Penn Police digitally surveilled student in vandalism investigation, search warrants reveal
Penn Saxbys to close by May ahead of Penn Dental clinical space expansion
Penn Dental plans to transform the Saxbys location at 40th and Locust streets into a sedation center with multiple operatories and recovery areas.
ISAAC POLLOCK Staff Reporter
Saxbys at 40th and Locust streets will close by May as Penn Dental Medicine ends the coffee shop’s lease to convert the space into a sedation center with operatories and recovery areas.
Penn Dental is set to transform the space within the Robert Schattner Center, leased to Saxbys since 2015, as part of an expansion driven by the 2021 opening of the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and the school’s longstanding plans to enhance sedation services, according to a Penn Dental spokesperson. This expansion will be supported by capital funding and fundraising efforts scheduled for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years.
“Leadership at the dental school notified the Saxby’s management that the current lease would not be renewed beginning in 2025,” the Penn Dental spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian, adding that the lease will expire on May 31. “The conversion of the coffee shop space is vital to the health and well-being of our patients.”
“The disabilities center treats some 8,000 patients a year with cognitive, developmental, and physical disabilities including autism, Alzheimer’s, cerebral palsy and other conditions,” the spokesperson added.
“A small number of these patients can only receive dental care under general anesthesia or sedation.”
Nick Bayer, the founder and CEO of Saxbys, wrote to the the DP that Penn Dental has undergone “significant growth,” which led to their decision to “recapture the space” to further develop the school.
A staff member at the Saxbys location at 40th and Locust streets — who requested anonymity due to concerns about retaliation — told the DP that there “hasn’t been a lot of transparency” from Saxbys management in terms of the store’s closure.
“Team members found out gradually through the grapevine and just through working at Saxbys,” they said. “Talking to my coworkers is how I found out that we’re closing in May. When I was hired and I was doing my interview process, it was never mentioned by the manager that we would be closing in a year or so.”
The employee emphasized that workers were only informed about the closure of Saxbys “from the HQ side” through an email from management on Dec. 20, 2024 about severance payments that would be provided following the location’s closure. According to the employee, these severance benefits were secured through unionization efforts that began in December 2024.
“The union efforts brought [the closure] to light and really forced [Saxbys] to be more transparent,” the employee said.
“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve the University of Pennsylvania community for the past 16 years and would like to thank all of the students, faculty, staff, and neighbors that have supported Saxbys,” Bayer wrote. “Stay tuned for announcements later this year when we plan to further expand our student-run cafe network within University City.”
“Pursuant
of the statue on Sept. 12, 2024 — which was described in the affidavit from a Penn Police detective sergeant as a “frequent target of vandalism by Pro-Palestinian protestors” — Penn Police examined CCTV footage to identify two suspects.
“Because the suspects were the only individuals present at the time of the crime, investigative personnel were able to ascertain through the [Penn Office of Information Security] any person(s) logged onto the private Wi-Fi router specific to that area,” the affidavit read.
According to Penn’s policy on Closed Circuit Television Monitoring and Recording of Public Areas for Safety and Security Purposes, the “purpose of CCTV monitoring of public areas by security personnel is to deter crime and to assist the Penn Police in protecting the safety and property of the University community.”
“Information obtained through video monitoring will be used
identify one individual logged into the router at the time of the crime by their Penn ID number, enabling them to obtain the individual’s cell phone number, name, and address.
On Sept. 24, 2024, Penn Police electronically served a search warrant to T-Mobile — the student’s cell phone carrier — requesting access to “call detail records,” location data, subscriber information, and cloud storage associated with the student’s phone number.
“[Y]our Affiant is requesting records from Sept. 1,
Penn Faculty Senate to host threepart colloquium series on future of higher education
The colloquium will invite speakers from universities and other academic institutions to discuss a variety of topics in American higher education
AIDAN SHAUGHNESSY Staff Reporter
Penn’s Faculty Senate will host a three-part colloquium series on “The Future of American Universities” this spring.
The colloquium will invite speakers from universities and other academic institutions to discuss a variety of topics in American higher education including political pressures on universities, the value of college degrees, and potential changes to the future of higher education. Events will be held on Jan. 30, Feb. 26, and April 9.
In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Faculty Senate Chair and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Eric Feldman emphasized the importance of hosting these panels, given the current social and political environment surrounding higher education.
“It is clear that higher education has been in the crossfire of various critics, going back 40 or 50 years,” Feldman said. “Some of the criticism has really accelerated in recent years.”
Feldman noted that the colloquium is a product of “long-term planning” and also said that while the colloquium was likely to address challenges emerging from 1968 Wharton graduate, former President, and President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming second term, the event was not a direct response to his election.
“This is a series that was planned before we knew who was going to win the election,” Feldman said. “These are issues that are going to stay on the table after this administration.”
The first panel, titled “Higher Education and the State: How Politics are Reshaping America’s Great Universities,” will take place at the Kleinman Center Energy Forum in Fisher Fine Arts Library on Jan. 30. The conversation will be moderated by Annenberg Public Policy Center Director and Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor
of Communication
The panel will aim to address recent state and federal action on higher education. The Faculty Senate website also states that the panel will look into “current threats to the academy that could transform the future of higher education.”
The second panel, titled “The Price of Knowledge: Is a College Degree Worth the Cost?” will take place at the Agora in Annenberg Public Policy Center on Feb. 26. The conversation will be moderated by George W. Taylor Professor of Management Peter Cappelli.
The third panel, titled “The Opening of the American Mind: Higher Education in the Future,” will take place at the Kleinman Center Energy Forum in Fisher Fine Arts Library on April 9. The conversation will be moderated by Provost John Jackson Jr.
The panel will address possible ways to “reconceptualize” the standard model of higher education amid political pressures on universities and a decreased public confidence in universities.
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Saxbys is located at 4000 Locust St.
MAKAYLA WU AND INSIA HAQUE | DESIGN EDITORS
GUNDAPPA SAHA | DP FILE PHOTO
The first and third part of the Faculty Senate’s colloquium series will take place at the Fisher Fine Arts Library.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
Penn is among six universities yet to settle an antitrust lawsuit over financial aid.
Penn one of six universities yet to settle $2 billion antitrust lawsuit
Penn remains one of six defendants that has not settled a 2022 lawsuit accusing 16 other universities of forming a “price-fxing cartel” that colluded to beneft wealthy students and demanding approximately $2 billion in damages
ISHA CHITIRALA Senior Reporter
Penn is among six universities yet to settle an antitrust lawsuit over financial aid which could expose defendants to approximately $2 billion in damages.
The ongoing 2022 case accuses Penn and 16 other universities of forming a “price-fixing cartel” that colluded to decrease financial aid
Penn’s Ofce of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion opens in efort to address trends of religious bias
The offce was established in response to trends of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other instances of religious bias and was announced by Interim Penn President Larry Jameson in September
AYANA CHARI
Staff Reporter
Penn officially opened its Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion on Dec. 17, 2024.
The office was established in response to trends of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other instances of religious bias as announced by Interim Penn President Larry Jameson in September. Housed in Room 216 of the Franklin Building, the OREI was developed with the goal of ensuring that Penn fulfills its responsibility under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in programs that receive federal financial assistance.
The office’s formation is a response to recommendations from the Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism and the reports from the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community. The task forces were formed last year in response to concerns about reactions on campus to the Israel-Hamas war.
“The OREI will focus on educating the Penn community on issues around religious and ethnic intolerance and addressing reports of religious and/or ethnic intolerance, including harassment and discrimination,” OREI Co-Director Steve Ginsburg wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The office reports to the University president’s chief of staff and works closely with the Title IX Office, the Office of Affirmative Action and
and benefit wealthy students. This information sharing, the defendants claimed, decreased the financial aid awarded to around 200,000 students over a 20-year period and overcharged them by $685 million through illegal price-fixing practices. If found in violation of antitrust laws, Penn
and the five other original defendants, the Mas
sachusetts Institute of Technology, Notre Dame University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, and the California Institute of Technology, will be responsible for approximately $2 billion in damages.
A University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that Penn “continues to see no merit in this lawsuit.”
“By pointing to manipulated ‘statistics’ and misquoting snippets of testimony void of context, the defendants have drawn false conclusions seeking to embarrass the University,” the spokesperson wrote. “The actual evidence in the case makes clear that Penn does not favor admitting students whose families have made or pledged donations to Penn, whatever the amount.”
The suit alleged that elite universities, joined together as members of the 568 Presidents Group — a group of American universities and colleges practicing need-blind admissions — exchanged “methodology” and “principles” for calculating financial aid. In the 13 years that Penn was a member of the 568 Group, its endowment increased from around $3.5 billion to $14.9 billion.
