January 18, 2024

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PENN’S POLITICAL TURMOIL CONTINUES

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Over one month after Liz Magill’s resignation as president, the DP examined Penn’s mounting encounters with the state and federal government ETHAN CRAWFORD AND PAIGE RAWISZER Staff Reporters

Over the past several months, Penn has been the subject of intense scrutiny from the federal government due to the handling of antisemitism on campus, resulting in two federal investigations and increased governmental probing — continuing in the wake of former Penn President Liz Magill’s resignation.

Controversy surrounding the Palestine Writes

Literature Festival in September 2023 has only been amplified through campus turmoil after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, leading to congressional hearings, administrative resignations, and widespread criticism from students and faculty. The Daily Pennsylvanian looked at the federal actions taken against Penn amid allegations of on-campus antisemitism.

Department of Education investigation On Nov. 16, 2023, the United States Department of Education launched an investigation into Penn and six other schools over reported instances of both antisemitism and Islamophobia, the first of such investigations since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

The investigations fell under alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibits race, color, or national origin discrimination, including harassment based on a person’s shared See TURMOIL, page 3

Penn names Larry Jameson as interim president, appoints new board chair Jameson, who served for over a decade as dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, will serve until Liz Magill’s successor is selected KATIE BARTLETT, ELEA CASTIGLIONE, EMILY SCOLNICK, AND NITIN SESHADRI Senior Reporters

ROGER GE | DP FILE PHOTO

Penn’s Board of Trustees appointed J. Larry Jameson — previously the executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine — to serve as the University’s interim president.

His appointment followed the resignations of Penn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok. Ramanan Raghavendran — the former chair of the board of advisors of Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences — was appointed the new chair on Jan. 4.

Jameson, the University’s longest serving dean, was approved as interim President during a virtual meeting of the Executive Committee of the University Board of Trustees.

All those assembled at the meeting, led by then-Interim Board of Trustees Chair Julie Platt, voted in his favor.

Jameson’s appointment will be effective until a permanent president is appointed.

“Before I present the resolution, I want to thank Liz

Magill for her service to our university, and now with her resignation as president, the trustees wish to appoint Dr. Larry Jameson as interim president, a position which he will hold until a permanent president is appointed,” Platt said.

“A consummate University citizen and the longest serving current dean, Dr. Jameson is a collaborative, innovative and visionary leader with extensive engagement with each of Penn’s 12 schools,” Platt said at the meeting.

Jameson introduced himself to the University community in an email on Dec. 12.

“In the coming weeks and months, I look forward, with curiosity and an open mind, to learning from you and to sharing my own views with you,” Jameson wrote in the email.

He addressed the recent “profoundly painful See PRESIDENT, page 2

Department of Education launches investigation into Penn’s legacy policies

Faculty warn of threats to academic freedom, free speech following Marc Rowan letter

The government is probing whether such preferences in University admissions constitute racial discrimination, a letter obtained by the DP says

Multiple professors shared concerns for Rowan’s letter and its implications for the University’s culture and policies

ALEX SLEN Staff Reporter

DIAMY WANG Senior Reporter

The United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is launching an investigation into Penn’s legacy admissions policies.

OCR is investigating whether the University’s usage of legacy preferences in admissions decisions constitutes racial discrimination, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. The initial complaint was filed in early December by SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

education activist Justin Samuels. OCR’s investigation is not a reflection of the merits of the complaint, but rather a confirmation that it falls within the office’s jurisdiction, according to the OCR website.

The complaint alleges that Penn’s legacy admissions policies violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, See LEGACY, page 3

Penn faculty members expressed concern for the future of academic freedom on campus following a Dec. 12 email to the University Board of Trustees from Wharton Board of Advisors Chair Marc Rowan.

In the email titled “Moving Forward,” Rowan, a 1985 Wharton graduate, suggested that the University’s campus culture “has distracted from UPenn’s

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core mission of scholarship, research, and academic excellence.” The email, which was sent three days after former Penn President Liz Magill’s resignation, also included a list of 18 questions and two articles for trustees to read.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with multiple See FREE SPEECH, page 7 CONTACT US: 215-422-4640

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PRESIDENT, from FRONT PAGE chapter” for the University, referring to recent leadership transitions as “distressing and destabilizing.”

“I want to reiterate that every person at Penn should feel safe and be secure in the knowledge that hate has no home here,” Jameson wrote.

“Together, we create and share values that make the University of Pennsylvania an institution where creativity flourishes, innovation creates new tools and medicines, civil debate poses and addresses challenging societal questions, and learning prepares us all to make the world a better place.”

Several University administrators expressed support for Jameson in statements to The Daily Pennsylvanian following his appointment.

School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Vijay Kumar referred to Jameson as “the best candidate for this job,” adding that he is “relieved” Jameson has taken on the responsibility during this “critical juncture.”

Wharton School Dean Erika James also told the DP that Jameson’s experience makes him an ideal candidate for the role.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024 “I am confident he will be a unifying force as we focus on the urgent challenges at Penn and advance our academic mission,” James wrote.

Provost John L. Jackson Jr. described Jameson as a “deeply collaborative, strategic, and experienced leader” who knows the University community well.

“We are all indebted to him for so graciously agreeing to take on this role — as we are to Liz Magill and Scott Bok for their great service to Penn during these challenging months,” Jackson wrote.

Similarly, School of Nursing Dean Antonia Villarruel cited Jameson’s “proven track record at Penn Medicine” as a reason why he is the “ideal person to lead” the University, and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Dean Sophia Lee praised Jameson’s “experienced leadership.”

Jonathan Epstein, the executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of the Medicine School, will serve as the school’s dean and the system’s executive vice president in an interim capacity while Jameson is interim president, according to a message from Platt to the University community following the meeting.

Jameson has served as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Medical School since 2011. He previously served as dean of the

Feinberg School of Medicine and vice president of medical affairs at Northwestern University.

Jameson has served in several advisory roles with other schools in the University, including sitting on the Consultative Committees for the selection of the Provost and the Dean of the Wharton School. He also previously served on the Presidential Selection Committee.

Under Jameson’s tenure as dean, the Perelman School rose to No. 3 in the “Research” category of the U.S. News and World Report Medical School rankings before ending its participation on Jan. 24 — three days before the deadline to submit data for the coming year.

After ending its participation, the Medical School rose to No. 2 on the 2023-2024 U.S. News Best Medicine School Rankings.

This year, Katalin Karikó, an adjunct professor of neurosurgery at the Medical School, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for her research into mRNA technology. The DP has previously reported that Karikó had been mistreated by the University due to a lack of grant funding, and left Penn’s campus in 2013 — two years after Jameson started his tenure — to work at BioNTech, a German company that focuses on mRNA-based technologies.

Jameson presented Karikó and the Weismann Lab with the Dean’s Distinguished Award

Dozens of faculty join solidarity mission to Israel, prompting mixed reactions from community The three-day trip, which aimed to offer “friendship and support” to Israel, began on Jan. 2 and was organized independently from the University LARA COTA Staff Reporter

Penn faculty members organized a faculty mission to Israel earlier this month, prompting mixed reactions from Penn community members.

The three-day trip, which aimed to offer “friendship and support,” began on Jan. 2 and was organized independently from the University, according to the press release. Over the course of three days, a group of approx. 30 Penn faculty members met with academics, Penn alumni, and political leaders, including President of Israel Isaac Herzog.

A University spokesperson declined to comment.

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A delegation of 39 Penn professors went on a three-day trip to Israel to meet with dignitaries, academic leaders, and families of the individuals taken hostage in Gaza.

Led by psychology professor Michael Kahana and Cinema and Media Studies professor of Peter Decherney, the itinerary included a visit to the Kfar Aza kibbutz, where the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel occurred, and conversations with survivors.

“Academic knowledge communities transcend wars and political conflict. We wanted to do what we do often: engage with our colleagues and learn from each other’s experience,” Decherney wrote in the press release.

The trip was funded by multiple Penn-affiliated sponsors, including Penn Hillel.

