October 10, 2024 by The Daily Pennsylvanian

Penn marks Oct. 7 anniversary

Jewish Penn community members remember victims and hostages of Hamas attacks

The events, which primarily took place at Hillel’s Steinhardt Hall, included a memorial service, a ve-hour reading of the names of the 1,200 victims of the attacks, and a community dinner

JARED MITOVICH, BEN BINDAY, SAMANTHA HSIUNG, THEO GREENFIELD, GABRIEL HUANG, AND ZION ABEBE Editor-in-Chief, News Editor, Senior Reporter, and Staff Reporters

Hundreds of Jewish students at Penn participated in a variety of events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Penn Hillel, Chabad House at Penn, and the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee held a full slate of programming throughout the day to commemorate those killed and taken hostage during the Hamas incursion. The events, which primarily took place at Hillel’s Steinhardt Hall, included a memorial service, a five-hour reading of the names of the 1,200 victims of the attacks, and a community dinner.

Hillel also held an all-day art installation in memory of the lives lost, a processing space, and a screening of a film titled “Screams Before Silence,” which depicts the events at the Nova Festival — the music festival where Hamas attacked thousands of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023.

Hillel President Maya Harpaz wrote to The Daily

Pennsylvanian that the memorial service was “such a special and meaningful event for our community to come together.” She cited the room being situated in a circle with candles in the shape of a Jewish star in the center — a format which she described as “a powerful way for our community to feel united.”

The 6:30 p.m. memorial service was attended by Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) Fetterman has maintained an outspoken proIsraeli stance since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and throughout the ensuing Israel-Hamas war.

In an interview with the DP prior to the event, Fetterman said that he was “invited” to take part — adding that he was “delighted to show up” and describing Oct. 7 as “a very solemn anniversary.” Fetterman also spoke during the service, telling the community

Four individuals arrested after pro-Palestinian march near Penn’s campus

The demonstration, titled “One Year of Genocide,” was the rst planned action by Philadelphia Students for Justice in Palestine

JASMINE NI AND DIAMY WANG Senior Reporters

Four individuals were arrested during a pro-Palestinian rally and march outside the University’s Pennovation Works campus on Monday.

Around 400 protesters attended the demonstration, which began at 2 p.m. at Drexel Square Park and was organized by the Philadelphia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. Participants chanted and listened to speakers for an hour before marching to Pennovation Works, located at 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue.

The rally and march, titled “One Year of Genocide,” was the first planned action by Philadelphia

SJP, a group that formed earlier this month and consists of students from Penn, Drexel University, Temple University, and other universities across the greater Philadelphia area.

In an Instagram post, organizers called for participants to skip class and call out of work on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel to “protest one year of the Zionist entity’s genocide in Gaza” in support of “the student intifada.”

MSA holds Palestine, Lebanon memorial

The Muslim Students’ Association held a janazah prayer and an open remembrance space in ARCH

VIVI SANKAR Staff Reporter

About 50 community members gathered at a memorial for lives lost in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria hosted by Penn’s Muslim Students’ Association and the Penn Arab Student Society on Oct. 7.

The event consisted of a janazah prayer — a traditional Muslim funeral prayer — followed by an open remembrance space and took place in the ARCH building. The memorial was open to all and required a PennCard to enter.

Wharton junior Mouctar Diarra told The Daily Pennsylvanian that he attended the event because he “felt [he] needed to solemnly reflect with [his] community.”

“The pain isn’t as visceral when it’s been on your mind every day for 365 days. Nonetheless, I felt very connected with those around me,” Diarra said.

Penn quietly discontinues BioDental program, sparking confusion over student statuses

Students described feeling confusion and concern over whether current students in the program were still provided their conditional acceptance into the Dental School

JESSICA WU Senior Reporter

The University has discontinued its sevenyear Bio-Dental submatriculation program and will not be accepting a new class this admission cycle — but the program’s director and a School of Dental Medicine administrator disagreed on whether current students are still able to submatriculate into the Dental School.

The accelerated dental program was a joint program in which students in the College of Arts and Sciences received conditional acceptance to the Dental School upon admission to the University. Students spent their first three years as undergraduate students in the College before applying to the Dental School after their junior year.

The accelerated Bio-Dental program reduced the tuition and time it took for students to receive both a bachelor’s degree and a dental medicine degree from eight years to seven years. Students were also able to skip the dental school interview process, gaining full admission to the Dental School based on their academic performance while in the College — an application process which one student described to the DP as a “formality.”

The program’s discontinuation means that the University will no longer admit first-year students into it. However, current students who spoke with The Daily Pennsylvanian expressed concern and confusion due to a lack of clear communication about the status of students already in the program.

The University’s Bio-Dental program did not have a group of faculty members or staff leading

the program. In contrast, other dual degree programs such as the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management and the Jerome Fisher Program in Management Technology are led by a variety of faculty and staff, with positions including program coordinators and administrative directors.

The first faculty point-of-contact for students in the program was their advisor in the College Office, Assistant Dean for Advising of the College Srilata Gangulee. While Gangulee created the program and said that she “directed” it, she told the DP that she did not officially hold the title of program director.

The DP spoke with three students in the Bio-Dental program, all of whom referred to Gangulee as a pre-major advisor or a general biology advisor and did not know that she directed the program. The three students stated that — while Gangulee helped advise them on their biology courses — she often provided inconsistent information and did not have up-todate knowledge about the Bio-Dental program’s requirements, leading to a heavy reliance on students’ peer advisors.

College junior Jaxson Nield, however, said that while most people in the program were assigned to the same Bio-Dental peer advisor, he — along with two other students — was assigned to a different peer advisor who was not a member of the program.

Gangulee, in an interview with the DP, spoke

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Philadelphia coalition of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a rally and march on Oct. 7.

An art installation at Penn Hillel on Oct. 7. A Mitzvah Wall on Locust Walk on Oct. 7. The Penn Muslim Students’ Association vigil on Nov. 13, 2023.

Donations to Hillel can now be made directly through Penn under

new agreement

The new agreement allows unrestricted donations to Penn Hillel to be eligible for recognition from Penn

ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporter

Donors who direct funds to Penn Hillel can now elect to also receive donor recognition from the University as a whole under an agreement established this summer.

The new agreement, which went into effect on July 1, allows unrestricted donations to Penn Hillel to be eligible for recognition from Penn, should the donor choose. Additionally, donations can now be made directly to Hillel through the University’s official donations website.

“This arrangement reflects Penn’s strong relationship with Hillel over many decades and the important resource Hillel is to the Penn community,” a spokesperson for the Office of Development and Alumni Relations wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “It will also allow us to express the University’s gratitude to those Penn alumni and friends who support Hillel and who champion the vital role it plays on our campus.”

Penn Hillel directed the DP to an August email from Executive Director of Penn Hillel and Campus Rabbi Gabe Greenberg announcing the agreement.

Greenberg wrote that the arrangement serves as “an exciting and consequential development that recognizes the centrality of Penn Hillel to the University community, and creates the groundwork for the support of the Jewish community at Penn for the next 100 years.”

“We are grateful to the Jewish alumni leadership who have been supportive of this deeper alignment, as well as Interim President Larry Jameson and VP of Development James Husson and their wonderful staff who have

helped bring this arrangement to fruition,” Greenberg continued.

The new agreement means that Hillel donors can now receive special Penn donor recognitions. This includes Academy membership, a status given to donors who have donated more than one million dollars to the University. Hillel donors are also eligible for membership in the Benjamin Franklin Society, which recognizes donors who have given more than $2,500 in a year, and donations to Hillel will now count towards reunion giving.

Other campus groups under the ‘University Life’ category that can receive donations on the University giving page include the Penn Women’s Center, La Casa Latina, and various Greek life organizations and dormitories.

Penn announced the agreement in the wake of a year marked by significant donor pushback against the University for its handling of on-campus activism and instances of alleged antisemitism. Last fall, dozens of influential donors, including Apollo Global Management CEO and 1984 Wharton graduate Marc Rowan, pulled their funding from Penn, citing University’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and the allowance of the Palestine Writes Literature Festival on campus.

