Penn to reduce graduate admissions amid federal funding cuts
The cuts to graduate program admissions — a decision faculty members say will force them to rescind informal admissions from newly accepted students — come as Penn grapples with the impacts of federal funding cuts
ISHA CHITIRALA AND FINN RYAN Senior Reporters
Faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine were instructed to reduce admissions rates by about one-third for the upcoming academic year, sparking uncertainty and concern about the future of the University’s educational and
research mission.
The two schools cited federal funding reductions — particularly the National Institutes of Health’s proposed 15% cap on indirect costs, which could lead to a $240 million loss for the University — as the primary reason for the
Faculty and student groups call on Penn to protect undocumented, international students
‘It is imperative that university leadership offer unequivocal reassurance and a concrete commitment to protecting those most vulnerable,’ their letter read
CHRISTINE OH Staff Reporter
Several student and faculty groups sent a letter to University administrators calling on Penn to clarify its policies and reaffirm its commitment to undocumented, immigrant, and international students and employees.
The letter — addressed to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson, Provost John Jackson Jr., and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee — comes amid growing concerns regarding recent executive orders from the White House imposing stricter immigration policies. The letter was sent on Feb. 20 and signed by the Executive Committee of Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access and Leadership Student Council.
“Now, in this moment of heightened risk, we call upon you to reaffirm Penn’s commitment to freedom of expression and to expand its commitment to include protections of undocumented staff and workers as well as those community members on F-1, J-1, and H1-B visas—and to make clear that Penn will not cooperate in any way with these unjust policies of intimidation and deportation,” the letter read. A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
The letter says that previous messages by the University “did not go far enough in addressing the climate of fear and uncertainty these orders have created,” and called on Jameson to more explicitly communicate Penn's position and response
to federal immigration policies.
“In this moment, it is imperative that university leadership offer unequivocal reassurance and a concrete commitment to protecting those most vulnerable. Specifically, the university must publicly clarify its stance and the steps it will take regarding cooperation with the federal government in the enforcement of these executive orders,” the letter read.
In particular, the statement calls on the University to clarify “campus policy with regard to working with federal immigration authorities” and questions whether Penn administration has plans to inform students, faculty, and staff about their privacy rights — including who they should contact in the event that they are approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The statement also asks whether Penn will designate certain “private/limited-access spaces” where ICE agents cannot enter without a valid warrant and if Penn will provide legal support and representation to individuals who are “faced with visa or deportation problems.”
In January, 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump announced a reversal of a policy that previously declared “sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, hospitals, colleges, funerals, and rallies off-limits for ICE raids.
In November 2016, shortly before Trump took office for his first term, then-Penn President Amy Gutmann announced that Penn would be a “sanctuary” for undocumented students and that the University would not allow ICE raids to take place on campus.
graduate admissions cuts. Faculty members expressed frustration over the lack of transparency and consultation, as many said the decision was made after programs had already offered informal acceptances to students. Multiple requests for comment were left with
a University spokesperson and a spokesperson for the Office of the Provost.
In a Feb. 23 email obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Interim SAS Dean Jeffrey
See CUTS, page 3
‘Cowardice’: Pa. lawmakers express disappointment with Penn’s DEI response at meeting with admin.
One lawmaker said that Penn ‘has made a cowardly move’ in ‘rushing to heed dogwhistle demands from a feckless federal leadership’
ALEX DASH Staff Reporter
Senior Penn administrators met with Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday morning to discuss the University’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, with multiple elected officials expressing concern about recent changes — and one calling the meeting “bullshit.”
On Feb. 25, local lawmakers met with Interim Penn President Larry Jameson, Provost John Jackson Jr., and members of Penn’s Office of General Counsel and Office of Government and Community Affairs at College Hall “to discuss the decision and urge action to reverse it,” according to a press release. The elected officials criticized Penn’s swift rollback of DEI policies in response to recent federal actions and alleged the University lacked accountability, failed to defend DEI compared to its legal fight for funding from the National Institutes of Health, and delivered damaging messages to marginalized communities. Pennsylvania state Sens. Anthony Williams
Meet the staf leading Penn’s African American Resource Center
The center continues advocacy efforts dating back to the 1970s and is currently led by Director Valerie Dorsey Allen, Associate Director Darin Toliver, and staff assistant Colleen Winn
PHOEBE ANAGNOS Staff Reporter
As Black History Month progresses, meet the staff of the African American Resource Center at Penn — an organization aimed at providing support for faculty, staff, and students alike.
In April 1987, Black community members at Penn advocated for a Black Resource Center after reporting racial discrimination on campus. Former Penn President Sheldon Hackney initially rejected this proposal, but following community protests and continued pressure, he reversed his decision in September 1987,
leading to the establishment of the AARC two years later. It now continues advocacy efforts dating back to the 1970s and is currently led by Director Valerie Dorsey Allen, Associate Director Darin Toliver, and staff assistant Colleen Winn. Before joining the AARC, Allen served as the director of a community center and as a regional operations director for a company running Job Corps
DANA BAHNG | SENIOR DESIGNER
Faculty
express disappointment toward Penn’s ‘anticipatory compliance’ with
federal anti-DEI actions
One professor told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he fnds it ‘troubling how quickly Penn has seemingly surrendered to the Trump administration’s bullying’
AYANA CHARI AND WILLIAM GRANTLAND
Staff Reporters
Penn faculty members expressed concerns about recent changes to the University’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs in interviews with The Daily Pennsylvanian.
In the past two weeks, Penn’s four undergraduate and 12 graduate schools have scrubbed references to DEI from their respective web pages and initiated revisions to longstanding University policies. The changes were made in response to a Jan. 20 executive order from 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump that required universities that receive federal funding — such as Penn — to terminate any DEI programs.
In a statement to the DP, English professor David Kazanjian criticized the DEI-related policy changes that Penn has instituted. He noted that Penn’s peer institutions are “noticeably less eager to help the Trump administration” and that Penn’s “anticipatory compliance” only serves to hurt students, staff, and faculty.
“I view this as yet another example of Penn’s eagerness to do the bidding of a few powerful individuals well in advance of any real requirement to do so and entirely in violation of Penn's stated principles,” Kazanjian added.
C. Edwin Baker Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy and Co-Director of the Media, Inequality & Change Center Victor Pickard said that he found it “troubling how quickly Penn has seemingly surrendered to the Trump administration’s bullying.” Kazanjian and Pickard’s sentiments were echoed by School of Veterinary Medicine professor Andrew Vaughan, who said he was personally “very disappointed” by Penn’s “proactive response” to recent federal actions. He added that Ivy League universities — and academia in general — are “already a target.”
“This sort of whitewashing of some of these DEI initiatives I don’t believe is going to make us any less of a target and only weakens and tarnishes our image,” Vaughan said.
He added that it was “really discouraging” for members of the Penn community who “felt like Penn had their back” to witness the University’s “readiness to just get rid of these things.”
“I don’t envy leadership who are having to make these decisions right now, but I’ll just say that it does not look very good from the outside,” Vaughan concluded.
Vice Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication Emily Falk, who also serves as the director of
MEETING, from front page
JEAN PARK | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
A group of Pennsylvania elected officials held a press conference and met with senior Penn administrators to discuss the importance of sustaining DEI initiatives on Feb. 25. (D-Delaware, Philadelphia), Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia), and Art Haywood (D-Montgomery, Philadelphia), along with Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-Philadelphia), Pennsylvania state Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery), and University Board of Trustees member Marshall Mitchell attended both the meeting and a press conference held in front of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School that took place beforehand.
“We appreciate the concerns expressed by local elected officials,” a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “The University of Pennsylvania is committed to non-discrimination in all of our operations and policies.” According to multiple elected officials, Penn
AARC, from front page
centers nationwide. Her mother Orneice Leslie previously served as the assistant dean of Penn’s School of Social Work — now known as the School of Social Policy & Practice — during which she and other colleagues formed an organization called “Triple A, the African American Association.”
“One of the things that they did in 1987 was to petition the president, who was Sheldon Hackney at the time, to open a resource center for Black faculty and staff,” Allen said to The Daily Pennsylvanian. ”My mother didn’t know in 1987 that she was creating a job for her child.”
As a 2002 School of Social Work graduate, Toliver worked as a therapist before transitioning to a social work position in a pediatric hospital. He also spent time as a community activist, serving on the Mayor’s Commission on African American Males under former Philadelphia Mayors Michael Nutter and Jim Kenney.
Toliver recalled to the DP that he first decided to join the center because of the potential to be a “difference maker” in his community.
Winn graduated with degrees in criminology and public administration from Sam Houston State University and went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from DeVry University as well as a certificate of writing from Penn. After earning her degrees, she spent nearly two decades at the Philadelphia Job Corps Center, working her way up from counselor to
the Climate Communication Division of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, wrote about the necessity of diverse teams in educational environments.
“The recent changes in DEI policy are designed to push scientists like me to remove considerations on how to build inclusive teams [and] eliminate ways to make our findings relevant to broad groups of people,” Falk wrote. “[They] will undermine progress at every level.”
Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic Director and associate Law professor Cara McClellan said that Trump’s executive order was a “disruption of what the law has been for at this point, six decades, under prior executive orders.” McClellan characterized the action as an attempt to “redefine what is discrimination” and “chill efforts to create a more inclusive environment.”
McClellan added that she believes the new policies reinforce false ideas of merit and access in the Penn
administrators referred to diversity as a “lightning rod” during the meeting.
“That’s when some of us took umbrage with the fact that someone would actually say that in front of a room of people of color,” Williams said of the comment. “Thinking, at minimum, read the room, let alone how profound it is.”
After the meeting — which lasted for over an hour — Gauthier told the DP that administrators asserted “the University has the same level of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion that they have always had.”