“We were happy to help create an opportunity for these faculty to find community with one another, to show solidarity with their Israel peers, and to return to campus and connect with those Jewish students who seek their support,” Penn Hillel Executive Director and Rabbi Gabe Greenberg said.

Law and philosophy professor of Claire Finkelstein, who attended the trip, described the experience as both “difficult and uplifting.”

“It was unlike anything that I was prepared for, and I study the law of war,” Finkelstein said. “The entire country was touched in some way by the events of Oct. 7 and the ensuing war, and it was a powerful demonstration of just how extreme that impact was.”

However, the mission also sparked controversy among Penn community members.

History and Sociology of Science professor and former Director of the Middle East Center Harun Küçük described the timing of the trip and the administration’s lack of a statement on it as “alienating” for the Penn community.

“I think maybe there was a window of time when such an act of solidarity would have made sense.

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on Nov. 12. Numerous other research-related breakthroughs were made at the Medical School during Jameson’s tenure — most notably the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy — for which Medical School professor Carl June received the 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Jameson also spearheaded the construction and opening of the Pavilion, Penn Medicine’s 1.5-million-square-foot, 17-story facility which opened to patients in fall 2021.

On Jan. 4, the Board of Trustees announced that Ramanan Raghavendran — the chair of the board of advisors of Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences — was appointed chair of the University’s Board of Trustees following Bok’s resignation.

Raghavendran, a 1989 Engineering and Wharton graduate as well as a 2015 College of Liberal and Professional Studies graduate, will oversee the search and selection process for Penn’s next president, as well as the second presidential transition at the University in three years.

“Ramanan Raghavendran is an inspired and inspiring choice for Trustee Board Chair,” Jameson wrote in an email to the Penn community.

“Ramanan has a history of bridging distance to make a lasting difference, whether between places and people or fields of knowledge.”

But things have moved on since then — right now, we are talking about Israel being tried for genocide,” Küçük said. “What does it mean to go and extend a message of solidarity on behalf of the Penn community?”

Küçük compared the Penn administration’s lack of comment on the trip to its multiple statements on the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which explicitly separated the event from the University.

“The reaction to one and non-reaction to the other makes me think somebody’s lost their sense of proportion,” he said.

2010 Wharton graduate and Penn Alumni for Palestine member Aseel Moosa also denounced the trip in a Jan. 5 email to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and 11 Penn deans. Her email called on the administration to clarify the University’s involvement with the trip.

“The timing of the trip was just incredibly wrong and insensitive at a time when Israel was accused of genocide in the International Court of Justice,” Moosa wrote. “We demand for the president and the deans to issue a formal response to clarify if this was an official delegation, or just a bunch of faculty getting together and creating this trip.”

A professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, also questioned how the trip was funded, calling it “an appalling trip to stand in solidarity with a powerful aggressor.”

“Are we now allowing foreign states to use our faculty as propaganda after we have completely succumbed to corrupt donor pressure and the threats of interest groups?” the professor asked.

The trip was the first mission by faculty from an American university to Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to the press release.

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LEGACY, from FRONT PAGE which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal assistance.

“We are aware of the complaint and will fully cooperate with the investigation,” a Penn Admissions spokesperson wrote.

Samuels, who has filed “hundreds of complaints” against colleges and universities throughout the U.S., connects the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action last year as a catalyst for his most recent round of complaints.

“I think that if you maintain legacy preferences while affirmative action is being abolished, some people get an unfair leg up,” Samuels said in an interview with the DP. “I feel like affirmative action was a shield for legacy preference,” he continued.

Samuels, a graduate of Brown and Columbia, now dedicates a majority of his time to advocating for education-related causes. He is currently suing Barnard College, Bryn Mawr, The City of New York, and the YMCA, and has filed near-identical complaints against six other Ivy League institutions.

In the last two years, Samuels has filed multiple similar complaints against Barnard College, alleging various instances of discrimination, including one where he was refused admittance into a screenwriting workshop because of his male identification. OCR has dismissed many of these complaints.

Shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling on

affirmative action, the Department of Education launched a formal investigation into Harvard’s legacy admissions practices.

“The question is if legacy admissions are primarily for white kids, from the upper 5 to 10%, often 1%,” former Harvard admissions officer and owner of McNeal College Consultants Nelie McNeal said.

“I used to think that [legacy admissions] is the sacrifice you make in order to fund kids who couldn't otherwise go,” she continued.

President & Chief Educational Consultant of One-Stop College Counseling Laurie Weingarten agreed. She explained that a large proportion of legacy students pay full tuition which can be used to fund scholarships and that legacy families often donate large sums to the University.

A study by researchers at Brown and Harvard found that applicants with legacy status were four times as likely to receive admissions offers at highly selective institutions.

From 2017 to 2020, between 22 and 25% of applicants admitted to Penn during Early Decision were legacies, according to DP analysis.

For the Class of 2026 admission cycle, the wording on the admissions page on legacy admissions policies changed. Weingarten has not changed her advice to her clients. “I still advise my legacy students to apply early decision,” she said.

According to Samuels, OCR’s investigation into Penn could take months.

ancestry or ethnic characteristics.” While Penn is a private institution, it receives around $800 million from the federal government per year — allowing the DOE to investigate the allegation.

“These investigations underscore how seriously the Biden-Harris Administration, including the U.S. Department of Education, takes our responsibility to protect students from hatred and discrimination,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a press release.

Both a DOE spokesperson and a University spokesperson confirmed to the DP that the investigation had been dismissed as of Jan. 4 due to the existence of a lawsuit containing the same allegations.

The DOE has gone on to investigate dozens more schools, including Drexel and Temple Universities, for reports of discrimination on their campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

antisemitism on campus.

In a now-viral exchange, Magill said it was “context dependent” in a response to Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (RN.Y.) question asking whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people violated Penn’s Student Code of Conduct. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth gave similar answers. Their testimonies were met with national backlash.

“After this week's pathetic and morally bankrupt testimony by university presidents when answering my questions, the Education and Workforce Committee is launching an official congressional investigation," Stefanik wrote in a statement to the DP. Since the hearing and the subsequent announcement of a formal investigation, both Magill and Gay resigned from their respective positions. Scott Bok, the former chair of the University Board of Trustees, also resigned shortly after Magill.

Members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce did not respond to requests for comment from the DP on the effects Magill and Bok’s resignations may have on the pending investigation.

House Committee on Education and the Workforce investigation On Dec. 7, 2023, the United States House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce announced its intention to investigate Penn, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the “full force of subpoena power.” The announcement came after the universities’ respective presidents testified at a congressional hearing focused on addressing

House Committee on Ways and Means probe The House Committee on Ways and Means called Penn’s tax-exempt status into question, citing the University’s “failure” to support Jewish students on campus and condemn Hamas following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) sent a letter on Jan. 10 to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and three other university presidents, asking them

TURMOIL, from FRONT PAGE

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The U.S. Depar tment of Education opened an investigation into Penn’s legacy admissions preferences.

to provide Congress with more information on campus policies.

“If antisemitic speech crosses the line into unprotected conduct, it must be punished severely,” Smith wrote. “If disgusting antisemitic speech remains in the protected category, it should be condemned, not coddled. Your words and actions matter.”

Penn and other universities across the country are taxexempt due to their “educational mission of teaching, research, and public service.” However, the committee stated that it may be necessary to reexamine Penn's eligibility for its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status due to its alleged failure to address antisemitism.

In the letter, Smith posed 13 specific questions to the university presidents, asking them to clearly identify policies relating to student free speech, as well as whether diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on campus serve Jewish students.

“Ultimately, as the U.S. House Committee with primary jurisdiction over tax-exempt institutions and the treatment of their endowments, we are left to wonder whether reexamining the current benefits and tax treatment afforded to your institutions is necessary,” Smith wrote.

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law professor Amy Wax’s legal case In addition to various ongoing investigations into the University, tenured Penn Carey Law professor Amy Wax spoke with right-wing political commentator Richard Hanania on Dec. 28, 2023, and hinted at more legal trouble for Penn.

“There’s a move afoot to get some subpoenas out to Penn of the records in my case, and we are talking about thousands of pages now,” Wax said.

