October 28, 2021

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 24

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

‘Falling through the cracks:’ Students with disabilities allege poor support from Weingarten

1,150

students face registration holds for COVID-19 vaccine noncompliance

Weingarten students in need of accommodations are frustrated with inadequate proctoring and disability support during exams KEVIN BRYAN Staff Reporter

CHASE SUTTON

A dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at the Gimbel Gymnasium on April 21.

The registration holds will bar students from participating in Advance Registration for the spring semester JONAH CHARLTON Senior Reporter

Penn will place 1,150 students on spring course registration hold for violating the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

The registration holds will be placed on student accounts on Oct. 29, barring students from participating in the upcoming Advance Registration period, which begins on Nov. 1 and lasts through Nov. 13. Students will remain on registration hold until they upload a copy of their completed vaccination card to their Student Health account, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Graduate and professional studies students make up the vast majority of the students who are noncompliant with the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, as more than 99% of the undergraduate

Over 7,000 students risk being barred from classes due to COVID-19 testing noncompliance Students have until Oct. 30 to get tested for COVID-19 JONAH CHARLTON Senior Reporter

A total of 7,231 students are at risk of receiving red PennOpen Passes on Nov. 2 — barring them from many campus buildings — as a result of failing to comply with Penn’s biweekly COVID-19 screening testing policy.

Students who have not received a COVID-19 test since Oct. 19 are in danger of receiving red passes and have until Oct. 30 to get tested, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Paul Sniegowski sent an email to students in the College on Wednesday, writing that 1,549 of the 7,231 students are in the College, and will not be able to attend class until they receive a green pass.

“Instructors are under no obligation to accommodate students receiving noncompliant red passes with access to course materials for missed class sessions,”

FOUNDED 1885

population is fully vaccinated.

The University announced in April that it would require all students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with exceptions for medical or religious reasons only.

Students who will be placed on registration hold are those who have either not uploaded proof of vaccination, have not applied for exemptions, have had their exemption requests denied, or are simply unvaccinated against COVID-19, Dubé said. While some students did apply for exemptions, he said, the University only granted exemptions to a “very small number of students” under specific circumstances.

The University is placing the registration holds ahead of the impending City of Philadelphia health care and higher education vaccine mandate. All members of higher education institutions in Philadelphia are required to have received either two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNtech vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Nov. 15. All those who are not vaccinated by Nov. 15 will be required to test twice weekly for COVID-19.

Sniegowski wrote. “In addition, students missing class sessions due to noncompliant red passes are not entitled to make-ups of exams, quizzes, and other graded assessments that happen to fall during those missed classes.”

While not all buildings require community members to show PennOpen Passes to enter, the number of buildings that do require PennOpen Passes for entry has “significantly increased” over the past week, Dubé said. Houston Hall and Van Pelt Library are among the buildings requiring PennOpen Passes for entry.

Last week, Penn issued over 9,000 red PennOpen Passes for noncompliance with the testing policy. The University did not, however, enforce full restrictions to campus buildings, instead allowing students an extra week to get their COVID-19 tests and receive a green pass. That decision was made in an effort to “not impede the academic mission, while also keeping everyone safe,” Dubé said. He added, however, that a similar exception will not be made again.

“After last week, everyone understands how this policy works and should be aware of what they need to do,” Dubé said. “Students have until Saturday to get their test and avoid having issues next week. Everyone needs to do their part to continue keeping our campus community safe.”

The University also posted a schedule for the dates in which it will issue red passes to students who have not received a COVID-19 test in the two weeks prior.

Following Nov. 2, the University will issue red passes every two weeks, on Nov. 16, Nov. 30, and Dec. 14, and the final days for which students can get tested in each of those periods are Nov. 13, Nov. 27, and Dec. 11, respectively.

Following the issuance of the 9,130 noncompliance red passes last week, students flocked to the CO-

Dubé said that Penn community members should “take comfort in knowing it is not that many students” who are noncompliant with the vaccine requirement, and that “accountability is a part of our processes here.”

The University has long placed registration holds on student accounts who do not complete pre-matriculation vaccination requirements.

Penn requires all students to receive the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Hepatitis B vaccines, among others, as part of enrolling at the University. Students who do not upload their vaccination status or are unvaccinated in any category receive a number of reminders and are eventually placed on registration hold. Dubé said that these registration holds have historically been very effective at getting students to submit paperwork or get vaccinated in a timely fashion.

“The registration hold is a consequence for not following the rules, regardless of what vaccination it is,” Dubé said. “This consequence probably hurts a bit more than a red pass, and we hope that it gets students to hold up their end of the bargain to continue to keep the campus community safe.”

EMILY XU

Students must be tested biweekly to meet the University’s COVID-19 screening test policy.

VID-19 testing centers. Penn tested 15,844 community members last week, the most of any week this semester. The University posted a 0.18% positivity rate for the week of Oct. 17 to Oct. 23, the lowest of the fall semester, which Dubé called “continued assurance that our policies are working.”

With the increased number of tests — many of which were unscheduled, as the testing centers allow walk-ins — Penn’s COVID-19 testing results laboratory faced backlogs. The laboratory still published results in fewer than 24 hours, per usual, but Dubé urged students to schedule their tests ahead of time and not procrastinate until the end of the week, emphasizing that their actions have consequences on others at the school.

“All of these moving parts are tied together and one disruption has a lot of trickle-down effects,” he said.

“This is just something to remember moving forward and to really be mindful of others.”

Penn’s transition to an in-person semester has left students slipping through the cracks — particularly those with diagnosed disabilities in need of exam accommodations and extra academic support from the University.

Students who receive testing accommodations are frustrated by an alleged lack of communication and organization from Penn’s Weingarten Learning Resources Center and Disability Services as they have transitioned to in-person exams. Some were forced to navigate the process of setting up their midterm accommodations themselves, with many ultimately experiencing inadequate proctoring and disability support on exam day — leading to wasted time and added physical and mental stress.

Students working with Disability Services previously told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the closure of Disability Services’ testing center during the first several weeks of this semester caused some students not to receive appropriate exam accommodations. They called for Disability Services to keep the perspective of students with disabilities in mind when making changes in the future.

Weingarten provides Penn students with academic support ranging from tutoring services to learning consultations. The center also houses Disability Services, which offers students with self-identified disabilities exam accommodations and a range of professional support programs.

College sophomore Catherine Law, who transferred from George Washington University to Penn this semester, was shocked by the silent treatment she received from her Disability Services advisor in contrast to her previous disability advisors at GWU. “My [Penn Disability Services] advisor has responded to about two of my emails the entire semester. When I’m having issues with the system, she just doesn’t respond,” Law said. She said she was panicking ahead of her midterms this month, as she did not have any exams scheduled because Weingarten’s online system seemed to not be working.

Jane F. Holahan, executive director of Weingarten, acknowledged in an email to the DP that the center has seen an uptick in students and faculty reaching out for assistance with the transition back to in-person learning.

“Disability Services has been actively working with students and faculty to address their inquiries in a timely fashion,” Holahan wrote.

Law also found Weingarten to be disorganized with regard to proctoring students’ exams.

“Half of [my exams] haven’t been properly proctored, particularly ones where I’m in my own room,” Law said. “It’s to the point where when I needed help to get something on my exam, I walked outside and no one was there for 10 minutes.”

After finishing a Spanish language exam earlier this month at the designated time of 6 p.m., Law waited for her proctor to return to her testing room to collect her work. But when no one showed up for more than 15 minutes, Law said she went to several rooms in the building in which she was taking her exam before finally finding someone who directed her to the exam proctor.

Weingarten was also recently granted $2.6 million by the Moh Foundation to support students with disabilities, which will contribute to a new testing center and improved exam accommodations.

Other students also had difficulties reaching out to Weingarten staff, saying that receiving academic support was much more streamlined during previous online learning semesters, when professors would simply increase exam time limits on Canvas. Now, students say it’s harder to set up exam accommodations and get connected with an academic tutor through the center.

One College sophomore, who receives exam extensions for his dyslexia, said Weingarten staff did not respond for a week to his persistent phone calls and emails seeking help with setting up exam accommodations.

“It was to the point where I was spending more time figuring out my exam accommodations than actually studying,” the College sophomore, who requested anonymity, said.

He added that his peers also had difficulties getting involved with Weingarten’s tutoring services. When trying to join a tutoring program for CHEM 102: “General Chemistry II” after a midterm earlier this month, the SEE WEINGARTEN PAGE 2

RAISE YOUR SALAD STANDARDS 3728 Spruce St

SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

ONLINE AT THEDP.COM

CONTACT US: 215-422-4640

2 NEWS WEINGARTEN FRONT PAGE

College sophomore received a response from Weingarten stating the program was full.

“I previously thought of the tutoring service as a bit of a backup when I’m really struggling in a class,” the College sophomore said. “It’s frustrating since most professors and the University want to point towards Weingarten as a way to do better in classes. Now, I feel I’ve lost trust in them.”

Holahan wrote that one effort to improve Weingarten’s communication with students has been a revision of Weingarten’s website, which now allows students to access the homepage, go directly to Disability Services, and use the drop-down menu to find information.

“We continue to work with students and campus partners to strengthen our communication,” her email stated.

But for College sophomore Ellie McKeown and other Weingarten students, more needs to be done.

McKeown, a student with autism and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome — a physically disabling hypermobile disorder — noted slow communication with her Disability Services advisor and a lack of proper accommodation when it came time to take her exams. McKeown receives accommodations from Weingarten to take her exams virtually due to the damage writing can do to her hand.

While she was able to smoothly set up her accommodations to take her midterm earlier this month, McKeown said the day of her exam went unexpectedly. To her surprise, McKeown’s Weingarten proctors told her that she was only allowed a computer during class — not during her exam.

“There is a kind of non-connection between whoever approves the accommodations online and then who carries them out in person. The people who sign up to be proctors are not necessarily given access to the things they need access to,” McKeown said.

In an extreme effort not to forfeit her exam, McKeon arranged her own exam accommodations — putting on arthritis gloves to keep her joints in place and fighting through the pain to complete her exam on paper.

“I had to practically physically force myself to take

Students debate Green New Deal, environmental reform at Penn Political Union event PPU organizes monthly debates on a range of relevant political topics ABBY BAGGINI Contributing Reporter

Students gathered in Houston Hall Tuesday evening to debate the merits of a Green New Deal in the United States at an event hosted by the Penn Political Union and the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.

PPU, which organizes monthly debates on a range of relevant political topics, chose to focus October’s event on environmentalism, asking participants to debate the statement: “Implementing a Green New Deal in the United States would be a mistake.” The team that argued against the program said the proposed reform tries to accomplish too much in too little time, constitutes an overreach of federal power, and would worsen inflation. The group in favor of the Green New Deal said it would boost the American economy and that climate investment cannot be delayed any further.

College sophomore Nicholas Rutherford, as well as College first years David Katz and Giulio Iacoviello, argued against the implementation of a Green New Deal. They were opposed

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

a test using joints that weren’t made for it,” McKeown said. “That was incredibly difficult for me. I couldn’t use my hands for the rest of the day.”

