November 2, 2023

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PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 26

Faculty, students receive violent threats after involvement in pro-Palestinian demonstrations Several community members said they received threats to their personal safety via email and social media DIAMY WANG AND ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporter and Contributing Reporter

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

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with several Penn community members who have received threats to their personal safety via email and social media from undisclosed individuals after they publicly voiced their support of Palestinians. These threats come after recent demonstrations held on campus over the last two weeks in solidarity with Palestinians on Oct. 16, Oct. 18, and Oct. 25.

A Penn professor who spoke at one of the pro-Palestinian rallies on Penn's campus, who was granted anonymity due to fear of retaliation, told the DP she had received a violent death threat and multiple harassing messages via email. She said she subsequently reported these threats to members of the Penn administration but did not receive messaging from higher-level administrators.

“I received one line from the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and a longer follow-up from the humanities dean, but nothing from the president and the provost,” the professor said.

Administrators at the School of Arts and Sciences told the DP that they had received notice of the threats.

“The Dean’s office is aware of these troubling incidents, and as it does in any situation where the safety of a member of our community is threatened, has made Penn’s Division of Public Safety aware of them immediately," SAS Dean Steven Fluharty and Associate Dean for Arts and Letters Jeffrey Kallberg wrote to the DP. "The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is of foremost importance."

The same professor highlighted the importance and impact of the University’s statements. Penn President Liz Magill’s second statement to the Penn community since the start of ongoing violence in the region did not mention Israel's ongoing siege and airstrikes in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack — which have contributed to a mounting death toll of Palestinian civilians — or the toll of the conflict on Palestinian students on campus.

“It is necessary for the administration at Penn to See THREATS, page 2

PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI

Penn President Liz Magill hosted a fireside chat during Family Weekend on Oct. 27.

Penn announces University-wide action plan to combat antisemitism Some students commend the plan, while others are waiting to see follow-through or stronger commitment to addressing Islamophobia SAYA DESAI, JONAH MILLER, EMILY SCOLNICK, AND JESSICA WU Senior Reporters and Staff Reporters

President Liz Magill announced a Universitywide action plan to combat antisemitism following significant donor backlash and safety concerns after on-campus incidents.

The plan — announced in an email from President Liz Magill to the Penn community on Wednesday ­— is anchored by the United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism and commits to several steps to improve safety and security, engagement, and education on campus.

Penn’s announcement garnered support with some

skepticism from members of the Penn community and its donors.

The plan comes as many high-profile donors and alumni continue to criticize the administration for its response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and the escalating violence between Hamas and Israel.

“Across the country and world, we are witnessing pernicious acts of antisemitism, including on college and university campuses,” Magill wrote. “I am appalled by incidents on our own campus, and I’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories from those who are fearful for their safety right here at Penn.”

As part of the plan, Penn will launch a new task force on antisemitism chaired by Mark Wolff, the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the School of Dental Medicine, which will meet this month.

Penn also announced a presidential commission to address the “interconnectedness of antisemitism and other forms of hate” faced by Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab communities.

This commission will be chaired by Vijay

Penn fossil fuel investments violate state law, activists say in complaint to Pennsylvania attorney general The complaint calls on the attorney general to investigate the Board of Trustees’ conduct, ordering them to end all direct and indirect investments in fossil fuels ELEA CASTIGLIONE, MAIA SAKS, AND NICHOLAS MAHARAJ Staff Reporter and Contributing Reporters

Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Katharine Strunk, dean of the Graduate School of Education.

“I know that our Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab communities feel unseen and that their pain and grief have not been acknowledged,” Magill wrote.

“They have also been targeted with harassment and horrific threats. This is unacceptable and must be addressed with equal vigor.”

Penn outlined several additional immediate and longer term action steps, including a review of existing safety and security for Penn-affiliated religious life centers in and around campus. Penn also reiterated its progress on reviewing the process by which groups external to Penn can reserve space and host events on campus — first announced in a letter Magill sent to the Anti-Defamation League in September.

Citing a desire to deepen its engagement with the Jewish community, Penn will establish a task force See ANTISEMITISM, page 2

School of Veterinary Medicine first year Natalie Kim died Oct. 23 Kim earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Swarthmore College and taught violin during high school IMRAN SIDDIQUI Senior Reporter

PHOTO BY ETHAN YOUNG

College senior Katie Francis spoke at Fossil Free Penn’s press conference on College Green on Oct. 30.

Divestment activists filed a legal complaint with Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry on Monday, arguing that Penn's Board of Trustees is violating state law by investing in the fossil fuel industry.

The complaint, written by Fossil Free Penn and obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, argues that the Board of Trustees violated its fiduciary duties outlined in state law by investing a portion of Penn’s SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

$21 billion endowment in the fossil fuel industry. It calls on the attorney general's office to investigate the Board of Trustees' conduct and order them to end all direct and indirect investments in fossil fuels.

“The privileges that Penn enjoys as a nonprofit institution come with the responsibility to ensure that its resources are put to socially beneficial ends," the complaint, which was filed in Harrisburg today, reads. "By investing millions in fossil fuel stocks,

Penn has violated these duties to the public."

Student groups at five other universities — including the University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis, Tufts University, Pomona College, and Pennsylvania State University — also filed complaints to their state’s attorneys general today. Over 150 Penn faculty, alumni, student

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See FOSSIL FUEL, page 2

School of Veterinary Medicine first year Natalie Kim died on Oct. 23.

Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma and Dean Andrew M. Hoffman notified the Penn Vet community of Kim's death in an email sent on Oct. 27, on behalf of President Liz Magill and Provost John Jackson. The email included Kim's obituary which was provided by the family.

According to the family's GoFundMe, Kim's family is raising money for animals in need at Town & Country Veterinary Hospital in Media, where Kim worked for over five years.

Before coming to Penn, Kim — a native of Bryn Mawr, Pa. — earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Swarthmore College in May 2022. Previously, she played principal viola in Swarthmore’s orchestra and taught violin during high school.

In the email, Penn administrators wrote that students were invited to a support session with university resources on Oct. 27, and Student Health and Counseling, including Penn Vet’s embedded clinician, Heather Frost, will remain available for free and confidential support.

"Penn is a supportive community, and we are here for each other through challenging situations," the email read. "We know that grief can affect people in various ways. Now and always, Penn stands with you, and we want to support you."

CONTACT US: 215-422-4640

2 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

THREATS, from FRONT PAGE

PHOTO BY ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL

Around 200 Penn and Drexel community members participated in a national student walkout in support of Palestine on Oct. 25.

say that they support everybody on campus,” the professor said. "They must name Palestinians, Arabs — Palestinians, particularly — and their allies."

Another Penn faculty member involved with the pro-Palestinian demonstrations, who was granted anonymity due to safety concerns, has also received threats via email and has expressed concern for their family and personal well-being.

“I feel I want to say more, but I am afraid for my family’s well-being, for my own well-being as a [parent] who has a daughter, and responsibilities towards both my partner and my daughter,” the faculty member wrote in a statement to the DP. The faculty member also criticized the University for not adequately supporting those who feel unsafe.

“Maybe if UPenn and Liz Magill addressed [these threats] openly, we would feel more safe,” the faculty member wrote. "But again the University has

failed to offer us any words of sympathy, so we don’t expect that they will offer us any practical steps to ensure our safety."

The nature and source of the threats have not been specified to the DP at this time out of caution for the personal safety of those involved and legal concerns.

In a statement on Oct. 18, Magill warned that hate speech and violence are not tolerated on campus, expressing support for peaceful protests and the University's support of free speech.

“Penn will not tolerate and will take immediate action against any incitement to violence or, of course, actual violence,” Magill wrote.

Karen Redrobe, a professor of Cinema and Media Studies who was involved in the pro-Palestinian demonstration on Oct. 16, said she has not received any threats nor hate mail but said that

many faculty members who spoke at the rallies have.

“There are some serious threats to the very possibility of the University as a space of true learning on the table at the moment, and I believe we must do everything we can to protect academic freedom,” Redrobe wrote to the DP. Some students also alleged that they have been harassed for their pro-Palestinian support.

Hilah Kohen, a Ph.D. student in the Comparative Literature and Literary Theory program, shared with the DP that they, alongside other Jews who have supported Palestinian, have been the target of harassment.

“My Palestinian friends and non-Zionist Jewish friends on campus have been the ones offering peer-to-peer solace and support while administrators have publicly pretended we don't exist,” Kohen

said.

Another student who participated in at least one of the Palestinian walkouts, who requested anonymity for fear of safety, wrote that they “have not faced any harassment or targeting yet, although there are currently fears of doxxing going around.”

