February 8, 2024

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PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

VOL. CXL

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With one lecturer’s political cartoons, antisemitism discourse escalates Dwayne Booth defended his cartoons in an interview with the DP as backlash among Jewish community members mounts ELEA CASTIGLIONE Senior Reporter

Campus discourse about antisemitism is escalating just weeks into the spring semester, with a Penn lecturer defending himself after his political cartoons were publicly denounced by Interim President Larry Jameson.

Annenberg School for Communication lecturer and cartoonist Dwayne Booth — who publishes political cartoons under the pen name Mr. Fish — has come under fire for his artwork of Israel, President Joe Biden’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, pro-Israeli figures, and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin

Netanyahu. Several of the cartoons — including one which resembles the antisemitic trope of blood libel — have been denounced as antisemitic by critics, and Jameson condemned Booth’s art in a University statement published on Feb. 4.

Jameson said the loss of life in Gaza and Israel should not be “fodder for satire,” calling the cartoons “reprehensible” and “painful to see” while affirming Penn’s “bedrock commitment” to academic freedom.

“We also have a responsibility to challenge what we find offensive, and to do so acknowledge the right and

ability of members of our community to express their views, however loathsome we find them,” he wrote.

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Booth defended his cartoons from mounting backlash among Jewish community members, adding that he received no communication from the University suggesting that his job was endangered because of the cartoons.

A University spokesperson referred the DP to Jameson’s Sunday evening statement, and an Annenberg spokesperson did not respond to a request for

comment. Jameson’s statement came in the wake of a story published by Washington Free Beacon on Feb. 1 that criticized the cartoons, calling them “grotesque” and “antisemitic.”

Since Jameson spoke out, Booth told the DP he has received backlash online and via the phone, including death threats and threats to his family. In response, he alerted Penn’s Division for Public Safety. A DPS spokesperson declined to comment, though his email See CARTOONS, page 7

Penn begins University sending suffers partial documents for power outage, House probe on never alerted antisemitism as main energy deadline passes supplier Not all documents requested of Penn will be sent by the Feb. 7 deadline previously given by the committee

The outage — which lasted up to nine hours — affected the Quad, 1920 Commons, and Harnwell College House

ETHAN CRAWFORD Staff Reporter

VIVI SANKAR Staff Reporter

DEREK WONG AND ETHAN YOUNG | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER AND STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn began sending documents to the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Wednesday, a Committee spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

This comes after Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) sent a letter to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and University Board of Trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran on Jan. 24, citing “grave concerns” about the University’s response to antisemitism on campus. Foxx set Feb. 7 as the deadline for Penn to respond with the appropriate documents — including those pertaining to antisemitism or anti-Zionism on campus, pro-Palestine groups and actions at Penn, foreign donations to the University, and data on Jewish enrollment.

However, the University spokesperson told the DP that the process of transferring documents would last multiple weeks — meaning Penn may not be fully compliant with the Feb. 7 deadline included in the letter.

A House education committee spokesperson

A disruption to Penn’s electrical distribution prompted the widespread Feb. 4 power outage that affected the Quadrangle, 1920 Commons, and Harnwell College House.

Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services Executive Director Faramarz Vakili wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that Penn’s electrical team, alongside subcontractors, “promptly responded” to address the disruption, which occurred around 6:15 p.m. Sunday.

He said that power across all buildings was restored by 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 5.

Vakili said that power returned to Harnwell, Commons, ZBT, ATO, and Garage 14 on 3801 Spruce St. by 11:50 p.m. “Most” of the Quad and Steinberg Conference Center had power restored by 3:49 a.m, while power in Butcher and Speakman Halls was restored at 4:20 am, he added.

A spokesperson from the University’s main energy supplier, PECO, wrote in an email to the DP on Monday that PECO did not receive any outreach from the University regarding the power outage, and

See HOUSE, page 6

See BLACKOUT, page 6

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Penn Museum hosted an interfaith commemoration ceremony to honor the Black Philadelphians whose remains were part of the Morton Collection.

Penn Museum buries remains of 19 Black Philadelphians amid community activist disapproval A public interfaith service was hosted by the University in their honor on Feb. 4 VIDYA PANDIARAJU AND SHIRLEY YUAN Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter

Penn hosted a memorial service for 19 Black Philadelphians who were once on display at the Penn Museum on Saturday, prompting criticism from some advocates.

The 200-year-old remains of 19 Black Philadelphians — whose crania became a part of the Morton Cranial Collection — were buried at Historic Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pa. on Jan. 22. The public

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interfaith service hosted by the University in their honor on Feb. 3 prompted controversy among advocacy and identity groups, while Penn apologized for its role The crania were collected by Samuel Morton, a Philadelphia-based physician who contributed to racist science, during the mid-19th century. Morton collected See MUSEUM, page 6

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2 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

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Penn Med hospital loses attempt to overturn $183 million settlement The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was sued for medical malpractice, and the verdict was upheld by a Philadelphia judge.

SHAURYA SINGHI Staff Reporter

A Philadelphia judge upheld a record $183 million medical malpractice verdict against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The malpractice verdict — which is the single largest malpractice award in Pennsylvania history — was issued in April 2023 to a child born at HUP in 2018 who suffered severe brain injuries at birth.

Last week, Court of Common Pleas Judge Gwendolyn N. Bright rejected Penn Medicine’s post-trial motions to have the case dismissed or the verdict reduced — thereby keeping the initial verdict in place.

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania did not respond to a request for comment.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the lawsuit was initially brought to court by a mother who

NEWS 3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

claimed that Penn Medicine’s 45-minute delay in performing a cesarean section caused her baby to be born with cerebral palsy.

The lawsuit alleged that Penn doctors delayed the procedure despite being aware that the mother had an infection in her uterus at the time of delivery — a condition which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is treated through antibiotics or an early delivery.

The child also suffered other neurological injuries and substantial neurodevelopmental delays, requiring lifelong care as a result. The plaintiffs argued that these injuries could have been avoided if a timely procedure had been conducted.

Penn Medicine’s lawyers stated that their employees handled the procedure with the standards

of care required and argued that the infant had suffered the injuries prior to the mother’s arrival at the hospital.

The jury conclusively held Penn Medicine liable for the injuries to the baby, awarding the plaintiffs $10 million for past pain and suffering, $70 million for future pain and suffering, $1.7 million for lost earnings, and $101 million for future medical costs.

The $183 million award is to be paid over the duration of the child’s lifetime.

Briggs Bedigian, a lawyer who represented the mother, believes that Bright’s upholding of the verdict was an affirmation of the jury’s decision and that the verdict should not be overturned.

“The jury sat intently, as the judge put it, for three weeks, listened to all of the evidence, and at the end of the day decided that the evidence strongly, strongly favored the injured plaintiff in this case and found in his favor,” Bedigian said to The Inquirer.

In an emailed statement to The Inquirer, Penn stated that they respectfully disagreed with the court’s decision and would be pursuing an appeal.

It is rare for such appeals to be overturned following a jury’s verdict. John J. Hare, a civil attorney in Philadelphia, told the Inquirer that only 10-15% of appeals succeed in having their verdict overturned.

The previous record verdict of $100 million was awarded in 2000 to a child who suffered brain damage and required an arm amputation as a result of a failed surgical procedure.

MEHAK DHALIWAL | DP FILE PHOTO

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was sued for medical malpractice in 2018, and the lawsuit was upheld by a Philadelphia judge.

Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro proposes Penn Alum alleges Penn misused Vet funding after representatives his donation intended for struck down underprivileged business students The proposal comes after the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to withhold funding from Penn Vet in December 2023

The lawsuit alleges that the alum’s funds were instead given to student athletes who did not fit the given criteria

DIAMY WANG Senior Reporter

RYAN WOLFF Staff Reporter

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro allocated funding for Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine in his fiscal year 2024-25 budget proposal, despite the state’s withholding of funding last year over antisemitism concerns.

The budget proposal, which was announced Feb. 6, included more than $33 million in combined funding for Penn Vet and Penn Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases — the same amount that was included in the 2022-23 budget.

It comes after the Pa. House of Representatives voted to withhold such funding in December 2023, marking the first time Penn Vet has not received state funding since 1889.

Funding for Penn Vet, the only state-funded veterinary school, falls under the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

“We appreciate Governor Shapiro acknowledging Penn Vet’s importance to Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry in his budget proposal,” Penn Vet Chief Communications Officer Martin Hackett wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “We look forward to working with the General Assembly to continue the school’s longstanding public-private partnership with the Commonwealth in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 and resolving the need to fund the school’s state-related work this fiscal year.”

In December 2023, a Republican-led effort in the State House voted to withhold funding for Penn Vet. Shortly afterwards, Republican members of the Pa. House of Representatives formed a task force to address antisemitism on Penn’s campus.

When the task force was first announced, Pennsylvania state Rep. and Republican Leader of the Pa. House Bryan Cutler (R-100) wrote to Interim President Larry Jameson and Penn Vet Dean Andrew Hoffman expressing concern over “months of disturbing reports” and lack of immediate change.