Despite that pushback, the University’s broad, annual giving campaign, the Penn Fund, ended the 2024 fiscal year with a record-breaking number of total donations, despite initial fundraising lags earlier this year.

Penn creates position to manage antisemitism task force, presidential commission recommendations

The new project manager will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community

GABRIEL HUANG Staff Reporter

Penn is looking to hire a project manager to oversee the implementation of recommendations from the antisemitism task force and presidential commission.

The new project manager will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community, according to the job listing. The position will also support the Penn Libraries’ involvement in celebrations related to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The position has a limited term and is set to end in August 2026.

The University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community were formed by former Penn President Liz Magill as part of a University-wide action plan to combat antisemitism following significant backlash to alleged antisemitism on campus last fall. Both groups submitted their findings to Interim Penn

President Larry Jameson over the summer.

The findings called for Penn to improve campus dialogue, clarify the University’s values, and support cultural groups on campus. According to the job listing, the project manager will work with the heads of Penn’s different schools, the University Center, and the Deputy Provost Office to implement these findings.

“The creation of this position is another indicator of Penn’s commitment to these important reports,”

Deputy Provost and Vice Chair of the Antisemitism Task Force Beth Winkelstein wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “[The position] will be

helpful in ensuring we continue to keep those efforts front-and-center.”

The project manager will also assist with Penn’s efforts to coordinate America250, the nationwide initiative to commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Penn Libraries has taken a leading role in organizing Penn’s involvement in this initiative, and the new project manager will help support these efforts.

“Penn has been working with partners across the city and the country on planning events for this anniversary, which is intertwined with our own history as a university anchored in Philadelphia,” Winkelstein wrote.

The new project manager will serve as the primary liaison between Penn and America250 partners. This includes local cultural and historical institutions in Philadelphia such as the Museum of the American Revolution, the American Philosophical Society, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania – as well as Penn institutions such as the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Winkelstein also wrote that the position demonstrates the University’s commitment to the In Principle and Practice strategic framework, which Magill announced the formation of in November 2023. Earlier this month, Jameson announced a $2 million grant initiative to fund interdisciplinary projects as part of the strategic framework.

Winkelstein said that the University hopes to fill the role by the end of the semester.

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn recently announced that unrestricted donations to Penn Hillel may also be recognized as donations to the University.

JESSE ZHANG | DP FILE PHOTO

Penn is looking to hire a project manager to oversee the implementation of recommendations from the antisemitism task force and presidential commission on hate.

BIO-DENTAL , from FRONT PAGE

in vague terms about the status of the students currently in the program and slightly contradicted herself on multiple occasions, even when pushed for clarification. She said that the submatriculation option into the Dental School had been completely discontinued, even for students who are already in the program and have received conditional acceptance.

“The Dental School submatriculation program is gone even for the current juniors or seniors,” Gangulee said.

However, current students were told by Mark Mitchell, the Dental School’s assistant dean of admissions, that they would not be impacted by the discontinuation.

When asked for further elaboration on the status of current students, Gangulee said, “We are in a fuzzy position right now. It’s neither continued nor discontinued.” College juniors Ved Pimple and Shreya Sharma both said that they, along with their peers, found out the program had been discontinued after seeing a change to the program website reading “The Bio-Dental Program is no longer accepting new applications.” They said that they also noticed that the website began referring to the program in the past tense.

As the three students did not receive any

JEWISH COMMUNITY, from FRONT PAGE

The University and the Division of Public Safety directed The Daily Pennsylvanian to the Philadelphia Police Department for comment.

“We are aware of the demonstration and the possibility of arrests at the Pennovation Works facility at 34th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue,” a PPD spokesperson wrote to the DP. “However, at this time, we do not have information on the number of arrests that may have occurred. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

In the time that the march stalled on 34th Street — adjacent to Penn’s campus — several Penn students who were involved with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment last spring spoke about their experience with University administration and disciplinary processes.

The protesters arrived outside of the Pennovation Works property at 4:30 p.m. A participant told the crowd that they intended to prevent employees from leaving at the end of the workday by physically blocking the flow of traffic through the property’s main driveway.

“All of the people inside [Pennovation Works], who work to make weapons to massacre children, they can’t get out of f**king work,” a speaker said as the crowd applauded.

Along the march route and upon arriving at the Pennovation Works campus, protesters were met with significant PPD presence. After around 30 minutes, and once programming had concluded, the crowd size

communication about the program’s discontinuation, they described feeling confused and concerned over whether current students in the program were still provided their conditional acceptance into the Dental School.

Pimple said this confusion was resolved after a student emailed Mitchell for clarification. In the June 20 email exchange, obtained by the DP, Mitchell wrote that — while the program was no longer accepting applications from individuals in high school — “Those of you currently enrolled in the program are not affected.”

In response to a request for comment, John H. and Margaret B. Fassitt Professor and Undergraduate Chair of the Biology Department Scott Poethig said that he did not have any information about the program and directed the DP to Paul Schmidt, the previous undergraduate chair of the department, who is currently on sabbatical. Schmidt directed the DP to the College Office, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Mitchell and Dental School Director of Admissions Brian Hahn also did not respond to requests for comment.

Gangulee also said that she first learned of the University’s intention to discontinue the program three years ago, and was not provided a reason for the discontinuation — but said that she “imagine[s] it’s about money,” stating that a portion of the tuition which BioDental students paid for their first year of dental school would go toward the College.

outside the Pennovation Works campus decreased. The arrests of the four individuals occurred amid a confrontation between police and protesters, during which a protester lit a canvas sign on fire with a smoke bomb.

During the altercation, several protesters were pushed to the ground and one PPD officer deployed a taser against a student. The DP was unable to confirm if the individuals arrested were affiliated with Penn.

Tensions remained high after the arrests occurred, with PPD officers forcefully pushing the group of protesters away from the gates to the Pennovation Works building. Officers wore riot gear, held clubs, and warned protesters of a high risk of arrest. Dozens of police vehicles surrounded the demonstration for the duration of their time at Pennovation Works.

The majority of pro-Palestinian activists’ criticism was directed at Pennovation Works, which is the home to Ghost Robotics, a company that develops and sells four-legged robots to be used for “data collection, intelligence, security, asset protection, and military-specific uses,” according to the Ghost Robotics website. The Pennovation Works facility also houses several other companies.

Previous demonstrations have called on Penn to cut ties with the company, which protesters allege is selling the robots to the Israeli military to be used in its ongoing war in Gaza.

During the rally, students criticized the role of Philadelphia-area universities in the Middle East conflict — such as existing partnerships with Israeli universities.

“[O]ur universities are not just passive bystanders,” a speaker said at the rally. “They are active collaborators in the ongoing colonization, complicit in the machinery of apartheid and genocide.”

A UPennAlert was sent to the University community around 3 p.m., when the group began marching in the direction of Penn’s campus. The alert referred to the rally as a “scheduled demonstration” and said that the group was “proceeding west through University City in the direction of Penn’s campus.”

The alert also noted that officers “are not aware of any instances of property damage” along the route at the time.

A second alert was sent around 3:30 p.m., telling the community that the march was moving south on 34th Street “in the direction of campus.”

“Police and security personnel are on site for the safety of all community members,” the alert read, encouraging people to avoid the area.

Throughout the demonstration, protesters chanted, drummed, and delivered remarks. Some speakers sought to draw a connection between forces of oppression in Philadelphia and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

“They will destroy the homes of Black Philadelphians, such as the UC Townhomes, with the same Caterpillar vehicles as those used by the Israeli occupation forces to destroy the homes of Palestinians and crush the bodies of martyrs under their wheels,” one speaker said.