For her three midterms afterward, McKeown said she had to wait each time for up to 30 minutes for Weingarten to give her a computer to take her exam.

“Frankly, students should not have to accommodate themselves. It is quite frustrating when I am denied my access requests,” McKeown said. “What Weingarten needs to do is go over all of their policies and say, ‘How can we make this clearer? Are there any situations we’re putting students in that are impossible to figure out?Are there any catch-22s or loopholes?”

Like McKeown, an Engineering junior, who requested anonymity in fear of increased scrutiny from Weingarten, similarly struggled with receiving help from their Weingarten and Disability Services advisor. They said they did not receive adequate support for their academic track and initial exam accommodations — especially during the pandemic when they were experiencing severe academic setbacks.

The Engineering junior, after being officially diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder one year ago by their physician at home, contacted Weingarten and Disability Services to set up advising and exam accommodations at Penn. Despite having the official note of their diagnosis, the student was told they would not be provided accommodation from the University without a specific psychological evaluation. The Engineering junior took the evaluation over the course of several days that winter break, and paid about $5,000 out of pocket to confirm the diagnosis.

Only seven months after initially getting in contact with Weingarten was the Engineering junior able to receive the appropriate accommodations they needed for ADHD, they said.

“You have to jump through like 10 different hoops to get help in the first place,” they said. “And for people who are in a situation where they have ADHD and they are constantly distracted, doing that whole process itself is a problem.”

Eventually, the Engineering junior said they asked

by College sophomores Emiliano Castillo and Marc Edayadi and College first year Dhilan Lavu, who defended the sweeping environmental reform effort. The debaters included both PPU members and student volunteers.

Rutherford, Katz, and Iacoviello argued that while they each believed in climate change and that measures must be taken to combat it, they denied that a Green New Deal is the right way to do so. The team focused their criticism specifically on the version of the Green New Deal proposed by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

“What we need is a combination of the Green New Deal’s sense of urgency and market mechanisms that encourage emission reductions at low prices while saving jobs,” Iacoviello said.

“This approach is simply more realistic and effective than a Green New Deal given that it’s so unclear, misguided, and has many risks.”

Alternatively, Castillo, Edayadi, and Lavu emphasized that not only would a Green New Deal benefit the American economy by creating jobs, but there is also an urgent need for it given the imminent human costs of climate change.

“You have to have federal investment,” Castillo said. “ There’s already a huge potential for renewable energy and climate change policy locked up in the United States that has not been able to be released because there’s not a federal program or federal guidelines in order to be able to make it happen.”

The debate was moderated by PPU Speaker of the Union and Wharton junior Frank Hong, who allowed each team to present an introduction, three body arguments, and a conclusion.

In between arguments, attendees were able to ask panelists questions about the deal’s implications for nuclear energy, collective actions issues, federalism, and other things.

Following concluding remarks, PPU polled the attendees for a vote on which team presented the most compelling argument. The final vote came to a 6-5 decision in favor of the team

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

BIRUK TIBEBE

The Weingarten Learning Resources Center is located in Stouffer Commons.

three administrative employees — one from Weingarten, one from Student Intervention Services, and one from Disability Services — for a statement conveying their academic improvement to the University. They said the employees declined or were hesitant to do so due to unclear policies.

Now, the Engineering junior receives support primarily through their academic advisor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. While it was an “extremely difficult” process to have Weingarten and Disability Services organize their exam accommodations, they said they’re receiving the appropriate accommodations now.

They said Weingarten should be more integrated with the University to better guide students throughout their academic journey, such as setting regular meeting times

with students.

“The academic aid services and the University are not linked. The University treats [Disability Services] like a trash bin and throws away students that need help,” they said. “It’s more like [Disability Services] and Weingarten are approached like band-aids, rather than support structures that prevent students from falling through the cracks.”

Like the Engineering junior, Law said she thinks Weingarten’s biggest focus should be on fostering strong relationships between advisors and students.

“Every student needs [an advisor] who will advocate for them, who is going to reach out to them and communicate with them, ask them how they’re doing,” Law said. “How is an advisor supposed to help a student if they’re not talking to them?”

ABBY BAGGINI

The five caucuses of the Penn Political Union held a debate on the Green New Deal on Oct. 26 in Houston Hall.

supporting the Green New Deal.

College first year Seamus O’Brien attended the event to support his friend who was debating and to hear different voices in a conversation that is “often one-sided.” Though he supports the Green New Deal, O’Brien said that listening to the PPU debate allowed him to better understand where the other side is coming from, especially in regards to the deal’s estimated costs.

“I was able to put in perspective how expensive it is,” O’Brien said. “That’s something that

I had to conceptualize.”

PPU will host its next student debate on Nov. 17 on a yet-to-be-decided topic. The PPU Board encouraged students of all political ideologies to consider participating in a future debate.

“I think it’s important to give students the opportunity to debate each other in a public forum and have other people watch and listen,” Hong said. “I feel like that’s something that is lacking on campus — the ability to have a civil discourse without it turning into a shouting match or having really high tensions.”

We’re bringing the

PENN RING

to you.

FRIDAY Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

SATURDAY Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Penn Bookstore

Shop balfour4me.com/pennsylvania

©2021 Balfour. All Rights Reserved.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

Penn faces federal complaint for participation in conference discussing Hindu nationalism Penn community members, including the South Asia Studies Department and some faculty members, disputed the complaint TORI SOUSSA Senior Reporter

A Hindu advocacy group has filed a federal complaint against Penn for its participation in a conference that discussed the rise of Hindu nationalism.

The Hindu American Foundation asked the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to investigate the University’s treatment of students and faculty of Indian and Hindu descent. The Foundation filed a complaint on Oct. 6 following Penn’s co-sponsorship of a three-day virtual conference titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva.” The complaint alleges that Penn faculty, the South Asia Center, and the Department of South Asia studies promoted negative stereotypes and slurs about India and Hindus and “specifically target[ed] Hindu students for censure and marginalization” through the University’s involvement in the conference.

Penn community members, however — including the South Asia Studies Department and some faculty members — dispute the complaint.

The conference, which took place starting on Sept. 10, was co-sponsored by departments in more than 40 American universities, including Penn, Harvard University, and Columbia University. The conference also received a letter of support from more than 1,000 faculty members, including 17 at Penn, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Local universities like Drexel University, Swarthmore College, Lehigh University, and Rutgers University also supported the event.

Nearly one million emails were sent out in protest against the conference from Hindu groups such as The Hindu American Foundation that believed the event was Hinduphobic and fostered hate against the Hindu community, The Washington Post reported.

Panels at the conference included discussions on Islamophobia, the caste system, and differ-

NEWS 3

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 ences between Hinduism and Hindutva, the latter of which is known to represent the ideology of the Hindu right. The ideology of the Hindu right is now represented by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been the ruling political party of India since 2014.

Suhag A. Shukla, Philadelphia-based cofounder and executive director of The Hindu American Foundation, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that a lack of response from the Penn administration regarding their email protesting the conference compelled the organization to file the complaint.

University spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy wrote in an email to the DP: “We believe in and support free and open expression and debate on complex issues. There is nothing more I can add beyond that.”

Student leaders of Penn’s South Asia Society and the Penn Hindu and Jain Association did not respond to multiple requests to comment about the conference.

A professor who spoke anonymously on behalf of the South Asia Studies Department in fear of retaliation, which supported the conference, wrote in an email to the DP that they believe Penn’s participation in the conference was “entirely appropriate” given the University’s commitment to supporting academic freedom.

The conference was “an academically rigorous discussion that involved some of the leading scholars in the fields of the politics, history, and religion of modern India,” the email read.

The email also asserted the Department and School of Arts and Sciences’ commitments to diversity and inclusion, adding that the Department teaches and spreads awareness on campus about the scholarly study of Hinduism and other Indian religions. Because the conference was not hosted by the University itself, the Department wrote it is not aware of why Penn was the target of the federal complaint made by the Hindu American Foundation.

Political Science professor Rudra Sil, who has also been serving as the School of Arts and Sciences director of Penn’s Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business since 2011, told the DP that while he is not aware of the conference, he has not seen or experienced anything that suggests a systematic mistreatment of those of Indian or Hindu descent during his two decades teaching at the University.

Like Sil, Anthropology professor Nikhil Anand wrote in an email to the DP that as an Indian faculty member of Hindu descent, he has not experienced racially based discrimination.

Anand added that he has not heard of another professor of Hindu descent at Penn experiencing discrimination.

“I certainly do not believe that this discrimination is extended/imposed by the centers and departments that are named in the complaint, all of which are committed to serious, scholarly, and evidence-based research in India,” Anand wrote.

Anand added that he believes that partici-

SAVANNA COHEN

College Hall on Sept. 22.

pation in conferences like this one is how the University can work to combat harmful racial stereotypes.

“Unfortunately, in the buildup to the conference, those opposed to it mobilized the most egregious caste, gender, and religious stereotypes to intimidate its participants. But many, if not all, of those who were threatened and intimidated on social media and in their email by self-proclaimed Indian/Hindutva defenders, were Indian and/or Hindu,” Anand wrote.

“The vitriol, threats, and hate directed towards the conference’s scholars, in a sense, reveals precisely why the conference was both necessary and important,” he added.

The event’s organizers and speakers had received death and rape threats to withdraw from the conference, the Post reported.

One student, who requested anonymity in fear of retaliation, said that he believes some of the student apprehension to speak on the topics discussed in the conference stems from security concerns.

“I have friends back in India who’ve been incarcerated without a trial for speaking against the Indian right wing,” the student wrote in an email to the DP. The conference garnered significant attention within Hindu media circles. Those who supported it believed it critiqued Hindutva rather than the faith of Hinduism as a whole. Many of those

who found the conference’s discussions to be offensive voiced concerns that the event perpetrated hate and negativity towards Hindu people.

Hindus for Human Rights, another Hindu advocacy organization, issued a public statement of support for the conference, writing that it does not believe that the conference promotes discrimination against Hindus.

“The differences between [Hindutva ideology and Hinduism] are glaring and irreconcilable,” the statement reads. “In fact, commentators are increasingly comparing Hindutva ideology to early signs of fascism from European history — not a surprise given that the founders of Hindutva ideology drew their inspiration from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.”

Shukla emphasized that the goal of filing the complaint against Penn was not for the conference to have been canceled, or for any of the speakers to be removed, neither of which happened.

“We are just looking to ensure that the academic freedom of people who might disagree with the overarching theme of this conference is protected, and that those who might want to explore viewpoints that diverged from the predominant viewpoints expressed at that conference have the same protections of academic freedom so that they’re not censored, disparaged, or defamed professionally, and that they don’t face retaliation,” Shukla said.

All members of the University community are invited to bring issues for discussion to the

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL

OPEN FORUM Wednesday, December 1, 2021 4:00—6:00 p.m.

Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall Individuals who want to be assured of speaking at Open Forum must inform the Office of the University Secretary (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 8, 2021. Please indicate the topic you would like to discuss. Speakers’ statements should be framed to present policy issues and be directed to University Council as a body through the moderator.