“We have had constructive dialogue with leadership at the University of Pennsylvania and hope to continue those productive conversations over the coming weeks as we work toward the shared goal of eliminating antisemitism and call for the genocide of Jewish people,” Cutler’s press secretary Jason Gottesman wrote in a Feb. 7 statement to the DP. Pennsylvania state Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-28), who is a member of the task force, told the DP that Jameson responded to Cutler’s letter. He expressed optimism about the ongoing dialogue and the ability to reach consensus within a reasonable

timeframe.

“It was a response that we received and indicated, generally, the willingness of the University to work with legislators to make sure that antisemitism and other similar types of speech are not acceptable, and that there are appropriate consequences and processes at the University.” Mercuri said.

State Rep. Jesse Topper (R-78), another member of the task force, was also “cautiously optimistic” about conversations thus far with members of the University Board of Trustees and Penn’s administration.

“I believe that [Shapiro] sees that that there could be a path forward,” Topper said. “He wants — we all want — that relationship to be restored.”

Topper also indicated that the previously withheld funding could be restored due to its status as a nonpreferred appropriation, but said that there were no such plans to do so currently.

Those on the Democratic side of the aisle also expressed general support for Shapiro’s budget plan and hopes to reach consensus.

“I am glad to see the Governor include funding for Penn Vet in his budget address,” 2013 Engineering graduate and state Rep. Rick Krajewski (D-188) wrote in a statement to the DP. “I look forward to working together with the Governor and my colleagues to fund policies that will ensure every Pennsylvanian can thrive.”

1992 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law graduate and state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) was similarly optimistic about the “larger picture” of the budget proposal.

“If there can be broad agreement on these other issues, hopefully, the funding for Penn will be part of that as well,” he said.

When the funding was first struck down, Nicole Reigelman, press secretary to Pa. House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-191), framed the action as a partisan initiative.

“Denying funding to Penn Vet will have little impact beyond hurting students and it will have long term negative consequences on Pennsylvania’s entire agricultural sector,” Reigelman wrote in a December 2023 statement to the DP. Mercuri said that — once the task force sees progress — funding “is likely” to return to Penn Vet and the Division of Infectious Diseases.

“I think the legislative envoy does want to see progress, and with progress, I think there will be an appetite for funding,” he said. “And I think it really depends on how those meetings go the next two months, and then we’ll go from there.”

Penn donor and alumnus Saul B. Rosenthal filed a lawsuit against the University’s Board of Trustees in December 2023, alleging that the University misused his donation intended to finance scholarships for underprivileged business students.

Rosenthal’s lawsuit for breach of contract alleges that the University violated the written terms of the scholarship agreements, which were specifically designated for financially underprivileged Wharton students concentrating in Entrepreneurship and Innovation or Finance. Rosenthal asked for reimbursement of his donations and payment of his legal fees, and for the University to terminate any association with his name.

Over a period of several years, Rosenthal donated $168,000 in both cash and marketable securities, according to the lawsuit — and the total amount in the scholarship fund rose in value to over $250,000 in June 2022.

Rosenthal claims in the lawsuit that the University awarded funds from the scholarship to “a track and field athlete who was not specializing in Entrepreneurship or Innovation and had no concentration in Finance.”

A second example in the lawsuit cites a soccer player who “admitted that the scholarship she received functioned as a substitute for an athletic scholarship” — even though Ivy League Universities publicly do not offer athletic scholarships.

The filing further details that the University misled Mr. Rosenthal that this soccer player was “pursuing a ‘Minor’ in ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation,’” even though no minor by this name exists, only a concentration within Wharton.

The lawsuit alleged that Wharton students concentrating in Entrepreneurship and Innovation or Finance who could have benefited from Rosenthal’s scholarship fund had the donations not been given to athletes.

A University spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they typically do not offer comment on pending litigation.

This lawsuit is unrelated to the ongoing controversy surrounding free speech on campus, prominent University donors withholding donations, the University’s response to the Israel-Hamas War, and former Penn President Liz Magill’s resignation.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Wharton graduate Saul B. Rosenthal sued Penn’s trustees for allegedly distributing portions of his donation, originally for business student scholarships, to student-athletes.

The 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science: A Conversation with Dr. Aldon Morris Moderated by Dr. Tukufu Zuberi FactCheck.org, the award-winning political website at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is now accepting applications for its 20242025 undergraduate fellowship program. The next class of undergrads will be trained GXULQJ DQ HLJKW ZHHN SDLG VXPPHU SURJUDP DW )DFW&KHFNȇV RɚFHV DW $33& RU RQOLQH if necessary) from May 28 to July 19. 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 PDGH E\ SROLWLFDO ȴJXUHV LQ 79 DGV GHEDWHV VSHHFKHV LQWHUYLHZV VRFLDO PHGLD DQG 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.

Friday, February 23, 2024 5:00 - 7:00 PM Location: Annenberg 109 3620 Walnut St.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Aldon Morris Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology & African American Studies, Northwestern University Author of: “The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology”

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Register for the event here (Virtual / In-person event)

If you are interested, please submit your resume and two writing samples by the February 11 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.

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

A Project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center

4 OPINION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

Opinion

140th Year of Publication

THIS YEAR’S BOARD MOLLY COHEN President ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL Executive Editor JARED MITOVICH DP Editor-in-Chief SOPHIA LIU Design Editor WEI-AN JIN Design Editor CHARLOTTE BOTT Copy Editor LAURA SHIN Copy Editor KATIE BARTLETT News Editor BEN BINDAY News Editor ELLA SOHN Assignments Editor YOMI ABDI Opinion Editor WALKER CARNATHAN Sports Editor VIVIAN YAO Sports Editor ABHIRAM JUVVADI Photo Editor LIV YUN Podcast Editor DEREK WONG Video Editor JADA EIBLE HARGRO Social Media Editor SARAH MARCUS Diversity, Inclusion & Standards Director ZAIN QURESHI Business Manager EDWARD LIU Analytics Manager SANGEETA QUDDUS Finance & Accounting Manager DHRUV GUPTA Innovation Lab Manager IRENE PARK Strategy & Promotions Manager

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Penn should reconsider the Second Year housing and dining requirements The Daily Pennsylvanian Editorial Board urges Penn to reconsider the Second Year housing and dining requirements Four years ago, Penn launched its “Second Year Experience.” The current seniors will be the first graduating class required to live two years on campus with a dining plan. With the recent campus power outage, flooding that displaced more than 50 students, unexpected discoveries in dining hall food, and questions about Penn’s treatment of its dining hall workers, it is time that we call this plan into question.

Issues with housing have persisted in recent years, without noticeable improvement. The cost of on-campus living appears to prioritize profit over affordability. Disparities in the treatment of residents among different college halls is a prime example. While residents in Gutmann College House receive Patagonias and modern facilities, others living in the High Rises face issues like flooding, false smoke alarms, and maintenance issues, raising questions about the fairness of the pricing structure. By charging the same amount for old and modern facilities, the institution exploits students in inferior housing.

It is also clear that Penn’s lottery-based housing placement system promotes unpredictability and inequality that violates fair and accessible housing options. The lottery system does not take into account students’ preferences, needs, or budgets.

Thus, juniors and seniors who want oncampus housing are unable to secure it — given the waitlist of around 800 students — while many sophomores required to live on campus would rather live off campus.

Students express a lack of satisfaction with the dining system as well. There is a significant problem with the lack of flexibility surrounding meal plan swipes.

Rather than promoting a system that makes the most efficient use of available resources and student needs, we have little say over how and where our money can be spent.

Despite programs like Swipe Out Hunger that allow for the donation of five meal swipes a semester, most students have substantially more swipes remaining

at the end of each semester. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to donate all unused swipes to those who could benefit from them, nor can we convert them into other

If the University wants to improve the current standards, it is crucial for them to work closely with their staff and Bon Appétit, Penn’s food-service partner. By

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Students are served food in the dining hall at 1920 Commons.

forms of sustenance. Nearly 250,000 people in Philly are food insecure, and as the region’s largest private employer, Penn has a responsibility to serve its surrounding communities. The lack of flexibility not only undermines the values of community and support, but also leads to a considerable amount of students’ resources being wasted.

We have had enough and want to see an actual change. Thus, we urge the University to take the following steps.

doing so, they can establish higher expectations and ensure that the services provided cater to the diverse needs and preferences of the student population.

Not all students can afford to dine elsewhere regularly when Penn Dining is falling below standards. Evaluating successful university dining plans — such as UCLA, Virginia Tech, Duke, or even our fellow Ivy Cornell which sits at 13th best college food in America — can provide us a framework to work towards a better

dining experience.

Penn also needs to make sure it takes its dining staff’s needs into account.

With Penn’s past mistreatment towards its dining employees, it is time that the University listens and values all of its workers.

The University’s immediate focus should be on addressing the pressing issues within the current on-campus living options for Penn students. Repeated instances of mold, collapsed ceilings, burst pipes, and evacuations prove living conditions are subpar. Shifting the emphasis towards ensuring higher quality of housing, rather than merely increasing the quantity of students living in them, can ensure the experience Penn boasts about.

If Penn ultimately decides to continue requiring second-year housing and dining, a thorough overhaul is imperative to ensure that the experience meets the expectations and needs of students.

Eliminating the Second Year Experience should not be overlooked either. Campus administration would be able to channel resources and efforts more effectively towards improving the quality of accommodations and dining options. This strategic shift would allow the University to concentrate on refining the secondyear experience rather than stretching resources thin to accommodate a larger population.

