successful fundraising machine happy. Here Thank you for if you need a from scratch. We are so grateful being you.

Valentine. for your passion and tireless Love, You’re beautiful, dedication to all things DP! man.

Pork –The BoD

My roommates, my light, my life, I’m obsessed with you. Stay sexy.

nails pls.

Irene: Congrats on becoming Dear A, Hey Penn Hillel, the first-ever Strategies & come 23andMe Wanna Falk?

Promotions Manager! We are home big so went Love, excited to see what you do bankrupt, but Z da kids with the role, and we’re here The Chicken I know we to help! Best of luck. miss you Wrap won’t :) – The BoD Dear Catie, Jared: after you write another Eliana!

Dear Coley, There is more Happy article about Amy Wax, 㗮䗹⍙ than one ya See you at Valentine’s redesign another DP product, kno dinner <3 Day! and create a TV show about Love, Love, Love, Penn starring Tea Leoni, Your secret Weining Mumsy xo maybe we can get dinner? admirer

Jared: Congrats on becoming the DP’s newest EIC! We are thrilled to have you in this critical position after your amazing news coverage last year. May this be the best year yet for the DP! – The BoD

Dear BFS, I hate you and I love you.

LOVE NOTES 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Dearest Ben, We’re so proud of how bold you have become. You’re our new favorite transginger.

With love, Your Allies

Ur lit. Like to mae and juj actually. Please stay that way you do more 201<3 than awesome love, elea pass. You are awesome. hi irene Anna & Jordan, dis is ashley!

Thank you for i hope youre being the best slaying the day lesbian moms away at penn eva! <3 XOXO Ky i love & miss u!

To my favorite Miami baddie who romanticizes every holiday, loves a surprise party but wants to know every detail, and whom I love to talk to.

Glad I got to meet you, Janeth Love, Cariiiiiiiiiiiine

To my favorite tree: Dear Irene, Dhruv, Hi! I love you so Sangeeta, and Edward.

Happy much.

I love all of you!

Valentine’s Love, Ellie S Zain Day all!!!

Dear Tei, Christine: Your secret is safe Abby, Dear K, dear big 3, You restore my Let’s watch with us; we know you are You’re my thanks for faith that not all squirrels the unsung hero of the DP world. Have a encouraging Wharton’s are together Professional Staff! We also know unbearable. Love cookie today! me to order the sometime. <3 you’ll probably be in charge of you girlie Panera pizza.

Love, getting this message printed.

Love, XOXO xoxo, pres M Ky Sophia THANK YOU! – The BoD

roses are red, Dear BABO, my SL, Dear Brooke, Dear Kreamy’s, Happy Valentine’s Day ur my fav cacioRoses are red, violets are blue, Thanks for always to my sexiest, coolest, pepe Violets are blue, munchkin, cat, bestest girls at Penn. having my back.

You’re the best sister in the world, love you pho real I love you all. bunny, and i Be mine?

And I LOVE you. our words, our Kchome loyalties say XOXO, Happy Valentine’s Day from the west world Your secret admirer coast, best coast. i love you <3 always yours, run deep!!! Keep serving face xx Love, Rizz OG Mimosa Meg <3 doudou - 427 HAPPY VALENTINE’S TO EVA NEE AND ALL OF HER FRIENDS .. A TRULY AMAZING AND SWEETEST BUNCH !

Dear Molly C.,

Jean, Derek Wong, Thank you for being I love you! You an amazing and are the best!

We love you more than the DP! true friend! I know Could not do you always have my Love, Penn without you! back!

Love, Much love, M, D, E, and J Nicholas you know who.

Dear Penn Hillel, Bite me!

Love, The Chicken Wrap

10 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Penn football alum Justin Watson wins third Super Bowl Watson, an all-time great Quaker, tied the record for the most championships by an Ivy League player TYLER RINGHOFER Sports Associate

TJADEN LITWILER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn women’s basketball lost 67-54 to Princeton on Feb. 10.

Penn women’s basketball falls to No. 25 Princeton in a hardfought loss

Just keep winning, just keep winning, just keep winning.