Harun Küçük, a History and Sociology of Science professor and faculty director of the Middle East Center, told the DP that he has been collecting reports of harassment from students and faculty.

Küçük said that many of the messages labeled the Palestinian supporters as antisemitic, both via email and on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. He added that many Jewish people who have been involved with or supported either the Palestine Writes Literature Festival or the rallies in solidarity with Palestinian have been called “self-hating Jews.”

“That kind of attitude is partly because the administration has not said anything positive about these protests,” Küçük said.

Beyond these instances, Küçük said there have been “more disturbing things” in the "violent" and "threatening" emails sent to faculty and students.

Küçük also said that it is not trivial that many of the targets for these threats have been women of color.

Küçük said that although many people have now sent these threats to Division of Public Safety, faculty members, and students did not originally feel comfortable reporting them because they did not feel supported by the University.

“Public Safety provides support resources to anyone who feels their personal safety is threatened," DPS wrote in response to a request for comment.

"You may contact DPS through our PennComm Emergency Center at 215-573-3333 or by calling our Special Services Department at 215-898-6600. A reminder of additional support resources on campus, including Wellness at Penn and the Office of the Chaplain, listed below."

The faculty members expressed that the lack of satisfactory action to respond to the threats contributes to a feeling of exclusion from the administration. "[The administration] should do a better job of making the faculty feel like they belong," Küçük said. "So far there is basically a good section of the faculty that [Penn] doesn't really care about, and that's really no way to be for an institution like this."

ANTISEMITISM, from FRONT PAGE on antisemitism, constituting a student advisory group focused on the Jewish student experience, and partnering with organizations such as the American Jewish Committee.

“President Magill is providing critical leadership here, at a time when it is absolutely essential to clearly communicate, in word and deed, that antisemitism will not be tolerated at Penn, and the security and safety of our community is a priority,” 1979 College graduate and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Julie Platt wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Several students commended the plan for supporting Jewish students.

“I’m very concerned by the rise in antisemitism on college campuses and around the world right now,” College senior Jack Starobin told the DP. College senior Ariella Linhart, who is heavily involved with Jewish life on campus through the Orthodox Community at Penn and Penn Hillel, said it was “wonderful” that Magill released the statement, but is skeptical if it actually will lead to action.

In the plan, Magill described Penn as having a “long history of being an especially welcoming place for

Jewish people,” while condemning recent antisemitic incidents around campus this fall.

These incidents include a spray-painted swastika discovered in Meyerson Hall in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and an unknown individual who overturned furniture and vandalized Penn Hillel while shouting antisemitic rhetoric.

Following these antisemitic incidents, Penn administrators pledged to take additional steps to protect Jewish students.

Earlier this month, a vacant property run by Campus Apartments — next door to the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity chapter house at 4040 Walnut St. — was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti on Oct. 20. Division of Public Safety previously wrote to the DP in a statement that they will investigate the incident as “a potential hate crime.”

Following the festival and Penn’s response to the Hamas attack on Israel, several high-profile donors halted their donations to the University, citing disapproval of Penn administration.

Magill has published multiple statements to the University community over the past month, condemning Hamas and emphasizing Penn’s position on

antisemitism. These statements have received mixed reactions from community members.

Many Penn students and faculty have pushed back against initial University statements for not mentioning the ongoing violence against Palestinians in the region or the toll of the conflict on Palestinian students on campus.

In addition to multiple rallies in support of Israel, hundreds of community members have rallied in solidarity with Palestinians and criticized the administration for its lack of engagement with Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students.

Starobin said that Magill’s silence on Palestinian students’ rights to safety and respect “raise[s] alarm bells.”

While Penn plans to create a presidential commission, it is unclear if the University will announce a comprehensive action plan of the same scale to address Islamophobia on campus. As part of its antisemitism action plan, Penn will address other forms of hate and hire a new administrator with a skill set to prevent and respond to antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate.

“I think there’s definitely been a lot of hate coming towards Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students who

are speaking out or doing anything remotely in support of Palestine, so I appreciate Liz Magill for really highlighting that in her statement,” Wharton senior and Muslim Student Association President Rayane Taroua said.

College sophomore Selma Farsakh Ulm praised Magill for acknowledging the difficulty of being Palestinian at Penn, saying.

“I assume it’s not going to be enough, but I’m glad that she’s making the first right steps in regards to it,” Ulm said.

Faculty members and students previously told the DP that they have received violent threats as a result of their participation and involvement in these demonstrations.

“As we move forward with this important work, we will ensure that our programmatic efforts consider the interconnectedness between antisemitism and other forms of hate, including Islamophobia, so that we are fostering a welcoming community for all,” Magill wrote.

Staff Reporter Diamy Wang and Contributing Reporter Ethan Young contributed reporting.

FOSSIL FUEL, from FRONT PAGE groups, Philadelphia organizations, and national and international organizations signed the complaint against Penn's Board of Trustees.

In response to a request for comment, a Penn spokesperson pointed the DP to a statement made last November where Penn said that it no longer holds any direct investments in fossil fuel companies or the 200 companies whose reserves contain the largest amount of potential carbon emissions.

"We must move away from fossil fuels, but we can only do so completely once we can produce abundant, affordable, and secure energy from carbon-free sources," Penn President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok wrote last year.

In November 2021, the University pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

"The Trustees have thoughtfully reviewed requests to divest from fossil fuels," the spokesperson wrote to the DP. The attorney general's office declined to comment.

The 67-page complaint — written with guidance from pro bono lawyers from the Climate Defense Project — argues that the Trustees’ continued investment in fossil fuels violates the fiduciary duties outlined in the Pennsylvania Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries Code and Nonprofit Law, or Title 20.

Under Title 20, the Board of Trustees has a fiduciary responsibility to invest with consideration of the University’s "charitable purposes.” This duty distinguishes nonprofit institutions from other investors.

The complaint says that addressing "the harms that are created by climate change" is part of Penn's charitable mission because the University is engaged in work to address the climate crisis. For example, Penn has demonstrated that it understands its responsibility to play a role in addressing the climate crisis through initiatives like the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan.

However, “the Trustees have repeatedly refused to apply Penn’s values to its investment activity," according to the complaint.

'By investing in fossil fuels, they’re directly contravening their charitable purposes, in a way that's particularly pronounced for these organizations

might not be the case for other nonprofits that are not so focused or don't talk so publicly about dealing with climate change," Ted Hamilton, a staff attorney at the Climate Defense Project, said.

The complaint also accused the Board of Trustees of neglecting its legal duty to manage Penn’s assets with prudence, since long-term ownership of fossil fuel assets is becoming increasingly risky.

The complaint does not state the exact amount that the University has invested in fossil fuels, but it estimates that the amount is similar to the level of investment among other Ivy League universities.

At a press conference about the complaint held on College Green on Monday, College sophomore and Fossil Free Penn coordinator Eliana Atienza said the Board of Trustees should stop generating money at the expense of students and communities jeopardized by climate change.

“Hopefully, this divestment complaint will open up an avenue of discourse that allows Penn to be not only at par with their peers, but exceed them,” Atienza told the DP. Around 20 Penn community members — including representatives from Penn’s Young Democratic Socialists of America, Students for the Preservation of Chinatown, and the Coalition to Save the University City Townhomes — attended the conference.

“We are fighting to survive, fighting to build a livable world, one where we can talk about our future in terms of ‘when’ and not ‘if,'" College senior and representative of Penn's chapter of YDSA Taja Mazaj said.

FFP members worked on writing and drafting the complaint starting last spring. The general outline of the complaint came from the CDP, which has previously worked with student activist groups on university campuses to create school-specific legal strategies for climate goals based on state laws that delineate the conduct of charities or nonprofit investors.

Similar complaints have been filed by student groups at other universities, including students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University. That complaint argued that university investments in fossil fuels do not act in

PHOTO BY ETHAN YOUNG

Sheldon Davids, a member of the People’s Townhomes Resident Council, spoke at the rally organized by Fossil Free Penn on Oct. 30.

accordance with their charitable purposes as tax-exempt educational nonprofits outlined in the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act. Pennsylvania is the only state that has not adopted UPMIFA. College junior and FFP member Eug Xu said that FFP decided to take this legal approach following its previous activism, after which Penn administration asked FFP to pursue its goals through legal means.

“Now we are quite literally pursuing the most legal route that one can take towards fossil fuel divestment, which is filing a legal claim," Xu said.

