January 28, 2021 by The Daily Pennsylvanian

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 2

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Prof. who used Nazi phrase and salute at conference retires Anthropology professor Robert Schuyler faced widespread backlash and calls for his firing after using the salute to reference speech suppresssion in Nazi Germany VICTOR SWEZEY Staff Reporter

Penn professor Robert Schuyler has retired after facing backlash for his use of a Nazi salute and phrase during a virtual archaeology conference earlier this month. Anthropology Department Chair Kathleen Morrison announced Schuyler’s retirement in a tweet on Jan. 25, and School of Arts and Sciences Dean Steven J. Fluharty’s Jan. 13 statement condemning Schuyler’s use of the Nazi phrase and salute was updated on Monday to reflect that he has retired from faculty. Prior to his retirement, Penn canceled the course Schuyler was set to teach this semester. Morrison declined to comment on Schuyler’s retirement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, but she previously told the DP that she found his actions “appalling,” adding that she does not think it is healthy for him to be in contact with students. University spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy also declined to comment on Schuyler’s retirement, referring the DP to Fluharty’s statement. Schuyler did not respond to a request for comment. At a Society for Historical Archaeology conference on Jan. 6, the event moderator gave Schuyler permission to briefly interrupt University of York Ph.D. student Liz Quinlan as she answered a question about increasing accessibility to future virtual conferences. After urging members to attend the

RAGAs overworked and understaffed SHIRALI SHAH Staff Reporter REBEKAH LEE

SEE SCHUYLER PAGE 7

Only a week into the start of the spring semester with students back on campus, some College House residential advisors and graduate associates have been pushed to their breaking point. Following numerous unmet demands from RAGAs dating back to spring 2020 — including increased compensation and modified contracts in light of the pandemic — RAGAs are now reporting that they feel unsafe enforcing the

Student Campus Compact, adding that they are not comfortable putting themselves in danger of contracting the virus without getting vaccine prioritization, hazard pay, or more frequent COVID-19 testing. Burdened with increased responsibilities due to COVID-19 A second-time Fisher-Hassenfeld RA and College junior, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from College Houses &

“It’s kind of ridiculous that they expect us to do in-person duty shifts and deal with incidents with residents that don’t have masks on. ” COLLEGE JUNIOR AND FISHER-HASSENFELD RA SEE RAGA PAGE 9

Class Board 2021 moves Feb Club events to April The events were pushed back in hopes that the pandemic conditions and the weather will permit safe outdoor events

PHOTO FROM LIZ QUINLAN

Penn to resume athletic activity on Feb. 1; Pottruck to gradually reopen Penn teams have not played or formally practiced since March 2020

BRANDON PRIDE Sports Editor

ELIZABETH MEISENZAHL Staff Reporter

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt social events at Penn, one senior class tradition will look a little different this year. The Class of 2021 Board has moved Feb Club, a series of events for seniors traditionally held in February, to April, in hopes that pandemic conditions will improve. The Class Board typically hosts Feb Club events for seniors to celebrate their last semester, holding one event each day of the month. Past events have included 76ers basketball games, trips to Atlantic City, N.J., and snow tubing. Class Board President and Wharton senior Lizzie Youshaei said she hopes the change to April Club, which the Class Board announced in an email to seniors on Jan. 18, will allow for the possibility of some in-person, outdoor events as the weather becomes warmer, and if the COVID-19 pandemic improves. Some seniors said they were pleasantly surprised by the change, adding that they weren’t sure if the tradition would live on this year in light of the pandemic. Youshaei added that even if there are fewer COVID-19 cases in April, she understands that there will still be students who do not feel safe participating in in-person events and students learning away from Penn. To accommodate all students, the Class Board will plan potential in-person events with a virtual component. If COVID-19 does not improve, however, Youshaei said events will be held completely online. The Class Board hopes to have an in-person and online event for each day, if pandemic conditions permit. For example, Youshaei said, one event may be a virtual bartending class, where students can pick up materials provided for them by Class Board before the session. She said Class Board is also considering a possible outdoor, socially distanced concert, where students in the audience sit on blankets at least six feet apart. SEE FEB CLUB PAGE 7

A long wait may be close to over. Since the Ivy League canceled all spring athletic events on March 11, 2020, Penn teams have not had any formal practices or games. In an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director for Governance and Administration Kevin Bonner issued the following statement: “Penn Athletics and Recreation and its intercollegiate programs are currently observing the University quiet period. Our administrators and coaches continue to plan for the resumption of athletic and recreational activity, which meets the guidelines of the Campus Compact and Ivy League phases. “The Division has received University approval to begin athletic activity on Feb. 1, provided the City of Philadelphia does not issue updated guidance that prevents these plans from being initiated. Teams will begin conditioning and physically distant skill activity by season, with spring sports being prioritized. We have also received approval for a gradual reopening of the [Pottruck Health and Fitness Center] on Feb. 1, and we will be communicating details once finalized.” The statement does not say anything about when and if the winter sports season will resume, although this development provides a reasonable level of optimism that a late start to the season is possible, given that formal athletic activity was never allowed before the fall athletic season, which was canceled. The Ivy League remains the only Division I basketball conference out of 32 that is not currently playing basketball. Although teams have not been allowed to formally practice or use team facilities, many Penn athletes have practiced together off campus in informal settings. For example, five cross country runners took a training trip to Colorado to train in altitude in the fall, and countless teammates roomed and trained together off campus last semester.

“Penn has an increased responsibility to support the health of West Philadelphia residents amid the risks of students returning to campus.” - DP Editorial Board PAGE 4 Penn alumna and track star Nia Akins given the NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award. PAGE 11

ANNIE LUO

In the absence of physical training, virtually every Penn team has continued to hold weekly Zoom meetings and has provided athletes with at-home training and conditioning instructions. However, the inability to meet and train in person has taken a toll on the teams, especially on the freshman athletes, many of whom have yet to set foot on campus. This news is significant not only for athletes, but to any members of the Penn community who use Pottruck, which is the main gym on Penn’s campus, and has been closed since March, leaving many students without a place to exercise. It is unclear to what extent Pottruck will open and to whom it will be available, but it is the first news about a reopening since the pandemic began. Throughout the pandemic, Pottruck has offered a variety of virtual exercise programming and esports tournaments in lieu of intramural sports. What plays out with Penn Athletics over the coming weeks and months remains to be seen, but this statement comes as a welcome sign to many who had been hoping for a return to competition.

NEWS

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FGLI students hope hybrid spring will help lessen academic inequities

Penn students look forward to Biden policy initiatives

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

FGLI students hope hybrid spring will help lessen academic inequities Some first-generation, low-income students praised Penn’s choice to reopen campus, citing guaranteed University housing and dining MARY TUYETNHI TRAN Staff Reporter

Some first-generation, low-income students are optimistic that Penn inviting students back to campus this semester will help alleviate academic inequities seen last fall. FGLI students largely praised Penn’s decision to open campus after operating a remote fall semester, citing guaranteed University housing and food for on-campus housing residents. Students also said they look forward to meeting classmates and making connections, and first years added that they are glad to have taken their first steps on campus. Some, however, added that they are worried about the threat of COVID-19 on campus. College first-year Toyosi Abu, who identifies as a FGLI student, said he felt optimistic about the spring semester because he found studying from home during the fall to be isolating. Abu said being on campus allows him to focus both on schoolwork and making connections with other students. “For me personally, I think we’re better being [on campus] this spring because not only do I not have to deal with the home situation and some of those concerns [but] just being able to meet people and have some sort of social impact and social interaction is really beneficial,” Abu said. Students arrived on campus between Jan. 10 and Jan. 17, with first years largely expressing

excitement to finally step foot on campus. About 3,000 undergraduates are moving onto campus this semester, with more than two-thirds comprising first years. College sophomore Ryan Afreen, a FGLI Dean’s Advisory Board member, echoed Abu’s

MELANIE HILMAN

sentiments, adding that during the fall semester, FGLI students in particular had to balance school and economic struggles exacerbated by the pandemic. On-campus housing may provide relief from these worries and can give students a tangible support system, Afreen said. “Staying home is not always the best option

because of a lot of housing situations that many FGLI students have to face,” she said. “Spring semester is different because you get to stay on campus, so now you have a roof over your head. You have your dining plan.” Some FGLI students reported they were concerned about academic equity and health in anticipation of the fall 2020 semester, citing issues like housing stability and access to Wi-fi and academic resources. Days before fall 2020 move-in was set to begin, Penn announced it would close on-campus housing with limited exceptions for students with extenuating circumstances. Some students said they are afraid of another last-minute housing cancellation if the pandemic worsens, adding that it may be harder for FGLI students to adapt to sudden changes. Wharton sophomore Annie Vo, who identifies as a FGLI student, said she signed a year-long offcampus housing contract after Penn students were asked to leave campus in March 2020. She said this would ensure that she had a stable place of residence in case the University reversed a future campus reopening plan. “I can’t just drop everything and move whenever Penn decides to change their mind last minute,” Vo said.

Vo added that her off-campus housing situation has drawbacks that affect her studies. “I don’t have Penn internet. I’m using the iffy Wi-Fi that I have and living in a building next to construction,” she said. “It’s hard to sleep when there’s construction, or study when there’s construction next door, and a band playing as well.” While many FGLI students were excited to live on campus this semester, some have decided to stay home due to health concerns. College first-year and FGLIDAB member Melissa Murin opted to stay home during this semester to protect family members who are vulnerable, such as her grandmother who recently had surgery. She added that Penn must recognize that some students opted not to come to campus and must be vigilant in providing equal access to resources for them. In addition to the risk of contracting COVID-19 themselves, FGLI students worried that activity on campus would compromise the health of the West Philadelphia area, which houses many lowincome families and communities of color, who are most at risk for economic and health detriments. “I just want to ask [students] who are on campus to actually obey rules and do what’s best for everyone,” Murin said.

‘I would like my normal lungs back’:

Students recount physical and emotional toll of COVID-19 The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with multiple students who have survived COVID-19. Here are their stories PIA SINGH Senior Reporter

ngineering and College sophomore Julia Lottman tested positive for COVID-19 the first week she returned from her spring break trip to Barcelona, Spain in March 2020. After feeling normal for a couple days, she soon developed fatigue and severe body aches, leading to a two-week quarantine in her basement.