On Sunday night, Penn football alumnus and 2018 Wharton graduate Justin Watson brought home another familiar piece of hardware — a championship ring. In Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the San Francisco 49ers in a grueling overtime game by a score of 25-22. In a city known for showstopping performances, Watson, who plays wide receiver for the Chiefs, and company put on a spectacle that had fans on the edge of their seat throughout.

With their latest rendition of another double-digit comeback victory, the Chiefs found themselves in an early hole down 10-0 to the Niners late in the second quarter. Needing a spa rk, Watson provided a cr itical 21-ya rd catch on third down to extend the drive. Later in the fourth quarter, the wideout also hauled in an important 25-yard catch that brought the Chiefs within striking distance of a touchdown. Watson would finish the game with three catches for 54 yards.

While at Penn, Watson rewrote the record books. He is No. 1 in multiple categories, including receptions with 286, receiving yards with 3,777, and receiving touchdowns with 33.

He is also two-time Ivy League Champion for the Quakers. After securing his third Super Bowl ring Sunday, Watson tied 2010 Brown graduate James Develin for the most all-time by an Ivy League player.

Leading up to the Super Bowl, Watson spoke to the media ref lecting on his time with Penn football. He noted how the camaraderie and brotherhood he shared with his teammates, which continues to this day, was unlike any other school.

“My pro day, I probably had 80 of my teammates there supporting, cheering. I don’t think

you see that at other schools,” Watson said.

“Usually everyone is at the Pro Day competing for themselves and I still have more than any guys texting me every year going into the Super Bowl just wishing me luck.”

Although ma k ing the National Football League is a dream for many college athletes, Watson made sure to get the most out of an Ivy League education. School, to Watson, was just as paramount as his success on the gridiron.

“The Ivy League degree is the greatest insurance policy that money can buy. When I went to Penn, the last thing I was thinking about was playing in the [National Football League],” Watson said. “I wanted to play four great years of college football and get a great degree. To see the development at Penn for them to install the sports lessons to bring me here to my third Super Bowl is awesome.”

A Wharton graduate, Watson even demonstrated his business knowledge, answering a financial question relating to the market economy from the media. Watson followed that up by providing the closest answer to calculating Taylor Swift’s airtime during the playoffs, highlighting his mathematical acuity.

“I think towards the later part of this year, maybe [Qua r ter 4], we’ll see a rate cut,” Watson said. “Obviously, Jerome Powell has continually fought against that but I think he’s just trying to signal the market not to get too hot.”

With the Chiefs currently in a historic dynastic run after winning back-to-back Super Bowls, Watson sits in a unique position. Having won his first Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, Watson has caught passes from quarterback Tom Brady and now quarterback Patrick Mahomes. From one all-time great to another, good ka rma continues to follow Watson and the Chiefs.

Despite the scoreboard, the Quakers battled against one of the nation’s top teams EVAN STUBBS Sports Reporter

had narrowed the score to 44-48.

The Quakers’ energy carried into the final ten minutes, but it was not enough to complete the upset. In the opening minute of fourth quarter play, junior guard Lizzie Groetsch dove on a loose ball, wrestling for control with a Princeton player. The referees called the jump ball in Princeton’s favor — a decision that, combined with three defensive fouls called on Penn in the subsequent minutes, had even ESPN announcers sharing confused looks.

Despite narrowing the score to a two-possession game, Penn could not contain Princeton’s closing act.

The Tigers expanded their lead into the double digits, leaving Penn Band’s “Garfield is more intimidating” banner feeling more inspirational than accurate.

Ultimately, self-inflicted errors doomed the Quakers. The Red and Blue lost possessions to half-court violations, missed passes, ball mishandling, travels, and shot clock violations. The team seemed to especially struggle with offensive shot clock management with multiple possessions ending on last ditch thoughts-and-prayers style lobs as the time drained to zero.

At the final whistle, Princeton had scored 28 points from Penn’s 27 turnovers. Meanwhile, Penn only managed two points off of Princeton’s seven giveaways.

Turnovers aside, McLaughlin remained optimistic about his team’s performance.

“I do think we competed at a very high level against a really talented team,” McLaughlin remarked.