The lack of proactive response from the University on these matters is disconcerting. Food and housing are the bare minimum. It is imperative that they take immediate action.

Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus.

Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics. Reach us at edboardchair@dailypennsylvanian. com

Removing legacy admissions will align Penn’s actions more closely with its educational mission UNHINGED | The dark side of prestige: unveiling the money trail behind Penn’s administrative decisions

WEINING DING Sports Photo Editor SANGITHA AIYER Deputy Opinion Editor LIALA SOFI Editorial Board Chair

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Columnist Mritika Senthil examines the role of legacy admissions in Penn’s administrative decisions.

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Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com.

Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Land on which the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian stands is a part of the homeland and territory of the LenniLenape people, known to the original Indigenous people as “Lenapehoking.” We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold The Daily Pennsylvanian and the University of Pennsylvania more accountable to the needs of Native American and Indigenous people.

Often, my friends and I eagerly rail against the idea of the corporate, so-called “yuppie,” lifestyle. The thought of following a monotonous nine-to-five routine — confined to a cubicle and endlessly toiling away on spreadsheets, all while benefiting wealthy executives — is a concept we don’t find particularly exciting.

However, we often fail to notice the similarly multilateral, profit-driven nature of our University. Penn has effectively trapped us into serving as pawns in the business of higher education. Now, it’s imperative for us to collectively ascertain the true purpose of this University. This effort starts with expediting Penn’s admissions reforms, particularly those related to legacy admissions.

Penn finds itself grappling with the challenge of unequivocally asserting its identity as a business rather than a more innocent social enterprise. My politics don’t entirely align with those who call out private universities in their broader campaigns against capitalism. However, events surrounding the recent resignations of former President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok have only further unveiled the pitfalls of Penn’s overarching revenue framework.

Critics of the administrative upheaval

argue that Magill and Bok were not even driven by student interests but rather by threats of donor withdrawal. We only continue to remain baffled on what, exactly, prompted Magill’s infamous testimony during December’s congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. However, the argument that Magill and Bok were actively intending to discriminate against students is thin.

Legacy admissions are the latest aspect of Penn’s administrative system to face national scrutiny for allegations of racial discrimination. But if Penn’s change in leadership has taught us anything, it’s that the University is not as reactive to our culture wars as it is to financial issues.

Legacy admissions, in particular, serve as a means to incentivize donors to retain ties to the University.

I won’t go into the specific and often confusing details of Penn’s revenue model. But to give a sense of why the supposedly necessary legacy admissions are in question at all, it’s important to note that over 58% of Penn’s operating revenue, around $8.7 billion annually, is derived from its net patient service revenue. This value represents the total income generated by Penn’s healthcare facilities in providing patient services. However,

expenditures for the University’s Health System (UPHS) typically exceed those for academic purposes. Barring revenue related to UPHS, other sources of operating revenue — the most notable being net tuition and fees — amount to less than $7 billion annually. And yet, total operating expenses approach $14 billion.

Essentially, without sources of non-operating income, such as grants, royalties, and returns on investments, Penn would hardly break even. Of course, it’s not uncommon for private universities like Penn to use diverse revenue streams. This model allows Penn to maintain an endowment payout rate of 5%, which is the amount of Penn’s financial reserves allocated for spending each year.

And in this vein, Penn is much better off than its counterparts.

Princeton University, for instance, received $1.85 million in private gifts during the last fiscal period. Its operating revenue amounted to $2.5 billion while operating expenses totaled $2.3 billion.

Unlike Penn, Princeton does not operate a healthcare system or a similar subsidiary.

Approximately 66% of Princeton’s financial support is derived from investments due to relatively limited earnings from tuition and contracts.

On the other hand, Brown University reported an operating revenue of $1.53 billion, slightly lower than its operating expenses of $1.57 billion. Notably, Brown raised over $400 million in the same fiscal year, with a significant 90% of this funding sourced from alumni and parents.

Princeton, in contrast, boasts a higher payout rate of 8%, allowing for more immediate financial support. However, a higher payout rate also carries the risk of depleting the endowment over time.

It is evident that Penn does not rely disproportionately on donor, let alone alumni, contributions compared to peer institutions. As it happens, Penn is better situated to handle the risk of donor withdrawal due to its more diverse sources of revenue. This condition allows for discussions regarding the removal of legacy admissions, considering that some donors may feel less inclined to give if their children don’t receive preferential treatment during admissions.

But these metrics beg the question: Why do legacy admits bear the inadvertent responsibility of ensuring Penn’s donor retention? Ironically, we depict our campus as a beacon of knowledge. We aren’t just regurgitating ideas from textbooks; we are actively shaping them. Yet how can this be, when many of us who pay to receive an education at Penn are also entangled in its bureaucratic financing structure? Because as the University’s — dare I say, excessive — dependence on donor contributions shifts the burden of funding onto students, it undermines the notion of education as largely a public good.

Again, Penn isn’t alone in this precarious situation, but we must acknowledge that the donation-oriented system that upholds legacy admissions played a more significant role in Magill and Bok’s resignations than actual student grievances.

Therefore, if the University wishes to align with its stated values, it must eliminate legacy admissions.

MRITIKA SENTHIL is a first year studying Management and Russian & East European Studies from Columbia, S.C. Her email address is mritikas@upenn.edu.

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OPINION 5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

How I have been shaped by Black history KIYAH’S TAKE | The importance of Black History Month “No, but where is your family really from?” A question I would hear too often after having already explained my heritage. Again, I would explain: I was born in and raised in Philadelphia. My mother was born and raised in Philadelphia and so was her mother. It was usually at this point I would disengage from the conversation. It felt pointless to try and convince others of the validity of my cultural background, especially when I did not believe in it myself.

Navigating my identity as an African American was difficult when I was growing up. Although I was American, I was also a Black person, and I couldn’t always relate to mainstream American culture. Most of the popular American sitcoms I watched featured white families. Although I could connect to the young female characters in many situations, I often didn’t recognize the fashion trends, the music they listened to, or even the foods that they ate.

However, not being able to identify with the girls I saw on TV wasn’t much of an issue for me. I grew up in a city where over 40% of the population is Black.

As a Black Philadelphian, I did not have to be conscious of my racial identity: I was mainly around other Black people.

High school was my first time experiencing a diverse environment, so I was forced to confront my racial identity. Most of my friends were children of immigrants. During multicultural celebrations, they wore their traditional clothing and waved their country’s flag, while I didn’t have anything to offer but my beat-up Converse, an oversized sweatshirt reading “Black Pride” with an American flag stamped in the center, and embarrassment.

Having experienced all of this, I started to believe that my people were devoid of culture.

It was during one of these multicultural celebrations that I shared my lunch with a close friend.

To my astonishment, she had never tried bean pie before — which I thought was a Philadelphian staple — and I excitedly bought one for her to try. Mouth stuffed with pie, she exclaimed, “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted! Do you know how it’s made?”

I didn’t. My mother and I usually bought bean pies from Black street vendors all over the city. But I had become curious, and with a quick Google search, I discovered that bean pies were a Muslim AfricanAmerican creation, created specifically to be a healthier substitute for our sweet potato pie.

This seemingly mundane moment played a pivotal role in my understanding of my identity.

In hindsight, it was silly, but I never considered that the meals that I ate were a part of the traditions that my people had created. This extended to the clothes and hairstyles I wore, the music my family and I listened to, and even the way that I spoke. It wasn’t that my culture did not exist — I just hadn’t discovered it for myself.

Too often, African Americans are accused of having no culture, or our culture is reduced to stereotypical depictions of hip-hop and sports like basketball. Though these two aspects of our culture are significant, our history and culture extend far beyond those stereotypical portrayals.

African Americans have made many great contributions to music, art, and fashion. Genres — from folk music, to military music, and rock and roll — have been influenced by African Americans. The

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS | CC0 1.0 DEED

The African American Heritage Flag was designed by Melvin Charles and Gleason T. Jackson.

Black Arts Movement of the late 20th century is often deemed “one of the most influential cultural and aesthetic movements of the last 100 years,” as many great literary and artistic contributions were made by many prominent figures in the community.

African Americans also popularized fashion trends such as logomania, streetwear, and sneaker culture.

Contrary to popular belief, African Americans even have their own languages, such as African American Vernacular English and Louisiana Creole.

And, what I found to be most important, African Americans have their own flag to represent their culture and history.

Even today, as a student at Penn, I still face challenges when it comes to my identity. Not only does Penn have a small number of Black students — to my surprise — African Americans are underrepresented in this population. Because of this, I often felt

culturally isolated the way I did in high school.

That is why African-American history is of great importance to me. I have found that knowing one’s history builds a sense of self identity. I found comfort in my identity as an African-American woman through my people’s history. It has completely reshaped my perspective on my culture’s importance, and I am now overwhelmed with pride and the firm belief that my identity is impenetrable. I write this as the first full week of Black History Month comes to an end. I am still wearing my beat-up Converse, but I now wear that old sweatshirt with pride.

KIYAH AKINS is a College sophomore studying Biology from Philadelphia. Her email is rakiyah@sas.upenn.edu.