Penn left the group in 2020, citing the University’s need for more flexibility in offering financial aid awards to students. Since then, Penn’s financial aid policies have expanded. In November of 2024, Penn announced that beginning in 2025 it would no longer consider the value of the primary family home in determining financial aid eligibility, a departure from the methodology used by the 568 Group.
This is not the first time Penn has been involved in a price-fixing lawsuit. In 1991, Penn and the seven other Ivy League institutions settled a suit with the Department of Justice, which discovered the eight universities were colluding to provide financial aid offers. The Ivy League rationalized their practices by claiming that the universities would not be able to afford needbased financial aid if they had to compete with
other elite universities. MIT — the only non-Ivy League university to be named in the DOJ suit — settled the suit in 1994 and subsequently created an antitrust exemption for elite universities. The exception permitted Penn and other universities to collaborate on financial aid methodologies, provided that all students were admitted on a need-blind basis.
An additional motion filed on Dec. 16, 2024 added that Penn, along with the other universities in the suit, continued to give preferences to wealthy students while claiming to be need blind. The motion argued that this additional consideration for students based on factors such as wealth and donation history rendered the 1994 exception invalid.
Former Penn Associate Dean of Admissions Sara Harberson testified in 2023 that students with wealthy families or connections to the board were tagged with a unique label and were admitted “almost 100 percent of the time,” according to recent court filings. Harberson added that “even if the student was incredibly weak” the admissions office had no power to deny the student’s application.
The same court documents show that in 2019, the admission rate for students with this tag was 73.18% versus 7.14% for students without special interest designations. Similar disparities in admission rates occurred in the period during which Penn claimed to be need blind as a member of the 568 Group.
The Dec. 16, 2024 motion also alleged that the universities could have increased financial aid awards by 10-20% each year from unrestricted endowment funds with little to no effect on the rate of increase of their endowments.
Penn was among 40 elite universities named in a separate price-fixing lawsuit in October of 2024 that alleged that it withheld funding from students by considering the incomes of noncustodial parents when determining financial aid packages.
Equal Opportunity, the Office of the Provost, the deans, the Office of the Chaplain, the Department of Public Safety, the Division of Human Resources, and Restorative Practices at Penn.
“Given the mission of the office, and what falls under its purview related to Title VI, we expect to receive reports relating to discrimination, including harassment based on actual or perceived shared ancestry or religious identity,” Penn Associate General Counsel and Chief Investigator Deborah Frey wrote to the DP.
Any individual with a PennKey can file a report to initiate an investigation. The OREI is not authorized to sanction individuals but can make recommendations to other offices and law enforcement if necessary.
In the fall 2024 semester, Ginsburg and OREI Co-Director Majid Alsayegh met with faculty,
FactCheck.org, the award-winning political website at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is now accepting applications for its 20252026 undergraduate fellowship program. The next class of undergrads will be trained if necessary) from May 27 to July 18. Those who are trained this summer must agree to work 10 to 15 hours per week at FactCheck.org during the fall and spring semesters, if their work merits continued employment.
The fellows at FactCheck.org help our staff monitor the factual accuracy of claims news releases. They also monitor viral claims and rumors that spread through email and social media. They help conduct research on such claims and contribute to articles for publication on our website under the supervision of FactCheck.org staff. The fellows must have an ability to write clearly and concisely, an understanding of journalistic practices and ethics, and an interest in politics and public policy. The fellows also must be able to think independently and set aside any partisan biases.
If you are interested, please submit your resume and two writing samples by the February 11 deadline to FactCheck.org. Deputy Managing Editor Rob Farley at rob.farley@factcheck.org. Please direct any questions about the program or application process to the same address.
student, and staff representatives, including students in the SNF Paideia Program, the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian advisory group, and the Jewish student advisory group to discuss challenges the student groups have faced and discuss potential future initiatives with students.
“The OREI will enable members of the Penn community to request a consultation or investigation of potential allegations that fall under OREI’s purview,” Frey wrote. This introduction of investigation is an expansion of past channels Penn offered for reporting allegations of religious or ethnic bias and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation through avenues such as the Penn Diversity Reporting Form and other University resources.
To mediate, OREI will build upon existing tactics used by Restorative Practices @ Penn by
partnering with the RP@P program. RP@P uses a facilitated approach to promote healing, accountability, and community building when the circumstance calls for it. OREI will also employ restorative practice principles to deescalate and address instances of discrimination as a suitable alternative to the formal investigation process.
“Whenever appropriate and when parties are amenable, the OREI will endeavor to resolve disputes within the purview of the [restorative practices] mediation process,” Alsayegh wrote to the DP.
OREI is also developing educational speaker events and trainings alongside the key members of campus to roll out in the spring. As the office expands this semester, it plans to hire a program and case manager to supervise programming, investigations, and office administration.
MARIJA WESTFALL | DP FILE PHOTO
CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
The new Office of Religious and Ethnic Inclusion is located in the Franklin Building.
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Penn leads Ivy League in early decision applications after extending testoptional policy
This year, Penn was one of four Ivy League schools to continue its test-optional policy and led the Ivy League with the highest number of reported applications thus far
KATE AHN Staff Reporter
Penn received over 9,500 early decision applications this year, a record number that college admissions experts link to the extension of Penn’s test-optional policy.
Penn’s increase in applications marks the highest number of reported applications within the Ivy League thus far. This year, Penn was one of four Ivy League schools to continue its test-optional policy, despite all of the remaining four reinstating their standardized testing requirements for future years.
The test-optional policy was first launched during the 2020-21 admissions cycle due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, all eight Ivy League schools waived the testing requirement. This year, Harvard University, Brown University, and Dartmouth College requested SAT or ACT scores, while Yale opted for a “test-flexible” policy that expanded the types of accepted tests to include subject-based Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests.
Managing partner of college counseling service Ivy Coach Brian Taylor associates the continuation of Penn’s test-optional policy with the University’s increase in applications.
“Penn still doesn’t mandate testing, so they’re seeing the advantage of maintaining this test-optional policy,” Taylor said.
President and chief educational consultant of One-Step College Counseling Laurie Kopp Weingarten similarly related a decreased number of applications with the revival of testing requirements.
“Because Brown required test scores, their applications decreased,” Weingarten said. “Yale required test scores, their applications decreased.”
Yale University trailed Penn with 6,729 applications to the school’s restrictive early action application cycle. Columbia University came next with 5,872 applications, followed by Brown with 5,048. Dartmouth came in last of the Ivy League universities with 3,550 applications.
For many universities, the early decision cycle was also influenced by campus activism in response the Israel-Hamas War.
“There was quite a bit of activism on campuses last year, and some schools handled the situation better than others,” Weingarten said. She suggested that the steady number of applications for schools like Dartmouth — despite having reinstated its standardized testing requirements — could be attributed to its response to on-campus activism being “arguably the best of the Ivies.”
Penn’s response to on-campus activism caused Taylor to project that the University would experience a drop in applications.
“[We] predicted that applications would be down at schools like Penn, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Cornell,
Walk on Nov. 3, 2024.
and first and foremost, Columbia,” Taylor said. “We thought they would scare away Jewish students because when they allowed these encampments to happen in Columbia, it became very scary for Jewish students.”
Columbia, which implemented a permanent testoptional policy for applicants to the College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, reported a 2.28% decrease in applications from the year prior.
Most Ivy League schools have refrained from sharing detailed admissions statistics for this year.
In an announcement, Penn Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule simply mentioned that the University received “over 9,500 applications” and a “record number of Questbridge Match scholars.”
VAZHAEPARAMBIL | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amy Wax on April 17, 2023.
Penn Carey Law professor Amy Wax threatens to sue University on basis of racial discrimination
Wax’s lawyers argued that Penn’s policies are “inconsistent” and violate Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibit discrimination and employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin
ANJALI KUMAR Staff Reporter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amy Wax threatened to sue the University on the basis of racial discrimination and breach of contract if it refuses to drop sanctions against her.
In a letter to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and the University Board of Trustees, Wax’s lawyers argued that the University’s speech policies are “inconsistent” and violate Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. These titles prohibit discrimination and employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. The lawyers also cited a federal code prohibiting racial discrimination. Furthermore, they claimed that the policies breach Pennsylvania contract law, noting that Wax’s contract with the University includes provisions safeguarding free speech.
A request for comment was left with Wax and her lawyers. A University spokesperson declined a request for comment.
Wax’s lawyers also claimed that the University punished her more strictly than other faculty members who have faced scrutiny for their controversial views and actions. They cited Annenberg School for Communication lecturer and cartoonist Dwayne Booth’s cartoon that depicted the antisemitic trope of blood libel. The letter also referenced Penn Arabic Language lecturer Ahmad Almallah’s statements about Israel at a pro-Palestinian rally, as well as English and Cinema and Media Studies professor Julia Alekseyeva’s comments on the murder
of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“These are but three examples of the University’s highly selective enforcement of its speech policies, as well as the moral rot that the University’s Administration and Trustees have permitted to fester,” Wax’s lawyers wrote.
