November 16, 2023

INSIDE: BEST OF PENN 2023

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Penn denounces projections of messages onto campus buildings as ‘antisemitic’ “These reprehensible messages are an assault on our values and cause pain and fear for our Jewish community,” Penn President Liz Magill wrote BEN BINDAY AND SOPHIA LIU Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter

Penn denounced projections of pro-Palestinian messages that were also critical of the University onto campus buildings, calling the displays antisemitic and “vile.”

Around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, pro-Palestinian groups Penn Against the Occupation and the Philly Palestine Coalition posted on their Instagram stories photos of several messages projected onto Huntsman Hall, Irvine Auditorium, and Penn Commons.

The images displayed phrases such as "Let Gaza live," "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," "Zionism is racism," "Penn funds Palestinian genocide," "From West Philly to Palestine, occupation is a crime," "Free Palestine," "Liz Magill is complicit in genocide," and "10,000 murdered by Israeli occupation since October 7."

Penn President Liz Magill confirmed that messages were projected onto campus buildings in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

"For generations, too many have masked antisemitism in hostile rhetoric," she wrote. "These reprehensible messages are an assault on our values and cause pain and fear for our Jewish community."

Penn Police were notified of the projections and is now conducting a full investigation. Magill said that action would be taken in accordance with University policy.

“Penn has a long and rich history of robust debate about complicated issues of the day. Projecting hateful messages on our campus is not debate, it is cowardice, and it has no place at Penn,” Magill wrote.

Some critics argue that the phrase, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," insinuates a desire to eliminate the state of Israel and its people, while proponents say that the line asserts the boundaries See PROJECTIONS, page 2

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

Five Penn community members with the Freedom School for Palestine remained in Houston Hall following their day-long teach-in on Nov. 14.

Community members occupy Houston Hall in multi-day ‘Freedom School for Palestine’ Students demanded ceasefire in Gaza, protection of free speech, and institution of freedom of thought on Palestine KATIE BARTLETT, DIAMY WANG, MAX ANNUNZIATA, VIDYA PANDIARAJU, AND ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporters and Contributing Reporter

Dozens of Penn community members have occupied the ground floor of Houston Hall for multiple days, participating in a teach-in to protest the University’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and an alleged lack of support for pro-Palestinian students and faculty.

Freedom School for Palestine — a self-identified collection of Penn students, faculty, staff, and alumni — organized the demonstration. At 1 p.m. on Nov. 14, the group gathered in the Reading Room next to the Houston Hall lobby and began to hold programming highlighting Palestinian voices. Throughout the day, the number of participants ranged from around 40 to 60 people.

Five of the Penn community members remained in Houston Hall overnight on Tuesday after refusing to

leave the building following multiple warnings from Houston Hall building management and threats of arrest from Penn Police Department members.

In a press advisory, the group wrote that Penn neglected to support Pro-Palestinian voices amid the Israel-Hamas war, and promised to hold multiple days of programming in response to the University’s “failure.”

Freedom School for Palestine said in an Instagram post that it would lead multi-day educational programming regarding its three demands: a ceasefire in Gaza, the protection of freedom of speech at Penn, and the institution of “freedom of thought on Palestine.” Many individuals present at the teach-in wore shirts that had these three demands printed.

A University spokesperson declined to comment on the teach-in but referred The Daily Pennsylvanian to two previous statements from Penn President Liz Magill, where she said the University supported the “free exchange of ideas” and announced a commission to address “the interconnectedness of antisemitism and other forms of hate, including Islamophobia.”

The teach-in has included speeches, songs, poetry, vigils, a film screening, and art workshops. Several demonstrators remained in Houston Hall near the building’s closing time at midnight on Nov. 14, although some community members left Houston Hall when first asked for See TEACH-IN, page 3

Brandeis Center alleges The financial discrepancies emerged from issues with payment processors, financial software, and bank balances that began Penn allowed slightly before COVID-19 at the earliest, according to the WGA discrimination against Jewish At the root of the discrepancy and the WGA’s decision to halt rollover funds was a number of systemic issues, acstudents cording to Bradley and the letter obtained by the DP.

Wharton Graduate Association uncovers widespread financial issues, forcing clubs to reset balance RYAN WOLFF Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY JEAN PARK

The Wharton Graduate Association office is located in Huntsman Hall.

The Wharton Graduate Association uncovered widespread financial discrepancies in MBA student organization funding dating as far back as 2017, forcing over 100 graduate clubs to begin the school year with no cash balance.

In September, the WGA Finance Team sent a letter to the Wharton Clubs and Conferences Leadership division informing clubs that their starting cash position would be zero for the 2023-24 financial year, meaning that they would receive no rollover funds from the previous year.

The letter, which was obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, cites a wide range of financial issues uncovered during an audit over the summer.

“We have made this decision with the utmost seriousness and have done so only after exhausting all possible alternatives,” the WGA Finance Team wrote.

The MBA student organizations and conferences governed by the WGA generate money through membership fees, tickets to club-organized events, sponsorships from corporations, and other income sources. Clubs access their funds through two WGA accounts, one of which flows through University entities and follows nonprofit regulations, and the other which is derived from revenue from conferences, events, and sponsorships.

However, the WGA uncovered a “disconnect” in the amount of money clubs and conferences thought they had versus what was actually in their accounts, WGA Chief Financial Officer and Wharton MBA candidate Loyd SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

Bradley acknowledged in an interview with the DP. Records definitively proved a financial discrepancy involving payment processors, financial software, and bank balances that began slightly before COVID-19 at the earliest, but possibly earlier, he said. Screenshots shared with the DP from a WhatsApp conversation between chief financial officers in the WGA indicate that the issues “stemmed back” as far as 2017, according to one text message.

While the process for resolving financial disputes between the WGA and clubs over funding is typically informal, the findings of the audit prompted a significant response from the WGA, Bradley said.

Although he did not specify or estimate the dollar amount making up the discrepancy, the WGA reported $5.6 million in revenue and $6.1 million in expenses in the fiscal year ending June 2022 — a net loss of $438,057, according to nonprofit tax disclosures.

In response to a request for comment, Wharton Vice Dean of Graduate Student Affairs Maryellen Reilly wrote that the school would support WGA while respecting its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit separate from Penn.

“This discrepancy was discovered by the students and reported to the MBA Program Office for our awareness,” Reilly wrote. “Earlier this fall, we provided guidance to WGA leaders about how to transparently communicate their findings and next steps with club and conference leaders.”

For example, syncing errors between Bill.com — the platform where students are reimbursed and vendors are paid — and QuickBooks — the financial software that reports account balances — led to a difference between the expected balance in an account and the actual balance.

Bradley acknowledged that Bill.com and QuickBooks were showing false balances but said that these issues have been fully resolved.

The WGA also discovered “extreme delays” in submissions for expense reimbursements. The lack of a concrete reimbursement policy led to funds being deposited into the incorrect accounts, leading to liability issues. Money that was erroneously deposited into University accounts fell under University regulations.

Delayed reimbursement requests by clubs led to organizations budgeting without considering the impact of potential outstanding reimbursement requests, according to the finance team.

There were also spending issues reported between WGA funding — including Bill.com reimbursements and WGA sponsorships — and Wharton sponsorship funding, which is reimbursed using the University’s dedicated software.

Bradley — who oversaw the audit process and helped decide the WGA’s new financial policy — attributed part of the lack of oversight to the previous accounting team.

He said he expects that future audits and additional steps will prevent similar financial discrepancies from happening again.

Multiple previous WGA board members did not respond to requests for comment. 2020 Wharton MBA graduate and former WGA Chief Financial Officer Sergio Giralt declined to comment, while 2022 Wharton MBA graduate and former WGA President Phillip Ross said he was “not aware of anything related to the issue” during his tenure in 2021.

The WGA finance team wrote at the beginning of the fall semester that the WGA had ended its relationship with a previous employee and would work with the University to hire a new financial controller to help manage WGA finances and prevent further issues.

It is unclear if the position has been filled. MBA Program Director of Student Life Eddie Banks-Crosson

The Brandeis Center, a Jewish legal rights advocacy group, filed a federal complaint with the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education, alleging that Penn failed to respond to the harassment of Jewish students.

The 27-page discrimination complaint alleges that Penn violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects against discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. It suggests that Penn has nurtured a hostile environment against Jewish students and failed to protect them from harassment, representing a violation of the statute.

The complaint refers to Penn’s campus as a “hostile environment for its Jewish students” and — citing the harassment of Jewish students on campus — alleges that Penn has failed to take measures “reasonably calculated to end the harassment, eliminate any hostile environment, and prevent the harassment from recurring.”

The Center filed a similar complaint against Wellesley College on Nov. 9, and it previously has filed complaints on behalf of students at the University of Vermont and the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Founder and Chairman of the Brandeis Center and former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education Kenneth Marcus wrote in a press release that the complaint is intended to hold the University accountable.

“These colleges and universities have failed to

See WGA, page 3

See BRANDEIS, page 3

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The federal complaint alleges that Penn violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects against discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance NICOLE MURAVSKY Staff Reporter

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lifestyles,” Obi said.

First-year Obi said she decided against submitting a housing change application due to concern that she might be students reluctant rejected.