Still, Hamilton said that this approach to divestment is a relatively new legal strategy. The provisions about investing within the bounds of charitable purposes have not been commonly used, Hamilton said, citing conversations with attorneys general.

In the long term, Hamilton said he hopes a legal

consensus will emerge that the law mandates against investments in fossil fuels. In the short term, he said that this legal strategy has applied pressure to schools that has sometimes led them to divest.

College senior and FFP coordinator Katie Francis said the organization will pursue a "long series of tactics" with the "ultimate goal" of getting Penn to divest fully.

It is now the attorney general's responsibility to determine whether Penn has violated the law. If such a determination is made, it would set a precedent for universities and nonprofits that they cannot promote activities that harm the climate, Hamilton said.

"As a nonprofit in an educational institution, the Board of Trustees must be guided by their charitable purposes and their academic responsibility to humanity,” Francis said at the press conference. “This is not only morally responsible; it is legally required.”

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

NEWS 3

all deserve to be heard and respected. But hateful AAUP-Penn says wespeech has no place at Penn," a quote from Magill reads on a Penn website titled "Supporting our Comacademic freedom munity."

The group of faculty wrote that the backlash from donors and trustees and their call to action, which ‘impaired’ by entailed shutting down the festival as a whole, challenged the core principles of academic freedom.

The statement said that such backlash has had a admin. response “chilling effect” on teaching and research and has deterred involved faculty from having their departto Palestine ment, program, or center named in the statement for fear of “further attack.”

The statement included a critique of the UniverWrites, Israelsity's response to the two vigils that took place this month on campus. Earlier this month, a crowd of Hamas war nearly 200 members of the Penn community joined

Their statement criticized Liz Magill’s “repeated association of the conference with antisemitism and with terroristic violence” VIDYA PANDIARAJU AND ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporter and Contributing Reporter

The Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors said that fundamental academic functionings have been "impaired" by administrators and donors' response to the ongoing violence in Gaza and Israel and the Palestine Writes Literature Festival.

The statement — which was published on Saturday by the AAUP-Penn's executive committee — sharply criticized the alleged "erasure" of Palestinians and an absence of faculty consultation about some parts of the University's response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which was hosted on Penn’s campus this September.

AAUP-Penn commended Penn's decision to allow the event to go forward without disruption amid donor and trustee backlash but criticized President Liz Magill’s “repeated association of the conference with antisemitism and with terroristic violence."

The statement said that due to the University’s response to the festival, “departments experienced violations of academic freedom in their classrooms.”

For example, AAUP-Penn wrote that the “unilateral change” to eliminate the requirement for students in some Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department courses to attend parts of the Palestine Writes festival was made with no direct consultation with the faculty involved. The chapter added that it was a “clear violation of academic freedom,” as it took away the faculty’s freedom to make decisions regarding curricular matters.

Harun Küçük, a History and Sociology of Science professor, AAUP member, and faculty director of the Middle East Center, confirmed that no one from either the Middle East Center or NELC was consulted on the decision to change course requirements.

AAUP-Penn also accused Magill's statements on the violence of leading to "instances of discrimination that are painful to recount" and called for the removal of trustees who have issued threats to members of the community.

In response to a request for comment, a University spokesperson confirmed that Penn received AAUP-Penn's letter on Saturday and was planning to schedule a meeting with the organization "as a first step."

"We share AAUP-Penn’s desire to keep all members of our community safe, as well as its commitment to academic freedom," the spokesperson wrote.

Magill has addressed the Penn community multiple times about the Palestine Writes festival and the Israel-Hamas war. She has warned that hate speech and violence are not tolerated and condemned antisemitism while stating that the University has a responsibility to uphold academic free speech.

“We are all members of the Penn community, and

together for a vigil in solidarity with Israel organized

by Penn Hillel and attended by Magill.

AAUP-Penn accused Penn of not having a parallel response to the vigil acknowledging the death of Palestinian civilians in the same conflict, and wrote that the Penn Arab Student Society “only felt safe convening a vigil at 9:00 p.m. in the basement of Houston Hall.”

“I've talked to students, and I know that they don't feel good about it. They're like, 'Why are we not accepted like our pro-Israeli students are?'” Küçük said in regards to these differing responses, which he said left students feeling “hurt” and “slighted.”

Earlier this month, Penn's chair of the Wharton Board of Advisors, Marc Rowan, called for Magill and University Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok to resign. Notable donors such as Jon Huntsman Jr. and Ronald Lauder are among those to "close their checkbooks," citing dissatisfaction with University administration’s response to antisemitism on campus both in regards to the Palestine Writes festival and the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas.

The AAUP-Penn statement recommended the removal of the trustees and members of advisory boards who have threatened members of the University community and academic programs within Penn. AAUP-Penn said that they have “violated the Guidelines on Open Expression, to which they are expressly bound."

“This University has certain guidelines,” Küçük said. “Faculty, students, staff, they're expected to uphold those values and the ideas. The trustees and the advisory board should also adhere to the same rules.”

Some trustees and members of the advisory boards, Küçük continued, have already “breached the rules really badly.”

The AAUP-Penn statement also said that the University’s response to the situation has catalyzed “targeted harassment from within and beyond” the community, allegedly from students as well. The statement read that the targets of this behavior have told administration but have not received an “adequate” response.

Last week, in response to recent events, the Faculty Senate Tri-Chairs — composed of professors Tulia Falleti, Eric Feldman, and Vivian Gadsden, who serve as the chair, chair-elect, and past chair, respectively — expressed their support for academic freedom.

“We stand in solidarity with all University of Pennsylvania faculty, staff, and students whose research, work, or study has been affected by the recent efforts of intimidation,” the statement from the Tri-Chairs read.

The Penn chapter of the AAUP said it “stands with the tri-chairs of the Penn Faculty Senate."

“What academic freedom does is that it gives you room to explore; it gives you room to debate things openly, robustly, and if necessary in public," Küçük said. "Without this, you have no chance of finding the truth of something,."

He encouraged the University to take the appropriate steps to diffuse tensions on campus before they did anything else.

“I just hope that things get better for the campus community — because right now, everybody's feeling isolated,” Küçük said.

PHOTO BY MOLLIE BENN

The new Target store intended to open on 37th and Chestnut streets has been canceled.

Target cancels plans for location near campus despite ongoing construction The addition to the Mason on Chestnut will still consist of retail space for an unconfirmed tenant JASPER TAYLOR Senior Reporter

A new Target store that was intended to open on 37th and Chestnut streets as part of the Mason on Chestnut apartment complex will no longer open, a Target spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“We routinely assess our current projects and have made the decision to no longer pursue a store in this location," the spokesperson said. "We continue to operate 10 stores in Philadelphia."

The Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the addition to the Mason, a 14-story student apartment building, on July 8 of last year, Executive Director Jon Farnham previously wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Construction of the addition is nearing completion.

While the plans for a Target are canceled, the addition will still consist of retail space for an unconfirmed tenant, Alterra managing partner Leo Addimando told the Inquirer.

The Mason was recently renovated and was originally built in the 1960s. It was formerly known as International House and previously served as a University City hub for international students.

The building is currently owned by New Yorkbased developer CSC Co-Living. After buying the property in 2020, CSC renovated all 409 apartments in the complex in coordination with Alterra Property Group.

Neither CSC Co-Living nor Alterra Property Group responded to requests for comment.

Project renderings show that the retail addition to the Mason will consist of a new building on the west side of the existing building. Construction of the new building is currently underway and began in October of 2022. An opening for the new Target was yet to be announced.

The building permit shows that the new building will cost $6.5 million and will take up 18,199 square feet.

Project plans state that the “design concept for the new addition is intended to contrast with the historic structure while also providing aesthetic continuity between the two buildings.”

According to the Inquirer, the new building has yet to secure a new tenant following Target’s departure and the reason for the cancellation is unknown.

Target previously closed a Center City location at 12th and Chestnut streets in May. The Rittenhouse Square location at 19th and Chestnut streets will remain the closest to Penn’s campus.

The construction is one of the current projects underway in University City. It joins the ongoing redevelopment of McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut streets into a new mixed-use office building. The new space will also occupy a prime location in a hub for life sciences and research.

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

Wellness at Penn will offer the new COVID-19 booster shot to members of the Penn community.

While the government formerly purchased and Wellness at Penn supplied vaccines, the government ceased to cover vaccines’ costs for the public following the repeal of federal COVID-19 public health emergency. The to host COVID-19 the updated vaccines will remain free for Penn commuwith major-medical health insurance. booster clinic next nityThemembers vaccines are available to all Penn students, staff, faculty, and postdocs. Recipients are required to register for an appointment to receive a vaccinaweek following tion ahead of time, and may do so here.