“I don’t think they understand the gigantic signal that they’ve sent to students, to faculty, to the community, to the entire country about whether Black and brown students and historically underrepresented populations are going to be protected on this campus,” Gauthier said.
Williams said that administrators employed “a lot of legal jargon” when asked about “why this happened.” He remarked that at the meeting, when lawmakers asked who was responsible for authorizing the changes, administrators said there was a “matrix of decision makers” at Penn and that “there was not an identifiable person [who] took responsibility for making this decision.”
“We’ve seen them fight in other … instances — they launched a lawsuit around the NIH funding,” Gauthier said. “I would question whether diversity holds the same level of importance to the University. We want to see them fight just as vigorously [for DEI] as they are around their funding commitments.”
On Feb. 10, Penn filed a lawsuit challenging the NIH’s decision to cap indirect cost funding at 15%, arguing that the cut would threaten over 350 jobs, jeopardize $170.9 million in research funding for 2025, and disrupt critical medical trials and studies.
At the press conference prior to the meeting, Saval said that Penn “has made a cowardly move”
counseling supervisor.
When Winn first joined the AARC, it was in a temporary position — but she quickly realized she wanted to stay.
”I loved being here,” she said. ”I got a chance to put my hands in developing programs, and I just felt like this is me. This is my calling.”
In their day-to-day roles, the three staff members serve different, but complementary, responsibilities. Allen oversees the programs offered by the center and consults with Toliver on cases involving student conduct and relations between staff. Toliver provides confidential counseling services to faculty, staff, and students while helping coordinate major events. Winn has spearheaded several initiatives including the Women of Color Noontime Networking Series and the annual Queen’s Tea.
Toliver and Winn also serve as co-chairs for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium, which requires months of planning each year.
Winn emphasized her passion for a separate series hosted by the center on women of color.
“I love it because I get a chance to ask people, ‘What are some of the things you want to know about?’ and then I find facilitators to talk about those things,” she said.
The monthly gatherings are hosted at the Penn Women’s Center from September through May.
Another responsibility carried by all three staffers is providing counseling and short-term therapy to students and the greater community.
“You [are] more likely to seek [therapy] from someone who look[s] like you,” Allen said. “Our clientele now are diverse. We not only see Black clients, we have Asian, white, Latina [clients]. Everybody comes to us,
community and beyond, referencing the Dear Colleague Letter — which she said denies the existence of structural racism — released by the Department of Education on Feb. 14 and the Trump administration’s executive order.
“All of these are an attempt to perpetuate this narrative that people of color and women are less able and less deserving of access, and that a status quo in which spaces are reserved for elite white male applicants is a status quo that is a meritocracy, when we know that’s not the case,” McClellan said.
McClellan also noted that she thinks the executive order imposes requirements on curricula that prohibit “honest discussions of history,” and attempts to “indoctrinate students and public schools” into not having honest information about structural racism.
Staff reporter Sameeksha Panda contributed reporting.
in “rushing to heed dog-whistle demands from a feckless federal leadership and dismantle their programs that welcome students and workers from an expansive range of backgrounds.”
“While other universities across our city — as we’ve heard — our commonwealth, our region, are reaffirming their commitment to their values in response to attempts to scare, distract and divide us, Penn has chosen simply to fold in advance,” Saval added.
Haywood alleged in his remarks that Penn had “cosigned” on to “several lies” and “decided in this moment in our history to become collaborators with the criminal president.”
“I would just remind Penn that presidential administrations come and they go, but when Trump is gone, our community will still be here, and we will not forget that you sold us out to protect your own skin,” Gauthier said at the press conference.
Penn’s four undergraduate and 12 graduate schools have all made substantial changes to their respective DEI websites following a Jan. 20 executive order by 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump that required universities that received federal funding to eliminate certain DEI programs. On Feb. 11, Penn erased references to diversity and affirmative action from its nondiscrimination policies. By Feb. 14, the University had taken down its central DEI website, replacing it with a brief statement on equal opportunity.
A number of Penn faculty members recently told the DP they were disappointed by the University’s “proactive response” to federal actions. Professors expressed their concern that the changes would weaken Penn’s reputation and harm students, staff, and faculty. One faculty member said that it was “troubling how quickly Penn has seemingly surrendered to the Trump administration’s bullying.”
Editor-in-Chief Emily Scolnick contributed reporting.
and one of the things that they say is that they feel very comfortable and safe when they come to the AARC.”
The center’s programming has also expanded significantly throughout the years. The Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Symposium, which was initially a oneday event, now spans nearly three weeks of programs, speakers, and awards ceremonies. The day of service alone attracts over 300 volunteers, according to Allen. These programs reach beyond campus, connecting with the surrounding community and helping local residents access Penn’s resources.
The center has also responded to recent political moments such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of things that we’re facing, other people are facing. ‘Let’s create a program around that’ is the
Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team hosts third annual fiveminute CPR training event
This is the third year MERT has offered this program and the largest to date, with 697 attendees
GABRIELLE OSTAD Contributing Reporter
Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team hosted its third annual five-minute Hands-Only CPR Training event to celebrate Heart Health Awareness Month. CPR training locations were available across campus dorms including Gutmann, Harnwell, Harrison, Rodin, King’s Court English, Lauder, and Hill College Houses, among other campus spots such as the Quad, College House at the Radian, Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, Huntsman Hall, 1920 Commons, and Houston Hall. This is the third year that MERT has offered this program and the largest to date, with 697 attendees.
“It was really quite an accomplishment for the team and for what that means for the Penn community and for the people who did this training,” co-community outreach officer for MERT and College sophomore Prerna Kulkarni said.
The training was conducted by MERT emergency medical technicians and is a consolidated version of a typically three-hour formal CPR certification process.
“Having people in MERT who are super excited just make sure that people have access to CPR education is what matters,” College sophomore Ananya Madhira and MERT’s co-CPR officer added. Raising cardiac arrest awareness and increasing accessible CPR education are cornerstones for MERT’s community engagement initiatives.
“Seeing that, overall in the United States, CPR awareness and CPR competence has been at a low, we wanted to become more aware about pushing forth that CPR education for everyone,” MERT chief and College junior Bilal Elfayoumi said. “We wanted Penn students to become more confident and comfortable to respond to an emergency if they see it.”
Training surveys were administered to track demographics as well as comfort levels to assess the difference in comfortability before and after the training and its effectiveness. There was nearly a 50-50 split between male and female attendees, and participants were also able to select non-binary and “prefer not to say” options. Attendees were also able to express interest in a more formal CPR training with formal CPR officers.
“The purpose for this five-minute training is just to build confidence and being able to do some good compressions at a fast enough rate,” Elfayoumi added. “In this class, participants are taught the basic technique about compressions and how to be useful bystanders should someone around them need CPR.” The event was held in collaboration with Wellness at Penn, the Undergraduate Assembly, Penn’s Division of Public Safety, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, Penn’s College Houses and Academic Services, the Center for Resuscitation Science, and the Mobile CPR Project.
MERT strives to maintain the excellence of this event year after year while looking for ways to grow this initiative, ultimately hoping to create a Philadelphia-wide CPR training.
“I think HOCPR was a really good way to start off the year, and we are looking forward to even more,” Kulkarni said.
center’s mindset,” Winn said.
Toliver highlighted that the most rewarding aspect of his role is committing himself fully to being an advocate for community members, “fully engag[ing] each and every person.”
For Allen, helping staff members navigate challenges is equally as gratifying as leading the team to success.
“When I talk to a staff member who may be struggling, or who may just need some direction, I’m able to give them information that they need and then they can run with it,” Allen said. “That’s very satisfying.”
All three staff members highlighted the community that the center has created on campus.
“People trust us. We’ve been here a long time, and people keep coming back because people trust this center and the people that work here,” Winn said.
HANNAH SHUMSKY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Penn professors react to DEI-related policy changes.
BAMELAK DUKI | DP FILE PHOTO
MERT hosted its annual CPR training on Feb. 16.
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
AARC is located at 3643 Locust Walk.
Pod restaurant permanently closes ahead of its 25th anniversary
Owned by Philadelphia-based restauranteur Stephen Starr, Pod frst opened in 2000 and closed on Feb. 22
ERIN
LI Staff Reporter
Pod, a Japanese restaurant adjacent to campus and popular among Penn students, permanently closed its doors on Feb. 22.
Owned by Philadelphia-based restauranteur
Stephen Starr, Pod first opened in 2000. The restaurant, located at 36th and Sansom streets, originally served sushi and Japanese dishes — including via conveyor belt — before shifting to a Pan-Asian menu.
“As we say goodbye to one of Starr Restaurants’ first concepts, we are thankful to the city of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University City community for embracing POD for the past 25 years,” Starr said in a statement to The
, from front page
Kallberg wrote that the “difficult” decision to reduce graduate program admissions in SAS was a “necessary cost-saving measure to help mitigate the impact of these new funding realities.”
Kallberg wrote that the NIH’s proposed 15% cap on indirect costs — which provide funding for overhead research expenses such as lab spaces and support staff — “would have an immediate and broad impact” on University finances and Penn’s ability to delegate resources to SAS.
“While the cap has been temporarily blocked by a restraining order, it remains clear that we are operating in a highly unstable fiscal environment and should expect to see a decline in federal support this year,” Kallberg wrote.
While the NIH does not fund individual graduate programs, Kallberg identified NIH grants as direct sources of the SAS and University operating budgets.
A Penn professor, who requested anonymity due to fear of retribution, told the DP that the decision appeared to be “last minute” and came after departments had already informed the University of the students who were selected for graduate programs.
“We go through hundreds of applications, we interviewed dozens of finalists, and basically all that work was just for naught,” the professor said. “We just wasted half of those people’s time because our list just got cut by more than half.”