“The high probability of downgrading turned me away from filling out the application,” Obi said. to seek fall room Obi added that while amenities, cleanliness, and noise disruptions were common motivators for seeking housing changes, she was also worried about changes amid potentially being relocated to accommodations with inferior living conditions. challenges Director of Communications and External Re-

Room change offers were sent out on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, with the last round expected to be released today HENESSIS UMACATA Contributing Reporter

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

The United Minorities Council held their Celebration of Cultures event last semester on March 20.

the Caribbean, and Africa. Student groups United Minorities America, such as the Penn African Student Association, the Bangla Society, the Caribbean American Student Council brings Association, Mex@Penn, and the Penn Taiwanese Society will contribute the dishes.

“We're not only allowing people to taste these back Unity Week different foods, but we're also collaborating with groups within these different regions so they can to celebrate also present what the food means to each of their respective cultures,” Diasse said.

On Nov. 14, UMC will be hosting “Performance diverse art, culture Around the World” from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Gut-

From Nov. 13 to Nov. 17, the UMC is hosting a revival of Unity Week in honor of the group’s 45th anniversary LARA COTA Staff Reporter

The United Minorities Council is bringing back Unity Week to celebrate art and culture from minority communities on Penn’s campus.

From Nov. 13 to 17, the UMC will be hosting a revival of Unity Week in honor of the group's 45th anniversary. The week is meant to bring together Penn’s various minority groups as well as encourage individuals of different cultural backgrounds and identities to interact with each other.

“We really just want for people to see how strong we can be whenever we come together," Engineering junior and UMC Vice Chair Fiona Wu said. "We really want to be able to just celebrate arts and culture and create discussion spaces on campus."

According to their website, UMC was established in 1978 as a coalition of minority student organizations on Penn’s campus. Their goal is to give voice to underrepresented communities, encourage intercultural dialogue, and find the best ways for Penn to serve its minority students. Unity Week was held on campus in previous years, but suffered during COVID-19, accordint to Wu. “Last semester, we had a bigger scale event, and although that was great, we also wanted to highlight different aspects of the community at Penn,” College senior and UMC Chair Oumy Diasse said, referring to a "Celebration of Cultures" co-hosted with the 2024 Class Board.

On Nov. 13, the group will be hosting an event called “Taste of Unity: Rice!” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in ARCH room 108. The event's purpose is for students to learn about rice’s history while tasting rice dishes from around the world, including Asia, Latin

mann College House multipurpose room. Student art groups such as The Inspiration A Cappella, Penn k-Beats, Fuerza, Penn Lions, Strictly Funk, and the Menagerie Band are putting together a showcase of singing and dancing that represent their cultures.

As part of Unity Week, Director of the Greenfield Intercultural Center Valerie De Cruz will lead a discussion on Nov. 15 in GIC called “Creating Space."

The conversation will focus on the historical development of spaces for minority groups. It will also explore how individuals, communities, and student organizations can currently secure meeting spaces on Penn's campus.

According to Wu, some of Penn’s student organizations have recently had a more difficult time finding spaces to hold their events.

“I'm a junior, so I remember from my freshman and sophomore year the space discussion at Penn being very real about trying to get the cultural centers out of the basement and to expand,” Wu said.

“There's been a lot of promises made and a history of space at Penn, and getting to the space that we have now has been a really long task and there's actually so many students and students' works that have contributed to where we are now.”

Last fall, Penn dedicated the ARCH building as a home to the University’s main minority coalition groups and cultural resource centers, and the building is continuing to undergo renovations.

To finish the week, UMC is hosting an event called “Shared Places & Shared Stories” on Nov. 16 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Radian College House lounge. Students are encouraged to come together for a final Thanksgiving feast, where each food station will encourage attendees to discuss a different topic with someone they have not met before.

“There's so many people at Penn, and during your time here, you won't really get to meet everyone, but they all have such unique stories," Wu said. I hope that people can come out and have fun experiencing other cultures that they might not have had the chance to be exposed to before and then find their space."

PROJECTIONS, from FRONT PAGE for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The DP has not independently confirmed who organized the projections, although PAO wrote, "in case you missed our light show..." on its Instagram story accompanying photos of the displays onto buildings. PAO and the Philly Palestine Coalition did not respond to requests for comment by publication.

"Reminder to Liz Magill, Scott Bok, John Huntsman, John Jackson, every Zionist on @uofpenn campus that as hard as they try to erase the existence of Palestinian and anti-Zionist students and community on this campus that were still here and are not going to stop resisting the University's efforts to suppress pro-Palestinian organizing," student group Police Free Penn wrote in an Instagram post sharing photos of the projections on Thursday.

Earlier in November, the president of George Washington University condemned the display of similar messages onto GW's Gelman Library, describing the projections as antisemitic. There, officials removed the "unauthorized" projections, according to the GW Hatchet.

On Nov. 10, Magill wrote a separate message to the Penn community, which specifically mentioned “hateful antisemitic messages projected on our buildings,” referencing the projections.

She wrote that the University is working with local and federal authorities to investigate recent antisemitic acts and other forms of hate on campus.

Magill added that — while the University cannot comment on individual personnel matters or student disciplinary cases due to confidentiality — Penn is continuing to take action on violations of University policies or the law.

The email follows a number of antisemitic incidents which have occurred on Penn’s campus in recent months. Magill described these incidents as “abhorrent,” and having “brought tremendous pain to Jewish students, faculty, and staff and to our Penn

community.”

Magill recently announced a University-wide action plan to combat antisemitism on campus, emphasizing increased security and education. While many commended the plan, some students told the DP that they wanted to see follow-through from the University or a stronger commitment to combating Islamophobia on campus.

Supporters of Israel and Palestinians have gathered several times on campus for rallies, vigils, and demonstrations since the war began, as the University faces accusations of tolerating antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Multiple Penn faculty members and students have received threats following their involvement as speakers during pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus in the past month.

At a Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 3, Magill addressed frustration among Penn’s Jewish community and hateful rhetoric on campus in their most extensive remarks to date about the turmoil among alumni and donors.

“I have heard from some that I have not been as effective as I could have been or should have been," Magill told the trustees as part of an eight-minute speech. "This left room for doubt. Doubt about my convictions, what our university believes, and how Penn moves forward. I regret that, and I am listening."

Last month, on Oct. 15, Magill issued a statement clarifying the University's position on antisemitism.

"I stand, and Penn stands, emphatically against antisemitism," Magill wrote. "We have a moral responsibility — as an academic institution and a campus community — to combat antisemitism and to educate our community to recognize and reject hate."

Magill has also condemned hateful rhetoric multiple times, writing that "hateful speech has no place at Penn" in an Oct. 18 statement.

First-year Penn students reported feeling discouraged to request fall room changes despite encountering various housing challenges.

This year, the fall room change request period opened on Sept. 18 and closed on Nov. 10. Penn Residential Services instructed students interested in moving to fill out requests through the MyHomeAtPenn portal. Their submissions would then be assessed in three waves.

Room change offers were sent out on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, with the last round expected to be released on Nov. 16. Those who received offers from Residential Services had to respond within 48 hours to accept their room change, otherwise, their application would be moved to the bottom of the list.

To notify students, Penn Residential Services sent announcements via email and distributed pamphlets to each dorm in college houses.

College first year Shanae Obi, who currently resides in Lauder College House with a randomly assigned roommate, considered a room change in early September because of incompatibility with roommates.

“My roommates and I have very different

lations Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the predominant factor hindering students from switching rooms is the high demand for single or private rooms, coupled with the scarcity of such spaces available this year.

“During the fall 2023 Room Change Period, 135 students requested to be moved to a different room, of those requests, 98 were for a private or single bedroom. We were able to offer new rooms to 50 students, and of those 50, 15 accepted the option they were given,” Lea-Kruger wrote to the DP. While some first-year students sought new housing for better social opportunities, College first year Moe Mansour initially considered leaving his single in Ware College House but stayed after finding a close-knit community in the Quad.

“I am never in my room because I am always with my friends, and the Quad provided me that opportunity,” Mansour said.

Mansour added that the slim chance of a room change request being approved contributed to their belief that submitting one would likely be futile.

“If I am not going to hear back, I might as well not fill out a request,” Mansour said.

Nursing first year student Anna Nguyen said that as she weighed the potential benefits and disadvantages of applying to transfer, she realized that the difficult transition to another college house and the inconvenience of moving out ultimately outweighed her motivations for moving out.

“Moving in was difficult, and I prefer not to revisit that process,” Nguyen said.

PHOTO BY ISA MERRIAM

This semester’s room change request period opened on Sept. 18 and closed on Nov. 10.

New Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab is bridging the fields of health care and data science The lab was launched to transform healthcare through a data-driven, analytical approach RICHARD ZHUANG Contributing Reporter

Analytics at Wharton announced the launch of the Wharton Healthcare Analytics Lab on Oct. 23.

WHAL aims to utilize health care analytics to improve the accessibility and quality of health care. The lab was launched to transform health care through a data-driven, analytical approach.

Hamsa Bastani, associate professor of operations, information, and decisions and Marrisa King, the Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor of Health Care will lead the lab along with Laura Zarrow, executive director of strategic initiatives and innovation with analytics at Wharton.

“Right now is a critical moment in health care: we’ve seen a growing availability of data, as well as transformative opportunities with respect to the development of algorithmic tools,” King said. “By carrying these together, we think that we can begin to tackle many of health care’s growing challenges.”

Bastani added that while there already have been efforts to integrate AI into health care, there hasn’t been much translation work thus far.

“Health care costs are also increasing to a point that is no longer sustainable; it sort of made sense to have a concerted effort towards bridging the gap.”

WHAL’s primary objective is to use algorithmic

tools to solve pressing health care challenges.

“Our approach is to try to find the best tool that’s best suited to solve each problem,” King said. “Even simple descriptive statistics are a starting point to thinking about more advanced, adaptive machine learning algorithms. And then increasingly, we’re focused on thinking about how we can utilize large language models to solve challenges, particularly in the health care workforce.”