Lottman later lost her sense of taste and smell, although at the time such symptoms had not yet been officially declared as effects of the virus. Months later while on a hike, Lottman realized she developed post-COVID-19 syndrome, which presents persistent virus-related symptoms in patients even after they recover from the illness, and said she began to have more difficulty breathing and many chest pains that she never experienced during her isolation period. “I was diagnosed with some exercise-induced asthma, so now I have to use an inhaler, which is not fun,” Lottman said about the aftermath of contracting the virus months ago. Now, as Penn embraces thousands more students on campus, in an attempt to return to a more normal college experience against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic, some of those who caught the virus last year continue living a life marred by its debilitating effects. Students who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last year experienced a range of symptoms, from a mild cough, to loss of smell, to long-term decreased lung capacity. And while some are glad they caught the virus early on, others urge students who are coming to campus for the spring semester to be wary. Like Lottman, College first-year Rebecca Kanter contracted the virus early last year, in late January before the virus was widely known to have hit the United States and Europe. “I had breathing issues, like I couldn’t walk a few blocks without getting winded or walk up the stairs,” Kanter said, adding she also experienced severe nausea, as well as brain fog symptoms like memory loss and intense fatigue for a few weeks. “There were no resources for [COVID-19] in the States at that point, and [doctors] thought I was going crazy — so did my dad.” By December 2020, Kanter said she had been diagnosed with decreased lung capacity and was visiting a local clinic, which coordinates care for COVID-19 patients, while completing her first online semester at Penn. COVID-19 can cause a variety of short- and long-term lung complications, ranging from pneumonia to acute respiratory distress syndrome in more severe cases.

“I can’t walk a few blocks. I can’t walk like a mile without needing an inhaler,” Kanter said. Despite Penn’s decision to continue remote learning for the fall semester, at least 3,000 students returned to campus housing, with many additional upperclassmen living off campus. More than 1,000 members of the Penn community — including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff — tested positive for COVID-19 between Aug. 1 and the end of December 2020. Some students, like College junior Jenna Wyman and College first-year Victoria Rosa, observed that many students’ reactions to news of their peers testing positive for COVID-19 had become more lax with the assumption that young people do not experience any severe symptoms. “During the quarantine period in the spring, everyone was so freaked out about it and not seeing anyone, but it’s even worse now and people don’t seem to care anymore,” Rosa said. Wyman tested positive two days after celebrating her birthday outdoors in mid-August with a group of eight friends, each whom had worn masks and had said they tested negative. One of the friends who Wyman celebrated with received a positive test result two days after the gathering. Wyman experienced a low-grade fever, severe

uncomfortable all the time and then that was making me super frustrated, and it made me kind of go crazy. Like I wanted to get out just because my body couldn’t take being kept in one place for that long.” Rosa added that her neighbors in The Chestnut at 3720 Chestnut St., a hub for many first years living off campus in the fall semester, tested positive around the same time. College first-year Navraj Singh, a Daily Pennsylvanian staffer, said he was one of the first students living in Rodin College House last fall knew who tested positive for COVID-19. While he believes he had the virus in March while still at home in Virginia, he only tested positive for it in early November while at Penn. He said doctors ran multiple tests on him in March but had refused to run a COVID-19 test on him at the time, as he did not display all of the three known symptoms of the virus at the time: a cough, shortness of breath, and a fever. Though the University places COVID-19-positive students living in on-campus housing into Sansom Place East to quarantine, Penn’s SHS let Singh’s parents pick him up after testing positive to quarantine in the basement of his home. He experienced fatigue, chills, and body aches, and unlike

REBEKAH LEE

but short-term congestion, and extreme fatigue. A few days into her isolation, she began to lose her sense of taste and smell which she said lasted until her isolation period was over. She added that Student Health Service called her nearly every other day to check in on her symptoms and remind her of the end of her isolation date. Although Wyman described her physical symptoms as “nothing too serious,” she experienced an unexpected side effect of contracting the virus as she quarantined for 10 days in her apartment in The Radian. “Emotionally, at first, you try to find humor in this even though it’s a terrible thing, like you try your best to make the best of it. And so, at first it was more of like a nervous laugh,” Wyman said. “And then when I really had to close my door and be alone, I started to panic because there’s so much that, at least I didn’t know about [COVID-19] and that my parents didn’t know.” Rosa, who believes she caught the virus from another student in a sorority she was trying to rush in late October, experienced similar symptoms to Wyman and struggled with the solitude of isolation. “It took a toll physically too, just being still all the time, like not moving,” Rosa said. “I just was

in March, he also lost his sense of smell for nearly two weeks. The majority of students Singh met living in Rodin, he said, were FGLI students or had another circumstance that compelled them to apply for oncampus housing. Because his parents are essential workers, Singh said Penn’s social distancing guidelines, free testing, and convenient access to delivery meals provided him with a safer environment than he otherwise would have had at home. For Wharton sophomore Derek Nhieu, who tested positive for COVID-19 one week before Thanksgiving break, the mental and emotional toll of the illness was not as significant because he used technology and social media to stay in contact with friends and family. Like many other students, he could only speculate as to how, where, or from whom he got the virus, adding that he and his suitemates had avoided going out to gatherings the entire semester. “Regardless of however safe you are, like obviously I was very safe and cautious, you just never know,” he said. “All it takes is one person who neither of you guys know you have it, and boom you have it.” Nhieu said he developed a cough, chills, body aches, extreme fatigue, fever, and temporary loss of

taste. While Nhieu considered his symptoms to be mild, he called on Penn students to avoid marginalizing the severity of the virus, noting that one of his family members died of COVID-19 while he was sick. “I don’t want people to think that just because you got it and you recovered from it, it’s fine,” he said. “It’s still a very dangerous virus and illness that can kill people and it has been killing people, and you can’t use your own personal experience necessarily to justify that it’s not so bad after all.” In late October, Engineering sophomore Henrique Lorente, an international student from Brazil, also tested positive while living on campus. Lorente said he has no regrets with his choice to live on campus, adding that he is “very happy” he already contracted the virus so that he can go back home to Brazil for winter break without much worry about infecting his parents. “I think, especially young people, we worry more about giving it to our parents than actually what it’s gonna do to us, especially if you’re lucky enough to not have any underlying health issues,” he said. “So for a lot of people, and myself included, we all felt pretty good about getting it now.” Lorente said he experienced a mild fever, fatigue, as well as loss of taste and smell which returned within two to three weeks. With thousands of first years on campus for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, those who have navigated life on or near campus while battling COVID-19 urged other students to follow safety precautions in the spring. Rosa said that while conquering COVID-19 has mitigated worry about becoming infected in the near future, she is still wary of the virus and calls on other students to stay safe even if they have already had COVID-19. A recent study published in Science shows that immunity to the virus can last for at least eight months for those who recover from COVID-19, but experts caution that there is still much unknown about immunity and SARSCoV-2 because it is such a new coronavirus. Kanter agreed, adding that any young person has the possibility of experiencing severe symptoms of the virus. “There are hidden things that are scarier than you think about [COVID-19] that just make it intensely not the flu,” she said. “And it won’t go away after two weeks even if you’re a teen, like me.” Lottman urged students on campus this semester to regularly utilize campus testing facilities, adding that people should be cautious of long-term symptoms caused by the virus that can be much worse than the initial illness. “There are people who really still believe it’s just the flu because it doesn’t affect everyone to the point they’re on a ventilator,” Lottman said. “I would like my normal lungs back.”

4 OPINION

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

OPINION THURSDAY JANUARY 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII, NO. 2 137th Year of Publication DANE GREISIGER President ASHLEY AHN Executive Editor HADRIANA LOWENKRON DP Editor-in-Chief ISABEL LIANG Design Editor CONOR MURRAY News Editor PIA SINGH News Editor HANNAH GROSS Assignments Editor BRITTANY DARROW Copy Editor KYLIE COOPER Photo Editor ALFREDO PRATICÒ Opinion Editor SUNNY JANG Audience Engagement Editor BRANDON PRIDE Sports Editor LOCHLAHN MARCH Sports Editor SOPHIE HUANG Video Editor QIANA ARTIS Podcast Editor ALESSANDRA PINTADOURBANC Business Manager

EDITORIAL

Our neighbors were forgotten as we came back to campus

s COVID-19 continues to threaten those in the Philadelphia area and beyond, many West Philadelphia residents are concerned about Penn’s decision to bring students back to campus this semester. These concerns are not unfounded; a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that counties containing large colleges open for in-person instruction last fall experienced significant increases in COVID-19 cases. More disturbingly, an analysis from The New York Times found that COVID-19 related deaths in communities with large college populations have risen faster than in the rest of the United States. With the increasing danger posed by new COVID-19 variants and reports that Penn students are already failing to follow health guidelines, the return of thousands of students to campus has the potential to fuel outbreaks that extend far beyond campus. The University must recognize that its decision to reopen campus housing does not affect the campus community alone, but also has an impact on West Philadelphia. As such, Penn has an increased responsibility to support the health of West Philadelphia residents amid the risks of students returning to campus. To mitigate the potential harms of bringing students to campus, Penn should expand COVID-19 testing availability for vulnerable populations in the surrounding community. While Penn students, faculty, and staff benefit from frequent, rapid, and accurate COVID-19 testing, this is not

necessarily available to West Philadelphia residents. Penn Medicine has already taken steps in this direction by establishing or supporting several COVID-19 testing sites throughout Philadelphia. Among these, however, only Sayre Health Center offers testing for asymptomatic individuals. Expanding asymptomatic community testing, especially in West Philadelphia, could

accessible way for West Philadelphians to report student violations of COVID19 guidelines. Because many residents and business owners have Penn students as their neighbors and customers, they will likely witness violations of Penn’s Student Campus Compact. Currently, noncompliance with the Compact can be reported through an online form that ac-

LILIAN LIU

help residents protect themselves and their families from the COVID-19 risk students inherently pose. While testing alone would not solve the problem of student-driven community spread, it could help stem the harm and provide meaningful support to the West Philadelphia community. Penn should also create a more

cepts responses from faculty, staff, parents, students, and “other,” a category which encompasses West Philadelphia residents. However, it is likely that many people living near Penn’s campus are not aware that they can report student behavior violations themselves. To deal with this issue, Penn should publicize information about how to

report Compact noncompliance, perhaps through informational bulletins in local businesses, community forums, or public spaces adjacent to campus. Penn should also create additional mechanisms, such as an anonymous hotline for concerned West Philadelphians to report irresponsible behavior. Many West Philadelphia residents were caught off guard by Penn’s decision to bring students back to campus this spring, and some were even unaware that the change had taken place. Before making future decisions, Penn should make sure to meaningfully account for the perspectives of the local community. The University should hold open forums for community members to address concerns, solicit feedback from local residents and business owners, and establish a community-oriented website with up-to-date information on Penn’s policies and how they might affect the people of West Philadelphia. Other colleges have already started taking initial steps. For example, Swarthmore College’s president released a letter to local residents explaining the campus COVID-19 policies and strategies to reduce community transmission. To promote transparency, Penn must pursue similar lines of communication with the local community. Penn’s decision to bring students back to campus generated negative reactions from many West Philadelphia residents. To mitigate the damage, the University must take steps to increase access to medical care, allow open communication, and solicit