Chants recited by protesters included, “Israel, Israel, we know you, you murder children too,” and “Refugees will return, Netanyahu you will burn.” At times, rhetoric at the rally expressed support for the actions of militant groups, with speakers expressing support for the AlQassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, as well as the “al-Aqsa Flood” — Hamas’ name for the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

New language at Monday’s demonstration also related to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, in which Israel recently launched a ground offensive after months of rocket launches. Some of this language was in support of the Lebanese militant group, including chants such as, “From Beirut to Jenin, burn the settler colony.”

As the group moved west on Market Street, PPD vehicles and officers on bikes diverted traffic at upcoming intersections. Security officers installed barricades along the width of Locust Walk, and the DP observed an increased police presence at numerous buildings in the area, including College Hall and Fisher-Bennett Hall, while some students reported being unable to enter Van Pelt-Dietrich Library’s main entrance. Officers were seen redirecting other students on their way to class. This demonstration is one of several events planned on and around Penn’s campus today to recognize one year since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took another 254 hostage. The anniversary also marks one year since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, during which Israel’s retaliation and subsequent siege on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly two million people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Penn Hillel and the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee organized a full day of programming to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks and honor those still being held hostage in Gaza. Penn Chabad also hosted its own event and organized a Mitzvah Wall on Locust Walk.

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Photos by Chenyao Liu, Senior Photographer

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

The Robert Schattner Center for the School of Dental Medicine on Feb. 13.

We need principled neutrality

NO

NAME IN THE STREET | Let’s take institutional neutrality one step further

On Sept. 10, in an email message to the Penn community, Interim Penn President Larry Jameson announced that University leaders would no longer comment on global or political matters not central to the University’s mission. The message formally announced Penn’s move towards institutional neutrality — a practice long adopted by universities such as the University of Chicago, and more recently instituted at Harvard University, Stanford University, and Vanderbilt University. The general consensus among the universities is this: When academic institutions announce formal political positions, they generate campus orthodoxies that diminish the freedom of speech and academic discourse central to the purpose of a university.

I’ve grappled with this interpretation of neutrality for a long time. What does it mean for universities — producers of knowledge — to remain silent in the face of global crises? Alternatively, what does it mean when powerful institutions announce positions that isolate and marginalize entire populations on campus — those who have value sets founded on their own unique and valid experiences?

Questions like these are difficult to answer because their solutions are multifaceted. But I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the very real consequences of universities taking official political positions — consequences that became evident following the backlash against former Penn President Liz Magill’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. When universities announce official opinions on contentious political issues, they inadvertently alienate members of the community with opposing views. Faculty and students of differing beliefs become both invisible and hypervisible, their voices repressed but with extra attention allotted to their positions.

Thus, I contend that the University is correct and justified in its pursuit of neutrality. But I would like to adapt Penn’s statement on neutrality, in favor of a more complicated neutrality: principled neutrality.

Principled neutrality is not a new term. In fact, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier prefers its use to describe the mission of a university facing matters of civil discourse. In an interview with the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, Diermeier explained that, “Principled neutrality is about what the university’s position should be. And the core belief is that if the university doesn’t have a duty to speak on something, it should remain silent.”

Let us grieve

I envision a similar adoption of principled neutrality here at Penn, albeit more transparent in its goals. Penn must clearly outline moral no-goes — values and beliefs the University does not stand for — if it hopes to maintain political neutrality and still thrive as an environment for diversity and free speech.

This means clarifying to the Penn community that discrimination on the virtue of race, color, gender, sexuality, or religion may not proceed on campus.

History has shown that complete neutrality only further oppresses those who already exist within the margins of society. Without guardrails, such as the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, society finds comfort in the complacency of oppression. Individuals who were victims of a government-fueled effort sanctioning their mistreatment will see much of the same mistreatment.

Some scholars argue that universities, as paragons of academic discourse, have a responsibility to shape political discussion. In an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Vanderbilt professor Brian Heuser writes, “Due in large part to our exceptional stock of human capital and economic impact, universities can be powerful — even profound — actors in the public discourse. But adeptly leveraging this potential requires transformational leadership,

political acumen, and a steadfast commitment to prioritizing the common good.” Heuser has a valid point here. Penn is predisposed to a plethora of intellectual talent. When we weigh in on social issues, people tend to listen. However, it is important to clarify which members of a university are largely responsible for political conversation.

Professors, researchers, and students — individuals engaged in the everyday critical thinking demands of an academic institution — steer the beliefs associated with their universities, a role not to be conflated with that of university administration. In fact, the 1968 anti-Vietnam War demonstrations at Columbia University helped to establish the reputation of universities as incubators of dissent. Such protests sparked further demonstrations across the country and provided the groundwork for future uprisings, including students’ successful movement against Columbia’s investment in South African apartheid.

In this sense, students are primary authors of historical narratives. Universities serve as the first front of any nationwide political transformation. Organized demands begin on campus and spiral into the national consciousness, where they become privy to the oversight of policymakers.

GUEST COLUMN | Witnessing grief disrupted is personal to me

This past Friday, a group of Penn students and faculty gathered in front of Van Pelt Library to mourn civilian casualties in Gaza and Lebanon. The group was not large and did not use loudspeakers. Because the event was not registered with the University two weeks in advance, a requirement of one of many new open expression guidelines, all in attendance were considered to have been trespassing.

As soon as the event began, Penn security officers began shouting over the speakers, instructing everyone to move off campus. School administrators filmed everyone gathered and informed them they may be identified and reported for disciplinary processes. The LOVE statue, where organizers previously announced that the vigil would be held, stood gated off in the background. A dozen police officers surrounded the group carrying handfuls of zip-tie handcuffs. The threat of arrest loomed large.

I feel ashamed to be associated with a University that would silence and disrespect mourners in this way.

Watching this unfold from a few feet away, I saw parts of myself that have been unable to mourn represented in this group that was gathered. The ninth anniversary of my mom’s passing is in just a few weeks. It has taken me about as long to ever speak about the overwhelming loss I experienced. Out of a desire to make others comfortable and maintain my own sense of normalcy, I silenced the pain that I felt in every part of my body, until I too could not hear it.

Watching the vigil be forcibly dispersed, I recognized the residual trauma of having one’s grief denied. I was in disbelief to see that harm intentionally inflicted on members of my community.

The free speech protocol that led us to this situation is fundamentally broken. People have the right to know what they

know, feel what they feel, and do so publicly. Honesty with ourselves and others about the state of the world as we perceive it is how we integrate traumatic and painful experiences into a cohesive narrative that can facilitate healing. There is no intellectual conversation to be had about the ongoing war in the Middle East if the live, human reactions to that war are unwelcome on campus.

The University’s denial of mourners’ emotional reality does not neutralize their grief. It rather keeps those suffering in a cycle of dissonance and dissociation, where acknowledgment by the University requires silencing or minimizing one’s human reaction to sheer tragedy. I find that level of dehumanization to be reprehensible and deeply destructive.

Witnessing and making space for grief does not need to be controversial. I also acknowledge there is no helpful distinction between a vigil and a protest. Rather than attempt to delineate between the two, I focus on the emotional subtexts of all campus demonstrations. A gathering such as a vigil certainly has an important place on campus, and I also believe that even explicitly charged political rallies are communicating unmet needs held by protesters that they deserve to have heard and recognized. I believe that an approach of free speech near-absolutism, allowing offended parties to fully and equally voice their discomfort, is the only way to guarantee that necessary expression and processing can take place on campus. Prioritizing an illusion of campus neutrality over the right of Penn students to authentically react to real-world events seems to me a troubling indicator of what is to come, especially as we approach the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Validating the grief one feels about witnessing death and destruction is also the necessary first step for any future engagement with others on the topic. The University’s acknowledgment of diverse, legitimate worldviews, contexts, and lived experiences, not the endorsement of specific opinions, is what gives students the confidence to later be challenged on those views by those with differing perspectives. Students cannot constructively work

If Penn seeks to allow students to further express their beliefs without repression from administration, then we should support that decision fully. The University has a duty to protect the internal freedom central to its mission. We as students deserve to engage in dialogue without fear of contradicting a dogma outlined by our institutions.