In order to improve the quality of health care, WHAL is focused on five major areas of focus: resource allocation, workforce wellbeing, innovative trials, treatment and care, and health equity.

Resource allocation is a critical focus area that involves the strategic and data-driven distribution of limited resources by optimizing the allocation of medical supplies, personnel, and funding.

Workforce wellbeing addresses issues of reducing burnout, using analytics to create a healthier and more sustainable work environment for the health care workforce.

WHAL will work with the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, using machine learning to adopt adaptive and personalized trial designs, which improve patient health, quality, and access to care, Bastani said.

Treatment and care initiatives will use algorithms to analyze health systems data, determining optimal treatment strategies and the construction of social interventions.

WHAL focuses on health equity through algorithm debiasing and improved human-AI collaboration, ensuring that all groups of people receive equitable access to unbiased health care.

In addition to the numerous projects that WHAL are pursuing to improve health care, there are also many opportunities for student engagement.

“Our goal is to become a centralized place for anyone who’s interested in health care analytics to come together,” King said.

WHAL is also offering a Healthcare Data and Analytics Course for Penn students: HCMG 3570 for undergraduates and HCMB 8570 for MBA students, both taught by King.

“In both of those courses, we try to bring students from a wide variety of backgrounds together to not only think about how we can apply cutting edge analytics to solve health care’s biggest challenges, but also some of the unique challenges that are present for data and analytics,” King said.

PHOTO BY DEREK WONG

The Academic Research Building is home to Analytics at Wharton.

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Penn community members gather at LOVE statue for vigil to mourn the loss of Palestinian lives Students told the DP that the vigil was organized to offer people a sense of community while mourning the deaths in Gaza DIAMY WANG AND ELEA CASTIGLIONE Staff Reporters

Around 200 Penn community members attended a vigil mourning the loss of Palestinian lives on Nov. 13.

Supporters began to gather by the LOVE statue — which was decorated with lights and candles — around 5 p.m. Prior to the vigil, the Muslim Students' Association held an evening prayer on College Green with approximately 20 attendees. MSA, Penn Students Against the Occupation, and the Penn Arab Student Society organized the vigil.

An Engineering junior and MSA member, who requested anonymity out of fear for personal safety, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the student groups “wanted to create the vigil today so people in the community — in the Muslim community, the Arab community, and the general community — can mourn the loss of innocent lives.”

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

The LOVE statue was decorated with lights and candles for a vigil mourning the loss of Palestinian lives on Nov. 13.

At the vigil, Penn community members read 380 names of Palestinian lives lost from six families — a portion of the over 11,000 Palestinians who have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to Reuters. The names were read by family in descending order of age, and attendees were given white roses with the names of Palestinians killed.

“When we think about advocating for Palestine, it’s important for us to take a second and understand the loss of life and the size of loss of life," Wharton junior and MSA President Rayane Taroua said. "11,000 is a much bigger number than we can fathom."

Taroua said that it is important to recognize that

TEACH-IN, from FRONT PAGE their PennCards and identification by Penn Police and other staff members shortly after 12:30 a.m.

Demonstrators continued to leave in small groups after the building manager reiterated that Houston Hall was closed and Penn staff members repeated requests for PennCards.

At around 1:25 a.m., Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Michael Morrin told the protestors that they would be arrested if they did not leave the building and gave them a 30-minute warning before arrests would begin.

Shortly after, members of Penn Police told the demonstrators that they could remain in Houston Hall overnight if they showed their PennCards to staff members. Multiple community members who left after receiving warnings declined to comment when approached by the DP. Roughly five Penn community members showed their PennCards at around 1:40 a.m, which allowed them to remain in the building. Multiple Penn staff, including Penn police officers, remained inside the building at 2:15 a.m alongside the five demonstrators.

A group of demonstrators who had left the building prior to 1:55 a.m. attempted to give clothing and medication to those inside Houston around 2:15 a.m., but were told by University representatives over the phone that they could not do so.

According to a press release, students remained overnight, and they were awoken at 7 a.m. on Nov. 15 and asked to show identification again, which the participants did.

“Penn Police were present in Houston Hall at closing time on Nov. 14 as building staff notified the remaining participants of the protest that the building was now closed,” the Division of Public Safety wrote to the DP. “When some of the protesters declined to leave at closing time, they were notified that they were trespassing. Upon producing their Penn identification, building staff and University administrators allowed students to remain in the building for the time being.”

Students told the DP that they appreciated the programming and community that the teach-in brought to campus.

A Penn sophomore present at the teach-in, who requested anonymity for fear of their personal safety, said that for them, the teach-in allowed for the creation of an educational space that “Penn doesn’t want.”

Houston Hall was picked as the site of the teach-in due to its status as the first student union in the United States, according to another undergraduate student present at the teach-in — who also requested anonymity due to safety concerns. The student added that the demonstration was modeled after the Freedom School Movement of the 1960s.

“We hope the sit-in will be a space where students can safely engage with Palestinian voices or marginalized voices, and gives them the safety and the opportunity to do so in a way that is safe, respectful and informative,” the student added.

Hilah Kohen, a Ph.D. student in the Comparative Literature and Literary Theory program, said at the start of the demonstration that the group was intended

to establish “the type of educational and cultural space” regarding the conflict in Gaza that the University had allegedly “abdicated” from establishing.

“We are here to be in touch with reality,” Kohen said.

The speakers also led an interfaith prayer at the start of the event. Members of Penn Police gathered in the room at the start of the protest, prompting one speaker to ask for them to leave.

One speaker who did not identify himself said that he has no intention of stopping his activism, even as pro-Palestinian activists face threats and doxxing. He said that being doxxed on a website has only mobilized him further.

“Part of me speaking up here is to add more fuel to that fire,” the speaker said.

Miranda Sklaroff, a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Science Department, told the DP she came to the teach-in to support the call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Sklaroff said that the ongoing dialogue between the administration, donors, and University Board of Trustees has made it difficult to have open discussions about Gaza.

“A place like the Freedom School allows us to have freer conversations about what’s going on and to recognize the loss of life and the desire for peace,” Sklaroff said.

On Nov. 2, the School of Arts and Sciences launched a dialogue series meant to show commitment to open expression and engage the campus community in respectful conversation amid campus tensions over the ongoing war.

Sklaroff said it would be “very hard” for her to attend one of these spaces.

“I have lost some trust in the administration and the school to actually even partake in that [dialogue],” she said.

The sit-in at Houston Hall comes over a month after the conflict in Israel and Gaza began. Since then, pro-Palestinian community members have gathered numerous times on Penn’s campus for rallies and protests. Most recently, around 200 community members gathered at the LOVE Statue for a vigil Monday evening to mourn the loss of Palestinian lives in Gaza, and rallygoers on Thursday called for a ceasefire in the region.

On Wednesday evening, messages critical of the University, many of which were pro-Palestinian, were projected onto campus buildings, including Huntsman Hall, Irvine Auditorium, and Penn Commons. Penn President Liz Magill called the displays antisemitic and “vile” in a statement to the DP. Magill also committed to “vigorously pursue” any violations of the law or University policy while condemning recent acts of hate in an email to the Penn community Friday.

Pro-Palestinian faculty and students received violent threats after participating in demonstrations on campus in October. These faculty members told the DP that they had not received messages from higherlevel administrators after reporting the threats to the University.

The demonstration in Houston Hall comes less than a week after students at Brown University demanding a ceasefire in Gaza were arrested after occupying the school’s University Hall, according to The Brown Daily Herald.

Palestinians are more than just casualty counts, they are "humans with lives with stories, with dreams."

When asked about the goal of the vigil, a board representative for the MSA, who requested anonymity out of fear for personal safety, said that he hopes “that people take away that the conflict really affects everyone, and it really has a toll on everyone.”

The MSA board representative said that Penn administration had been supportive of the vigil, but mainly on the “back end.” He said that he felt that on the public-facing front, statements have been onesided, citing President Liz Magill’s emails to the Penn community, only one of which mentioned Palestine or

Palestinians.

Multiple Penn administrators — including Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma — were present at the event.

Monday’s vigil comes after multiple pro-Palestinian rallies, walkouts, and vigils have taken place on Penn's campus since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Most recently, on Nov. 9, Penn community members participated in a national walkout demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

“It's our duty as a community, when a part of us is suffering, to come together and support each other,” the MSA board member said.

BRANDEIS, from FRONT PAGE keep Jewish students safe and are in clear violation of well-established federal civil rights law," Marcus wrote.

The complaint provides a timeline of Penn's alleged mistreatment of its Jewish students. It focuses on circumstances surrounding the Palestine Writes Literature Festival — and the University's response to it — as well as the changes in the campus environment following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

1996 College graduate Deena Margolies, a staff attorney at the Brandeis Center, said she was a proud Penn alumna but was heartbroken that some Jewish students feared for their safety, showing their Jewish identity, or demonstrating their support for Israel.

"That was not my experience," she said.

The complaint alleges that the Palestine Writes festival featured at least 25 antisemitic speakers, including Susan Abulhawa, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Bill V. Mullen, Marc Lamont Hill, and Roger Waters. It also critiqued the incorporation of the Festival into several courses' curricula and Penn's failure to quickly distance itself from the festival.

Though the University informed students that they could request exemptions, the complaint says that this was insufficient.

"Instead of Palestinian culture and poetry, the Festival celebrated ideologists advocating for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish State," the complaint alleges.