PETER CHEN Technology Manager JASPER HUANG Analytics Manager GREG FERREY Marketing Manager EMILY CHEN Product Lab Manager ERIC HOANG Consulting Manager

THIS ISSUE

Undergrad deans: we’re still in a global pandemic. That is our extenuating circumstance. Here’s the Tea | Penn’s undergraduate deans seem to miss the gravity of our pandemic-induced situation

ALANA KELLY DP Design Editor ALICE HEYEH 34st Design Editor FELICITY YICK Web Design Editor QUINN ROBINSON Deputy Design Editor AVA CRUZ Design Associate LILIAN LIU Design Associate TYLER KLIEM Design Associate REBEKAH LEE Design Associate MAX MESTER News Photo Editor ANA GLASSMAN Opinion Photo Editor SAMANTHA TURNER Sports Photo Editor

n Monday, Penn’s undergraduate deans released a joint advisory statement recommending that students think “very carefully” before deciding to take general requirement or major courses pass/fail in the spring 2021 semester. They reminded us that Penn is “in the minority” in offering a requirement-satisfying pass/fail option and that choosing to pass/fail courses may result in a “lack [of] documentation of compelling academic achievement,” thereby “compromising future applications to jobs, professional schools, and graduate schools.” Thus, the deans of all four undergraduate colleges “strongly advise” that students only choose to pass/ fail these courses under “extenuating circumstances.” The deans and, by extension, Penn, not only fail to acknowledge the truly unprecedented circumstances of the global pandemic, but also stigmatize a perfectly rational and reasonable decision to decrease stress in the most stressful of times. The deans define extenuating circumstances as including significant family responsibility, personal illness, lack of resources, time zone differences, and/or housing insecurity. They fail to include the 1,907 deaths caused by COVID-19 that occurred the same day the email was sent, the psychological impact of the racial and socioeconomic inequities pervasive in our healthcare system, or just the loneliness and isolation many are facing as they continue to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. Put simply, this email suggests that the pandemic is a mere footnote on the semester, the pass/fail option given only as a pity concession to those deemed most in need. In reality, the pandemic is worse now than it was almost a year ago when Penn first sent students back home. Hospitals remain overrun. Social distancing guidelines continue to be flouted. Though the approval of some vaccines and the ushering in of a new Biden administration are reasons for hope, there is no reason to act as though the pandemic is over. It is not. Expecting students to

adhere to pre-pandemic norms is not only unreasonable — it is unfeeling. With this email, the deans reminded us of their commitment to “solid achievement” and “quality of student’s academic work” as though the existence of the pass/fail policy decreased it. In fact, the pass/fail policy demonstrates not only a commitment to academic success but also to mental health and well-being. With the appointment of Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé and recent efforts to emphasize wellness on campus, Penn would do well not to forget the importance of such initiatives. That is why the creation of the pass/fail policy stood out as a beacon of support in the first place; it reflected an administration that understood the unique stressors facing students these past few semesters and intended to support its students in any way possible. Penn’s pass/fail policy, though “in the minority,” should be something to be proud of and an example for peer institutions to follow in order to best support their students. This email subverts all of these efforts. The fact that the deans felt obliged to publish such an email reflects poorly on our administration and on our institutions, which have made it seem that grades and “future applications” should be prioritized above all else, even in the midst of a global pandemic. This email unfairly deters students from taking courses pass/fail who may actually benefit from such a policy and, in discussing potential ramifications, pressures students to make decisions based on grades rather than health and well-being. Nothing should ever be prioritized above the health of students. Penn, please withdraw this email and support your students; we are in a global pandemic after all. AGATHA ADVINCULA is a College junior from Brooklyn, N.Y. studying Health & Societies and Computer Science. Her email is agathaa@sas.upenn.edu.

NICKY BELGRAD Associate Sports Editor AGATHA ADVINCULA Deputy Opinion Editor

The siege on free speech on social media

VARUN SARASWATHULA Deputy Opinion Editor VALERIE WANG Deputy Opinion Editor CAROLINE DONELLYMORAN Copy Associate NINA WEI Copy Associate SARIKA RAU Copy Associate AVA DOVE Copy Associate NAVRAJ SINGH

LETTERS Have your own opinion? Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com. Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics.

Lexi’s Take | No matter your political affiliation, First Amendment protection online

ver the course of the last few months, my regular social media scroll has been swarming with political speech. Part of that is Facebook’s algorithms, which has clearly gotten a handle on the fact that I like politics. However, much of my feed is reposts and commentary from every person I follow. In an age where so much information is accessible, everyone has thoughts, and social media has given them a platform to share them. Lately, I haven’t been able to escape the elated responses to Trump’s ban from Twitter and Parler’s subsequent erasure from the internet, with social media companies calling the Capitol riots on Jan. 6 “the final straw” to justify their removal. Moreover, I don’t know many people who will miss Trump’s not-always-substantive tweets. But, this poses a new question: What precedent does this set for the censorship of political speech and the power of Big Tech at large? I was struck by the irony of my Penn peers’ reactions to Trump’s ban. Their dislike of the former president wasn’t new, but as people who overwhelmingly used social media for political advocacy, I was surprised they weren’t the least bit concerned about the implications this could have for the culture of political conversation online. Particularly in the case of Penn, which would usually be buzzing with dialogue, the school was quiet during arguably one of the most divisive presidential elections in our lifetime. The “Civic Ivy” was forced to move online. Prominent organizations such as Penn Leads the Vote ran their registration campaign largely virtually and various social justice groups such as Fossil Free Penn, Police Free Penn, and Penn Justice Democrats conducted their campaigns almost exclusively on social media. The same people I saw clapping in response to the locking of President Trump’s Twitter account are also the people who regularly condemn the culture of big business in America and the influence of the wealthy. This pandemic has proved to us that it is very possible that online communication is crucial to the circulation of political information. If that is the case, why don’t people feel concerned that the next step could be to lock their accounts

for tweeting about something with which billionaire Jack Dorsey disagrees? Well, before you point me to the (very) fine print of social media platforms’ “terms and agreements” or say that you won’t be censored because you won’t “incite violence,” I’d like to highlight the hypocrisy in such censorship campaigns. Across the world, politicians and government organizations linked to human rights violations have found a platform on Twitter, including various top government officials in China such as Zhao Lijian and Hua Chunying, the Russian Kremlin, Ayatollah Khomeini, former supreme leader of Iran, and Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela. Despite Twitter’s rapid shutdown of the ultimately true story regarding the Department of Justice investigation into Hunter Biden, which was broken by The New York Post in October, it wasn’t until a few days ago that the Chinese embassy in Washington was held accountable for statements of support made to Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims in work camps. This is simply another story in a long line of selective censorship by these companies when it is convenient for their political affiliations. As early as 2018, Prager University, a conservative media outlet, sued Google, Facebook, and YouTube for blocking their videos, leading to a subsequent apology. So, if you disagree with the content posted by these platforms, how does this impact you? For starters, despite what may be an agreeable political opinion now, allowing platforms like Twitter and Facebook to exercise this much power sets a dangerous precedent for what could next be the oppression of your beliefs. But more importantly, we must all agree that social media has become a public forum, meaning a space designated for “free exercise of the right to speech and public debate and assembly” as the legal definition suggests. In addition, precedent in the United States suggests that places where political speech occurs must be inherently public. This is affirmed by policies like Section 230 of

the Communications Decency Act, which protects social media outlets from liability for the content posted by their users. With no other alternatives to large companies like Twitter and Facebook that have monopolized the online market, it’s become crucial that these platforms allow for the free exercise of speech. In an election where we saw more “virtual yard signs” and Instagram story platform descriptions than in-person canvassing, we can see the role that these companies played in the circulation of political information, discourse, and debate. In the same way, the Penn student body has held our administration accountable through online petitions and organization virtually throughout the pandemic. Without free speech on social media and internet platforms, activism of all kinds — both political and otherwise — is under siege. LEXI BOCCUZZI is a College first year studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Stamford, Ct. Her email is abb628@sas.upenn.edu.

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Penn’s not our babysitter; let’s act our age.

Penn faculty need a meaningful voice in university governance

Caroline’s Queries | The onus is not on Penn alone to be COVID-19-safe; we have to do our part, too

Guest Column | For too long, Penn’s administrators have made major decisions without consulting relevant faculty

e are proud to announce the formation of the University of Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP–Penn). As scholars and teachers of all ranks, we have come together because we believe that the long-term health of our university requires meaningful faculty participation in all major policy decisions that define our work and shape our community. Over the past year, administrators at the central and school levels made unilateral decisions as to whether our Ph.D. programs could operate, whether international students remained enrolled in courses, and other matters that fall within the purview of faculty governance. Faculty were informed after the fact. We watched in dismay as Penn made cuts to academic programs, froze hiring, laid off staff, and ignored established principles of shared governance that would give us a voice in such decisions. Our concerns about Penn’s priorities, about our working conditions, and about the University’s relationship to the city and community remain largely unresolved. The American Association of University Professors supports our aim to address such concerns. AAUP is a national professional organization with a century of experience representing the interests of faculty and the importance of shared university governance; defending academic freedom; advocating for the economic security of the profession; defining equitable policies of academic employment and promotion; and advancing professional ethics and teaching standards that foster a just society. Penn faculty have come together at a moment of broader concern about the future of higher education in the United States. We take this step in good company, alongside 40 other new AAUP chapters formed in the past two years. Our Penn chapter will urge our central and school administrators to learn more transparent and collaborative forms of decision-making that are consistent with the principle of shared governance. It is critical that faculty play a significant part in joint decisions about educational policy, personnel, and the budget. The Faculty Senate is not currently structured to ensure faculty a meaningful voice in such faculty-relevant matters; in addition, it represents only standing faculty. Our chapter includes and advocates for the needs of contingent faculty, graduate employees, and all those employed primarily in teaching and research at a professional level at Penn. We insist that a productive academic community requires better working conditions. These include job