The Quakers will face Yale (6-15, 3-5 Ivy) on Feb. 16, with the chance to redeem themselves against a less formidable Ivy opponent.

Edited by Garv Mehdiratta

ZACH SHELDON | DP FILE PHOTO

Former Penn tight end Justin Watson won his third Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11.

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Penn women’s basketball played a scrappy, determined 40 minutes against No. 25 Princeton, losing 67-54 in a game that was much more competitive than the box score implies.

“Penn-Princeton, for everyone that’s around, is a very big deal, and I want [the team] to embrace that,” head coach Mike McLaughlin said. “I do want them to represent Penn out there, and I thought they did that.”

After the Quakers (11-10, 3-5 Ivy) scored first to claim an early 2-0 lead, Princeton (18-3, 8-0 Ivy) compiled a second quarter eight-basket scoring run that had them up by 14 points. Penn played the rest of the game from behind, at times narrowing the score to a few possessions, but never regaining the lead.

Even as the Tigers dominated the second quarter, a bright spot for the Quakers came from senior forward Jordan Obi. Scoring 12 of Penn’s 26 first-half points, Obi provided a much needed offensive spark to keep the game competitive. Some well-executed pick-androll chemistry between Obi and fellow senior forward Floor Toonders showcased the best (and worst) of the Penn basketball system.

“We did a pretty good job with the ball at times, but, you know, we set a couple moving screens, and we couldn’t really afford to give up those possessions,” McLaughlin said.

In the third quarter, Penn seemed to find an offensive rhythm. The Quakers scored on multiple consecutive plays, as freshman guard Ese Ogbevire sank a pair of electrifying threes that brought the crowd back to life.

Freshman guard Mataya Gayle then pulled down a crucial defensive rebound before posting a layup on the other side of the court, and by the end of the third, Penn

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THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

SPORTS 11

Junior foilist Katina Proestakis Ortiz has eyes on qualifying for NCAA nationals After helping Penn women’s fencing to its first Ivy title in two decades, Proestakis Ortiz has her sights on a bigger prize NEEMA BADDAM Sports Reporter

It’s school first and Olympics second for junior foilist Katina Proestak is Ortiz, who represented Chile in the 2020 Olympic Games before ever donning the Red and Blue.

“Stepping on the Olympic strip with the lights on really feels like a stage,” she said.

“The room is super bright, but then everything else around you is just dark, so you can’t see anything except the person in front of you, the referee, and your coach.”

Proestakis Ortiz placed 34th in the individual women’s foil in Tokyo, and aside from the competition, she appreciated the learning opportunity of training with some of the best fencers in the world. She hopes to return to the Olympics again before she stops fencing.

“Walking in the opening ceremony felt so unreal,” she said. “And going to the dining halls and meeting these athletes that I watched on TV growing up was just a crazy experience.”

Some might assume Proestakis Ortiz made it to the Olympic stage by prioritizing her sport above all else, but she prefers a more balanced approach.

“Academics always comes first, but fencing is a close runner up,” she said. “I have three to four hours of the day that are just blocked for training.”

After trying fencing for the first time at the age of seven, Proestakis Ortiz knew she wanted to continue the sport in college and walked on to the team during her freshman year at Penn.

Ref lecting back on her competition seasons, she highlighted making it to the NCAA Championships last year and the Ivy League Championships both her freshman and sophomore year, where she recalls being extremely nervous alongside her teammate, senior foilist Sabrina Cho, and the pair hyping each other up before their bouts.

Assistant coach Brennan Louie described Proestakis Ortiz as a “fearless” athlete and added that she approaches every bout with “blinders and a full heart,” no matter how big her opponent is.

“She’s a bit of a perfectionist, but she really does take the time to study her opponents, come up with a plan, and, and she brings that intensity off the strip too,” he said. “When her other teammates are fencing, she’s always there screaming her heart out and shouting out information that could be useful to the team.”

In addition to the NCAA, Proestakis Ortiz competes on the international circuit with a small group of Penn fencers and has attended

tour na ments in places like Sha ngha i a nd Busan, South Korea. Outside of competitions, Proestakis Ortiz is grateful for the people she’s met through the sport.