The complaint also cites antisemitic events that have since occurred on campus, particularly following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. It accuses Penn of delaying emphasis of the University’s stance against antisemitism until Oct. 15 — over a week after the attack.

The complaint references alleged antisemitic incidents and rhetoric at events sponsored by Penn Against the Occupation. It also mentions a march participant pushing a bystander and tearing down pictures of missing Israeli civilians, and alleges that several Penn professors who participated in the Palestine Writes festival "posted vitriolic antiIsrael and pro-Hamas statements and cartoons on their X and Instagram accounts."

The Center suggested that Penn discipline these professors similarly to others who have "made derogatory remarks against minorities," such as Penn Carey Law professor Amy Wax. "Penn students report feelings of intense distress and fears for their safety while the rallies continue and while their professors continue to

show their support for Hamas," the complaint reads.

The complaint provided a list of suggested remedies for the University to better protect its Jewish community, including the appointment of an independent investigator, enforcement of the University's moral code of conduct, increased education about antisemitism, and strict review and approval policies to ensure the University does not conduct or finance programs that deny equal protection.

“I do want students to know that if they do encounter any other antisemitic incidents or if they feel frightened that they should contact us because we can always send in an add to the complaint," Margolies said. "We don't want students to feel like this is it."

Last week, multiple Penn staff members received antisemitic emails threatening violence against Jewish community members and naming Penn Hillel and Lauder College House. Penn Police and the FBI said at the time that they were conducting a joint investigation into a possible hate crime.

A vacant Campus Apartments property next to the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi was vandalized with the phrase “The Jews R Nazis” last month. DPS has since launched an investigation.

In October, Penn committed extra funding to meet Hillel’s extra security needs through the end of the 2024-25 school year, the organization said in an email addressing concerns about the safety of Jewish students. There has been heightened security for Hillel, the Katz Center, Lubavitch House, campus spaces for Muslim worship, and the Christian Association since September.

On Friday, Magill committed to "vigorously pursue" violations of Penn's conduct policies and of the law following recent acts of hate in the Penn community. Magill also recently announced a University-wide action plan to combat antisemitism on campus, emphasizing increased security and education.

While many commended the plan, some students told the DP that they wanted to see follow-through from the University or a stronger commitment to combating Islamophobia on campus.

The Center is now waiting for the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education to review the complaint and potentially open an investigation.

WGA, from FRONT PAGE reiterated that the WGA operates separately from Wharton in a statement to the DP. “We provide historical context, institutional knowledge, and defined operational support to help WGA leaders engage the MBA student body via 100+ clubs and conferences,” Banks-Crosson wrote.

The letter shared with the club and conference leaders outlines additional steps taken by the WGA to amend the issues.

Alongside the hiring of a new controller, the WGA is taking steps to sync financial software so it shows accurate balances, provides weekly financial reports to club leaders, reviews outstanding reimbursements, and includes more transparency regarding club and conference spending.

The WGA did have to account for clubs that did not have equal budgets, as a result of differing dues and sponsorships.

When asked about graduate-level clubs that receive multi-thousand dollar sponsorships from companies

and individuals, Bradley said that the WGA “decided to honor any sponsorships that were intended to be for this academic year” using funds from its restricted account.

According to the WGA finance team, the issues affected the most “organized and proactive” clubs which had already incurred expenses based on the money they thought they had at the start of the current fiscal year.

“Absolutely, there are some people that are not happy with this decision,” Bradley said. “This decision definitely was not one of the most popular decisions but was the right decision.”

He added that it is difficult to lead peers and said he hopes these decisions will lead to clubs conducting better negotiations with vendors, holding valuable events, and re-evaluating the ticket prices they charge.

“There are some clubs and conferences that are not extremely happy with the decision, but the vast majority I would say are okay with what’s going on, and they are up for the challenge,” Bradley said.

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The case for eliminating obvious discrimination JACK OUTSIDE THE BOX | Penn has a responsibility to publicly investigate and punish Amy Wax Last week, The Daily Pennsylvanian published a column by David Shapiro, the lawyer representing University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Professor Amy Wax. In that piece, Shapiro defended Wax’s past and claimed that President Liz Magill’s response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival exposed Penn’s far-left political bias.

Shapiro’s main grievance stems from a statement made last year by the former dean of Penn Carey Law, Theodore Ruger, which launched an investigation into some of Wax’s actions. Some of the allegations against her noted in that document include: Telling a Black student, 2012 Penn Carey Law graduate Lauren O’Garro Moore, that the only reason she was earning an Ivy League degree was because of affirmative action.

Stating that same-sex couples are unfit to raise children.

Explaining that Black people have “different average IQs” than other races.

Claiming that during her time at Penn, no Black students graduated in the top quarter of their class. This was confirmed to be patently false.

Proposing that women are “less intellectual than men,” among other misogynistic comments.

Mocking her students’ “foreign-sounding” names and insinuating that they are un-American.

Claiming that Asians have no sense of “liberty” and that “​​the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration.”

More recently, Wax has received backlash for inviting Jared Taylor, an outspoken white supremacist and founder of American Renaissance, a neo-nazi extremist

publication, to speak at a mandatory lecture for her LAW 9560: “Conservative Political and Legal Thought” course. This was not an academic endeavor. Taylor is not a lawyer, and there is little evidence that his outwardly discriminatory speech should be necessary for the course. His eugenicist ideas should not be welcomed on campus. The course syllabus has Taylor’s visit scheduled for Nov. 28.

Despite all of this, Shapiro went as far as to say that any actions taken against Wax are antisemitic, since she is a Jewish, conservative woman. However, Wax also has made some egregiously antisemitic statements herself, including a reference to Ashkenazi Jews “diluting” their brand by “intermarrying.” Additionally, Taylor has been recognized by the Anti-Defamation League as a figure who uses academic platforms to promote racism and antisemitism.

I think it’s perfectly clear that somebody this openly bigoted should have no place to teach at Penn. Wax should not be given a platform to spew inflammatory rhetoric.

Any investigations into her actions should result in an appropriate penalty. If the allegations put forth by Ruger are proven true, as Wax indicated they may be, then there is no reason to maintain her tenure.

Shapiro argues that if Penn chooses to censor her hateful speech, our administration is admitting to a political bias in academic freedom since they did little in the aftermath of Palestine Writes. After all, Wax is just an outspoken conservative woman who criticizes the idea of systemic racism, right? I would argue otherwise.

Wax’s case has almost nothing to do with academic freedom. Telling Black students that they are unworthy of their education

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Columnist Jack Lakis responds to David Shapiro’s earlier column, arguing that Amy Wax’s behavior does not constitute academic freedom.

is not an academic exploration. Alongside other examples of off-handed comments in class, this situation is reason enough to end Wax’s tenure at Penn. There is no situation in which discriminatory, interpersonal attacks could be construed as a protected right under academic freedom. At this point, it isn’t about controversial research and discussion topics; it’s about blatant prejudice.

Yet, Shapiro will argue that any claims against Wax are far-left political attacks.

This assumption presents a clear contradiction: They argue that a political bias in academia is wrong, while Wax herself is institutionalizing radically discriminatory ideas and using her position to advance a conservative agenda. Shapiro describes

the sanctions against Wax as a “crusade.”

To me, maintaining someone’s tenure and granting them teaching awards does not equate to a crusade against them.

As a Penn student, I am embarrassed by Wax’s presence on our campus. Weaponizing our currently contentious political climate to justify racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and sexism is evil. It’s time for university administrators to hold Wax accountable.

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

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Penn should adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism

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I have personally witnessed the antisemitism that has emerged on our campus and have seen the pain it has caused Jewish students. Following the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists, Susan Abulhawa, the executive director of the Palestine Writes Literary Festival, responded with a tirade against the victims and their supporters: “Those who are still prattling about ‘innocent Israelis at a music concert,’ keep in mind that these people were literally dancing and partying just outside of a concentration camp where 2.3 million Palestinians have been trapped for 17 years in dire circumstances, terrorized year after year by Israeli bombs. There is nothing innocent about such moral depravity, not to mention the fact that 100% of those folks are current soldiers or reservists serving a terrorist settler colonial ‘state.’”

You should care about what Abulhawa thinks because the Palestine Writes Literary Festival took place on Penn’s campus in September. Abulhawa’s views are not unique to her. Her views have not been condemned by any of the speakers who came to the Palestine Writes conference, the professors who invited them and sponsored the conference, or any of the students who have marched on campus in the weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre.

What can Penn do? The administration was initially hesitant, and its first email spoke about “members of our community [who] are hurting” and “those [who are] grieving” without mentioning Jews. While Penn did distance itself from the Palestine Writes festival, it did not always explicitly and specifically call out the aspects of the conference that were antisemitic. That’s a hard call for academics who sometimes

cannot decide where the boundary is between the merely anti-Israel and the definitely anti-Jewish.

To make that distinction possible and clear in the future, Penn should adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, immediately and without equivocation.

The definition has been adopted by dozens of European countries, the United States federal government, and many state governments.

In addition to many examples of hatred against Jews, the IHRA definition clarifies that it is antisemitic to deny “the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” to apply “double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation,” and to compare “contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” In Abulhawa’s repulsive outburst, I identify at least three falsehoods that are hateful and also antisemitic under the IHRA working definition.

First, Gaza is not a concentration camp, and it is not a prison. While it is crowded, Palestinians also receive more international aid per capita than just about anywhere else in the world. Importantly, the extreme duress is caused by Hamas, a terrorist group of Islamic supremacists determined since its inception in the 1980s to savagely murder Jews. When Hamas took control of Gaza in 2006, Israel was attacked with barrages of missiles. In response, both Israel and Egypt blockaded Gaza’s borders. This has limited the flow of people at the border crossings, which were originally constructed to enable more than a million passages per month.