The sanctions against Wax — which were upheld by Penn in September — included a one-year suspension at half pay, the removal of her named chair, and a requirement for Wax to note in public appearances that she is not speaking on behalf or as a member of Penn Carey Law. The sanctions also marked the first time in recent history that a tenured University professor has been sanctioned through Faculty Senate procedures.
In the past, Wax claimed that Black students never graduate at the top of the Penn Carey Law class and allegedly told a Black student that she was only accepted into the Ivy League “because of affirmative action.”
In response, former Penn Carey Law Dean Ted Ruger barred her from teaching any mandatory first-year classes.
Wax also faced criticism for publicly stating that she thinks “the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration” and for inviting white nationalist Jared Taylor as a guest speaker in her classes.
The Philadelphia City Council called on the University to investigate Wax in January 2022. A hearing board created by the Faculty Senate eventually recommended major sanctions for Wax, which former Penn President Liz Magill later approved.
The lack of detail regarding Penn’s early decision results reflects a general decrease in information about admissions.
In 2022, Penn Admissions declined to share the acceptance rate for the Class of 2026. Penn Admissions later stopped sharing data on legacy admits in 2023.
Like Penn, Columbia and Dartmouth have only shared selective statistics, such as the number of applications, while Harvard, Princeton University and Cornell have refrained from sharing any information.
Dartmouth justified the school’s limited public admission statistics as a measure to “de-emphasize the stress of Ivy League selectivity.” Taylor criticized this stance, highlighting instead the lack of transparency from many Ivy League schools.
“They tend to cherry pick data,” Taylor said. “They’ll share lots of data in a year when applications surge, and oftentimes in years when applications dip, they’re going to not release data. The real reason is they’re protecting their bottom line.”
Weingarten similarly urged open communication from schools regarding admissions, specifically during the early decision cycle.
“I think colleges should be much more transparent,” Weingarten said. “The admission process is so unbelievably stressful, and I think sometimes admission officers forget that withholding the early decision acceptance rate only adds to the uncertainty for the students and for their parents. We already know how selective these schools are. Hiding the numbers doesn’t change that.”
ANNA
JAN MEJIA-TORO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Locust
Piper: Glad to be back on campus, Tiyya! I remember the last week of classes like it was yesterday.
Tiyya: Same here, Piper! Speaking of last semester, I can’t forget the frenzy around the murder charges against 2020 Engineering graduate Luigi Mangione.
Piper: Right? Even though I left campus, the buzz around his case followed me through news outlets, social media, and even to Christmas dinner.
Tiyya: What I find most interesting is the subject of discourse over the media. As polarizing as Mangione is, the majority of the conversation seemed to revolve around his appearance instead of the crime.
Piper: You’re right. Even before the public knew the identity of the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin, people flooded social media, calling the masked suspect “hot.” Mangione’s looks have been a driving factor in the fascination with his case. When his identity was revealed — young, attractive, wealthy, private school valedictorian — the public’s obsession only grew. Photos of Mangione ranging from business occasions to shirtless hiking shots multiplied on social media, with many soon bestowing him the title of “hot assassin.” Users took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing, “If the guy is fit, you must acquit,” and “He’s even hotter with his mask and shirt off.” I’m not denying Mangione’s good looks, but I was surprised to see the overwhelming focus on an alleged murderer’s shirtless photos.
Tiyya: Perhaps this phenomenon isn’t that surprising. America does love a criminal with a nice face, which is prevailing evidence of the halo effect. This is another form of stereotype bias: When people are more attractive, we tend to put a “halo” around them and their actions, making it easier for them to get hired, make friends, or even be forgiven for violent crimes.
Ted Bundy, an infamous serial killer with 30 confirmed murders, has a fan following devoted to his charisma and good looks. With TikTok and Netflix documentaries paving the way for an amplified halo effect around Bundy, it’s not so surprising that Mangione’s fan following escalated beyond Sidechat posts and into the broader public sphere.
Piper: Exactly, Tiyya. Mangione’s groupies are merely following the same path that history has paved. Of course, handsome criminals most likely had admirers, but when did it become acceptable to voice that? I believe part of the answer lies in modern media’s sensationalization of crime. In the era of glittering documentaries, TikTok edits, and true-crime podcasts, people have turned into sleuths and admirers from their couches. Both Bundy and the Menendez brothers are subjects of Netflix’s recent high-budget documentaries starring attractive and famous actors. Many fell in love with Netflix’s picture of the infamous brothers gallivanting around shirtless
One study would have us believe we are the most depressed university. Ask a Penn student, “How are you?” and expect internship or boyfriend drama at best, existential dread at worst. That pain among us needs no enforcement given the mental health crisis and our tragic campus suicides. What I find unclear, despite the universality of pain, is why we conceptualize it exclusively in negative terms. What does it take to live a life that does not aim at all costs to minimize and suppress pain? What if instead of anesthetizing, we named pain and, dare I say it, cherished it? I know; let me get there. I am not blind to the unpleasantness of suffering, but I am not blind to its inevitability either. I am horribly touched by deaths of despair, but — borrowing from philosopher Byung-Chul Han — I had the coruscating realization that most of us assume that pain is inherently bad. I am here to respectfully question pain’s demonization.
For instance, why do we assume pain is a weakness? Well, because pain is incompatible with our performance culture. Suffering requires a passivity that is not welcome in the active and social Penn environment where achievement is prioritized. Pain is an enemy to be ejected by medically removing it (pills are a panacea) or, much more frequently, to hide behind a mask (the beloved “Penn Face”).
Our resistance to pain also coincides with the pursuit of likability. We engage in a self-curation process both online (let’s connect on LinkedIn!) and in person (making sure I introduce myself by my major and hometown). Rough edges ruin your impeccable image. Just smooth out everything until it all becomes agreeable and Instagrammable. Nothing is meant to cause pain.
The result? An intolerable reality that pain is a normal condition and may not go away immediately is not merely unimaginable; it is a scandal. Penn turned analgesic. Perhaps American culture more broadly
Attractive, guilty,
Society’s obsession with “hot criminals” reveals how
Joint Column |
and toned. It was a compelling image for sure.
Tiyya: Mangione already has a multi-part documentary on Hulu. Producers know their audience, and they know what it takes to sell. They’ve witnessed the glamorization and fetishization of Mangione, and the media understands its correlation to profit.
Piper: Of course, and these consumers aren’t just in love with the actors, but with the actual criminals they’re portraying. Viral TikTok edits showed transitions between clips from the Menendez brothers’ Netflix documentary to clips of the actual brothers in their criminal trial. There’s an entire genre and aesthetic dedicated to romance with the incarcerated. Britney Spears said it herself: “Mama, I’m in love with a criminal.” Pinterest has boards dedicated to the “mob wife aesthetic,” where women dress up in fur coats and paint on bruises. How chic. Recognizing when criminals are attractive isn’t the problem, but when an entire comment section, X poll, or Reddit thread is idolizing them, it sets a standard that a sense of mercy can be granted to these criminals based on their looks.
Tiyya: But does the public’s perception of a criminal really matter? We have the rule of law and the courts decide the final verdict, but despite what the jury in the courts decides, the jury of his peers may have a verdict that speaks more to society as a whole than the legal ramifications of his crime. It is important to distinguish Mangione’s unique position as a Robin Hood-like figure from his deliberate and planned crime, complete with bullet casings engraved with “delay,” “deny,” and “depose,” which symbolized a grievance against the corruption of insurance companies. Mangione’s “halo” is reinforced by the savior role he embodies for many Americans impacted by the health system. For the most part, his crime was condemned but his motivations were not, and this leaves a loophole for other criminals to escape public condemnation of other serious crimes.
Piper: Exactly, the public’s perception of a criminal absolutely matters. Look at the viral case of Karen Read that exploded all over social media and translated into nationwide protest. Her proceedings resulted in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury, which is seen to be the result of the non-sequestered jury’s access to the outside world and media surrounding the case. The public saw Read as innocent, which influenced the trial itself. To examine just why public opinion is powerful, we must look at the commonality between the accused. Bundy, the Menendez brothers, and most recently, Mangione, are all attractive, wealthy, and white. Public fascination with high-profile defendants stems from disbelief: How could such attractive and wealthy individuals commit such atrocities? How could Mangione, the brilliant Gilman School valedictorian and Ivy League graduate, plan and carry out a murder? This narrative essentially
wraps individuals that fit America’s image of privilege in a protective bubble that makes holding them accountable more difficult. This bias not only affects public opinion but also perpetuates systemic inequalities. The same grace is rarely granted to those from marginalized backgrounds.