Attendees may list a preference of the Pfizer or new vaccine Moderna vaccines, though the Novavax vaccine will not be available. Sunray — Wellness at Penn’s local partner pharmacy — will also be able to provide the approval flu vaccine to attendees.

Vaccines will be offered on-site at Wellness at Penn’s medical care office from Nov. 8 until Nov. 10 BEN BINDAY Senior Reporter

Wellness at Penn will provide free COVID-19 boosters to members of the Penn community next week in partnership with a local pharmacy.

Wellness at Penn previously recommended the new boosters, which are currently only produced by Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, for all members of the Penn community. The new boosters are designed to target the Omicron variant XBB.1.5., the current dominant strain of the virus, as well as similar strains.

Vaccines will be offered on-site at Wellness at Penn’s medical care office — located at 3535 Market St. — from Nov. 8 until Nov. 10. The vaccines will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 8-9, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 10.

The new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 11, and the Novavax vaccine was approved on Oct. 3 of this year. The Centers of PHOTO BY ABHIRAM JUVVADI Disease Control and Prevention also recommended The A AUP-Penn criticized the University’s response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival the new vaccines. amid donor and trustee backlash.

As a result of the end of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, attendees must also provide health insurance information at the time of registration and should input the information found on their insurance card. University health insurance plans such as the Penn Student Insurance Plan — as well as most other plans — cover the booster at no cost.

Ashlee Halbritter, Wellness at Penn’s executive director of public health and well-being, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the on-campus COVID-19 case count remains substantially lower than last year despite a “slight bump” following fall break. She said getting vaccinated now will help protect community members ahead of the holiday season.

“We absolutely strongly recommend that all students consider getting a flu and COVID-19 vaccine especially ahead of all of the winter holidays, if not only to protect themselves but to continue to protect their family members who may be elderly or may be immunocompromised,” Halbritter said.

Halbritter added that, while Penn community members getting vaccinated will help prevent an increase in on-campus cases, it remains too early in the pandemic to establish seasonal trends of COVID-19 spread.

“The seasonality of COVID-19 does not have any sort of predictable pattern yet, [and] the vaccine is the best way to help prevent a bump on campus that derails academic progress,” Halbritter said.

4 OPINION

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Opinion

139th Year of Publication

THIS YEAR’S BOARD JESSE ZHANG President EMI TUYẾTNHI TRẦN Executive Editor IMRAN SIDDIQUI DP Editor-in-Chief LILIAN LIU Design Editor COLLIN WANG Design Editor JARED MITOVICH News Editor MOLLY COHEN News Editor SAYA DESAI Assignments Editor ALLYSON NELSON Copy Editor JULIA FISCHER Copy Editor ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL Photo Editor CAROLINE MAGDOLEN Opinion Editor KIRA WANG Social Media Editor CALEB CRAIN Sports Editor ALEXIS GARCIA Sports Editor GEORGE BOTROS Video Editor RIANE LUMER Podcast Editor MATTEO BUSTERNA Diversity & Inclusion Director JOSH TRENCHARD Business Manager GRACE DAI Analytics Director MADISON SMITH Marketing Manager KRISTEN LI Product Manager AKANKSHA TRIPATHY Consulting Manager ZAIN QURESHI Finance Manager

THIS ISSUE’S TEAM SOPHIA LIU Deputy Design Editor JOSEPHINE BUCCINI Deputy Design Editor

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

‘Never again, for anyone’

GUEST COLUMN | Penn must move past double standards on Israel and Palestine In my final column for The Daily Pennsylvanian as a Penn student earlier this year, I wrote about the connection Penn students and alumni have with one another, and how proud I was to feel accepted as a part of a community that I admired and, in a sense, idealised so much. But these past few weeks, what has scared and saddened me is that that unity and togetherness has been lost. Even from an ocean away, I’ve heard and seen accounts which contradict all that Penn stands for: tense and stand-offish demonstrations on campus and online, students and faculty being scared to speak out for fear of death threats or doxxing, and especially my Israeli, Arab, Muslim and Jewish friends feeling scared for their safety after a vicious spike in Islamophobia and antisemitism across the West. I have reached out to as many of them as I can to express my solidarity and empathy in a time that I can only imagine the difficulty of.

The facts on the ground are nothing short of harrowing: thousands of civilians needlessly slaughtered from Hamas’ surprise massacre on Israel, Israel’s unprecedentedly brutal revenge on Gaza, and extrajudicial murders of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in Palestine’s West Bank. There is absolutely no way of justifying any of this as either effective resistance or as a strictly 'defensive' measure. And yes, there are equally condemnable extremists purporting to defend both Palestinians and Israelis: those who cheer Hamas’ terrorism on innocent Israelis, and those who suggest that Palestine be flattened and turned into a parking lot. It is imperative that Penn, as a community, stands up against this hatred and violence wherever we see it.

But the troubling part of this is that frankly, we haven’t. Vigils in solidarity with Israel are publicly emphasised and attended by President Liz Magill, whose statements have expressed the empathy and support that Jewish students deserve while neglecting to even address the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim members of our community, who are also in unfathomable pain as a result of this conflict (despite these efforts, Magill has still been widely criticised for failing to sufficiently combat antisemitism). Vigils supporting Palestinian victims, meanwhile, are sidelined into basements and publicly mischaracterised as calling for Jewish genocide. While the DP has rightfully been able to publish multiple columns supporting Israeli and Jewish students, I feel the need to lend my voice to the Palestinian, Arab and

PHOTO BY ALEX BAXTER

Guest columnist Alex Baxter reflects on the impact of the past month on Penn’s sense of unity.

Muslim members of our community, who are too afraid for their own safety to use theirs.

It would be unfair and utterly inaccurate to suggest that those who attend events supporting Israel desire the destruction of Palestine and the slaughter of its citizens. So why is it that Palestinian activists and students feel the need to first distance themselves from the reverse views before they feel welcome to express their pain, their suffering, their solidarity? Though everyone with ethnocultural affiliation with the area feels horrified and unsafe and desperately desires peace, it is inexcusably hypocritical that some of us feel unable to speak lest we receive not just backlash, but threats on our own and our family’s lives.

This plays into larger double standards, which plague the discourse around the issue.

Fundamentally, and despite how it often seems to be painted, this is not a fair fight. What we’re looking at here is an oppressed and blockaded population, 47% of whom are children, facing a siege from a nuclear-armed superpower. Over 6,000 bombs — almost as many as the United States military ever dropped on Afghanistan over the course of a year — have been dropped on Gaza this month; this includes use of white phosphorus, a chemical weapon also alleged to have been used by Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Innumerable children have lost their homes, parents, families. Internet, electricity, and

water have been knocked out, while sufficient aid is prevented from entering.

The Geneva Convention clearly states that collective punishment is a war crime. Palestinians under no circumstances deserve punishment for the illegal actions of Hamas — a government the vast majority of them were too young to even vote for — any more than Israelis do for the crimes of the IDF. To reemphasise: every single one of the 1,400 innocent lives violently stolen by Hamas, and the over 200 still held hostage by them, is a condemnable and entirely avoidable tragedy. But why do we not turn around and balk at the over 8,000 human beings already slaughtered by Israel, or the thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons without charge, in the same terms — are their lives not worth the same amount to us? Why is it that calling for the peace and protection of innocent civilians on the side which now, as every time, is facing the brunt of deaths in this conflict, suspected of and equated to supporting terrorism and antisemitism? And if Israel, like us, purports to stand for democracy and human rights, why do we look the other way when it commits war crimes rather than holding it to a higher standard?

Where has our empathy, our humanity, our sense of community, gone?

As renowned author and Holocaust survivor Gabor Maté recently made clear, history

did not begin on Oct. 7. The conflict we see today is an extension of a vicious cycle of violence dating back to the “Nakba” 75 years ago, where 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and Israel was founded. Neither that, nor the countless murders since from either side, can ever be justified; everyone should have the right to live in their indigenous homeland in peace.

But we will never help to break that cycle without the collective unity, and the moral and academic integrity, that I have come to know and love Penn for. That requires us coming together to oppose hatred, violence, and war crimes wherever and whenever we see them, not just when they directly affect us. And to paraphrase the hundreds of Jewish activists who took over Grand Central station in New York last week, as well as responding to my friend and former colleague Lexi Boccuzzi’s recent column: “never again” means never again — for anyone. History will not smile upon those who choose to ignore that message.

Let’s make sure we’re not among them.