It takes a large amount of immorality, an

even larger amount of misguided ideology, and a considerable dose of postcolonial word salad to invert the responsibility for Gaza’s ills from Hamas to Israel. But it is the comparison to concentration camps that is most heinous. I know the difference, because my mother and her parents and sister were deported from Holland and imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen for nearly 16 months. There, the women and children were starved to death and stricken with disease with the intent to kill them because they were Jewish. There, my grandfather was enslaved, working as a stone cutter and beaten by his slave-master, an especially cruel and sadistic SS guard. Eventually, the Germans forced my family and other Jews into cattle cars where, in that open sewer of disease and excrement, hundreds died on a 14-day journey to nowhere. It takes extreme bias and willful blindness to compare the plight of Palestinians in Gaza with the treatment of the Jews by the Nazis.

Abulhawa’s second hateful falsehood is the explicit justification of the murder of innocent civilians. I will not bother to refute this here because people who agree with this sentiment are too immoral and too far gone to be persuaded otherwise. Their beliefs are not grounded in reason, so I cannot hope to use reason to persuade them to let go of these beliefs. Anyone who has a functioning moral compass should instinctively understand that mercilessly and gleefully murdering children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children, gouging eyes, carving fetuses out of pregnant women, binding families together with wire and burning them to death, hunting down, raping and slaughtering teenagers

at a dance party, beheading babies, and carrying off hundreds into captivity are absolutely and unmistakably evil. Abulhawa’s justification is antisemitic and not merely anti-Israel because it excuses actions against Israeli civilians that would be crimes against humanity if leveled against any other country. This is a “double standard” and is antisemitic under the IHRA definition.

The third and most blatantly untrue, antisemitic, and hateful falsehood is also the most common on our campuses: the denial of the ancient Jewish connection to the land of Israel. In addition to being just plain wrong, it is antisemitic under the IHRA definition, since it is the basis for the denial of Jewish people’s right to selfdetermination.

The labeling of Israel as a “settler-colonial” state, girded by Soviet propaganda, postcolonial theory, and contemporary critical theories, depends on the erasure of Jewish history. The most extreme form is mostly expressed by Palestinians in Arabic but has gained ground recently, denying that there ever was a Jewish presence in Israel; some go so far as to claim that the Temple never existed in Jerusalem.

Another common way to erase the Jews is to label “problematic” the connection the Jewish people of today have to the land of Israel. Worse, there are some academics, including Joseph Massad of Columbia University , who reference the theory that it is the Palestinians of today who are the actual descendants of the ancient Hebrews.

The truth is, according to historian Benny Morris, that the Jews “are one of the few people from ancient times who have managed to more or less survive and endure into the 21st century.” The Jewish people’s connection to the land of Israel is genetic, linguistic, cultural, and religious. It is ancient and unbroken. Those who disclaim the connection between the Jews of today and the Jews of old are engaging in pure Palestinian propaganda in defiance of historical truth. Jews are not colonialists. They are indigenous inhabitants of the land of Israel, returning after years of dispersion. Indeed, most Israelis are descended from families that lost their property and homes, not only in Europe but also in many Arab countries. They do not mourn their losses because they have rebuilt their shattered lives in their ancient homeland.

By adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, the school would have an easier time identifying violations against the school’s codes of conduct. In the long run, this would enable Penn to reclaim its long and treasured position as a university that is safe and appealing to Jewish students.

ABRAHAM WYNER is a professor and director of the undergraduate program in statistics and data science. He is the faculty co-director of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative and a co-host of “Wharton Moneyball” on Sirius XM. His daughter, son-in-law, and nephew are all current students; his wife is an alumna of both Wharton and the College.

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OPINION 5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Why Penn’s donor base feels threatened SETTING IN MOTION | The response of wealthy donors is a sign that the pro-Palestine movement on campus is making strides

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

Columnist Izzy Feinfeld explores the donor response to pro-Palestine activism at Penn.

Over the past few weeks at Penn, the tension in the air has become increasingly palpable. Much of the community has continued on with their lives, business as usual, while many others have been overwhelmed by grief and anger at the lives lost in Gaza and Israel. These strong sentiments have seemingly come from all sides and parties who have connections to the conflict, whether they are ideological, familial, religious, cultural, historical, or a combination of these factors. The story that has received the most coverage and attention at Penn, however, centers around people whose relationships to the

campus lie primarily in their wealth: alumni donors.

In the wake of Hamas’s attack and Israel’s invasion of Gaza, many donors began retracting their financial support for the University in an unprecedented manner. They justified their actions by criticizing President Liz Magill and the current administration for failing to address antisemitism, first for their response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, and later for their messaging on Hamas’s attack. Although this group of donors states that their reasons for disinvesting are related to antisemitism, their decision to flex their economic power has

had the chilling effect of impairing discourse around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Penn’s campus.

The anti-occupation movement at Penn, and in Philadelphia as a whole, has grown more vocal and received greater coverage over the past few weeks.

This is what donors such as Marc Rowan refer to when they talk of how the University is “heading in the wrong direction.” Many faculty members and students have expressed support for the movement through statements, events, and protests; this has proved to be just too much for the donors to bear. Citing a failure to combat antisemitism, many donors have pulled their funding from the University, knowing that this would generate more coverage than any other technique.

Of course, there are a host of misconceptions that stem from calling pro-Palestinian activism antisemitic; among other things, stating this effectively ignores the fact that there are many active Jewish organizations, such as Jewish Voice for Peace, which call for an end to the occupation, and many Jews like myself who lend their voices to this movement. Antisemitism is a very real threat on Penn’s campus right now, causing anxiety and fear within Penn’s Jewish community; however, painting pro-Palestinian rhetoric as inherently antisemitic is extraordinarily harmful and divisive.

The donors who have pulled their funding use the rhetoric of stopping antisemitism as a means to pull the University in a reactionary direction rather than one of activism and change. They are truly worried that the institution that receives the fruits of their wealth, the institution that uses that money to further the gentrification of West Philadelphia and hires lobbyists who work in the fossil fuel industry, has a thriving activist community. They are scared

that this kind of resistance from activist organizations and groups has been taking shape in the belly of the beast, in the bastion of their opulence that is the Penn.

This is why certain donors painted the Palestine Writes Literature Festival as a hateful event in its entirety when the overarching goal of the festival was to celebrate Palestinian culture and to support the claim that Palestinians’ roots in the land go back centuries. The donors viewed the event as an act of resistance against Israel, a state whose policies of cultural and physical erasure are deeply woven into its history. They recognize that the Palestinian activist movement at Penn has been challenging a singular historical narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

While we don’t yet know the extent to which donors’ disinvestments will affect Penn in the long term, they would not be pulling their funding if they didn’t feel threatened. By calling for the “forceful condemnation” of events like the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, they lean into censorship, what author Ta-Nehisi Coates calls “the weapon of a weak and a decaying order.” They know that the pro-Palestine movement is growing stronger, and the only way that they can combat this is to fall back on their wealth and demonstrate the extent to which Penn relies on it to function. The donors’ withdrawals of funding are a clear indicator that the efforts of pro-Palestinian activists and student groups are making a difference.

IZZY FEINFELD is a College first year studying anthropology from Westwood, Mass. His email is izzyf16@sas.upenn.edu.

Political university presidents are bad for business BRETT’S BIZ BITS | How American university presidents became political and why they shouldn’t be I don’t care what you think about Israel and Palestine. I don’t care what you believe about Liz Magill.

Universities taking political positions is bad for business, it’s bad for education, and it is alienating to affiliates of the university.

The main purpose of a university is to educate its students. The premise of education is imperfection — why would undergraduates attend classes or faculty perform research if we knew everything already? Politics and education are fundamentally antithetical. Politics is discrete, meaning that it is a snapshot in history of what the majority thinks. Education is continuous: It optimistically assumes that the snapshot we have today is wrong in some ways and could be better. When universities cross-pollinate education and politics, they attack the premise of their existence, degrade the marketplace of ideas, and stifle dissent.

Dissent has been stifled at Penn. We were recently ranked second to last in free speech at American universities. Restricted discourse causes worse outcomes. Employers stop hiring our students because they can’t deal with challenging ideas, conservative professors don’t want to teach here, and parents stop sending their kids to attend.

So why did universities start making political statements? Universities came under extraordinary political pressure during the Vietnam War from both the government and their students. Students at Penn held a protest against napalm producer Dow Chemical’s on-campus recruiting at the same time that Penn was allegedly being used to house a top-secret bacteriological warfare unit to support the war in Vietnam.

President Gaylord Harnwell stayed neutral on behalf of the institution but privately asked President Richard Nixon to speed up the withdrawal from Vietnam. Universities never really recovered from this pressure. A leading paper on political movements on campus at this time says, “Students began to feel that almost every aspect of the university had important political implications.” When universities chose which courses to offer and which people to accept as trustees, “they felt it clearly betrayed political biases … parading in the name of academic detachment and neutrality.”

Since Vietnam, Penn’s Presidential Office has

been a de facto political platform for its occupant.

Former Penn President Sheldon Hackney made a statement about the Rodney King riots in 1992. Amy Gutmann implied the United States is systemically racist following the George Floyd shooting, condemned Jan. 6, and spoke out against federal travel bans after they were upheld by the Supreme Court.