“The fencing community is not that big, so there’s a lot of names that we usually recognize, but don’t necessarily know,” she said.

“So, I think actually meeting those names as people and not just as fencers has definitely been one of the highlights. It’s really like a fancy family.”

Proestakis Ortiz is excited to be back on campus with that family after taking a gap semester this past fall to work on her training.

Louie praised her seamless transition back into taking a full load of classes on top of training, crediting her “electric” energy.

ERIK DROST | CC BY 2.0 “She keeps everybody around her in high Penn football alumnus and Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski at training camp on spirits,” he said. “In terms of what she brings Aug. 20. to the team, she’s a high level athlete with a very humble heart because she’s an Olympian, but you’d never be able to tell looking at how she treats her teammates and other athletes.”

At the Ivy League championships this past weekend, Proestakis Ortiz helped lead the team to its first Ivy title in two decades, finishing fourth in the foil and garnering second-team All-Ivy honors. This brings Proestakis Ortiz Kevin Stefanski narrowly defeated Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans in a one step closer to her goal of qualifying for tiebreaker vote NCAA Nationals this season, which would require her to go to NCAA Regionals next month. CONOR SMITH With the Olympics coming up again this Sports Associate summer, Proestakis Ortiz has high hopes to compete once more. She has two competitions If winning Associated Press coach of the year once from the Browns, was not active on any NFL practice coming up that count towards qualification, puts you into elite company, then winning it twice ce- squad. Flacco showed out in the regular season thanks to one in Cairo and another in Washington. ments you in history alongside legends of the game.

Stefanski’s offensive scheme and coaching. On top of the “Maybe if I do really, really well, then it At last week’s NFL Honors, Penn football alumnus issues at QB, the Browns were also missing their bellcow could be a possibility to make it to the Paris and 2004 College graduate Kevin Stefanski was awarded running back, Nick Chubb, for the majority of the season.

Olympics,” she said. “But, I’ll just say one this honor for the second time in his career. This makes Despite coaching an injury-plagued squad, Stefanski competition at a time and see how that goes.” him the 13th coach in NFL history to win the award was able to will his team to a playoff berth against the After college, Proestakis Ortiz plans on trying multiple times, putting him alongside the likes of Bill Houston Texans. In this game, Stefanski lost to COTY to compete in the 2028 Olympics, but anticipates Belichick and Don Shula. Being only his fourth season runner-up DeMeco Ryans, a fact many Texans suptaking a little time off from fencing right after as a head coach, Stefanski now has a 50% coach of the porters have used in their argument for Ryans’ COTY graduation. Louie is optimistic about Proestakis year rate. candidacy. However, all AP awards only apply to the Ortiz’s odds of making it to Paris this summer A two-time All-Ivy selection during his days as a regular season. and highlighted the mental aspect of the sport as Quaker, Stefanski coached the Cleveland Browns to a Notably, two of Stefanski’s players also came away a main focus of their preparation.

11-6 record despite a turbulent season at the quarterback with gold at the NFL honors. Myles Garrett was awarded “We’re going to get into some sports psy- position. After the Browns lost their $230 million dollar defensive player of the year and Joe Flacco was named chology kind of principles in terms of having quarterback Deshaun Watson, it was next man up, and comeback player of the year. Both of these awards speak her be her best self on the f loor every time,” then next man up again. Going into the playoffs as the volumes about Stefanski’s coaching and the culture he he said. “When it is an Olympic year, it’s hard fifth seed in the AFC, Stefanski’s Browns were being led has built in Cleveland in the short amount of time he has to stay consistent, especially with how many by 39-year-old Joe Flacco. Flacco, before getting the call been there. competitions there will be for the Olympic season as well as NCAA. But she’s got it: she’s built for this.”

Penn football alum wins NFL Coach of the Year

GABRIEL JUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn fencer Katina Proestakis poses with her blade in the Hutchinson Gymnasium.

SPORTS

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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024

VOL. CXL

NO. 5

WEINING DING | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn women’s fencing secures first share of Ivy League title in two decades After losing to Columbia on day one, the Red and Blue rallied to go 3-0 on day two to guarantee themselves a share of the title VIVIAN YAO Sports Editor

No. 6 Penn women’s fencing headed up to New York for the Ivy League Round Robin Championships as underdogs. The team left the Empire State as champions.