START OUR MASTER'S DEGREE IN EDUCATION AS AN UNDERGRAD

Those who have not so informed the Office of the University Secretary will be permitted to speak at the discretion of the moderator of University Council and in the event that time remains after the scheduled speakers.

For the meeting format, please consult the University Council website at https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/open-forum.

The Office of the University Secretary can be contacted at ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu or 215-898-7005.

SUBMATRICULATION INFO SESSION November 4 | 12 p.m. www.gse.upenn.edu/Submatriculation

4 NEWS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

First years report prolonged coughing after observing high amounts of dust in the Quad Facilities and Real Estate Services said it’s possible that students are experiencing allergic reactions

SAYA DESAI Contributing Reporter

First years living in the Quad have reported an abnormal amount of dust in their rooms, which they say is making them sick and leading to uncontrollable coughing.

The dust is entering students’ rooms through their windows and accumulating in their air conditioning units, causing it to blow throughout the room when the air conditioner is turned on. Facilities and Real Estate Services administrators, who acknowledged the dust, maintain that it has nothing to do with developing a cold, which is transmitted from person to person or through droplets. Executive Director of Operations and Maintenance Faramarz Vakili said it’s possible that what students are experiencing is an allergic reaction.

Still, some students, who said that they have not yet opened their windows, witnessed what they believe to be a large amount of dust in their rooms.

“I have never opened my windows — or really done anything to bring in that many dust particles except for just existing in my room — so, I don’t know what to do,” Wharton first year Richa Kumar said. “Even taking daily Zyrtec and cleaning my room has done little to reduce the coughing.”

Senior Associate Director of Building Operations for Residential Services Paul Forchielli said that if students feel unwell, they should reach out to Student Health Service, which will assess the sickness and contact the Environmental Health and Safety Department if they believe that the illness is caused by an environmental hazard.

Students whose rooms have dust can fill out a maintenance request form on the Facilities & Real Estate Services website.

“Whenever I walk into my room, I start cough-

ing. So, I decided to submit a maintenance request to see if something was contributing to my symptoms,” Kumar, who lives in Riepe College House, said. “I always find it weird because, even if I wasn’t coughing during the day, it always creeps back when I step foot in my room.”

Kumar said that when she got her vents cleaned, she felt a difference walking into her room and started coughing less.

As a precautionary measure, FRES is responding to all of students’ maintenance requests regarding dust by sending representatives to the room to check for mold. After the inspection, FRES then sends a specialized team of contractors to clean the room’s air conditioning unit of dust and dirt.

So far, the team has cleaned 80 air conditioning units — the majority of which were identified through proactive inspection by Residential Services and not by students directly requesting maintenance, Vakili said.

“I always find it weird because, even if I wasn’t coughing during the day, it always creeps back when I step foot in my room.”

RICHA KUMAR

Some students complained that it took maintenance a while to respond to their requests for inspection and cleaning. Vakili said that 95% of the University’s roughly 80,000 annual maintenance requests are handled within the first three weeks.

College first year Erin Marble, who lives in Ware College House, said it took more than a month for Residential Services to inspect her room when she needed her vents cleaned. She submitted two requests because her first one was marked resolved without any action being taken.

“I’ve had this cough for a month and a half, and it hasn’t gone away,” Marble said. “The only time it has gotten better was when I went to New York, and I wasn’t in the Quad.”

Director of Environmental Health and Safety Joe Passante said the best thing for students to do in order to stay healthy is to vacuum and dust their rooms.

The Quad will begin undergoing renovations in summer 2022, which will include improvements to the air conditioning units’ fan coil systems, Vakili said. The renovation will also include improving hallway air systems and air filtration and resolving humidity issues, Forchielli said.

Vakili added that a third party contractor performs intensive mechanical maintenance on all ventilation units within the Quad every summer.

“We want to make sure there are many more years of life for the Quad,” Vakili said.

LEBANESE

OPEN FLAME

4420 WALNUT ST (215) 921-2135

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

GOODNESS

MAYA PRATT

Residents of the Quad reported an abnormal amount of dust in their rooms.

Transfer students will likely have their own floor in Rodin next year The plan, helmed by the Transfer Student Organization and Undergraduate Assembly, is in its final stages ELIZABETH MEISENZAHL Senior Reporter

Transfer students are close to securing a floor in the high rises for incoming transfers next year.

Designating a floor specifically for transfer students has been a goal of the Transfer Student Organization for years. Now, following a collaboration with the Undergraduate Assembly, TSO is in the final stages of confirming that transfer students will be able to occupy the entire 11th floor of Rodin College House beginning in 2022.

TSO Executive Vice President and College senior Sarah Chowdhury said that TSO will submit its application for the floor to College Housing and Academic Services later this month, which they expect to be approved after working with CHAS, which has supported the effort. Chowdhury added that the application for the community still has to be approved, but described it as a “formality.”

Transfer students are required to live on campus during their first year at Penn. Chowdhury said that while transfer housing communities currently exist in Gregory College House and Stouffer College House, these floors are not made up entirely of transfer students.

Chowdhury added that the 11th floor Rodin transfer community would help provide incoming transfer students with a greater sense of community by having a floor made up entirely of incoming transfers to mirror the experience first years have. She added that an alltransfer floor would also allow the floor’s RA or GA

to gear programming towards the transfer experience.

“Transfers are kind of thrown into housing all over the place,” College senior and TSO Co-President Lexi Brauer said.

The establishment of a floor only for transfers would also give transfer students a dedicated space to gather and hold events. Brauer said that TSO has discussed holding transfer student events in the 11th floor Rodin lounge.

Brauer said that when she transferred to Penn as a sophomore, the floor had already been a longstanding issue helmed by TSO. In 2020, the UA’s first transfer student representative made securing the transfer floor in Rodin a priority. But the effort faced setbacks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brauer said.

The added involvement and advocacy of the UA helped TSO secure the floor, Bauer said.

“Because of the UA, we’re able to get the administration to listen and get meetings with people that we weren’t able to get meetings with beforehand,” Brauer said.

Brauer added that Rodin House Director Kathryn McDonald also helped with the effort. McDonald declined to comment.

College senior and UA Associate Member Regan Mizrahi said he started working on the project for the UA as a sophomore while serving on the Residential Services Advisory Board.

“I noticed very quickly that there was a big mismatch between transfer students’ housing needs and the administrative support given,” Mizrahi said.

Mizrahi said that the UA’s role in this project has been supporting TSO by listening to its requests for the floor and scheduling meetings with the administration to lobby for the effort. He added that in the past year, the UA and TSO have collected feedback from transfer students to present to the administration to show that despite the existing communities in Gregory and Stouffer, there is a real need for a transfer-only floor, which he said helped secure the administration’s approval.

While Chowdhury acknowledged that the 11th floor of Rodin can only hold approximately 30 students, whereas each transfer class consists of 120 to 150 students, she said that if this program is successful, Residential Services has expressed interest in possibly expanding to other floors.

MANAKEESHCAFE.COM FIRE OVEN BAKED FLATBREADS, CHARBROILED LEBANESE KEBOBS, AND FRESH SMOOTHIES TO WASH IT ALL DOWN.

TWO YEARS FOR OUR HOMEMADE BAKLAVA

ZIHAN CHEN

The new transfer residential community will be located on the 11th floor of Rodin College House.

Best boba on campus?

40TH & SPRUCE copabanana.com 215-382-1330

The Daily Pennsylvanian’s annual Best of Penn edition is back Enter your top picks for Penn’s best freshman dorms, brunch locations, bubble tea spots, Penn architecture and many more the chance to win a $5 giftcard to Paris Baguette.

Voting closes Sunday, October 31st, at 11:59PM. Be sure to pick up a co of the Best of Penn Issue on Thursday, November 18th to find out if yo top picks made the cut!

JOIN US FOR BRUNCH SATURDAY & SUNDAY Reservations Required MIMOSAS FROM 12PM TO 2PM

Cast your vote and have the chance to win a $5 gift card to Paris Baguette!

Scan to vote

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

NEWS 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

THE RADIAN EXPERIENCE

Now leasing for Fall 2022 3925 WALNUT STREET

|

THERADIAN.COM

|

(215) 222-4212

6 OPINION

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

OPINION THURSDAY OCTOBER 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII, NO. 24 137th Year of Publication DANE GREISIGER President ASHLEY AHN Executive Editor HADRIANA LOWENKRON DP Editor-in-Chief ISABEL LIANG Design Editor CONOR MURRAY News Editor

EDITORIAL

N

Pennsylvania’s judges matter, so vote in this election

ext Tuesday, voters in Philadelphia and across the state will head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2021 elections. A variety of positions are up for re-election: district attorney and city controller for Philadelphia alone.

Among the plethora of elections is a series that may go unnoticed: judicial elections. In years past, turnout for such elections has been around 20%, less than one-third of the turnout in

Pennsylvania for Presidential elections. Local elections, despite receiving little attention, play an enormous role in shaping people’s lives. As such, Penn students must vote for court seats up for election, as the judges elected will play an important role in shaping state law for years to come.

Perhaps the most notable seat up for grabs is one on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the highest state court.

With Republican Justice Thomas Saylor

PIA SINGH News Editor HANNAH GROSS Assignments Editor BRITTANY DARROW Copy Editor KYLIE COOPER Photo Editor ALFREDO PRATICÒ Opinion Editor SUNNY JANG Audience Engagement Editor BRANDON PRIDE Sports Editor

JINTONG WU

LOCHLAHN MARCH Sports Editor SOPHIE HUANG Video Editor

RAUNAQ SINGH Technology Manager JASPER HUANG Analytics Manager GREG FERREY Marketing Manager EMILY CHEN Product Lab Manager ERIC HOANG Consulting Manager

THIS ISSUE ALANA KELLY DP Design Editor ANA GLASSMAN Opinion Photo Editor SAMANTHA TURNER Sports Photo Editor JESSE ZHANG Interim News Photo Editor NICKY BELGRAD Associate Sports Editor AGATHA ADVINCULA Deputy Opinion Editor VARUN SARASWATHULA Deputy Opinion Editor VALERIE WANG Deputy Opinion Editor BRANDON LI Design Associate ALICE CHOI Design Associate TYLER KLIEM Design Associate BECKY LEE Design Associate KENDALL ALLEN Design Associate CALEB CRAIN Design Associate MAGGIE SONG Design Associate KIRA LU Design Associate ELIZABETH XU Copy Associate TIFFANY PARK Copy Associate

It’s not just the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that matters, however.

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Court, Court of Common Pleas, and the Philadelphia Municipal Court all have elections for one or more judges this year. Each of these courts has real procedural power.

The Superior Court, for example, handles over 8,000 cases on an annual basis, and it often proves to be the final word on legal questions. The Superior Court aided the push for extending the statute of limitations on Catholic priests. Moreover, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, with a heavily Republican tilt, gave President Trump several legal victories when he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 elections.