Let’s not kid ourselves into believing that the voice of the administration represents a variety of political opinions; all of these statements lean left.

In fact, I couldn’t find a single statement that could be construed as right-leaning over the past 16 years of statements by University leadership (unless you count this statement on public safety in 2007).

Penn leadership made a statement after the passing of liberal icon of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but made no statement in 2016 when similarly iconic conservative justice of the court Antonin Scalia died. Gutmann and University leadership wrote four articles in a row that mentioned America’s systemic racism following the death of George Floyd, a concept which more than 40% of Americans do not believe exists.

Imagine that you are a liberal student living in an alternate reality wherein Penn made statements mourning the death of conservative icon Rush Limbaugh and condemning the violence following George Floyd’s death. Where our presidents left office to serve under Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan instead of Joe Biden and Bill Clinton. This is the world that Penn’s conservative students are living in.

Penn’s leadership has been cruising along for years making liberal statement after liberal statement with no consequences; checks kept coming in, the generally left-leaning student body was happy, and the overwhelmingly left-wing faculty remained satisfied. Israel is where this ideological homogeneity ends. The Wharton School, the Perelman School of Medicine, and the Nursing School all received their largest single donations from Jewish donors for a collective $400 million. Stuart Weitzman, the namesake of the Weitzman School of Design, is also Jewish, and Jon Huntsman Jr. is not Jewish but is very supportive of Israel. Meanwhile, the students and faculty are much more divided as both groups are left of center, not significantly Jewish, and thus

PHOTO BY ETHAN YOUNG

Columnist Brett Seaton argues that academic institutions should not take political stances.

lean pro-Palestine.

Penn made a lukewarm statement condemning Hamas three days after the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 and ignited a firestorm with donors. Situations like this are bound to arise when (a) universities are political organs, and (b) university stakeholders (e.g., donors, faculty, or the student body) disagree.

In this case, it was the largest donors who were alienated by the faculty and student body, but it could be any one of these three stakeholders disagreeing with the others. What Penn leadership does not realize is that every time a political statement is made, a portion of Penn’s stakeholders are necessarily alienated.

This alienation has not been good for business. If those who have stopped donating to the school hold firm, Penn will likely lose hundreds of millions in donations. University leadership understands the risk of being overtly partisan now. The $100 million question is: Are the returns of partisanship worth the risk?

The answer is no. The University of Chicago has paved the way for elite universities in avoiding political commentary since its Kalven Report in 1967.

Over the past 10 years, University endowments have grown at a median 6.1% rate, while UChicago has grown at a 6.7% rate. That might not sound like

much, but over a 10-year period is a $1.1 billion difference at UChicago’s current endowment size. It’s possible to outperform the market while remaining apolitical, so why risk a donor revolt or the enmity of students and faculty?

This experiment in politicizing universities has alienated donors. It has led to a culture that values safety over speech. It has caused universities everywhere to forget that their job is to upset students so as to change their way of thinking, to provide a platform for students to engage with and change the status quo, not to provide them safe spaces and trigger warnings to protect them from speech they disagree with. It is time to acknowledge that this experiment has failed.

UChicago’s Kalven Report says, “The instrument of dissent and criticism is the individual faculty member or the individual student. The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic.” University leadership, if you are reading this, please give us our instrument back.

BRETT SEATON is a Wharton junior studying finance, real estate, and computer science from Manhattan, Kan. His email is bseaton@ wharton.upenn.edu.

Donors should not control a University and its administration VESELY’S VISION |The University should not fold to donor pressure Penn, as are many prestigious universities, is a hotbed for discussions surrounding conflict in Israel and Palestine. Discourse between major donors and Penn administration has made national news, and within The Daily Pennsylvanian Opinion Department, many columns have been published over the past few weeks. I personally encourage you to go read students' viewpoints from multiple perspectives.

In light of high-profile Penn alumni pledging to reduce donations until President Liz Magill resigns, I’d like to address the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, among other events and programs donors have disagreed with, and why Magill should not step down.

Many donors claim that Magill’s failure to stop the festival from taking place is the last straw for cutting ties from Penn. That being said, donors have taken issue with other programs surrounding many topics — including transgender athletes on Penn sports teams and DEI initiatives at the Wharton School. Palestine Writes simply served as the catalyst for donors pulling their financial support for Penn.

In a letter addressed to Magill from Penn alumnus Jonathon Jacobson, he directly called out Penn for not standing for American values. Preceding the Palestine Writes festival, donor Ross Stevens gave a $100 million donation to Chicago Booth School: initially intended for Wharton but its prioritization of DEI in education was a turn-off.

Magill is merely being used as a scapegoat for a University that some donors had already taken an issue with for other reasons. Many of these issues arose before she even took office.

Magill has done her part in denouncing antisemitism: from multiple emails — ­­ totaling over six in the past month — to forming an antisemitism task force, she has stepped up in defense of Jewish students. However, when it comes to Arab students, their needs have taken a backdrop. Many of her emails failed to mention Palestinian students at all, a demographic which is also experiencing tremendous loss.

Just last week, Magill released multiple statements. In one, she addressed projections displayed onto prominent Penn buildings and deemed them all “antisemitic”. One of the projections read “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," While some argue that the phrase calls for a complete elimination of Israel, others say it’s meant to assert the right to Palestinian statehood. More broadly, among the messages in question were phrases like “Let Gaza live” and “Free Palestine”.

These, as they appeared in the projections, are not inherently antisemitic statements.

Frankly, Magill deeming them as so draws attention away from actual acts of antisemitism which are never acceptable. She is playing into donors' wants and trying to detach herself from the preposterous allegation that she is antisemitic.

It should be noted that these statements — many

of which are repetitive in nature — are an example of Magill attempting to repair Penn’s relationship with its donors. She should aim to repair these relationships, but she should not play into their hands and step down. Nor should she add fuel to the fire and deem students who speak up in defense of Palestine as antisemitic.

I think Magill is playing a dangerous game. By taking sides in a nuanced and complex world conflict, she is continuing the trend of universities’ speaking out on political issues. This strong stance may backfire the day something happens and she doesn't release a statement, or she releases a statement that pushes the wrong donors buttons.

Donors argue that she should have done more and spoken out against Palestine Writes sooner. Previous to this festival, Magill did not publicly speak on any independent events held on campus, and I don’t believe it’s her job to speak on every event held here.

The goal of the festival was to promote Palestinian arts and culture, and while some of the speakers are accused of antisemitic remarks, there has been no corroboration to the claims from donors that anything antisemitic was said or displayed at the festival. This being said, once backlash started coming in, she reached out to the campus community and distanced the University from the event.

Donors have every right to choose where, and under what conditions, they give their funds. However, I see donors' demands as unreasonable. Rather than work with Magill, they want to remove and

replace her with someone they deem to be more suitable for their interests — some of which include directly linking programs like DEI to antisemitism — in the office.

It is on Penn to stay true to their purpose, and provide an education and campus that caters to the population they serve: students. Penn boasts their increasingly diverse student body: as classes get more diverse, so do the programs the University offers and the students they cater them to.

Now is the time for donors, and administration alike, to evaluate how they want their working relationship to function. I don’t believe that donations should buy your way into the policy-making decisions of a university. That is up to the members of administration. Administration has clearly shown that they stand against antisemitism (as they 100% should) — but initially also showed that they stood for free speech and expression. Rather than choosing to protect those interests jointly, the new norm for Magill may be convincing donors to return by saying whatever's necessary.

As we receive more emails reiterating Penn’s commitment to the Jewish community, I wish Magill luck in keeping up her increasingly vocal nature and putting action behind her many, many words.

MIA VESELY is a sophomore studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Phoenix.

Her email is mvesely@upenn.sas.edu.

6 SPORTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Shots from the game: More from men’s basketball vs. Villanova PHOTOS BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL AND ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Continued from back page On the offensive end of the floor, Penn did just enough to hold onto that slim advantage, led by freshman guard Tyler Perkins, who led all scorers with 13 points in the first half.

But the star of the show for the Quakers early was their defense, which held the Wildcats to 5-20 from the field — and 1-9 from three — over the first 12-plus minutes of the game. This was enough to mitigate the effects of several inopportune turnovers, as Villanova managed to score just two points off Penn’s six turnovers.

As the first half wound down, the Wildcats drew closer, tying the game at 24 with just over four minutes left before taking a lead — their first since the game was 3-0 — with just under a minute left at 30-28. But Penn’s offense managed to respond in the closing seconds before halftime, as sophomore guard Cam Thrower re-tied the game at 30 and senior guard Clark

Slajchert made a layup to give the Quakers a 32-30 lead as the buzzer sounded.

Even though Perkins said that he always thought Penn could win from the first time they scouted Villanova, Slajchert felt the energy in the Palestra pick up after halftime, saying that as soon as the team had a lead going into the second half, the fans started to believe in the Red and Blue.

The second-half story was similar to that in the first, but with the added element that junior guard/forward Ed Holland III and junior center Nick Spinoso — who was playing with a brace on his right ankle and a wrap on his right knee — picked up their third fouls quickly after halftime. After the Quakers built their lead back to five, a pair of turnovers allowed the Wildcats to claw their way back within one.

But despite these hardships, Spinoso battled on, grabbing key rebounds and making tough shots inside the paint. As the minutes of the second half ticked by, this spirit permeated throughout this Quaker squad, as the

team made gritty buckets and grabbed key rebounds to hold on to a six-point lead with under nine minutes to play.

“He’s been up and down so far this year, but if we’re going to be really good, Nick Spinoso has got to play like that,” Donahue said. “Last year, we just did not rebound like we needed to, and we’ve rebounded really well through these first four games.”