ALEX BAXTER is a fourth year studying politics, philosophy and economics at the University of Edinburgh. He completed an exchange year at Penn from 2022-23. His email is a.j.g.baxter@sms.ed.ac.uk.

ESTHER LIM Deputy Design Editor

Do you love democracy? Then vote Republican.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI News Photo Editor

THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE | Crossover voting is the key to fighting polarization within a first-past-the-post voting system

KAMELIJA PATOSKA Sports Photo Editor DEREK WONG Opinion Photo Editor DIAMY WANG Deputy Copy Editor CHARLOTTE BOTT Deputy Copy Editor MADDIE PASTORE Deputy Copy Editor LAURA SHIN Deputy Copy Editor WALKER CARNATHAN Deputy Sports Editor EMILY CHANG Deputy Opinion Editor VINAY KHOSLA Deputy Opinion Editor YOMI ABDI Deputy Opinion Editor

You should be voting Republican in 2024.

Of course, not necessarily in the general election — I would never be so crass as to tell you who to vote for — but if you care about politics and the future of the United States enough to vote, care about policy more than political entertainment, or think the country is more divided than in the last half-century, I strongly encourage you to consider voting in the GOP 2024 primaries.

Why? It comes down to a matter of vote maximization. At the time of writing, in the 2024 Presidential Election Democratic Party primary, Joe Biden faces no serious challenger, just as no sitting president for the last 167 years has lost their party’s support.

Thus, since Biden will be on the ticket, if you want to maximize your vote, you should be voting in the GOP primary so you get a say in who else is on the general election ticket.

This voting strategy is universally optimal for incumbent elections — conventional wisdom shows the sway of the incumbency advantage is too important for factors such as campaign donations. By staying and voting in the party of the incumbent, you are losing out on some of your say in the presidential

election under our primary and first-past-thepost system. Let me be clear: This action is not partisan but practical, an inevitability under the current, potentially problematic system of presidential elections. It equally made sense to vote Democrat in the 2020 primary.

Further, if you are a moderate on either side of the political spectrum, it may make sense to consistently vote for the party with which you least agree. Under the current system, primaries determine who is going to be on the general ticket.

For example, imagine a scenario in which one side’s candidates are all just OK to you with one that you like a little better than the others. The other side’s candidates are either totally insane to you or just slightly worse than OK. In these situations — one faced by many moderates — it rationally would make sense for you to vote for the slightly worse than OK candidate in the primary to give yourself a more favorable outlook during the general election.

Critics of this crossover voting strategy in both cases call it party raiding. They say it makes it “almost impossible to run a party” and generally consider it bad faith. Given that

many Americans view members of the other party in an increasingly negative light, some also might be afraid of being publicly registered under the party with which they least agree.

The problem with these criticisms is that they themselves are built upon an idea of polarization. It is not bad faith to join a party one year because the other fails to hold a meaningful primary, which you dislike, and then vote for the candidate you most agree with in an election.

Nor is it bad faith to be registered for the party for which you care more about the outcome of their primary election. Some may say that doing so is just trying to sabotage another candidate, but that assumes you would never vote for the person you voted for in the primary. For example, if you are a moderate left-winger and voted in this election in the GOP primary for Nikki Haley rather than Ron DeSantis or Donald Trump, it should not be assumed, even if you currently prefer Biden to Nikki Haley, who you will be voting for in the general election. There is nearly a full year until then (depending on the primary and when you must register to the party to vote),

and it is theoretically possible that Biden could do something — or something could come to light about his campaign — that would make you prefer the GOP candidate. If that GOP candidate were to be the one you voted for in the primary, this chance is, in theory, even more likely.

While it may practically make sense to be concerned about publicly being registered in a party you disagree with, this fear only enforces polarization. If someone were to ever ask you about it, you could always explain yourself (or mention this article), but you also should not have to. You have a right to a secret ballot.

Please consider registering for the GOP if necessary, voting for the GOP in the 2024 primary, and potentially beyond in order to maximize your hard-fought constitutional right to vote for the candidate you think is most fit to be president of the United States.

SPENCER GIBBS is a College and Engineering junior studying philosophy, politics, and economics and systems engineering from Tallahassee, Fla. His email is sgibb25@upenn.edu.

Why you should vote this year LETTER SUBMISSION Have your own opinion?

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

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

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

GUEST COLUMN | Voting in an off-year election is important, especially this one With recent, concerning decisions by the United States Supreme Court, now — even in an off-year election — is the time to vote on Nov. 7.

Last year, Pennsylvanians elected Democrats up and down the ballot — activist and organizer efforts got Josh Shapiro in the governor’s office and John Fetterman in the Senate.

Next year, we will decide the highest office in the nation.

While off-year elections may not draw as much attention as a presidential or midterm election, they are still important. This November, we decide who determines our most fundamental rights. While most Americans have lost trust in the politically charged and appointed U.S. Supreme Court, voters in Pennsylvania can decide who’s on our highest court, and this year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has a vacancy.

Justices on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court are elected similarly to the governorship — with a simple majority during a general election. We vote on judges not only based on their high recommendation from the Bar Association and other prestigious organizations, but also on their character and ability to

preserve our civil rights.

And with the courts, there’s no greater example of the need to protect our rights than the Donald Trump presidency. In 2020, Trump and his barrage of lawyers attempted a coup not only at the Capitol but also in Pennsylvania. Trump claimed mass election fraud taking place right here in Philadelphia. Elected judges protected our voting rights and tossed out the cases based on their merit — or rather, lack thereof. Still, Trump’s legacy endures with his appointment of three right-wing Supreme Court justices — contributing to a radical conservative court undermining fundamental rights.

If we believe judges should not be riddled with donor controversy, desecrating antidiscrimination law, disempowering the Environmental Protection Agency, and blocking access to reproductive healthcare for millions, then we can’t afford a Republican elected to our Supreme Court.

Judges in Pennsylvania have a great task at hand: upholding the rights of those most marginalized and to represent the will of the people. The U.S. Supreme Court and Trump haven’t borne that responsibility in mind. And

now, on Nov. 7, Republicans are betting Pennsylvanians won’t either.

In the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race, Democratically nominated Superior Court Judge Dan McCaffery is running against the Republican candidate, President Judge Carolyn Carluccio.

McCaffery is highly recommended by the Bar and has a long history as a Pennsylvania judge. He has been vocal on the campaign trail about his staunch support for abortion access and how elected officials should not be “looking for ways to disqualify votes,” gaining the public’s trust that abortion or voting rights will not be on the chopping block.

While Carluccio is similarly recommended by the Bar and has an extensive judicial history, Carluccio has been heavily criticized for allegedly scrubbing her antiabortion views from her website and the public sphere.

McCaffery is largely resourced by unions, a strong representation of his admiration for American workers’ rights.

Carluccio is largely funded by a single Pennsylvania Republican billionaire who has shelled out millions. Carluccio reports

spending more than double that of McCaffery on persuading the election.

McCaffery is endorsed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Clean Water Action, Planned Parenthood, civil rights organizations, and unions across the state.

Carluccio is endorsed by pro-life organizations and a billionaire who shouldn’t hold the power to dictate reproductive rights or the legitimacy of our votes. It should be the people, including yourself, who make these decisions.

Penn Democrats recommend that the Penn community vote for McCaffery and Democrats down the ballot this Nov. 7.

While this year may seem like an off-year, Trump and his far-right political donors are certainly not taking a year off, and you shouldn’t either.

PENN DEMOCRATS is a student-run political organization dedicated to promoting progressive political values on and off campus. For more information on voting, please visit penndems.org.

They can be reached at info@penndems. org.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Behind the letters: Stranglehold of Greek life, the ‘scene’ on campus culture UNHINGED | Penn’s party culture has become a concerning component of status — from the frat house to festivals When I was accepted into Penn, my friends and family were convinced that I would become famous.

I was, after all, going to matriculate at the school where the current American president held the title of Benjamin Franklin Presidential Professor of Practice, and the name etched across my mascara tube now denominated a first-year dorm.

Among the sea of almost 10,000 undergraduate students, I would surely speak with — and maybe even befriend — someone who lived outside of the obscure average person’s life.

During one of many coffee chats that marked my early days as a Quaker, the subject of Penn’s so-called scene arose in my conversation with a fellow first year.

“I know a girl who knows a guy from somewhere in Eastern Europe,” she began. “He snuck into a party and saw several of them.”

My friend was, of course, referring to members of the so-called scene. Students so elusive that no one outside of their immediate circles is aware of their major, dorm room, or oftentimes their existence at all. They’re not among the students we expect to run into on Locust Walk while walking to class.