That said, I cannot state in enough clarity that the University must guarantee the protections and basic rights of its marginalized students. Institutional neutrality is not enough — Penn must adopt a principled neutrality. It must acknowledge the identity-based discrepancies that exist on campus as a result of a hegemonic greater society. It must ensure safe spaces will be made available for students when discrimination — both external and internal to the institution — strikes their communities. Without securing the well-being of marginalized students, we cannot hope to attract the diverse academic community so necessary to the success of a university.

JULU NWAEZEAPU is a College senior studying behavioral and computational neuroscience from Chicago. Her email is julunwae@sas.upenn.edu.

through trauma, grief, and rage while also convincing the University and campus community that their position exists in the first place.

Regardless of theoretical free-speech discourse, the reaction of the University to Friday’s vigil crossed a clear line for me. The rules that precipitated it must be revised or rejected, or we risk stifling and thus exacerbating trauma held among those on campus that will inevitably boil over into harsher conflict.

I reject the notion that silencing real emotional experiences, as the current open expression guidelines do, will ever keep us safe. Giving students the latitude to process those emotions is our only viable means for a campuswide de-escalation after a yearlong power struggle that has significantly traumatized marginalized populations on campus. We are a community of people with messy and discordant feelings. Processing grief in my own life has taught me that about myself. Pretending those feelings don’t exist, or asking those who feel them to be out of sight, is fundamentally alienating.

Silencing mourners and their expression of grief is a scary position for the University to take. I found the events of last Friday to be borderline dystopian, and I fear that misguided campus policies have come to hold our own human sensibilities hostage. We can say enough is enough. Protect our community members’ right to publicly mourn. Acknowledge a diversity of legitimate worldviews, and don’t make students and faculty fight to have their basic emotional reality simply acknowledged. Give students and faculty the space to articulate themselves while they process disturbing real-world events as they transpire. Support them in that process. I hope that those gathered on Friday do not interpret the University's callous handling and dismissal of their pain to be an indicator of the empathy that they deserve.

MADELINE KOHN is a College junior studying urban studies from Lower Merion, Pa. Her email address is kohnm@sas.upenn.edu.

SADIE SCOTT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Columnist Julu Nwaezeapu asks the University to consider how to thoughtfully implement its new institutional neutrality policy.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Guest Columnist Madeline Kohn challenges the University’s response to a vigil on campus on Sep 27.

You didn’t ‘earn’ your safety

PERSPECTIVE | Philadelphia should be

After hearing sirens outside on Sept. 19, I watched from my window as several police officers chased a man up the steps of the Radian. It was not until minutes later that I received the infamous “shots fired” alert from the Division of Public Safety, so in the meantime, I looked to the only logical source for information: Sidechat. On the anonymous messaging platform, students posted videos and descriptions of the incident from their own perspective, which involved the arrests of two men on Penn’s campus. As time passed and students began reading the alert, however, more targeted and upsetting comments made their way to the surface. Although it was determined that no shots were in fact fired and both suspects were unarmed, it seemed that students clung onto the idea that crime and violence had invaded our campus. In a post receiving 484 upvotes, one student wrote, “They really need to clean up philly. Cmon now this is an Ivy League School.” Another student responded in agreement, writing, “We need gentrification if it means not living every day worrying if I’m going to get shot.”

To put it lightly, I was horrified. These student appeals for gentrification and “clean[ing] up” Philadelphia in response to arrests reflected an obvious sense of entitlement, as it requires immense privilege to see gentrification as a benefit. The act of gentrification is only good for the gentrifiers and is an extreme act of economic and oftentimes racial violence to the people it displaces. Not to mention that West Philadelphia, especially University City, has already been painfully gentrified. What were once the houses and businesses in a close-knit Black community are now Penn College Houses, academic buildings, and greek housing. At a school that prides itself on inclusivity and intellectual rigor, the failure to recognize this truth is incredibly concerning.

Equally disheartening was the elitist language present in these comments. The emphasis on Penn being an Ivy League school echoes a clear message from students: We deserve safety simply because we are Penn students. Though many may not realize this, admission into this school does not make you

You got in! Time to wonder why for the next four years.

better or more worthy of safety than anybody else. The right to security and comfort is something to which all people are entitled. And reducing crime in West Philadelphia should not be on account of Penn students deserving that. It should be a response to the needs of those native to this city. This is not meant to demonize students for being afraid. Fearing violence is normal and expected, especially for students who are unfamiliar with urban areas — bigger cities do not necessarily have higher crime rates, though this is a common misconception. However, the idea that the presence of poor people in our community warrants a fear of being shot, and therefore requires gentrification as a solution, is incredibly problematic. To put it simply, you can be afraid of violence, but your response should not be to price out the low-income families and individuals in your community.

While it’s true that poverty is linked to crime, it is rare for this crime to cross class lines. This means that the violence so many Penn students are worried about can be far more of a threat to West Philadelphia natives than to us. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that households at or below the federal poverty level have more than double the rate of non-fatal violent crime victimization than other groups. In West Philadelphia, 30.3% of households fall below this line. And unsurprisingly, only 3.3% of Penn students come from households in the bottom 20% of earners. So really, this concept of povertyfueled violence is not and has never been a threat to the majority of us.

To be clear, I do think we should reduce crime. Sure, because students should feel safe. But more importantly, because everyone should feel safe. While some studies show that gentrification reduces crime, it only does so in the post-gentrification neighborhoods. Poverty is not eradicated with gentrification; rather, it is moved elsewhere when working class residents are pushed out of their homes due to rising rent and store prices. All of the supposed benefits of gentrification — better-funded schools, higher-quality healthcare, improved infrastructure — rarely, if

ever, reach low-income residents, because they are forced out before they have a chance to benefit from it. Poor people stay poor and are forced into other neighborhoods or being unhoused, and crime resulting from economic desperation continues elsewhere. So how do we actually reduce crime? We can reduce poverty. Increasing the supply of affordable housing, funding stable job creation, and expanding social services benefits are all strategies that have been proven to reduce crime. Instead of forcing poor people out of their neighborhoods so that we can feel “safer,” we should support government policy that

address is ingridhh@sas.upenn.edu.

The truth is, imposter syndrome is not indicative of weakness, failure, or defect. In fact, it can be used to make you a better student, a better learner, and a better person.

When I opened Penn’s admissions portal to see red and blue streamers flowing down my screen, I wondered how such an advanced system could accidentally accept

As I prepared to enter a rigorous academic scene, I was swarmed with warnings of imposter syndrome — a condition with which Penn students are all too familiar. It’s the unsettling feeling you get after listening to your classmate's summer passion project and suddenly thinking admissions made a mistake with you. It’s the eerie sensation that washes over you as your peers beam over their quiz grades. Being stranded in a sea of overachievers who are exactly like — or better than — you can make it feel like you’re drowning. Despite earning a seat at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, many of us can't conceptualize our admission. We feel like imposters hidden behind a mask of success. Yes, this includes the girl in your writing seminar who founded a small business, released a novel, and walked in New York Fashion Week.

In everything from “Legally Blonde” to “Gilmore Girls,” stories of empowerment and success consistently lend themselves to the Ivy League. The immense cultural capital commanded by our nation’s top institutions is evident in pop culture and real-world news alike. According to us, going to a prestigious college is a pillar of success. Once you’ve made it here, you've made it in life. While the recognizability and academic prowess of the Ivy League are not inherently problematic qualities, worshiping those qualities is something we need to be cautious about. We reinforce the value of prestige in every avenue: entertainment, news, and our personal lives. The proliferation of exclusivity and superiority has the constant potential to create controversy.

When it comes to matters of policy, lawmakers and public opinion point to America’s most recognizable names first. Most coverage of an issue like affirmative action was grounded in the idea that it was creating disparities for those trying to gain admission to highly selective universities. Last summer, diversity initiatives in admissions were gutted by the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision. In real life, less than 1% of American college students attend one of 12 "elite" universities: the Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago. But, we centered the public discourse around these few isolated cases. Elitism was baked into the conversation before anyone stopped to question it.