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o one said that moving thousands of students on campus in the middle of a pandemic would be easy. That’s why Penn delayed move-ins in the first place, when they had yet to implement cohesive testing and isolation protocols. But when we look at the numbers, Penn has pulled off what seemed impossible last year: a successful move-in while COVID-19 cases nationwide are higher than ever. The cumulative COVID-19 prevalence rate on campus is only 1.06%, and a week out from move-in, 90.3% of on-campus isolation capacity remains available. Of course, Penn has encountered, and will continue to encounter, obstacles on the path to stabilizing the spread of COVID-19. Just in the past weeks, first years have violated Penn’s Quiet Period guidelines, residential advisors and graduate assistants have resigned en masse, and West Philadelphians have heavily criticized Penn for inviting students back to campus. Perhaps most concerning, there is no sign of Penn disciplining any students that have partied or otherwise violated COVID-19 guidelines. The onus is not on Penn alone to be COVID-19-safe; we have to do our part, too. We are more than capable of following COVID-19 restrictions. After all, we are here because we are intelligent, inquisitive adults that showed promise in our college applications. Among us are potential world leaders, and award-winning researchers, and so much else. Many of us have stepped up in our communities over the past years, whether by donating time and money to nonprofits, protesting, and getting involved in recent elections. This is the basis of Penn’s Year of Civic Engagement in 2020. But when us students can’t even come “together apart” to save lives in one of the foremost health crises in generations, Penn’s commitment to civic engagement falls flat on its face. It is true that Penn’s administration has had its shortcomings, but it is impractical and near impossible to expect Penn to patrol and punish every social interaction that Penn students have. If they did, they’d be more of an over-glorified babysitter than a university. Many students, myself included, are upset when they see their peers interacting in large groups outside without social distancing six feet apart, or when their friend greets them with a big hug instead of an elbow bump. And yet many students, myself included, are also guilty of these violations of the Quiet Period, in part because these smaller violations go unnoticed. The Quiet Period’s rules, like staying six feet apart outside or limiting your essential activities, may often feel vague and trivial. I know that I should follow them, but I’m also constantly asking myself, to what extent am I willing to

security and fair compensation with benefits for adjunct faculty and for all workers at Penn, affordable child care, funding extensions for Ph.D. candidates to offset major disruption in their research and professional development, and more equitable compensation within ranks to offset glaring inequalities in salary and promotion for women faculty and faculty of color. We stand for a more egalitarian conception of the University, for racial justice on and off campus, and for a deeper structural commitment to the Philadelphia communities that enable us to function. We believe in higher education for the common good. This means, among other things, that a university with a $14.9 billion endowment and $3.2 billion of tax-exempt property in one of the most impoverished large cities in the United States has a clear obligation to support the wellbeing of its local community. AAUP–Penn will work with other campus and community-based groups that insist on Penn’s ethical obligations to all its workers and all its neighbors. Our members include members or affiliates of Penn for PILOTs, Police Free Penn, GET-UP, Fossil Free Penn, and Student Labor Action Project, and we will amplify their concerns and join them in actions that work toward a more equitable future for our university and community. AAUP–Penn’s priorities are defined by our membership, and our chapter has formed committees to address issues concerning the status of contingent faculty, women and minority faculty, graduate students and graduate programs, racial justice and University–community relations, and faculty governance. Chapter leadership is designed to include at least one contingent faculty member and one graduate member on the Executive Committee. Members with the means to do so have contributed to a fund that subsidizes membership in the national organization for those needing support. We are one faculty at Penn, and we invite colleagues of all ranks and from all schools to join us in advocating for a more equitable university. We are energized by the possibility of democratic, consultative governance at Penn that involves not only all faculty but also staff, students, and community members. Our collective desire to help shape the University’s priorities is by no means an unachievable ideal; we pledge to do all we can to make it our reality. PENN’S CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS can be reached by emailing aaup.penn@gmail. com or by visiting aaup-penn.org.

break or stretch these rules to fit my needs and wants? Can long walks through Philadelphia be considered essential, for the sake of exercise? What difference would it make if I stand five feet away from someone, as opposed to six? Violations of the Quiet Period remind me of jaywalking. Yes, it’s technically illegal, but when have you seen a cop write someone up for it? Society relies on the little decisions that people make every day, like jaywalking, and you can make lots of little bad decisions with seemingly no consequences. That’s part of why this pandemic has gone on for so long. You may say that Penn endangers the lives of others when they invite students back to campus, and you would be right. But blaming only Penn ignores the many little decisions that we make everyday. There are very real, harmful, and at times deadly consequences that arise when we go out and party, or even when we get a little too close to a friend that later tests positive. That’s what being an adult is like. Though Penn may have brought us here, we remain responsible for our actions. It can be scary to realize that responsibility, especially during a pandemic where our behavior can mean the difference between life and death for others. But holding the lives of other people in our hands is a concept that many Penn students encounter. In the future, many of us will work as doctors treating patients, as lawyers fighting for their clients, or as consultants advising business owners. If we choose, our actions can have brilliant impacts on those around us. Fellow students, we have a choice. If we don’t act responsibly now, Penn may be forced to treat us like children, and we would miss out on the independence and personal growth that makes the college experience so memorable. Alternatively, we could be responsible adults, and make choices that promote public health, even when we aren’t being watched. Which will it be?

SUKHMANI KAUR

CAROLINE MAGDOLEN is a College and Engineering first-year student studying Systems Engineering & Environmental Science from New York City. Her email address is magdolen@sas.upenn.edu.

Stop falling for the allure of bipartisanship The Watchdog | Biden wants to unify the country, but the bipartisanship he touts is far from what the American people need

uring his inaugural address, President Joe Biden emphasized a goal of unity, stating that he will be “a president for all Americans.” In his decades in the Senate and as vice president, Biden’s political record was characterized by his willingness to reach across the aisle and pass bipartisan legislation. It is clear he will attempt to unify the country with a similar attitude. He has toyed with appointing Republicans to high-ranking Cabinet positions and he will attempt to pass his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill, his first major piece of legislation as president, as a bipartisan bill. Although this approach seems it could potentially be effective, bipartisanship has often historically hurt the average American, and Biden’s bipartisan stances are unlikely to be any different. One might assume that when a piece of legislation is passed with bipartisan support, the actual substance of the bill will be supported by and benefit a majority of American citizens across party lines. However, there is a stark difference between issues that are bipartisan between the electorate from each party and issues that are bipartisan between legislators themselves. The bipartisan legislation that Biden has been a part of has been detrimental for the American public.

The Grand Bargain, a failed piece of legislation during Biden’s vice presidency, proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare while also raising taxes in the name of budget balancing, putting deficit hawkery above the needs of the people. This instance reflects a sentiment he has held throughout his Senate

of the defense contractor Raytheon, and statements made by those in the industry, Biden certainly shares bipartisan resistance to addressing the military-industrial complex: the stranglehold large defense contractors have over government spending that funnels money away from domestic issues and keeps Ameri-

CHASE SUTTON

career, advocating for freezing Social Security to lower the deficit on multiple occasions. This past summer, a bill proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders to cut just 10% of the country’s bloated military budget was scoffed at by Republicans and Democrats alike. Based on Biden’s pick for secretary of defense, a board member

can soldiers abroad. In contrast, most Americans support increased funding for Social Security and cuts military spending. Biden’s worst attempt at reaching across the aisle was the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, also known as the 1994 Crime

Bill. The bill, which called for increasing state prison funding, the size of the police forces, the frequency of death penalties, and prison sentence duration has been accused of directly resulting in the mass incarceration of Black and Latinx Americans today. That bill is the epitome of Biden’s history of being “tough on crime,” a phrase consistently uttered by politicians of both parties in the ‘80s and ‘90s. When bipartisanship is embraced for the wrong reasons, it causes substantial damage to our well being and our history, all while politicians praise each other for a job well done. Politics is much more complicated than a linear spectrum where a politician supposedly “in the middle” can concoct policy solutions that satisfy Americans spanning the political spectrum. The unfortunate truth is that elected officials’ interests are often unrepresentative of the general public’s. It is always possible for politicians to find common ground and collaboration is necessary for the country’s success. However, Biden’s record shows that his bipartisan attitude and the resulting legislation has not always been the best for Americans. Instead of praising politicians for simply reaching across the aisle, we must judge politicians’ intentions and success on the substance

of their policy and their impact on the Americans who are the most in need. Biden’s legislative legacy will undoubtedly be a bipartisan one, with both Democrats and Republicans likely to praise his accomplishments when it is all said and done. In and of itself, bipartisanship is not a bad thing, but current policies with bipartisan backing in Congress are often misaligned with what Americans support and are given a positive spin under the guise of bipartisanship. Biden’s previous brand of deficit hawkery, military spending, and being tough on crime is a prime example of how this bipartisanship in Washington frequently goes wrong. On the other hand, actual substantive policy positions held by a majority of Americans in both parties, such as Medicare for All and a wealth tax, are unlikely to be passed. After four years of Biden reaching across the aisle, do not be surprised if life for the average American remains relatively stagnant and we are left wondering who really benefited from this bipartisanship. MATTHEW LIU is a College sophomore from Allentown, PA studying Biochemistry. His email is liumatt@ sas.upenn.edu.