Tiyya: Agreed, Piper. It’s not like Mangione is the first criminal whose privileged identity allows for grand displays of baseless forgiveness. Bonnie and Clyde’s 1930s crime spree, which included multiple murders, are often somehow justified under the realm of them being a good-looking couple.
The Menendez brothers, victims of a serious crime and years of abuse, have their stories glossed over in favor of their “bad boy” image. This leads us to miss the point. Mangione, while having taken the extreme route, was attempting to make a statement about our failing healthcare system. When the public’s knee-jerk reaction is to make choppy edits to the tune of Britney Spears’ “Criminal,” we are playing into the American tendency to look past problems to uphold an aesthetic. Yes, our criminal justice system is broken. Yes, our healthcare system is broken. But does our moral compass need to be blinded by the American need to be attractive, even in moments of violence?
Piper: The fixation on appearance hides the real issues at play. Mangione’s alleged actions, as extreme as they may have been, should evoke conversation dedicated to improving our clearly broken healthcare system. Yet, the narrative is diluted by fascination with his looks and persona. It’s easier for people to romanticize crime rather than spend time examining the truth behind how privilege and inequality further provoke violence. Systemic reform becomes an afterthought rather than the focus.
Tiyya: You’re right. And not only does this innate sense of forgiveness of the privileged and attractive apply to criminals, but it also extends to campus culture. Mangione did go here, after all. With a school whose priorities tend to be a hyperfixation on the potential LinkedIn post that a round of volunteering could bring, it’s no surprise that we jumped on the chance to gloss over the motive and action of Mangione’s crime and instead claim a twisted sense of pride over his newfound fame. As his message remains unheard or purposely ignored at his alma mater, I wonder if this moment is a true reflection of Penn students’ values underneath the flashy surface.
Piper: The public’s fixation on Mangione’s looks demonstrates a clear need for societal change. We must start prioritizing substance over appearance. We must hold everyone accountable for the crimes they commit. As Penn students, we have a unique responsibility to use our education and platform to challenge norms associated with privilege and power. Rather than perpetuating a culture that values image over accountability, we must strive for integrity.
Tiyya: Right, Piper. After all, for every outlaw there is a victim, and as much as we romanticize these crimes, real people suffer the consequences.
TIYYA GEIGER is a College first year studying political science from Lancaster, Pa. Her email address is tiyyag@sas.upenn.edu.
PIPER SLINKA-PETKA is a College first year studying health and societies from West Virginia. Her email address is pipersp@sas.upenn.edu.
would have me believe that if pain exists, it must be attributable to a clear cause — or even better, a scapegoat — in order to be neutralized.
We should not be surprised that pain consequently becomes inexpressible. If we do not give our pain a language, we cannot give it a space to rightfully exist, let alone to heal.
So what are we forgetting? Han tells us that “what has been forgotten is that pain purifies. It has a cathartic effect.” Inherent in happiness is a certain negativity that is precisely pain, halting happiness from becoming such but providing it with endurance. Art, for instance, is often the inevitable product of a tortured mind. What the singer in your Spotify Wrapped, the painter of your spring break trip to a museum, and the writer of your five-star Goodreads book all have in common is that their creativity most likely spurred from the pain they could not get rid of.
Additionally, as physicist Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker reminds us, it is only through pain that we know all the things that are ours, that our foot, our hand, our legs are ours we only learn through pain. Sure. Except none of us would tell this to a suffering friend. All these beautiful words seem insufficient as to the matter of, well, what do we do with this?
What we lack, in my minuscule view, is not a bigger counseling center (although mental health infrastructure is surely needed); what we lack are solid networks of meaning and dialogue to talk about our pain, capture it, and eventually bear it. We will inevitably be desperate until we candidly challenge the underlying assumption that pain equals evil. For instance, I suspect it is not a coincidence we are simultaneously the “depressed Ivy” and the “social Ivy.” Having the best parties is fun (I know that much), but it is a constant manifestation of
ephemeral exuberant happiness. We party to celebrate and to forget. That is part of the college experience but not part of the more complex human experience. What uplifts us from despair is not seeing other people’s joy and dance moves, but realizing that our problems, our shame, our regret, our despair, our loneliness, our self-hatred, and in other words, our pain, are not a curse like we anxiously suspect. Rather, they exist and reside in the rest of campus, in all of us. Put simply, it is only your suffering that can validate mine. Up close, no one is fully normal or happy. We are all fighting our battles. We just need to realize and normalize it. If there is one lesson that struggling with grief and suicidal ideations taught me, it is that healing is not the moment when my pain vanishes. My pain will never truly go away. There just comes a day when we acquire the resources and emotional tools to build a life around the concrete walls that pain restrains us to. After all, I am not the first to say mental health is not about
feeling good; it is about having feelings that make sense in the context and handling those feelings well.
It is not my intention to portray pain with saccharine reductionism. This topic is too complex to be within my abilities. Yet just because my power is limited does not mean it is nonexistent. The same is true for you. To accept pain means not to reject its impactful intensity. However, to reject pain means to be incapable of living. Pain is inevitable for an authentic existence. All I ask is that you keep this in mind in your daily life next time someone asks you — or you ask — the most perilous unanswerable question of all time: How are you?
SALAMONE is a Wharton junior studying decision processes from Palermo,
His email address is frasala@wharton.upenn.edu.
INSIA HAQUE | DESIGN EDITOR
Columnists Tiyya Geiger and Piper Slinka-Petka discuss how privilege and media sensationalism erode accountability.
ANA GLASSMAN | DP FILE PHOTO
Columnist Francesco Salamone discusses depression at Penn.
FRANCESCO
Italy.
International law: All talk, no action
M’s Manifesto | Is sovereignty really more important than human rights?
The Venezuelan crisis has revealed the considerable gap between international law, legitimacy, and sovereignty. As Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president, is sworn in for his third term after many obviously rigged elections, the lack of a solid framework for international law has become evident. Maduro’s regime has not only been actively violating human rights by persecuting political opposition and limiting access to health care, but he has also violated all democratic principles.
The international community has taken little to no action to stop Maduro from taking possession of his office yet again. While 1968 Wharton graduate and President-elect Donald Trump and other Latin American politicians have expressed their support to the rightful winner of the presidency, Edmundo González Urrutia, the encouraging messages or plans to travel to Venezuela in support of González mean nothing in the face of this crisis. All their talk has amounted to no action.
In these types of cases, one would hope that international law serves its purpose. There are well-known cases when the United Nations Security Council has authorized the use of force to help liberate countries from these kinds of crises. For instance, in 1990, the U.N. authorized a military coalition to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi forces. However, for years, Venezuela has been ignored by these same international organizations, mainly under the argument of sovereignty. However, I have to wonder: How much more important is fake sovereignty over human rights and democracy? How effective is the human rights framework so far established? It seems not really.
Autocratic regimes are becoming more and more common, filling a void left by a retreating United States and an unresponsive international community. For example, China’s power has become increasingly relevant in the international scene. The country has not only reached high levels of development, but it has also seen
an increase in economic growth and power.
However, the Chinese government is characterized, similarly to Venezuela, by the crushing of political opponents and the neglect for human rights. The existence of these regimes is proof of the failure of countries around the world to protect the innocent.
Intervention in Venezuela is mandatory. Maduro is not the rightful president of Venezuela, and he is already claiming the need for a new constitutional reform. This reform will only enhance his own power, establishing laws that will continue to violate human rights. While military intervention is perhaps not the most desirable option, it seems to have become the only option as U.S.-imposed sanctions have done nothing to improve the situation, and international organizations remain unresponsive.
The silence in a highly globalized world is inadmissible. The failure of international law affects not only the innocent but also trade and other sociopolitical phenomena, like massive
We (yes, you and I) teach men to sufer in silence
Allison’s Attitude| The quiet crisis: How the fear of vulnerability is killing men
Society is comfortable making many generalizations about men. They are less likely to enroll in college than their female counterparts. They are experiencing higher levels of depression and loneliness than ever before. They are becoming more aligned with the political far right. The list goes on.
Yet, what I’ve observed more than these sweeping statistics is a deeper shift in men’s ability to experience community and express themselves. This shift is largely driven by the unique convergence of longstanding gender norms and the dynamics of a world increasingly reliant on social media for connection.
In one study, nearly half of young men found their online lives more engaging than their real world experiences. Furthermore, 45% of the youngest men express trust in online figures known for promoting anger, racism, misogyny, and anti-democratic sentiments, with more placing their trust in Andrew Tate than in President Joe Biden.
Although these trends raise critical concerns about the stability of our democracy and the wellbeing of young men, there’s still something more important and urgent lying beneath the surface.