Wax, who has faced the University sanctions process as a result of racist comments, criticized Penn administration and its handling of her case during the interview with Hanania. “[Penn] is run by a bunch of midwit gynocrats, these people are as intellectually mediocre and undistinguished as you could possibly imagine,” Wax said.“The notion that they care about consistency or coherence or, you know, objectivity, principles, that’s a joke. They don’t care. It’s all about spin. It’s all about PR.” Pennsylvania state House antisemitism task force Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives formed a task force on Dec. 20, 2023, to address antisemitism at Penn after the state voted to withhold $31 million of funding for the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Pennsylvania state Rep. and Republican Leader of the Pennsylvania House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) wrote to Jameson and Penn Vet Dean Andrew Hoffman, expressing concern with the lack of immediate changes to address antisemitism on campus.

“We need to establish and regain a bit of trust that that we can feel comfortable with the University’s code of conduct with where they stand on on certain fundamental, basic human rights issues,” state Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton), a member of the task force and the Republican chair of the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, said to the DP.

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Announcement statement from Palestinian solidarity chapter formation GUEST COLUMN | The movement for justice in Palestine is crucial to the defense of academic freedom and human rights We write to announce the formation of Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine (PFJP), a collective of those who support the teaching and research mission of the University, including faculty, lecturers, staff, and graduate employees. We have constituted ourselves in solidarity with the ongoing and ever-urgent struggles of Palestinians resisting occupation, warfare, and displacement.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine is one of the great moral and political issues of our time. At this moment, Palestinian life in Gaza is in dire crisis; the sheer scale of destruction demands an ethical response from all educators and concerned citizens.

University trustees and administrators, under extreme pressure from private donors and right-wing federal legislators, are now subjecting teachers and students who are members of different Palestine solidarity movements to surveillance and, in some cases, to criminalization. Thus, for educators, the movement for justice in Palestine has become crucial to the defense of academic freedom, the preservation of open expression, and the integrity of scholarly inquiry and research in our universities. PFJP insists on the necessity of shared campus governance, in which administrators work with faculty, students, and staff to reject Islamophobic, anti-Arab, antisemitic, and other racist attacks and harassment by organizations both on and off campus.

Most recently, President Liz Magill, in response to hostile and uninformed questions from partisan members of Congress, resigned from her position after having failed to deny that there had been calls for “the genocide of Jewish people” on our campus.

Nowhere did this happen. Rather than reject, or correct, the deliberate misreading of key events and terms, the President then pledged to “clarify and evaluate” acceptable speech on our campus, which indicates that our Open Expression guidelines will be rewritten. PFJP will join AAUP-Penn to defend our rights to unfettered scholarly research, debate, and critical thought and expression.

We will also defend the right of our colleagues and students to protest and advocate for the non-violent principles enunciated by the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI).

We condemn all acts of terror and genocide. We decry any and all antisemitic actions as we do all threats directed against Palestinian students, faculty, and staff on our campus. For this reason, we are troubled by the one-sided rhetoric used in official

University statements (many of which have since been deleted from Penn’s website) about campus life in the wake of the crisis in Palestine/Israel. Rather than work with faculty who have expertise on these issues, administrators have issued statements decrying antisemitic acts on our campus while ignoring the harassment of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students. Further, the University has paid little attention to violent threats directed at colleagues who have expressed solidarity with Palestinian life. Instead, the University has publicly aligned itself with the Anti-Defamation League and with the controversial definition of antisemitism issued by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). The University has refused to condemn the racist hate speech directed against faculty, staff, and students who are calling for justice for Palestine and an end to the catastrophic killing of tens of thousands of civilians. Administrative actions and inaction have served to exacerbate tensions on campus and enable the targeted harassment of anti-Zionist voices. PFJP will work to counter such tensions, and to inform, to counsel, and to bridge campus divides.

We have witnessed the Penn administration deny permission to a progressive Jewish student group, Penn Chavurah, to screen a documentary film critical of Zionism, “Israelism,” made by two Jewish filmmakers.

It is a testament to the strength and commitment of our students that they screened the film and conducted a long, civil discussion after the viewing. The refusal of official permission to screen the film led to the resignation of the faculty director of the Middle East Center, who had agreed to sponsor the event. In this and other instances, such as the five-week Freedom School sit-in, our students are shouldering the work that should be central to the educational mission of our university. PFJP supports such activities and will develop similar educational initiatives.

PFJP is also deeply concerned about the inequality that structures the Penn administration’s formation of two separate task forces, one to investigate antisemitism, the other to investigate “the interconnectedness of antisemitism and other forms of hate, including Islamophobia.” In its insistence on seeing antisemitism and Islamophobia as discrete types of racism, the former more worthy of investigation than the latter, the University administration has not only ignored the long history that regards them as intertwined but has also further entrenched a false dichotomy between religions. In

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Members of the Penn community took part in a days-long teach-in with the Freedom School for Palestine in November.

addition, this dichotomy ignores discrimination against Palestinians, Arabs, and other allies who are neither Muslim nor Jewish.

More so, in numerous public statements, the University administration has inappropriately conflated opposition to Zionism with antisemitism. This is a scholarly and political error, and PFJP will work to counter its effects, especially in the context of suppressing speech and dissent during a time of war, mass killing, and displacement.

We refuse the false premise — and red herring — that the conflict is principally religious in nature (Jewish, Muslim, or nonMuslim), although religious and cultural differences undoubtedly play a critical role.

Rather, the issues remain largely political (a matter of state violence, colonialism, antiPalestinian racism, and genocide). Critiques of state policy and militarism, U.S., Israeli, or otherwise, are not only valid, but imperative in this moment of humanitarian crisis.

PFJP pledges to join and support the work of Palestinian solidarity groups at Penn, in Philadelphia, and across the nation. We welcome the formation of the Penn Alumni for Palestine (PA4P), a collective of Penn graduates committed to supporting free speech on Penn’s campus and protecting students, faculty and staff who are advocating for freedom and justice for Palestine. We applaud and support their campaign denouncing the recent “delegation” of Penn faculty’s visit to Israel. We join them in their urgent call to the Penn administration to clarify the nature of the delegation and its affiliation with the

University. PFJP is committed to working in solidarity and close collaboration with PA4P’s efforts to advocate for Palestinian voices and those in solidarity with Palestinians on Penn’s campus and to demand broader, more informed, and equitable perspectives on Palestine.

Together, we call on all Penn faculty to uphold academic responsibility in their actions and decisions. We call on this administration or any future administration and the Board of Trustees to uphold the principles of academic freedom for all in our community.

In the absence of institutional support, we will work to ensure the safety of all members of our campus community who stand in solidarity with movements for Palestinian justice. We will advocate for colleagues who fear discriminatory actions when they exercise their right to open expression as they speak for justice in Palestine. In doing so, we will renew our community and strengthen our commitment to the exchange of ideas and scholarship, which we understand to be the foundation of the University.

PENN FACULTY FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE is a collective of faculty and teaching staff that has formed as part of a growing campus movement of over 80 Palestinian solidarity chapters nationally. Their email is pennfjp@proton.me.

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The hypocrisy of billionaire philanthropists OF MICE AND MEN | Effective altruism isn’t as effective, or as altruistic, as we thought

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

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

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Columnist Liala Sofi argues that billionaire philanthropy should not exacerbate power inequalities.

Money, money, money. The intricate dance between wealth and power waltzes through our society with its calculated steps, influencing far more than apparent to the unassuming observer.

Forbes Annual World’s Billionaires List revealed that the planet’s 2,640 billionaires have amassed a total of $12.2 trillion among them. If that wasn’t enough, wealth is extremely concentrated — the world’s richest 85 people have the same wealth as the bottom 50% of the world’s population.

There are also more uber-wealthy philanthropists than ever before: giving billions to what they consider to be charitable causes, such as campus buildings. Take our most recent, the infamous ex-billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried. The fallen 31-yearold crypto mogul convicted of fraud preached the consequentialist philosophy of effective altruism and was one of the key leaders of the movement pledging to give nearly all his money away, even willing to “contribute more than a billion dollars a year.”