Why gendered clubs should be a thing of the past Guest Column | It’s time for student groups to question their gendered histories

n 2020, Harvard rescinded its controversial ban on single-gender organizations, which included fraternities, sororities, final clubs, and other social clubs. First implemented because of the discriminatory nature of these clubs that may alienate those who do not abide by the gender binary, Harvard officials rescinded the policy on the basis that it may be legally discriminatory on the basis of sex. Gendered spaces dominate campus life, both in social aspects and the physical space they are able to occupy on campus. Although Harvard rescinded its ban on the grounds of discrimination on the basis of sex, it is time we recognize that single-gendered clubs should no longer exist in 2021. We’re taking steps in Bloomers to move away from female-centric language and our all-female past, and this past semester we transitioned to becoming a group for all gender minorities in comedy. We hope this will make our group more inclusive and welcoming for gender-nonconforming and transgender communities who shouldn’t be barred

from sketch comedy groups at Penn because they don’t fit into the stereotypical cis-male or -female boxes. It’s not a walk in the park, and it’s honestly very surprising how many of our traditions and activities have gendered undertones, but we’re a work in progress and that’s more than we can say of ourselves in the past. By creating a space where we can challenge group norms and openly discuss what makes us uncomfortable, Bloomers has started to feel more like a home than it ever did before. Many critiques of this policy and our recent transition centers around the idea that an all-female space would be, for women, more comfortable and empowering in the presence of other women, a valuable experience that may be at risk if clubs were to become co-ed. However, these critiques operate on the assumption that these safe spaces are inclusive as well, while they tend to be anything but. For example, sororities tend to promote the idea of sisterhood and empowerment in the presence of other women. However, these spaces can be expensive and excusing of certain behaviors that may be

alienating to other marginalized groups. Yet, these very clubs are validated on the premise of providing a safe and empowering space while also only catering to a single gender. Imagine if we were able to accommodate those who do not abide by the strict expectations set by the gender binary or single-gendered clubs. The University of Pennsylvania is far from promoting inclusivity, especially in student organizations. Gendered groups are a relic of a more intolerant past in a university with all-male origins and continue to exist within and thereby perpetuate the gender binary; this paints our diverse and wonderfully colorful student body as monochromatic. Greek life is often the poster child for arguments like this, but a blind eye shouldn’t be turned on the gendered clubs that don’t fall within Greek life, especially within the performing arts community at Penn. Restricting entrance into a group on the basis of gender has little benefit in the way of producing content and many times even hinders the success of what they create. Obviously we’re not saying that every

gendered group on campus needs to change their entire dynamic, nor are we saying that this measure would abolish the gender binary at Penn. However, we do have the power to open our spaces and make ourselves more of a welcoming community. Every student here is a part of some campus community, and every single community should rethink the way it defines itself, especially if it does so in a single-gendered manner, and strive towards being more accommodating of all students. That said, there is still a lot of work to be done when confronting singlegender groups and striving for change. Becoming co-ed or attempting to loosen the gendered foundation of your organization isn’t enough to rectify a past of active discrimination against marginalized communities and, frankly, it’s a solution that reeks of performative activism. There also needs to be a fundamental change in the group itself and how we critically engage with the institutional discrimination they themselves have perpetuated. Becoming co-ed at the snap of your fingers will not

automatically make a space more welcoming and inclusive for others. Actual work needs to be done with the space and the very people who occupy these spaces, otherwise such groups may continue to perpetuate a toxic environment under a performative, progressive banner. Strict gendered clubs should have no space at Penn. But if you do happen to exist within communities that define themselves by gender, there are always methods to promote inclusivity, even if it’s baby steps at first. There’s a lot more work to do before the gender binary stops being such a pervasive part of the Penn community, but for now take action in any way you can. You’ll be surprised what a world of difference it can make. SHRIYA BEESAM AND ASHNA YAKOOB are the co-inclusion chairs of Bloomers, Penn’s sketch comedy troupe for gender minorities. Visit their website or email them at rbrac@sas.upenn.edu for more information.

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“We’re trying to utilize the outdoor space that Penn has, like Penn Park or Franklin Field, to do larger-scale events in a COVID-19-safe manner,” Youshaei said. Running April Club during the pandemic may increase costs compared to a normal year, Youshaei said. She said that in order to run the virtual bartending class, Class Board would have to purchase more materials for each student participating to have their own set. For an outdoor concert, if COVID-19 guidelines limit how many students can gather at once, Class Board may ask the artist to perform their concert multiple times to ensure more students can attend, which would up the cost. Youshaei said Class Board plans to structure the four weeks of April Club to represent the four years of the Class of 2021’s time at Penn. The first week, for example, would feature Econ Scream and Cram and Jam, two events traditionally held each year by the first years’ Class Board. College senior Jaden Baum said she was pleasantly surprised to hear that Class Board was planning on holding Feb Club at all, as she had assumed it would be impossible due to COVID-19. Baum also hopes COVID-19 will be less prevalent by April, allowing the senior class to participate in some outdoor events in compliance with Penn’s Student Campus Compact’s COVID-19 guidelines and Philadelphia health regulations. “I think [Class Board is] doing the best that [it] can in terms of trying to make a less-than-ideal situation slightly more palatable, especially for seniors who’ve had a year and a half of their Penn experience basically taken away from them,” Baum said.

College senior Heta Patel agreed that, while she does not think it will be possible to replicate a normal Feb Club, she is looking forward to attending outdoor, in-person events if they are possible in April. “If they can do COVID-19-safe outdoor gatherings or activities, I’m totally down, and I’m really happy that they’re doing that,” Patel said. College senior Sabrina Ochoa echoed Baum, saying that she had already written off the possibility of any kind of Feb Club until she heard from Class Board about April Club. Ochoa said that, while she does not have as high of expectations as she would for a normal Feb Club, she hopes Class Board will still be able to put on fun events — both outdoors and virtually. Ochoa added that because several traditional Feb

TYLER KLIEM

Club events take place at bars and feature drinking, which will not be possible this year because of COVID-19, she hopes Class Board will come up with some more creative events that students who don’t drink might be more comfortable doing. “This is a really good opportunity, I think, for Class Board to branch out a little bit,” she said.

SHA’s upcoming Philadelphia conference, Schuyler asked how the pandemic impacted membership renewals for 2021. Deeming his question off-topic, Quinlan attempted to redirect the conversation back to virtual conference accessibility. After asserting that he has “free speech” and should be allowed to discuss the matter during the conference, Schuyler raised his arm in a Nazi salute and said, “Sieg heil to you,” a victory phrase once used by the Nazi Party and now used by white supremacists. Schuyler previously told the DP he does not endorse Nazism. Following the incident, Schuyler was condemned for his actions by Fluharty, Morrison, and the Penn Museum, where he was associate curator-in-charge of the historical archaeology section. None of the statements mentioned whether he would be fired or face disciplinary action, and the University previously declined to comment on whether it was considering firing Schuyler. Morrison confirmed to the DP on Jan. 11 that ANTH 220: “Historical Archaeology Laboratory,” the course Schuyler was set to teach this semester, would no longer be offered. Several students scheduled to take ANTH 220 told the DP they supported the cancellation of his course, with some adding that the University should consider further disciplinary action. “Given that the situation at the [SHA] plenary session involved the bullying and attempted

silencing of a graduate student, I felt that professor Schuyler should be kept away from students,” Morrison wrote in an email to the DP on Jan. 11. Schuyler faced widespread calls for his firing in the weeks following the incident. Quinlan and two of her colleagues, Harvard University Ph.D. student Melina Seabrook and Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Ph.D. student Ayushi Nayak, penned an open letter to Penn on Jan. 12 calling for the University to place Schuyler on administrative leave, conduct a review of its grievance procedures to better address discriminatory behavior, and ultimately terminate Schuyler’s employment. The open letter includes a petition for those who support its demands, which Nayak said has gained more than 300 signatures as of Jan. 15. “Please show us, by holding Dr. Robert Schuyler fully accountable for his heinous acts, that you condemn this behavior and are committed in your fight against all forms of prejudice, and move our field forward to create a better environment for everyone,” the open letter states. A student-created Change.org petition, also demanding Schuyler’s termination, has garnered more than 1,900 signatures as of Wednesday evening. Created by College junior Dana Raphael, the petition states that “Penn must take disciplinary action to demonstrate that intolerable behavior has consequences, and to ensure that this does not happen again.”

Students eager for Biden to reverse Trump-era policies Students and professors look forward to Biden reversing a number of Trump-era policies CELIA KRETH & TORI SOUSA Staff Reporters

From immigration to criminal justice reform, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration is set to push an agenda vastly different from that of former President Donald Trump. Students and professors are largely optimistic about the new administration and look forward to Biden reversing a number of Trump-era policies — eager to see action in a number of areas, including student loan debt, education, and the environment. Immigration College and Wharton junior Saranya Das Sharma, an international student from India and previous marketing manager of The Daily Pennsylvanian, said she is

especially pleased with Biden’s plan to reform much of the H-1B visa system. 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump had previously tweaked the system to require employers to pay H-1B workers significantly higher wages, and, for some workers, narrowed the potential length of stay in the United States. Conversely, Biden has promised to end the per-country cap for employment-based green cards. His plans also include a direct pathway to green cards for individuals who meet certain criteria, such as Dreamers or those who have received Temporary Protected Status. “Being an international student during the Trump administra-

tion was sad at best, and scary at worst. There were so many times where I just felt very, very unwanted,” Das Sharma said. “So I was super happy when Biden won. I cried. I just felt like this nightmare was finally over.” She added that many of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, such as increased restrictions on student visas, were especially disheartening. “I’m glad because I feel like the Biden administration is setting precedent as an ally, and that [immigrants’] work is also valued,” Das Sharma said. College senior Melissa Cortes, a first-generation student whose parents immigrated from Colombia, said that she was especially

glad to see some of Biden’s early reforms in immigration policy, especially Biden’s termination of the ban on travelers from a number of majority-Muslim countries, which was originally issued by Trump in 2017. “We’re already seeing several executive orders being issued, like terminating the Muslim ban, which was great to see because when it was enacted, within Trump’s first day of office or first week of office, it was just terrifying to see the many families that were essentially pulled apart because of this ban,” she said. Cortes is also hopeful that the administration will take steps to protect DACA students, and said she believes they should be given

a direct pathway to citizenship, especially if they have been in the country since they were infants. Likewise, College junior Angie Pajares is excited to see Biden’s plan to grant legal status to 11 million undocumented immigrants. Education Cortes also spoke to her concerns about the administration’s plans to tackle the student debt crisis, in which more than 40 million Americans now hold over $1 trillion in student debt. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made student loan payments more difficult for some people, as experts estimate that roughly 10 million student loan borrowers could now be out of a job, accord-

For close to 140 years our organization has been driven by our student staff’s dedication and determination to deliver news, content, and information, unfiltered, to the Penn community. Supporting the DP today will help to ensure that tradition. No matter the size of your gift it counts. All dollars raised go directly to Penn students through scholarships, financial assistance, internships, training, resources, and tools. thedp.com/donate

ing to CNBC. Biden had promised $10,000 in student debt forgiveness during his campaign, but has not yet issued an executive order. “I think now more than ever we need to actually tackle student debt, especially in the midst of the pandemic where people are not able to make their student loan payments,” Cortes said. “I think it places this enormous burden on barriers to entry for higher education.” Experts have stated that due to the crowded nature of Biden’s political agenda, it could take some time for Americans to see the SEE BIDEN PAGE 9