The professor added that the University “pulled the rug out” from many faculty members, some of whom had already offered acceptances to students they had thought were admitted
Daily Pennsylvanian. Since its opening, the restaurant has undergone several rebrands. In 2022, Starr reopened the restaurant as KPod and served Korean food. While the rebrand brought in new flavors and dishes, longtime customers expressed nostalgia for Pod’s original sushi menu, according to Eater Philadelphia. As a result, the restaurant gradually reintroduced sushi and other Pan-Asian items.
Like many restaurants, Pod struggled to recover after COVID-19-related closures, losing some of its footing in the University City dining scene. Due to the seasonal nature of its campus location, Pod could no longer fill its 200 seats, according to The
— only to now face the possibility of having to cut those students from the program. The professor said that their department — which submitted its choices for admits to its graduate program on Feb. 14 — will be forced to rescind the acceptances of 10 of the 17 students.
Another Penn professor — who also requested anonymity due to a fear of retribution — wrote in a statement to the DP that SAS faculty called an emergency meeting on Feb. 21 to address the admissions cuts and “decide on collective action.”
“On the whole, people were very upset, complaining about lack of transparency and consultation and about decisions being imposed by the [Penn] administration without proper explanation,” the professor wrote.
The professor noted that many faculty members voiced concerns about how the University’s actions will impact Penn’s “educational mission” and were upset about a “lack of proportionality between the relatively small percentage of the lost income versus the large 35% cut in [graduate] programs.”
On Feb. 24, nearly two dozen SAS graduate chairs sent a letter to SAS administrators including Kallberg, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Peter Struck, and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Beth Wenger that voiced their concerns about the decision to cut graduate admissions.
“We understand that the recent federal executive orders targeting higher education have introduced profound uncertainties into what was already a challenging set of conditions for University administrators,” the letter read.
The group added that the cuts “threaten to sink smaller programs” and noted that rescinding informal offers may create “reputational
35% reduction.
harms” and places faculty “in a terrible ethical position.”
“Finally, we write to enter objections about the fact that the cuts were decided without faculty consultation,” the group wrote. “Before cutting programs in ways that directly affect teaching and research, we have, as a School, a responsibility to engage in a deliberative process that involves faculty.”
The graduate chairs asked SAS administrators to restore admissions to their level prior to the cuts, provide an opportunity for a meeting to explain the impacts of the federal funding cuts on the SAS budget, and make an official announcement about any cuts being made.
In response to a request for comment about the letter, Wenger wrote to the DP that “Dean Kallberg and I met in person with SAS graduate chairs about the recent decision.”
“In this meeting, we listened carefully to the concerns that were raised, and the faculty heard our responses. We are pained by this decision, but believe in this uncertain climate, this is the way to ensure support for our existing students and the talented cohort to come next year,” Wenger added.
Instructions to reduce admissions for the fall 2025 Ph.D. cohort at Penn Medicine were sent to Medical School faculty in a Feb. 13 email.
The email — which was signed by Medical School Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Biomedical Graduate Studies Director Kelly Jordan-Sciutto — was sent to Penn Medicine graduate group chairs, admissions chairs, and coordinators, and also cited federal funding uncertainty as the reason for the admissions changes. The email noted that the school has admitted an average of 307 students in recent years, but this year, it aims to admit 201 — a
Requests for comment were left with JordanSciutto and a Penn Medicine spokesperson.
A Medical School professor, who requested anonymity due to fear of retribution, previously told the DP that the school was told to make cuts to Ph.D. programs prior to the NIH funding cuts, but additional cuts were implemented following executive actions from the Trump administration. The professor expressed concern that Penn may have to cut other programs within the school to account for the loss of federal funding.
Another Medical School professor, who also requested anonymity due to fear of retribution, described the updated admissions numbers as a measure “to ensure that we could support the students we did take” in an interview with the DP.
“We all have graduate students already, and things are looking pretty grim,” the professor said. “It would be worse for us to take the numbers that we initially wanted and then have to be like, ‘Well, you can’t finish grad school because there’s no money for you.’”
The professor also referenced the potential impacts of the current funding changes beyond admissions rates.
“If the [indirect costs] aren’t rescued to their previous levels, or end up with any significant reduction … it’ll be pretty catastrophic for programs across the board, and not even just those related to health sciences,” the professor said.
According to its website, the Department of Biomedical Graduate Studies “oversees the training of approximately 1100 PhD students in the biomedical sciences” across seven graduate groups, which each have their own leadership and staff.
We Alumni/ae are dismayed that the Trump Administration ordered Penn to erase all mention
Richard Baron C’67
Candace Bell PhD, GSAS’01
Constance Billé CW’68
Jody Cohen PhD, GSAS’93
Adam Corson Finnerty C’69
Eva Gold PhD, CW’69 GSAS’99
Roseann Liu PhD, GSAS’16
Dina Portnoy EdD, CW’69 GSE’98
Diane Sjolander CW’69 Janet Stotland JD, CW’66
John Woolsey C’73
SEAN FANG | DP FILE PHOTO
Pod, a Pan-Asian restaurant at 36th and Sansom streets, closed on Feb. 22.
CUTS
Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Starr Restaurant Group owns 19 other restaurants in Philadelphia and also has locations in
New York, D.C., and Florida.
A Penn spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the location will be marketed.
A world without foreign aid
If I could describe my political position with regard to American intervention in one word, I would say “idealistic.” This column has probably become known for advocating in favor of proper United States intervention that seeks to promote both American interests and equality as well as prosperity in the developing world, which is why I was sad to find out about 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s foreign aid freeze.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is key in leading humanitarian efforts around the world. It distributes tens of millions of dollars throughout the world. It is not only important in helping provide relief efforts for global crises, but it also strengthens relations between the developing world and the United States. It’s also a pillar of soft power that guarantees goodwill to the United States from other countries. For instance, USAID was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic in helping distribute vaccines and support health workers worldwide.
Thus, the implications of the foreign aid freeze are endless. Stopping the aid could mean that international humanitarian crises will get much worse. The United States is the largest donor for humanitarian aid in the world. As of 2023, it distributed $72 billion. Compared to other G7 countries’ aid allocation, the United States is significantly ahead; Germany, the second-largest donor, donated $41 billion in 2023. However, I don’t want to argue why the United States should or should not provide aid. Instead, this issue got me thinking about what
is morally right versus what is strategically correct, politically speaking. Removing foreign aid aligns perfectly with Trump’s ideas of “America first.” As Trump announced his intentions to cut foreign aid, he argued that these efforts “help to promote ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations [among countries].” As I read this, I immediately wondered: How much of the aid given to countries is actually reflected as an improvement in living conditions in said countries? Not much, according to the reactions of several people on social media.
People immediately claimed that receiving or not receiving aid from the United States made little difference, as large parts of it got lost due to corruption. Corruption greatly reduces the effectiveness of foreign aid: When there’s corruption in the way, less money goes to the intended recipients. For instance, Nigeria’s education system has been greatly affected due to fund mismanagement. In the long run, corruption within foreign aid channels slows down development.
If we acknowledge that this is true, then Trump’s motives might make sense. It can be argued that from the surface level, his decision protects American interests and therefore seems to be a strategically correct choice within his own “America first” platform. Does this mean, then, that in broader politics, there’s an absolute clash between morality and strategy? Is there no place for ethics in international relations?
A realist model would argue that there is not. That perhaps, you, as an individual, may use morality in defining your choices but that a state has no time to worry about that. A state must be focused on survival and cannot afford to muse about morals when making political decisions. Yet, this seems to clash with more classical interpretations of politics, where civil duty was considered to be the highest expression of human virtue. Aristotle considered “political activity as the exercise of human virtue.” Can that virtue hold more weight than political strategies that put America first?
It seems to be a millennia-long question that I simply can’t answer. However, I do think that somehow, there
must be a way to find a place for morality in politics. If states can’t afford to worry about morals, as their top priority is to protect their interests, international organizations should be taken more seriously — and these organizations in themselves should work more to provide a solid rulebook instead of serving only to the interests of the few. The international system should be solid enough to provide aid to countries without needing a superpower to depend on.
is a College sophomore from Bogotá, Colombia. Her email is marmari@sas.upenn.edu.
NIH funding cuts aren’t the crisis Penn claims
UNHINGED | Why is Penn framing funding cuts as an emergency while holding billions in assets?
A recent email from Interim Penn President Larry Jameson criticized federal funding cuts announced by the National Institutes of Health, the latest development in the Trump administration’s broader move to control “wasteful spending” — including research expenses. In the following days, Penn made the “last-minute” decision to cut admissions across graduate programs as a response to broader funding issues.
I understand Penn administration’s concern that the NIH’s measures will restrict medical research developments and compromise jobs. The sudden reduction in cost reimbursements from around 27% to 15% would force many research institutions to find alternative funding sources. As an adverse outcome, in New York alone, it’s estimated that 30,000 healthcare professionals — including support staff and administrative personnel — are on the brink of unemployment. However, the email is not just informational — it’s propaganda intended to deflect from bad
press as Penn seeks to challenge funding cuts in court and professors expect to rescind many graduate student acceptances.
Jameson’s email begins by threatening the potential loss of “$240 million in annual federal funding,” which could increase to “$315 million” if other agencies follow the NIH’s lead. Yet, despite laying out the worst-case scenario, the email doesn’t specify how Penn plans to offset this shortfall. The affected facilities and administrative costs are basically overhead expenses included in research grants to cover indirect costs like lab upkeep, administrative work, and regulatory compliance. Penn’s current negotiated rate is 62.5%, so the 15% cap represents a dramatic reduction. However, the kicker is that even at 62.5%, federal funding only covers about half of Penn’s indirect research costs. So, how has Penn been covering the rest?