Practically, affirmative action wasn’t an issue that affected the masses. Opponents of a relatively harmless system were able to win support by drawing on America’s two favorite concepts: fairness and success. People who would never have been

affected by affirmative action became a driving force behind getting rid of it.

The problem is that we use prestige as an exemplum. When it comes to race, if Harvard isn’t fair, how can anything else be? This fallacious assumption is based solely on the American myth of meritocracy. In a world where income and alumni relations are the strongest indicators of merit in admissions, not everyone deserves to be made into an example simply by virtue of the school they attend.

Those on the outside who are looking in seldom draw accurate conclusions about what people actually make up the Ivy League. I was guilty of the same before I became a student at a top 10 American university. The unfortunate truth is that we’re not a collection of prodigious students destined to change the world. Many of us will one day make decisions of consequence, but that’s not always because we deserved that power.

That isn’t to say prestigious schools aren’t valuable. They come with a vast wealth of opportunities, often creating paths to very strong careers, growing student networks, and producing renowned scholarship. More importantly, though, it’s essential to scrutinize our nation’s leading institutions.

Looking past political issues, the Ivy League is something that sets American education apart. It makes us attractive on an international scale. We become outstanding because we house truly unrivaled academic programs. But is that why American education should have the reputation that it does? Why don’t we point to how many people graduate from college in total? It’s because our value is extracted from the few examples of greatness that we offer, not our more generalized success.

the wrong student. I scoured Reddit threads and LinkedIn profiles looking at the accomplishments that got other students into Penn. I did not cure a small infectious disease. I did not create a startup. All of the hours I’d spent in academic pursuit felt meaningless. I checked my inbox daily, waiting for the other shoe to drop: an email with the subject, “Sorry, we made a mistake.” I didn’t allow myself to express any anxieties or criticisms about Penn for fear the universe would somehow rescind my admission. I knew that Penn was the best. I knew that Penn could do nothing wrong, and I especially knew that I didn’t belong there. My imposter syndrome was in full swing.

Getting into Penn feels like you’ve won the Hunger Games. But when you arrive here, you realize the games haven’t even started yet. You are lost in a haze of club applications, coffee chats, and a race for internships. Conversations turn into disguised competitions between who has the most intense chemistry class or who spent the most hours in Van Pelt-Dietrich Library. Trying to meet friends becomes a game of surface-level networking.

Balancing a social life and homework feels like holding plates while riding a unicycle. Penn students manage to do all of this while maintaining the image of perfection, so much so that it even has a name: “Penn Face.”

We naturally want to prove ourselves to everyone, but by demonstrating our competence, we lose the true purpose of what being at Penn should be.

Through all of this, I’ve come to a radical realization. What if instead of constantly trying to prove that we are smart and that we deserve to be at Penn, we enter every room assuming we are the least intelligent person there?

This does not mean fueling self deprecation, but instead embracing that there is much we do not know and

that we can learn from those around us. We can absorb the information our diverse peers give rather than gauge if they have the intelligence for us to listen. Learning from our classmates instead of competing with them fosters collaborative intellectual growth. Practice intellectual humility. Ask questions, and don’t fear saying the wrong thing, because either way, we leave class having learned something.

It’s extremely liberating to admit we know practically nothing.

During one of my first classes at Penn, it became clear how intelligent our peers really are. My classmates and I started a discussion about our assigned reading. Their perceptive interpretations of the book were cause for an imposter syndrome spiral. This time, though, I forced myself to observe the way each of them articulated their mindset, and by the next reading, I implemented their lenses. By leaning into my academic insecurity, I became a stronger student.

Embracing our imposter syndrome seems easier said than done. It may feel unintuitive, but it can be a catalyst for your growth. Succeeding at Penn does not have to be a prestigious consulting job or entrance into a top 20 graduate school. Succeeding also looks like growing as a person and learning from the generation of incredibly bright people that surround us. If that means believing you are the dumbest person in the room, I think it’s worth it.

comments on the cultural influence of the Ivy League.

This is the crux of an elitist culture. We don’t take into account the reality that so many people experience. America’s rugged individualism necessitates that some are venerated for their success while others are snubbed as ordinary and insignificant. In fact, I have to acknowledge my own personal elitism. I seek the same superiority that I’m calling out as culturally reprehensible. No Penn student is truly free from that reality. Why didn’t any of us choose to attend a state school or community college? After all, they're usually less expensive, more convenient, and less competitive. I’ll tell you exactly why — because a different school wasn’t good enough for us. At the

LAKIS is a College sophomore studying political science and communication from Kennesaw, Ga. His email is jlakis@sas.upenn. edu.

Columnist Ingrid Holmquist argues that Penn

neighborhood than the other residents of West Philadelphia.

DESIGN BY INSIA HAQUE

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Columnist Jack Lakis

Panera settles lawsuit alleging Charged Lemonade caused death of Penn student Sarah Katz

The claim led by the Katz family against Panera Bread is the rst of four lawsuits directed toward the highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade drink

JESSICA

WU Senior Reporter

The family of Sarah Katz — a Penn student with a heart condition who died in Sept. 2022 — has settled a lawsuit against Panera Bread that alleged that she died after drinking its Charged Lemonade.

Katz, who was a College junior at the time of her death, suffered from a heart condition and allegedly went into cardiac arrest hours after drinking a 30-ounce Charged Lemonade — a highly caffeinated beverage from Panera. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the chain last October, the first of four lawsuits that Panera has faced over the Charged Lemonade drink.

The settlement was reached days before the Katz trial was scheduled to begin, with jury selection slated to occur later this week.

Elizabeth Crawford, the lawyer representing the Katz family, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that — while the Katz family's lawsuit has been resolved — she could not provide any details about the settlement. Crawford, who also represents at least two of the other plaintiffs in cases against Panera, added that the other related cases against Panera have not been settled.

Panera Bread did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

Katz was diagnosed with long QT syndrome type 1 as a child, a rare disorder of the heart’s electrical system that can lead to dangerous heart rhythms and sudden cardiac arrest. Crawford said that Katz was careful to avoid the consumption of any product that might cause a medical reaction — including energy drinks, which she avoided at the recommendation of her doctors.

“She was very vigilant about her heart condition, [and] she managed it with medication. She went to her cardiac appointments, and she

The family of Sarah Katz — a Penn student with a heart condition who died in Sept. 2022 — has settled a lawsuit against Panera Bread.

followed her doctor’s advice,” Crawford told the DP last year.

The lawsuit alleged that the dangers of the Charged Lemonade were not made sufficiently available to customers.

According to the lawsuit, the Charged Lemonade was advertised as “plant-based and clean” and was on sale beside “non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” at the Panera at 200 S. 40th St. on Penn’s campus.

However, a 30-ounce Charged Lemonade contained 390 milligrams of caffeine, more than Panera’s dark roast coffee and more than the combined caffeine levels of a Red Bull and Monster Energy drink. The recommended daily dose of caffeine for healthy individuals is 400 milligrams.

Crawford said at the time of filing that the family filed the lawsuit in hopes of raising awareness about the drink’s contents, removing it from Panera’s shelves, and urging the Food and Drug Administration to better regulate energy drinks. Manufacturers are currently allowed to include unlimited amounts of caffeine in energy drinks by classifying them as supplements, according to Crawford.

In October of last year, all Panera locations began displaying increased warnings about their Charged Lemonade’s caffeine content. The Panera website was also updated to state that the drink is not recommended for children, people

sensitive to caffeine, and pregnant or nursing women.

In May of this year, Panera stopped selling Charged Lemonades nationwide following the series of lawsuits. Panera said that the decision to discontinue the beverage was the result of a “recent menu transformation.”

Another wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the family of Dennis Brown, a 46-year-old man with a chromosomal deficiency disorder and developmental delays who died from cardiac arrest after drinking three Charged Lemonades. Two other lawsuits alleged that the Charged Lemonade caused permanent heart injuries in previously healthy people.