That evening, I had spent much of my time cloistered in my dorm, binge-watching a Turkish series in the name of immersive language learning. I needed air.

At 1:00 a.m., I made the mindless decision to cross the intersection of 34th and Walnut streets.

It was the brink of the weekend and someone was bound to throw an event coupled with intoxicants on “frat row.”

As I’d expected, the doors to these exclusive socials were strict. These ill-reputed entrance setups varied by host, but guidelines for admission typically range from membership in a well-renowned social circle to following a predetermined dress code.

Ahead of me, a frat brother momentarily left his place beside the crowd manager to address those

of us in line directly. “This,” he made a sweeping gesture, “is my job every week. I know that some of you have never come here.” For a brief moment, our eyes connected.

“Do you know someone inside?” he asked me in what appeared to be a feigned state of sobriety.

I gave him a deadpan look. “Yes.” And I did. I was acquainted with multiple members of this fairly well-regarded fraternity.

However, had he asked me if I’d received the coveted invite to this clearly closed event, my answer wouldn’t have been as confident.

He jabbed at his phone’s keypad and perched on a bench flanking Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Beneath the canopy of leaves formed by trees lining Locust Walk, impassioned students were in various states of undress.

And with that provocative sight, I left.

Clearly, I was yet to obtain the requisite popularity credit to even afford the figurative ticket for entry. As I’ve learned, my depravity wasn’t due to my lack of friends. Rather, I’m from South Carolina. Not the elegant seaside French Quarter of Charleston’s tourist district, but the rural grasslands and middle- to low-income suburbs that constitute much of the state. It makes sense, I suppose. When has the sorority girl ever been from middle America or the former plantations of the Deep South?

In a possible fit of tiredness, I’d deemed Greek life to be the evil underlying human idiocy. To increase even slightly in Penn’s social hierarchy, was I expected to spend evenings abandoning my executive function? Maybe I sound like the “prude” I was deemed to be in middle school, but these are contentious times. With many eyes on us, are we not responsible to uphold at least a guise of dignity off-campus?

And to my dismay, I realized that this culture was adopted by many of Penn’s South AsianAmerican students. These are my people — people that, as Americans themselves, don’t question the authenticity of my Lowcountry slang but can also

PHOTO BY OSCAR VASQUEZ

A row of fraternity houses, located on Spruce Street.

relate to my struggles of applying for an Indian Visa. Nevertheless, I struggled to engage with the community past small talk at the occasional soirée or stage show.

Penn’s South Asia Society annually organizes a “Back 2 School” party at a club venue in Philadelphia’s downtown and Penn Dhamaka, our all-male South Asian dance troupe, recently hosted a postperformance social north of Center City. Per usual, drinks flowed freely at these events. My intent isn’t to signal virtue, but I’m disappointed by how even cultural organizations are complicit in upholding the stratification inherent to party life.

Fraternity and sorority life, as well as the broader scene culture, are undermining the core purpose of a college education — the pursuit of new experiences and connections. Inevitably, my social circle at Penn does not vary much from the socioeconomic demographics of South Carolina.

Clearly, it’s time for us to rethink what it means to truly foster a community that embraces diversity rather than one that perpetuates exclusivity.

While I now consider membership in the scene and all its perks to be a double-edged sword that’s not receiving its due criticism, I don’t think that I will pursue my attempts of confining this lifestyle to being either “good” or “bad.” If the individuals comprising such societies can pursue their self-interests while retaining compassion for their fellow classmates, the intention of forming a sister or brotherhood is almost … wholesome? And in that case, maybe I’ll regret having written this column at all.

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

The Penn Museum should be free for all Philadelphians CHAT WITH CHLOE | Penn Museum’s ticket prices reinforces systematic education inequality

PHOTO BY CHENYAO LIU

Columnist Chloe Chen argues that the Penn Museum should offer free admissions for everyone.

It costs $18 to visit the Penn Museum.

The general admission for adults may seem like pocket change to some, but is a luxury for many.

Families that are trying to save money will not see dropping close to $20 per person ($16 if you’re 65 and older, $13 if you’re 6-17 or a college student) as a great deal for a fun weekend activity.

Penn is proud of its supposed commitment to local engagement, even noting that one of its goals is to improve public education in Philadelphia. Although the school participates in many initiatives that do address this, it seems that the high admission prices by the Penn Museum clashes with its dedication to education improvement as the financial barrier of the tickets discourage residents from visiting the museum and learning. In fact, by placing a dollar sign on the knowledge inside of the Penn Museum, Penn reinforces the idea that certain higher forms of knowledge are reserved for only the people who can afford it.

The education system has always favored the rich — through grades K-12, students from a higher-income background have wider access to better quality education (better schools, tutors, at-home study resources…the list goes on and on). Due to these privileges, these students have a greater chance to get into elite centers of education such as Penn, with around 45% of Penn students coming from the top 5%, and 19% coming from the top 1%. Here, students again have access to an exceptional education, with the school offering undergraduate research opportunities, career advising, world-renowned faculty, and generally an immense amount of resources for no cost; for instance, the Penn Museum is free for Penn students. Once graduated, students from elite universities continue to perpetuate the division of wealth present in our society, with 50% of full-time jobs among recent Penn graduates being one of the highest-grossing careers: finance and consulting.

Although there is nothing wrong with earning money and investing in a good education, it is apparent that students from low-income families do not have the same starting point as children from more privileged backgrounds. Because

lower-income students’ access to education resources is limited by financial factors, they often have to work twice as hard to end up in the same places of learning as the wealthy. For example, while around of students from wealthy backgrounds who scored at the 99th percentile on the SAT or ACT attend an “Ivy-plus college” (the Ivy League along with MIT, Stanford, Duke, and the University of Chicago), only 20% of low-income high schoolers in the same standardized test range do so as well.

Simply, the fees presented by the Penn Museum reflect how the financial gate-keeping of knowledge can instigate a prevalent side-effect in many exclusive universities and education systems — the existence of an intellectual elite.

However, it is important to recognize that the Penn Museum does have opportunities for people to save money. Teachers, active duty military members, veterans, children under six, and patients and families of Penn Medicine or the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia can visit for free all year long.

Furthermore, there’s free admission for teenagers and college students during select times. But, pursuit of knowledge does not just stop after college.

Other than paying to be a member of the Museum (for instance, joining the community library pass), adults rarely have special opportunities to visit the museum for free, or even at a discounted price.

The Penn Museum is an important place. It builds upon a cultural foundation of knowledge for everyone and cultivates a greater understanding of humanity. Museums teach us not only facts, but humility, showing us that the universe is so much bigger and society so much older than we recognize on a daily basis and inspiring us to ask more questions and find more answers. By opening its doors wider, the Penn Museum could encourage more people to explore what the world has to offer.

Perhaps the Penn Museum should be free for all residents of Philadelphia regardless of age, career, or day of the week. Penn Museum profited, both intellectually and financially, from the tragedies of the Philadelphia community for years. No one will forget how the Museum unethically kept the remains of at least one child killed by the 1985

bombing of the MOVE community by the Philadelphia Police Department without revealing it to their living family for 36 years, or how they proudly showcased the human remains of at least 20 Black Philadelphians in the Morton Collection. Providing the Philadelphia community free access to the Museum’s knowledge should not concern an institution that felt at enough liberty to take and present the knowledge, without any consideration of its ethics, that belonged to the same community.

Written apologies are not enough. It is time for the Penn Museum to put its money where its mouth

is and begin repatriating the citizens of Philadelphia, starting with free admission into the galleries.

Moving forward, to aim for reconciliation, the Penn Museum should also try to connect with the local Philadelphia community through initiatives that honor events important to the City of Brotherly Love.

CHLOE CHEN is a College first year from Vancouver, B.C. Her email is chloeec@sas.upenn. edu.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

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PHOTO BY NATHANIEL SIRLIN

Now-junior Gavriella Smith during last season’s matchup against Columbia on April 9.

Junior Gavriella Smith brings energy and grit to women’s tennis Smith took a big leap into the first singles position this past spring, even after missing all fall with an injury JACKSON ZUERCHER Sports Reporter

Penn women’s tennis junior Gavriella Smith was already accomplished when she first came to Penn. But since then, she has raised her profile even further.

Fresh off f ive L ouisia na H igh School Athletic Association Division III State Championsh ips in singles competition between seventh and 12th grade, Smith joined an exceptional Quaker tennis roster and began her collegiate career at fourth singles, where she went 25-5.

