February 2, 2023

Deciding the future of human remains held by Penn Museum

Senior found not guilty for alleged on-campus assault

The student was accused of injuring a then-sophomore at a party in September 2021

KATIE BARTLETT Staff Reporter

The Municipal Court of Philadelphia found College senior Nicholas Hamilton not guilty for an alleged assault that occurred on campus in fall 2021.

Hamilton was on criminal trial for charges of simple assault and harassment by physical contact, according to court documents viewed by The Daily Pennsylvanian, after being charged by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. On Jan. 31, Municipal Court of Philadelphia Judge Christine Hope ended the trial after ruling that Hamilton was not guilty on both counts.

Hamilton was accused of injuring a then-Penn sophomore at a party held on Sept. 4, 2021, in the chapter house of his fraternity, Psi Upsilon — also known as “Castle.” The alleged incident sparked a four-day protest outside of Castle and demands to remove the fraternity from their oncampus house.

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for the University wrote to the DP that they do not usually comment on legal cases. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A hearing regarding the Penn Museum’s plans to rebury remains from the Morton Collection is scheduled for Feb. 2, following an objection filed by community organizers.

This hearing, which will be heard by the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court, could help determine which party will be responsible for the remains of Black Philadelphians that have been in possession of Penn Museum since 1966. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court, and there will be a rally at City Hall in support of local activists starting at 9 a.m.

The museum’s petition, acquired by The Daily Pennsylvanian, is seeking approval to “respectfully bury and lay to rest the cranial remains of these 20 individuals at a historic African-American cemetery and commemorate them with a public memorial service,” according to a spokesperson from Penn Museum in a written statement to the DP.

However, Rutgers University professor Lyra Monteiro and local activist Abdul-Aliy Muhammad filed objections to the museum’s

sightings disrupts student living

Residents on every floor of Kings Court told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they have seen more mice in their rooms and in the hallways

HALEY SON Staff Reporter

Kings Court English College House is experiencing a “rapid increase” in rodent sightings. Residents on every floor of Kings Court — one of the two buildings in the first-year college house — told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they have seen mice frequently in their rooms and in the hallways since returning from winter break. Students who live in English House — which is separated from Kings Court by a courtyard — did not report seeing mice.

“Half of the people I’ve talked to have found mice in their rooms,” Engineering first year Raymond Feng, who lives on the fourth and highest floor of Kings Court, said.

Faramarz Vakili, the executive director of operations and maintenance at Facilities and Real Estate Services, wrote in a statement to the DP that FRES has been working to address the “recent increase” in pest sightings.

“We believe this uptick is due to the prolonged cold weather and the exterior street work on 36th Street by the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD),” Vakili wrote. “KCEH traditionally has a very low number of pest sightings and this rapid increase in reporting prompted FRES staff along with our pest management contractor to [respond] immediately.”

Vakili went on to write that FRES and pest management have taken several steps to identify and close pest entry points, including perimeter checks, room-to-room inspections, and applying or repairing wall caulking. He wrote that the University has also improved baiting and trapping in common areas of University facilities, added baiting on building exteriors and in mechanical rooms, and installed devices that fill the gap between doors and floors.

petition. They argued that the reburial of the Black Philadelphians should be overseen by their descendant community — insisting that the museum’s process does not include community engagement.

“The museum is claiming to be the one that can determine what happens to other people’s ancestors, which has always been the problem,” Monteiro said.

The Penn Museum spokesperson wrote that they “welcome” this next step with the goals of “respectfully burying and laying to rest the cranial remains of 20 individuals at a historic AfricanAmerican cemetery and commemorating them with a public memorial service.”

The Morton Collection was a “major site of the formation of scientific racism,” according to Penn Ph.D. graduate Paul Wolff Mitchell. It consists of over 1,300 human skulls collected by Samuel Morton, an 1820 graduate of what is now the Perelman School of Medicine. In 2020, the museum decided to remove the display of the remains from public view after public opposition.

College and Wharton first year Bryce Li, who lives on the third floor, said that everybody on his floor was told by the college house to submit a maintenance report to demonstrate that the infestation is a floor-wide problem.

“An exterminator came in and set mouse traps, but I’m not sure how effective those are,” Li said. “People have said that the mice they’ve seen are way bigger than a typical mouse trap,” he said.

Vakili wrote that residents of KCECH can help the University control pests by reporting sightings immediately, storing food in containers, cleaning regularly, and clearing out piles of paper and other materials. Feng said that he and his roommate have agreed to stop eating inside their room.

College first year Angela Gomez, who lives on the first floor of Kings Court, said that one solution she has been using is an under door seal. Gomez said that she hasn’t seen a mouse in her room yet.

“I’ve definitely been really scared. Now every time I open my door, I just stand there and listen to see if I hear a mouse,” Li said .

Following the removal in April 2021, students and West Philadelphians protested outside the Penn Museum to urge the museum to return the remains of the collection.

In April 2021, the DP reported on Penn Museum’s original plans to repatriate the remains. Over a year later, in May 2022, the museum filed a petition with the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court, filing a request to bury at least 13 Black Philadelphians from the collection. Then, in July, Monteiro and Muhammad filed objections to the museum’s petition.

The Orphans’ Court is the municipal body that determines which party is allowed to make decisions in cases involving disputes about estates, trusts, and property.

In their written statement, a Penn Museum spokesperson referred to recommendations made by the Morton Collection Committee — a committee that the museum assembled in August

See

“We don’t comment on specific cases, but I can confirm the case disposition is not guilty,” a spokesperson for the Court wrote in a statement to the DP.

The trial began after a private criminal complaint against Hamilton was filed in the Court on Oct. 3, 2022. The proceedings, which started on Nov. 8, were repeatedly delayed after a series of requests by Hamilton’s lawyer for continuance. A joint request for continuance and a subsequent defense advance request for continuance further pushed the ruling to Jan. 31.

Hamilton was represented in the case by Michael Patrick Parkinson, a private attorney for Parkinson, Tarpey & Lloyd, a Philadelphia criminal defense group.

“We were anxious to proceed with a full and fair trial in order to vindicate Nicholas’s reputation and good name,” Parkinson wrote in a statement to the DP. “We achieved exoneration in a court of a law, which speaks more loudly than any hollow allegations or false claims.”

Penn on track to meet 2024 climate goals amid student activist demands

The report found the main campus’s carbon footprint decreased by 45% from 2009 to 2022

ELEA CASTIGLIONE Staff Reporter

Penn is on track to meet the sustainability goals that it outlined in 2019 as it prepares for the fourth iteration of its climate action plan.

On Jan. 23, Penn Sustainability published its annual progress report on the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 for the fiscal year 2022. The report — based on data from the previous year — highlighted achievements and areas of progress toward the goals outlined in the University’s five-year plan. It follows a renewed campaign by student activists last fall for broader action on climate, including full divestment from fossil fuels.

Among other findings, the report said that the main campus’s carbon footprint decreased by 45% from 2009 to 2022 — a marginal improvement from 2021’s decrease of 44.3% since 2009. This constituted a smaller change than 2021’s report, which reported a 7.1% reduction in emissions from 2020. However, it marks progress toward the University’s goal of being 100% carbon neutral by 2042.

Nina Morris, the sustainability director of Penn

See CLIMATE, page 2

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885 PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2023

‘Rapid increase’ in KCECH rodent

The hearing could determine the future of Black Philadelphians’ remains that have been in the possession of Penn Museum since 1966

DEDEEPYA GUTHIKONDA Senior Reporter

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Residents in Kings Court English College House report an increase in rodent and pest sightings since returning from winter break.

PHOTO BY KYLIE COOPER

A member of Penn Environmental Group volunteers at the Penn Park Farm on Earth Day, April 23, 2021.