After Villanova cut the lead to five to bring the Wildcat fans who had made the trip in from the suburbs to their feet, Penn went on an 8-2 run. This gave the Quakers their largest lead of the evening at 11 on a corner three-pointer from Perkins with under four minutes left.

“My parents told me that if you want it, you gotta go get it [and] no one’s gonna give it to you,” Perkins said.

“The people in my circle, my coaches, keep telling me to work hard every day, and my coaches and my teammates trust me.”

But after a few more minutes of back-and-forth action, Villanova again showed signs of life. Down the stretch,

though, there simply was not enough time for the Wildcats to come back. Perkins made two free throws to put Penn up 73-64 with 17 seconds left, but the Wildcats made two straight three pointers to bring the game within two with almost four seconds left. However, with the game on the line, Slajchert drained two shots, putting the Quakers up four and cementing a 76-72 victory.

After the final seconds had ticked off, the Penn bench cleared, and so did the student section, storming the court to celebrate as the Quakers defeated the Wildcats for the first time since 2018. Even though the season is still young, so was the night, and as the team sang the Red and Blue, the party didn’t show any signs of going away.

“I’ve been thinking about that moment for a while, as we play Nova every year and they have a lot of notoriety,” Slajchert said. “It’s a dream to win it here in the Palestra and give everyone in the gym this moment.”

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The picks are in Members of the DP’s Sports staff predict football’s tenth and final game of the season against Princeton.

Caleb Crain, Sports Editor Penn 13, Princeton 9

Conor Smith, Sports Reporter Penn 33, Princeton 10

Vivian Yao, Sports Associate Penn 27, Princeton 10

Evan Stubbs, Sports Reporter Penn 24, Princeton 21

Griffin Bond, Sports Associate Penn 17, Princeton 13

Allyson Nelson, Copy Editor Penn 27, Princeton 23

Valeri Guevarra & Kristel Rambaud, Sports Reporters Penn 21, Princeton 17

Derek Wong, Opinion Photo Editor Penn 31, Princeton 21

Tyler Ringhofer, Sports Reporter Penn 24, Princeton 21

Imran Siddiqui, Editor-in-Chief Penn 36, Princeton 24

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SPORTS 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Men’s basketball’s win over Villanova proves team’s Ivy League title contention is real PHOTO BY CHENYAO LIU

Junior guard Stina Almqvist dribbles down the court during the game against St. Joseph’s on Nov. 14.

Women’s basketball struggles across the board in 7749 loss to Saint Joseph’s The Quakers were dominated by the Hawks throughout the game and in many categories on the box score LUCAS MILGRIM Sports Reporter

On Monday night, Penn men’s basketball celebrated on the Palestra court as the Quakers defeated Villanova for the first time since 2018. But on Tuesday, the roles had reversed, and Penn women’s basketball was soundly defeated at home by another Big 5 opponent: Saint Joseph’s, falling 77-49.

From the jump, Penn women’s basketball looked physically overmatched against the Hawks. A combined effort from St. Joe’s (3-0) forwards sophomore Laura Ziegler and junior Talya Brugler snatched the tip-off from the Quakers (1-1), an omen of their dominant performances for the rest of the game.

“Credit to St. Joe’s. It’s a mature, skilled, well-coached [duo of] two very skilled basketball post players, and just really solid all the way around,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said.

The two six-footers combined for 28 points, while Ziegler led the team with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

“We struggled to guard them in certain spots,” McLaughlin added. “They’re a tough matchup. So I was disappointed that we couldn’t find an answer to slow them down. We tried a few things, you know, to change up some defenses and some coverages, but it wasn’t enough.

Penn was once again led by junior guard Stina Almqvist, with 13 points and 14 rebounds, finishing 6-16 from the field. Despite Almqvist’s strong presence in backto-back games, senior captains forward Floor Toonders and guard Michaela Stanfield were sorely missed.

Without Toonders, the size mismatch was clear from the get-go. Starting four guards along with senior forward Jordan Obi, the Quakers would need someone to step up in the paint without the 6-foot-4 Toonders locking down the post. Stanfield’s absence was also key, as it forced

FOOTBALL, from BACK PAGE pass and the run. The Tigers are allowing a leagueleading 91.4 rushing yards per game, but Penn is second best, at 100.8. However, the Quakers’ ground attack has proved very potent this season, averaging 186.5 yards per game against Cornell and Harvard, led by freshman running back Malachi Hosley, who totaled an impressive 109 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries last weekend in Cambridge, Mass. Penn will hope to follow the same blueprint as Yale last week, when the Bulldogs totaled 197 yards rushing on their way to victory.

Princeton does not get much worse in the air either, as the team has allowed just under 190 passing yards per game, second in the Ivy League. This should be a matchup to follow, as junior quarterback Aidan Sayin is currently second in the conference with 2,475 passing yards and 13 touchdowns this year. The key to the aerial battle going the Red and Blue’s way will be the protection of the football. Sayin has already thrown eight

ASHIL SRIVASTAVA

McLaughlin to roll out two underclassman starters.

Sports Associate Freshman guard Mataya Gayle continued to show growth in her second game, scoring 14 points to lead Penn on 5-16 shooting, but also showed inexperience with three On Monday night, Penn men's basketball (3-1) turnovers and poor shot selection on several possessions. pulled off an incredible upset in its 76-72 victory over Despite a relatively strong performance as the primary ball No. 21 Villanova (2-1). The Quakers hadn’t beaten handler, Gayle was not satisfied. the Wildcats since 2018, even during the team's era “I’m not as much focused on scoring, per se,” Gayle said. with star guard Jordan Dingle — who gained Ivy “What we’ve been working on is if the shot’s there, take it, League and Big 5 recognition for three seasons donand a lot of my shots weren’t falling tonight.” ning Red and Blue before transferring to St. John's In terms of ball handling, handing the keys to the offense last offseason. But it didn’t seem like the Quakers to a freshman in just her second collegiate game is a big needed Dingle’s scoring to win this game. This team load to shoulder, but one that Gayle isn’t concerned about. feels different. The Quakers don’t just look to one or “It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’ve been just trying to put two players for elite scoring anymore; everyone is inthe work in, out of practice or on my own, so I can step up to volved. my responsibility and be prepared,” she said.

Five players scored in double figures, with freshAs the game progressed, Penn tried to adjust to stymie man guard Tyler Perkins leading the way at 22 points the Hawks’ interior dominance, which instead opened and six rebounds. Junior guard Ed Holland III’s 12 more opportunities from beyond the arc for St. Joe’s. points were also helpful, as he added efficient shooting ASHIL SRIVASTAVA is a junior and current Hawks guard Chloe Welch caught fire from three, banking from the floor. Senior guard Clark Slajchert provided sports associate studying neuroscience and a half-court shot to end the first half and finishing 2-3 from a spark as well in the second half and finished with 11 bioengineering from Palo Alto, Calif. All comdeep with 13 points. Brugler repeatedly drew the defense in points. Things were tough defensively for both teams ments should be directed to dpsports@thedp. tight, forcing the Quakers away from the three-point line in a high scoring affair. However, despite foul trouble, com. before she dished it out to one of her teammates. Brugler led junior center Nick Spinoso’s much needed interior the Hawks with five assists to go along with her 10 points.

Three-point shooting proved to be the separator between Penn and St. Joe’s, especially down the stretch. The Quakers shot 9.5% from deep, with Gayle not connecting on any of her six attempts. Meanwhile, the Hawks finished 8-16 from three, with five coming in the second half, helping them pull away for good.

“Offensively, 2-21 from three isn’t going to beat a whole lot of teams, is it?” McLaughlin said.

The Hawks started the fourth quarter on a 20-3 run, crushing any chance of a Quaker comeback, fueled by guard Gabby Casey, who scored five points off the bench in just four minutes during the final period. Casey — a Pennsylvania native — played in the Palestra tonight for the first time since the Philadelphia Catholic League basketball final earlier this year, where she win the title for Lansdale Catholic in her senior season.

“The memories coming back, like the shot last year, just coming back in the building, it’s a surreal moment,” Casey said.

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL Despite some struggles tonight, McLaughlin still has a lot of faith in his team and is specifically confident that Penn men’s basketball celebrates their win over Villanova on Nov. 13 — the first time the team has Gayle will continue to progress and become a key factor beaten the Wildcats since 2018. for the Quakers.

“I think [Gayle] is going to be a special player here,” McLaughlin said. “Sometimes it takes getting your butt kicked a little bit and see a different team, a different way to play, and it’s just a lot of responsibility on a young 18-yearold trying to run a team at this level.”

Penn looks to bounce back this weekend from its worst loss since the 2018 Ivy League Tournament Finals. The team will travel to Siena this Saturday — the start of a stretch of four straight non-conference road games. interceptions this year, including one in Crimson territory last week that took away a potential scoring opportunity before halftime. Minimizing turnovers will be crucial to maximizing points for Penn against Princeton’s stingy defense.

On the other side of the ball, Princeton’s offense has not caught up with its defense, ranking second-to-last in the league in scoring. While the Tigers had a good performance on the ground last week, that has proved to be the exception, as they have only been averaging just over 100 yards per game rushing. Penn did an excellent job of shutting down Princeton’s run game last year, and will look to have a repeat performance this season.