Effective altruism (E.A.) is a rising philosophy focused on “using evidence and careful reasoning to take actions that help others as much as possible.”

Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Trying to make an effective impact through your charitable actions — isn’t that what we all want?

But after Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire imploded in November 2022, losing more than $8 billion in customer funds, and evidence of him using E.A. to attempt to buy an open congressional seat emerged, maybe it’s time to question the moral credibility of the crusade.

To preface, I do want to acknowledge that billionaires could choose to hoard their wealth instead of making philanthropic donations (even though they receive relatively modest tax breaks and positive public image boosts). To that end, I also think effective altruism has a few really good ideas: that most of us in wealthy countries could be giving away more without affecting our quality of life, and that we should take a global view of helping others by considering the effectiveness of charity.

However, this trend of Silicon Valley tech bros preaching E.A. as an excuse to accumulate gross amounts of wealth is leading to “top-heavy philanthropy” in which charities are relying on larger donations from a smaller number of donors.

This has a corrosive effect on the independent nonprofit sector. In its current form, the money being spent is actually doing less to help society and more to propel the aggrandizement of these billionaires, perpetuating a cycle of influence extending far beyond their accumulated wealth.

The fundamental flaw in effective altruism lies in its emphasis on vertical programs like malaria bed nets and vaccines, which narrowly target specific diseases, neglecting the comprehensive resolution of broader systemic challenges.

The concentration on specific interventions perpetuates a cycle of merely addressing symptoms instead of tackling the root causes underlying broader issues in society. This, fundamentally, encapsulates my primary critique of the movement.

For example, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg donated $100 million in a topdown approach to transform the struggling Newark public school district. The reform efforts faced backlash for their disregard of community input. The Foundation for Newark’s Future, established to manage Zuckerberg’s donation, further deepened the divide by excluding local foundations and individuals who could have contributed valuable insights. Another huge ethical issue arose when it was revealed that $20 million went to consultants, some earning high daily rates, while teachers faced increased work demands without substantial compensation. This fueled resentment and undermined the intended benefits for educators, leading to tensions within the teaching community.

This top-down philanthropic approach exemplified by Zuckerberg’s intervention is fundamentally rooted in the principles of effective altruism. E.A. often prioritizes centralized decision-making and interventions that may seem theoretically efficient but lack community involvement, communication, and input from local stakeholders.

If the state or local government were to take the lead, there might be a more inclusive and community-driven approach to education reform. The issues raised could potentially be addressed through a more democratic and participatory process led by local authorities.

The exponential increase in assets among Giving Pledgers, like Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett, raises questions about the proportionality of their philanthropy to their affluence. Some of the most considerable gifts go to intermediaries, facilitating immediate tax advantages for the donors. Others resort to channels like limited liability corporations that lack the transparency associated with traditional charitable structures. This shift not only compromises visibility into their philanthropic endeavors but also blurs the line between charitable giving and profitseeking impact investments, where social benefits are promised but often unproven.

In the long term, the trajectory of megaphilanthropy could shift from taxation of high income and wealth to the warehousing of private fortunes. What happens when we reach that point? When the government is a mere chess piece in the game of multibillion-dollar foundations threatening equality of opportunity, the basic standards of human rights, and exacerbating the wealth gap? Arguably, some may say we are already there.

However, I do believe that philanthropy and justice is possible, but this is contingent upon deliberate and intentional commitments from philanthropists. In the face of these challenges, it is crucial to reevaluate the principles guiding philanthropy, urging philanthropists to consider a more democratic and participatory approach. Only through such deliberate efforts can philanthropy truly serve as a force for positive change rather than a perpetuator of existing power dynamics.

LIALA SOFI is a College junior from Roanoke, Va. Her email address is lsofi@sas.upenn.edu.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Former Penn President Liz Magill and former Chair of the Board of Trustees Scott Bok during the Board of Trustees meeting at the Inn at Penn on Nov. 3, 2023.

Why changing leadership won’t eliminate antisemitism at Penn UNHINGED | Heightened media scrutiny and donor expectations have led to performative rather than substantive changes Penn recently made national headlines after Penn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned from their positions, having faced increased scrutiny and allegations of complicity in campus antisemitism.

It’s a strangely poetic justice. Before nightfall and the conclusion of Shabbat on Dec. 9, as Penn’s Jews were preparing to light the fourth candle of the menorah, our University’s contentious administrative heads resigned. But do these resignations mark an actual change on our campus?

The earliest publicized call for Magill’s resignation was by Marc Rowan, 1985 Wharton graduate, CEO of Apollo Management. He was also among the first of the University’s donors to retract funding, after whom many other donors followed suit.

With the administration’s upheaval, Penn has garnered criticism for pandering to the interests of whomever benefits the University endowment.

While Magill and Bok have publicly become the faces of Penn’s antisemitism, longstanding cultural

issues have brewed within the broader Penn community. For instance, a student has faced legal repercussions after allegedly stealing Israeli flags hung near campus. Currently, at least one other student is also awaiting hearings for charges of misdemeanor and theft. And so, the recent resignations are little more than a symbolic triumph over antisemitism on campus. It is unlikely that our University’s dynamic will actually change.

The President is only responsible for the University’s vision and strategy while the Board of Trustees oversees the President and institutional policies. In short, both parties rarely handle dayto-day disciplinary action or even the selection of students and faculty. Additionally, they do not have much say over the scheduling of organized events — most notably the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and the screening of the controversial documentary “Israelism.”

Rather, we have the Provost, who oversees academic affairs and the hiring of faculty; deans, who

MAX MESTER | DP FILE PHOTO

Columnist Riane Lumer responds to a previous column, arguing that eliminating accommodations inflicts further harm.

Accommodations for students with disabilities need to stay A RIANE AMONG MEN|Removing accommodations for students would only devalue and discriminate against them Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the United States, you have the right to reasonable accommodations or modifications to a job, including working conditions and hiring procedures. This is not a matter of special treatment, but to bolster inclusivity and enhance productivity crucial in the workplace and society.

At Penn, exam accommodations reduce barriers for students with disabilities to perform at their highest capacity academically, leveling the educational playing field. Although disabilities are wide-ranging and exist along a spectrum, making them difficult to discern and quantify, they are just as significant as more discernible disabilities in hindering individuals’ functioning capacities beyond their control.

This is precisely why accommodations are intentionally designed and implemented — to generate optimal learning conditions that support the wellbeing and long-term success of students.

Removing accommodations, as advocated for in the previous column, negates the struggles of students with disabilities. It also maintains the lie of the meritocratic need to punish those with disabilities, perpetuating the ableist narrative that they are less-than just because they require modifications in achieving their goals. Without offering spaces for adjustments, there is no room for students with disabilities to flourish or feel a sense of belonging. Instead, they are outcast. They no longer have anywhere to turn to in seeking assistance for tackling hindrances outside of their control.

As the Weingarten Center discloses on its website, accommodations are mandated by the federal government and in adhering to the Rehabilitation Act and ADA accommodations are only eligible to those whose “disability substantially limits a major life activity.”

Weingarten’s requirements for granting

accommodations are not “fairly simple.” To start, students must provide and receive a laundry list of documents from professionals, which requires time meeting with providers.

“Students with accommodations with Weingarten have to fill out extensive paperwork, usually accompanied with incredibly costly psychological assessments or doctor’s appointments. It can take months to receive a response, or an approval, as was the case with me,” said Wharton junior Alejandra.

I interviewed two individuals who receive accommodations. This column uses pseudonyms, because both women requested anonymity due to the adverse perceptions surrounding disabilities.

Juliet described her experience with the psychoeducational exam to me. In the process, she discovered the economic burden of this exam.

She was told that exams conducted in a private practice are a minimum of $2,000, which insurance doesn’t cover 90% of the time. For exams conducted in public clinics, she was informed of a minimum payment of $1,000, with the additional stipulation that insurance was not accepted.