Beyond concerns about extremist ideology, social media negatively affects both men and women in similar ways: amplifying insecurities and heightening our need for external validation. Last semester, I took a course on social media and the self, driven by my interest in these issues. One glaring absence in our class materials was literature written by men, specifically about how body image and beauty standards (such as gym culture, for example) could affect them. My professor explained that it wasn’t because the male perspective wasn’t important, but simply because the voice doesn’t exist. For this literature to be written, a male author would need to be vulnerable enough to discuss how it affects them, and many others would need to share their stories to create any broad conclusions.
This omission speaks directly to the root of many of the sociological trends we observe today. Men are afraid to be vulnerable — and it’s hurting everyone.
In an interview, a fellow male student, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, shared insights into how men perceive vulnerability. A Wharton senior and fraternity member, he candidly described the challenges of opening up with male peers.
“It’s not that I don’t have people I can talk to,” he explained. “It’s that admitting you need help feels like admitting defeat.”
He elaborated further: “Honestly, I’d rather go to a girl about any problem related to mental health. Guys just don’t really talk about that stuff.” When asked why, he attributed it to societal norms: “It’s just not normalized. Vulnerability is seen as feminine.”
During our conversation, he also admitted there had been a time during his undergraduate career when he should have sought help — whether from friends or a professional — but refrained. The stigma surrounding vulnerability
among men, he suggested, played a role in his decision to stay silent.
His feelings are also reflected in survey responses: 40% of men in one United Kingdom study suggested they’ve never spoken to anyone about their mental health for the following reasons:
“I’ve learnt to deal with it” (40%)
“I don’t wish to be a burden to anyone” (36%)
“I’m too embarrassed” (29%)
“There’s negative stigma around this type of thing” (20%)
“I don’t want to admit I need support” (17%)
“I don’t want to appear weak” (16%)
“I have no-one to talk to” (14%)
Please note that no one said it’s because they don’t want to talk about it; rather, there are deeper reasons preventing them from doing so.
We also discussed the recent studies highlighting concerning trends among men: lower academic performance, fewer professional opportunities, and declining social success. When I asked him if he thought vulnerability — or the lack thereof — was at the root of these issues, he offered a nuanced perspective.
He said society teaches boys that being a “good man” means being tall, rich, successful, masculine, and handsome. Yet, these expectations often shift overnight, leaving young men confused and disoriented. For example, in high school, athletic success is often rewarded — by peers, teachers, and even parents — over academic achievement.
“Trying hard in school is seen as lame,” he said, “and it’s seen as way cooler to be good at sports. That’s what gets rewarded.”
Then, he explained, the dynamic shifts again during college: Academic effort is taken somewhat more seriously, but partying, fraternity life, and drinking often take precedence. But by the time men graduate, the world abruptly changes its expectations. They’re scolded for not trying harder in school, criticized for not securing a high-paying job, and pressured to earn enough money to support themselves, a partner, and a future family.
When I asked what he thought it meant to be a good man, his answer was striking. He didn’t list a single quality from the societal script he had just described. Instead, he said the most important thing was the ability to take care of yourself and those in your circle. I found this powerful because it highlighted a glaring contradiction: What are we teaching men and boys when we reward behaviors we later scold? How can we expect emotional availability and maturity when we create a culture that punishes vulnerability at every stage?
It’s a paradox that extends beyond men. Women, too, reinforce these norms. I’ve seen women admonish men for being emotionally unavailable, labeling them cold or distant. Yet, in the same breath, I’ve seen women mock men for crying or expressing emotions, calling them “gay” for doing exactly what society claims it wants from them. It’s extreme cognitive dissonance, and this contradiction creates a deep confusion about how men should navigate
migrations. It shouldn’t matter if it is a country in the south or if it’s a large or small country, the international community should show its support in an effective manner. As students, we are the generation that will inherit these turmoils, and it is crucial to be aware of how the current international system is failing in order to generate change. It’s time to change the system. As the Venezuelan crisis unfolds and worsens for millions of people, it is worth questioning: How long until the international community puts a stop to dictator Maduro? And truly, how legitimate can sovereignty be when a government violates human rights and democracy so openly?
MARIANA MARTINEZ is a College sophomore from Bogotá, Colombia. Her email is marmari@sas.upenn.edu.
their emotions, leading many to suppress them altogether to avoid judgment. Ironically, this reinforces the very stereotypes that harm them. I have been speaking of mental health very broadly in the sense of men finding community and understanding their place within a world where the very foundation of gender norms is constantly being questioned. But I also want to speak of it viscerally, as men are dying because of this. Most of the people I know who have died by suicide were men. In high school, I lost a childhood friend who was only in the eighth grade to suicide. He was an amazing friend. He was kind, a fantastic soccer player, artistic, and a good student. It’s not uncommon that those who are struggling don’t disclose their pain. But it’s a different experience to personally experience that. I had no idea he was struggling, and I still feel the guilt of not being there for him.
My friends and I tried to memorialize him with a plaque on his school locker, but the high school viewed this as a glorification of suicide. We didn’t get the memorial we wanted, but we got a tree on campus that we revisit every year on the date of his death to honor his life.
This was Dec. 18, 2017. In the years since, while suicide awareness has become more commonplace, suicide has only increased among men from ages 15-24. Men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women. Women attempt suicide at higher rates, but men are far more likely to succeed. This points back to the discussion of vulnerability: Awareness is a very small factor in the ecosystem of suicide prevention. We must change the circumstances that cause young men to believe that suicide is their only choice.
In writing this, I’ve intentionally avoided the terms “toxic masculinity” and “patriarchy” because of the way they’ve become politicized and charged. This is not a political issue; it’s a human one. Viewing this issue through a political lens disservices the very nature of it. It’s one that cannot be solved through policy alone; it requires a shift in our social reflexes and attitudes.
Women, the next time you see a man being vulnerable or emotional, please don’t mock him. Men, the next time you feel alone, hopeless, or lost, please reach out to your friends — especially your male friends. This vulnerability is frightening beyond what I could imagine, but the truth is that many of you are experiencing these feelings in isolation. Talking about it doesn’t have to mean wallowing in those feelings or admitting defeat; it means building deeper connections with those around you. It means breaking the silence and transforming how we relate to one another.
We all have a part to play in making emotional openness the norm, not the exception. If we want to prevent further losses, we must take deliberate action — not just to talk about awareness but to foster a world where vulnerability is seen as a strength, not a weakness. The truth is that this article will do little to nothing to change cultural attitudes, but if it makes any men reading it feel any less alone, then it was entirely worth it.
is allisant@sas.upenn.edu.
ALLISON SANTA-CRUZ is a College senior studying communication from Jackson, Miss. Her email address
T FONG | DESIGN ASSOCIATE
Columnist Allison Santa-Cruz discusses the need for emotional openness to combat male vulnerability.
ISABELLA COSSU | DP FILE PHOTO
Columnist Mariana Martinez discusses the roles of international laws through the lens of the Venezuelan political crisis.
WARRANT, from front page
2024, to Sept. 15, 2024, in order to potentially identify other suspects/co-conspirators who may have been discussing the details of the crime via phone calls and/or messages,” the detective sergeant wrote in the affidavit for that warrant.
The phone registration and “large” cellular activity in the vicinity of the off-campus residence obtained through the T-Mobile warrant were later cited as evidence that — along with Wi-Fi router data and Penn records — helped Penn Police confirm the suspect’s identity.
Former New York Police Department detective and John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Michael Alcazar told the DP that “canvassing” for video surveillance, CCTV footage, and cell phone videos was a typical aspect of “investigating to hopefully identify a suspect.”
He added that it is “pretty standard” to use the location of phones in the vicinity of a crime scene to identify a suspect.
William Owen, communications manager for nonprofit advocacy organization Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told the DP that “this level of surveillance, tracking down a student based on use of the Wi-Fi network, shows just how far schools like Penn will go in surveilling their own students.”
“These sorts of tactics can sweep up data from students who really have nothing to do with these sorts of incidents, or maybe weren’t involved, to lead to more of a dragnet surveillance of campus protesters and campus organizers, and put students who are from marginalized communities at increased surveillance,” he added.
Alcazar said that in his experience, most of the data being searched “is more narrowly related to the investigation” but noted that if “the investigation revealed that there might be more actors involved in the case … an agency might expand the search.”
In the affidavits, Penn Police wrote that it was unable to identify an additional individual involved in the vandalism incident.
Alcazar added that if past protests have led to vandalism, university police forces like Penn’s “might employ digital technology to record the protesters so that they are more proactive in their investigation.”
A second search warrant acquired by Penn Police on Oct. 16, 2024 stated that an off-campus student residence was searched at 6:05 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2024 by about a dozen officers without forced entry. The warrant also confirmed that the house was located outside of the Penn patrol zone, which stretches from 30th Street to 43rd Street east to west and Market Street to Baltimore Avenue north to south.
Alcazar said that decisions on how many officers to send to execute a warrant are most likely made by a commanding officer and that this number of officers was “not unusual.”