While Princeton’s pass game still remains solid, quarterback Blake Stenstrom has still struggled to adjust this year after losing star wide receiver Andrei Iosivas to the Cincinnati Bengals — completing 10% fewer of his attempts and throwing for 700 yards less. While Penn’s defense overall has not been at its best this year, the Quakers have proved in earlier games this season they can slow down a high-scoring offensive attack, holding Harvard and Yale to several points below their season average. They will certainly look to do the same this weekend.

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presence was crucial with two blocks along with his 10 points.

“He's an incredible defensive rebounder, and most importantly, competes in every aspect of the game almost to a fault. He just competes at an elite level,” coach Steve Donahue said of Perkins postgame.

Even when Villanova made their mini-runs, the Quakers had an answer and seemingly were in control for a majority of the game. Penn now improves to 3-1 on the season, and while it's early, it's safe to say that a win of this caliber merits thought on how far the Quakers can go this season. The combination of fresh faces and the experienced older players creates a dynamic that might be a recipe for success.

Chemistry is such an important part of college basketball. It’s why every year in March, teams that you’ve underestimated or never heard of pull off shocking upsets, just like Princeton did in its run to the Sweet 16 last year. It’s way too early to talk about March when the Ivy League season hasn’t even started. But a win over Villanova — in which the Quakers showed scoring potential and held on defensively — is very promising.

It should give this team newfound confidence going forward and a real chance at an Ivy League title.

The energy — both in the second half and after the game when fans stormed the court — was something new that hadn’t filled the Palestra in a while. The Quakers are starting to prove why it was wrong to count them out this season, following the departure of their top scorer. Penn is finding a new identity, one that may take them to a new and exciting destination.

“There's a lot going on in this world. But [the Palestra] is where we come and watch the Quakers, and rejoice. We did that [Monday]. I think these guys feel really good that they provided their students with that,” Donahue said.

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VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 28

PALESTRA

PANDEMONIUM

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Fans stormed the court after Penn men’s basketball’s upset over Villanova on Nov. 13.

Men’s basketball stuns No. 21 Villanova 76-72 Freshman guard Tyler Perkins led the Quakers in points, and posed for photos as fans stormed the court postgame CALEB CRAIN Sports Editor

Teams show their true colors when the stakes are the highest, and the lights are the brightest.

Even though it’s still November, Penn men’s basketball showed up Monday night, as the Quakers (3-1) defeated Villanova (2-1) for the program’s biggest win in multiple seasons.

“I told these guys to come here and this is what they

dreamed of,” coach Steve Donahue said. “Then to walk out and perform and have the campus basically running onto the court, it’s why you play college basketball.”

While the game’s outcome wasn’t certain until the final seconds, Penn pulled out to an early lead and never let it go, ultimately being ahead for over 35 minutes of game time, while the Wildcats led for under a minute.

From the tipoff, the game looked like it would be a defensive struggle, as the first points did not come after each team played two straight minutes of suffocating defense. After Villanova’s Eric Dixon connected on a three pointer, Penn answered with two of its own to get the packed Palestra crowd roaring.

“I’m just thrilled for these guys, and the campus,”

Donahue said. “I always say that the Palestra is the front porch of our university. This is a place where we come and watch the Quakers and rejoice and come together.

We did that tonight, and I think these guys feel really good that they provided their students with that.”

Continued on page 6.

Men’s soccer falls on penalties to Brown in Ivy semifinal Football set to game was tied at two following host Princeton in The overtime, but a trio of missed penalties rivalry game for proved Penn’s undoing the season’s final On a cold Friday night along the banks of the Schuylkill showdown River at Penn Park, Penn men’s soccer (7-3-6, 4-1-2 Ivy) TUNA SAGDAN Sports Reporter

The Quakers will be celebrating Senior Day and hope to repeat last year’s victory over the Tigers EASHWAR KANTEMNENI Sports Associate

Last November, 7-2 Penn football made the 45-minute trek north to face its bitter rivals, 8-1 Princeton, as 14.5point underdogs. The Red and Blue had just suffered a sizable defeat to Harvard at home, all but ending their Ivy League title hopes. Princeton, on the other hand, was seeking to capture its third Ancient Eight crown in four seasons. Despite the spread and pregame predictions, Penn proved to be no pushover, playing for its pride as the team marched 72 yards down the field to score a gamewinning touchdown. Although the Quakers themselves could not secure a piece of the Ivy title, as Yale defeated Harvard the same day, they found their joy in preventing their archenemy from having one, too.

Fast forward nearly one year later, and both programs are playing for the same thing: pride. Neither of their 2023 campaigns has gone the way they’ve hoped. For Penn (6-3, 3-3 Ivy), lofty preseason hopes of their first conference title in seven years were completely extinguished in a gut-wrenching 25-23 defeat at Harvard last Saturday. The Tigers (4-5, 3-3) share a similar story, as they, too, suffered close losses to Brown and Dartmouth, and lost their title hopes in an overtime 36-28 loss to Yale last week. Both teams are 3-3 in conference play, but the chance to end their rival’s season with a loss will undoubtedly be the driving force of their play Saturday afternoon.

The game will likely come down to which team wins in the trenches. Princeton currently boasts the top-ranked scoring defense in the Ivy League, only conceding 16.8 points per game, and are strong in defending both the See FOOTBALL, page 7 SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

faced off against Brown (5-4-8, 2-0-5) in the semifinals of the Ivy League Tournament. By the time the game ended nearly three hours after the first kick, the night was even chillier, as the Quakers fell 2(2)-2(3) in penalty kicks following a tense, back-and-forth affair.

From the opening kickoff, Brown was on the offensive, applying consistent pressure and forcing two corner kicks in the first 10 minutes. However, the Quakers managed to keep a strong defense against these early set piece chances.

For these efforts, Brown used the left wing and midfielder Kojo Dadzie very frequently.

Penn attack tried to go out with counterattacks and the link-up plays established by junior forward Stas Korzeniowski. The Quakers had their first corner at the 16th minute, and started to gain control of the game with a 20th-minute freekick and a possible goal chance at the 25th minute when Korzeniowski managed to pass the ball into the box, but was denied by Brown’s goalkeeper Hudson Blatteis.

“Tonight’s game was a battle from start to finish,” coach Brian Gill said. “It had a very intense playoff feeling, which is what we could only hope for.”

As the clock wound toward halftime, each team had chances, but neither could capitalize, and the ball found its way to the hands of Blatteis as the halftime horn sounded.

Despite the score still locked at 0-0, each team had managed one shot on goal. The Quakers held an overall shots advantage of 5-2, but Brown had four corners to Penn’s one.

For 25 minutes, the second half was much like the first.

Both teams had energy and traded attacks, with scoring chances few and far between. But all this changed in the 71st minute when the Quakers won a corner kick. After the original ball was deflected outside of the box, Korzeniowski headed it back in, where junior midfielder Leo Burney found the back of the net with an incredible bicycle kick.

But Brown wasn’t done, and with a newfound energy the Bears started to attack and gain control of the ball. As the game approached the last 10 minutes, the Bears tightened their grip on the game and kept solid possession of the ball. The Quakers tried to bounce back with counterattacks, but without a second goal to clinch victory, the

PHOTO BY CHENYAO LIU

Members of men’s soccer after their loss against Brown in the Ivy Tournament semifinal on Nov. 10.

Bears still had a chance.

That chance paid off with an 88th-minute cross by Charlie Adams and a header by Levi Pillar, which ricocheted off the bar and into the back of the net as the Bears equalized the game. After two more minutes of the game, in which freshman goalkeeper Phillip Falcon made a leaping save to prevent a winner, regulation was over and overtime would commence with the teams tied 1-1.

Halfway through the first added period, Penn got one of its best chances, as a shot by senior midfielder Michael Hewes narrowly missed the goal. On the ensuing counter, it was the Bears who were successful, as Scott Gustafson scored on a sudden but lethal shot from the left side. After being just a few minutes from victory, Penn now found itself needing a goal to force penalties and stave off defeat.

Roles were reversed at the beginning of the second overtime, as it was Penn who had just 10 minutes in order to score and continue their hopes for the season. The Quakers started the period with passion. After a throw-in at the 102nd minute, the duo from the first goal showed up again, but this time the roles were reversed. After a pass from Burney, Korzeniowski headed the ball to the top left corner of the goal and equalized the game for the Quakers.

With the season on the line, both teams gave it everything they had. At the 106th minute, the Bears attacked from the right wing and managed to get inside the box. A tackle by senior midfielder Mateo Zazueta missed the ball, and the Bears got a penalty.

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As Dadzie approached the penalty spot, the tension was palpable. The fate of both the Quakers and the Bears depended on one kick. In the blink of an eye, the spectators saw Falcon live up to his name and fly to the left side of the goal, saving the penalty, and potentially his team from elimination.

After a few more minutes, the teams were locked, and headed to penalties. Ninety minutes couldn’t decide the game, and neither could 20 more. Now, this match’s result — and Penn’s fate — would come down to a series of kicks from the spot.

Each team made its first try, missed its second, and made its third. But in the fourth round, the Brown goalkeeper blocked the attempt by Burney, and Lorenzo Amaral scored for the Bears, making it 3-2 for Brown. In the fifth round, junior midfielder Aaron Messer’s attempt missed high, and the game was over.

“These games with tight margins are always close, and unfortunately for us, it didn’t go our way,” Gill said.

“Congratulations to Brown on advancing to the finals.

Hats off to our seniors for the way they played tonight and the impact they have made on our program.”

Brown advanced to the tournament final against Yale, who dispatched Harvard 4-0 earlier in the evening, which they lost 2-1. But for Penn — the Ancient Eight’s regular season champions and the tournament’s No. 1 seed — this loss marks the end of the Ivy League season.

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