Penn should require an African American history course THE DAILY PHILADELPHIAN | The city of Philadelphia is rich in Black history and culture, and more students should know that Fun fact: According to a 2005 mandate, every high school student in Philadelphia needs to take an African American history course in order to graduate. Philadelphia is a major city that is predominantly Black, with a rich history of key activists and movements for equal rights spanning centuries.

Usually during their sophomore year, high school students learn about significant historical periods and places, such as Reconstruction, Black Wall Street, and the Harlem Renaissance.

Several years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I, along with several of my peers, analyzed texts on locally and nationally renowned prominent Black leaders. Although Penn has an Africana Studies department in the College — where students can take a class to fulfill their History and Tradition sector requirement — this doesn’t do nearly enough to educate the undergraduate student body as a whole. Thus, I propose creating a similar mandate across all four undergraduate schools to take an African American history course that would focus on key figures and events in the Philadelphia region.

Incorporating an African American course requirement within the History and Tradition sector fulfills the basic tenants of the sector in the first place by, for instance, mapping out how Black people needed to persevere throughout different time periods and how challenges facing the community exist even today.

I am a month into AFRC 1177: Afro-American History 1876 to Present, and I’ve challenged my assumptions on how much there is left to learn about Black history in my native city. In just a short amount of time, I’ve learned about W.E.B. Du Bois’s time as assistant instructor at Penn, delved into respectability politics, and unpacked the mythos of biblical Ethiopia among newly freed people.

Learning about how Du Bois lived in Philadelphia and worked on his prominent piece “The

DESIGN BY EMMI WU

Columnist Hanadi Abdulkadir highlights the importance of classes on Black history.

Philadelphia Negro” on the same campus as mine makes him feel like less of a figure and more of a person. It’s becoming easier each day to contextualize his ideals and the things he fought for when imagining his life here decades ago, overcoming problems twice as difficult as mine.

Drawing from AFRC 1177, there is still so much to learn about and interact with in the city.

Our final project consists of choosing a topic we explored at some point in the semester and interviewing a representative at a local Philadelphia

institution. This institution can be a religious site, cultural center, or anything else that fits within our interests. Beyond educating students about the basic history of the city that they will be spending four years living in, the class can be another way to explore Philadelphia beyond the Penn bubble.

With all of its faults and imperfections, Penn is a leading institution that can further integrate with the local community by ensuring its students understand the historical importance of certain streets they walk down. Taking a class can educate

a variety of students, like those studying in the United States for the first time, those who never had the opportunity to take an African American history course, or those like me who thought they knew everything there is to know about Black history. Rather than adding an unnecessary burden to meeting all of the general education requirements, a class that touches on basic and fundamental pieces of history will help students move through Philadelphia with a wider perspective on the predominantly Black communities they interact with.

Of course, no semester-long course can endeavor to solve all the problems of ignorance that some individuals will be hard-pressed to abandon.

Four months of readings and multimedia on the experiences of Black people in the United States couldn’t be enough to explore all of the varied and complex narratives that exist within any collective group. Plus, there will certainly be some people who question the fairness of being forced to study one group’s history over any other.

However, it can offer individuals the space to challenge their misconceptions and educate themselves on the systemic issues they had no idea how to speak about. This class can be a stepping stone for students to continue taking classes in the history department to learn about other marginalized communities and their experiences here in the United States.

Some students have gone their entire lives without ever being exposed to some of the stories and real life experiences abundant in so many parts of Philadelphia. I believe it shouldn’t be on students going through those issues to try and begin undoing that.

HANADI ABDULK ADIR is a College s o pho mo r e s tud y ing inter natio nal relations from Philadelphia. Her email is hanadia@sas.upenn.edu.

Do we all hate Penn?

JACK OUTSIDE THE BOX | Examining Penn’s complaint culture On any given weeknight, I often find myself spending the last few minutes of my day scrolling through Sidechat. Our favorite anonymous form of social media is always a convenient place to rant, or simply a locus for relatable humor.

Though, I noticed that there was one striking drawback. Whether attention-seeking or sincere, nearly every post aims to vilify the school we attend.

I wondered why this notion of dejection was so common in our student body. Ultimately, I chose to make a Sidechat post of my own: asking my classmates “Why does everyone hate Penn so much?” After being met with 27 downvotes and several replies to the effect of “isn’t it obvious?” and “do you even go here?” I wasn’t much closer to a conclusive answer.

As I thought about it more, everything from a casual comment on campus to a late-night conversation among roommates tend to fall into the trap of hyperbolic complaining. More often than not, echo chambers can become breeding grounds for communal distress. Are we all really that miserable? Is the Penn population unnecessarily troubled? To my knowledge, no. Most of what we complain about are insignificant annoyances that would not contribute to Penn’s broader mental health struggles.

Our social culture has necessitated a masquerade of malaise that simply comes off as ungrateful. The issue isn’t just Sidechat; it’s a pervasive complaint culture amongst Penn students.

For many on Penn’s campus, it’s not clear why or

how this phenomenon developed. Though, I would conclude that perhaps the provocative nature of complaining allows people to have their voice heard, even if it’s at the expense of our university.

The problem could also be chalked up to the simple fact that we’re young. Our relative immaturity may lead us to protest any inconvenience.

Finals season is hard. Sometimes getting out of bed sucks. After all, college students everywhere complain; it’s relatable, right?

Whatever the explanation is for why students across this campus never seem to catch a break, Penn’s complaint culture has significant adverse consequences. Complaining has a strong detrimental effect on morale and group satisfaction.

While psychological wellbeing is a complex issue, complaining has been proven to subconsciously exacerbate feelings of anxiety, fear, and distrust towards one another.

It starts with a friend making an off-handed comment about a class. You join in, thinking nothing of it. But, over time, those minor interactions create major problems. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy: Complaining becomes more common as it makes us more uneasy. Now, complaint culture is our default mode of discourse.

I believe that attending a school like Penn is a privilege. I certainly have enjoyed being a student here, but I understand that mine isn’t a universal experience. There are plenty of valid criticisms one could hold against the University: The food isn’t great, it’s scholastically competitive, and the social scene can be very intimidating. There are

DESIGN BY KATRINA ITONA

Columnist Jack Lakis evaluates the role Sidechat plays in complaint culture at Penn.

genuine struggles related to the Penn experience.

But, it’s also time for Penn students to consider the advantages of a pre-professional culture, the elite opportunities available to them, and how unique their educational situation is.

It’s absurd to not recognize that access to Ivy League resources, incredible human experience, a good neighborhood in Philadelphia, and highpaying jobs after graduation create an objectively remarkable situation that very few students are afforded nowadays. At a time when our school is being painted as a creator of dreadful experiences, it’s crucial that we resist the urge to give in to excessive dissatisfaction.

Even as we returned from winter break,

Sidechat was flooded with desperate pleas of students wishing not to start the new semester.

Complaint culture is stronger than it’s ever been.

It’s as popular and unique to our community as ‘SABSing’ and Penn Face, yet it goes entirely unrecognized by those who blindly accept unhappiness as the norm. Penn needs a complaint cleanse. I challenge our community to be more positive. Many of us have plenty to be grateful for.

JACK LAKIS is a College first year studying Political Science from Kennesaw, GA. His email is jlakis@sas.upenn.edu.

6 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

MUSEUM, from FRONT PAGE over 1,300 crania from all parts of the world, using them as a vessel to assert white supremacist beliefs. The collection was moved to the Penn Museum in 1966 and was used for teaching until 2020.

During the service, Rev. Jamie Eaddy-Chism invited attendees to honor their ancestors and recognize their presence in the space. Despite the unknown names and stories of the honored Black Philadelphians, “[we] know them, they are our great grandmothers and grandfathers, the ones who whisper in our ear that liberation is possible when we feel like we are chained,” she said.

When asked about the controversy surrounding the burial, a museum spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the decision to bury had come from recommendations from the Morton Cranial Collection Community Advisory Group.

“We repeatedly heard that these individuals did not belong in Museum storerooms — that, instead, they should finally be commemorated and respectfully laid to rest without delay,” the spokesperson wrote. “Doing so, prioritizes their human dignity and restores the personhood that had been stripped from them.”

Over 70 community members attended the Feb. 3 memorial service, including several Penn administrators. Penn Provost John Jackson spoke about the history of institutionalized racism at Penn and the school’s commitment to addressing past mistakes.

“The remains of these people, human beings, our brothers and sisters, dehumanized, should have never been on display,” Jackson said. “On behalf of the entire university, please accept my most sincere regrets and my deepest apologies.”

Chris Woods, the director of the Penn Museum provided background on the Morton Collection and the steps taken to lay the individuals to rest at Historic Eden Cemetery.

“We can begin to make it right,” Rev. Charles Lattimore Howard, the University’s chaplain and vice president for social equity and community, said during his opening remarks.

During the service, attendees were invited to honor their ancestors. The event also featured several musical performances, including a drum procession by Karen Smith Drums and a vocal performance by The Inspiration A Capella.

College senior Aaliyah White, who attended the ceremony and performed with Inspiration A Capella, described the commemoration as a “step in the right direction.”

“Spaces like this not only allow us to bring to light the history that Penn has tried to hide but also allows us to take back our own history as Black students,” she said.

Ebunoluwa Akadiri, a College junior, said it was significant for Penn to take accountability as an institution with historic ties to slavery and racism.