The past five years have seen two contentious presidential races, historic midterms, and countless local elections. Penn students would be forgiven for having election fatigue and for wanting to take a few races off. This, however, is not a good choice. For the sake of Pennsylvania, and for the sake of its citizens, Penn students must vote in the upcoming judicial elections.

How the overuse of technology is harming teaching at Penn

QIANA ARTIS Podcast Editor ALESSANDRA PINTADO-URBANC Business Manager

retiring in December, Democrats could hold a 6-1 advantage if Superior Court judge Maria McLaughlin prevails. On the other hand, a victory by Republican Kevin Brobson would maintain the partisan status quo.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has dealt with a number of controversial cases in recent years. In 2018, it struck down a House of Representatives map widely perceived to unfairly favor Republicans, giving them a 13-5 advantage. As a result, Democrats gained several seats in the subsequent midterm elections, contributing to their takeover over the House of Representatives.

The gerrymandering case is not an isolated trend. More recently, the court has also upheld the COVID-19 disaster declaration, a victory for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, and has permitted changes to voting laws for the 2020 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lesson here is simple: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court not only affects how the law is interpreted, but also state and national politics. If you care about them, you ought to care about the courts.

The Insides of an Outsider | Simplifying and streamlining class structure will have major benefits on instruction

W

hen people ask me how I’m settling into my first semester at Penn, I answer with a big smile across my face, “Very well, I’m doing great!” For the most part, that’s true — .0a lot has gone well for me. However, there is one thing that no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot get used to: all the software we use for classes. In the first two weeks, I had to learn Canvas, Slack, Piazza and Ed Discussion — and that’s for one class alone. Every single one of my five classes uses a different platform to send essential information.

In the span of one week, a class sent me 70 messages on Canvas including one highlighting the deadline for a test — a test that I missed because I have neither the time nor the mental capacity to read all of them. If the phrase “You should have checked [insert software name here]” seems all too familiar, you might be struggling with the same problem.

No single software seems to be sufficient for instructors and as one of many students struggling to navigate and consistently check all of them, I believe it is unrealistic to expect us to keep up. Now you might be thinking, “Just switch on email alerts.” And to that, I say, remember the class with 70 messages on Canvas? Add every Piazza question, every message on Slack, and whatever people use Ed Discussion for and you have more mail than Harry got from Hogwarts.

Educational software has made a lot of things easier. I much prefer uploading assignments from the comfort of my dorm to having to wake up before class to print them and hand them in physically. Having class materials accessible digitally has made college life easier in ways my Gen Z self could never understand, but it doesn’t take an economics major to realize that after a point, diminishing returns kick in. There comes a point when the clutter created by using so many different platforms harms students more than it helps.

If professors expect us to stay off our phones and do the bucket loads of homework we’re assigned, they have to consider that while the glorious new platform they discovered might have a couple of snazzy extra features, it might not be worth it.

Stumbling on this issue of communication revealed to me a greater trend in education,

especially at Penn: Everyone, from elite institutions to community colleges, is scrambling to cram as much innovation as possible into our teaching model, which is prompting instructors and administrators to solve issues that don’t exist. The trickling of technology is not limited to outside the classroom. Due to their ease of use and convenience, they’re breaking into Penn’s classrooms as well. Today’s lectures, recitations and even seminars usually use some form of visual aid — primarily, PowerPoint.

A college first year, who asked to remain anonymous, was frustrated to find her professor read a presentation verbatim with little to no interaction with students. I encountered a similar frustration while blankly wondering what I’m supposed to look at on a slide with 83 words, six pictures, one labelled diagram and five bullets, while my professor talked about a random analogy for all of two minutes before moving on to the next slide — a plain text wall of 152 words. To understand why instructors use PowerPoints and how effective they are for teaching and learning, I spoke to Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman, professor of History of Education and Dr. Philip Gehrman, professor and practitioner of Clinical Psychology.

Dr. Gehrman, who used PowerPoints initially, transitioned back to chalk years ago.

Some of the reasons are that, “as soon as the instructor changes the slide the students’ attention is focused on them. It’s kind of like the idea of multitasking, which research has shown is a myth — we are physically incapable of focusing on two things at once, so your brain ends up rapidly switching between the tasks, because of which both of them suffer.

The lesser the number of slides, the more engaged the students were.” Another reason he observed was, “If I put information in a PowerPoint, all the information is presented in the way that I think, whereas without PowerPoints [students] take down information in the way that they think, and the process of doing that forces them to think critically about what’s being written down.”

Dr. Zimmerman added, “Creating a scenario in which knowledge is reduced to a bunch of bullet points sometimes can be

useful, [but] what students and the literature are telling us, is that it’s radically overused. I think the interesting question here is, does it provide a good venue for both acquiring and understanding that information? And I think there was a lot of evidence, suggesting that it does not.”

Both professors (who are highly rated on Penn Course Review) said that one of the most consistently positive reviews from their course evaluations is that their lectures refrain from PowerPoint. “When PowerPoint became a big thing 15-20 years ago, he’d often get the question, ‘Why no PowerPoint?’ but now it’s quite common in student evaluations to see ‘Woohoo, yay, no PowerPoint!’” said Dr. Zimmerman.

Both also distinguished the good use of PowerPoints. They can be used effectively to display diagrams and pictures with minimal information and redundancy. They can be used as tools to complement lectures. However, I’d wager that they’re simply being used because “It’s much easier to teach with PowerPoint, since teaching without relies a lot on memory, the PowerPoint for the professor is a memory aid,” according to Dr. Gehrman.

To substitute these ineffective lectures, I often find myself watching MIT OpenCourseWare, which capture what an engaging professor can do with a piece of chalk and, in many cases, dispel the myth that slides are essential.

On higher education’s draw towards technology, Dr Zimmerman says, “There have always been efforts to make teaching more efficient by reducing costs.” This is evident in the controversial flipped model adopted by the Math Department for calculus classes, which have seen declining reviews and has continued in-person despite pushback. While open to the idea of flipped learning, Dr. Zimmerman points out that its effectiveness depends on everything from the quality of the videos to the way that they are discussed in class. He stresses that “If, in fact, we’ve introduced this innovation, and we’re not making any sustained research effort to discover if it works, that is scandalous and unacceptable.”

So what’s the solution? Should we stop using tech? Should we ban computers? No.

BRANDON LI

Diminishing returns simply means that as you keep using more of a good thing, it becomes less and less good, and at some point can become harmful. We don’t have to stop using technology, we just need to critically evaluate how and how much we use it.

For communication, the solution is standardization to Email + X, where X is any other platform. I’d recommend Canvas but it could be anything as long as it’s one thing.

That way, instead of sifting through tons of emails, students can just consistently check one. For thousands of years, whether by writing on scrolls, or succinctly ending phone calls to save on expensive fees, humans have adapted their communication to the medium available to us. The internet has provided us with thousands of options to choose from and many of these can be excellent. But just like calling someone that doesn’t have a phone, making students use unfamiliar proprietary platforms just ensures that they won’t pick up.

Fixing teaching, however, is more complicated. Professors need to realize that there is a good reason that teaching has stayed relatively the same for a thousand years. They need to more readily question whether their use of technology is necessary, evaluating whether their PowerPoints simply repeat or actually add on to what they say, whether they really need that extra bullet, and whether the class would better understand that example if it was written down step by step.

YAJJAT (JAY) SEKHSARIA is a College and Engineering first year studying physics and electrical engineering from Mumbai, India. His email is yajjat@sas.upenn.edu.

It’s time to retire zoom

LAURA SHIN Copy Associate

The Red & Blue Soapbox | The importance of returning to in-person events and interactions after a year and a half of Zoom

A

LETTERS 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.

year and a half ago, the word “zoom” meant little more to us than a means of moving quickly. That obviously changed in March 2020, when our entire world turned upside down and we quickly had to become acquainted with the seldom known software called Zoom Video Conferencing (and other analogous solutions like BlueJeans, Google Meet, etc.). Our classes, our jobs, our friendships, and frankly, our lives became nothing more than pixel manifestations on a screen.

Despite the uncertainty, Zoom worked.

If the pandemic occurred 10 years ago, such video conferencing software and network infrastructure would not have existed

DEREK WONG

to support the whole world going online.

The technological advances of this decade made it possible for work and friendships to continue, to some degree, despite social distancing. At Penn, it made it possible for our education to continue with virtual classes and club meetings. In short, life continued on a virtual Locust Walk made possible by Zoom. But now with the changing course of the pandemic (and the implementation of vaccines) that has made our return to campus and in-person classes possible, it is time to thank Zoom, retire virtual conferencing software, and end our reliance on digital programming for good.

We should fully embrace the privilege we have to see each other in-person at Penn because — as we have learned during the last two academic years — nothing in life is guaranteed.

I want to preface by saying that there are indeed a few instances where virtual conferencing should still be used, namely, when it isn’t safe to do so or there is a concern of getting sick or spreading sickness.

I am instead talking about the perceived “convenience” that Zoom provides at the expense of having real, live conversations and events. A lot of this behavior is still out of habit; after all, Zoom was our sole

option for interaction. We have had to work hard to transition out of only worrying about what shirts, and not pants, we were going to wear. But it doesn’t seem that everyone has broken this pandemic custom and is taking advantage of these new inperson opportunities.

At the beginning of the semester, a friend of mine wanted to catch up. Despite both being well and living in the same building, he wanted to Zoom instead of getting a coffee outside in the warm weather. When I asked him why, he responded that he had a paper due the next day and Zooming would be more convenient. I couldn’t help but think why we were all here back on campus if we were just going to continue to video ourselves to communicate between a few floors.

This extends to other parts of campus life as well, such as classes going online instead of being canceled as they would have been in the past, or departmental info sessions being nothing more than Brady Bunch-style Q&As instead of meaningful presentations and side conversations.

Student organizations on campus aren’t immune from the convenience rationale either, with some GBMs being conducted virtually while new members are deprived

of the very point of student activities in the first place: community.

The continued use of Zoom today is another manifestation of the tragedy of our generation, where we value multitasking, social media and fast convenience over actually connecting with one other.

Like Facebook, the price paid for the convenience of connection is apathy and superficiality. Just because something exists and is a convenient option doesn’t mean we should use it or take that option.

If we consciously reject efficiency, we can return to the way we were and learn to truly know each other once again.

So, my advice is this: Get coffee with that classmate, have dinner with that friend, explore Philadelphia with your group, and get off of Zoom. Nothing in life is guaranteed. So seize the day with those around you and cherish what it means to be in-person and human again. It is a precious gift.

JOSEPH M. SQUILLARO is a College senior studying philosophy, politics and economics from East Setauket, N.Y. His email is jsqu@sas.upenn. edu.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

Why we should use gratitude to aid us in personal growth

How we can improve the state of Penn’s minorities’ mental health

Allison’s Attitude | How we can make the college transition easier on ourselves

Asaad’s Analysis | Penn’s minorities face added obstacles when it comes to mental well-being, but this can be improved

S

ix months ago, I was possibly the happiest I’ve ever been. I had just graduated high school with the love and support of my friends and family, and I was overwhelmingly excited for the next chapter of my life at Penn.