According to the latest report from Penn’s Division of Finance, the University wrapped
up fiscal year 2024 with total net assets of $31 billion, an increase of $1.2 billion from the previous year. The endowment alone is $22.3 billion, having grown by $1.4 billion last year . With that level of financial security, the University has considerable flexibility to absorb funding cuts — at least in the short term. Furthermore, Penn’s endowment distributed $1.1 billion to support its academic budget last year, contributing to just 18% of the total academic budget. If the recent funding cuts are as catastrophic as Jameson claims, why isn’t there a discussion about temporarily increasing the endowment payout rate to close the gap? Penn is clearly choosing to continue growing its endowment rather than using it to cushion the impact of funding cuts.
After running the numbers, I found that Penn’s operating revenue had also increased by $798 million to $15.8 billion last year, with a consolidated operating margin of $660 million, or 4.2%. A significant amount of this revenue — $9.5 billion to be exact — comes through patient service. To put this value in perspective, $9.5 billion is more than the revenue of some Fortune 500 companies, like Hyatt Hotels or The Hershey Company.
In other words, even without federal grant increases, Penn has multiple revenue streams to sustain its operations. While the research Penn conducts is undeniably important, the administration’s messaging leans more toward fearmongering than informing.
The email continues by implying that budget cuts would directly impact research on “CAR T-cell therapy, mRNA vaccine technology, gene editing, and treatments for rare diseases.” But it fails to clarify how much of Penn’s funding actually goes to these specific research areas. As per the financial report, Penn’s total sponsored program revenue — which includes NIH grants — was $1.4
When experience meets the exit door
billion, with $811.3 million directly coming from the NIH. But not all of this capital goes to the high-profile research areas listed in the email. A significant percent supports basic infrastructure, administrative expenses, and early-stage research that doesn’t immediately make headlines.
Moreover, Penn spent $1.1 billion on capital expenditures last year, including $66 million on the Ott Center for Track and Field. These are strategic expenses, but if Penn is in dire straits, why prioritize infrastructure over research? Just last month, the Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution calling for greater transparency in the University’s investments. The UA’s move followed a student referendum in which 73.4% of voters were in favor of the University Board of Trustees publicly disclosing all investments held through the University’s endowment fund. While Penn isn’t legally obligated to follow student demands in the way that, for instance, a company has a fiduciary duty to its shareholders, universities are accountable to their students. By grouping itself with research institutions that are heavily dependent on federal grants, Penn shifts the focus away from its own parsimony and can better ally support during high-profile legal activity. A more honest take would have at least acknowledged why the NIH cut costs. Instead, Jameson framed the NIH’s decision as arbitrary and malicious, undermining his leadership’s commitment to “quieting the institution’s voice” so that faculty expertise and objective, data-driven insights can take precedence.
MRITIKA SENTHIL is a sophomore from Columbia, S.C. Her email is mritikas@upenn.edu.
EDENLIGHTENED | Term limits don’t save democracy, they incapacitate the democratic process
it easier to remove elected officials from their office by legally establishing an automatic kill switch for their tenure. That is just ripe breeding grounds for an inexperienced, expensive, and just outright amoral system of government to take hold. Term limits are the definition of anti-democratic — even Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) thinks so.
It seems every few years the topic of term limits and age limits for elected officials floats back up to the political conversation. Pictures of United States Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) pop up. Rants about the “Washington Establishment” squawk from screens. Across the political landscape there seems to be nothing that unifies Americans (and their think tanks) more than term limits. It’s an undying hate for the political class.
Term limits are a bad idea — not just for the United States, but for any government in the world. They are, by design, meant to make
Term limits, while well-intentioned, have a knack for forcibly ejecting experienced legislators from office. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) proposed term limit constitutional amendment gives house representatives six years and senators 12 years, for a grand total of 18 years. Public policy requires experience; 18 years is just scratching the surface of that. Furthermore, term limits have the effect of encouraging congresspeople to make the best of their time in Congress and hit it big. Obama literally told the Russians he’d have “more flexibility” after his reelection — and he wasn’t even reelected yet! Imagine that on an even larger scale with Congress. If you think Congress is dysfunctional right now, boy are you going to love the new term-limited Congress. Aside from disincentivizing politicians from working, there is a monetary cost aspect to this half-baked plan to term limit legislators. Just like every other job, elected officials need job training and repeating the training every few years en masse is costly. In 2024, the House appropriated $843.6 million on
Members’ Representational Allowances. The MRA covers official expenses, including staff salaries, office supplies, and travel. It also helps freshmen members of Congress hire staff, rent office space, and move. This means on average $1.9 million is spent per member, with differences based on the size and distance of the district from Washington . Given that 20-30% of legislators leave office every election cycle in states with term limits (excluding those who lose reelection), replacing retiring members becomes a monumental task that adds pressure to an already burdened national financial situation. So much for the fiscal hawks who soil themselves every time they see the national debt figures; so much for the progressive Democrats who want to see more healthcare, welfare, and education funding. Your money is going to be spent helping some freshman senator hire an intern to respond to your hate mail. There will be those who say self-serving and green congresspersons are the prices we must pay to inject new blood into an age-old machine, that the political class has become too old, too stuck in their ways, too corrupt — and they would be correct. But if you want change, do it yourself. Run for office, get behind stricter ethics rules, organize protests demanding Congress pass the reforms you want. Change doesn’t come from some hashtags on TikTok or Instagram Reels
lamenting what hasn’t been done. Change comes from truly participating in the system. If you can’t back up your principles, who will? Of course there are those who will still say, “who cares, we want to get those old bags out of their lairs in Washington.” Which begs the question, is this urge to root out old politicians so noble that one subjects themselves to moral discrepancy?
There is a great moral hypocrisy to forcing politicians to leave their job when time’s up when there is no equivalent requirement in any other field. Why is the standard different than for politicians? Why is being a public servant a career that must be penalized? When did loving one’s job become a sin that invites the vitriol of the masses? We do not ask doctors to leave after 18 years. We allow them to perform until they cannot anymore and they either resign, retire, or are sacked. Politicians should be afforded the same right. Let them have the same carte blanche. If they perform badly, then fine, they lose reelection or their primary. But we must at least afford them the chance to prove themselves.
EDEN LIU is a College first year studying politics, philosophy, and economics from Taipei, Taiwan. His email is edenliu@sas.upenn.edu.
JESSE ZHANG | DP FILE PHOTO
Senior columnist Mariana Martinez examines the motives and politics behind the Trump administration’s foreign aid freeze.
MARIANA MARTINEZ
ABHIRAM JUVVADI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior columnist Mritika Senthil examines Jameson’s email criticizing federal research funding cuts.
KYLIE COOPER | DP FILE PHOTO Columnist Eden Liu argues against term limits for elected officials and discusses their dangers.
BAHNG
Black Penn is not a monolith
VESELY’S VISION | Black students at Penn are diverse, powerful, and involved in all areas of campus life
“Exuberant,” “diverse,” and “inclusive” are just some of the adjectives Black students at Penn use to describe the community. Commonly dubbed “Black Penn,” the Black community on our campus is rich in culture and involvement.
Personally, the adjective I would choose is “inspirational.” The first Black woman graduated from Penn in 1890 — over 150 years after its founding. Walking in the same halls where people like me were marginalized feels extremely empowering. Presently, seeing the Black community thrive at Penn fills me with inspiration. We didn’t just make it here — we help shape the past, present, and future of the University. To highlight
just a sliver of the various personalities on campus, I spoke with four of my friends to hear about what being Black at Penn means to them.
Students come from all over the world to attend our University, and once they’re here, most dive headfirst into campus life. Black Penn is no different, with students bringing various interests and backgrounds to bear. For College junior Drew Bukasa, who is the president of the Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, attending Penn has meant many new opportunities.
“You have so many options of who you want to be and what you want to do, [to] choose the things that best fit you, and that can always change,” Bukasa said. Bukasa knows this experience of change firsthand. He originally came to Penn as a member of the wrestling team but left as his interests changed and grew. Black Penn is anything but stagnant, encompassing majors from math, to communications, to cognitive science.
College junior Kyndall Brown, who is studying cognitive science, echoed this statement. Brown is a campus tour guide and involved in the greek community. In her day-to-day experience on campus, she reported feeling proud of her racial identity, which she said was “definitely relevant” to her extracurricular involvements.
“While I’m not explicitly involved in racial identity-based clubs, I often feel very conscious of my race in club spaces,” Brown said. “People often look to me as a point of diversity when opening up conversations relevant to race or offering room for further viewpoints.”
When people talk about “Black Penn,” I feel like the community is often generalized into one type of
34th Street takes a walk
DAVE’S DOSSIER | Make Penn walk again
If you’ve ever had a class in David Rittenhouse Laboratory, you’ve crossed 34th Street. You know that road where you have to wait for the crosswalk guard to graciously guide you from one side to the other like it’s preschool all over again, that street where the southbound traffic becomes the bane of your existence as you’re running late for your math recitation, that street that makes DRL seem so distant from the rest of campus.
34th Street is a blemish, a detriment to fostering unity between the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the other schools at Penn. Even as the area east of 34th Street is undergoing redevelopment, with the expansion of the Stuart Weitzman Hall and a planned comprehensive renovation of DRL, the changes feel distant and lost upon the rest of campus.
I seldom see students studying at Shoemaker Green — a gorgeous open green space that’s a complete ghost town. Ironically, the most active I’ve seen Shoemaker Green was during New Student Orientation, when incoming students who were unfamiliar with the space made full use of it during the College Academic Fair. In a sad contrast, returning Penn students didn’t engage with it much at all.