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Everything you need to know

about the 2023 restaurant scene in University City

Five restaurants recently opened, several more plan to open by the end of 2023

JASPER TAYLOR Senior Reporter

As the semester begins, many new restaurants have recently opened or will join the University City food scene this year.

Located next to campus on Walnut Street, Franklin's Table has welcomed three new eateries. Two additional restaurants recently opened in University City, and several more plan to open by the end of 2023. Five Guys and the three Franklin's Table restaurants are new additions to the portfolio operated by Penn's Facilities and Real Estate Services, which operates as the landlord of several stores on and around campus.

Sixteen new food and drink vendors will open at a new food hall coming to University City this fall. The vendors are yet to be announced.

The food hall will be located in the Schuylkill Yards neighborhood, across from the 30th Street Amtrak station. This development is a partnership undertaken by Urbanspace and Brandywine Realty Trust.

Two Locals Brewing Company is one of the new restaurants that is expected to come to University City this year. The company is aiming for a summer 2023 opening at uCity Square, a mixed-use development at 37th and Market streets. The brewery will be the first Blackowned of its kind in Philadelphia.

Maison Sweet, an Asian-French fusion bakery, opened at 2930 Chestnut St. in January. The bakery specializes in desserts and also serves coffee, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Five Guys, the first University City location of the national burger chain, also opened this month, marking the arrival of a highly anticipated restaurant. Five Guys is located at 3714 Spruce St., next to the Quad.

Franklin's Table, located at 34th and Walnut streets, has welcomed three new tenants since December. High Street Hoagies celebrated its grand opening in University City on Jan. 19, offering food such as sandwiches and salads.

Franklin’s Table also recently welcomed Delco Steaks, which specializes in cheesesteaks, burgers, and hot dogs. Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea, which will host a soft opening from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, offers unique boba drinks made with raw ingredients and fresh fruits.

Specializing in South Indian cuisine, Amma’s opened its second Philadelphia location in University City at 103 S. 39th St. in September.

Penn-affiliated HIV vaccine clinical trial ends early

The study aimed to engineer a vaccine that used synthetic pieces of the HIV virus

ISABELLE LHUILIER

Contributing Reporter

UA tables joint resolution with GAPSA for student representation on Board of Trustees

If revised and approved by GAPSA and the UA by March 2, the resolution will be in the hands of the trustees to decide

LARA COTA Staff Reporter

Members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and Undergraduate Assembly are revising a joint resolution to appoint student representatives to the Board of Trustees.

The HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at Penn partnered with other clinics on an international study intended to engineer a vaccine to recognize multiple HIV variants.

The only current advanced-stage HIV vaccine clinical trial has ended early after results showed that the vaccine did not prevent infection.

The international study, named Mosaico, aimed to engineer a vaccine that used synthetic pieces of the HIV virus to recognize multiple HIV variants, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The study was run by Janssen Pharmaceuticals — a branch of Johnson & Johnson — and partnered with various clinics, including the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at Penn.

Starting in 2019, the third phase of the trial enrolled almost 3,900 gay and transgender people between the ages of 18 and 60 at high risk for HIV, the Inquirer reported. Participants were given four shots over 12 months, but the trial found no significant differences in HIV infection between those given the vaccine and those given the placebo.

Ronald Collman, director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research, told the Inquirer that creating a vaccine preventing HIV is challenging due to the virus’ protein shell, which frequently mutates, making it

CLIMATE, from FRONT PAGE

Sustainability, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the report demonstrates progress towards meeting its goals for 2024, the final year outlined by CSAP 3.0.

"Right now, we're working really hard to ensure that all the goals and strategies are wrapped up and we'll be able to provide, hopefully, by next year, a full picture of the progress made and examples of how each of the goals were met," Morris said.

Other objectives that Penn Sustainability provided updates on in the report include the University's academic initiative, with 4,695 students enrolled in sustainability-related courses during the 2021-22 academic year. The report also underlined the creation of a carbon footprint for Penn’s real estate portfolio, as well as a waste precinct map with Urban Park and Penn Housekeeping that is designed to collect data and identify opportunities for "increased diversion."

While the University pursues its sustainability plan, student activists involved with Fossil Free Penn praised some aspects of the latest report but said that Penn should take faster and wider-ranging actions.

College junior Katie Francis, a coordinator with Fossil Free Penn, said that although the climate change efforts were positive, progress is not being made fast enough. Francis reiterated FFP's demand that the University fully divest, dissociate, and cut "all ties" with fossil fuel companies.

"These companies still come to career fairs here on campus and recruit Penn students to work for them," Francis added.

In November, Penn announced that it no longer

difficult for antibodies to attach to.

Penn has long been involved in research on HIV prevention. In 2017, Perelman School of Medicine professor George Shaw was awarded $16.3 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop an HIV vaccine that introduces a weaker or non-infectious form of the virus to build up immunity.

Currently, there is no cure for HIV, but medications can prevent infection, control the disease progression, and allow infected individuals to live long and healthy lives.

PrEP is 99% effective in preventing HIV infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2020, the Penn Undergraduate Assembly launched a campaign to raise awareness about PrEP and its availability through Student Health Service.

Despite the discontinuation of the Mosaico trial, Collman remains optimistic.

“Even though we don’t have an HIV vaccine yet, all of the science that has been done over the last 20, 30 years, trying to get an HIV vaccine, has yielded incredible benefits in other areas,” Collman told the Inquirer.

holds direct investments in fossil fuels. The University also does not hold investments in 200 companies whose reserves contain the largest amount of potential carbon emissions.

“I think I speak for most of [FFP] when I say that we all know that Penn uses greenwashing tactics in order to avoid the responsibility of having to address climate change issues,” Francis said.

College sophomore Eug Xu, another organizer with FFP, said that Penn's goals outlined in the utility and operations section of the report are “fairly good in terms of concrete reductions in emissions and electrical demands of the university.”

However, too much of the sustainability plan is vague and focused on gathering information rather than taking action, Xu said. They said that the University's report on Scope 3 emissions — intended to quantify emissions from goods and services purchased by Penn — required concrete action rather than presenting information.

"Penn has a much larger, and more broad-reaching impact than the acute campus that they sit on. They have a global impact based on being an Ivy League university,” Xu added. “I think the university should be thinking bigger and doing bigger than just our campus.”

According to the report, Penn Sustainability will spend the next two years finalizing the goals outlined in CSAP 3.0 "and preparing for the next phase of planning."

Morris encouraged students to participate in the work of her office and sustainability more broadly. She added that students could expect "a lot more" from the office regarding sustainability events focused on how to reduce waste "from the beginning."

“We want to find as many ways as possible to support and engage with our school community in whatever way that we can," Morris said.

On Jan. 18, GAPSA passed a joint resolution to have two student representatives on the Board of Trustees. The proposal was written with members of the UA, who following their own discussion of the proposal on Jan. 22, were unable to get majority approval and tabled the resolution. The authors are now working to pass a successful redraft before the Board of Trustees’ next meetings.

The resolution was crafted by two undergraduate and three graduate students: junior and UA representative for the College Charlie Schumer, sophomore and UA Wharton representative Keshav Ramesh, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School third year and GAPSA Vice President of Programming Keshara Senanayake, third-year dual degree master's student and GAPSA President Robert Watson, and fifth-year chemical and biomolecular engineering Ph.D. candidate and former GAPSA President Paradorn Rummaneethorn.

GAPSA and UA's work marks the first official resolution requesting student representation on the Board at Penn, following the example of other

universities.

The Board of Trustees is a decision-making body that directly dictates the University's operations. There are 54 trustee members of various industries and backgrounds, with 14 spots allocated to Penn alumni. No spots are currently allocated to students. The Board of Trustees did not respond to a request for comment.

“Students are not just asking for power for the sake of power,” Senanayake said. “We love this University. And we know that the trustees love this University. That’s why they’re volunteering their time to help this institution to be the best possible version of themselves ... we just want to give our thoughts to further that mission.”