Coach Sanela Kunovac fondly remembers Smith’s “phenomenal freshman year,” saying

that “the number of matches that she lost [that season] could be counted on a single hand in the dual matches.” From there, Smith has climbed the ranks of the team among a strong roster of incredibly talented players, where she and her teammates move around in the top singles positions.

Smith is known for leaving a glowing impression on everyone on the team. Her coaches and teammates describe her as a supportive friend who emanates a confident swagger, a tough fighter who leaves everything out on the court, and a major contributor to the locker room

culture. Navigating the drama of a singles lineup can be tough with the wrong people, but Smith and her teammates never let their positions affect their friendships with the other athletes.

When asked why she decided to pursue tennis at the collegiate level, Smith said that she never consciously made the choice; she just “followed in the path of [my] family,” where she was “next in line” to play college tennis. Smith comes from an impressive tennis background. Her father played tennis for Tulane and her brother Zachary is two years older and just graduated from Penn, where he played on the men’s team. Because of their small age gap, Gavriella and Zach would travel to USTA tournaments together every weekend.

Playing competitive youth tennis is a major commitment, but unlike many high-level tennis players, Smith and her brother were never homeschooled or enrolled in a tennis academy.

Instead, she attended a local public school, missing 30 to 40 days of school a year to maintain her packed tournament schedule.

“From seventh to eighth grade, to the time I graduated, it was school from like 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,” Smith said. “Then, practice right after that for three hours, and then I’d be traveling every single weekend, whether it was to Florida, California, Georgia — just all around until I committed.”

But last year, Smith’s season took an unusual trajectory. She was out for the fall semester due to a wrist injury, but stepped up in the spring when the first singles player tore her ACL. It was a crucial moment that would determine a lot of things moving forward, and she handled the shift with unmatched ease.

“I remember my coach coming up to me and saying, ‘we’re going to make you one [singles]’,” Smith said. “Adding, ‘are you ready for this challenge? Are you going to be there?’”

As scary as that proposition would be to some people, both Smith and Kunovac were sure that this was the right move, and Smith continued on to play her best tennis that season — learning, growing, and competing at a high level and finishing the year with second team All-Ivy honors.

To Kunovac, Smith is a “versatile” player who fights for every point and refuses to let opponents get comfortable in their own rhythm. She is exceptional on defense and counter-attacking aggressive players, forcing baseline hitters to move around the court and return a multitude of slices, drop shots, and angles that they’re not used to seeing. It’s not uncommon for an opponent to take an entire set just to figure out Smith’s plan, and at that point, she has usually gained the momentum to take the match.

Smith inspires her teammates to play better by being a shining role model on the court, but her influence off the court is just as prominent.

Smith is very close with the team’s younger players and helps facilitate a kind and positive team environment. One strong relationship she has developed is with freshman Esha Velaga, who speaks fondly of Smith as a wildly impressive player, supportive teammate, and good friend.

For youth tennis players, the sport can feel isolating at times because it’s so individualized — players are competing against each other for ranking points, championships, and spots on college rosters. But she thinks that college tennis has been different.

“Yes, you have to win your matches individually, but I mean, it’s a team sport. I think what I’ve learned the most probably within my first semester [of] being a freshman is [that] you’re only as strong as your weakest link,” Smith said.

As she looks to the future, Smith’s biggest goal is to win the Ivy League Championship with her team, a title of which they have been “snubbed” for the past few years. This season is shaping up to be a championship year for Penn women’s tennis, and Smith will play a large role in their projected success.

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SPORTS 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2023

PHOTO BY WEINING DING

Penn men’s heavyweight and lightweight rowing competed at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta on Oct. 28.

Men’s rowing collects eight medals in fall season’s first two regattas Both the heavyweight and lightweight teams saw multiple boats succeed on the Schuylkill and Charles Rivers WEINING DING Sports Reporter

After numerous early morning practices and grueling afternoon lifts, Penn men’s heavyweight and lightweight rowing opened their seasons by making a splash at their first two regattas this fall. The Quakers competed at the Navy Day Regatta on the Schuylkill and the famed Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston to kick off the 2023-24 season.

The Quaker’s heavyweight A boat blew the other boats out of the water at the Navy Day Regatta, winning the event and beating the next-fastest boat by seven seconds. Penn ultimately brought the Collegiate Eights title home to the Burk-Bergman boathouse for the second year in a row, reinforcing their dominance on the home waters of the Schuylkill. The B and C boats were not far behind, placing seventh and ninth respectively out of 30 total boats in the Men’s Collegiate 8+ Final.

Soon a f ter, Pen n’s l ight weight rowers had their time to shine at the Navy Day Regatta. They rowed an impressive race, placing second, third, and four th in the men’s

Collegiate Lightweight 8+. Additionally, in the men’s Open 8+, the lightweights finished with a comfortable victory, cruising through the finish line 16 seconds ahead of the competition.

“We’re all gritty. We have a chip on our shoulder,” senior lightweight rower Dominick Richiuso said following the Navy Day Regatta.

“We’re ready to come together, and win this thing.”

Following their successes at home, the Penn crews traveled to Boston to compete at the Head of the Charles — the largest regatta held in the United States. The impressive performance by both men’s teams on the historic Charles River led to the Quakers adding three more silver medals to their collection.

“To walk away with a medal from the Head of the Charles is very significant,” heavyweight rowing coach Al Monte said, adding that it “hasn’t been done by the heavies in a long time.”

Led by junior heavyweight rower Gianluca Foschi Walko in the stroke seat, the Red and

Blue rowed a formidable race in the Championship Fours division. The Quakers boat quickly overcame most of the competition to win the silver medal by less than 0.4 seconds.

“We ask a lot of them,” Monte said, “and they have been really great about just knuckling down and getting what needs to get done, done.”

Penn lightweights also made their mark on the Charles, with both their coxed four boats and coxed eight boats earning silver medals.

These races showed their improvement as a team, jumping five spots from last year’s finish in the lightweight Coxed Eights event.

“I think over the course of the season, it was just kind of honing in on the small little intricacies so we can move together as a boat,” Richiuso said.

The lightweight program has been consistently successful in the past, having been in the IRA Grand Final seven out of the past eight years — a first in Penn lightweight history. Its races so far this fall have proven that the crew

is ready to fight for another appearance in the Grand Final this spring.

“We certainly talk about winning,” lightweight rowing coach Colin Farrell said. “We’re not shy to say that that’s what we’re about.”

Overall, the two teams combined have earned eight top-three performances in the last two weeks, collecting hardware in a way the program has not seen in years. The teams even earned the most team points at both these regattas, winning the MacMahon Cup Points Trophy at the Head of the Charles, beating Princeton by eight points.

“I think the team has worked really hard to create a culture that will help them go fast and work hard and be a fighting unit together,” Farrell said.

Looking forward, the heavyweight team will race at the Head of the Schuylkill this upcoming weekend, and both teams will race in the Princeton Chase the weekend after that, facing tough competition both back on the Schuylkill and on Lake Carnegie.

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Sophomore midfielder Gavin Seele dribbles the ball down the field during the game against Lehigh on Oct. 17.

SOCCER, from BACK PAGE and the Quakers’ path to the top spot.

The first tiebreaker that will be used is the number of points against the other teams that are tied. The Quakers drew Yale 1-1 last month, and beat Harvard 2-1 two weekends ago, giving them four points against the other tied teams.

With their 3-1 win against Yale three weeks ago, the Crimson have three points, leaving the Bulldogs with just a singular point from those two games. Therefore, if the three teams were to get the same result this weekend, the Ivy League Tournament would be headed to Penn Park.

If Penn ends up tied with Yale following the conclusion of the regular season, their draw against the Bulldogs means that the second

tiebreaker — points from the game against the highest-seeded team outside of the tie — will be used. If that team is Harvard, Penn will have the higher seed. But things get more complex if it’s Brown in that spot, as the Quakers tied the Bears 0-0 in their matchup, and Yale’s result against them next week is crucial.

If Brown beats the Bulldogs, Penn will get the tiebreaker. But if Yale’s game ends in a draw, things will go to goal difference in conference play to break the stalemate. And in this case, the Bulldogs will end up with a higher seed, as their +3 goal difference exceeds Penn’s +1.

That all might seem a bit complex. So here’s a simple thing to remember: Penn still controls its own destiny. If the Quakers win against Princeton next Saturday, they’ll end up with at least a share of the Ivy League title and the number one seed in the Ivy League tournament. If they do not, they leave their fate to chance.

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Brown’s defensive back Isaiah Reed swats away a pass intended for sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson during the game on Oct. 27.