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RAGA

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Academic Services, said RAGAs have experienced an increased workload due to restrictions placed on college house residents to limit the spread of the virus. She said RAGAs are now responsible for breaking up student gatherings and enforcing the Campus Compact, and that she has broken up around seven to 10 gatherings since on-campus residents first moved in less than two weeks ago. “It’s supposed to be 15 to 20 hours [of work] per week. I’m probably doing 25 to 30 — maybe more,” she said. “I haven’t had a day this week where I’ve gone to bed before 1 a.m.” Some RAGAs have reported seeing first years partying and gathering in college houses, swiping in students who do not reside in the college houses with their PennCards, and entering communal areas in the college houses without masks on. “It’s kind of ridiculous that they expect us to do in-person duty shifts and deal with incidents with residents that don’t have masks on,” the second-time Fisher-Hassenfeld RA and College junior said about this semester. “I’ve had multiple incidents where a resident answers the door without a mask on, and we’ve had people test positive in my college house.” With the increasing number of RAGA resignations causing a shortage in workers, she said that nightly duty shifts take much longer. However, Deputy Provost Beth Winkelstein wrote in a Jan. 27 email to The Daily Pennsylvanian that while some RAGAs decided not to work during the fall 2020 or spring 2021 semesters, since fewer residents are on campus, the ratio of RAGAs to residents is the same as prior full occupancy years. For some houses, she wrote the ratio is even smaller, with each RAGA supporting fewer residents. “We are really pleased with the support our RAGAs have been giving to their residents virtually and in person — and that collectively we are able to give each resident personal attention during this challenging time,” Winkelstein wrote. Unlike in previous semesters, the second-time Fisher-Hassenfeld RA and College junior said RAGAs were expected to attend “random trainings” throughout the fall for topics related to COVID-19 and campus issues. She added that the annual training for RAGAs that takes place in August before the start of the semester was extended from one day to three days with no prior warning. “[The trainings] honestly felt like busy work, and I don’t feel like I got anything out of them,” she said. “But [this] way, CHAS can say that we were ‘well trained’ in campus resources.” Second-time Kings Court English College House RA and College senior Mark Lovett said that during training, CHAS recommended that RAGAs only break up small gatherings and avoid large groups of people to prevent putting themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19. According to Lovett, RAGAs are tasked with reporting incidents of large gatherings outside of the college house, but only with reporting the location and time of the incident and not the people involved. “They tell us not to get involved if we’re in a dangerous situation, so if we see a large gathering outside of our [college] house, we’re not supposed to actually go up and break it up,” Lovett said. “There [are] no actual names taken up, so there’s no real punishment.”

NEWS 9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

Lovett added, however, that RAGAs in Kings Court English College House have been encouraged by their House Director to break up gatherings of all sizes that violate the Campus Compact and to report the names of the students involved in the incident — regardless of the risk. “I would say [being an RA] is more risky [now] because the residents don’t always wear their masks,” he said. “We are kind of on the frontline because we have to expose ourselves while we’re on duty. We [have to] break people up. We’re in charge of actually telling people to wear their masks. We also have to touch a lot of surfaces on duty, [because] we have to walk around and touch almost every door in the house.” Second-year Penn Law student and former Ware GA Chris Fanick said that RAGAs’ ability to enforce the Campus Compact is ineffective, since they are not given the authority to effectively punish students who break COVID-19 safety guidelines. “I know there is a mechanism for reporting [the Compact], but it’s kind of hard when there are going to be hundreds of groups of students getting together in the dorm every night,” Fanick said. “You can’t report all of them for wanting to be around each other.” RAGAs resign due to College House leadership changes and lack of communication In addition to concerns about unsafe COVID-19 conditions, many RAGAs resigned at the start of the spring semester, frustrated with recent dramatic changes CHAS made to College House leadership. Fanick resigned in January after CHAS reassigned his House Dean Amanda Atkinson to work for Penn’s COVID-19 hotline and because he was worried students arriving on campus in the spring would not adhere to the Campus Compact. He said that three of the 14 Ware RAGAs quit after CHAS denied RAGAs increased compensation for the additional risk of working during the pandemic, and did not outline clear enforcement policies for COVID-19 violations in the Campus Compact. Fanick also criticized CHAS’ decision to rename House Deans as House Directors, saying that the change in titles forced Penn House Deans to have to reapply for their positions — leading to two House Deans not getting rehired through this process. The Quad now has one House Director under the new leadership structure, which he said “feels unmanageable,” as Ware, Riepe, and Fisher-Hassenfeld previously each had their own House Dean. Harrison College House did not have a House Dean during the fall semester and instead had a CHAS administrator temporarily filling the role, he added. “Due to the reduced density of residents in the Quad, the three houses are being handled as a single Whole Quad this semester with the full complement of residential faculty and RAGAs,” Winkelstein wrote. Winkelstein added that there is currently an ongoing search to replace two open positions for House Directors in the Quad. Due to the change in contracts and a lack of transparent communication from CHAS, many RAGAs also resigned prior to the start of the fall semester. A College sophomore, who was hired as an RA in Hill College House for this academic year and requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from CHAS if she reapplies to be an RA in the future, said she was forced to resign in the fall semester when she decided not to return to campus and was denied the

opportunity to be an RA from home. RAGAs were permitted to live on campus last semester and held virtual programming for their residents after Penn made the decision not to reopen on-campus housing, she said. can you add back in the part about why she couldn’t live on campus and start the graf w/ “although” “They had already broken their contract with us by delaying move-in, but they were kind of still holding us to it,” she said. “They said you cannot hold this position unless you live on campus because that’s your form of compensation. They said you don’t really have a choice — you have to resign if you aren’t coming to campus.” In her email of resignation to Hill and CHAS sent in August, the College sophomore said she was looking forward to rejoining as an RA in the future. She

“It’s supposed to be 15 to 20 hours [of work] per week. I’m probably doing 25 to 30 — maybe more. I haven’t had a day this week where I’ve gone to bed before 1 a.m.”

COLLEGE JUNIOR AND FISHER-HASSENFELD RA

said she received a vague reply from both parties that did not clearly state whether she would be rehired in the spring, adding to the confusion RAGAs already felt about whether or not they would be allowed to return in the spring if they did not live on campus in the fall. After reaching out to CHAS in November to ask

if she could continue as an RA this semester, she said she received a brief email response, which said it would not be possible to return and that she should refer to the RAGA Frequently Asked Questions page. Now, the College sophomore said she is unsure whether she will reapply to be an RA for the 20212022 academic year. “The main things that would prevent me from reapplying are the lack of communication, lack of compensation, and the flexibility of the contract,” she said. “When you read the RA contract, [it feels] like this can be changed at any time. It feels very transactional and like you’re at the will of [CHAS].” RAGAs’ demand increased pay and transparency from CHAS Crumbling under the daily burden of supervising students to uphold campus safety guidelines, RAGAs continue to seek increased compensation and more transparency from CHAS. A group of over 135 RAGAs signed a letter to CHAS in August demanding they be categorized as “first-responders” in order to qualify for more frequent COVID-19 testing, hazard pay, and an increase in compensation, citing that the work of RAGAs puts them at greater risk of contracting the virus because of frequent contact with student residents and shared communal spaces. The second-time Fisher-Hassenfeld RA and College junior believes RAGAs are not receiving hazard pay or priority for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine because they are not considered to be essential or frontline workers, since they are compensated for their work with housing and a dining plan rather than paid a salary. Second-time Riepe RA and College senior Zoe Osborne believes all RAGAs and residents of the Quad, Kings Court English College House, Hill, and Stouffer College House should be prioritized for vaccination because those college houses have communal bathrooms, making it more difficult to completely isolate. “RAs, as people who are doing a job by being here, should get priority [for the vaccine], but I also really think that the [residents] should,” secondtime Riepe RA and College senior Zoe Osborne said. “We should all get vaccinated because vaccination doesn’t really work if it’s just some people [who get it].” Fanick agreed, saying RAGAs should be prioritized for vaccination because they are forced to come in close contact with potential carriers. RAGAs do not get screened for COVID-19 more frequently than other on-campus residents, she said. A second-time Riepe GA and third-year Ph.D. candidate, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from CHAS, said that he respects the University’s decision not to vaccinate RAGAs ahead of frontline workers and those with preexisting conditions. Like other RAGAs, the second-time FisherHassenfeld RA and College junior emphasized the importance of their role in keeping the Penn community safe amid the pandemic. “If we left the College House system, the whole College House system would fall apart, which in my definition would make us essential workers,” the second-time Fisher-Hassenfeld RA and College junior said. Staff reporter Abi Murugadoss contributed reporting.

BIDEN

>> PAGE 9 new administration take legislative action regarding student debt alleviation. Penn professor Dick Polman, a writer in residence at the Kelly Writers House and a national political columnist at WHYY, said that he’s “only cautiously optimistic” that Biden will be able to get some of his proposed reforms through the two chambers of Congress because of the filibuster in the Senate. College junior Cecelia Vieira hopes the Biden administration approaches education policy at the elementary level as well, adding that she would like to see huge federal investments into the education system to aid students and public school teachers amid the COVID-19 crisis — like increasing hazard pay for public school teachers in urban centers. She hopes to see an initiative that supports, trains, and implements a raised minimum wage level for teachers nationwide. “[The Trump Administration’s] focus on charter schools as a solution to inequities in the public education system is a bandaid solution across the board,” Vieira said about her dissatisfaction with the previous administration’s handling of educational inequities. Criminal Justice College senior Natalia Rommen says that though she fears Biden, a former Penn presidential professor of practice, and Harris will not take as aggressive an approach to criminal justice reform she believes the country’s penal system requires, she hopes their term offers a starting point for more progressive criminal justice reform.

“I hope the administration can begin by addressing disparities in education, healthcare, and various other resources that are less accessible to underrepresented minorities,” Rommen said. “Plus, incarceration is expensive. I’d like to see the BidenHarris administration reinvesting federal funds to supporting low-income communities by providing resources and support to combat poverty and focus on rehabilitation, rather than excessive punishment.” In today’s state prisons, Black people are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of white people. Rommen added that she believes Biden and Harris must begin by decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level and releasing all individuals incarcerated for drug use alone, as well as addressing the root causes of incarceration. Identity and Representation College sophomore and Penn Democrats political director Noah Lewine said that the increased representation among the administration’s personnel has not been given enough praise. “This is a far more representative White House of what the nation looks like and is an absolutely historic moment for the vice presidency and presidency as a whole,” Lewine said, noting the inauguration of Harris as the first woman, Black American, and Asian American to be vice president of the United States. If approved by the Senate, Biden’s cabinet will be more diverse than any cabinet in American history. Half of the

PHOTO BY LULU WANG, ILLUSTRATION BY AVA CRUZ

president’s nominees for cabinet positions and cabinet-level positions are people of color according to a CNN analysis, topping the Obama administration’s previous record for diversity with a cabinet that comprised 42% people of color. “I don’t think the significance of [Harris’ appointment] should be lost on anyone and it bears repeating time and time again that having her represent us as the first woman to hold that office, or the national federal office is an incredible accomplishment and something that [Penn Dems is] incredibly proud to be a part of,” Lewine said.