Although many of UA members expressed openness to the idea of student representation, a number voiced concerns that the resolution was not properly communicated and advised by all of the stakeholders involved in its proposal.

UA President Carson Sheumaker said that the same concern was the sentiment he gathered in an informal phone call with the Office of the University Secretary. Sheumaker added that he believes the resolution should be discussed with the Faculty Senate, the advocating voice for the University’s full-time teaching faculty. Governed by the Senate Executive Committee, they hold influence over faculty policies and similarly have liaisons on various trustee committees.

“What I've ascertained from talking to administrators is there would not be a student trustee, or some type of changes to student representation, without the same type of change on the faculty side," Sheumaker said.

According to Schumer, the revision board for the resolution is now actively scheduling meetings with several prospective offices, including Executive Director of Office of Student Affairs Katie Bonner and Associate Vice Provost for Education and Academic Planning Gary Purpura.

There was an additional concern from the UA — and GAPSA — about students not being as qualified as the current trustee members to serve on the board. Senanayake said that many students have sat on boards, started businesses, and run entities.

If the resolution is successfully revised and approved by GAPSA and UA by March 2 the trustees will decide whether or not they will allow student representation on the Board.

PHOTO BY AVI SINGH

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

High Street Hoagies, the newest food stall at Franklin’s Table in University City, offers sandwiches, salads, and more.

PHOTO BY ALEX BAXTER

The Undergraduate Assembly hosts a meeting about student representation on the Board of Trustees on Jan. 22.

August 2020 – insisting that there should be “community involvement and resources" when going forward with the repatriation and burial procedures.

In response to this report, the Morton Cranial Collection Community Advisory Group was founded to provide community input in advising its practices.

Members of the group included numerous Penn faculty members and directors from the Penn Museum.

A spokesperson from the Penn Museum said that the Advisory Group recommended that the Museum arrange for the burial of the Black Philadelphians at Eden Cemetery, hold an inter-faith memorial service led by local spiritual leaders, place a permanent marker of remembrance located on Penn’s campus, and engage in a community-led public forum as part of steps towards restorative practices, atonement, and repair.

Monteiro said that museum leaders did not seem open to community input, but rather Monteiro said that museum officials already "showed up with a fully formed proposal that is identical to their [current] proposal" on the first day that the Advisory Committee met.

When the museum filed a petition to the Orphans’ Court in May 2022 intending to bury the remains in the Eden Cemetery, Monteiro said the committee was not informed of it ahead of time, so she and Muhammad filed a petition that halted their burial of over a dozen Black Philadelphians in the collection.

The demands in Monteiro and Muhammad’s petition

— which they refer to as “Finding Ceremony” — aim for a “consent-based process controlled by descendants and descendant community members.” If not for their objection, Monteiro said that all of the bodies would have already been buried.

Earlier this month, Penn Museum announced that it had identified seven more Black Philadelphians in the collection, bringing the total number of Black Philadelphians identified — and to be buried — to 20.

Mitchell, who has done extensive research on the Morton collection as part of his dissertation, said that he believes that these additional remains were not a discovery.

“[The museum] did [initially] say that more [remains] could be found, but it was not expected," Mitchell said. "Why was it not expected? What occurred between May of 2022 and the present as the museum expanded its numbers? And what does that say about the thoroughness of the research that it was doing in 2022?”

There are currently no federal policies dictating what museums should do with human remains, according to Mitchell. One relevant law is the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which says that all institutions that receive federal funding are required to return, as requested by tribal nations, the remains of indigenous ancestors of Native Americans to those tribal nations when a connection can be established.

Most recently, a report by ProPublica said that museum, along with a multitude of other museums across the nation, still possess Native American remains in violation of NAGPRA. According to Monteiro, many of the skulls in the Morton Collection may also be Native American remains.

Allegations of union-busting at Starbucks location on 34th and Walnut Streets

Employees reported that Starbucks allegedly reduced their hours and wages

NINA DILWORTH AND SOPHIA LIU Staff Reporters

The National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Starbucks, citing allegations of union busting at its 34th and Walnut streets location.

In the complaint, which was filed on Jan. 23, the NRLB alleged that Starbucks store managers allegedly discouraged workers from participating in a union by reducing hours and wages, as well as failing to bargain with already unionized employees — thereby violating the National Labor Relations Act. The complaint, which also alleges that two employees were fired for participating in union activities, was also filed against Starbucks’ 20th and Market streets location, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

In response to a request for comment, Starbucks contested the validity of the complaint in regard to disobeying the NLRA and defended its actions at the Philadelphia locations.

“We disagree with the merits of the complaint and maintain that actions taken at our Philadelphia area stores were in full alignment with established policies and the National Labor Relations Act,” a Starbucks spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “We look forward to a full legal review of the matter as we work side-by-side with our partners to deliver the Starbucks experience and reinvent our company for the future.

Jo Schermerhorn, a shift supervisor at the 34th and Walnut streets location, said that Starbucks told him and other protesters that they could not picket outside the storefront last December, despite legally being allowed to do so.

Alzheimer’s drug trialed by Penn Medicine receives FDA approval

The Federal Drug Administration recently approved a drug trialed by the Penn Memory Center to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug, Leqembi, received FDA approval under the accelerated approval pathway on Jan. 6, after the AHEAD trial assessed its efficacy on volunteers concluded its third phase. Researchers at Penn Medicine have been studying volunteers who do not exhibit extreme dementia symptoms but who may be at risk for future development, as the study aims to preemptively prevent symptoms.

As of September, the AHEAD clinical trial studied nearly 1,800 individuals. These trials have reported a 27% improvement in slowed or reduced cognitive decline compared to those who received a placebo.

David Wolk, the co-director of the Penn Memory Center and the director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Penn, wrote in a statement that these results are an “extremely encouraging development.”

Leqembi aims to reduce the damage caused by amyloid proteins, which may be associated with memory and thinking impairment. Amyloid proteins are found in higher quantities in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

The recent FDA approval did not take into account data and results from phase III trials of Leqembi. There

remains concern about the drug's longer-term impacts, as three patients enrolled in the trial have recently died from brain bleeding and swelling complications. Some researchers have claimed these deaths may be linked to the drug.

Sanjeev Vaishnavi, a neurologist at Penn Medicine, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the drug has the potential to be reproduced naturally in humans.

“[The drug] was derived actually from the blood of individuals who were older who did not develop Alzheimer's disease,” Vaishnavi said. “It’s one of these few things that kind of started from humans, went into the lab, and now it’s back in humans.”

Much of the research conducted with Leqembi to this point has proved that it slows down memory degradation in patients that already have Alzheimer's symptoms. Now, the AHEAD study hopes to slow down the process of acquiring symptoms in the first place, Vaishnavi said.

Previously, drugs intended to combat memory loss have not had much clinical success. This lack of success has led some doctors to speculate that amyloid proteins are not a cause of Alzheimer's, but rather an incidental side effect.

An alternative explanation provided by some clinicians is that a protein called Tau is the primary culprit of Alzheimer’s Disease. Virginia Man-Yee Lee, director of the Perelman School of Medicine’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, has led research on Tau.

Overall, Alzheimer's researchers have encountered a multitude of challenges while trying to explore the disease. For instance, Alzheimer's symptoms show and progress over many years, which means that clinical trials must last for long periods of time, Vaishnavi told the DP.

“Speeding things up and identifying the appropriate individuals for research … [is] the work we’re continuing to do moving forward,” Vaishnavi said. “The hope is that if [Leqembi] works for people with more significant memory loss symptoms, it may work even better for people earlier. That's the big-picture thought process.”

“We filed ethics complaints against some of the managers for their behavior during the last strike around December,” Schermerhorn said. “One of the store managers got aggressive really quickly, saying that if anyone were to bump into him, he would get his friend from South Philly to come and take care of us.”