Katz, who grew up in Jersey City, N.J., was 21 years old at the time of her death. She majored in international relations and health and societies with a minor in East Asian languages and civilizations.

Katz was very involved in the Penn community, serving as membership coordinator and CPR training project chair in the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, a student leader in the John Marshall Pre-Law Honor Society, a member in Penn Hillel, and social chair of Sigma Kappa sorority.

She also worked as a research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and served as a Rep Cap Ambassador with the American Heart Association.

The Muslim Students’ Association at the University, which was founded in 1963, aims to support the spiritual and intellectual growth of the University’s Muslim community by fostering a space grounded in Islamic principles. Over the years, it has expanded to provide institutional support for Muslims at the University.

Another attendee, who requested anonymity due to fear for personal safety, told the DP that they attended because “my family and friends were directly affected” by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“I think it is always great to bring the community together and be in solidarity during hard times,” they said, encouraging “continuous and public support from the school for our community.”

The flags of Palestine and Lebanon were set up in the room, and chairs were set up in large circles to allow people to talk to each other. Whiteboards around the room featured posters of “martyrs,” as well as messages such as “may they be granted justice” and “may they rest in peace.”

“There are no words to describe the pain and grief that has been felt by us over the last year, over the last 76 years,” College senior and PASS President Majd Ayyad said in a speech at the memorial.

A speaker who identified themselves as the program coordinator for Middle Eastern and North African & Arab Student Communities welcomed attendees to the memorial, which was promoted as an open community space, and advertised resources beyond the event.

Diarra encouraged community members to “reach out and find a way to get involved even if it’s small, even if it’s behind the scenes, even if it’s just being a shoulder to cry on.”

“This is affecting our campus, you can’t run away from that,” he said.

Senior reporter Neema Baddam contributed reporting to this article.

A memorial for lives

Arts & Sciences Celebrates Climate Week at Penn

Join Penn Arts & Sciences experts as they provide multidisciplinary perspectives on a wide range of pressing climate change and sustainability topics.

Drastic Measures: Planning for Sea Level Rise in the Netherlands Monday, October 14th at 1:00 p.m. | Virtual

Corner of 27th and

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

DEREK WONG | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

lost in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Syria was held in ARCH on Oct. 7.

The University and the Division of Public Safety directed The Daily Pennsylvanian to the Philadelphia Police Department for comment.

“All of the people inside [Pennovation Works], who work to make weapons to massacre children, they can’t get out of f**king work,” a speaker said as the crowd applauded.

Along the march route and upon arriving at the Pennovation Works campus, protesters were met with significant PPD presence. After around 30 minutes, and once programming had concluded, the crowd size outside the Pennovation Works campus decreased. The arrests of the four individuals occurred amid a confrontation between police and protesters, during which a protester lit a canvas sign on fire with a smoke bomb.

Previous demonstrations have called on Penn to cut ties with the company, which protesters allege is selling the robots to the Israeli military to be used in its ongoing war in Gaza.

During the rally, students criticized the role of Philadelphia-area universities in the Middle East conflict — such as existing partnerships with Israeli universities.

“[O]ur universities are not just passive bystanders,” a speaker said at the rally. “They are

active collaborators in the ongoing colonization, complicit in the machinery of apartheid and genocide.”

A UPennAlert was sent to the University community around 3 p.m., when the group began marching in the direction of Penn’s campus.

The alert referred to the rally as a “scheduled demonstration” and said that the group was “proceeding west through University City in the direction of Penn’s campus.”

The alert also noted that officers “are not aware of any instances of property damage” along the route at the time.

A second alert was sent around 3:30 p.m., telling the community that the march was moving south on 34th Street “in the direction of campus.”

“Police and security personnel are on site for the safety of all community members,” the alert read, encouraging people to avoid the area.

Throughout the demonstration, protesters chanted, drummed, and delivered remarks.

Some speakers sought to draw a connection between forces of oppression in Philadelphia and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Chants recited by protesters included, “Israel, Israel, we know you, you murder children too,” and “Refugees will return, Netanyahu you will burn.” At times, rhetoric at the rally expressed support for the actions of militant groups, with speakers expressing support for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, as well as the “al-Aqsa Flood” — Hamas’ name for the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

This demonstration is one of several events planned on and around Penn’s campus today to recognize one year since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel and took another 254 hostage. The anniversary also marks one year since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, during which Israel’s retaliation and subsequent siege on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly two million people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Penn Hillel and the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee organized a full day of programming to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks and honor those still being held hostage in Gaza. Penn Chabad also hosted its own event and organized a Mitzvah Wall on Locust Walk.

Wharton sees sharp decline in students of color in newest undergraduate, MBA classes

The percentage of Wharton admits who are students of color dropped 13% for the Class of 2028, from 68% to 55%

JAKE KONIGSBERG AND RICHARD ZHUANG Senior Reporters

The Wharton School’s undergraduate and MBA admits saw apparent decreases in the percentage of students from historically underrepresented groups this year.

The percentage of admits from races and ethnicities historically underrepresented in higher education dropped from 31% for the Class of 2027 to 22% for the Class of 2028, according to figures posted in the updated Wharton undergraduate class profiles and website archives. The percentage of students of color decreased from 68% to 55%. The Class of 2028 data notes that it is limited to undergraduates pursuing single degrees through Wharton, while the Class of 2027 data does not include this notation.

The Wharton MBA Class of 2026 also experienced a decline in the percentage of students from underrepresented groups, with a 4% decrease in Black students, from 10% to 6%. Meanwhile, the percentage of white students increased by seven percentage points, from 32% to 39%.

A Wharton spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

The Wharton Undergraduate Division matriculant demographic data for the Class of 2028 reveals a larger shift in demographics compared to the Penn undergraduate Class of 2028 as a whole. Across all four schools, the newly admitted class had a 2% decrease in the percentage of matriculants who come from historically underrepresented races and ethnicities in education.

While Penn has not clarified the criteria used to define historically underrepresented groups this year, it used the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System for the Wharton Class of 2027.

The IPEDS is a system of 12 interrelated survey components used to gather data from participating colleges and institutions, which are conducted annually by the National Center for Education Statistics of the United States Department of Education. According to the IPEDS, a Domestic Underrepresented Minority is based on ethnicity categories that include Black, Hispanic, Native American Indian, Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races.

Similarly to Wharton, other MBA programs at other universities experienced decreases in the percentages of students from underrepresented groups. At the Yale School of Management — while the proportion of students of color rose from 48% to 56% for the MBA Class of 2026 — the percentage of underrepresented minorities dipped slightly from 18% to 16%.

Harvard Business School followed similar trends — the percentage of students of color decreased slightly from 49% to 47%, and the proportion of underrepresented minorities decreased from 27% to 22%.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, the change was more pronounced: The percentage of underrepresented minorities nearly halved, dropping from 28% for the Class of 2025 to 15% for this year. Additionally, overall minority representation decreased from 56% to 50%.

In June 2023, The United States Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action, the race-conscious admissions practices used by many universities. Penn reaffirmed that it would stay committed to diversity and inclusion in a statement released after the ruling, and it would continue seeking ways to admit individuals with wide-ranging experiences to contribute to Penn’s community.

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Huntsman Hall on Oct. 1.

Penn volleyball defeated Brown 3-0 on Oct. 5.

Defending the Palestra: Penn volleyball sweeps Brown

The Quakers earned their rst conference home win with a 3-0 sweep of the Bears

GRACE SCHLEGEL Sports Reporter

While Friday’s loss against Yale did not go the Quakers’ way, Penn volleyball rallied to sweep Brown 3-0 on Saturday. That change in energy was thanks to a critical adjustment in the team’s strategy.

“We said our serve and pass game was gonna win this,” coach Meredith Schamun said. “I knew [Brown] struggled passing at Princeton last night and we didn’t serve well against Yale last night. So we were like OK, let’s reset.”