“Due to this, most students opt for a public clinic, but appointments are in high demand,” Juliet explained. “Before getting an appointment, I had to call 10 different clinics and joined numerous waitlists before getting an exam. The exam was six full hours of non-stop testing except for a 30-minute lunch break — I also had to miss class to do the exam as this was the only appointment available.”

I learned from these interviews that not only do students need to jump through hoops to obtain accommodations, they also need to renew them every semester. And when granted accommodations, students must meticulously plan accordingly, requesting them for each exam a week in advance.

manage the operations of specific schools or departments; the Faculty Senate, which represents the faculty’s interests in policymaking; and the Office of Student Affairs, which handles student conduct and campus culture.

And with Penn’s structure of decentralized decision making, discipline and policy enforcement inadvertently lie in the hands of professors as well.

However, Penn’s principle of academic freedom makes it difficult to, at least at an institutional level, reprimand these de facto administrators themselves with controversial speech. Nevertheless, the statute for freedom of speech does not absolve professors of their responsibility to uphold professional conduct. As our University’s structure is amidst an unprecedented turnover, we need to encourage constructive — rather than controversial — dialogue as well as opportunities for impressionable students to think critically. With these dynamics, some professors have been concerningly crass in their public commentary of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

As a student, I don’t want to discredit the authority or abilities of my instructors. However, our leadership needs to recognize that their speech can contribute to student discomfort and fear of open dialogue. I’m sure that most of Penn’s community not only accepts but actively seeks the exploration and debate of differing ideas. But when students and faculty cease to maintain mutual respect, the ethics of the academic community are ironically ignored.

It’s clear that Magill and Bok are not solely responsible for what Penn has come to. Therefore, unless a comprehensive restructuring of campus standards is initiated, Magill and Bok’s resignations amount to little in terms of the campus environment.

Katie told me that she has struggled with missing content in her other classes because they conflicted with the time slots available for her to receive her accommodations. But “the bigger issue was the fact that my professor was not willing to let me take the exam at an alternative time that worked with my class schedule, unless I forfeited my accommodation for a distractionreduced environment,” she said. “Without proper protocol, professors can put students in really difficult, anxiety-inducing situations where they are forced to sacrifice their accommodations to make the professor happy.”

In one particular instance, she told the professor she would be absent because she could only receive her accommodations for a different course during that allotted time, to which the professor responded begrudgingly that she could “make an exception.”

Accommodations are not exceptions, they are needs. Her professor’s response is reflective of the necessity of implementing outlined procedures for professors to turn to when addressing such situations for students with accommodations. It should not be such a stress-inducing endeavor to receive the extra time she needs and deserves. And it should not be solely on the student to navigate such conflicts without guidance.

In another instance, because of an error on the side of the disability service’s testing portal, Katie was not able to schedule her quiz in advance and was consequently forced to take it in a lab while other students were talking and working, disadvantaging her further. This is not a setting conducive for concentration for anyone. Ultimately, due to the disabilities office’s negligence to her initial concerns, a subsequent rude email from them denying assistance in scheduling her quiz, and the professor’s insensitivity toward her legitimate requirements, she dropped the class.

Some argue that these accommodations disproportionately influence standards for GPA, only ill-prepare students for the future in the workplace, and actually give those who receive accommodations a leg up on their peers. There is no leg up where there is no leg to lift to begin with.

The purpose is to promote an atmosphere that approaches equal footing.

Students receiving accommodations do not pose unequal standards for GPA. Rather, they allow equal opportunity for these students to obtain the highest GPA possible — parallel to any other student — while living with the impediments of their disability. Additionally, students with disabilities have immense, unique strengths despite their challenges. They know themselves well enough to know what professions would work best for them and provide them the most fulfillment. In regards to workplace policies, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission outlaws discrimination against disabilities in employment, including mental health conditions.

And when applying for jobs or internships, there are options to let the company know if you have a disability and you will receive accommodations accordingly. Our world is changing to not only accommodate neurodivergency, but also to enhance the experiences of those who are struggling with them. Accommodations are mandated into law to protect these individuals from disproportionate suffering; their contributions to society cannot be overlooked or overstated. Accommodations do not set students back in preparation for their careers, and timed exams are not reflective of real world situations to begin with. Time pressures may be applicable in the workplace, but accommodations

are by law intended to assist employees in their efficiency.

It is also a devaluation to claim that those with disabilities are “50% efficient” compared to neurotypical individuals, diminishing their many accomplishments. For instance, the New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and actress and director Greta Gerwig both have ADHD, yet they are not 50% less functioning than others. In actuality, their neurodivergency contributes to their unique skill sets.

Additionally, it is a logical fallacy to state that if a student receives extra time, this extra time will change their knowledge required for the exam.

Knowledge does not magically fall into students’ laps with extra time. Students with a neuro-processing disorder require more time to match that of those who process at normal speeds. Some may argue extra time provides more time for critical thinking and analysis, but this only applies to those with normal processing speeds to begin with.

And those with accommodations are actually at a disadvantage in the sense that they are not able to ask clarifying questions during exams as their professors are not in the room; if they do want to reach their professors, they may be able to have the proctor email the professor, but prompt response is not guaranteed.

Expecting students to transition away from accommodations by “studying harder” or “asking for help outside of class” entirely dismisses their purpose. Those with accommodations do not need them because of poor studying habits or reluctance to seek help. In actuality, these students are proactive in seeking the help they need outside of class to alter their educational outcomes for the better.

Rather than removing accommodations, Penn should implement clear protocols for professors to turn to. Students with disabilities deserve education catering to their individualized needs with holistic approaches. Universities are centers for learning; students with disabilities warrant environments where they can thrive and benefit from this learning experience in collaborative efforts, just like any of their peers.

Alejandra explains, “when we host conversations on intersectionality and equity, it’s crucial to make sure our definitions of this are all-encompassing. Students should not feel pressured to forgo accommodations. Equity is about making sure all individuals have access to the necessary resources they need to thrive and succeed. As an individual who receives time-based accommodations, the article was incredibly invalidating.”

Schools are legally obligated to ensure that students living with disabilities receive necessary support to participate at their highest level just like their peers. Tailoring support to specific needs ensures students are capable of combating their challenges and receiving the space for their strengths to flourish.

Providing additional support is not about creating an imbalance but about enabling equal access, meeting students where they are, and allowing them to self-actualize. This can only occur by lessening obstacles for students. Any other approach is discriminatory and inflicts greater harm.

MRITIKA SENTHIL is a first year studying management and Russian & East European studies from Columbia, South Carolina. Her email is mritikas@upenn.edu.

RIANE LUMER is a College senior studying political science and journalistic writing from Huntingdon Valley, Pa. Her email address is rlumer@sas.upenn.edu.

6 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Interim President Larry Jameson announced the implementation of the “In Principle and Practice” framework and an acceleration of the work of the task force on antisemitism.

Here’s how Magill’s presidential initiatives are proceeding amid Penn’s leadership transition Jameson announced that several actions started by former President Liz Magill will continue their work under his oversight ELLA SOHN Senior Reporter

Liz Magill launched several initiatives during her tenure as Penn president, including committees to address hate on campus and a University-wide strategic framework. After Magill’s resignation in the fall, here’s how these initiatives will proceed in the coming months under Interim President Larry Jameson.

Antisemitism task force The University Task Force on Antisemitism, which was announced during Magill’s tenure, will report to Jameson as it continues its work throughout the spring semester.

In an email sent to the Penn community on Jan. 17, Jameson wrote that the University will accelerate the task force’s efforts. The group, which is chaired by Mark S. Wolff — Morton Amsterdam dean of the School of Dental Medicine — will provide updates to Jameson with “actionable steps” for addressing antisemitism on campus.

“Penn cannot, and will not, be a harbor for hate,” Jameson wrote in the email.

Magill first announced the task force on Nov. 1 as part of a campus-wide plan to combat antisemitism. Members include faculty, student, staff, alumni, and Trustee representatives.

A presidential commission to address hate on campus, which will also report to Jameson, named its members and goals on Monday. The group aims to address “the interconnectedness of antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate, discrimination, and bias” on campus, according to the announcement.