Likewise, few Penn students know of Smith Walk, next to the Engineering Quad. That’s not surprising, though. Despite how beautiful it is, 34th Street simply renders it too inaccessible to
fully realize its own potential right now. And at Penn, which is already barely compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, passing 34th and 33rd streets is dangerous and definitely far from being wheelchair convenient.
The solution to these woes? Close 34th and 33rd streets between Walnut and Spruce and make it pedestrians only. If this sounds difficult, it’s been done before. 35th, 36th, 37th, and 39th streets used to traverse across Locust Street (what is now known as Locust Walk) from Walnut to Spruce streets. Woodland Walk, the walk from Hill College House down to the Quad, used to connect Market Street to Woodland Avenue.
What about the traffic? The accessibility to Penn Medicine? We often hear the argument that “more lanes and streets mean less traffic!” No, they do not. That’s a myth long debunked by urban planning research. Adding or keeping car-centric streets does not reduce traffic; it only encourages more cars to use those streets — a concept known as induced demand. It’s not just economic, though. It’s practical.
Cities around the world are beginning to realize the advantages of pedestrian zones. Times Square in New York City exemplifies an instance where pedestrianization has boosted safety and accessibility in an area. A 2010 report from the New York City Department of Transportation reported that once Broadway was transformed into a pedestrian-only zone, pedestrian injuries
The illusion of DEI
ELO’S ENTRIES | Was DEI simply a facade?
questions if DEI efforts made a real impact on marginalized groups.
Black History Month is a time of celebration. Across the country and on Penn’s campus, events highlight cultural milestones, honor achievements, and reaffirm the resilience of Black communities. But this year, alongside the joy, there is an undercurrent of apprehension — a fear that the progress made in the past few years is being systematically undone. At the Becoming Everything You Are STEM conference that I attended last week, thousands of minority (mostly Black) students and professionals gathered, searching for jobs in an increasingly unforgiving hiring climate. The job market is brutal, but for minority candidates, the challenges are compounded by a massive rollback in diversity,
individual with known interests, but that is not the case. The vibrancy and variety of the community comes from the passion within it, spanning service clubs, sports, and everything in between.
For College junior Angeludi Asaah, a thrower on Penn’s track and field team and board member of Black Student-Athletes at Penn, attending Penn and being a student-athlete means celebrating her identity in her sport and beyond.
“Joining BSAP this year has allowed me to celebrate being Black at Penn in many different ways,” Asaah said. “As athletes, we’re a little bit more separated from Black Penn in general, so being able to help bridge and expand the community has been nice.”
Asaah spoke of a Super Bowl watch party event held between BSAP and the Black Student League, which brought out Black athletes and non-athletes to hang out casually and cheer on the Philadelphia Eagles together. Speaking on the purpose of the event, she highlighted the importance of community. “After all, we’re all part of Black Penn,” Asaah said.
In our current political climate, which is seeking to erase, stereotype, and subdue minority voices, it’s more necessary than ever to uplift, empower, and highlight our communities. As Penn moves to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion, I see it as our job to continue centering these values in our lives.
College junior Teia Hudson, president of the NAACP at Penn and member of the Philadelphia City Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, described Black Penn as meaning “everything” to her. Hudson highlighted her involvement with Penn’s NAACP chapter as an extremely impactful aspect of her experience at Penn.
“We get to do service for the Penn community and
beyond,” Hudson said. “I’m very proud to say that we have an all-woman board. Black women here are trailblazers on campus.”
As a member of this all-woman board, I have to agree with Hudson’s statements. The work Penn’s NAACP chapter is doing on campus is invaluable, and coupled with other campus organizations, it has assembled a network of service here at Penn. Hudson, a West Philadelphia native, recounted the community she has been able to find through Black Penn. “People will support you, we are versatile, we are extravagant, and we move,” Hudson said. While I’ve been telling the stories of some of my closest friends, my message also goes out to the Penn community at large: There’s no “correct” way to celebrate your identity. Whatever works for you is yours, and whatever you want, you can find. And if you can’t, create it! Clubs like Descendants of Afro Americans at Penn — which I profiled last year — were created within the last four years, and there is always room for more.
There is no right way to be Black, no right way to act Black, no right way to look Black — and the diversity of experiences at Penn shows that. “There’s always a place for someone to fit in,” Hudson said. “Whether it’s ethnic-, service-, art-, or preprofessional-based clubs, there’s always a club or person waiting for you.” Now with that, go find it, and if you’re already in it, cherish it — today and always.
MIA VESELY is a College junior studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Phoenix. Her email is mvesely@sas.upenn.edu.
dropped by 35%, and accessibility for disabled individuals improved. The conversion of Times Square included smooth pavement, curb cuts, and clear routes. If Penn could implement similar features on 34th and 33rd streets, such additions could ensure that the easternmost parts of campus are walkable and accessible.
As for Penn Med, emergency vehicles can still be given special access routes, just as they are in other pedestrianized areas of cities like New York or Boston.
Not only would the daily hassle of dodging cars become a thing of the past, but pedestrianization would also create a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment. Imagine a connected campus where outdoor lectures are held in Shoemaker Green throughout the year instead of just during NSO, where Smith Walk is a place of collaborative study, or even where the streets that are presently 34th and 33rd streets are walks lined with trees and benches with plenty of outdoor study space. We can make the heart of Penn’s campus a safer, more unified, and accessible space for everyone. After all, Locust Walk wasn’t always the bustling, charming corridor it is today — it was a street just like 34th. Change is possible, and it will lead to something much better.
Let us create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly space that connects every corner of campus, bringing DRL and Smith Walk closer to the
DAVID TRAN is a College first year studying urban studies from Fort Worth, Texas. His email is ddtran@sas.upenn.edu.
equity, and inclusion programs. Once touted as necessary steps toward economic equality, these initiatives are now being quietly, or in some cases, loudly dismantled. Companies are scaling back policies, letting go of DEI-focused employees, and retreating from commitments they once publicly championed. But as these programs are stripped away, it raises an important question: Did they ever truly deliver tangible progress for the marginalized groups they claimed to help?
These past few months have made two things abundantly clear. Firstly, DEI was more about optics than outcomes. The push for diversity was rarely about fundamentally reshaping workplaces or industries: It was about looking the part. Many
DEI initiatives, like hiring a chief diversity officer or hosting panels that spotlighted minorities, created surface-level change, without addressing structural barriers that kept marginalized groups from advancing in prestigious careers. Secondly, when the political and economic tides shifted, DEI was easy to discard. If these programs had been truly embedded in corporate values, they wouldn’t be vanishing so quickly. Their rapid disappearance suggests they were never central to business strategy. They were just a convenient and temporary PR move.
The end of DEI is particularly disheartening because I’ve met countless individuals who’ve worked tirelessly to champion diversity and create meaningful change within their communities. Yet, because large corporations failed to fully prioritize DEI, that change has become vulnerable to being easily dismantled.
Even at higher learning institutions, the retreat is visible. Penn, once vocal about its DEI efforts, has quietly taken down key web pages dedicated to these initiatives. This is not an isolated case. Across the country, universities and corporations are scrubbing DEI from their branding, wary of political and legal scrutiny. If these efforts had been genuinely transformative, would they be so easily erased?
This shift is reflective of a broader political movement. Under the new Trump administration, there has been a concentrated effort to clamp down on diversity training and DEI initiatives, which are considered a form of illegal discrimination. The Department of Education recently ordered universities to eliminate their DEI programs within two weeks or their federal funding would be entirely removed. Donald Trump has gone as far as to blame tragedies on the so-called dangers of DEI, further turning the term into a scapegoat. The term DEI has now joined the ranks of other politicized buzzwords — once “SJW” (Social Justice Warrior), “woke,” and now “DEI” — all repurposed to stoke resentment towards groups that are its perceived beneficiaries.
But let’s be honest. If DEI were truly effective,
Black professionals wouldn’t still be fighting for a foothold in industries where they remain drastically underrepresented. The argument that diversity initiatives have somehow gone too far ignores the reality that these efforts never fully corrected historical disparities to begin with. The numbers don’t lie: Despite years of DEI initiatives, many industries still lack substantial minority representation, particularly as one ascends the corporate ladder, and economic gaps persist. In tech, for example, Black women still make up only 3% of the workforce — hardly evidence of a radical change from DEI.
So where does that leave us?
As companies and institutions distance themselves from DEI, we must remember: Diversity is not just a moral imperative; it is a source of strength. Research consistently shows that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones, bringing innovation, adaptability, and broader perspectives. The fight for equity does not end because organizations choose to modify their commitments.
The BEYA conference was a stark reminder of this reality. Conversations with fellow attendees reflected a mix of hope and frustration — hope that the talent and ambition in the room would push through barriers, but frustration at the systemic shifts making it harder for minority professionals to succeed. Despite the setbacks, the determination was palpable. Many older attendees had seen this cycle before, and they assured us that the fight doesn’t stop just because the opposition grows louder.
Black History Month is a reminder of the resilience that has carried us through far worse setbacks. This is not the first time progress has been met with resistance, nor will it be the last. But history also tells us that change is not gifted: It is fought for. Stay vigilant. Stay strong. The work continues.
ELO ESALOMI is an Engineering first year from London. Her email is eloe@seas.upenn. edu.
HANNAH SHUMSKY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Columnist Elo Esalomi
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Senior columnist Mia Vesely showcases the diverse experiences of Black students at Penn.
GRACE CHEN | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Columnist David Tran details the benefits of making 34th and 33rd streets pedestrians only to connect the Engineering School with the rest of campus.
center of student life. It’s time to make 34th Street pedestrian.