From the very first set, as the lead bounced back and forth between the two teams, it was clear this would be a hard-won game. With the score tied up at 14-14, Brown’s (3-9, 0-3 Ivy) strong defense stood out, allowing the offense to grow more aggressive and leading the Bears to a 22-18 lead. However, thanks to an impressive surprise kill from freshman outside hitter Ellie Siskin, the tide turned and Penn ultimately won the set 25-23 with a winning kill from sophomore outside hitter Zada Sanger. With a lead in tow, the Red and Blue defended their advantage in the second set. Sophomore right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg recorded a career high 19 digs throughout the game, along with kills that set up the team for success. Through Rittenberg and freshman right-side hitter Jenniya Lane’s strong defensive blocks, as well as Siskin and freshman middle blocker Adell Murray’s kills, the

Quakers took the second set handily 25-16.

“We had a lot of young people that showed up in different spaces today,” Schamun said. “The good thing is when one or two of them have a down game there’s other people that rise to the occasion.”

The energy was contagious as the third set began with an ace on the serve by freshman outside hitter Jenna Garner. Brown fought back, but the Bears were plagued with inconsistent and impulsive misses both in the net and outside the lines. Throughout this final set, the Bears fell apart, tripping over their unforced errors time and time again as the Quakers scored one point after another. The third set showcased both Rittenberg and Siskin dominating the court with vicious kills and notable assists by freshman setter Emery Moore. The Quakers again took the set 25-16, giving them an Ivy League sweep on their home turf.

“I think the team stuck to the game plan to the tee,” Schamun said. “They didn’t get too high or too low, they just rode out the waves and made sure they took care of business, and ultimately it was the best thing we could have done.”

Now 2-2 in Ivy League play, the Quakers will continue to implement their new strategy against Dartmouth and Harvard, in the hopes of continuing to defend the Palestra.

as game-like as possible. “You don’t get to be that good or that dominant on the field without being a hard-nosed, hard-working guy,” Falcon said. “Leo is one of the reasons why our practices are the way they are.”

then-sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson had his breakout game, finishing with 139 yards and two touchdowns. Coming off a season low of 18 receiving yards against Dartmouth, expect to see Richardson once again light up the Bison defense.

leadership role for the team altogether. “He’s very vocal in his communications and very personable and easy to talk to,” Falcon said. “If there’s any problems, on or off the field, he really is a steady rock for everyone on the team to go to.” As a center back, Burney leads the Quakers’ defensive unit alongside the other defenders.

“I’ve had the pleasure of playing with some great guys who were some of my best friends,” Burney said. For the past three years, for example, Burney has played right next to Penn senior Ben Do. “He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with, so it’s just a pleasure every time we get to step on the field.” Burney has also gotten close with the younger players on the team like Penn sophomore defender Connor Dawson and Falcon. “We’re always communicating with each other, and everyone seems to know exactly what to do at the right time. It’s great to see young guys mixing with older guys and just being such a tough unit to play against,” Burney said.

While Falcon calls Burney the rock of the defense, he also has a large impact on Penn’s attack. “He’s almost like a quarterback in a way, where he’s making the big play, like the big slide tackle, but then he’s getting up and giving the ball to the attackers to score,” Falcon said. “He’s definitely the most well rounded player I would say I’ve had the opportunity to play with in my time here.”

Burney has also helped shape the team’s practice sessions during his time on the team to be

So far, Burney has played every minute possible in his last season with the Quakers, tied with Falcon to lead the team at 810 minutes. “A lot of the time he makes my job way easier,” Falcon said. “He’s winning one vs. one battles that you don’t see other people winning in this country, or conference, or anywhere really.”

When asked about this being his last season, Burney responded, “I’m just trying to take it a day at a time and get the most out of every single day.” Though time has passed quickly, Burney has tried to savor every moment. “I’m just trying to enjoy everything and take stock in the little things, like getting meals with the guys, or just hanging out.”

“[Leo] will be missed heavily within our program,” Falcon said. “I will miss having him back there, obviously, he’s a good guy to be around and good for our locker room, so Leo Burney will be missed.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Burney has high hopes for the team.

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think if this team keeps focusing on little things and keeps pushing each other, we can have a great season,” Burney said. “I think we can get all of our goals, but we have to keep being diligent and training hard.”

After closing out his time with Penn men’s soccer later this year, Burney is looking to play at the professional level.

“Hopefully I have a pretty good season this year, and that can lead to professional opportunities next year,” Burney said. “I want to see how long I can keep playing.”

racking up back-to-back wins prior to this Saturday’s matchup. However, Sayin’s ball security — he’s recorded zero turnovers in two straight games — seems to indicate that he is more in sync with his wide receivers compared to last season, and the odds are still in the Quakers’ favor; they all just have to keep their eyes on the ball.

Penn 31, Bucknell 28 — Vivian Yao, Sports Editor In last year’s matchup against Bucknell,

However, this game could also be much tighter than some of Penn’s previous past matchups against Bucknell, as the emergence of wide receiver TJ Cadden as a bona fide special teams threat — in addition to a trustworthy wide receiver for veteran quarterback Ralph Rucker IV — adds another dimension to the Bison offense. Penn has dominated the all-time series for a reason, though, and I expect the Sayin-led offense to turn things around after a poor showing in Hanover. It’s bison hunting season, and the Quakers will be more than eager to pounce.

ELAINE PENG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

WEINING DING | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn football in the Yale Bowl on Oct. 21, 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOAH GUTSKEY

The Ott Center is set to feature a banked track, long and high jump pits, a throwing area, and roughly 1000 spectator seats.

Rhodes Field. It will also provide support to the Penn Relays, offering an additional venue for certain events in the nation’s oldest and largest track and field event.

“There’s no larger and more exciting meet than

Penn Relays, and when you add the Ott Center, that is very exciting,” Dolan said. “Penn and the City of Philadelphia are doing great things for the track and field world. It’s super exciting, and I think it’ll be great for our campus community and for the sport.”

The center is named in honor of Jane and David Ott, who met during their time on the Penn track and field team and graduated in 1987 and 1985, respectively.

OTT CENTER , from BACK PAGE

FOOTBALL , from BACK PAGE

SOCCER , from BACK PAGE

shaped them into the elite kickers they are today. They learned to change their kicking techniques to fit that of a prolate spheroid football, instead of a spherical soccer ball. They now kick far less frequently in football than they used to in soccer. With fewer chances to go on the field, they have learned to value “quality over quantity.”

“A lot of the times we’re stepping on the field, the game is on the line,” Sturla said. “It could be the last few seconds of the game. You need to make that kick.”

To the casual observer, it would seem easy to kick a football in between goalposts 18 feet and six inches wide. But when it comes to getting the right height and the right angle, “it has to be perfect,” Jang said.

“If the hold is an inch off the mark, then you know that kick will go right … so that just comes down to getting reps with your guys and building that trust [with] one another.”

But getting “reps” in doesn’t mean kicking a thousand balls a day, nonstop. It means concentrated, deliberate, quality-over-quantity practice, enough to perfect your form without tiring out your leg.

“You’re locked in every single time,” Sturla said of his practice attempts. “I would say, visual reps are just as important, and understanding … the mental aspect of this skillset, which is arguably just as important as the physical aspect of it, being able to control your nerves, but also understand your role and execute on that every time you step on the field.”

While also perfecting their kicks, repetitions build trust with the snapper and holder. By the time the snapper throws the ball, the kicker is already running, trusting that the holder will catch the ball and position it at the right spot, at the right angle, at the right time. If there’s any hesitation by any of the athletes, even for a half second, it throws off the whole 1.3-second operation.

That teamwork and trust is what motivates the team. Not many Penn students come to watch football games, and the players don’t need their praise or recognition.

“We kind of play for each other, and we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves … and I feel like that’s something that I think is truly special,” Sturla said.