Andrew Vaughan, a Penn School of Veterinary Medicine professor and member of Penn’s Faculty Senate who was briefed by a Division of Public Safety representative in November, told the DP that DPS confirmed police were “wearing tactical gear, SWAT team-style,” during the execution of the warrant.
He added that at the time, a DPS spokesperson stated
that there were no procedural inconsistencies between how the warrant was served and “how any other search warrants are served by Penn Police.”
A third search warrant also served on Oct. 18, 2024 confirmed that police seized a phone from the off-campus property and turned it over to a Philadelphia Police Department homicide detective for examination at 1:20 p.m. that day. The warrant permitted the “complete extraction” of information from the device — including all location data, email content, stored messages, third-party app data, and call logs — and for it to be “forensically” examined.
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson declined to comment on the department’s involvement in the case.
In a Jan. 14 statement to the DP, a spokesperson for Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier — who represents the district that includes Penn — wrote that “Councilmember Gauthier is still waiting for Penn Police to take accountability for their inappropriate use of force outside of the Penn Patrol Zone.”
“The Councilmember understands that UPPD may have to operate outside of the patrol zone to investigate crimes on their campus,” the spokesperson wrote. “At the same time, we cannot forget that the West Philadelphia community has a long and tense history with the University of Pennsylvania, and UPPD’s actions on October 18th are a direct echo of this dynamic.”
The spokesperson added that “since the encampment” on Penn’s campus during the spring 2024 semester, Gauthier “has urged every party to deescalate when possible.”
“UPPD sending a dozen police officers armed in full tactical gear to seize a cell phone tied to a nonviolent crime is disproportionate and runs counter to this goal,” they wrote.
In a statement to the DP on Oct. 22, 2024 — one day after news of the raid was publicized by a post from proPalestinian student organizers — Gauthier’s office wrote that it was “seriously concerned” by the “extreme manner in which” the search warrant was executed. The search drew widespread criticism from faculty, politicians, and nonprofit organizations.
Penn’s chapter of Faculty for Justice in Palestine started a petition demanding an investigation into the search, a repeal of new protest guidelines, and a vote of no confidence in University administrators. The Executive Committee of Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors also condemned the University’s actions in a statement published Oct. 26, 2024.
In a statement to the DP on Oct. 24, 2024, DPS confirmed that Interim Penn President Larry Jameson is “not involved in decisions around criminal investigations.”
As Penn continued to face criticism, a University spokesperson defended Penn’s actions in an Oct. 30, 2024 statement to the DP, writing that “a small group of individuals, some of whom may be students, continue to take disruptive and at times illegal actions against the University community.”
“[The individuals] continue to flout policies and laws that they do not think apply to them, and then blame their own institution when they encounter consequences,” the spokesperson wrote. “Laws must be enforced uniformly and fairly and are not designed to be waived when they do not suit a particular viewpoint. Ignoring inconvenient rules or wildly mischaracterizing facts weakens our whole community.”
Former Medical School professor leads Philadelphia scientists in discussing immunization
concerns under Trump
Perelman School of Medicine Professor Emeritus Stanley Plotkin — nicknamed the “godfather of vaccines” — organized the virtual meeting to discuss strategies for addressing potential challenges to vaccine policy and science
MEGAN LIU Staff Reporter
In December of 2024, Perelman School of Medicine
Professor Emeritus Stanley Plotkin gathered over a dozen Philadelphia health experts on a Zoom call to discuss potential challenges for public health under the second Trump administration.
Plotkin — nicknamed the “godfather of vaccines” — organized the virtual meeting to discuss strategies for addressing potential challenges to vaccine policy and science. Known for developing the rubella vaccine, Plotkin raised concerns about the potential impact of recent political developments on immunization efforts.
“I’ve spent my life trying to prevent disease,” Plotkin told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Now, I fear we’re on the brink of losing hard-won progress.”
The experts on the Dec. 11, 2024 call represented a wide array of public health organizations, advocacy groups, and concerned citizens. The focus of their discussion was the anticipated impact of 1968 Wharton graduate and President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial health appointments, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal anti-vaccine activist nominated as health secretary, and Dave Weldon, a former congressman and vaccine skeptic, tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kennedy’s alleged history of promoting vaccine misinformation composed a significant part of the experts’
conversation. In 2022, Kennedy’s legal team petitioned to revoke approval of the polio vaccine and sought to restrict the use of other lifesaving immunizations. Trump himself recently stated he would maintain access to the polio vaccine but opposed school vaccine mandates, creating further uncertainty for public health experts.
“We’re preparing for an erosion of both public perception and access to vaccines,” Paul Offit, a pediatrician and vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said.
The group avoided detailed plans, focusing instead on broad strategies to counter misinformation and anticipate policy changes. They highlighted the need for clear, evidence-based messaging to rebuild trust in vaccines, which, according to Offit, have been eroded by years of conspiracy theories and strict pandemic regulations on schools and businesses.
Despite the challenges discussed, Offit found the meeting to be energizing, emphasizing his feeling that they are “not alone in this fight.”
Looking ahead, Plotkin and his colleagues anticipate continuing misinformation to be a major battlefront in 2025. While the group emphasized the importance of advocacy, they also acknowledged the possibility that outbreaks of preventable diseases, such as measles, may be necessary to shift public opinion on vaccines.
ABHIRAM JUVVADI | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Perelman School of Medicine Professor Emeritus Stanley Plotkin gathered Philadelphia health experts to discuss public health under the second Trump administration.
DONAHUE, from BACK PAGE
of basketball with him. In the 2010-11 season, the first Donahue as coach, the Golden Eagles went 22-13 and finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference thanks in part to their league-leading nine three-pointers per night. In a game that has moved heavily toward efficient shot selection in recent years, Donahue’s approach was ahead of its time.
“I’ve probably been analytical my whole life,” Donahue said. “How I look at things, risk-reward, efficiency over non-efficient — I drive my wife crazy with the stuff I bring up.”
“He’s a schemer,” current Penn sophomore guard Sam Brown said of Donahue’s coaching tactics. “He loves to dream up these situations, and I am just a follower of whatever he wants to put me in. I trust him wholeheartedly to put me in the best spot to help me help the team.”
But in the seasons that followed, the team’s
shooting declined, as did its results. From 2012 to 2014, the Golden Eagles went 33-63, culminating in a 2013-14 season that saw them go 4-14 in ACC play.
One of those wins was the biggest of Donahue’s career: on Feb. 19, 2014, Boston College knocked off No. 1 Syracuse on the road, buoyed by a 50% three-point shooting performance. Less than a month later, on March 18, Donahue was out of a job.
“I loved every day except probably the day they let me go,” Donahue said of his experience at Boston College. “I learned what that level’s like and coached against great coaches, but in all that, I thought I became a better coach.”
After his departure, Donahue spent a year as a television analyst for ESPN and Fox News. But when the position at Penn became available, Donahue made his homecoming, signing on to become the Quakers’ head coach in March of 2015.
“Steve Donahue is a terrific basketball coach and is even more impressive off the court,” Mike Krzyzewski, then-coach at Duke and five-time NCAA national champion, said at the time. “This is truly an
outstanding hire by the University of Pennsylvania.”
Donahue has seen mixed results in his neardecade back in the Palestra. After a pair of losing seasons to begin his tenure, he became the first coach to win Ivy titles at two different schools with a championship in 2018. Then, in 2022, Donahue had what was perhaps his best chance at another team title with 2023 Player of the Year Jordan Dingle at the helm, but the Quakers ended the season with two heartbreaking defeats against rival Princeton.
Since then, the team has struggled further. After losing Dingle to the transfer portal, All-Ivy forward Max Martz to medical retirement, and 2024 leading scorer and guard Clark Slajchert to an ankle injury for much of the Ivy campaign, the Quakers finished last season with a 3-11 conference record, the program’s worst since 1957. The Red and Blue are 1-5 in the Big 5 over the past two years. Penn has not beaten Princeton since 2018.
“When people look at us on the floor, I want it to be Penn basketball,” Donahue said, referencing the gritty style that led the team to many of its 26 Ivy
Malachi Hosley set to transfer to Georgia Tech
Hosley won Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year a few weeks after entering the transfer portal
TYLER RINGHOFER
Deputy Sports Editor
Penn’s “touchdown machine” is set to embrace a new path in his home state of Georgia.
After a few weeks in the transfer portal, sophomore running back Malachi Hosley announced that he will be transferring to Georgia Tech, according to a Dec. 24, Instagram post. With two years of eligibility remaining, Hosley will join a stacked Power Four Conference and hopes to make an immediate impact.