Professors expressed concerns about the future of federal funding for DEI-related research and a lack of institutional support for their work from Penn
NAIJA AGARWAL Staff Reporter
Penn faculty spoke to The Daily Pennsylvanian about the future of their diversity, equity, and inclusion research amid federal action and University-wide policy changes.
Professors expressed concerns about the future of federal funding for DEI-related research and a lack of institutional support for their work from Penn. The uneasiness comes after 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating the erasure of initiatives that he claims could violate civil rights laws in federally funded universities such as Penn.
In particular, faculty said that potential funding cuts to federal programs like the National Science Foundation and Institute of Education Sciences would hurt DEI-related research.
“There might not be an Institute for Educational Science in this administration. It might go with the Department of Education,” Co-Faculty Director of the Penn Early Childhood and Family Research Center and Albert M. Greenfield Emeritus Professor of Human Relations John Fantuzzo said, adding that his current IES-funded research could be characterized as “equity research.”
Trump has pushed to dismantle the DOE during his second administration, despite congressional authority and his own policy initiatives standing in the way of him doing so.
“Even though those grants don’t come from the NIH or NSF, where these funding cuts are being proposed, any funding stream affects everybody,” Director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program and Communication professor Jessa Lingel said.
While most DEI-related initiatives were not directly affected by NIH cuts, Lingel said that these cuts still hurt their program by affecting the “funding landscape.” In particular, Lingel noted that she expects grants for DEI-related research to become more “competitive.”
Faculty members also expressed concerns about Penn’s commitment to funding and supporting DEI-related research and initiatives amid these threats. Lingel, for example, stated that the GSWS program “hasn’t been able to get written, documented support for the work that we do” from Penn.
”People who work in this area are afraid, and we are frustrated, and we are concerned that we do not have more leadership and do not have more of a documented commitment to our scholarship,” Lingel said. “I expect that when we submit grants, the University will not fund programs
that they have funded in the past because they are afraid of being seen to support this highly politicized area.”
In a statement to the DP, Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration Director and Sociology professor Chenoa Flippen similarly wrote that there was “concern that [the Center’s] entire area of study may be denied support” by Penn.
“Those with ongoing projects are worried that their grants might be canceled mid-award, and those who are developing new projects are wondering whether they will receive full consideration,” Flippen wrote.
Despite this, Lingel said that GSWS and DEI “cannot be separated.”
“The roots of the discipline of gender studies, the roots of the queer theory, of trans theory, are in a commitment to inclusive, equitable, diverse conversations,” Lingel said. “There is no GSWS that doesn’t have a commitment to [those] core values.”
Penn community commemorates third anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war, honors lives lost at vigil
The event drew around 35 people, including some who had a personal connection to the war and others who showed up in support
DANIYA SIDDIQUI AND DARIA KNURENKO Staff Reporters
The Ukrainian Student Association at Penn hosted a vigil outside College Hall on Monday in remembrance of those who died in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The event drew around 35 people, including Penn students, faculty, and Temple University students — some who had a personal connection to the war, and others who showed up in support. College junior Olga Loiek, an event coordinator for USAP, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the purpose of the vigil was to show “the community and the University and Philadelphia in general that the war is still ongoing.”
“It’s happening every single day,” Loiek said. “We’ve lost tens of thousands of lives in the last three years.” College junior and USAP Director of Internal Affairs Yaryna Uhera told the DP that the war has had a great impact on Ukraine and Europe in general.
“About 12,000 civilians died during these three years, and 45,000 soldiers died, and almost 400,000 were wounded,” Uhera said. “We want to make people take initiative to change the situation.”
At the start of the vigil, attendees formed a circle in front of the Ben Franklin statue, each holding a candle, and had a moment of silence for lives lost.
The first speaker at the vigil, whom the DP was unable to identify, detailed their family’s experience at the start of the war.
“My parents and my younger sister, who was only 16 … were hiding in basements over the period of one week, and they said that we’re told by our administration that it will be gone in just a matter of days,” they said.
While her mom and sister were able to come to the United States, her father is still in Ukraine, they said.
They continued by thanking Ukrainian soldiers, explaining that they are Ukrainians’ “true warriors” and
“heroes.”
The second speaker at the vigil was a Ukrainian veteran, Pavlo Nazarenko.
As a former architect, Nazarenko said he never intended to be a soldier, which contributed to his fear at the start of the war.
“At the end of the day, I realized the only way not to be scared is to fight,” he said.
As the vigil went on, some attendees shared their devastation over the deaths of innocent civilians, while others expressed concern over the “awful display of fascism all across the world.”
One of the final speakers emphasized the importance of this generation of students and their ability to make an impact, especially in the context of the RussiaUkraine war.
“As students, you have the power to change the future,” she said. “Please keep Ukraine in the front of the conversation, and never underestimate the power of you as a young generation to make change in this country.”
College sophomore and USAP President Mykhailo Sesin outlined ways to “change the agenda” with regard to Ukraine, which included attending the upcoming Ukraine Action Summit in Washington and calling and emailing elected officials about foreign policy.
College senior Dina Zhanybekova, who attended the vigil, told the DP that the event helped create “a sense of hope and care for the people that I care about.”
“I care about what’s happening in Ukraine and I feel really bad for my friends,” she said. “If there is a way to create a feeling that there is still a community and that people still care, I’d like to somehow do that, because it’s been three years and it’s very easy to start forgetting.”
GRACE CHEN | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER College Hall on Feb. 23.
SADIE SCOTT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
USAP lit candles in remembrance of those who died in the Russia-Ukraine war.
FU, from back page
“What’s great about what Kayla did on Saturday and winning the 100 [free] is that she was not at 100%. … She woke up Friday morning, sick as a dog, and toughed it out on Friday,” coach Mike Schnur said. “[On Saturday], she went all out from yard one, and it was a great win. It was really fun to see. She deserves it. She works really hard and deserves everything she gets.”
Switching gears from sprint freestyle to distance freestyle, the Quakers were still victorious. Continuing the team’s legacy with distance freestyle dominance, the Quakers went 2-3 in the 1650 freestyle event, with junior freestyle and individual medley specialist Anna Moehn taking second with a time of 16:05.92 and junior freestyle specialist Sydney Bergstrom taking third with a time of 16:07.96. Moehn also took the silver in the 200 free and the 500 free, including a new personal best in the latter, proving that distance is only a matter of details.
“They’re both top 30 in the country right now
RETIRE, from back page
Current Penn coach Steve Donahue was a member of Dunphy’s staff from 1990 to 2000. In that time, Donahue says he gained invaluable knowledge from Dunphy.
“I’m fortunate that I could work for one man for 10 years, and the quality of the guy is Fran Dunphy,” Donahue said. “Not only learning incredible basketball, but you’re learning people skills and what it looks like to run a program.”
In 2006, Dunphy left Penn to become the head coach at Temple. Dunphy led the Owls to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including
in the 1650 [free] … and that mile was a terrific swim for both of those ladies,” Schnur said. “They trained together all year, they pushed each other, and the two of them … had amazing successes here.”
Fu and Moehn also participated in the 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays. In the former, the pair were joined by sophomore individual medley specialist Katya Eruslanova and sophomore freestyle specialist Jenna Jacobs to clinch the bronze with a time of 7:09.66. In the latter, Fu and Moehn linked up with sophomore butterfly and backstroke specialist Kate Levensten and senior breaststroke specialist Izzy Pytel to break another record in the 400 medley relay. While placing fifth with a time of 3:38.79, the quartet broke an 11-year school record set back in 2014.
“It’s always exciting to [break a record] as a team, as opposed to individually, and then I feel like we just kind of got the ball rolling from there,” Moehn said. “As the weekend went on, I feel like, especially that last day, we just kept performing better and better.”
The team — which bounces between the pools at the West Philadelphia YMCA and Drexel for practice due to the renovations at Sheerr Pool
wins in 2011 and 2013. After stepping down as Temple’s coach in 2019, Dunphy also served as interim athletic director from 2020 to 2021.
In 2022, Dunphy returned to his alma mater La Salle, signing on to become the Explorers’ new head coach. Dunphy crossed the 600-win threshold with a victory over Coppin State on Nov. 26, 2023. This season, La Salle is 12-15 including a 4-10 record in the Atlantic 10.
Dunphy leaves behind an incredible coaching legacy, particularly in the city of Philadelphia. His 623 career wins rank first in Big 5 history, and he remains the only coach to lead multiple Big 5 programs. But after 51 years as a coach, 17 NCAA tournament appearances, and a lifetime dedicated to the game of basketball, Dunphy is ready to hang up the whistle.
is set to retire from La Salle at the end
— has continued to improve with time. Eruslanova improved on her 2024 performance and made her debut in the A finals this year, finishing with a respectable fifth in the 200 individual medley — just 0.28 seconds shy of her program record set in December 2024 — and sixth in the 400 individual medley.
Other freshmen made a splashy Ivy championship debut as well. Freestyle and breaststroke specialist Amy Qin took seventh with 23.10 seconds in the B final of the 50 free, an impressive showing in an event that counts time down to the hundredths of a second. Butterfly specialist Maggie Hu nabbed two second-place finishes in the B finals: a 1:59.93 in the 200 butterfly and a 54.23 in the 100 butterfly, behind Fu. Both Qin and Hu played a crucial role in the relay performances of the team, showcasing their strong potential as they continue their careers with the Quakers.
“When you have an atmosphere where everybody works and pushes each other, great things can happen at the end of the season, even without our pool, you know, without doing any of our normal workouts,” Schnur said, describing the team’s dynamics. “They just refuse to feel sorry
for themselves, and it paid off beautifully.”
“I think one thing that I love about our team was that we thrive in chaos,” Moehn added. “[Captains] Izzy Pytel, Keara McGowan, and Brooke Blom did a great job of, you know, fostering a ‘for the team’ culture, and then I think the rest of the team also did great in adapting and embracing that, and that, like overall, made the difficult season much easier.”