Yet, the romanticized version of my first months at Penn I had envisioned fell short of being realistic; the transition to Penn was harder than I had imagined. I mentally glossed over the reality that I had gone to the same school for my whole life and never had to make the transition of moving across the country to an entirely new environment. I’ve been here for two months, and I feel as if I’ve experienced every emotion on the emotion wheel. I’ve started to come to terms with the difficult reality that I actually don’t have a solid grip on who I am or who I want to become.

I chose Penn because I wanted to be challenged and stretched far beyond my comfort zone, but I never expected feeling this level of discomfort.

I spent so long wishing that I could leave my Mississippi bubble that I forgot to really appreciate and express the gratitude I had for it while I was there. Now that I’m here, at the school and city of my dreams, I find myself daydreaming about the comfort of my home. I had a strong sense of place within my local community, and I’ve found that coming to college means having to work again to find your new sense of place with new people, which is, of course, easier said than done. I believe that I should work on implementing the lessons of gratitude in my life to remember that I am where I’ve always wanted to be: an excellent university with excellent students, faculty, resources, and opportunities.

TYLER KLIEM

When I was 12 years old, someone dear to my heart passed away, and I was forced to face the realities of life and death. I really had to think about what it meant to live and how to live with the intent and purpose to experience the sanctity of living. From that moment on, I’ve tried to always remember that at the end of the day, I

M

ental health continues to be a persistent concern for many students at Penn, and as discussions surrounding the subject rightfully expand, it’s crucial for us to consider some of the unique mental health barriers faced by Penn’s racial and ethnic subpopulations.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, most ethnic or racial minorities in the United States have similar or fewer mental disorders than white Americans, but the consequences of mental illnesses among minorities are longer lasting, a finding that’s more alarming when considering that minorities receive poorer quality of healthcare nationally overall.

Here at Penn, a university which boasts a profoundly diverse student population, such disparities in mental healthcare can be especially significant. “I’ve met with many minority and international students at Penn who often express how they don’t have the same support groups that other students have because mental health is a topic that’s just shunned in their households,” says College junior Nicole Harrington, the president of Penn Initiative For Minority Mental Health. Harrington’s experiences have an empirical basis too; The American Psychiatric Association has cultural stigma listed as a major barrier to mental healthcare that is shared by both Hispanic and Black populations. In a New York Times piece, writer Dana Givens calls attention to the fact that Black culture “teaches us that we do not have the privilege of being vulnerable like other communities” — a hurdle that’s shared by members of other cultural groups as well. Asian Americans, for example, are the least likely group to seek out mental health assistance, largely due to factors that are heavily tied to their culture. “A [person of color] cannot just say that ‘I talked to my therapist today,’ because there is an added stigma for us in addition to the one that already exists,” says Harrington.

Furthermore, minority-identifying students at Penn can find it harder to be open about their mental health because they tend to be pushed aside when such conversations do arise. “If I was in class and we were talking about mental health, people wouldn’t be so receptive to the minority-identifying students because the majorityidentifying ones don’t resonate with us as much,” says Harrington. And because honest conversations can be a vital component of de-stigmatizing mental illnesses, shunning the voices of people of color during such discussions only exacerbates the issue. The good news, however, is that steps can be taken by all of us to assist our minority-identifying peers.

A good starting point is to engage in more conversations centered on the mental health of minority students in particular. “Being open — with one’s self and with ALLISON SANTA-CRUZ is a College first others — is vital when it comes to taking care of ouryear studying philosophy, politics, and selves,” said Batsirai Bvunzawabaya, the director of economics from Jackson, Miss. Her email Outreach and Prevention Services at Penn’s Counseling address is allisant@sas.upenn.edu. and Psychological Services. And when conversations

should just be grateful for the fact that I’m alive.

I had the opportunity to experience another day, good or bad, and that’s a gift in and of itself.

To be a student at Penn is even more of a blessing than just simply living at Penn. I’m in a community of people who are exceptional in their own right — whether it’s a classmate in my writing seminar course who can solve math problems with ease that I can only dream to understand or a professor who expresses passion and dedication in teaching that I can’t help but admire.

I’ve had days at Penn where I lose my gratitude and find myself feeling disillusioned.

Whenever I’m faced with feelings of frustration, loneliness, or confusion, I remember to ground myself in what makes life worth the ride: gratitude. I don’t just mean being grateful for the big things in life — such as family, friends, and an education — I mean finding joy in the little things as well. I’m grateful for my warm cup of coffee each morning that helps me start my day. I’m grateful for the ability to see the vibrant yellow and red leaves all over campus. I’m grateful for my sunset runs along the Schuylkill River Trail when the water glistens. So, now, may I ask you: What are the small things in your life that bring you joy?

Internalizing what I’ve learned in my classes, along with gratitude, has helped me even more. In my religious studies class (RELS 011, which I highly recommend), we often discuss the influence that philosophy has on religion.

Whether you’re religious or not, I believe that Aristotle’s postulation of a telos, the idea that each human is constantly growing and working toward understanding his or her raison d’être, can universally help us cope with life’s vicissitudes.

I like to think that we are a collection of experiences in which we are constantly learning as life oscillates between its highs and lows on the x-axis of time. I frame all of my experiences, whether difficult or painless, as small pieces of building who I will become. I believe we could all benefit from remembering that all of our experiences, at the end of the day, help us reach our telos.

As long as you’re living, you’re learning. Be grateful for that.

surrounding mental health do arise, majority-identifying students should learn to be more receptive to their minority counterparts by validating their experiences more — a notion that, according to Dr. Bvunzawabaya, can be greatly reassuring. Additionally, we should ensure that minority students are granted an equal platform during conversations regarding mental health, especially given that their voices are frequently subdued otherwise.

Minority students can also better support themselves by taking advantage of the existing on-campus resources. “Give CAPS a chance!” says Harrington.

Some common concerns that students cite in regards to CAPS is that they believe it’s underfunded or provides a low quality of care, which can further deter minority-identifying students who already feel isolated. But such notions are only misconceptions.

Funding for CAPS has increased significantly over the years, and their services continue to expand. Students using CAPS should make sure to advocate for themselves by choosing therapists that match their specific preferences and needs. However, even if our preferences cannot be immediately met by CAPS, we should still give their services a chance. “There will be people who will say, ‘Oh my therapist is white, therefore I can’t give it a chance,’ but this isn’t necessarily true. I had a white therapist previously and I found her to be great,” says Harrington.

MAGGIE SONG

The Penn experience is no doubt stressful, and as students we owe it to ourselves to look after our mental well-being. Equally important, however, is for us to do our part in ensuring that our peers of different backgrounds may thrive as well. We should set aside time to better understand each other’s unique backgrounds, and utilize this knowledge to uplift each other. This way, we can collectively pave a new path towards rectifying disparity.

ASAAD MANZAR is a College senior studying neuroscience from Dallas, Texas. His email is asaad01@sas.upenn.edu.

Assume the best of intentions, or at least try to J to the Z | How cancel culture can deter constructive conversations and mutual understanding

“I

don’t mean to offend. I’m genuinely curious.”

I found myself saying that a lot recently. One time was when I asked my friend from Alabama whether her area was conservative in comparison to the liberal school that is Penn; another time was when my friends and I were talking about growing up with parents of drastic ideological differences.

In hindsight, I am unsure why I felt obligated to preface my words with that statement since I was asking out of curiosity with no ill will whatsoever. Most of us must have found ourselves withholding our remarks because we do not want to say something that might offend others, even if our intentions are perfectly innocent.

So why are we becoming more afraid to make potentially controversial comments? In their book “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt opine that, as a society, we are increasingly inclined to be “assuming the worst about people and reading their actions as uncharitably as possible.”

Upon hearing a controversial comment, instead of assuming that it was an unintentional slight, we are more likely now to engage in an emotional response and draw the conclusion that “someone has committed an act of aggression” against us.

When we are on the verge of making a comment, we think to ourselves: “How will others interpret my words?” If we draw the conclusion that others will assume the worst of our intentions from experience, we are less likely to make those comments. Sometimes

that can be good as we can always be more thoughtful about how we speak and what we say. The moment of pensive pause has certainly given us the capacity to be more considerate in our choice of language.

However, the fear of offense and being canceled can also deter constructive conversations. Whether it be classroom discussions or cafeteria chitchats, challenging conversations often take courage to hold and are bound to provoke discomfort. While it is important to ensure a certain level of safety in engaging with challenging topics, we must also not reject discomfort and overemphasize hesitancy. Discomfort resides in the intersection where different ideologies meet and, with any luck, compromise to reach understanding. Without discomfort, social and ideological progress can hardly be made.

MAGGIE SONG

I do not wish to argue that words do not matter, because they certainly do. Our employment of language should grow and reflect our changes and progress as a society. We should be thoughtful about what we say and how we say it. However, as the audience, when we hear something that does not necessarily reflect the values of our community, we should not immediately jump to reduce the speaker to bigotry. Doing so may be unjust and arbitrary when the person harbors no ill will. After all, as Lukianoff and Haidt write, “A faux pas does not make someone an evil person or an aggressor.”

Granting a charitable assumption of intent does not legitimize the comment. Rather, it provides the opportunity for constructive conversations to resolve the discomfort. Instead of immediately labeling the person as a bigot and putting up a shell of safety around ourselves every time we hear a controversial comment, a better response might be to assume that their intentions are innocent and try to engage them so that they realize how their language might be offensive to certain individuals. In doing so, we do not position ourselves against each other on multiple ends of the ideological compass, but rather come together and reach an area of understanding.

Some may argue that when one person’s language creates a negative impact, then that impact automatically exceeds their intent in terms of importance, regardless of how innocent they may be. It is certainly the easy thing to do to reject one person or one ideology

completely and reside in our comfort zones. However, that approach is not only unproductive but also unjust.

We may not agree with different ideologies, but there is nothing wrong with discussing them and understanding their rationale. Furthermore, how we treat one another is one of the most representative markers of who we are as a community. If we completely cancel someone due to an innocent faux pas, then we must ask ourselves, how does that reflect our communal values?

Assuming the best of intentions takes courage, kindness, and patience. It can be hard to do, though when done it can encourage constructive conversations and create more understanding between people who are conventionally positioned against each other. I am all for being more conscious of what we say and how we say it, but overemphasis can be unproductive for us as a community when we are trying to take steps forward.

After all, there is no better representation of who we are as a community than how we treat each other. So the question is, do we want to be a community that shuts off conversations and rejects someone because of one faux pas, or do we want to be one that takes up courageous conversations and embraces discomfort?

JESSE ZHANG is a College and Wharton sophomore studying marketing and communication from Shenzhen, China. His email is zhexi@wharton.upenn.edu.

Take an economics course: It’s about more than just money Lexi’s Take | Why everyone should take an economics class, especially at Penn

P

icture this: You attend the university with the country’s top business school and you have friends who are “proud they’ve never taken an economics class” and can’t explain marginal utility to you. Chances are it didn’t take much to imagine; if you’ve spent any time at Penn you’ve probably encountered the antipathy in some of the student body towards economics. In many ways, I can’t blame them. I once held the belief that studying economics was a pipeline to Wall Street, a highbrow discipline to describe the way money is made and moved. As someone who now majors in glorified game theory, I have come to understand it’s so much more than that.