“I hope that the activism extends beyond just taking a look at what’s happened in the past, and also extending

that humility to the present,” he said.

The burial and ceremony sparked criticism among national activists, and members of advocacy and identity groups, such as the Black Philadelphians Descendant Community Group and Finding Ceremony, have been protesting the burial since it was initially announced.

Some activists opposed the burial, believing that Penn should not be the institution with control over the remains. aAliy Muhammad, an activist with reparations project Finding Ceremony and the Black Philadelphians Descendant Community Group, described the burial as “dehumanizing” in an interview with the DP. “[It’s] an anti-Black thing when you’re denied the ability to say goodbye, to say what you want to say, what you need to say, to these ancestors who had been denied perpetual rest,” Muhammad said. “These folks have never been given ceremony before.”

Muhammad added that they did not believe that Penn could or should be the institution that manages the “ceremony and sacred care” for these remains. According to them, Penn’s history with the crania and Black communities in Philadelphia invalidates the museum’s claim to any further stewardship over these crania.

Muhammad said that the advisory groups behind the burial and entombment were not informed about the Morton cranial collection. They contended that, contrary to Eaddy-Chism’s statement about the unknown lives of the Black Philadelphians, some had died at the Blockley almshouse.

The Emea Tribune reported yesterday that “many” of the 19 Black Philadelphians were confirmed to have lived in the almshouse.

“It is almost certain, given the demographics of Philadelphia at the time Morton was collecting, that some were enslaved people at birth,” the Emea Tribune wrote.

The December 2023 press release about the burial made no mention that the remains would be buried two weeks ahead of the Feb. 3 ceremony. Muhammad said that they were shocked when they learned that the remains had been buried without any public notification.

“Representatives from community advisory groups were present to witness the preparation of the crania, the transfer to the funeral home, and placement inside the mausoleum,” a museum spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Notices about the ceremony and burial were provided on the Penn Museum’s website, social media, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Philadelphia Tribune.

Individuals associated with Finding Ceremony handed out fliers to attendees of the Saturday service as they exited the auditorium.

“Our group disagrees with Penn’s continued exertion and power over Black ancestors who should be in the care of intentional and loving community,” the flier read.

The fliers also contained snippets of biographies known about the 19 entombed individuals, the product of their ongoing research to uncover these individuals’ identities.

“As a child, he lived through the American Revolution,” one read. “Wherever she was born, she was almost certainly enslaved for decades. By the time she died in Philadelphia, she was free,” another said.

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

JESSE ZHANG | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter requesting documents for its investigation into antisemitism at Penn.

HOUSE, from FRONT PAGE campus events since September 2023 and the decline of Penn’s Jewish undergraduate population in recent years as reasons for the investigation and subsequent document retrieval.

In the letter, the committee requested 25 groups of documents related to antisemitic acts on campus and Penn’s disciplinary response to these acts. The requested information included activity by the Board of Trustees, findings by the University’s antisemitism task force, and administrative communications surrounding the Palestine Writes festival.

Earlier on Feb. 7, the Committee on Education and the Workforce issued a final warning to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker and Interim President Alan Garber for Harvard to fully comply with its own request for documents and information. The letter suggested that Harvard was “obstructing” the committee’s investigation.

The committee’s initial investigation began on Dec. 7 following a congressional hearing on antisemitism

with former Penn President Liz Magill, former Harvard University President Claudine Gay, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth. Two days following the hearing, Magill and former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned.

During the hearing, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) asked Magill whether individuals who call for the genocide of Jewish people violate Penn’s policies or code of conduct.

“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment,” Magill said. “It is a context dependent decision.”

Following this response and the subsequent backlash, the committee announced their investigation with the “full force of subpoena power,” with Stefanik referencing the “pathetic and morally bankrupt testimony by university presidents” as its motive.

Penn has also been under investigation by several other agencies in the past few months.

The Department of Education launched its own investigation into antisemitism on November 16, 2023, though it has since been dismissed due to the existence of a lawsuit containing the same allegations. The House Ways and Means Committee also began probing Penn on Jan. 10, questioning the University’s tax-exempt status over the University’s alleged lack of support for Jewish students on campus.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Harnwell, the Quad, and 1920 Commons lost power on the evening of Feb. 4.

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“We never received a notification of the meter having issues, and no one ever reported the outage,” the PECO spokesperson said.

The same of area campus affected by the blackout had experienced “other small outages” in the past, Harnwell Faculty Director Kent Bream wrote in a message to residents while the latest outage was ongoing. Bream implied the issue was related to the substation — the main part of the electrical system used by the affected buildings — which was recently moved to a new location.

Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in a statement to the DP that Residential Services implemented emergency plans during the outage, which involved staffing impacted buildings, assisting students with disabilities, and communicating updates to residents.

“As we do anytime there is an event such as this we will review our plans to see if any changes need to be made,” Lea-Kruger said.

Penn Dining took action to preserve refrigerated food from the impacted cafes, moving many items to Houston Hall in order to reduce food loss, Lea-Kruger added.

Despite these efforts, some perishables at Commons and Gourmet Grocer were compromised, requiring menu changes and a temporary closure of Commons for restocking from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

In the hour after a section of campus lost power, Residential Services sent an email to affected residents stating that they were investigating the outage along with PECO. However, a spokesperson for PECO told the DP on Feb. 4 that they had not received reports from the University about the power outage. The spokesperson attributed the disruption to “internal issues” at Penn.

“I honestly think they handled it about as well as they could have,” Engineering sophomore and Harnwell resident Owen Shaffer said. “It’s difficult to control power outages from happening, and this one just happened at a rough time.”

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THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

CARTOONS, from FRONT PAGE has been removed from the Annenberg website and Path@Penn no longer displays the time and location of a class he is teaching this semester.

Booth said that the columns are not new and have been publicly available on political columnist Robert Scheer’s website as well as Booth’s personal website since they were published starting in October of last year, after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

He added that the illustrations were originally created to accompany columns by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges. Booth said that the columns provide the necessary context to understand the cartoons, and that they are open to misinterpretation when depicted by themselves.

Still, Jewish community members said that Booth’s cartoons crossed a line, serving to propogating harmful messages rather than convey a nuanced opinion about the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Scholars strive to understand hateful words, images, and actions and their power in the past and the present. But we don’t create materials of our own that amplify messages of hate,” Professor of Modern Jewish History Joshua Teplitsky wrote in a statement to the DP. “I worry that provocations do more to polarize than they do to foster discussion and debate,” he continued.

Jameson’s statement also condemned a Booth cartoon that depicts photos of Jewish prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp holding signs opposing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Booth said that he created the cartoon, which is titled “Never Again and Again and Again,” to accompany a Dec. 31 column by Hedges titled “Israel’s Genocide Betrays the Holocaust,” which compares Israel’s treatment of Gazans to Nazi treatment of Jewish people.

“By obscuring and falsifying the lessons of the Holocaust, we perpetuate the evil that defined it,” Hedges wrote in the column.

According to Booth, the cartoons have produced meaningful exchanges since they were published and have only recently been described as antisemitic. He took issue with Jameson’s description of Booth as using historical atrocities faced by Jewish people as “fodder for satire.”

“To say that to use that situation as fodder for satire means he doesn’t know what satire is,” Booth said. “Because satire [is] most effective at times of great tragic events, atrocities, and debates about what atrocities are public policy.”

Wharton junior and Penn Hillel Vice President of Israel Engagement Sadie Waldbaum told the DP that the cartoons “crossed a line.” She added that she was particularly concerned with his depiction of Jews drinking blood, describing them as rooted in “medieval antisemitism.”

Waldbaum specifically referred to Booth’s cartoon titled “The Anti-Semite,” which depicts three individuals drinking blood out of glasses labeled “Gaza.” The cartoon appears to resemble

NEWS 7

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024 the antisemitic trope of blood libel — which suggests that Jews use the blood of other groups for religious purposes.

Teplitsky also expressed concern, saying that he was “taken aback” by Booth’s cartoon. He added that the cartoons draw upon tropes with “deep antisemitic histories.”

The trope of blood libel has been “used extensively in similar cartoons by the Nazis to dehumanize Jews, and has no place in political discourse,” College sophomore Morris Hakim said.

Executive Director at Penn Hillel Rabbi Gabe Greenberg wrote in a statement to the DP that the conflict between Israel and Palestinians was “complex and complicated,” requiring Penn students to confront “nuanced perspectives that will help them understand and learn more.”

Still, Greenberg said the “The Anti-Semite” cartoon did not convey one of these nuanced perspectives.

“Instead, it is trafficking in a millennium-old antisemitic trope, the ‘blood libel,’ which has a dark history of being used to demonize and dehumanize Jewish people,” he wrote.

He expressed concern that “this type of speech contributes to a sense shared by many Jewish students that Penn is not a wholly welcoming environment for them.”

Two students currently taking Booth’s class — both of whom were granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation — told the DP that Booth has acknowledged the backlash. The first time that many students had heard about the backlash Booth was receiving was when he sent an email explaining the situation, one student said.

“I don’t think the intent was to endanger anyone, but his intent is definitely to catch people’s eyes and make them think about it,” a second student, who praised Booth as a lecturer, said. “His job is to produce thought provoking content. And that’s obviously what he did.”