D ea n of t he School of Eng i ne er i ng a nd Appl ied Science Vijay Kuma r a nd Dean of the Graduate School of Education Katha r ine Str un k will co-cha ir the commission, which also includes two student representatives, 14 faculty and staff representatives from multiple Penn schools, and three alumni and trustee representatives.

“In Principle and Practice” strategic framework A strategic framework outlining the University’s priorities over the next century will enter the implementation phase this semester.

In the email sent on Wednesday, Jameson announced that Penn would begin implementing the “In Principle and Practice” framework over the next year. Jameson added that he and Provost John Jackson Jr. would work together to support initiatives aligning with the strategic framework.

The Office of the Provost wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that this phase will be led by David Asch, senior vice dean for strategic initiatives in the Perelman School of Medicine and member of the Red and Blue Advisory Committee.

The framework began with a University-wide initiative, titled “Tomorrow, Together: Penn’s Next Century,” that Magill launched in her first months as president. As part of the initiative, she created the Red and Blue Advisory Committee to make recommendations for Penn’s future. Jackson chaired the committee, which consists of 15 members from various schools, including professors, administrators, and two student representatives.

In November 2023 — shortly before her resignation on Dec. 9. — Magill announced the strategic plan, which was informed by the Red and Blue Advisory Committee. It outlined several priorities for the University, including accelerating interdisciplinary pursuits, deepening connection with neighbors and the world, and fostering leadership and service. It also identified four principles to shape Penn’s future — the “Anchored

University,” the “Interwoven University,” the “Inventive University,” and the “Engaged University.”

Student advisory groups Two advisory groups announced last year to assemble student perspectives will start meeting this semester with Jameson, Jackson, and other senior administrators.

Amid campus tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, Penn launched two student advisory groups last semester to assemble the perspectives of Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students.

According to a written statement from the Office of the Provost, the groups will be announced and begin holding meetings at the start of this semester.

The statement added that the groups “will meet with key senior leaders at Penn, including but not limited to the Interim President and the Provost.”

Magill opened applications for a group focused on the Jewish student experience on Nov. 16. In an email to the Penn community, she invited nominations for up to 10 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to serve on the advisory group. The group, which is part of the University’s action plan to combat antisemitism, was intended to allow University administrators “to hear directly from Jewish students about their experience on campus.”

On Nov. 27, Magill opened applications for a second group on the experiences of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students. Student representatives will engage in quarterly dialogues with Magill and Jackson and hold “empathetic and solutions-focused” conversations, according to the email.

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NEWS 7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

SYDNEY CURRAN | OPINION PHOTO EDITOR

Penn faculty members have expressed concern about the extent of trustee influence following an email sent by Wharton Board of Advisors Chair Marc Rowan to the University Board of Trustees.

FREE SPEECH, from FRONT PAGE faculty members about their thoughts on the letter and its implications for freedom of speech and academic freedom on campus.

Rowan — who is not a member of the Board of Trustees — wrote in the email that trustees, despite having “failed to position [Magill] to succeed” can now “provide strategic direction before choosing our next leader.”

“The strategy chosen will impact who is the best person for the job and will likely impact the nature of the search and the makeup of the search committee,” Rowan wrote.

History and Sociology of Science professor and former Faculty Director of the Middle East Center Harun Küçük said that Rowan’s letter and involvement in academic affairs is indicative of a goal “to re-engineer the University.” He specifically cited Rowan’s mention of “viewpoint diversity” in his letter, which he called “a code word for Republican hires.”

“You can call it a hostile Republican takeover of a distressed institution,” Küçük said.

History professor Benjamin Nathans, who taught “The Making of Modern Israel and Palestine” last fall, said he believed Rowan sensed that the University was in a “hinge moment” after Magill and former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok’s resignations.

“I think he and some other people sense that this is a moment to try to introduce some changes,” Nathans said. “I think there's pretty clearly an agenda

behind the letter because the choice of things to ask about is revealing.”

A letter addressed to the Board of Trustees opposing interference from “external actors,” which was circulated to faculty members by the Faculty Senate, received 1,214 signatures by the time it was forwarded to the trustees on Dec. 18, 2023.

“The current efforts of some members of the broader Penn community to reverse our longstanding governance structure threatens the freedom of the faculty to conduct independent and academically rigorous research and teaching,” the letter read.

After his resignation, Bok warned of the possibility that donors could overstep boundaries of academic freedom in an op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec. 12.

“Universities need to be very careful of the influence of money, especially one like Penn, which has a business school with a brand larger than that of the university itself,” he wrote.

Rowan’s questions to trustees spanned subjects such as the size of the Board of Trustees, affirmative action, and University policy on foreign donations.

In response, faculty members raised concerns about questions that addressed faculty hiring, academic departments, and freedom of speech and expression.

“Should any of the existing academic departments be closed and/or combined?” Rowan wrote in the list of questions. “What is the role of merit/academic excellence in admissions, faculty hiring, and other areas of recruitment? Is merit/academic excellence paramount, or one of many factors?”

Cinema and Media Studies professor Karen Redrobe emphasized the importance of faculty governance in the formation and shuttering of academic departments.

“We don't need Marc Rowan to be suggesting that we review whether some departments should be closed or open because we do that all the time,” Redrobe said. “It's part of our governance structure. It's part of our educational mission.”

Professor Robert Vitalis, who served as Middle East Center director from 1999 to 2006, told the DP that he is expediting his planned retirement, citing recent events as influencing his decision.

“I don't want to teach on a campus that has accepted these premises of outsiders being able to say what slogans mean, what can be taught, or who can be teaching things,” he said.

The Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors opposed efforts from donors and trustees to influence faculty governance in a statement released Dec. 12.

“Any attempts on the part of Penn’s trustees to close academic departments, constrain hiring, discipline faculty members for political reasons and without due process, censor faculty’s intramural or extramural speech, or impose new McCarthyite speech codes on faculty and students would constitute the most flagrant violations imaginable of the core principles of academic freedom and faculty governance,” the statement wrote. “Those principles are not negotiable.”

English professor and Communication Secretary of AAUP-Penn David Kazanjian reiterated the statement's message, adding that any attempts to influence academic decisions are “improper.”

“The people who should be making academic decisions, who are empowered to make academic decisions at the University of Pennsylvania, are faculty, and not trustees and not donors,” Kazanjian said. “They don't have any role in those decisions.”

Redrobe also said that faculty members have experienced a “clear use of duress” in violation of the University’s open expression guidelines.

“I think that any advisory board member or trustee who has participated in that kind of use of duress needs to be held accountable for behavior that undermines the educational mission of the University,” she said.

Some believed that the letter — and the controversy surrounding Israel and Palestine on campus — could represent changes in the dynamic between faculty members and trustees or outside forces. “[The letter] raises the prospect of certain moves that a very large number of faculty strongly oppose,” Nathans said. “I think you're going to see more coordinated action on the part of the Penn faculty, more organized action. And I think that's a good thing.”

Professor of management Peter Cappelli wrote in a statement to the DP that trustees did not have “the power or ability to act like corporate Directors,” even if they were inclined to do so. He added that governance in higher education is “shared between faculty, administrators, trustees, certifying organizations, and so forth.”

Redrobe said that shared governance involves conversation across multiple groups at Penn — something she believes could be improved upon.

“We've had increasing separation of those groups that has led to a lack of continuing education about the changing nature of the University,” she said. “I think developing more robust relationships between trustees, advisory board members, and the faculty, so that there's a clearer understanding of what we're doing and why we're doing it and why it matters — rather than just guessing from what you see from outside — is helpful.”

The tri-chairs of the Faculty Senate — the main form of representation for Penn faculty in University governance — expressed opposition to Rowan’s push for trustee influence on University policies in a previous statement to the DP. “Penn’s academic excellence builds upon 70 years of shared governance in which the faculty plays a central role in crafting policies that involve teaching, research, and all other aspects of the university’s intellectual life,” professors Tulia Falleti, Eric Feldman, and Vivian Gadsden wrote, noting that they were speaking on their own behalf and not for the Faculty Senate. “Shared governance is the University’s guiding principle, and it ensures effective collaboration and mutual respect across the administration, faculty, staff, students, the Trustees, and the larger Penn community.”