For fear of sounding like an introductory economics professor on the first day of class, economics is in fact the study of decision making, or what drives people to make the choices that they do. For most economists, money is a means to end rather than the root of what motivates their studies.

The principles taught in these courses are widely applicable to virtually every decision in every discipline that we encounter on a daily basis. No matter your career, understanding the opportunity costs of choices and the incentive structures which motivate people are vital to your success.

This reality does not even account for the necessity of fiscal and financial literacy for productive

civic engagement. With every ballot cast, we help to decide the economic policy of the country and, in turn, as an economic superpower, the world.

Our limited exposure to fiscal concepts allows politicians (most of whom lack that economic understanding themselves — see their surprise at the implications of their “response” to current supply chain failures) to make arbitrary proposals and win votes on arguably irrational or unsound proposals.

Proposals like the Transportation Climate Initiative offered in Connecticut and Massachusetts, make this clear. While advocating politicians claim the restrictions put on oil companies won’t be reflected in household budgets, a very basic command of economics highlights the reality that firms almost always pass these costs along to consumers.

This cost is effectively a regressive tax, making up a larger portion of poorer households’ income. The same can be seen with rising prices for gas nationally. Whether or not voters approve of these policy proposals, it is vital that they are equipped with the ability to comprehend what the effects of them will be. Willful ignorance about the way markets work by choosing not to take an economics class at a school like Penn is akin to allowing politicians to take advantage of you as a voter.

If fiscal literacy is so necessary for prosperity as a citizen, then why do so many people scoff at

taking an economics course?

This resistance to economics as a discipline and failure to see it as a necessary stepping stone in civic life is in a large part a reflection of our educational culture both on campus and throughout the country. While our educational institutions value “liberal arts” (note the College’s Arts and Letters Sector requirement at Penn and the four years of English required in my public high school) they often fail to prioritize practical knowledge. Just 25 states require their students to complete an economics class prior to graduation. Even more shocking, only 40% of college students will encounter economics in their undergraduate courses.

The reality is our compulsory education is failing to prepare students for economic participation, and our universities aren’t making up for it.

Ben Franklin understood this importance in founding Penn. Our “pre-professional” culture is not one of coincidence, but one of design. Franklin advocated for a practical, business-minded, and well-rounded education. In “Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania,” he wrote, “It is therefore propos’d that they learn those Things that are likely to be most useful and most ornamental.” No course simultaneously offers the opportunity for application, creativity, and perspective evaluation more than economics.

In high school I volunteered as a “Junior Achievement” teacher at my local elementary school. The program, which seeks to bring financial literacy to students across the country, offered innovative techniques for how to explain complicated issues like global trade relations to fourth graders. I would regularly be shocked at the fascination of the kids I taught when they inquired about things like intellectual property, which should be far beyond their realm of understanding.

This is to say that if a nine year old can comprehend macroeconomics, there is no excuse why students at the foremost business preparatory university in the country can’t. Rather than stand on your soapbox of avoiding the “Penn to consulting pipeline” by refusing to take an economics class, I encourage you to reach beyond your preconceived notions and find your child-like curiosity. A failure to do so is a detriment to not only yourself, but your ability for civic participation as well. It wouldn’t even be a stretch to call it your patriotic duty as an educated member of our representative democracy.

LEXI BOCCUZZI is a College sophomore studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Stamford, Conn. Her email is abb628@ sas.upenn.edu.

8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

WILLIAM BARTOC

Freshman forward Stas Korzeniowski dribbles the ball down the field during a game against Yale at Rhodes Field on Oct. 23.

Men’s soccer goes to double overtime with Yale and comes out with a 0-0 tie SPORTS | Despite a combined 11 shots, the teams battled to a scoreless draw

predicted an intense confrontation to follow as players were immediate on shoulder-to-shoulder contests.

ESTHER LIM “We knew what they had; we knew they were Sports Associate going to be physical,” graduate defenseman RC Williams said, “and we had to deal with that.”

Neither Penn (7-3-3, 1-1-2 Ivy) nor Yale (5The referee was generous on the whistle 4-4, 2-0-2) could do it on a cold, rainy night in throughout the game. Seven fouls were called Philadelphia, as the teams ultimately shared the in the first 15 minutes. The frequent stoppages points following a tensely battled 110 minutes emphasized the high intensity of physicalto a 0-0 result. ity between the players. The match demanded “I felt like we had a good sense of what they clinicality from each defense as pressures were were capable of and where we can potentially fought high up the field, and play quickly transilook to expose them a little bit, and then also we tioned very often. knew what the dangers were in terms of their “Coming into a game like this, we felt as attack,” coach Brian Gill said. “Obviously, at though they were almost more dangerous withthis stage of the year, we’d like to be able to out the ball because of their ability to transition figure out how to win that game. But, a point in on us — if we turn it over in a bad spot,” Gill conference still is productive and still useful, said. “So I think we were trying to figure out and we’ll look at that and take that as a silver our best postures defensively as a unit, and not lining.” be rash, and just commit to things while sacriThe Bulldogs were on a five-game winning ficing some of the space in behind.” streak, as the Quakers were fighting to extend their Freshman Charlie Gaffney was first to record three consecutive wins. The first and second placed a shot on goal at four minutes. The Bulldogs teams of the Ivy League in 2019, respectively, thus then proved their threat on the opposite side of The New New York York Times Times Syndication Syndication Sales Sales Corporation Corporation The arrived properly poised to effectively counter the New theYork, fieldN.Y. as Yale’s 620 Eighth Eighth Avenue, 10018 Paolo Carroll, who is tied for 620 Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 other, especially with each team’s strong defensive second in the For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550Ivy League for goals, notched his October 28,2021 2021 qualities in preceding matches. For first of many attempts at goal.

ForRelease ReleaseThursday, Friday, October 22, The outset of the match at the initial whistle About halfway into the first half, Matt Leigh

Crossword

29 Eye ailments 24 Musicians are 31 often Evian,on parit exemple 25 Instruments for Devi 33 Annapurna Food item that and Anoushka may be candied Shankar 36 Blue Angels, e.g.

28 Comedian Notaro 38 Failing 29 Criticize, with spectacularly 41 “on” — 30 Brand whose 42 Colonies logo includes a construct them schoolboy with a 45 ball Anderson for a head Cooper, to Gloria 31 Largest U.S. union Vanderbilt 15 Protein-building Jam-packed 32 Ground 16 46 Networkshaking stuff? typetitle operated by the 16 acid Imperial U.S. Space Force derived of from 17 Marley “Marley 34 Composes “caesar” & Me,” for one 47 (oneself) Part of a bar line 36 Ancient 17 Unbending Quinceañeras, 18 49 Get red gathering in the place e.g. face?

19 Insomniacs have 37 Locale for 18 them Social protest 53 What startsbowed with heads lecture series janeiro, in Rio 20 — 38 Aspirational Like mortgagors 20 A Possible 21 pelican gulper 55 hashtag response to one 58 Actress Hagen is a type of “Who took the 39 Breaks off Tonys with three 22 Parts of essential last cookie?”

41 S_c_ _d (time 59 Members of in oils 21 Pentagon bigwig time) a wartime 26 It’s a wrap skywatching 23 Twice42 Showers with 27 Didn’t win orIDlose corps hyphenated sparkles ACROSS ACROSS 1 1 ProtoGroup whose smartphones, name means in brief “the people of themay waters that 5 It be flipped areanger, neverwith still” in “the” 9 To boot 9 Companion, in 13 Arabic 2014 animated film whose 14 Performance protagonist, aptly, traditionally is a construction accompanied worker, with “The” by the ipu heke 14 (double It sticks gourd out in a dance studio drum)

ANSWER PUZZLE ANSWER TO TO PREVIOUS PREVIOUS PUZZLE S B UI D L E L

A E M N O O S U

R L OI T N C N

LI N O C D A E E G E S S M A T H T H Y A L A S C D A N R P A S S N E A E FI U V U FL C A R R O T T E S FI LI R S L AI T E D T C C OI R O O N O FF O T X E

S N O O P E T C M I E U N R A O Y P E A N

G A M N E O P S L A A L N T Y S O A O Y N O W

A B R E AI

S A E C C R N S E T S A S E R T V E TI P E L RI I N N K S K U Y O P O O R A P R E D E A R

P C A H S E T A A P S

K O A A L V A SI

R RI A N G K E R P E G N A E

A N PI P E L C E E T S O N

A M E R YI C U A P N N A Y L E S O P B S

W A O G N O

A G T O E T S G O A TJ S A B RI M I T LI A G I N BI A R D P O A R P NI O E D O C D E P O

R E O A M R E W O O

D R T Y O E N R G

R A M C S D C F I N A C S CI S O

U T E S K S S C A R S E T E NI

61 ___ — smarts 47 63 Reciprocally Frothy order 50 64 Monkey Symbols head often 51 accompanying mushroom, by the phrase another name “Legalize it” 53 Mountaintop 66 home Seriously fancy 54 Muscle car 67 acronym Redacts, as sensitive 55 Cheese whose information name is a by (suggested semordnilap three of this puzzle’s answers) 56 One celebrating 68 Grounation Feinted on the Day, ice which 69 commemorates Adam and Eve’s a visit 8-Down thirdby child 57 Go against 70 Standard Oil 58 All up in offshoot another’s business DOWN 59 What may be 1 considered Gym worse done well 2 when Burr, famously

3 Genetic variant DOWN that’s 4 Something no good unless 1 Mix of many it’s closed different cultures 5 Blubbers 2 Stared at 6 Red Some___ safe 3 harbors 4 Succinct “I think” 7 Electronics 5 Animal company that associated with founded NBC the Egyptian 8 goddess Type of socialite Hathor officially 6 Online image in discontinued the U.K. 1958 7 Crane of in “Frasier” 9 Ethiopian It’s a wrap 8 revered 10 emperor Mexican ally 56-Acrosses 11 by Flashy car 9 To boot feature?

12 Its New member 10 destruction marked a turning 13 Gym figures, for point short in World War I 15 Lowdown 11 Actor Sebastian 23 ___ Flight tracker info

No. 0917 0923

Edited by Will Shortz 1 14

2

13

24

3

45

6 5

7 6

8 7

8

15

13

17 15 19 17 22

27 23

28

24

28

33

34 29

38 32

39

40

21

35

43 37 47 53

48

66 54 68 57

34

41

44

45 48

41 56

50 64 52

55 58

12 11

13 12

31

26

32 27

67 69

39 Short-crust For all to see 24 fillings 40 pastry Response to rule-breaking 26 Wind on the 43 water?

Whole lot 27 Cheek 44 Cover some 30 Texter’s ground?segue 33 image 48 Sharper Titular vampire co.? in Anne Rice novelsworks by 34 Some 50 Petrarch Parts of a 35 Caution a Spanish on omelet silica gel packet 51 Father-in-law of 37 Lady, not the Helenbut of Troy Tramp 52 Target with a 40 Ones toss who are sent packing?