The first student added that while Booth did not express concern over the controversy in class, he did tell them that he wanted to make sure they felt “safe and secure in the classroom.”

“I did appreciate kind of how forthcoming he was and the way that he’s not let that affect the class,” the student said.

Booth reaffirmed his students’ perspectives, describing “the whole point of satire” being to “start conversations not end conversations.”

Booth also said he did not show students the cartoons in class: “There’s no real reason to bring those into the classroom because we’re all engaging with this stuff in our own lives.”

“It’s not up to me to try to skew one’s political belief one way or the other,” he continued.

On Monday, Booth released a cartoon entitled “Quiet!” depicting Uncle Sam putting his hand over a person’s mouth. The caption read “Critical thinking is bad for America.”

In a follow-up to its initial story, the Washington Free Beacon published a story on Monday criticizing Jameson’s “tepid” statement for not referring to Booth by name. The story included the day that Booth would next be teaching a class.

HANNAH LAZAR | DP FILE PHOTO

Makuu, the Penn community’s Black cultural center, is located at the ARCH building.

Community commemorates Black History Month with range of programming Penn student, faculty, and cultural groups have planned events throughout the month, ranging from musical performances to community service projects VIDYA PANDIARAJU Senior Reporter

Penn student, faculty, and cultural groups have planned a variety of events throughout February in honor of Black History Month.

Groups including Makuu: The Black Cultural Center and UMOJA — an umbrella organization for Penn’s Black student groups — have planned community-focused events throughout the month, ranging from from musical performances to community service projects.

Makuu released an event calendar to community members through their newsletter on Feb. 1, highlighting events that will occur through Feb. 27. The 2024 BHM theme is “African Americans and the Arts,” which influenced the organization to focus this year’s programming on “celebrating the impact Black Americans have made through the arts, music, cultural movements, and more,” according to a Makuu Instagram post.

Makuu kicked off BHM with a Temple University theatrical performance of Ntozake Shange’s play “From Okra to Greens” on Feb. 1. Upcoming events include an Afro poetry workshop with Philadelphia-based poet Blew Kind

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on Feb. 10 and a jazz concert at City Institute on Feb. 13.

Penn students are also organizing programming in celebration of BHM. UMOJA has partnered with Black-owned nonprofit organizations and leaders from the broader Philadelphia community to organize Black Philly Week, which will run from Feb. 19 to Feb. 25. The events — which include a panel, community service events, and a brunch — center around themes of land justice and community prosperity.

The Annenberg School for Communication is also hosting the second annual W.E.B. Du Bois lecture in Public Social Science on Feb. 23. The lecture will be moderated by Penn Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations Tukufu Zuberi and will feature remarks by Dr. Aldon Morris, the Northwestern University Leon Forrest professor of Sociology and African American Studies.

Penn’s BHM programming follows last month’s discussions surrounding racial justice and equality at the Martin Luther King symposium, which ran from Jan. 15 to Feb. 2.

Join us for a virtual information session on

February 21

8

SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

IN PHOTOS: MILESTONES VIVIAN YAO AND WEINING DING Sports Editor and Sports Photo Editor

Title IX — the federal law that ensured the fair treatment of male and female students — was enacted on June 23, 1972. Under Title IX, colleges are required to offer women an equal amount of sports opportunities as their male counterparts. In other words, the law marked the official beginning of many of Penn’s current varsity women’s sports teams. This may seem like a long time ago, but it has in fact only been 52 years — many of Penn’s current coaches and professors likely remember a time when college athletics was solely a pastime for men.

The first celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day was on Feb. 7, 1987. The day was established to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes while also honoring the progress in equality for women in sports. When looking through past editions of The Daily Pennsylvanian — even after Title IX passed — imagery of women in sports is sparse, with pictures of women of color even less apparent. Thirty-seven years after the inaugural celebration, much has changed. Let’s take a look at how the landscape of female participation in college athletics has changed at Penn.

It has been over a century since Penn athletics first allowed female students to pursue athletics.

To celebrate National Women and Girls in Sports Day, here are some of the moments that have defined the 103 years since.

PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER

In 1952, swimmer Mary G. Freeman Kelly would find herself etching her name onto Penn’s history books as the first female athlete with University ties to compete in the Olympics. In Helsinki, Kelly finished ninth with a time of 1:18.00 in the women’s 100meter backstroke, just missing out on a spot in

the finals. Still, she paved the way for future Penn athletes — in 1968, Eleanor Drye also made the trip to represent the United States in Mexico, bringing home a gold, silver, and bronze medal in the women’s 4x100-meter medley relay, 100-meter butterfly, and 200meter butterfly respectively.

PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER

PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER

Despite the University being founded in 1740, it wasn’t until the spring of 1916 that the idea of some form of athletics for female students was introduced. However, women were not allowed to use the gymnasium and were limited to city-owned tennis courts. In 1921, the National Women’s Athletic Association was officially

established, and over fifty girls participated on basketball, hockey, baseball, and tennis teams.

In 1925, the women’s tennis courts were replaced

by Bennett Hall, which quickly became the main building for Penn’s College of Liberal Arts for Women and included a gymnasium for women on the third floor.

By 1974, two years after the passing of Title IX, Penn offered eight varsity women’s teams under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), with plans to create three more. However, throughout most of this time span, the teams were not allowed to practice in the facilities used by the men’s teams.

Instead, many of the teams — notably field

hockey and softball — resorted to using the grassy space found between Hill and Lauder College Houses. The AIAW would eventually cease operations in 1982, and the NCAA would swoop in and take its place. Many viewed this as a step in the wrong direction as AIAW leadership touted many women while the NCAA was a male-dominated organization.

PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER ED KASTLE | DP FILE PHOTO

Penn’s long history of excellence in women’s rowing can be traced back to as early as 1934.

Rowing was one of the few athletic activities offered to women. Many took advantage of this

opportunity to take to the Schuylkill River to work on their craft, building the foundations of a rowing program that would end up producing multiple Olympic and world champions.

While the presence of women in sports increased, there was still a long way to go for people to take women in sports seriously. At the time, the closest women could get to the field were as cheerleaders supporting men’s teams, and even then, they were seldom respected. When senior cheerleader Nancy Lesser announced that she was transferring

to UCLA due to the discomfort caused by the objectification of her figure by athletes, coaches, spectators, and The Daily Pennsylvanian photographers alike, then-president Martin Meyerson was quoted as saying, “She sure moved well. She sure wriggled well and when she kicked up her legs and, Oh Christ, I think I’m going to faint.”

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SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

FOR PENN WOMEN

SHIVANI PARMAR | DP FILE PHOTO

2004 College graduate Susan Francia is a two-time gold medalist in the women’s eight at both the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic games. However, her family has recently been in the spotlight for different reasons. Francia also happens to be the daughter of Katalin Karikó, an mRNA researcher and 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recipient. During her time at Penn, Francia recalled that much had been done to ensure that the women’s rowing program was receiving as

much attention as the men’s program. However, the lack of support for women’s sports programs in the past continues to have consequences, even as other aspects for women programs have seen visible improvements. “ The men’s team did have more alumni,” said Francia. “They had more of a stronger alumni base. But I think part of that is because rowing at Penn has had such an incredible history … We know that was mostly men.”

PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER

At the 1972 Munich Olympics, crew team member and 1977 University of Pennsylvania Carey Law graduate Anita DeFrantz brought back a bronze medal. With that medal, DeFrantz became the first Black woman with Penn ties

to compete at the Olympics. She would make another appearance at the 1976 Montreal Olympic games, which coincided with the first year women’s rowing was deemed a sport, and has remained active in the Olympic committees since.

JESSE ZHANG | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

2022 College graduate Lia Thomas became the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, claiming the title with a time of 4:33.24 in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event, finishing

ahead of Olympic silver medalist Emma Weyant. Her success in the pool has launched her to the forefront of the public and ongoing debate regarding transgender women in women’s sports.

MICHAEL KRATHEN| DP FILE PHOTO

2001 College graduate Diana M. Caramanico remains the most dominant women’s basketball player that Penn has ever seen. Caramanico is the only Penn basketball player — man or woman — to score more than 2,000 career points, and still holds nine different records nearly a decade after her last game on the court representing the Red and Blue. Caramanico has

paved the way for the program’s success, as she led the team to its first-ever Ivy League title and NCAA tournament appearance, essentially putting Penn women’s basketball on the map. Much of the team’s current success with recruiting talented athletes stems from the dominance that Caramanico exhibited during her time on the team.

JADA EIBLE HARGRO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

On Feb. 18, 2023, then-senior guard Kayla Padilla broke the program record for the most number of career three-pointers, previously held by 2005 College graduate Karen Habrukowich.

By the time the season was over, Padilla had extended the record from 196 to 210 three-pointers.

Over four years at Penn, Padilla solidified her place as the most decorated Asian-American women’s basketball player in program history.

During her time representing the Red and

Blue, Padilla was also the sole player of Asian descent on the women’s basketball team. She has taken huge pride in her Filipino heritage, and is a part of the minuscule two percent of all NCAA Division I athletes that identify as Asian.

The three-time First-Team All-Ivy selection is now finding success at the University of Southern California, and could very well be the first person of Filipino heritage to ever play in the WNBA.