Schermerhorn added that many Starbucks workers at his location experienced a reduction in hours, with his hours cut in half. While Starbucks company leadership makes decisions about cuts to the number

of weekly houses that workers can use, individual store managers determine who has access to those hours and how many.

“[Starbucks has] been drastically cutting labor and not giving us hours that we need,” Schermerhorn said. “A lot of us are really unsure of how we’re paying our rent right now.”

Tzvi Ortiz, another shift supervisor at 34th and Walnut streets, said that many Starbucks employees find the pattern of cutting hours akin to union busting, especially since the store is not always properly staffed for busy days.

“We weren’t as busy around the holidays [so Starbucks] kept sending people away, but they weren’t giving us enough people to do the amount of things they wanted us to do,” Ortiz said. “Then the students came back and we were really short staffed. We frequently don’t have people for support.”

Despite employees’ hours being cut, Schermerhorn told the DP that the 34th and Walnut streets location is still seeing soaring numbers and business.

“We can see predicted metrics for the current date based on sales from last year [and] what we actually did in sales on our sales reports which shows how many transactions we do every half hour,” Schermerhorn wrote in a statement. “Those that have been there the longest have never seen volumes this high.”

The 34th and Walnut streets Starbucks first unionized in May 2022 with a unanimous vote, among a host of other Starbucks locations making similar efforts. The employees said they found it necessary to organize their labor demands as a way to protect against the corporation from “unfair wages, inconsistent scheduling and staffing issues, safety violations, and harassment.”

Janice Bellace, a professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School, said that union workers face significant challenges when confronting a powerful, multinational corporation like Starbucks.

“Starbucks will be very resistant,” Bellace said. “They will refuse to agree, and then it will force the union to just say ‘okay, we accept what you’re giving us.’”

Bellace added that she notices a contradiction between the words and actions of the Starbucks brand.

“They have cultivated this image of being very progressive,” Bellace said, “and then people will say, ‘we’d like to earn a certain amount if we stand here and work,’ and they strongly resist it.”

According to the Inquirer, Starbucks is expected to issue an official response to the complaint by Feb. 6 and attend a hearing scheduled for Feb. 13. Bellace was uncertain about the outcome of the hearing.

“It’s so fact specific,” she said. “It’ll be very important what witnesses the union can have or what they’ll say, and the credibility of the witnesses.”

PHOTO BY MAX MESTER

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

The National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint against Starbucks on allegations of union busting at its 34th and Walnut streets location.

IN PHOTOS: WINTER SPORTS MIDSEASON

Women’s swimming:

Following an outstanding 2021-22 season, which included nine program records be broken, the women’s swimming and diving team's performance has been underwhelming. The team’s last meet of the regular season was Jan. 27 versus Rider, which it dominated in to finish with a 164-91 win, but prior performances have been subpar — especially against Ancient Eight opposition. Heading into the Ivy League Championships at Princeton starting Feb. 15, the Quakers currently put up a 5-5 overall record and a 2-5 conference record.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Women's basketball:

The Red and Blue are currently caught in a three-way tie for second place in Ivy standings, with a conference record of 5-2. This past Saturday, the squad fell to Harvard in a 84-60 blowout, revealing cracks in their road play. Next up, Penn's resilience will be put to the test as it faces off against first place Columbia this upcoming Friday — hoping to repeat its 71-67 victory over the Lions earlier this season.

Men's basketball:

Despite high expectations for this season, the Quakers have struggled, currently finding themselves tied for fifth in the Ivy League with a conference record of 3-4. Junior guard Jordan Dingle has been dynamite on the court all season — not only leading his squad in scoring, but also climbing to the second-highest scorer in all of NCAA Division I. The Quakers have seven games left to climb into the top four and secure their spot in the Ivy League tournament.

Gymnastics:

The gymnastics team is on fire right now, having most recently scored a mark of 195.025 at the UNH Quad meet this past Sunday. This was not only the team’s best score of the season, but also ties for fourth best in program history. The week before that, the Quakers scored a mark of 194.800, which is a new program record for meets at home. Looking to carry on with their recordbreaking season, the Quakers will compete next against Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. on Feb. 5.

Wrestling: Penn wrestling is currently ranked No. 21 nationally, and had eight wrestlers earn national recognition in the latest NCAA coaches panel. This includes junior Michael Colaiocco, who has placed as high as seventh in the country in his weight class. Last weekend, the Quakers crushed both Harvard and Brown 37-7 and 28-8, respectively. The squad will next travel to Ithaca, N.Y. to play #6-ranked Cornell on Sunday, Feb. 5.

Men's squash:

The Quakers are currently ranked No. 2 in the country by the College Squash Association. The team’s record is 13-1, and the only loss was a thrilling 5-4 defeat to top-ranked Harvard. If the the team can continue to dominate its opposition this season, the Quakers will get the chance to take back the Potter Cup that they so narrowly lost last season.

Women's squash:

Ranked at No. 9 in the country and currently boasting a 5-6 record, the Penn women's squash season has served up mixed results. The team's sub-.500 record shouldn't distract from highlights of the season, though, which include wins against both No. 11 Tufts and No. 12 Stanford. Additionally, sophomore Grace Lavin has had a particularly strong season, leading the team with a 7-3 record.

Men’s swimming:

Similar to the women’s swimming and diving team, the Quakers have had a mediocre record this season of 5-4-1. On a higher note, star Matt Fallon recorded an NCAA A-cut time of 1:50.28 in the 200-yard breaststroke at the Zippy Invitational on Dec. 1, automatically qualifying him for the 2023 NCAA Championships next month. He's won eight consecutive races in January alone. Fallon and his teammates are looking forward to the Ivy League Championships, which are right around the corner starting Feb. 22 at Brown.

Women’s fencing: The Quakers are currently ranked No. 29 nationally with a 19-8 overall record. As of late, the Quakers have been on a roll with a four-game winning streak, recently beating St. John’s, Yale, Long Island, and Hunter — hoping to carry this momentum into the Ivy Championship just under two weeks away and improve on its fourth-place finish from last season.

Men’s fencing: With a record of 16-8, the Red and Blue have had some ups and downs this season. Most recently at the Tri-State Shark Showcase on Jan. 29, they lost to both St. John’s and Yale but crushed Hunter and Long Island. The Quakers are looking forward to the Ivy League Championship starting Feb. 11 at Cornell, where the team finished third last year.

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

PHOTO BY DEREK WONG

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

PHOTO BY JULIA VAN LARE

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA TURNER

Senior Saksham Choudhary prepares

Freshman Anna Moehn wins the 1650-yard freestyle during the meet against Rider on Jan. 27.

Junior sabre Marcel Merchant celebrates his

Jack Price, allowing the team to come out on top 14-13 over the Buckeyes on Jan. 22.

Freshman Kyle Hauserman grapples with Brown's Ricky Cabanillas during their matchup on Jan. 27.

Junior guard Jordan Dingle makes a layup against Harvard's Justice Ajogbor on Jan. 28.

Junior foil Sabrina Cho parries an attack from Notre Dame's Nicole Pustilnik during their bout on Jan. 22.

Freshman Skyelar Kerico competes on the balance beam during the meet against William & Mary on Jan. 22.

Senior guard Kayla Padilla celebrates with senior guards Mandy McGurk (left) and Sydnei Caldwell (center) after her game-winning layup against Temple on Dec. 11, 2022.

Some people believe that New Year’s resolutions are trite, often useless attempts at lofty goals. Roughly 80% of people fail to keep their resolutions intact. Despite this discouraging statistic, I still believe that resolutions have value in aiding us in something even bigger and more important than achieving our tangible goals.

People usually approach resolutions with an all-or-nothing mindset: After one failure, there’s no point in continuing the pursuit of that resolution. I believe that achieving resolutions lies in focusing on the process of a resolution rather than the end goal itself. Thus, failure once or twice will not derail the whole process.