Jang and Sturla, kicking is a labor of love

The brown leather football spins two and half rotations, perfectly down the line to the holder. The holder catches the ball and brings it down vertically, ensuring it leans just a little forward and sideways. The kicker looks up at the goal post one last time before rushing forward, leaning his body as he prepares to kick, and strikes the football with the top of his foot. Snap, hold, kick. All under 1.3 seconds. It’s not every day that getting on the wrong bus changes the trajectory of your life. But it did for Penn football senior kicker Albert Jang. One day as a high school freshman in Suwanee, Ga., he accidentally got on the wrong village school bus — the football bus instead of the soccer one. “I didn’t want to say that I was on the wrong bus,” Jang said. “So I got off the bus and said I was the kicker. And that was that.” Jang would soon find out that kicking a soccer

ball is different from kicking a football, as would junior Santiago Sturla. Sturla grew up in Argentina, where Lionel Messi’s reputation reigned supreme, but later moved to Blue Bell, Pa., where he joined the youth football organization.

“When it came time to kick the [football], the coaches were always like, ‘Hey Santi, you play soccer. Go ahead and do it,’” Sturla said.

Both Jang and Sturla’s soccer backgrounds

Both players think of the people who have helped them along the way: for Jang, his parents who immigrated from Korea and sacrificed so much for him; for Sturla, his teammates who motivate him to be and play at his best.

Just as there was a change from soccer to football, there was also a change from high school football to Division I football. Jang noted how the “stakes are higher” in college, and Sturla pointed out that it was more “competitive.”

But at the end of the day, they both agreed that “kicking is kicking.” It’s the same ball, the same field. The same pressure and exhilaration of coming out on the field with a game’s worth of effort riding on you.

“I get to sometimes be the exclamation mark at the end of a sentence for the team,” Jang said.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Now-senior kicker Albert Jang attempts a field goal against Dartmouth on Sept. 30, 2023.

In his last season, Penn men’s soccer defender Leo Burney has high hopes

The three-time rst team All-Ivy selection has played a huge role in the team’s success

LUCAS MILGRIM AND ERICA JIANG Deputy Sports Editor and Sports Reporter

As Penn men’s soccer senior Leo Burney steps into his last season with the Quakers, he has continued to receive recognition for his critical role on the team as a captain and center back. After being named first team All-Ivy in his past three years on the team, his first accolade of this season was a nomination to the United Soccer Coaches Defenders to Watch list in early August, with more to come. Penn men’s soccer sophomore goalkeeper Phillip Falcon III said that no one on the team was surprised to see the nomination. “Everyone knows that Leo is the dominant player he is,” Falcon said. “It was earned.”

Born into a tennis family, with his father and older brother both playing in college and his mother picking up a racket when she met his

father, Burney became the first soccer player in the family.

“Tennis was my second sport until I was 12, when it was clear that I was way better at soccer,” Burney said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to be as good as my brother,’ so I charted my own path.”

At 12 years old, Burney dropped tennis and fully committed to the sport that would bring him to Penn only a few years later. When exploring colleges four years ago, Burney knew he wanted to go outside of his hometown of Seattle.

After getting to know the coaches and players at Penn men’s soccer, he knew Penn was the right fit for him.

“In high school, [the coaching staff] was always reaching out to me and I felt like it would

Ott Center for Track and Field set to open Nov. 16

The ribbon-cutting comes roughly ve years after the center’s initial announcement

WALKER CARNATHAN Sports Editor

After over two years of construction, Penn’s new indoor track and field facility, the Ott Center, is set to officially open its doors on Nov. 16. The center’s grand opening event will take place from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., with Penn alumni and friends of the track and field and cross country programs invited to attend in exchange for a donation. Penn Track and Field and Cross Country Director and Frank Dolson Director of Penn Relays Steve Dolan envisioned the center as a major step forward for the program, emphasizing its capabilities as a hub for both practice and competition.

“It’s a new home for Penn track and field,” Dolan said. “We have between 110 and 120 athletes that do men’s or women’s track and field. That’s going to be amazing from a training standpoint — a place to compete and a home base for our team.” The Ott Center was initially announced in October 2019, but experienced a number of construction delays before breaking ground in 2022. Its 73,000-square-foot surface encompasses a banked track, pits for long and high jump, a

throwing area, and 990 spectator seats, with the final cost reaching $69.3 million.

The facility is set to be the only one of its kind in the greater Philadelphia region, giving Penn the ability to host large-scale indoor meets, including the Indoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

“It would be lovely not to have to travel pretty much every weekend in order to be able to compete, so our teams would be excited to have four additional weekends competing in our backyard on our venue,” Athletic Director Alanna Shanahan said of the center in 2022. “An indoor track will allow us the opportunity to host an Ivy League indoor track championship in the winter track season, so [we’re] excited for that as well.”

The Ott Center, which Dolan said will become “part of Penn’s skyline,” will be located at 2910 South St., bordered on the west by the SEPTA and Amtrak trains, on the north by the Hollenback Center, on the east by the Schuylkill Expressway, and on the south by the recently renovated

See OTT CENTER , page 8

be a place I’d be wanted and could contribute right off the bat — and I was able to do that,” Burney said. In addition to the high caliber of academics offered at Penn, Burney emphasized the importance of being with the right people in his decision to become a Quaker.

When Falcon first played with Burney two years ago, he was taken aback by Burney’s presence on the field. “The first time playing with him, I was just in shock at just how dominant he was on the field and how good of a leader he was, to not only me as a freshman, but even people in his class and older than him,” Falcon said.

So far this season, the team has played eight games, with a 7-1-1 record. The team played a number of difficult games in the spring, notably

against Georgetown University and the University of Denver, Burney said, which tested the players and helped them figure out that “[they] just need to work incredibly hard and build trust in each other.” In addition, Burney credits a lot of the team’s success to the players’ close relationships.

“We enjoy hanging out with each other outside of the field, and I think that definitely helps our togetherness,” Burney said. “You can see it on the field in tough moments of the game, where we’re always supporting each other … it just feels amazing to go out there and compete with this team and get results.” Falcon says that Burney has taken up a big

See SOCCER , page 8

The picks are in: Penn football vs. Bucknell

The Quakers return home and so do score predictions from members of DPOSTM

BRIAN BARTH, JUSTIN LEE, DEREK WONG, VIVIAN YAO

The Daily Pennsylvanian Sports Department

Penn 27, Bucknell 21 — Brian Barth (1-0), Sports Reporter Coming off a low-scoring loss last weekend in Hanover, N.H., the Quakers cross back west of the Schuylkill for a bout with Bucknell. The Bison had a thriller in their last outing, ending regulation tied with Lehigh at 28 apiece. After trading touchdowns in the first overtime, linebacker Gavin Willis recovered a Mountain Hawk fumble — his second recovery of the game. The Bison would go on to win 38-35 in double overtime.

Quaker sophmore running back Malachi Hosley will enter Saturday No. 5 in the FCS in rushing yards per game with 129.7 yards, while Bucknell ranks just No. 107 in rushing defense. The Bison are also No. 107 in red zone offense, while Penn is No. 10 in red zone defense. All signs point to the Quakers taking the win.

Penn 27, Bucknell 13 — Justin Lee, Sports Reporter

Despite the loss to Dartmouth, Penn football is off to a good start since its win against

Colgate. Though the Quakers are 1-2 overall compared to Bucknell’s 3-2, I believe their offense will deliver a strong showing against a Bucknell defense that gave up 437 yards in their loss to Navy. I’m backing Hosley and his ability to score touchdowns for Penn’s offense. I think Penn’s defense will keep its momentum throughout and that senior quarterback Aidan Sayin will maintain a firm lead for Penn, giving the Red and Blue another win at Franklin Field. Penn 24, Bucknell 17 — Derek Wong, Video Editor Last year, the Quakers decisively won against the Bison with a healthy margin of 16 points. This year, the Quakers might not be that lucky. While the Penn offense has been better polished as a unit, the team appears to be still adjusting to its recalibrations. Losses against Delaware and Dartmouth, while not fatal, exemplified that there’s still some tightening up left for the team. The Bison are also on a hot streak,

See FOOTBALL , page 8