10 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

TRAILBLAZERS, from BACK PAGE Julia Ann Staver, Class of 1974 (Field Hockey and Lacrosse) Staver is not the only woman to be a dual-sport athlete proficient in both field hockey and lacrosse, but to this day, she is still honored as the best to do it at Penn. She was an All-American in both sports, and earned the honor twice as a lacrosse player.

Her greatest accomplishments came after her graduation when she played for Team USA, competing in two field hockey World Cups and two Olympic teams. She also joined the rest of Team USA in the 1980 boycott.

Four years later and two years after her veterinary school graduation, she became a bronze medalist when the U.S. beat Australia. The game ended in a shootout where five women from each team shot two goals apiece. The U.S. won the shootout 10-5, with Staver scoring the 10th and medal-winning goal.

To this day, the Staver Award is awarded to a top athlete that competes for both the field hockey and lacrosse teams.

Fun Fact: Staver’s 1984 team is the only team to ever medal for field hockey for the U.S. in the Olympics.

squash players ever — she’s one of the greatest American squash players ever.

She came to Penn with an already very impressive resume to boast: two-time national junior squash champion, three-time national 18-and-under national title winner, and four-time Canadian junior champion. In 1980, she won the World Juniors in Sweden.

In college, she was justifiably the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the country. She won three straight titles as the national singles champion in squash going from 1982-84. On the international stage, McConnell was on Team USA at five different World Team Championships and won a bronze medal at the 1995 Pan-American Games.

After playing squash professionally for a few years, McConnell went on to work with the U.S. Olympics Committee and now works in diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting in Ireland.

“My favorite memory, whether athletics or not athletics, [was] literally Franklin Field. I remember running around the track when it was pouring rain, there was something so calming about it,” McConnell said in an interview with Athletics Director Alanna Shanahan on a Power the Next 100 Podcasts episode. “[Also] there’s something about that walk by Ben Franklin, the first building built at UPenn. I never get tired walking past.”

Fun Fact: McConnell founded the Penn Club at Ireland.

Alexa Hoover, Class of 2018 (Field Hockey) In the long, storied history of Penn field hockey, only one player has been named to the Ivy League first-team all four years of their career: Alexa Hoover.

Hoover sits alone at the top of the field hockey record books, holding six records for herself. A historic scorer, Hoover tops the leaderboards in goals and points in the individual game, single season, and career record categories. Her record of 163 points in a career sits far ahead the rest of the pack; the second-highest total falls very short at 98 points

by Liz Romig. For her accomplishments, she was awarded the Father’s Trophy in 2018.

She broke the record for all-time career goals — the previous record had been 44 — against Harvard on Oct. 2, 2016 when her initial chip shot was deflected off the goalie’s knee pads and she was able to return the rebound into the net. Her record of 68 goals still stands today.

Fun Fact: Hoover’s signature game day attire included a neon green headband.

Katy Cross, Class of 2005 (Soccer) Cross sits alone as the only women’s soccer player to be inducted in the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame. She also stands alone as the only women’s soccer player to four-peat as a first-team All-Ivy honoree.

As a freshman, she won the 2001 Ivy League Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first player in program history to do so. A year later, she was named Player of the Year. She is still one of only two Quakers to boast that honor.

Each of her four years, she led the team in goals scored and total points — she also led the team in assists three times. Those goals and points just kept accumulating such that her career totals sit far above the rest for goal-scoring and point totals with 54 goals and 133 points.

“Her ability to beat people on the dribble was arguably the best in the Ivy League, there was nobody close to her,” former coach Darren Ambrose said in an article about her Hall of Fame induction.

Fun Fact: Cross currently is a neurologist at UCLA after receiving both her MD and PhD from the university.

Alicia McConnell, Class of 1985 (Squash, Field Hockey, and Lacrosse) McConnell is not just one of the greatest Penn

Mary Jane O’Neill, Class of 1986 (Fencing) O’Neill accomplished a lot of firsts as a women’s fencer at Penn.

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A master of the foil, O’Neill brought four Ivy League titles back to Philadelphia — a streak spanning from 1983-86, including the team’s first-ever Ivy League Championship. She also captured success in the overall NCAA pantheon. In 1984 — just the third year of women’s competition in NCAA fencing — O’Neill became the first female individual champion for Penn at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, she and her team helped secure an NCAA team championship in 1986, becoming Penn’s first women’s team to do so.

After being a three-time first-team All-American, O’Neill moved on to the international stage.

She is the first woman fencer from Penn to go to the Olympics. She first competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and then again in 1992 in Barcelona; the latter came in the middle of her medical school studies.

Fun Fact: O’Neill is immortalized as the fencer of the Lajos Csiszar Trophy — the trophy awarded annually to the Ivy League women’s champion team.

Diana Caramanico, Class of 2001 (Basketball) There is no debate: Caramanico is the greatest women’s basketball player in Penn history.

In just 48 games, Caramanico crossed the 1,000-point threshold, which is still a record for the program. When she hung up her sneakers, she had 2,415 points to her name — a Big 5 and Ivy League record — and is the only player in either the men’s or women’s program to cross the 2,000-point threshold.

She is the program’s double-double leader with 65 total games, including a 23-point, 20-rebound game against Cornell in 2000. For her prolific scoring, Caramanico won the Ivy League Rookie of the year in 1997-98 — the first Penn player to do so.

She then won Player of the Year for her last three seasons. Unsurprisingly, she is also a four-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, making her one of only seven players in Ivy history to do this.

She is also the only player from Penn to be named to the first-team All-America.

Caramanico helped lead the team to its first-ever Ivy League Championship in her senior season with a 14-0 Ivy record. The championship came after starting 1-4 on the season and then going on a 21-game win streak.

“When I look back on the career that I was blessed to be a part of at Penn, I really think of it as having the privilege to play with my teammates, for the coaches,” Caramanico said in an interview. “I was really grateful and remain grateful and lucky to have fallen into this program.”

Fun Fact: Caramanico played professionally in France after graduation.

Nia Akins, Class of 2020 (Track & Field)

Akins has only fairly recently achieved alumna status, but it will not be long before she reaches Hall of Fame status.

Four years post graduation, Akins still holds eight Penn track records to her name across both indoor and outdoor events. In individual competition, she is the record holder for the outdoor and indoor 800 meters, outdoor 1500m, and indoor 1000m. A specialist for the 800m, two of her relay records are also for this distance. Akins went to both the NCAA Outdoor and Indoor Championships in 2019, finishing as the runner-up at both.

Her indoor 800m time is the second-fastest in NCAA history.

After her collegiate career, Akins has gone from runner-up to champion. At the 2023 USATF Championships, Akins won both the indoor and outdoor 800m events. In the outdoors championship, Akins trailed as far back as sixth place in the opening 400m but on the curve into the latter half of the race, turned on the jets to move up into the second for a dominant comeback victory.

While now a professional, Akins returned to her roots when she competed in the 2022 Penn Relays.

Fun Fact: Akins writes and records her own music, available on most streaming platforms.

Ellie Daniel, Class of 1974 (Swimming) Daniel was the very first swimmer inducted into the Penn Hall of Fame — an honor fitting for the only Penn alum in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

A Philadelphia native, Daniel trained under the tutelage of Mary F. Kelly at both Penn and Vesper Boat Club Swimming Team with goals of winning internationally. She achieved these dreams multiple times throughout her career. She reached the pinnacle of the Olympics games twice: once in the 1968 Mexico City Games and again in the 1972 Munich Games. In Mexico City at age 18, she reached the podium three times: a bronze in the 200 meter butterfly, a silver in the 100m butterfly, and a gold in the 4x100m relay against Australia. When she returned in the Munich Games, she won bronze in the 200m butterfly. She won all of her Olympic medals before she graduated from Penn.

Daniel’s favorite event was the butterfly. She set the world record for the 200m butterfly four times in her career and then another four times on medley teams for the event. Throughout her career, she at one point held 14 individual national records and eight world records.

Fun Fact: Daniel had once been coached by Mary F. Kelly, daughter-in-law of Margaret Majer Kelly.

Does Margaret Majer Kelly ring any bells?

Yep, the same woman who started varsity sports at Penn back in the 20s is the mother-in-law of a coach of Penn’s first female Olympic medal winner.

Penn track and field breaks three program records over weekend Five Quakers won their events at a successful meet in State College, Pa. CALEB CRAIN Sports Associate

Even though Ivy League Indoor Heptagonals good enough to earn Dochat a silver medal in the aren’t until the end of the month, Penn track and event, but it placed him atop Penn’s record book, field’s indoor season continued in earnest this past besting Jake Kubiatowicz’s 19.57m distance in weekend, as the Quakers traveled to State College, 2020.

Pa. for the Sykes and Sabock Invitational.

Lastly, a quartet of Quakers set a new record And at the conclusion of Saturday’s slate of in the 4x400m relay, and this one was much narevents, many Penn athletes were on podiums, and rower than the others. A team featuring freshman a trio of new program records were set.