New Year's resolutions can be extremely beneficial in aiding the process of creating ourselves. Of course, there’s something that

feels optional about a resolution because there’s no penalty for not living up to it, and there’s always the next year to try again. This becomes especially easy when a resolution is unquantifiable — “I’m going to be a more patient person this year,” or “I’m going to eat healthier this year.” After a failure to achieve this goal, it’s only human to think it’s no longer worth pursuing.

In lieu of unquantifiable goals, there should be a shift to process-oriented resolutions, such as SMART goals. If you have a goal to become a more avid reader, the focus of this should be on the process itself, such as setting a resolution to read 10 pages a day from a novel. I also find that process-oriented resolutions are integral to an overarching idea I’m beginning to embrace: the idea that we create — not find or discover — ourselves

in college.

Resolutions are only a small and timely discussion in the overarching ideal of finding ourselves in everything that we do. Resolutions are a reminder that it’s a new year and a chance to set new goals that we can look forward to achieving in the coming year. But the main point of mentioning resolutions is not about the resolutions themselves but in what they can do for us as young people eager to learn more about who we are.

Entering the new year should always feel like a refreshing start, especially in college. College is often talked about as the prime time for self-discovery with endless exploration and opportunities. Thus, entering each year is an exciting restart but also a continuation of building on the lessons learned from the previous year. We go to college to get an education, friends, and the professional and interpersonal skills necessary to be successful in this life.

I was very excited about going to college for those exact reasons. Although not immediately, I thought that everything would definitely fall into place in the way that it was supposed to. In the pursuit of professional skills and a good education, we assume that there are specific majors and eventual career goals destined for us. We sometimes believe that we are also destined for specific social circles. We even think that in all of this, we have found ourselves. Even after finishing my first year, I thought I had undoubtedly found myself in my new friends and my major. Almost a full year later, going into 2023, I realized that I didn’t really find myself in any of that.

Finding yourself inherently implies that there’s one version of yourself and one

version of your life that is waiting for you, waiting to be discovered. With that mindset, I began to question my choices of my major, my extracurriculars, and how I was focusing my energy. Was this the major and the subsequent career path I was meant to find? What if I am making the wrong choices — will my future go awry? These questions started to plague me last semester, and I became fearful that I was going down the wrong path. What if I am meant to be pre-med? It’s a bit cliche, but it's both a beauty and a burden that there is no wrong answer.

I know that I’m far from alone in questioning these things. Many students struggle with narrowing their focus academically, socially, and emotionally. But with reflection, I decided that I no longer wanted to frame life as simply finding pieces that belong to a larger, predestined puzzle. I prefer the metaphor that everyone’s life is a piece of art that we create along the way as we adjust to the inevitable oscillations of life. And most importantly, there is no final product that is more correct or beautiful than any other.

So, in the spirit of New Year's and college, choose resolutions that encourage you to create yourself in a way that dedicates you to a process rather than a goal. Not only does this approach provide more room for failure, it again aligns with a mindset of creation versus discovery. Embrace the creation that 2023 holds!

ALLISON SANTA-CRUZ is a College sophomore studying communication from Jackson, Miss. Her email is allisant@sas.upenn.edu.

5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 … Happy New Year!

Magically, as if Cinderella's fairy godmother herself had waved her wand and uttered an exuberant “Bippity Boppity Boo,” your whole personality changed at the stroke of midnight. The saying “new near, new me” reflects this idea perfectly, and although many people live by this mindset, it’s unfortunately straight out of a fairytale. The new year alone doesn’t signify any personal changes that cannot happen any other day of the year; it’s the work that you put in throughout the year that will accumulate in the personal realizations you want to see.

Losing weight. Going to the gym every morning. Connecting more frequently with friends. All of these are common New Year's resolutions, but why is it that we consider January the only time to start new habits?

Truthfully, we should feel motivated to spend personal time working on self-improvement more than one out of 12 months of the year.

As signified by the line going out the door of Pottruck Health and Fitness Center this January, Penn students are among the masses who view the new year as the perfect opportunity to start a new habit. Due to Penn's preprofessional nature, the pressure to start the new year strong and make both academic and professional gains may feel even stronger. Unfortunately, 43% of people will fail their set resolutions by February. Whether you’re a part of this 43% or you manage to practice your resolutions further into the year, it can be a struggle to stay consistent.

Admittedly, I am certainly the type of person who sits down at the end of December and reflects on both my accomplishments and failures from the past year. I also create a list of goals that aim to correct some of the

disappointments, and I continue the momentum gained from the highs. However, I’m strongly against the notion that goal-setting needs to happen at the beginning of a new cycle around the sun. Goal setting can — and should — happen at all times of the year, and the self-reflection that comes from creating goals should not be a one-off yearly occasion.

Another reason I don’t completely buy this idea of “New Year's resolutions” is that oftentimes people try to plan everything they want for that year in advance. Let's be honest, December 2022 you likely will not have the same priorities or opportunities that December 2023 you will ultimately be confronted with. One of the main reasons people fail their New

Year's resolutions is due to a lack of structure in setting their goals. When you can’t imagine or isolate your goals into tangible steps, it may become daunting and a lot harder to see progress.

Bigger is not always better. When it comes to goal setting for the new year, I recommend starting smaller. Think short term, and prioritize goals that you can complete in steps. The New York Times recommends setting goals using the SMART goals model in which goals are “specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.” Not only do your goals need to be quantifiable, but they also need to be practical for your existing schedule.

Let’s take the example of striving to work

out in the new year and make it a SMART goal. To begin, you would need to clearly outline your parameters: Whether it's to attend the gym every day or simply twice a week, make sure you set an agenda you can stick to. Once this is established, factor in your existing schedule and set smaller goals for yourself in order to see progress. Also, consider setting rewards along your journey in order to keep it fun and chart your progression.

Whether your goal involves starting a new habit or retaining an existing one, the most important things to ensure success include strategic planning, upping the stakes with rewards and consequences, and positive association. It is also important to remember that hiccups are both expected and acceptable! One mistake doesn’t mean you are incapable of achievement, as success is not always linear.

Personally, I’m proud to be entering the new year as the same person I was last year. Rather than building changes from the ground up, I’m eager to improve my existing self and allow the events of the next year to shape the path that I take. I encourage you to do the same. While it is important to aim to better yourself, take time to sit back, relax, and reflect on your many accomplishments. And maybe, if you discover a hobby you really like in July, consider making time to pick it up immediately, rather than waiting another six months for the new year.

MIA VESELY is a College first year studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Phoenix. Her email is mvesely@upenn.sas.edu.

FactCheck.org, the award-winning political website at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is now accepting applications for its 2023-2024 undergraduate fellowship program. The next class of undergrads will be trained during an eight-week, paid summer program at FactCheck’s offices at APPC (or online, if necessary) from May 30 to July 21. Those who are trained this summer must agree to work 10 to 15 hours per week at FactCheck.org during the fall and spring semesters, if their work merits continued employment.

The fellows at FactCheck.org help our staff monitor the factual accuracy of claims made by political figures in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, social media and news releases. They also monitor viral claims and rumors that spread through email and social media. They help conduct research on such claims and contribute to articles for publication on our website under the supervision of FactCheck.org staff. The fellows must have an ability to write clearly and concisely, an understanding of journalistic practices and ethics, and an interest in politics and public policy. The fellows also must be able to think independently and set aside any partisan biases.

If you are interested, please submit your resume and two writing samples by the Feb. 6 deadline to FactCheck.org.

Deputy Managing Editor Rob Farley at rob.farley@factcheck.org. Please direct any questions about the program or application process to the same address.