Those who have followed the team through the course of its season shouldn’t be surprised by the result.

In the team’s last outing at the LIU Invitational, the Red and Blue (23-7) won all three of its contests, including one against the top-ranked Division I women’s fencing program in the nation at the time, Princeton. Despite entering the tournament as the fifth seed, the team had already showcased its ability to punch way above its weight class.

For the uninitiated, there are three weapons in fencing: sabre, foil, and épée. For each weapon, each user will fence their corresponding opponent for a total of nine bouts, with each bout consisting of five touches.

At the end of all bouts, the win-loss ratio is added up across all three weapons, and the team with the most number of wins across all three categories secures the overall win.

16 fencers represented the Red and Blue across the two-day affair, including All-Ivy first team honorees senior foilist Sabrina Cho and junior sabre team captain Vivian Lu as well as All-Ivy second team honorees 2023 College graduate Chloe Daniels (women’s épée) and junior foilist Katina Proestakis-Ortiz. All

four represented Penn in the postseason last year and brought some much-needed experience to this year’s tournament.

After the end of day one, Penn found itself tied for third place after winning its contests against third-seeded Yale and seventh-seeded Brown, 17-10 and 23-4, respectively. In what became the most dramatic faceoff of the day, the Quakers were unable to complete the sweep against No. 1 and top-seeded Columbia. Up 11-5, the Red and Blue failed to hold on as the Lions closed the matchup with four straight wins enroute to a 14-13 win. Fortunately for Penn, Columbia picked up a loss of its own on the first day against Princeton that kept the Quakers alive in the hunt for a share of the Ivy title.

“We can’t treat any school as an easy win, even if we [have] beat them in the past,” freshman Victoria Kuznetsov said. “We obviously knew that Princeton was going to be really hard, but we [also couldn’t] underestimate Harvard … [and] Cornell. We definitely put our all into everything, because we already have one loss and another would mean we can’t win.”

Heading into day two, seven Quakers were sitting in the top 10 of their respective events. Kuznetsov led the team, sitting at second place in the épée while freshman Grace Hu and sophomore Elizabeth Wang (women’s épée) were tied for fourth. Cho and Proestakis Ortiz sat at third and

Rivalry losing streak reaches 10 as Penn men’s basketball falls to Princeton 77-70 Despite surviving many of Princeton’s seismic scoring runs, the Red and Blue fell short WALKER CARNATHAN Sports Editor

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Freshman guard Tyler Perkins during the matchup against Princeton on Feb. 10.

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fourth in the foil, and junior Hailey Lu and Vivian Lu at fifth and sixth in the sabre.

“It’s very intense compared to our other tournaments,” Kuznetsov said. “We heard that it was intense, but nothing can really prepare you until you’re [there] … The other tournaments were definitely full of emotions [but] nothing really compared to how it feels to actually be Ivies.”

The key contest of the day was against No. 4 Princeton, who entered the matchup undefeated at the championships. In order to stay in the race for a piece of the title, it was a must-win situation. After previously taking down the Tigers two weeks prior, the Quakers proved that their victory wasn’t a fluke, pulling out a 14-13 win. With Princeton, Columbia, and Penn all tied for first with one loss each, the path to the title was fully within the team’s control.

Entering the final contest of the championships, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. A win against Cornell would mean that Penn would win its first share of the women’s fencing title in two decades. The team left nothing on the strip as the Red and Blue won 16-11. When the bout that sealed the deal was won, the Quakers celebrated as the significance of their achievement dawned on the team.

“It’s a surreal feeling to win the Ivy League championships for the first time in 20 years, and on the 120th

year anniversary of Penn fencing,” Vivian Lu said. “We gave it our all and I am so blessed to have been able to work with everyone to achieve this.”

Seven fencers from the women’s squad ended the championships in the top ten of their events. Cho and Proestakis Ortiz finished at third and fourth place in the foil while freshmen duo Hu and Kuznetsov tied for sixth place in the épée. Junior Justina Lam (women’s foil) ended the weekend in seventh place, while freshman Katherine Andres and Vivian Lu finished ninth and tenth respectively in the sabre.