54 Off-the-wall

31

35 38 49 57

61

65

PUZZLE BY

BY MATTHEW SIMEON SEIGEL PUZZLE STOCK

24 Between Alternative to and 12 you white me 25 Peons 13 Surrounded and 28 attacked, Casino next to with the Venetian in “to” Vegas 15 help to 30 Typist’s 2018 sci-fi avoid repetitive prequel strain injury 32 ___ Enterprise 19 34 Team Rangewhose on a game song box “The Super Bowl Shuffle” 35 earned “Are youa giving Grammy me no choice?” nomination 37 Like Supreme 21 Big game Court hearings, with “en” 22 Throw ___ 38 Shut up

11 10

26 30 37

43

60

16

30

55

63 51

14

18

25

40

54 42

49

24

25 36

33

46 39

23

29

42 36

59 47

22

10 9

16

20 19

18

21 20

9

50

51

52

58 44

45

46

62

53

SUDOKUPUZZLE

56 59

from Bhangdia’s corner kick that dropped into the box with a properly aimed deflection-header off Leigh, but the ball was cleared away right at the far post by Yale’s Daniel Massaad.

Like the first half, neither the Quakers nor the Bulldogs could quite push their chances across the line. Yale’s crosses from the wings tended to fly long, and Penn’s corners were countered with a crowd of white shirts at goal.

The match would remain scoreless unless one team made any mistakes in defense, which didn’t occur. Jacomen again worked in good harmony with Penn’s center backs to clear the ball while making four total saves of his own.

In the final 30 seconds, senior Isaac McGinnis and Bhangdia each attempted shots at goal after keeping the ball alive on the rebounds. But the match, which almost seemed inevitable to run into overtime, would see two periods of it following the 90-minute whistle.

Both overtime periods ran quite eventless as the teams continued to counteract opposing pressure.

Defenses remained in high focus, but neither team could complete their plays as defenders looked to interrupt passing plays.

The night ended with the scoreboard locked on 0-0, but the Quakers left the field as if they had just suffered a loss.

“I think that the team will be somewhat unsatisfied initially by the result, because of the fact that we probably feel like we could have gotten the result,” Gill said. “Sometimes a result like tonight is what helps you wind up getting a particular spot in the Ivy League standings.”

To come out of a 0-0 result against reigning champion Yale presents a good sign of the Quakers’ goals.

“We’re still undefeated in the past five games, so I think we’re going to kind of focus on that and try to just continue that streak,” Schimbeno said.

“Double-digit wins on the table is the best record we’ve had in a long time,” Williams said.

With this draw, Penn men’s soccer will hope to fuel a rebound as they head out on the road to play Brown on Saturday.

70

56 Confuse Something that 41 wasabi mightguacamole, come up with after a big meal? say 57 Perfect Enterprise 43 vis-à-vis voyagein an good, 59 aphorism Hefty rival 60 Portmanteau Have to have for 44 messenger bag 62 aContainer whose filter namebrand is 45 Water pronounced with 46 Tiptoe, either amaybe long “a” or ana“ah” 47 Took dive 64 Tucker Network 48 supported by 49 Part of theLike “Viewers mouth You” 65 Hurly-burly ___ Miss of the 52 N.C.A.A.

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle($39.95 and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords a year). puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords a year).

Read about and comment on each($39.95 puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

9 6

Skill Level:

8 2 2 9 7 3 1 6 8

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

Solution to Previous Puzzle:

2 8 4 9 6 2 1 3 5 9 7 3 2 8 1 5 5 3

4 2

© Puzzles provided by sudokusolver.com

NEWYORKTIMESCROSSWORDPUZZLE Edited by Will Shortz

nudged off his defender from the right to push the ball near the box, where senior Ben Stitz knocked a strong-aimed shot at center of goal that was saved.

Yale replied soon with an attempt on goal following a corner. Carroll headed the ball on a precise cross from the left, but senior goalie Dane Jacomen was already well positioned to make the save.

“They were very dependent on transitions, and I think we did well in the beginning — and throughout the whole game — to kind of snuff that out a bit,” junior midfielder Nick Schimbeno said. “I do wish that we got a goal also.”

Five minutes after Penn’s last shot on goal, freshman Stas Korzeniowski marched the ball through several defenders on the left, from which graduate student Joey Bhangdia launched an excellent shot towards the top right of goal.

Yale keeper Elian Haddock took flight to make the one-handed save.

Neither team could break down the others’ final third, and the first half concluded 0-0.

Penn had managed six shots with four on goal compared to Yale’s three and one, and both sides were optimistic for further chances in the second half.

The referee did not notice the two Yale forwards making an apparent early start before his whistle to the second half, but play continued as the two teams resumed immediate pressure.

Eight throw-ins during the first 10 minutes brought pauses in play as each team fought opposing advances through the wings.

“We absolutely want to play as much soccer as we can, but sometimes getting it down the line and putting them in a bad spot is the best thing for us,” Schimbeno said.

At 10 minutes, Bhangdia attempted a bicycle kick which flew right of the goal. Yale’s Carroll would also attempt one after his own header on a corner kick hit the crossbar at 17 minutes left in the second half.

Another one of Penn’s best chances arose

Create and solve your Sudoku puzzles for FREE.

Play Sudoku and win prizes

at:

prizesudoku.com

The Sudoku Source of

“Daily Pennsylvanian”.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021

Penn football makes quarterback switch, falls to Yale by double digits SPORTS | The Quakers have lost all three of their Ivy League games this season JOYCE DAVIS Sports Associate

New quarterback, same result.

Even with a new quarterback taking snaps for the Quakers (2-4, 0-3 Ivy), Yale (3-3, 2-1) accumulated an impressive 42 points to Penn’s 28.

The opening minutes of the first quarter looked promising on offense for both sides as the teams each found the end zone to bring the score to seven points apiece.

Yale’s Nolan Grooms, who was also making his first start, completed a pass to Ryan Lindley for 11 yards for a touchdown. Yale kicker Jack Bosman hit the extra point to bring the score to 7-0. Penn answered back when new starting quarterback Aidan Sayin handed off to running back Trey Flowers, who ran two yards for Penn’s first touchdown of the game. Kicker Daniel Karrash made the extra point, evening the score at 7-7.

Sayin, a freshman from Carlsbad, Calif., started for the Quakers after senior John Quinnelly started the first five games of the season. Quinnelly, who had been 57 of 115 for 782 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions on the season, suffered an injury last week but was in uniform for the game today. Sayin finished the day with two touchdowns and an interception.

Maurcus McDaniel, a high school quarterback turned college defensive back who has been increasingly involved in the offense as a running quarterback, saw action again today as he rushed the ball seven times for 15 yards. He also attempted two passes, completing one — the first of his collegiate career — for 25 yards.

The second quarter was plagued by penalties for Penn, disadvantages that Yale took advantage of. The quarter began with Grooms throwing a pass that was intercepted by Shiloh Means at the Penn 12-yard line.

On the next play, Penn was called for a pass interference from Mohammed Diakite, with a 15-yard penalty bringing Yale to the Penn 30-yard line and giving them an automatic first down.

With seven minutes left, Grooms ran for eight yards, scoring another touchdown for Yale, with Jack Boseman adding an extra point to make the score 14-7. Later in the quarter, Yale converted on 3rd and 15 and scored another

Graduate student running back Isaiah Malcome gets tackled by a Lehigh defender near the endzone at Franklin Field on Oct. 9.

seven, bringing the score to 21-7.

Determined not to let the gap get too big, Sayin found fifth-year running back Isaiah Malcome, who ran 16 yards for Penn’s first touchdown in the second quarter.

The kick from Karrash was good, giving Penn 14 points.

Yale drove for one more touchdown from wideout Mason Tipton, ending the second quarter 28-14.

In the third quarter, Sayin completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Owen Goldsberry, with an extra point from Karrash. Yale followed with a successful drive, capped off with a four-yard touchdown run for Grooms and a

PAT, bringing the score to 35-21. The Bulldogs weren’t done, as Elliot McElwain scored again on a five-yard run. The third quarter ended with the score at 42-21 and the Quakers trailing by 21.

Penn refused to give up as the fourth quarter began, and tried even harder to change the score around in their favor. After an 18-play scoring drive ended with a pass from Sayin to Malcome from two yards out and an extrapoint kick from Karrash, the Quakers were able to bring their total to 28. Unfortunately for the Red and Blue, Penn couldn’t catch up, resulting in its third consecutive

SUKHMANI KAUR

loss in the Ivy League.

Malcome shined on the ground for the Quakers, toting the ball 17 times for 81 yards and a score. His counterpart Flowers had a tougher time, carrying 13 times for just 37 yards, although he did make it into the end zone.

Fifth-year linebacker Brian O’Neill stood out for Penn on defense, registering seven total tackles.

Penn will look to get back on track at home against a Brown (2-4, 1-2) team that just won a shoot out over Cornell 49-45. The Quakers kick off on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.

Volleyball loses close matchup with Princeton in a nail-biting fifth set SPORTS | The Quakers won their first set against the Tigers since 2016 DEREK WONG Sports Reporter

Despite a valiant effort from the Quakers in a close matchup against the Tigers on Friday night, Penn volleyball lost against Princeton in their second match against each other of the season.

Losing 3-0 in September against Princeton (13-3, 7-1 Ivy), Penn (5-12, 2-6) was hoping to break its losing streak with their Ivy rival tonight after losses to Brown, Yale, and Cornell but came up short in the fifth set.

Although Princeton had a few bad serves in the first set and gave Penn three points, the Tigers’ strong performance and consistency led them to gain a considerable lead. Penn had to call timeout twice, once at 11-6 and another at 20-13, to regroup. Despite this, Princeton decisively won the first set, 25-13, with an almost 1:2 ratio in scores.

Penn started out the second set strong as the re-energized team briefly gained a lead, but Princeton regained their footing, taking kills to undefended areas. Penn had to call two timeouts once again when they were trailing 12-6 and 18-8. Combined with a solid defense and some errors on the Quakers’ part, the Tigers also took the second set, 25-14.

However, in the third set, it seemed that the Quakers really took the halftime to reflect on their mistakes in the

first two sets and they came back strong. The Quakers found a groove, thanks to solid teamwork and consistent assists from senior Kylie Kulinski.

The third set also found Quakers serving multiple aces, courtesy of sophomore Emerson Flornes, junior Madeline McGregor, and senior Carly Cohen, with many of Penn’s points in the third quarter coming from aces. McGregor even had two aces in a row.

Penn’s sudden energy caused Princeton to call two timeouts in the set, first when Penn was leading 12-8 and again when Penn remained strong at 19-16. Although the Quakers faltered a bit at the end of the set, a service error from Princeton and a solid kill by junior Autumn Leak gave Penn its first set win against Princeton since September 2016.

“The whole senior house was playing tonight, and I think we really took it to heart that this is the last time we wanted to play Princeton, and so we wanted to come out and make a statement,” senior Daniela Fornaciari said on the turnaround after the first half.