DESIGN BY WEI-AN JIN

DESIGN BY WEI-AN JIN

University administrators should pay student leaders

GUEST COLUMN | Pay Penn student leaders for their service to the

University and the West Philadelphia community

Trustees we are attempting to sway to approve necessary policy changes only seek to impress and surpass their rivals at peer institutions.

Not only is there a serious problem with continuing to take away from the local community, as shouted continuously by the UC Townhomes Coalition, but nearly every impactful effort made towards reversing all of this damage has been done by the students themselves.

Those who have engaged with this work long enough know that the progress that the University's leadership tends to claim as its own often comes as a result of underpaid and underappreciated essential student labor. The most obvious examples of essential student labor are Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly and the 7B Minority Coalition.

These students are expected to lead initiatives that the University should already have the resources and expertise to implement. Throughout the summer, a group of these student leaders were even asked to attend hours-long weekly evening meetings where they were called the ARCH Steering Committee.

This crucial work was done to help students further minority inclusion and connection on campus. But unlike the administrators they worked with, they received no pay for this work. This situation can be quite damaging to the students themselves, especially if you consider prior studies that describe the negative impact this form of labor has on students from minority backgrounds.

As long as we continue to debate the merits of unpaid internships, the conversation should extend to positions of leadership and activism that require students to serve as administrators just as much as they are expected to be as students. Students should have the opportunity to advocate for their peers, make a positive impact in the local community, and gain valuable leadership experiences.

I first arrived at Penn as a transfer student in August 2021. I was one of the lucky students admitted into a pre-orientation program. I participated in PennCORP, a program designed to introduce students to social justice and community service both in West Philadelphia and on campus.

PennCORP completely changed the way that I viewed student activism and leadership. It revealed to me the injustices that Penn, Drexel, and other local universities are capable of, like the removal of Black Bottom residents and continuous "Penntricification". Furthermore, it showed me that much of the education and efforts towards

revealing and reversing Penn’s injustices were spearheaded by students. Penn and similar institutions have their students performing tasks that the universities themselves should perform, and then take credit for the fruits of their labor instead of completely serving them. Although Penn’s administrative leadership tends to present their responsibility to the student body as a reason for not involving itself directly in community affairs, the student leaders they claim to serve are not properly compensated. Social justice has been my strongest passion for as long as I can remember. Like many other student activists, the pursuit of social change

is strongly tied to my own identity. I wish to move through society with the same amount of resources and support as my peers, and I want others in similar positions to have that right as well.

To reach this goal, and to connect with more students with the same goal, we are willing to go the extra mile. That in and of itself is an amazing gift — one that institutions of power are likely to try and exploit.

These institutions describe their intentions as enriching the lives of the student body and the local community — they present themselves as a unique gift to the world. In reality, many of the

But, the University administrative leadership must give its student leaders the pay and credit that they deserve. This is the least that they can do, seeing as it appears that they do not intend to take responsibility for the harm they have caused and reverse the damage done to West Philadelphia on their own.

In other words, if we are going to do the work for this institution, then they should pay us what we are worth.

TIMETHIUS J. TERRELL is a College junior from middle Georgia studying psychology. His email is timet@sas.upenn.edu.

Students like Charlie Javice want Penn. Penn wants students like Charlie Javice.

MCAVOY-BICKFORD’S MUSINGS | Charlie Javice sought prestige and riches from her Wharton education, and Penn was happy to provide that

If you’ve already forgotten who 2013 Wharton graduate Charlie Javice is, you shouldn’t worry too much. The college microfinance pioneer, turned FAFSA entrepreneur, turned managing director of JPMorgan, had quite the fall from grace last month. However, she can hardly bring more infamy upon her alma mater, Penn, than household-name alumni like 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump and 1997 College and Wharton graduate Elon Musk.

Plus, poor Javice has to compete for the title of most outrageous act of deception with all the schmucks who tried lying their way into Penn. Saying your product is used by students at an impossibly large number of colleges is blatant, but it faces some stiff competition from the case of the Choi sisters, who allegedly plagiarized their way into the Penn dental program. And that’s not to mention Penn’s own fraudulent athletic-recruiting case.

It’s no surprise that Penn keeps ending up in scandals like this. Javice and her ilk want a quick ticket to millions, with a side of something to brag about to their Wall Street acquaintances. Penn gives them that; in return, it gets a handful of these wrongdoers among more garden-variety braggarts, prestige hounds, and dollar-obsessed dealers.

Penn’s admissions website, thankfully, avoids talking too much about students’ pecuniary motives for seeking out Locust Walk. But students have still inherited the idea, passed around by parents and peers, that certain industries (finance, consulting, medicine) and certain universities (mostly the Ivy League) combine to form a ticket to the 1%. It’s not entirely clear that going to an Ivy League increases earnings for the average student, but Penn’s top-ranked undergraduate business school and a generally highly rated undergraduate education make it a magnet for the Javices of the world.

While Penn manages to avoid screaming about the salaries of their alumni from every rooftop, it has none of that shame when it comes to touting their prestige. Its Ivy League association is everywhere from its Instagram bio to the salad place in Houston Market. It enthusiastically cozies up to President JoeBiden. And alumni who have experienced career success, typically financial, are praised and rewarded with a spot on the Board of Trustees. Still, even if Penn stopped talking itself up, the idea of a Penn education as a stamp of quality would endure in the boardrooms of investment banks. This signal and the promise of financial benefits result in students with more monetary drive than ethics eagerly writing their "Why Penn" essays.

Meanwhile, Penn has reached a state of coexistence with the immoral behavior of its students and alumni, whether it realizes it or not. Like every institution, Penn is proud when people associated with it do impressive things. Pennassociated endeavors boosted Javice uncritically. Her seemingly inactive microfinance startup PoverUP gave her supposed credentials in the

language of social impact that Penn dutifully mentioned in their quest to gain more prestige.

Combine this with a college admissions process that discourages modesty and lets people with less moral inhibitions get ahead, and Penn has a great recipe for accepting students who will later prove to embarrass it. Until college admissions aren’t vulnerable to essays written by others or journals that legitimize plagiarized work, students who would rather cheat their way to success than earn it will continue to have joyous Ivy Days.

Luckily, most students at Penn aren’t morally twisted; Javice is an outlier, albeit an impactful one, among the denizens of this campus. Even those who prize joining the über-rich tend to also have at least a little care for those who do not enjoy that exalted status. But what’s more common is that students become acclimated to seeking riches over following their moral compass, seeing people like Javice treat social impact like a smokescreen covering their desire for cushy corporate jobs.

The evidence for this on campus is clear. Almost 50% of Penn grads who were quickly in full-time employment went into finance or consulting. Penn does not release the number of students who apply to transfer to Wharton, but it’s clear that the movement is in the direction of the business school. That’s good if they discovered a passion for business, but not if they feel pressured to keep up with the future McKinseyites of this campus. Worse yet, when students see others — such as Javice until recently —cheat and get away with it, that makes them more likely to cheat.

It’s too late to reverse the actions of Javice, but Penn has the power to prevent unjust behavior. Dramatic changes, such as having first years complete a year at Penn before applying into a specific school here, would make a difference, but more doable solutions are at hand. For example, Penn could stop creating unwarranted prestige by dropping out of the U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings, reducing the Ivy League branding, and

DESIGN BY COLLIN WANG

owning up to their role in boosting the career of Javice and similar fraudsters through its alumni network. Penn could also increase the punishments for students found to have committed fraud in their college application or classes.

All in all, the fall of Javice holds a mirror up to the problems with a Penn education. Every member of the Penn community, myself very much included, is complicit in the environment here, where whether you will rake in millions matters more than whether you will help others. While most of us aren’t building companies out of pure deception, the entire Ivy League prestige machine relies on people like you and me buying into the pursuit of Wall Street’s mammon.

BENJAMIN McAVOY-BICKFORD is a College first year from Chapel Hill, N.C. His e-mail is bmcavoyb@sas.upenn.edu..edu.