Ranked as one of the top running backs available in this year’s transfer portal, he finished fourth in the Football Championship Subdivision this year with an average of 119 rushing yards per game. The Columbus, Ga. native also led in the Ivy League in carries, rushing yards, yards per carry, and touchdowns. With these accolades, it was no surprise a bevy of big-name Division I schools reached out to Hosley, hoping to capture the coveted transfer.
A notable offer on the table for Hosley came from North Carolina. In a decision that shook the college football world, Bill Belichick — widely regarded as one of the greatest NFL head coaches of all time — accepted the head coaching position at North Carolina. Notably, the future Hall of Fame coach’s first transfer portal offer was not to a five-star quarterback, but rather to Hosley.
titles. “It’s gotten away from that a little bit. I know we have it in us.”
Despite these challenges, the Quakers remain confident in their ability to engineer a turnaround. Part of that confidence comes from Donahue’s ability to draw up X’s and O’s. But it also comes from a trust that extends far past the bounds of the sport.
“I think the biggest thing that he’s really taught me is that all these things that are going on in basketball are applicable to life,” senior forward/center Nick Spinoso said. “He’s really helped me mature and grow. … He’s helped me on and off the court, a lot more than I think I realized, and probably more than I realize now.”
“If I were to have a son play college basketball, it would be an honor to have him coached by Steve Donahue,” Dunphy said.
After nearly 25 years as a head coach, Donahue’s approach can be described in a number of ways: efficient, winning, tactical. But when asked to distill his style to a single word, Donahue’s answer was far simpler.
“Understanding,” Donahue said.
It has been busy over the last few weeks for Hosley, who took four official visits to different schools — all while attending awards ceremonies. The top target schools on the list included Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, and Virginia.
In the midst of his visits, Hosley also attended the prestigious Asa S. Bushnell Cup awards ceremony in the Empire State, where he was named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year — the first in program history.
As for the Yellow Jackets, Georgia Tech finished the regular season with a strong 7-5 record, which included a thrilling eight-overtime game against in-state rival and top-ranked Georgia that the Yellow Jackets narrowly lost. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Georgia Tech will face the Vanderbilt Commodores in this year’s Birmingham Bowl, held on Dec. 27. Finishing sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference this year, Georgia Tech will provide a marquee platform for Hosley to shine and excel, bringing his game to the next level.
As Hosley returns closer to his hometown of Columbus, he is set to carve a new path, trading Ivy League Saturdays for Georgia Tech’s primetime stage.
1953 Wharton graduate and NBA champion Ernie Beck dies at age 93
The former NBA frst overall pick led the Quakers to their frst NCAA tournament bid in program history
BRIAN BARTH Deputy Sports Editor
1953 Wharton graduate Ernie Beck, arguably the greatest player in Penn men’s basketball history, died on Dec. 12 at the age of 93. His death came just a day after his 93rd birthday.
While at Penn, the born-and-raised Philadelphian, who stood at only 6-foot-4, led the NCAA in rebounds in his first season. As a senior, he won an Ivy League championship and led the Quakers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. His personal accolades that season included first team All-America and multiple program records, including most rebounds in a career and season, free throws made and attempted, and scoring average with 25.9 points per game. These records have yet to be eclipsed 71 seasons later.
“In my opinion, Ernie Beck was the greatest Quaker of them all,” current Penn men’s basketball coach Steve Donahue said in a statement through Penn Athletics. “A strong, large athletic guy who was kind to everyone he met.”
After graduating from Penn, Beck was selected first overall in the 1953 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors (soon to be Golden State Warriors), joining future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston to win the 1956 NBA Championship in
his second season. He scored 23 points in Game 1 of the championship series.
“I had my best game in the first game of the championship series,” Beck told The Daily Pennsylvanian in 2020. “I was the sixth man on the team and came off the bench and scored 24, 25 points in that game.”
Beck missed the 1954-55 NBA season due to his conscription into the United States Navy during the Korean War, during which he spent most of his time playing basketball at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center in Port Deposit, Md.
“Ernie had amazing humility considering his icon status, not just at Penn but in the city of Philadelphia and the basketball world,” Donahue said in his statement via Penn Athletics.
The Golden State Warriors also released a statement through the NBA on Thursday regarding Beck’s passing.
Additionally, Beck was in the inaugural class of the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 and was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 2000. Beck was known to be a frequent attendee to Penn basketball games at the Palestra. He is survived by his wife Betty Beck, two children, Ernie III and John, and two grandchildren, Jessica and Jonathan.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS
Former Penn basketball player Ernie Beck passed away on Dec. 12, 2024.
WEINING DING | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Sophomore running back Malachi Hosley poses with a football at Franklin Field on Sept. 17, 2024.
Incoming student-athletes for fencing, softball, track and field, cross country, and swimming and diving talk about their excitement to join the Quakers.
A look to the future: Meet five incoming student-athletes in the Class of 2029
Incoming student-athletes for fencing, softball, track and feld, cross country, and swimming and diving programs talk about their “Why Penn?”
JUSTIN LEE Deputy Sports Editor
With a new year comes a new class of recruits.
In collegiate sports, rosters are ever changing.
It’s hard not to focus on the acclaimed seniors at the end of their journeys, but as time ticks by, interesting new faces join Penn’s many esteemed athletic programs in hopes of success. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with five Class of 2029 student-athletes about their aspirations, their sports journey, and why they chose Penn.
Misha Gujja
A native of New York’s Long Island, Misha Gujja plans to join team épée fencing at Penn as a walk-on for one of six spots. She spoke with fencing coach Andy Ma, and though she wasn’t recruited for a roster spot, she knew she loved Penn and the program’s atmosphere.
“The [enthusiasm] was infectious. … I love having that team energy and the support of the people,” Gujja said.
Gujja started fencing at a young age, competing in various national championships. She placed second in the Brentwood Holiday Tournament in women’s épée on Dec. 14, 2024.
“A lot of people see it as a very aggressive sport,” Gujja said. “There’s a lot of thinking that goes into every action, and I feel like that’s missed often.”
Misha is most excited about Penn’s social and professional opportunities as she plans to study biophysics in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“I’m so excited to learn about different perspectives and make friends with people from all over the world,” Gujja said.
Caroline Putnam
Just across the Hudson River from Gujja is Caroline Putnam. The Summit, N.J. native will be playing softball for the Quakers. Like Gujja, Putnam enjoys the experience of a team sport.
“One of my main goals is definitely to have a team experience, with everyone playing for each other rather than everyone playing for themselves,” Putnam said.
A catcher and first baseman, Putnam owes her lifelong experience with softball to her mother, who played for Montclair State University. After speaking with coach Christie Novatin and the softball team, she verbally committed on the spot to Penn in September 2024. She hopes to continue fostering close connections with the team.
“I’m looking forward to having a very selfless mindset and working … for each other,” Putnam said.
Putnam looks forward to the opportunities in Philadelphia, being just two hours away from her home. While she finds comfort in her proximity to her hometown, she is eager for a “fresh start.”
“I’m super excited to study things I’m actually interested in … and enjoy it while I’m [in] Philly,” Putnam said.
Shamus Larnard
Continuing the trend of East Coast recruits, Shamus Larnard hails from Boston and will be running track and field and cross country for the Red and Blue. His running journey began in his freshman year of high school when he first signed up for the track and field team.
“It was a non-cut sport, so I gave it a try … and I hit the ground running and did pretty well,” Larnard said. “[I] met so many nice people. … It has truly been a blessing in my life.”
Larnard specializes in running the mile, where he placed first in the New Balance Indoor Nationals track competition with a personal-best mile time of 4:18 in March 2024. At Penn, Larnard hopes to improve his times, particularly in his specialty the mile.
Larnard said, “I think one of my main goals is to try to be in the top seven … and [break] four minutes in the mile.”
Larnard is most excited about the community at Penn.
“The guys … and coach [Steve] Dolan really made me feel at home,” Larnard said. “[Coach] really took the time to actually care about me as an individual rather than as just a time.”
Sofia Swindell
Traveling back to the Garden State, Sofia Swindell is from Lawrence, N.J. and also plans to compete in the track and field program. Swindell began sprinting in elementary school, eventually specializing in hurdles in high school. Her brother, who ran extensively in his senior season in high school, “gave [track and field] his all” and inspired her to start her journey.
“I had a feeling that I was fast, and my older brother ran track, so I wanted to get into it to see how fast I could be,” Swindell said.
Since her mother grew up in Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, Swindell was given a unique opportunity to compete with the U.S. Virgin Islands national team, where she received the bronze medal in 100-meter hurdles at the 51st Caribbean Free Trade Association Games in March and April of 2024.
“That was my first time ever running 13 seconds in 100[-meter] hurdles,” Swindell said.
“When I saw my name pop up through [the board], I was so happy.”
With a 14-second time in 100m hurdles in May 2024, she also qualified for the World Junior Championships in Peru. While at Penn, Swindell hopes to run on the national stage at NCAA championships and the international stage.