Ryan Matulonis, senior Dimitri Nicholson, freshThe first record to fall for the afternoon was man Nayyir Newash-Campell, and sophomore set by senior Olivia Morganti in the women’s Alec Jackson finished in third at 3:12.31, just mile, where she ran a 4:40.21, good enough to three-hundredths of a second faster than the prefinish in third place overall. Morganti was joined vious record. in the top 10 by fellow senior Zoe Shetty, who Beyond those three events, the weekend was an finished in 10th place. The program record had overall success for Penn. Eleven other athletes or been held by Ashley Montgomery since 2016, and relay teams placed within the top 10 of program Morganti shaved over a second off her time over history, and 20 athletes ended up on podiums, the course of the race. including five victories. Penn will next compete Later on, junior Scott Dochat set a new record this upcoming weekend, when the team will be The New of York Times Syndication Sales Corporation in the weight throw with a distance anTimes even Syndication 20 split between meets in Lynchburg, Va. and ClemThe New York Sales 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y.Corporation 10018 meters, or 65 feet, 7.5 inches. This was not onlyCall: son, S.C. 620For Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 Information 1-800-972-3550 ForRelease Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Thursday, February 8, 2024 For Release Friday, February 2, 2024

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SPORTS 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Freshman guard Mataya Gayle during the game against Brown on Feb. 2.

From overlooked to impossible to ignore: Mataya Gayle’s rise to Ivy League stardom Gayle’s historic start to her Penn career has brought a much-needed bright spot to a middling season SEAN MCKEOWN Deputy Sports Editor

Almost everything in basketball is coachable.

Coaches can teach a player how to shoot, defend, dribble, but there’s one quality that even the best can’t teach: passion. Not the type of passion that means enjoying winning or loving to play the game, but the kind of passion that means absolutely hating to lose. It’s something freshman guard Mataya Gayle has never had to be taught.

“I just really hate to lose,” Gayle said. “It really pisses me off. But I also just love my teammates a lot … for me, I don’t wanna let them down, so I gotta lock in and be the best I can be on the court.”

Gayle’s passion, along with plenty of hard work, has led her to one of the best rookie seasons in Penn women’s basketball history.

Racking up six Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards thus far in her stellar debut campaign, Gayle has taken the league by storm. Her success has served as a pleasant surprise for many, but winning has always been a part of Gayle’s story.

Starting athletics at the age of four, Gayle has been ready to win from day one.

“She started out walking at first, and we had to teach her how to crawl,” Gayle’s father, Rashid Gayle, said as he watched her compete versus Yale. “Developmentally, she was supposed to have to crawl first or something. Couldn’t tell her that though.”

Soon, walking turned to running as Gayle started track, and running turned to winning as she racked up numerous awards. As of today,

Gayle owns her high school’s records for the 100meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay, and more. Her competitiveness drove her to other sports as well, including lacrosse and, of course, basketball.

“My dad is an athletic trainer and coach. As soon as I could walk, I was doing track,” Gayle said. “I really liked it, don’t get me wrong, but 13 years is a long time. By the time I got to high school, I got burnt out, and basketball gave me that athletic spark back.”

Despite playing in a highly talented and competitive division in Atlanta, Gayle immediately made an impact on her high school basketball team. Joining a floundering 4-24 team as a freshman, Gayle would be the driving force in turning it into a 24-4 team by her sophomore year.

“She should’ve been Regional Player of the Year as a freshman,” Gayle’s high school coach, Jason Taylor, said. “She then went on to win it sophomore, junior, and senior year. She could’ve never played for me. After our fourwin season, we went from four wins to four losses with her.”

Despite her short stature, standing at around 5-foot-7, she would continuously prove her worth on the court, playing against state champions, future WNBA prospects, and national juggernauts, but never letting the competition in front of her outshine her own abilities.

“She played against Flau’jae Johnson, who’s at LSU, Raven Johnson at South Carolina. She

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played against top-level kids her entire career,” Taylor said. “Georgia Tech came down to watch Bryanna Preston (a four-star prospect committed to Texas), and they had to watch every single bucket Mataya gave her. I think [Gayle] had 30 [points]. She has always performed against the best of the best.”

After her four seasons in high school, Gayle won just about everything there was to win in Georgia high school basketball. This list includes, but is not limited to, 2023 Georgia state champion, three-time regional champion, threetime fall league champion, three-time Regional Player of the Year, Georgia High School Association 6A Player of the Year, Georgia Basketball Coaches Association/Georgia Athletic Coaches Association 6A Player of the Year, Scorebook Live Player of the Year, Metro Atlanta Player of the Year, Georgia Public Broadcasting Sports Player of the Game in state championship, and Sandy Spiel Miss Georgia Basketball.

Even the long list of accolades playing against some of the best competition in the nation wasn’t enough to catch the attention of many of the best collegiate programs. The truth is, she was overlooked by many due to her height and frame. Being 5-foot-7 doesn’t always translate to the Division I level, where play is inherently more physical, but during recruitment, Penn knew her heart stood much taller than her height ever could.

“She’s always felt she has had to prove herself.

When going to Penn, she’s guaranteed herself a chance to compete, play, and prove herself,” Taylor said.

“He told me the plan he wanted for me,” Gayle said about her new head coach, Mike McLaughlin. “He wanted me to be a point guard, and he wanted me to be dominant.”

With a chip on her shoulder and everything to prove, Gayle has gone out in her freshman year and done just that: dominate. Playing the same way she played in her final two years in high school, Gayle has run the point beautifully for the Red and Blue. Racking up solid performances, awards, wins, and the respect of her peers, Gayle has exploded onto the Ivy League scene.

With plenty still left to prove and a full college career ahead of her, only time will tell if Gayle can spark a turn around here at Penn like she did for her high school program. Her deadly mentality, mixed with her infectious personality, has her poised to be the next leader in the locker room once that role becomes available.

“She’s a leader of a program. It’s not her role now, seeing as she’s a freshman, but she can’t wait,” Rashid Gayle said. “She’ll yell and cuss at you because she’s not here to be your friend.

She’s here to win.”

As Penn women’s basketball fights for a spot in the fast-approaching Ivy League tournament, Gayle will soon find out if she truly is the difference maker that she’s expected to be.

SPORTS

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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

VOL. CXL

NO. 4

TRAILBLAZERS DESIGN BY EMMI WU

The women who bled Red and Blue: Celebrating National Girl and Women in Sports Day To commemorate this year’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day, here are 10 of Penn’s female athletes who have dominated University history KRISTEL RAMBAUD Sports Reporter

Over 100 years ago, women were finally able to don the Red and Blue and partake in varsity sports. To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, let’s go over 103 years of women’s sports at Penn and honor the careers of 10 of the best Quakers to ever grace campus, as well as the woman who helped make it all possible.

Margaret Majer Kelly It would be remiss to ignore the woman who helped kickstart women’s sports at Penn.

In 1921, Majer led the charge to create proper grounds for women to exercise and compete athletically. Long before the establishment of Penn Park and the like, women had to trek to 49th Street and Chester Avenue to use the facilities at Kingsessing. Through Majer’s campaigning efforts, the University transformed the empty lot at 34th and Walnut streets to tennis courts that served as the stomping grounds for women’s athletics under her direction.

Majer holds the title as the first head coach of a women’s team at the University. She coached SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

basketball and organized matches against nearby schools such as Bryn Mawr College, Temple University, and Drexel University. Soon after, gymnastics, softball, swimming, and tennis teams were in the works.

Fun Fact: Majer is the mother of famed actress Grace Kelly, who won Best Lead Actress at the Oscars in 1955 for her role in “The Country Girl” and became princess consort of Monaco after her marriage to Prince Rainier III. Anne Townsend, Class of 1927 (Field Hockey and Basketball) Most of Townsend’s greatest sports accomplishments came after her graduation from Penn.

A dual-sport athlete, she prioritized field hockey after graduation, which led to her captaining the United States field hockey team from 1924-38 and then again in 1947. While on the national team, she played in two World Cups.

“Miss Townsend, long considered the best woman player in the United States, turned in her usual fine performance in backing up the

all-American forward wall,” the New York Times wrote about her after a win on Dec. 3, 1933. “Her passing was largely responsible for the attack launched by her team in the second half which accounted for the victory.”

At the administrative level, she helped begin the U.S. Field Hockey Association and was president of the Philadelphia Field Hockey Association.

While at Penn, Townsend helped to create the Women’s Athletic Association. The organization, upon its inception, regulated 10 sports teams.

The organization has since had a resurgence in recent years, focusing its efforts on supporting fellow women sports teams while also providing a platform for leadership and philanthropy.

Fun Fact: Townsend is the first woman to be inducted in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Betsy Crothers Hawthorne, Class of 1946 (Field Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, and Lacrosse)

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A four-sport athlete, it is hard not to understate the success of Crothers. She is most known for her field hockey exploits, including leading the team to its first undefeated season with a 5-0-1 record in her senior season. She captained the field hockey, basketball, and tennis teams twice each. In lacrosse, she was named an All-American for four years.

Off the courts and fields, Crothers was truly a leader. She was part of the first class of women to utilize Weightman Hall, formerly an all-male space. She also helped ensure that basketball, softball, badminton, swimming, hockey, tennis, bowling, and lacrosse became varsity sports. She served as the president of the WAA in her senior year and served as charter member of Athlon, an athletic honor society for women at Penn.

Fun Fact: Crothers was part of Mortar senior society, the first and only Penn senior society open to women until 1971.

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