Rowan previously called for Magill and Bok’s resignations in October 2023 after the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. Despite originally criticizing the University’s “failure to condemn all forms of hatred, including antisemitic hatred,” Rowan wrote in his Dec. 12 letter that he “does not believe Liz Magill is antisemitic.”

Küçük warned that the implications behind Rowan’s questions would fundamentally change Penn.

“The kinds of things that he suggests will turn this place into a vocational school. It will turn into something like the University of Phoenix,” he said.

“So I hope there are enough people out there with decision-making power who would see that.”

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8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

WBB, from BACK PAGE came to a boiling point late in the first quarter with Penn freshman guard Mataya Gayle pushed a Cornell player after the whistle, resulting in a technical foul. The ensuing free throw and possession gave Cornell a 14-12 lead at the end of the first. Gayle, who was named Ivy Rookie of the Week for each of the past two weeks, finished the half shooting one of six from the floor with visible signs of frustration with her performance.

In the second quarter, Almqvist began to take advantage of her opportunities, while Penn senior forward Jordan Obi also started to heat up, drawing successive fouls from Cornell’s defense. Gaining its biggest lead of the game with the score at 28-21 after an Almqvist three, Penn failed to fully capitalize on its well-earned breathing room, as it ended the half with turnovers on three of its final four possessions.

Starting the second half up five, coach Mike McLaughlin looked to the struggling Gayle to lead the offense. Despite her jumper staying cold, Gayle was able to find an open Obi under the basket and junior guard Marianna Papazoglou from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions early on.

“No matter how she’s shooting, I am always confident when she has the ball in her hands.”

Almqvist said of Gayle.

That sequence proved to be the turning point of the game, as it was all Red and Blue for the rest of the way. The Quakers defense squashed Cornell’s off-ball movement based scoring and countered with consistent one-on-one creations from Almqvist, Obi, and Gayle. The Quakers kept up the physical defense, making sure that

JONATHAN WONG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn women’s basketball team defeated Cornell 67-54 at the Palestra on Jan. 15.

the Big Red was routinely forced to shoot at the end of the shot clock.

Penn showcased its high level of talent and size in this match, with Almqvist and Obi consistently outmatching the defenders in front of them in the second half. Almqvist finished with 26 points, setting a

new career high in a contest where the scoring was sorely needed.

Gayle, despite never truly finding her jumper in a 1-9 shooting performance, contributed consistent effort on defense and effective passing to help lead the Quakers two a win.

“Mataya is an awesome player, and she did so many things outside of scoring to help us win,” Almqvist said. “It was a full team effort, [everyone] pitched in on both sides which is what got us here.”

The match ended with Penn once

again demonstrating its dom inance at home, but the team will now have to look ahead as it goes on the road to Massachusetts. The Quakers will face off against Harvard, continuing their string of Ivy League opponents on the schedule, on Jan. 20 at 2 p.m.

Men’s basketball falters in second half, falls to Cornell 77-60 Despite holding a halftime lead, the Quakers were drubbed coming out of the break ANSH JAKATIMATH Sports Reporter

They say in sports, it’s not about how you Cornell’s high-ball-movement offense. Junior start, but how you finish. That was a lesson guard Reese McMullen finished the half shootPenn men’s basketball learned the hard way on ing three for three from the field — two of those Monday. shots coming from beyond the arc and leading In the team’s second game of the Ivy League all Penn scorers. Freshman guard Tyler Perkins season, the Quakers were toppled by Cornell continued his streak of impact, logging two 77-60, sending them down the Ancient Eight steals in the half. standings. While Penn (9-8, 1-1 Ivy) led at But the Big Red began the second half ablaze halftime, a strong second half of shooting for with two quick back-to-back triples from senior Cornell (12-3, 2-0) paired with an unfortunate guard Chris Manon and a mid-range jumper amount of turnovers for Penn enabled the loss from Williams. Despite a series of rapid backfor the Quakers. and-forth action, the game tipped in Cornell’s Following Penn’s victory over Dartmouth, favor after a collection of efficient three-point which marked a promising start to the new year, shooting across the board from its starters. Ulthe Quakers traveled to Ithaca, N.Y. for a pivotal timately, it was less about Cornell’s dominance Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee, aimed at and more about Penn’s shortcomings, as the disrupting the Ivy League standings. Prior to Quakers finished the game with 16 turnovers; this clash, the Big Red had shown its potential twice as many as the Big Red. to challenge Penn’s run, especially after a comThe road for this Quakers squad proves difmanding 91-79 victory against the Columbia ficult if it cannot manage to hone its ability to Lions in its inaugural Ivy League match, featur- close out games. The Quakers still sorely miss ing a standout 24-point performance by junior the contributions of senior guard Clark Slaguard Nazir Williams. jchert, who has been out with an ankle injury With both teams undefeated in Ivy League since Dec. 30. Slajchert is not only the team’s play, this encounter was crucial for establish- leading scorer and primary offensive orchestraing dominance in the standings. The Quakers tor, but a vocal presence and critical leader in previously stomped Dartmouth a week prior in all aspects of the game. a 80-51 win, which gave fans hope that Penn With its next game against Harvard at the Palwould maintain that momentum and secure a estra on Saturday, Jan. 20, this Quaker team will spot in the top portion of the Ivy League win need to hope that the home-court advantage will column. bolster its path back into the win column. The Against Cornell, though, a close-fought first Crimson stand at 0-2 in Ivy play after a close half would be the last glimpse of that hope, with 74-72 loss against Brown. the Big Red taking advantage of a turnoverWho will end the season at the pinnacle of filled, inefficient second half from the Quakers. the Ancient Eight remains uncertain, but what The first half ended with the Quakers taking can be said for sure is that this Penn squad has The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation a three-point lead of 31-28 after a series of New a chance.

It 10018 simply needs to learn how to finish 620 Eighth Avenue, York, N.Y. sharp three-point shooting and defensive pres-Call:strong, both in games and for this season.

For Information 1-800-972-3550 Release Thursday, January 18, 2024 sure that effectively counteredForthe impact of

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

Check back next week for answers to today’s puzzle!

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MICHAEL PALACIOS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Nick Spinoso posts up against Cornell at the Palestra on Feb. 4, 2023.

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THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

ANA GLASSMAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Junior forward Stas Korzeniowski was recently drafted in the second round of the MLS draft.

Men’s soccer’s Stas Korzeniowski selected by Philadelphia Union in MLS SuperDraft

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adding on USC All-Northeast Region second team, CSC All-District, Ivy League All-Tournament, and Philly Soccer Six All-Star recognition to his collegiate resume.

The 2022 second-team All-American now joins a Union squad that is searching for its first MLS Cup, after falling just short in each of its past two seasons. Korzeniowski’s staggering 6-foot-4, 193-pound frame adds size to the Philadelphia front.

Hailing from Skillman, N.J., the Union was the closest club team to Korzeniowski growing up. He remained a hometown kid when he committed to Penn, which is just an hour away from his childhood home. And now, he will remain close by as he enters the professional world.

“The nature of the draft is that it’s kind of unpredictable … staying close to home is really nice,” Korzeniowski said. “Philadelphia is a great and established MLS program with rich history and an incredible fan base that I’ve had exposure to during my time in Philly, so I’m just really happy about it.”

While playing in the MLS is a massive step in any American soccer player’s career, Korzeniowski is no stranger to professional soccer. This past summer, he played for Ballard FC in Seattle, a member of USL League Two, where he won the national championship and scored a decisive goal in the 2-1 victory.

“Seattle was incredible,” Korzeniowski said.

“It was one of the best soccer playing experiences I’ve had in my career. The fan base, the support, the team, everything altogether it was an incredible experience that I’ll forever be grateful for. I don’t think I would have the strides in my development or even in my profile if it hadn’t been for Ballard and having the season I did out there.”

His journey in the MLS has yet to truly begin since Korzeniowski has not yet officially signed with the Union, but he still is grateful for the opportunities that are to come.