“I think it’s a compilation of all our hard work,” Andres said. “The teamwork aspect was really a surreal experience.”

Penn women’s fencing has one more invitational left on its schedule, taking place much closer to home at cross-city rivals Temple University. Beyond that, members of the team have their eyes set on making the NCAA Regionals, which are set to take place in Madison, N.J. on March 9. For a team that has seemingly hit its stride at the right time, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Penn to be sending several fencers to the NCAA Championships in late March.

“The hard work isn’t done yet,” Hu said. “We’re happy for this, but everyone’s still pretty much on a grind-set until the NCAAs.”

PRINCETON, N.J. — When a streak reaches double digits, is it still a streak, or just the norm?

That is the question Penn men’s basketball must confront after Saturday, when the Quakers fell on the road against rival Princeton 77-70. It is Penn’s (9-13, 1-6 Ivy) tenth straight loss to the Tigers (17-3, 5-2 Ivy), extending the team’s longest losing streak in its 121-year history of the series. Despite repeatedly weathering Princeton’s runs and keeping the game close deep into the second half, it was ultimately another sour outcome for the Quakers.

“We haven’t got over this hump. I know that. It’s cost us two championships,” coach Steve Donahue said, referencing the end of last season when Penn lost out on a regular season Ivy title and was eliminated from Ivy Madness at the hands of the Tigers in back-to-back games. “More than that, I can’t focus on that, but I hear [the criticism].”

Despite the loss, the Quakers enjoyed the long-awaited return of senior guard Clark Slajchert, who has been out after suffering an ankle injury against Houston on Dec. 30.

Though Slajchert managed just 10 points, Donahue said the importance of having someone who has “been through it” before could not be understated.

The Quakers came out of the gate firing, scoring the game’s first five points and leaping out to a 12-5 lead.

Penn’s 6-for-10 early shooting was a welcome sight for the team, which saw for the first time this conference season what it is truly capable of with its full complement of players.

But as quickly as the Quakers gained an advantage, the Tigers snatched it back. A 16-3 run from the Tigers, including 11 points from guard Xaivian Lee, erased Penn’s lead and served as the first in a series of hefty punches thrown by Princeton.

Though the Tigers seemed ready to break the game open, a string of gritty defensive stops from the Red and Blue drew them even as the first half wound down. The Tigers connected on just one in the last seven minutes of the half, and that stand, combined with a 40-point first half

from Penn, gave the Quakers a four-point halftime edge.

“I thought we competed really hard,” Donahue said. “I thought we did what we wanted to do … We got what we wanted.”

But at the start of the second half, the Tigers pounced.

Princeton regained the lead on a pair of free throws from Lee, who ultimately finished with 22 points to lead all scorers. Then, after a small Tiger run, a stirring slam from forward Caden Pierce put Princeton up 51-46 and galvanized Jadwin Gymnasium’s first sellout crowd since 2002. But again, Penn stuck around, battling back and taking a 54-53 lead with 10 minutes and 18 seconds to go.

“That’s a big step for us, as a young team,” Donahue said of Penn’s ability to withstand and respond to Princeton’s thumping runs. “We didn’t hang our heads; we came down on the other side of the court and got a great shot. I just thought the poise [was clear].”

But after inflicting so many body blows, Princeton’s final punch was the knockout.

After falling behind 54-53, the Tigers ripped off a 19-8 run to go ahead 72-61, sending the Quakers to the canvas once and for all. Princeton shot a ludicrous 6-for-8 from three during the run, with all of its field goals coming from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Red and Blue offense stalled, creating an insurmountable deficit, adding to a new chapter in the Tigers’ recent rivalry dominance.

Penn will play five of its last seven games at home, a stretch that Donahue says gives him hope that the team can still regain ground and enter contention for Ivy Madness. He also praised the team’s togetherness and work ethic amid a six-game losing streak, and said that when the Quakers play their best, they can beat “anybody in the league.”

But regarding the Red and Blue’s losing streak against Princeton, which dates back to Feb. 6, 2018, the answer is still missing.

“We got to figure it out,” Donahue said.

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