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

Students write on a whiteboard at the ARCH reopening ceremony, organized by the ARCH steering committee, on Sep. 8, 2022.

New Quaker in town: Rich Bonfiglio

The team’s new coach has over a decade of experience at the collegiate level

Communication, competitiveness, and accountability — that’s the mantra Rich Bonfiglio preaches.

Penn men’s tennis has a new head coach, with Bonfiglio stepping into the role of Albert G. Molloy Head Men’s Tennis Coach after David DiLucia stepped down after just five months in the role. DiLucia was promoted to lead the team after assuming the role of assistant coach for five years, but Bonfiglio is new to Penn’s program and is motivated to hit the ground running.

“I’m very honored to be the Penn men’s head tennis coach,” Bonfiglio said. “Penn has a rich history on both the men and women’s sides of the Ivy league. Especially after last year, coming off of a historic season, finishing second and having Ivy League Player of the Year, there is a lot of momentum and excitement and I am excited to take the team further.”

Even though Bonfiglio is new to Penn, he has experience in the Ivy League, serving as an assistant coach at Columbia from 2019 until 2021. He also spent time as an assistant coach at USC, the University of San Diego, and Trinity. Before his coaching career, Bonfiglio was a student-athlete at Middlebury for two seasons before transferring to Trinity.

He hopes to draw from his past experiences to create the most productive environment for his team.

“One thing from my time at USC was that it all felt like a family,” Bonfiglio said. “Creating that family-type atmosphere is very important and I want to make sure the team continues to do their best on court, in the classroom and in the community — there’s no need to sacrifice on either end.”

He further stresses the importance of a familial environment and of building team spirit,

particularly in tennis, which can be a lonely sport at times.

“Tennis … is a very individualistic sport and it’s really special to be able to build a community in college,” he said. “We have a lot of international students on the team as well, and bringing in that team aspect makes it a happy experience and almost a second home for them.”

This past summer, Bonfiglio was selected as a United States Tennis Association National Collegiate Coach and worked with elite college players from around the country, training them. When reflecting on the experience, he highlights their dedication and discipline, saying “the best players are putting in their all, not just on match days but also on a random Tuesday during practice. They have a discipline that carries into all aspects of their life.”

When asked about his aspirations for the years to come, he first focused on consistency. Last season, the Quakers finished second in Ivy League standings last season and earned its first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. Penn was eliminated from both singles and doubles in the first round, but this only serves as encouragement for Bonfiglio to take the program to new heights.

“My hope is to be a consistent challenger for Ivy League champion and to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “They did it last year, and I hope that we can maintain that run for the years to come.”

While the Quakers have been slow out the gate this season, with a 1-2 record so far, they will next play on Feb. 3 at the Hecht Tennis Center — where Bonfiglio looks to turn his hopes into reality.

5.Yale (10-10, 4-3)

The Bulldogs had a berth in the Ivy League Tournament last year but are at risk of missing out this year. A huge difference maker is the loss of senior forward Camilla Emsbo, who averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season, but was sidelined in October after a season-ending injury.

Against Princeton, Yale only scored 30 points, while letting up 79. However, the Bulldogs had a 71-70 victory over Harvard — when four players scored in double digits — and if they can find an offensive rhythm, they may sneak into that coveted fourth spot.

6.Cornell (9-11, 2-5)

Cornell’s offense has been cold all season, exemplified by their horrific 24% rate from long range. Their leading scorer of the season is senior guard Ania McNicholas, with only 11.1 points per game. Despite only winning two Ivy games, glimpses of a good team have shone through, such as for three quarters of the Big Red’s game against Penn. If Cornell finds a way to play four quarters of good basketball, they could climb the rankings.

7.Brown (8-11, 1-6) Brown scores 64.1 points per game, comparable with some of the top performers in the Ivy League, and junior guard Kyla Jones averages 17.4 points per game. But they cannot shoot from three, and their defense gives up an average of 74 points per game, including a whopping 94 against Columbia. What’s even worse is the lack consistency in Brown’s starting lineup, with no player having started all 19 games so far.

8.Dartmouth (2-19, 0-7)

Without a win after eight games of Ancient Eight play, Dartmouth looks poised to go backto-back at last place in the Ivy League. They had flashes of looking like a competitive basketball team, particularly in their matchups Penn and Princeton, where they went a combined 20-43 from beyond the arc. But their lackluster defense cannot force turnovers or turn them into points, and they lose each game by an average of 16 points.

5.Harvard (12-9, 3-4)

The Crimson have not been the same team they were for much of seven-time Ivy champion coach Tommy Amaker’s tenure. Looking lost in its recent trip to the Palestra, Harvard is in danger of missing the Ivy tournament. However, it would be foolish to count out any Amaker team only halfway through the Ivy season.

6.Dartmouth (8-13, 4-3)

Much like Brown, this is a team that struggled last year, but has shown the capability to hang with any team in the Ancient Eight. With the exception of an 11-point loss to Cornell and a 10-point victory over Columbia, all of its games in the conference have finished in single-digit margins. Much like the team itself, the leading scorer —sophomore guard Ryan Cornish — is easy to write off, but puts up big numbers and has kept the team in contention this year.

7.Brown (10-10, 3-4)

As was mentioned in the previous blurb, this is the part of the conference where little separates the next several teams. Brown has shown to be a competent team so far this year, hanging with upper-tier teams such as Yale and even taking down Princeton. With sophomore guard Kino Lilly Jr. — the third-leading scorer in the Ivy League — at the point, this is a team with the potential to take down anybody.

8.Columbia (6-16, 1-6)

New York has a knack for finding itself at the bottom of these lists.

Not unlike the NBA’s Western Conference, little separates the middle of the pack in the Ivy League right now. However, there is a clear floor, and that floor is found just north of Harlem. Unlike their women’s counterparts, the Lions have looked miserable this season, losing to Penn by nearly 30 at after a surprising win over Yale to open conference play.

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

Coach Rich Bonfiglio cheers on one of his players during the team’s matchup against Old Dominion at the Hecht Tennis Center on Jan. 21.

MBB, from BACK PAGE

“Experience of a lifetime”: Penn football alumni reflect on Ivy League Dream Bowl experience

Former Penn running back Isaiah Malcome was named MVP of the game

GRIFFIN BOND Sports Associate

Outside of the United States, the game of football commonly refers to players kicking a circular ball with checkered hexagons in hopes of putting it in the back of a net on either side of a field. However, on Jan. 22 in Tokyo, a completely different kind of football was played.

On that day, in Tokyo National Stadium — a 68,000seat venue built for the 2020 Olympics — five Penn football alumni helped lead the Ivy League to a 24-20 victory over all-stars from the X-League, Japan’s national football association.

The five former Quakers were among 52 athletes led by former Penn and current Columbia coach Al Bagnoli. It is not the first time the Ivy League has traveled to Japan to play football, as the Ivy Epson Bowl faced Ivy

League and Japanese all-stars against each other from 1989 through 1996. Former Penn running back Isaiah Malcome was named MVP of the game after rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown while adding another 40 yards through the air. But while he feels proud of his performance, the adventure was also important, calling “the opportunity to play in the Tokyo National Stadium where the Olympics were held, it’s a once in a lifetime experience.” Malcome wasn’t the only player from Penn to shine for the Ivy League. Former Quakers wide receiver Ryan Cragun and quarterback Ryan Glover linked up 10 times for 175 yards. Glover finished the day 18-28 for 274 yards and an interception. Tight end Shane Sweitzer added one reception for two yards, while cornerback

Jason McCleod helped hold Japan’s quarterbacks to a completion percentage under 50%.

Despite these efforts, however, the Ivy League struggled against the Japanese team, trailing until late in the fourth quarter until Glover had an 18-yard rushing touchdown to give the Ivy League a 24-20 lead, which they held.