“I’m ecstatic about this opportunity. I owe a lot of things to the people around me who make it possible, which includes my parents, coaches, and then of course the team that helps me day in and day out. I’m really grateful for being surrounded with an incredible group of guys for the past couple of years to have made it happen and pushed me into this direction,” Korzeniowski.

Fulfilling a childhood dream was always in the cards for Korzeniowksi, but now, it will become reality when he first touches the pitch at Subaru Park.

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Junior forward Stas Korzeniowski has been a model of consistency and durability in his three years as a member of the Penn men’s soccer team. Since joining the team as a freshman, he has not missed a single game — playing in all 50 possible matches in each of the past three seasons. The junior forward’s consecutive game streak looked to be in jeopardy after fracturing his wrist on Sept. 12 against Rider, just over a week before starting Ivy League play.

“I know some people look at it and might say, well, it’s not your legs or anything … but wearing the cast for three months, having to protect it day in and day out, every training — it was a big inconvenience,” Korzeniowski said. “It was definitely hard. I feel like I did well with what I could, but it was a limiting factor. I think as much as it sucked I did well with it.”

Korzeniowski’s feelings are certainly supported by his performance this season, which culminated in him being drafted in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Philadelphia Union.

Korzeniowski’s career began in a reserve role, where he garnered All-Ivy recognition as a freshman and earned a spot in the starting lineup for his sophomore year. But Korzeniowski had his eyes on a bigger prize than just a starting role.

“A lot of the work [between my freshman and sophomore year] was just acclimating to the college game,” Korzeniowski said. “After a great spring and a strong summer, I came into the sophomore season feeling very prepared and motivated.”

Korzeniowski’s sophomore season was a dominant one, as he would finish the season with 11 goals and seven assists, making him the first Quaker in over 25 years to reach double digits in that category. His pivotal role in leading Penn to the first of two consecutive regular season Ivy titles and to the second round of the NCAA tournament earned him Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year honors and second-team All American recognition.

As a junior, Korzeniowski played one of his best games of the season against Brown in the semifinals after helping the team secure the first seed in the inaugural Ivy League tournament.

Although the Quakers would ultimately fall short, in his last game representing the Red and Blue, Krozeniowski assisted the opening goal of the game and scored the game-tying goal in the second overtime period to send the game to penalties. Krozeniowski finished the season by

SPORTS

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PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024

VOL. CXL

NO. 1

HOME FIELD DISADVANTAGE

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

‘Like some jail cell’: Athletes allege subpar conditions, poor flexibility in winter break housing After not being allowed to return to their normal dorms, some athletes were displeased with the University-provided alternative WALKER CARNATHAN Sports Editor

As students flock back to campus for the start of the spring semester, most do so with a familiar home awaiting them. But for a select group, the process of returning from winter break was not so simple.

That group was Penn’s winter student-athletes, many of whom had to return to campus early for practices and games that took place while the rest of the student body was still away. In addition to having their break truncated, many were also unable to return to their typical campus homes. During the break, all but five of Penn’s on-campus dormitories shut their doors, leaving those who returned early frozen out.

“The housing situation was not good,” Samantha Hsiung, a freshman on the women’s fencing team, said. “I really don’t understand why they can’t just let us go back to [our] dorms for winter housing, instead of going to some random place.”

As a result of the dorm closures, Penn provided displaced student-athletes with temporary housing in Sansom Place West, a University-owned apartment building that once housed quarantined students at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to 2023, Sansom Place West also served as the only Penn-owned graduated student housing option, but it was shut down at the end of the last academic year, a decision which drew criticism from GAPSA. Upon arriving at their temporary homes, some

athletes encountered subpar living conditions, primarily regarding utility functionality and cleanliness. Hsiung reported that she and her teammates experienced a number of issues, including expired light bulbs, an unflushed toilet, clogged pipes, and a lock on the door to their suite bathroom. Hsiung also said that maintenance did not respond to her request for a new lightbulb until three days after her initial request. In total, Hsiung said four of her teammates elected to move out of the Sansom Place West housing, opting to pay out-of-pocket for a nearby hotel instead.

“It honestly felt like some jail cell,” Hsiung said of her housing situation at Sansom Place West.

In addition to the issues at Sansom Place West, Hsiung also noted the burden presented by athletes not being permitted to access their belongings in their normal rooms. Hsiung said she was forced to take many of her things, including her bedding, back with her to California, and paid a fee of $100 for the additional weight in her luggage.

After returning to Penn, Hsiung alleges that the University enforced inconsistent policies on allowing students to access their dorms — while some were permitted to return and access their things, others, like Hsiung, were not granted access, preventing her from acquiring smaller items such as toilet paper, shower shoes, or her inhaler.

“I expected to be able to go back to my room to get things just because all of these other people were able to get their things as well,” Hsiung said. “But I think if they actually prevented anyone from going back to their rooms, the situation would have been very different, because then I wouldn’t have that expectation that I could go back … I think it’s really unfeasible to expect all athletes to bring everything they need for housing back in their suitcase.”

Not every athlete had complaints about the situation at Sansom Place West or their ability to access their things. Women’s basketball sophomore forward Helena Lasic said that she “didn’t mind” the conditions in her temporary room, and that they were comparable to her normal living arrangements in DuBois College House. However, Lasic emphasized the inconvenient nature of the moving process as a whole, and said that the University’s rigidity on the matter was frustrating.

“I live in DuBois, and last year DuBois was open, so the fact that it was closed this year, I was kind of confused [and] upset,” Lasic said. “I had to move out [of Sansom Place West] this past weekend, and just — we were on the road, I have a work study, practice, this and that. Just them saying ‘Oh, here’s the move in-time,’ they weren’t too flexible about it. They weren’t allowing us to move out on different days based on what worked out for us. So I had

to move my stuff out after practice, and I asked my coach to help me.”

In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea Kruger said that out of the 143 students — 98 of whom were athletes — temporarily housed in Sansom Place West, the University was only officially notified of two issues with the facilities, but that they have no way of knowing if there were additional problems that went unreported.

Kruger also provided a prior communication that was sent to all students informing them of the housing policies, writing: “Remember that you will no longer have access to your academic year room after Friday, December 22 at noon. Pack up any belongings that you will need for winter break, including bed linens, and remove them from your academic year room by this time … you will not be able to access your academic year room to pick up any belongings after this time. ” Kruger also noted that in cases of emergency need, students were permitted to retrieve their belongings from the closed dorms while accompanied by a security escort.

All dorms were officially reopened for student access on Jan. 13, five days prior to the start of classes on Jan. 18.

Women’s basketball pulls out physical win over Cornell 6754

hoped to extend the winning streak to 23 years.

And despite a highly physical and competitive first half performance from Cornell, the Quakers showed up and showed out in the second half to secure a win, 67-54.

Competing against a very scrappy Big Red squad, Penn (10-6, 2-1 Ivy) had its hands full from the start of the match. Cornell (6-9, 0-3 Ivy) — in the midst of a three game losing streak — started the game off with high energy eager to change their luck.

The Quakers came out sloppy on offense in the first quarter, struggling mightily with their transition offense. Junior guard Stima Almqvist specifically struggled with her efficiency out the gate, missing a plethora of opportunities while running the court. No one player on either team got into a solid groove with each team playing highly physical defense.

“We started off a little slow, but nothing we couldn’t overcome,” Almqvist said. “We haven’t played a lot of teams that press like they did, and I think we were just a little unused to the pressure.”

In the first quarter alone, multiple players on both sides were knocked down onto the hardwood of the Palestra floor. This physical play

An offensive surge in the third quarter put the Quakers ahead as Almqvist and Obi dominated SEAN MCKEOWN Deputy Sports Editor

JONATHAN WONG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Stina Almqvist speaks after Penn defeated Cornell 67-54 SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

The last time Cornell women’s basketball left the Palestra with a win, most of the current Penn team hadn’t even been born yet. The Quakers have had 22 long years of dominance at home versus the Big Red, upheld by generation after generation of athletes. Facing their perennial Ivy League foe once again, the Red and Blue

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