The Quakers maintained their fifth-place position from last year, tallying 990.5 points. However, the 125-point improvement from last year’s 865.5 tally should not go unnoticed. Thanks to a combination of standout freshmen and overall team improvements, the team was only eight points behind fourth-place finisher Brown. Reigning champion Princeton accomplished a three-peat victory, with Harvard and Yale once again rounding out the top three.
The weather may still be cold, but things are just heating up. A contingent of swimmers are off this weekend for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships held in Annapolis, Md., and Moehn — possibly with some company — is set to appear at the NCAA Championships in Federal Way, Wash. in March.
Baseball’s Sebastian Haggard wins season’s first
Ivy Rookie of the Week
Freshman right-handed pitcher Sebastian Haggard pitched 2.1 shutout innings and struck out three batters in his debut at Florida State.
WALKER CARNATHAN
Former Sports Editor
It was his first season, first start, and first accolade.
On Monday, freshman pitcher Sebastian Haggard began his Penn career on a high note, bringing home the season’s first Ivy League Rookie of the Week award after a stellar opening performance. Throwing in relief during the Red and Blue’s weekend game at Florida State, Haggard pitched 2.1 shutout innings and notched three strikeouts against the No. 9 Seminoles.
Though Penn was swept in the weekend series, Sunday’s 5-3 loss was the most competitive thanks in large part to Haggard and the rest of the Quaker bullpen. After falling behind 5-0 in the fourth inning, Penn (0-3) had its defense finally buckle down, blanking Florida State (7-0) the rest of the way. Haggard being on the mound proved to be the most significant factor in that stretch; he faced eight batters and allowed just one hit.
On the rest of the weekly award ballot,
Cornell’s Kevin Hager and Carson Mayfield were named Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Prior to the season, coach John Yurkow expressed his confidence in the ability of Penn’s young players to step into the roles left by departed talent.
“You just have to trust that your process is really good,” Yurkow said. “The assistant coaches do a good job on the player development side … making sure those young players are ready to go when their turn comes.”
Haggard’s immediate contribution stands as an endorsement of Yurkow’s faith. After losing its top three leading pitchers from a season ago, Penn will have no shortage of unfamiliar faces in big-time roles taking the diamond. But if Haggard’s performance is any indication, the young Quakers are up to the task.
Penn faces off with another nationally ranked opponent this weekend, taking on No. 21 Troy in a three-game series from Friday to Sunday.
DAVID WANG | DP FILE PHOTO
Dunphy
of the 2024-25 season.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Haggard throws during a game at No. 9 Florida State.
Resilience fuels men’s swimming and diving going into Ivy League Championships
Olympian and senior breaststroke/individual medley specialist Matt Fallon starts his fnal championship season with the Red and Blue
VALERI GUEVARRA Sports Editor
Adversity just makes you work harder.
Penn men’s swimming and diving has not had a perfect regular season, ending the season with a 4-6 overall record and 1-6 conference record while persevering through the loss of Sheerr Pool.
However, heading into the Ivy League Championships — held this week from Feb. 26-March 1 at Brown — several stars for the Red and Blue are set to shine, including Olympian and senior breaststroke/ individual medley specialist Matt Fallon in his last Ivy championships.
“We are excited to race and finish off the season strong. This group has shown a lot of adversity with the disruption to our training this year,” team captain and senior backstroke/individual medley specialist Daniel Gallagher wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Same sport, diferent game: The nuances of indoor versus outdoor track and field
The differences between the two disciplines offer key insights into an athlete’s preparation
TYLER RINGHOFER
Deputy Sports Editor
What exactly differentiates one thing from another when they hold similar qualities? As Penn track and field heads to the finish line of the indoor track and field season, the outdoor track and field season waits right around the corner. With the November 2024 opening of the Ott Center for Track and Field, Penn’s new premier indoor track facility, numerous records have been set and impressive times have been recorded this season.
“The Ott Center has been an amazing addition to our program and the track and field community at large,” Director of track and field Steve Dolan wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “Penn track and field is so honored to have the opportunity to train and compete in this world-class facility.”
Shorter tracks, tighter turns, and new tactics
This season has highlighted the nuances of indoor track events, showcasing the distinct strategies student-athletes employ that differ from outdoor competition. On one hand, the indoor track consists of a multitude of facility differences. For example, indoor tracks are shorter, with the 200-meter laps meaning that student-athletes are running on tighter turns more frequently in their races. Banked turns also add to this element, helping the student-athletes maintain their speed around turns. This is the opposite of outdoor tracks’ flat turns, and race strategy and speed, especially in longer races, are impacted by this feature. Furthermore, the tracks usually contain only fourto-six lanes, whereas outdoor tracks have six-to-nine lanes. This can lead to more athletes in races, increasing congestion and bumping, which stresses the greater importance of tactical positioning.
A race against the elements — or without them?
What is arguably most salient to note about indoor track is the contained atmosphere that indoor events offer to athletes and fans. With the events being held indoors, elements like wind, rain, and extreme temperatures are taken out of the equation. As student-athletes get more controlled weather conditions, however, there is one factor that becomes more important that can’t be controlled — the crowd.
“One of the aspects that makes an indoor track and field meet very exciting is the close proximity of the spectators to the competition. The Ott Center features a 200m track — outdoor tracks are 400m — with all the field events contested inside or just outside the oval,” Dolan wrote. “The condensed space leads to an electric atmosphere.”
practices breaststroke on Nov. 19, 2024.
Fallon is no stranger to adversity, especially during a championship season. In 2023, Fallon suffered an injury that led to less-than-ideal finishes at that year’s Ivy championships and an absence from the NCAA Division I Championships. However, the Warren, N.J. native persevered and won bronze at the World Aquatics Championships later that summer.
This season seems no different. After an exciting summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fallon returns to the conference stage for the last time as the top seed in the 200-yard breaststroke and the top returner in the NCAA in the event. At last year’s Ivy championships, Fallon touched the wall in a nation-leading time in the 200 breast. But even as an Olympian, it’s not an easy road to an NCAA championship.
“[Fallon has] got some very solid competition at that meet. There’s a couple of guys at Power Five
schools that have come back for fifth and sixth years that Matt’s gonna have his hands full with,” coach Mike Schnur said. “It’ll be interesting for Ivies. … As Matt’s coach, it’s always a lot of fun to watch him race when he’s prepared and ready to go. And I’m not going to get to do it too many more times, so I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
While the team’s star is a veteran, the rest of the roster is relatively young — freshmen, sophomores, and some juniors who’ve never been to the Ivy championships before.
“It’s a very different team this year. Last year … we were very experienced, very mature, and the best kids had all been [to the Ivy championships] a lot,” Schnur said. “This year, we’re the exact opposite. … We’re a lot less experienced. It’ll be really interesting to watch how they react to a big pressure meet. …
Hopefully, they’ll all get fired up and go nuts the way the women did.”
Fittingly, the young talents to watch are in the breaststroke events alongside Fallon. In the 100 breast, freshman breaststroke specialist Watson Nguyen sits as the fifth seed, just behind Fallon in third.
Similarly, in the 200 breast, sophomore individual medley specialist Peter Whittington also sits in fifth while freshman breaststroke/individual medley specialist Colin Zhang is just behind, seeded ninth. In his strong Ivy championship debut last year, Whittington finished seventh in the 200 breast.
“It’ll be interesting to see which one, hopefully, all of them step up. [The freshmen] are all guys who can finish pretty high with their speed and when they swim to their potential. It’ll be their first time, so we’ll see how they do,” Schnur said.
That’s not to say there is no upperclassman talent to keep an eye on this year.
Gallagher competed at the United States Olympic Trials in the 200-meter backstroke this past summer and finished seventh in the finals of the yards version of the event at the 2024 Ivy championships. The Suwanee, Ga. native is seeded 11th in the 200-yard backstroke and will look to savor his last Ivy championships with the Red and Blue. Junior backstroke specialist James Curreri is also one to watch after having a standout performance in the Ivy championships last year in the distance freestyle events. The Kinnelon, N.J. native took home two bronze medals in the 500 and 1000 freestyle. Curreri has some tough competition in the 1650 freestyle, where he is seeded fifth. Yale freestyle/ backstroke specialist Noah Millard, who is seeded first by over 30 seconds, currently ranks in the top five in the NCAA.
“[Curreri] will be a contender in the 1000 and the 1650. … If [Millard] does not swim the 1000, James [has] a great chance in that event,” Schnur said. “Hopefully, [Curreri] hits second in 1650 and be at a level where he qualifies for [the] NCAAs. … He’s a warrior, and he’ll battle hard all weekend.”
From limited experience to relocating to alternative practice sites, the men’s swimming and diving team has overcome significant adversity this year — something that makes the team even more motivated to swim fast at this week’s Ivy championships. Sports reporter Derek Wong contributed reporting to this story.
The Ott Center houses indoor track events and practices.
New atmosphere, new events?
Despite the strategic and environmental differences, there’s one more area in which the two disciplines differ — event offerings.
Although a lot of discussion has been about how different the track-event scene is between indoors and outdoors, it’s important to not forget the differences in field events as well. Due to space constraints, discus and javelin events are not held during the indoor season. Considerations of are also made for the pole vault and high jump events in case of lower ceilings.
The indoor season often serves as excellent preparation for student-athletes transitioning into the outdoor season, especially with the two seasons occurring back to back. Looking ahead, the Penn Relays and other exciting outdoor events are in store for the Quakers.
“The additional space that is available with outdoor facilities also presents some exciting opportunities as we add events that are not contested indoor,” Dolan wrote. “For example, we contest longer hurdle races — 100/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles — and the longer throwing events, discus, hammer, and javelin, among other additional events as well.”