“The Olympics will be … after my junior year,” Swindell said. “I want to be there. … It sounds crazy to say, but … it’s something I’m definitely set on.”
Hannah Pecze
To round out this list of commits is a swimmer from Round Rock, Texas. Swimming now for 10 years, Hannah Pecze enjoys the lasting team bond forged at high school swim meets specifically.
“This year more than other years, I really bonded with my teammates on the high school team,” Pecze reflected. “Those meets are just so fun … [because of] the supportive aspect.” Pecze, a breaststroke specialist, has attended many swim meets at her high school and across Texas, and she practices for up to 20 hours per week.
“[People] think we just splash around in the pool … but it’s a hard sport,” Pecze said. Her commitment to working hard during practices has led her to many state-level swim meets, where she placed eighth in the 100m breaststroke at the USA Swimming Futures Championship in Austin in July 2024.
“My biggest goal next year will be to get an NCAA B cut,” Pecze said. She looks forward to swim meets at Penn and the social opportunities in Philadelphia.
“Everyone has lived [in Round Rock] forever, so I am really excited to meet people from all over the world,” Pecze said.
From players’ dreams to open threes, men’s basketball coach Steve Donahue understands
WALKER CARNATHAN Former Sports Editor
It was the moment the game disappeared. The moment everything changed.
On Jan. 24, 2006, Penn men’s basketball coach Steve Donahue, then the head coach at Cornell, had his players working. The Big Red were three days removed from a buzzer-beating loss to in-state rival Columbia, and their sixth-year coach was determined to right the ship.
“The guys were playing extremely hard,” Donahue said at the time. “It was exactly what you hoped to see.”
But as guard Khaliq Gant dove for a loose ball, disaster struck. In a mess of bodies, Gant collided with three other players, sending him straight to the floor. As his head and neck laid over a teammate’s legs, Gant could not move.
“I can still see him lying there,” Donahue recalled. The medical team moved quickly to save Gant’s life. They steadied his neck and called 911, with paramedics responding 10 minutes later. Gant was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Elmira, N.Y., where he was diagnosed with dislocations in two of his vertebrae. Donahue called Gant’s parents to tell them the news, assuring them that their son would be OK.
Gant underwent a seven-hour surgery to repair the damage to his spinal cord, eventually making a full recovery. Though he never played in another game for Cornell, Gant stayed on as a member of the team, traveling with the group and remaining an integral part of the program. But he still cites his injury as the
day that changed his life.
“It taught me a lot about perspective,” Gant said.
“Just the amount of patience and humility I had to have to go through that process, it really makes me appreciate every day.”
It had a similar effect on the man Gant called his coach.
“I recalibrated everything I was doing. Could I be better at this? Could I be more of a piece of success, rather than beating down my guys?” Donahue said.
“I think of that moment in how I approach every aspect of my profession. That was my wake-up call.”
Before he was hired as the head coach at Cornell, Donahue’s basketball journey began in the state to which he would one day return.
After growing up in Springfield, Pa. and playing both basketball and baseball at the nearby Ursinus College, Donahue started his coaching career in 1984 as an assistant at Springfield High School.
Before long, he earned a position on the staff at Penn under coach Fran Dunphy, who won 10 Ivy League titles from 1989 to 2006.
There, Donahue not only fulfilled the duties of an assistant coach, but exceeded them.
“Toward the end of his career at Penn, he was doing lots of the coaching,” Dunphy said of Donahue. “We certainly gave him lots of ownership, because he deserved it. … He just was really good and really ready.”
In September of 2000, Donahue was hired as the head coach at Cornell and tasked with revitalizing a
Ivy League set to participate in FCS playofs in 2025 season
Ivy League football teams can now participate in postseason play and contend for a national championship
VALERI GUEVARRA Sports Editor
Beginning with the 2025 season, the Ivy League will participate in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision postseason and be able to vie for a national championship for the first time in the conference’s history. In the Ivy Group Agreement established in 1945, the Ancient Eight has barred any postseason play for football.
The change for the Ivy League to join the FCS playoffs was put in motion by a proposal from the Ivy League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee — a group of 17 student-athletes from all eight institutions in the conference.
“We’ve been at it since last December and have been getting support from our fellow student-athletes across the Ivy League,” Penn junior quarterback and Penn SAAC committee member Liam O’Brien said. “SAAC has been a tremendous support and overall, student-athletes have really supported this movement for the football programs.”
On Dec. 18, the Ivy League Council of Presidents
voted to approve the proposal to participate in the playoffs beginning next season.
“It’s a step, which we feel is great not only for Penn football but the league itself, and to get a chance to see us on the national stage,” coach Ray Priore said.
According to a statement from the Ivy League, the conference champion will earn an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. Additionally, tiebreaker rules are being developed to determine how its automatic qualifier will be awarded when there are co-champions in the future. There were three Ivy League co-champions in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The Ivy League’s self-imposed ban on postseason participation was rooted in the conference’s commitment to academics, aiming to avoid the burden of postseason games at the end of the semester for studentathletes during finals. Current Penn football players are optimistic about the ability to balance both come next season.
“We have a good understanding and balance between our academic commitments, our athletic
program that had recorded just two winning seasons in the previous 12 years.
Early on, Donahue’s tenure brought much of the same — during his first five years with the Big Red, he won an average of just nine games per season. As a first-time head coach, Donahue says it took time for him to craft his leadership style and credits a long leash with helping him find his footing.
“I jumped into a place like Cornell that was really down, to be quite honest,” Donahue said. “And the beauty of it was, I could make any mistake I wanted to, and they’re like ‘OK. We’re used to that.’”
Then, in the wake of Gant’s injury, things began to change. As Donahue implemented a more thoughtful approach, his team responded. The Big Red went 7-4 to close the 2006 campaign, and in 2007, Donahue recorded his first winning season as a head coach.
“Before Khaliq’s injury, I did not understand how much my actions and words impacted the players that I coached,” Donahue said. “I was so focused on winning and not [on] building the proper culture and caring for the players. After Khaliq’s situation, it made me appreciate my job as a leader and [made me] more grateful for my impact on my players. … If you look at what happened after that, from where we were, it’s night and day.”
“I try to be understanding of our challenges,” Donahue added. “Understanding in players and what they’re going through.”
Immediately after Gant’s injury, Donahue spent extensive time with him at the ICU in Elmira,
skipping practice for the next 10 days to remain by Gant’s side. During that time, Donahue met one of the nurses at the hospital, Wanda Foote, who noticed the level of care he took during his player’s hour of need.
Later that year, Foote’s son, Jeff Foote, transferred from the men’s basketball team at St. Bonaventure to play under Donahue at Cornell. In three seasons with the Big Red, Foote was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year twice, earned three All-Ivy selections, and anchored Cornell to three-straight Ivy titles from 2008 to 2010. That included a run to the Sweet 16 in 2010, with a group which Dunphy called “as good a team as there ever was in the Ivy League.”
“He really cares about everyone he interacts with, specifically the players he recruits,” Gant said. “He really takes the time to make sure that person is cared for. And he shows that compassion a lot more than just on the basketball court.”
Another critical piece in the Big Red’s run was one of Donahue’s hallmark tactics: three-point shooting. From 2008 to 2010, the Big Red ranked first in the Ivy League in three-pointers attempted, three-pointers made, and three-point percentage, with their 42.9% clip in 2010 leading the entire nation.
After Cornell’s run to the Sweet 16, Donahue was hired as the new head coach at Boston College, a Power Five school, and he brought his unique brand
See DONAHUE, page 8
UMA MUKHOPADHYAY | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Ivy League football teams will participate in the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs beginning with the 2025 season. commitments, and other various commitments,” senior defensive lineman Paul Jennings said. “We rarely see guys come up with issues in terms of not prioritizing their academics, so I don’t think it would pose an issue.
… We have a great leadership team and supporting staff for academics that helps us find success in and outside of the classroom.”
When it comes to recruiting freshmen and retaining top-performing players, the potential of a national title is a draw for both Penn and the Ivy League.
“It will definitely impact in a positive way,” Priore said. “It’ll just bring more people in, and people who are competitors want to challenge for [a national title], and hopefully, retain more players.”
As for current Penn football athletes, they say their
goals will always be centered on being successful in the Ivy League, and the postseason is just a big opportunity to continue that success.
“[Playoffs are] really just something extra for us to work towards. … These [Ivy League] rivalries … and an Ivy League title is always going to mean more to us than landing a spot in the FCS playoff,” Jennings said. “But that added level of competition, the opportunity to play more games and compete for a longer season, is something that’s going to drive us to pursue more success.”
“Conference championship is very valuable to us, and that’s what we’re really playing for,” O’Brien said. “The opportunity to play new teams, new competition, and just more football in general, that’s very exciting.”