Following loss against Brown, Saturday’s homecoming game against Cornell becomes must-win contest VIVIAN YAO Sports Associate

Penn football (5-2, 2-2 Ivy) couldn’t live up to its potential under the Friday night lights of Franklin Field last week, losing to Brown in a tight 30-26 competition that was headlined by three interceptions from junior quarterback Aidan Sayin. Now sitting at 2-2 in the Ivy League, locked in a five-way tie for second place, the margins for error are small. Correction, there is absolutely no margin for error anymore.

Next up is a team that also finds itself in a position where there is no longer any margin for error: Cornell (3-4, 2-2).

In order for either team to secure a share of the Ivy crown, they must close out conference play with three straight wins. As a result, whichever team doesn’t walk away from this match up victorious will be effectively eliminated from title contention. For a Penn team that is loaded with offensive and defensive talent, walking away from this season empty handed would be considered a tragedy.

After a disappointing loss last weekend, the Red and

Blue will be looking to get its season back on track in its Homecoming game in front of what will most likely be their largest crowd of the year. The last time that Penn beat Cornell at Franklin Field was in 2019, although Penn does have the upper hand in the all time series with a record of 76-47-5 against the Big Red. Cutting down on the turnovers will be a major point of emphasis heading into this matchup. Even with the three interceptions against Brown, Sayin threw for over 300 yards for the fourth time this season. While the interceptions cost the team dearly, especially at the end when the turnover occurred in the red zone, Sayin’s gunslinging approach to the game this season has also been a major reason for the team’s success. Sayin, who currently has the fourth most career passing yards in program history, is just 166 yards shy of passing Mike Mitchell for third in the record books. This will most likely be achieved this weekend.

The emergence of sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson with a team-leading 623 receiving yards

and five touchdowns should help Sayin out on this front.

As the current leader in all of the FCS in receptions per game facing off against a Cornell pass defense that ranks in the bottom half of the Ivy League, Richardson will be hungry to attempt to break the program’s single-season receptions record — currently held by Justin Watson at 89 — after already setting the program record for the most receptions in a game earlier this season.

Even after a down week playing against a solid Brown passing attack, Penn’s defensive unit is still one of the best in the conference. The unit is the top rush-stopping group in the Ivy League and the defense as a whole is ranked second in scoring, trailing only Princeton. On paper, the Quakers should be able to handle a Cornell offense that ranks in the bottom half of the league for both rushing and passing.

However, Cornell will not be an easy team to beat.

The Big Red have played the Red and Blue quite a number of times, enough to make it the fifth most played out matchup in Division I football with this Saturday’s

contest marking the teams’ 129th face off. Furthermore, Cornell is equally alive in the hunt for Ivy League glory, meaning that the team will be as hungry as Penn to leave Franklin Field with a win.

This game will come down to which team has the most players who can step up in the biggest moments, under the most pressure, with their teams’ respective seasons on the line. For Cornell, the key will be to get the offense going against a stout Penn defensive unit early in the game. For Penn, the key to winning will be to limit the number of mistakes. With both teams currently at the point of no error, the team that makes the first mistake will most likely see its championship hopes end early.

During halftime, Penn football will be celebrating five of its championship-winning teams with players from the 1983, 1988, 1993, and 2003 teams in attendance. Taking the field this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., this year’s team will have the ability to be one step closer to joining their fellow alumni in the program’s history books.

Explaining men’s Women’s soccer tops Cornell 2-1 in soccer’s path to final game of the year an Ivy League title The victory marks Krissy Turner’s first Ivy League win as coach With one game left to play, the Quakers are in a three-way tie for first place with Harvard and Yale CALEB CRAIN AND EVAN POWERS Sports Editor and Sports Associate

With one game left in the Ivy League soccer season, Penn finds itself locked in a three-way tie for the top of the Ivy table, as the Quakers, Harvard, and Yale have all picked up 11 points through their first six conference games. Therefore, this weekend’s games will be all-important for both a regular season Ivy League title and seeding in the Ivy League Tournament, whose winner will have an automatic bid to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

On the final matchday of 2023, Harvard is set to head to Dartmouth, while Yale hosts Brown and Penn plays Princeton at home. If all three teams were to win, lose, or draw, the Ivy title would be split between all three of them, or the two that end up with the better result. Beyond this, Brown is just one point behind, and has a shot at a title if they defeat the Bulldogs this upcoming weekend.

However, to determine seeding for the Ivy Tournament, there can be no ties. And while all three teams have already secured spots, their placement is yet unknown. The Ivy League Tournament will be hosted at the site of the number one seed.

Therefore, if all three teams — or a pair of them — were tied at the end of the season, here is how a number one seed would be determined, See SOCCER, page 7 SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

VIVIAN YAO Sports Associate

Heading into its last game of the season, Penn women’s soccer was at a fork in the road. On the one hand, there had been various successes throughout the season that demonstrated a marked improvement from the previous campaign. On the other hand, with the team finding itself on the wrong side of too many close games, the results just weren’t there.

After a back-and-forth match that had plenty of drama, ranging from goalie mistakes to a comeback victory, Penn (6-7-3, 1-4-2 Ivy) was able to walk away with the win, beating Cornell (4-5-6, 0-5-2) 2-1 — a gift that marks a bittersweet ending for the team’s seniors who were celebrated at the beginning of the game.

The last time the Red and Blue secured a win in Ivy League women’s soccer was over two years ago in a 4-0 rout of Yale. In her second year as head coach, Krissy Turner is still putting together the pieces to form a team that she hopes will eventually bring home a championship in one of the best women’s soccer conferences in the nation. Despite notching her 300th win as a head coach earlier in the season, most of this year was spent fighting for her first Ivy League victory.

“It’s unfortunate because we’ve really had a season that should be reflected in a better record,” said Turner.

“We have played really well. We just haven’t won, so to come back from being down 1-0 is just really great to see for the team and gives us momentum going into next season.”

For much of the first half, Penn never really settled down. With much of Cornell’s attack coming through the midfield, it always seemed like there was an extra player open that Penn wasn’t able to pick up. The Big Red’s ability to apply constant pressure throughout the middle third of the field gave them the upper hand when it came to forcing mistakes out of Penn’s players.

As the end of the first half neared, disaster struck for the home team when the intense pressure Cornell was applying forced an off-target pass that made its way back to Penn’s corner flag. After 38 minutes of play that involved mistake-free distribution from senior goalkeeper Laurence Gladu, this pass unfortunately fell to the feet of Cornell’s Tanum Nelson, who put the ball into the back of the an empty net from 40 yards out.

Penn would head into halftime down 1-0.

For many players, letting in a goal in such a disastrous manner would follow them throughout the rest of the game. While Gladu was upset immediately following the goal, she used halftime to put it behind her.

“It was a hard five minutes [following the goal] — I did beat myself up a little bit,” Gladu said. “It’s normal.

At halftime, I just reset. Then in the second half, you just got to forget about it.”

The reset worked, as Gladu would pull out an impressive reaction save early in the second half to prevent Cornell from doubling its lead off of a corner kick.

That was exactly what she was looking for to regain any confidence that she had lost from the previous half.

After the initial minutes of the second half had passed, it was clear that Penn’s team had come back onto the field with a mission on its mind — securing its coach her first Ivy League victory.

Thanks to a formation change that emphasized a more direct approach when attacking that also allowed Penn to have more players in the middle of the field, Cornell struggled to continue dominating the midfield as the team had done previously. With more possession of the ball, Penn was able to put together increasingly dangerous attacks, topped off by first-year forward Mia Fuss scoring the equalizer and her first goal of the season in the 56th minute. Following a tumultuous first half, the

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Players embrace their family and friends after women’s soccer ’s last game of the season against Cornell on Oct. 28.

team played what was almost a perfect half of soccer to finally get its first Ivy League win of the season.

“It’s really bittersweet,” senior defender Ginger Fontenot said. “I’m gonna miss it so much, playing with them. It’s a shame I don’t have more time here. But we ended on a good note, got our coach’s first Ivy win, and that’s what’s important to us. So we’re feeling good.”

For Turner, this season has taught her many lessons that she hopes will convert to more success next year.

While she’ll miss all the seniors, she is also very excited to get back to work in the offseason. With plenty of underclassmen who are stepping into major playmaking roles already, Turner is hopeful that this taste of conference success to end the season will be a major motivator for the team when it retakes the field next year.

“We just have to improve,” said Turner. “We just have to get better at all phases of the game. The technical part. The touches. We have to score more goals next year. There’s a lot of parts to the game and it’ll be a process.”

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