Pajares agreed, adding that the inauguration left her filled with pride in being an American. Polman said that one of his key takeaways from Biden’s inauguration speech was the point he made about the importance of restoring American democracy, noting its importance following the right-wing insurrection at the Capitol. “This is one of the crises that we really need to address, and this is something you don’t need legislation for. The fuel of democracy are facts and truths,” he said. Environment College sophomore and Penn

Dems membership director Maddi Salwen said she would like the Biden-Harris administration to enact strong environmental policies to combat climate change, such as taking legislative action against fracking, in light of the large number of Obama-era progressive climate regulations rolled back by the Trump administration. Biden has prioritized environmental policies, having rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and beginning to overturn over 100 environmental deregulation policies enacted by the Trump administration just eight days into his presidency.

“It’s great to hear someone with relevant priorities that the nation is hungry to have addressed. There’s only so many things you can do with executive orders, and that’s why he’s doing so many of them the first couple weeks,” Polman said about Biden. “It certainly shows us action. It shows us intent.” Wharton sophomore and Class of 2023 President Derek Nhieu said he would like to see the administration adopt dual policies that simultaneously help the environment and economy, such as exploring sustainable energy resources that can stimulate business. “[The economy] does affect all of us. It affects the economy. It affects every single aspect of our everyday life,” Nhieu said. Lewine said he is looking forward to having a president “that listens to science and takes well-planned, thought-out steps” to enact environmental change. Unlike Biden, Trump repeatedly disregarded and questioned the scientific knowledge of experts in regards to COVID-19 and climate change. College junior and Penn Leads the Vote Co-Director Harrison Feinman said that enacting progressive environmental policies should be a priority for the administration. “This really is the moment that if something is going to happen, it’s got to happen now, and it’s got to be dramatic,” Feinman said. “The environment is so big that we can kind of use that niche of climate change to help deal with some of these other big issues, like inequality and racial justice.”

10 SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

TOUCHE

>> PAGE 12

his consistency and focus on both sides of the pitch. With him on the roster, New Mexico United has the opportunity to strengthen its defense as the group pursues its first league title. But the transition from collegiate athletics to a professional league will be a sizable challenge. Touche acknowledged that he would have to adapt to the fast-paced energy and rugged physicality of the USL, especially as he faces teammates and opponents who have already been in the league for many seasons. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything I had heard about USL is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really athletic league,â&#x20AC;? Touche said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So I think that will be a bit of an adjustment, just adjusting to the quicker speed of play.â&#x20AC;? In the face of these challenges, Touche has continued working hard to bring the same focus and rigor he presented at Penn to New Mexico United. He is eager to begin training and earning minutes of play to prove himself to the club and its supporters. While New Mexico United is based in Albuquerque, Toucheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hometown, the club prides itself in representing all of New Mexico. With supporters across the entire state and â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of course â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in the local Albuquerque community, who parade toward Isotopes Park with their â&#x20AC;&#x153;march to the match,â&#x20AC;? the young USL soccer club already has one of the most dependable bodies of supporters.

SON NGUYEN Junior goalkeeper Dane Jacomen (left) and senior defender Alex Touche in a match against Marist

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always knew that a [professional] soccer team would do really well here. And then it got

started and the support from the community was incredible,â&#x20AC;? Touche said.

But what he will not be able to replace in Albuquerque will be the teammates and staff here at Penn, as Touche noted that he will miss them the most. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The team culture, since [Penn] coach [Brian] Gill has come in especially, has been amazing,â&#x20AC;? Touche said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All the guys are really close â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both on the field and off the field. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll miss spending time with the guys, going on trips, playing games.â&#x20AC;? Touche is confident in what menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer will accomplish in the near future â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just as many Penn supporters will be of his own professional career. And despite the unexpected conclusion to his collegiate soccer career brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Touche is incredibly grateful for the opportunities he found at Penn as a student-athlete. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having the opportunity to play Division I soccer, and then also get your degree at a school like Penn is a dream,â&#x20AC;? Touche said. His prowess and confidence on the pitch reflects New Mexico Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature strength: the loud, vivid colors of their crest and club, and their formidable fans in yellow and black that rival Borussia Dortmund. Touche will have both the support of Penn fans and supporters across New Mexico as he begins his professional soccer career in his home city of Albuquerque.

2021-22 June 1 - July 23.

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SPORTS | Televised college football

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Flashback: When Penn clashed with the NCAA over TV

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Televised college football is one of the hallmarks of fall Saturdays, and its existence was in large part due to Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1951 scuffle with the domineering NCAA. In 1948, the University was in desperate need of bolstered revenue streams due to an outstanding mortgage on the Palestra and Franklin Field of more than $1.6 million. Harold Stassen, the president of Penn at the time, believed that televising the Quakersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home football games had the potential to solve these and other financial qualms. So, in 1950, Penn sold the TV rights to all of its home games to ABC for $150,000, a figure which then Athletic Director Francis Murray thought could be doubled the very next year. At that point, only a small number of schools, such as the University of Notre Dame, had made such a move. This effort, however, was swiftly rebuffed by the NCAA after a study published by the National Opinion Research Center, though inconclusive, found enough evidence to say that televised college football had an adverse effect on the stadium attendance of the games. The idea was that this problem threatened the survival of college football itself. The fear of losing out on in-game fans was enough to incentivize the NCAA and the teams within it, most of which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the standing at the time to acquire a deal with ABC, to do something significant. At the NCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual convention in 1951, which was located in Dallas that year, the delegates did just that. The vote was 161-7 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with 45 abstentions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in favor of prohibiting all live television broadcasts of college football games during the 1951 season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At its 1951 convention, the NCAA revoked its then existing policy allowing each individual institution complete control over the marketing of its athletic events, a first step toward prohibiting broadcasts into areas where another Association member was hosting a game,â&#x20AC;? John Siegfried and Molly Burba of Vanderbilt University wrote in their study, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The College Football Association Television Broadcast Cartel.â&#x20AC;? But shortly thereafter, the NCAA retreated because of public outcry, allowing one nationally televised game each week. Stassen and Murray, though, were still left in a precarious position. Their goal was to go directly to the networks and sell the rights to Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s games; having the NCAA dictate what they could and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t televise didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suit them. In retaliation, for several months, Penn argued against the guidelines in NCAA meetings. After

their rebuttals were to no avail, Stassen and Murray put their feet down, and on June 6, 1951, said that Penn would not comply with the rules dictating how it televise its games. On top of their refusal to comply with the NCAA, Stassen and Murray re-upped their contract with ABC for an extra $50,000 to broadcast all Penn football home games during the 1951 season and to split revenues with Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opponents. As a result, the NCAA deemed Penn a member not in good standing, which led to all of their opponents dropping out of playing against them. Despite his fierce stance on the matter, Stassen realized the gravity of the situation. If he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t succumb to the NCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demand, Penn would have no opponents and all revenue from the football program would evaporate. Stassen had until July 19 to either back out of the ABC deal or have Penn be suspended with the option of expulsion available to those voting at the next general meeting. After attempts at compromising in some way, Stassen and Murray gave in on the day of the deadline to avoid Penn losing the revenue from the football program altogether. What started as a financially motivated maneuver ended in a financially motivated backtrack. Stassen realized that he might have pushed the envelope a bit too far, but he still didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t back down in his stance as he firmly believed the NCAA to be in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NCAA television control program is regarded by the University of Pennsylvania as illegal and unwise; hence we have not participated in it, and have opposed it,â&#x20AC;? Stassen wrote in 1953. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our opposition has thus far been unsuccessful, but it is believed only a question of time before the centralized control scheme sponsored by the NCAA will be abrogated and all universities and colleges will enjoy the same rights and freedom in this respect that they do in other matters.â&#x20AC;? Eventually, in 1984, Stassen was proven correct when the University of Oklahoma challenged the NCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s television guidelines in the United States Supreme Court and won. As time went on and the main source of college football revenue came from television, the NCAA, both by legal decree and by choice, asserted less autonomy over the universities and conferences. Today, the broadcast rights to Penn football belong to ESPN, with the Ivy League signing a 10year deal with the network and streaming platform in 2018. Furthermore, the price of TV rights for college football have skyrocketed, with recent deals being agreed upon for upwards of $400 million a year for high-end bowl games. While Stassen might have been reckless in his attempt, his challenge of the NCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s television authority laid the groundwork for the college football landscape that exists today.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

NIA AKINS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

named Today’s Top 10 by the NCAA

ZACH SHELDON Akins remains a track and field star in her post-Penn years, receiving the NCAA’s Today’s Top 10 Award.

SPORTS | Akins is the first Quaker to earn the prestigious distinction Joyce Davis Sports Associate

Even after graduating in 2020, Penn alumna and track star Nia Akins still finds success and fame in the track and field world. On Jan. 6, 2021, Akins was announced as one of 10 recipients of the NCAA's prestigious Today's Top 10 Award. The Today's Top 10 Award acknowledges graduated athletes for their achievements on and off the field. This distinction has grown immensely over the years, going from Today's Top V in 1973 to Today's Top 10 in 2013. The honorees are chosen by the NCAA Honors Committee, made up of representatives of NCAA member schools, conferences, and prominent citizens, including past awardees.

indoor collegiate history. She was given Penn's 2020 Association of Alumnae Fathers' Trophy for her athletic, academic, and leadership achievements and earned second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2020. While Akins was a track star on the field, she was also a scholar off of it. Akins graduated cum laude from the School of Nursing in 2020 and was a four-time recipient of USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. Akins was a member of the Sphinx Senior Society, Penn's oldest honor society, and served three years as a peer advisor for Student Nurses at Penn. In addition, Akins was a two-year member of Young Quakers Community Athletics, in which her primary role was to mentor students in the West Philadelphia community. Currently, she is continuing her track journey as a professional runner with the Brooks Beasts training group.