“It was definitely a hard-fought game,” McCleod said. “I don’t think anybody expected to us win by only four points, but I won’t complain about that part. We definitely won.”

“Hats off to the Japan guys,” Glover added, “They were playing extremely hard in every level of the game, offense, defense, and special teams. I do think they caught us by surprise with their talent in a way and in

their execution. I think they were a very disciplined team.”

Sweitzer was the only player to suit up for the Red and Blue in 2022, but all five said that when they heard about the opportunity from Penn coach Ray Priore, they were eager to put their name up for consideration to represent the Ivy League.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer for me,” Cragun said. “Right from the jump, I was pretty excited about the trip and ... was pretty adamant about going,” Sweitzer added.

For Sweitzer, who played his last season of Penn football this year, the Dream Bowl was a perfect way to end his career as a Quaker, calling the trip “a last hurrah to be able to use football this one last time to get to experience going to Japan. It was definitely something that I obviously have football to thank.”

Since the other four have not represented Penn for a season or two, the game was an opportunity to reconnect with former teammates. This was especially true for McCleod, who has several years of fond memories battling Cragun during practices at Franklin Field.

“My best experience through college, at least on the football field, is competing with him and seeing what’s working for me,” McCleod said. “If I tried it on him and it worked, I’m like, ‘Okay cool, I can do it on the field.’”

Cragun enjoyed reconnecting with his former teammates and catching passes from his old quarterback, saying “it was awesome playing in that stadium and playing again with all those guys that I used to play with.”

At the same time, while they reconnected with former teammates, they found themselves playing alongside athletes from other Ivy League schools — whom they had considered enemies for years.

“It was very perspective shifting; obviously, I see these guys in a different light,” McCleod said. “I see them now as brothers and teammates, but before, I saw everybody in the Ivy League as just about the worst person that I could come across.”

The players were also able to forge bonds beyond their own team. According to Malcome, despite a language barrier and the game’s competitiveness, both teams exhibited incredible sportsmanship.

The players were also grateful for the kindness of the Japanese people they met, with Sweitzer saying that “they appreciated us coming out there, and we also really appreciated the fact that they would host us.”

“It was a life-changing experience for me. From even the first time we pulled into the driveway on the bus, they came to the entrance to greet us,” Malcolme added. “The hospitality they showed us was second to none.”

In the days before the game, the team traveled around Japan — such as the U.S. Embassy, high schools, and colleges — where they met Japanese football players and ran training camps. As they worked to spread the game that many of them have played for most of their life, it gave the players a moment to reflect on their role as ambassadors.

“There were a lot of different people that I met that were curious and seemed very interested in American football,” Sweitzer said. He said that it was an honor “to represent American football the best I could and help accelerate that process of growing American football in Japan.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE IVY LEAGUE

Five Quakers competed alongside athletes from Ivy League schools in a 24-20 victory over Japanese all-stars.

P

wering ng up

With seven games left to play, where do the Quakers stand in the Ivy League?

Despite currently being tied for fifth in the standings, Penn men’s comes in at No. 3

matchup if the Quakers stay hot.

Once through Ivy League play, Penn has a promising 5-2 conference record. But with most of their remaining games on the road, and Princeton and Harvard closely behind them in the standings, their bid to the Ivy League tournament isn’t guaranteed yet. Here is The Daily Pennsylvanian’s ranking of the Ivy League field with seven games left to play.

1. Columbia (17-3, 6-1 Ivy)

Everyone is wondering how to stop Columbia right now. The Lions average 81 points per conference game, with three games over 90 points. A majority of their scoring come from four players averaging double digits, including junior guard Abbey Hsu at 17 points per game. There are other things that make them such a nuisance to defend. The Lions score 19 points per game off turnovers and notch an astounding 20 assists per game. What’s more, they get to the line and make their free throws. In their sole loss of the conference season, they only attempted three free throws, so maybe the answer is not to foul them. But against this offense, that’s easier said than done.

2. Princeton (14-5, 5-2)

Princeton continues its legacy as a perennial powerhouse in the Ivy League and is riding a five-game conference win streak following an 0-2 start. In a 49-point win against Yale last weekend, they reminded the league what they are capable of. They average 37.7 rebounds per game, and against Yale, they had 18 second-chance points.

They play a type of gritty basketball that always keeps them in the game. The Tigers’ main issue is their lack of three-point shooting, with the top three scorers on their roster combining for only 34% from long range. This could haunt them in the end, especially if defenses crowd the paint against them.

3. Harvard (12-7, 5-2)

After a commanding win against Penn, Harvard showed it has the offensive power needed to win the Ivy League title. The Crimson have four players averaging double digits and stretch defenses thin.

Furthermore, they can capitalize off opponents’ mistakes, scoring 18.4 points off turnovers and averaging nine steals per game. With a stout defense that holds most teams under 60, Harvard looks poised to be a genuine contender come March.

4. Penn (13-7, 5-2)

Senior guard Kayla Padilla and junior forward Jordan Obi have been formidable in conference play, with senior guard Mandy McGurk and junior forward Floor Toonders making considerable impacts as well.

But despite an impressive record, a recent loss against Harvard serves as a reminder why Penn’s spot in the Ivy League tournament is not guaranteed. Both losses were marked by underwhelming offensive performances and proved that if the Quakers’ stars are off their game, there is not an easy answer to who will fill that offensive gap.

See WBB, page 8

While the college basketball season has been underway for over two months, the Ivy League is only halfway through its conference season. With seven games left in each team’s season, we take a look at how the Ancient Eight stacks up.

1. Cornell (15-5, 5-2 Ivy)

From the moment the Big Red tipped off their season against Boston College in early November, Cornell’s current standing has been clear as crystal.

Cornell is having what is easily its best year since Penn (then-Cornell) coach Steve Donahue led them to a legendary Sweet 16 run in 2010. Amazingly, the team has done this without any breakout stars, as its leading scorer, senior guard Greg Dolan, is averaging just 13.2 points per game. Instead, the Big Red’s wins have all been through strength in numbers. With Cornell not usually in the top spot at this point in the season, the chance to take down his former team in the conference tournament next month should serve as extra motivation for Donahue to lead the Quakers to Ivy glory this year.

2. Princeton (14-6, 5-2)

The Tigers find themselves in a familiar spot near the top of the conference. Boasting an impressive defense, the team’s offense also has a variety of scorers who can get the job done. However, it’s open season and the Quakers have tiger-hunting licenses. When both teams faced off two weeks ago, Penn stayed with Princeton for an entire half before trailing off. Princeton will need to prepare rigorously for its next Penn

3. Penn (11-11, 3-4)

This ranking may turn some heads, but if we were going to reflect current Ivy standings, there would be no point of this article. While the Quakers have had their difficulties this year, if they can play like they did against Harvard, no one is going to want to face them in the tournament.

Having two of the top scorers in the conference (junior guards Jordan Dingle and Clark Slajchert) seems like a good thing, but it can be a curse when one of them has an off game. The scoring diversity against Harvard was a promising sign for the future, as players such as sophomore guard George Smith and junior forward/guard Max Martz got more involved on offense. Penn has a New York road trip with dates against both the top and bottom teams in these rankings to build on this momentum.

4. Yale (14-6, 4-3)

Although a questionable loss to Columbia taints their record, the Elis have taken down Harvard and Penn, destroyed Princeton, and hung tight with Kentucky. Rostering four players who average over 10 points a game, it is tough to catch Yale on an off night. Longtime coach James Jones knows this conference better than anybody, so don’t be surprised to see this team in the thick of things next month.

SYDNEI CALDWELL • SENIOR • GUARD

MAX MARTZ • JUNIOR • FORWARD/GUARD

GEORGE SMITH • SOPHOMORE • GUARD

STINA ALMQVIST• SOPHOMORE • GUARD

PHOTOS BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL DESIGN BY SOPHIA LIU