“We are very fortunate to practice and compete outdoors at Franklin Field and at the Mondschein Throws Complex as well,” Dolan added, “Penn has the rich history of hosting the Penn Relays and many other great outdoor track and field meets.”
Peanut butter and jelly, yin and yang, indoor and outdoor track — each pair balances the other. Their strengths and weaknesses complement one another, emphasizing the unique qualities that make both distinct and significant.
WEINING DING | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Sophomore freestyle specialist Weifan Zhang
WEINING DING | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Kayla
Fu wins Ivy League Championship in 100-yard freestyle for women’s swimming and diving
The Quakers took down three program records at Princeton
DEREK WONG Sports Reporter
The freshman is swimming fast and free. While finishing in fifth place at the Ivy League Championships at Princeton, Penn women’s swimming and diving team has plenty to celebrate, thanks in part to a trio of new program records and a newly minted champion in freshman freestyle and butterfly specialist Kayla Fu.
The highlight of the weekend came on the final day of the championships when Fu clinched her first Ivy League title, winning the 100-yard freestyle event with a time of 48.61 — a huge victory for the freshman who bounced back after being seeded first and then just missing the 100 butterfly A final. This personal-best time is 1.24 seconds away from the school record, currently held by
Sabine Rutlauka and Esha Velaga stand atop the mountain for women’s tennis
Their 2024 NCAA bids made Penn the only Ivy to send tennis athletes to NCAAs for both past two years
VIVIAN YAO AND JUSTIN LEE
Former Sports Editor and Deputy Sports Editor
Looking across the court at the precipice of a championship, an all-too-familiar foe stands ahead. Penn women’s tennis senior Sabine Rutlauka had already clinched her qualifying spot in the 2024-25 NCAA Division I women’s tennis singles tournament when she walked onto the court for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional tournament final.
Across the net from her stood a familiar opponent — teammate sophomore Esha Velaga, who had also qualified for the NCAA singles tournament and made history as the first Penn athlete to earn a doubles spot. Facing off in front of an empty crowd for the regional title, one thing was clear: Iron sharpens iron.
Tennis is well known for being a sport of passion. Matches are full of intensity, as opponents trade backhands and forehands with crescendoing levels of strength. Yet, as the two prepared for the first serve, Velaga could only describe the impending final as a “calm match.” Two teammates, already having achieved their goals of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, found no pleasure in having to take on each other.
“Our coaches and all of our teammates were not there. Both of us qualified for nationals, but we had to play [each other],” Rutlauka said. “We didn’t have a choice. It was the most unpleasant thing.”
To get to the final, Rutlauka had already dispatched another teammate in the semifinals — her doubles partner, senior Eileen Wang — taking both sets 6-4 and 6-3. Velaga, on the other hand, had only faced off against opponents from other schools during her run to the final. Despite being described as a “calm match,” it was anything but. As the battle raged on, each player’s playing style largely reflected their different journeys within the sport.
Tennis had always been a constant in Rutlauka’s life, even when her parents had made her try a plethora of sports. The decision to eventually focus on tennis was proven to be fruitful as Rutlauka became Latvia’s under-18 singles and doubles national champion. For Rutlauka, choosing Penn meant moving over 4,000 miles from Marupe, Latvia. Tennis became her anchor, helping her build a home away from home. She posted a 19-5 record as a rookie, earning second team, All-Ivy singles honors, then opened her second year with 11 straight singles wins, all but one in straight sets.
But then disaster struck.
During a match against Princeton, Rutlauka tore her ACL. For someone who had been playing tennis her entire life, not being able to play the rest of that spring and the subsequent fall was an uncomfortable experience for Rutlauka. An ACL tear is a nightmare for tennis players, where explosive movement is crucial.
“It was really rough timing [for] the injury. Coming back was definitely scary,” Rutlauka said.
“I’m still concerned on the court for my knee, but I’ve been working through it, and everything’s been working out so far.”
After taking the year off to recover, Rutlauka returned in the spring on March 22, 2024 against Temple. Not missing a beat, she defeated her first opponent Sena Takebe, dropping just three games across two sets. Playing primarily at No. 2 with some No. 1 appearances, she went undefeated in Ivy League singles, earning first team All-Ivy honors.
She also excelled in doubles play. A new challenge, Rutlauka learned the ropes quickly with Wang as her doubles partner. The two went 8-4 in doubles play, including a 5-2 record playing in Penn’s first spot. These performances earned Rutlauka another spot on first team All-Ivy, this time for doubles.
“It has been a learning curve,” Rutlauka said. “At first I hated it, but I knew I had to go through with it to win.”
Even if her road hasn’t been the easiest, Rutlauka has always found a way to win. With the score of the first set between her and Velaga all tied up with six games apiece, it all came down to a tiebreaker. Rutlauka found herself edging out Velaga 7-5 — the title winner from a year ago — to take the first set.
But while Rutlauka was beginning her recovery, Velaga was finishing up her high school career. Velaga’s journey to Penn was much shorter, hailing from Colmar, Pa., just an hour’s drive from Philadelphia.
For Velaga, competition was ingrained in her upbringing. She grew up admiring her older sister, who also played tennis, and went on to join the Princeton team.
“Seeing her success … and being like … I want to do better than that, [made me] myself in that way, because just seeing other people succeed makes me want to push myself to do better than I already am,” Velaga said.
Velaga dominated at the high school level. When she stopped foot onto campus, she was coming in as
Legendary former men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy set to retire
Dunphy, the current head coach at La Salle, won 10 Ivy League titles from 19892006
WALKER CARNATHAN Former Sports Editor
Legendary former Penn men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy will retire from his current position as head coach of La Salle at the end of the 2024-25 season, La Salle Athletics announced Thursday.
Dunphy — whose 310 wins at Penn put him first in program history and second all-time in the Ivy League — served as the Quakers’ head coach from 1989-2006 and won 10 Ivy League titles. After his coaching career concludes, Dunphy will assume the position of special assistant to the president of La Salle, a post for which he has agreed to a lifetime contract.
“I will forever be thankful to La Salle as well as all my fellow coaches and players that I’ve been fortunate to work with throughout my coaching career,” Dunphy said. “I am looking forward to finishing this season strong with our team and as I embark on the next chapter of my life.”
“We are proud to have been your first stop in what has been a long and storied career as a head coach,” Penn Athletics wrote in an Instagram post congratulating Dunphy on his coaching retirement.
now-graduated NCAA champion Lia Thomas with a time of 47.37. Fu is the second Quaker in program history to hold the title in this event. This NCAA B cut time is impressive for the budding freshman, who also broke a school record in the 50 free during a preliminary session.
See FU, page 8
Dunphy first arrived at Penn in 1988 after assistant coaching stints at several other college programs, including at his alma mater La Salle. After spending one season as an assistant, Dunphy succeeded Tom Schneider as head coach and led the Quakers to the Ancient Eight title in 1992. In 1994, Dunphy’s Red and Blue finished 14-0 in the Ivy League and defeated Nebraska in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the program’s lone March Madness win in the last 40 years.
See RETIRE, page 8
the No. 4 women’s singles tennis player under the age of 18 in the nation. A huge part of her success is her aggressive approach on the court.
“My personal game style is an aggressive baseliner, so I like to hit the ball pretty hard [and] move players around using my grab strokes,” Velaga said. “I try to attack with my serve as well, because I have a pretty big serve. I really like to attack with my forehand.”
With a slate of accolades already under Velaga’s name including Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, 2024 ITA Northeast Super Regionals singles title winner, and 2023 NCAA Division I women’s tennis nationals singles qualifier, it’s hard to believe that she is just a sophomore.
Despite all the success that Velaga has already achieved, she’s hungry for more. To her, winning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Ivy League Player of the Year are just expectations.
“I put pressure on myself to do well. I expected certain results, like [making] NCAAs … [and] more goals that I wanted to achieve,” Velaga said. “I just wanted to go in and win as many matches as I could … but I was more focused on my development as a player.”
Even with her competitive nature, Velaga still knows when it’s the right time to keep her competitiveness in check — for example, in the regional final against Rutlauka.
“It was a competitive match — both of us were obviously trying to put a lot of effort in, but it was very relaxed and calm,” Velaga said. “We were just telling
each other ‘nice shot’ all the time, or laughing at the mistakes that we made ourselves.”
Like the first set, the second also came down to a tiebreaker. Rutlauka won the tiebreaker handily 7-1 to take the ITA regionals crown. But by that point, it didn’t really matter who won. The two have made Penn women’s tennis a powerhouse program within the Ancient Eight.
“It was really cool to have two Penn players in the final,” Velaga said. “And I think both of us kind of recognize that.”
With both qualifying for the NCAA Division I national women’s singles tournament — and with Velaga qualifying for a second-straight year — Penn became the only Ivy League institute to be represented at the NCAA Division I national tournament for each of the last two years.
At the tournament, Velaga struggled. Coming up against eighth-seeded Sofia Johnson of Old Dominion, Velaga was unable to prevail, bowing out after losing two sets 6-4 and 6-2. Rutlauka found better success, defeating her first opponent, UC Santa Barbara’s Amelia Honer, to move on to the round of 32. There, she ultimately fell to Texas A&M’s Nicole Khirin, dropping both sets 6-4 and 6-1. As the two turned their attention to the spring season, they will continue to hone their strengths in preparation for matchups within the Ivy League. But through countless matches and serves, losses and victories, both Rutlauka and Velaga embraced a common motto on and off the court: Iron sharpens iron.
GRACE CHEN | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Velaga prepares to serve against Cornell on Apr. 5, 2024.
INSIA HAQUE AND MAKAYLA WU | DESIGN EDITORS