“There is a lot of pride in being a student-athlete at Penn, because we know we are a member of one of the best academic institutions as well as an NCAA Division I athlete.” - Nia Akins As the first Quaker and 12th Ivy League athlete to receive the Today's Top 10 Award, Akins is no stranger to receiving such recognition. A two-year captain of the team, Akins was a runner-up in the 800-meter run at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in 2019. She was also a finalist for the 2020 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Women's Track Athlete of the Year. Additionally, she was recognized as the 2020 USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season. Akins has not only made a name for herself in the track and field world — but her talent has also won accolades for Penn. Akins will go down in Penn's history with her two conference records, eight school records, and participation in three consecutive Ivy League Heptagonal Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships. In February, Akins ran 2:00.71, the secondfastest time in the 800 meters in women's

Despite the numerous track awards Akins has won in her four years at Penn, she was still humbled to be one of 10 recipients for the Top 10 Award. "There is a lot of pride in being a studentathlete at Penn, because we know we are a member of one of the best academic institutions as well as an NCAA Division I athlete," Akins said. "It is always nice to be acknowledged for my hard work, but to receive this NCAA Today's Top 10 Award and represent this class of amazing student-athletes speaks more to the potential of this group at large and what an environment full of opportunities can do for you if you choose to take them." As Akins has left her mark on Franklin Field, she also hopes to leave her mark outside of Penn. Getting involved with her community is one way Akins has taken what she's learned from her experience as a Quaker and applied it to help others. Although Akins is moving on to greater things, neither she nor Penn will ever forget her contributions to the Red and Blue.

SPORTS 11

Iuliia Bryzgalova brings professional tennis experience to the Quakers SPORTS | Bryzgalova is ranked No. 14 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Joyce Davis Sports Associate

After competing professionally across Europe for multiple years, junior Iuliia Bryzgalova decided to further her studies at Penn and has been dominating the women’s collegiate tennis world, currently sitting at No. 14 in Division I singles play. While tennis might be a socially distant sport, its players have still been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately for Bryzgalova, she has had more time to recover from an injury and has spent much of her time over the past year focusing on physical therapy and working on her fitness. Although she was able to stay on campus for the fall semester, Bryzgalova has only recently been able to start playing tennis, relying sometimes on Drexel’s outdoor courts. Additionally, Penn women’s tennis has been able to stay in touch, both personally and through team meetings with the coach. Nothing beats being on the court with her team, however, so Bryzgalova is looking forward to practices that are scheduled to start on Feb. 1. “I really enjoy [practicing] at Penn. It distracts me from studying,” Bryzgalova said. “When you get super into studying, you really need something, and tennis was that something for me, and probably always will be. I actually enjoy every single practice and every single minute we’re spending with the team.” One reason Bryzgalova likes practicing with the Red and Blue is because of the team spirit that is felt among all members. Before coming to Penn, she spent much of her time practicing and competing across Europe, having only two months a year back home in Russia. Because of this, she wasn’t able to experience much of a connection with other tennis players. “We didn’t really have a community, so in [professional] tennis, it’s mostly like you’re playing for yourself. Your team is basically your parents, your coaches, and that’s it,” Bryzgalova said. Although her primary focus earlier in her career was singles play, Bryzgalova currently competes in both singles and doubles for Penn. The focus placed on doubles since arriving on campus has been a big change for her. She has gone from being a doubles skeptic to liking it just as much as singles — some days even more. “I never did it before I came to college,” Bryzgalova said. “Doubles was always kind of a joke. I would do it just for warm-up, but ever since I got to college it became a more serious thing because a lot depends on [doubles] point[s].”

Beyond her practices becoming more focused on doubles strategy, Bryzgalova’s experience with her coaches has changed greatly over the years. Instead of emphasizing technique, Penn women’s tennis head coach Sanela Kunovac puts much more focus on the mental side of tennis. This means that not only does the team work more on strategy, but Bryzgalova also receives the emotional support that she needs to succeed. “[Having a coach in college is] something like in the middle of a parent and a coach — your life guru. I’ve always been super close to my coach and she’s super helpful and always listens to us,” Bryzgalova said. “Ever since I got to college, you’re not playing for yourself anymore, you’re playing for the team, and that’s an amazing feeling. I really love it. So you feel like you’re not alone, and there are so many more people who support you and genuinely want you to win. So that’s different, and I love it much more.” It’s this combination of support from her coaches and teammates that motivates Bryzgalova to go out and compete whenever she gets the chance. While she is remaining skeptical and avoiding false hope, she is looking forward to getting back out on the courts with her teammates as soon as possible. Bryzgalova likely won’t be playing professional tennis once she leaves Penn, so if you want to see her favorite forehand (or backhand, depending on the day) in action, you better make sure to make it to Penn’s tennis courts over the next two seasons.

SAMANTHA TURNER The COVID -19 pandemic h a s allowe d Br yz galova time to recover from an injur y.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 2

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FOUNDED 1885

TWO DECADES

of Professor Rimmer’s devotion to Penn basketball CHASE SUTTON Since his time as a graduate student at Penn, Professor Nakia Rimmer has been an avid supporter of Penn’s men’s basketball team. From the 90s to the present, Rimmer has seen it all.

SPORTS | Games are now a family affair for Rimmer Joey Piatt Sports Associate

When Penn students take their spot in the student section before a basketball game at the Palestra, they often face a sea of fans lining the famed Cathedral of College Basketball. There’s one fan, however, that may be more familiar to students than others. Professor Nakia Rimmer is the associate director of Undergraduate Mathematics and a senior lecturer at Penn, where he teaches a variety of classes. Among those courses are MATH 103 and MATH 104, required classes for a majority of Penn students. Since he came to Penn in 2006, Rimmer has developed a strong reputation within the Penn community. Rimmer is among the Math Department’s most beloved professors, and also runs a successful online math instruction platform, CalcCoach.com. Yet, one of his largest claims to fame has nothing to do with differential equations or derivatives. Outside the classroom, Rimmer is one of Penn men’s basketball’s biggest fans and supporters. Understanding how Rimmer came to be

a Quakers superfan requires traveling to a time where he played the part of student — not professor. “For me, it started when I was in grad school at Penn in the late ‘90s,” Rimmer said. “Back then, the battles between [Penn and Princeton] were epic, and that fueled it for me. Being a grad student in the stands [and] seeing that place packed is just something that always stuck with me. I loved it.” The era Rimmer cited was one of the best in Quakers’ history. Penn and Princeton dominated the Ivy hardwood, and Penn had two of its program’s best players: Michael Jordan and Ugonna Onyekwe. Though he’s no longer in the student section cheering on a seemingly unbeatable Quakers team, Rimmer still has made a place for Penn basketball in his life. “[Now] it’s something to do with my kids — a family outing,” Rimmer said. “Before they were even four or five years old, my kids had been on every Ivy League campus [because of] basketball.” Though his natural fandom plays a large part in his continued support of Penn’s athletic programs, Rimmer’s position as a faculty member has introduced a new motivation for showing up to cheer on the Red and Blue. “[Being a fan] goes across all sports; I

love having [student-athletes] in class,” Rimmer said. “I just admire them … They play for the love of the sport, and it’s tough in the Ivy League being a student-athlete.” Rimmer’s appreciation of the discipline and sacrifice demonstrated by Penn’s student-athletes has led him to find ways to help make the “student” part of the equation easier. “I extend myself to them [and] make myself available to them on their schedule,” Rimmer said. “I offer office hours at times that are convenient to them, and I’ll pop in a study hall to say, ‘Shoot some questions my way, I’m here.’ And that goes for all sports.” Rimmer’s constant presence on the sidelines, as well as his willingness to accommodate the needs of student-athletes at a moment’s notice, has contributed to his revered reputation on campus. It’s clear when talking to Rimmer that his passion for Penn runs deep, with a rich history beginning when he was just a graduate student over 20 years ago. It was almost a requirement to ask Rimmer what moments have stuck out in his more than two decades as a fan of the team. Though he’s watched countless teams, matchups, and players take the floor at the Palestra, Rimmer’s answer came without

hesitation. “It had to be beating Villanova most recently,” Rimmer said. “Storming the court with my students … I broke my glasses. I mean we hadn’t beaten them in so long. It was blowout after blowout for so many years, [and] they were defending national champions, so it was perfect.” The night of Penn’s upset over Villanova could have been enough to top Rimmer’s list by itself. However, when you’re a fan as dedicated as he is, there’s always more to the story. “[Beating Villanova] took us on the ride to going to the [NCAA] Tournament, and winning the Ivy,” Rimmer said. “I was able to go to Wichita for the first round when we played Kansas. It was just an amazing ride, 2018, that has to be number one on my list.” Like so many other things in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rimmer’s frequent trips to the Palestra are on pause following the Ivy League’s cancellation of winter sports. However, when the Quakers take the court next, Rimmer will be with the rest of the Penn faithful lining the seats of the Palestra. “I miss it, and I can’t wait for next year,” Rimmer said. “[I’m excited] to get reloaded and see the guys back on the court.”

Penn men’s soccer’s Alex Touche signs professional contract with hometown team SPORTS | Touche started 43 of his 44 matches with Penn Esther Lim Sports Associate

JOSHUA BERKOWITZ Former soccer defender Alex Touche was signed by the New Mexico United, his hometown soccer team.

One of Penn men’s soccer’s most reliable defenders will return home as both a Wharton graduate and a professional player on the roster of his hometown club. Senior Alex Touche, a New Mexico native, will make a homecoming on the pitch in Albuquerque, N.M. after signing with New Mexico United for the upcoming 2021 United Soccer League Championship season. With the cancellation of his senior season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Touche had been considering several options for the next steps of his playing career. “It kind of came down to whether I wanted to come back and play another year next fall, or if I could find a team to play for,” Touche said. But his impressive resume had already gotten the attention of New Mexico United coach and technical director Troy Lesesne, with whom Tou-

che was already familiar. “I actually knew him because I interned at the club when it was just getting started up,” Touche said. “My brother and I — we were two of six people who listened to the coach’s interview … and we’ve been in contact ever since then.” During his internship at the club with his twin brother, Charles, who plays soccer at Cornell, Touche had the opportunity to become involved with the club during its founding and early months in 2018. “Then [Lesesne] called me this fall, and we kept in touch and talking about it, and then I finally signed the contract,” Touche said. Touche had a remarkable three seasons of play during his career at Penn. With 14 clean sheets and eight goals as a defensive player, he earned All-Ivy honors in each season he played, while also being voted Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He started 43 out of 44 matches and was frequently the decisive anchor to several critical Quaker victories — which included key wins in the Ancient Eight. Touche’s effectiveness in scoring from set pieces and his offensive capabilities are evidence of SEE TOUCHE PAGE 10

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