“We decided to go aggressive at them at the service line, and I think the players did a really good job tonight and it definitely made the third quarter a lot different than it’s been in previous matches,” coach Meredith Schamun said.

Leak continued her consistent kills in the fourth set, and Penn began the set with a solid lead. A controversial call for Princeton when Penn was leading 9-7 gave the Tigers a chance to come back, briefly regaining ground and scoring three consecutive points against the Quakers, bringing the total to 10-9.

The Quakers did not relent, however, and responded to Princeton by scoring four times, causing Princeton to call a timeout at 13-10. From then on, the Tigers continued to make errors, giving the Red and Blue an edge.

After a Princeton timeout at 16-10, the Quakers kept their momentum going to bring the score to 24-15.

At set point is where the Quakers and Tigers started the longest play of the night. Continual errors on Penn’s side gave Princeton the ability to match them, 24-24.

From there, both teams went back and forth, with one squad reaching set point only for the other team to undo it. Finally, after 12 rounds of back and forth, the Quakers snatched the fourth set, thanks to Fornaciari delivering the final kill for the Quakers to win the set by a margin of two points, 32-30.

Halloween is for isbeer Halloween for beer VANESSA HUANG

Senior Kylie Kulinski provides an assist to sophomore Emerson Flornes to spike it over the net during a set against Princeton at the Palestra on Oct. 22.

“I was really trying to focus on staying calm and staying disciplined and doing everything I can for my teammates because I thought the service was really good,” Fornaciari said.

By that point, however, it appeared that both teams were beginning to show signs of fatigue, and upon starting the fifth set, both teams were merely repeating the end of the previous set, with both teams scoring back and forth. Penn reached set point first, 14-13, and although the Red and Blue gave a visible effort, Princeton ended up prevailing 16-14, narrowly beating the Quakers.

“[The team] can go out and beat at their place if we’re able to bring the same intensity we finished within this match,” Schamun said, despite the loss.

Fornaciari was the player with the highest hitting percentage of the game, with .367. “[We have] confidence going into the rest of league play, and knowing that we can fight back, even if we’re two sets down, and knowing that we can all lean on each other and fight some of these really good teams in the Ivy League,” Fornaciari said.

The Red and Blue will face Dartmouth next.

5-8 BR houses available for 2022-2023 school year!

Properties available at 40th & Locust, 39th & Delancey, 39th & Pine, and 40th & Irving Renovated kitchens and bathrooms, laundry facilities, decks!

3D Virtual Tours Available!

Family-run business for over 54+ years in student housing!

“Your mother will be happy!”

beer springfield distributor

Studying too hard?

wishes you a happy Halloween

22 & Washington ave | (215) 546-7301 | We deliver

Take a break eld beer

Serving the Penn community for OVER 56 YEARS!

(215) 222-5500 4019 Locust St. info@uerealestate.net www.uerealestate.net

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 24

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FOUNDED 1885

Against worthy competition, sprint football decimates Caldwell, 40-10

SPORTS | After a scoreless first quarter, the team exploded with 21 points in the second quarter CARTER LYNN Sports Reporter

In a 40-10 win against Caldwell (4-1), Penn sprint football (4-1) showed that, once again, they cannot be stopped as of late.

But Friday night’s thrashing was a bit different from its previous three wins. This time, the Quakers were facing an undefeated 4-0 team, one of the best in the Collegiate Sprint Football League.

“There were lots of nerves coming into the game because they’re a very good football team,” junior quarterback Andrew Paolini said. “They’re a really physical team so we prepared hard.”

Despite their diligent preparations — from lengthy film sessions with coaches to time spent on the field post-practice — Penn’s offense found itself off to a slow start.

Electing to receive the kickoff and start on offense, Penn couldn’t garner any momentum, resulting in a quick three-and-out.

Luckily for the Quakers, the defense came to the offense’s aid. On Caldwell’s first drive of the game, the defensive line flushed quarterback Frank DeMaio out of the pocket and forced him to throw the ball away.

With the pressure in DeMaio’s face, a ball that should have gone easily out of bounds came out short and was toe-tapped in for an interception by senior defensive back Sam Mintz.

The impressive play by both the defensive line and the secondary set Paolini and the offense up for redemption.

After carries by running backs Laquan McKever and Tom Rebstock, Paolini was sacked for a loss of five yards. Unable to cash in on Mintz’s impressive pick, the offense was forced to punt yet again.

Senior running back Laquan McKever runs the ball towards the end zone for a touchdown against Caldwell on Oct. 22.

With another impressive stop on defense, the offense’s disjointed funk continued. Starting from their own 17-yard line, a poor snap forced Paolini to fall on the ball at his own one-yard line.

Another punt.

With the short-field advantage, Penn’s defense couldn’t muster up enough this time to stop Caldwell from scoring.

Penn 0, Caldwell 7.

After a great kickoff by Caldwell, it looked like the Cougars’ momentum would continue to steamroll Penn. In the blink of an eye, wide receiver — and kick returner — Brendan McCaffrey found a hole in Caldwell’s return defense and broke loose for an 80yard run.

With that, Penn’s offense had its spark.

With big gains from wide receiver Jake Wang and McKever, Paolini was able to move the chains enough to get a first and goal. Rolling to his right, Paolini found tight end Ben Klaus for a touchdown in the end zone.

Women’s soccer notches sixth shutout of the season, winning 4-0 against Yale SPORTS | Sophomore goalie Laurence Gladu saved seven shots in the win ANIKA GURURAJ Sports Reporter

The Quakers have extended their spotless home record to 9-0 after coming up with a big 4-0 victory against Yale on Saturday.

After notching wins against Dartmouth and Delaware State earlier in the week, the Quakers (9-3-2, 3-2 Ivy) continued their winning ways with a shutout against a struggling Yale squad (2-12, 1-4).

Straight out of the gate, the Bulldogs applied pressure on the Penn defense, taking two shots that were saved by sophomore keeper Laurence Gladu. She was instrumental in keeping the Yale offense at bay, making seven saves over the course of the game. “[Gladu] has the confidence to come out and play against a very good attacking nail and do her thing,” coach Casey Brown said.

The first goal came in the eighth minute, courtesy of junior forward Sizzy Lawton, slotting it past the Bulldog defense down the left flank. The Red and Blue maintained an aggressive approach, winning the majority of first and

indicator of who’s going to win, so all week we were training discipline,” Inserra said. “To keep our discipline during the game, that was a huge determining factor in winning today.”

While the Quaker defense continued to hold its own — only allowing a field goal through the rest of the game — Penn’s offense kept on rolling as well.

Over the next few drives, Rebstock and Paolini added a touchdown each while McKever exploded for three of his own.

“The key to winning was just perseverance,” Paolini said. “We knew we’d face adversity — they’re a very good football team, coming in at 4-0. But we’re happy that we fought through that adversity and got the win.”

Pushing through the slow start to the game speaks volumes to the character of the team: One that won’t fade away easily.

Sprint football gets its next test away against Alderson Broaddus on Friday at 6 p.m.

Lasater | Penalties and sloppy play limiting Penn football

second balls. They were rewarded with a third goal in the 41st minute by freshman forward Isobel Glass, assisted by junior defender Emily Pringle and freshman forward Janae Stewart.

“We really worked on winning the balls out of the air, and not letting them play quick and transition,” Lawton said.

Lawton took center stage in the Quakers’ strong performance, adding on to her first goal with another one in the 86th minute, shooting into the top right corner. The game kept spectators gripped until the final minute (quite literally), as senior forward Mia Shank gave the Red and Blue its fourth goal of the game in the 88th minute, sliding it into the top right corner of the goal off of an assist from Pringle yet again.

With this win, the women’s soccer team extends their home winning streak, now at a 9-0-0 record. Brown, in her first year as the Quakers’ coach, was extremely pleased with her team’s performance.

“Four goals, a clean sheet, and a win are three things that are hard to do in soccer, and we did all of them,” Brown said.

Penn women’s soccer will be back in action in a road matchup on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Brown.

MICHAEL PALACIOS

Junior defender Emily Pringle crosses the ball to freshman forward Isobel Glass, who scored against Yale at Rhodes Field on Oct. 23.

SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

Finally, Penn had the energy they needed to surge and win the game.

“The o-line did a great job, the wide receivers did an incredible job, but it was the defense that really showed out today,” Paolini said. “They really kept us in the ball game until the offense started to figure it out.”

Freshman linebacker Jake Inserra — who came up with a number of big hits on the day — credited the coaching staff in the defense’s success.

“Our coaches watch and break down a lot of film, picking out some of their tendencies, especially when they are running the ball,” Inserra said. “So we had a pretty good grip on what they were going to do before we came out here, and I think it showed.”

While controlling the line of scrimmage and stopping Caldwell’s run game certainly was an important factor in the defense only allowing 10 points, Inserra cited another key to their win.

“The penalty differential in football is a huge

JULIA VAN LARE

NICHOLAS FERNANDEZ

Senior running back Trey Flowers pushes through the defensive line but gets tackled by several Columbian defensive linemen on Oct. 16.

SPORTS | The Quakers couldn’t hang with Yale, falling 42-28 over the weekend LUCY LASATER Sports Reporter

Last week, after watching Penn football fall to Columbia for the team’s third loss in a row to Ivy League competition, all I could think about is how the Red and Blue could recover.

Despite the contest starting off relatively uneventful in terms of scoring, the Quakers were able to hold off the Lions for the first half. But as soon as senior quarterback John Quinnelly was sacked, the downward spiral began, and Penn fell 23-14.

While upsetting, the switch at quarterback to freshman Aidan Sayin the following week was not surprising, seeing that Penn has seemed to follow this trend in the past couple of games.

Yet, against Yale, watching starting quarterback Sayin play made something clear: this problem with recovery isn’t limited to Quinnelly and his play style.

It’s rooted in the whole team.

The same trend appeared. The Quakers initially held off the Bulldogs, keeping the score even during the first quarter.

Following a variety of calls — most importantly a pass interference on a would-be interception and a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct at the start of the second — the momentum of the game changed, with these penalties propelling Yale closer to the end zone, and eventually a touchdown.

The Quakers started off strong on their next drive with sophomore Maurcus McDaniel taking over

ONLINE AT THEDP.COM

momentarily for Sayin and working closely with senior running back Trey Flowers. However, the Quakers halted their own momentum by committing penalties, which prevented them from scoring and forced them to hand possession back to Yale.

The Bulldogs took advantage of Penn’s penalties, as quarterback Nolan Grooms threw a pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton to solidify Yale’s lead before the half. By the time linebacker Brian O’Neill intercepted one of Grooms’ passes, it was too late for the Quakers to regain their momentum.

Penn’s loss was not for a lack of trying. The team adapted to a new starting lineup and running back Isaiah Malcome and Flowers certainly have chemistry with Sayin — racking up the team’s most points since the start of the season.

The defensive line consistently held off Yale’s speedy offense helping the two teams maintain nearly even possession. However, when it came to efficiency and penalties, Yale greatly outperformed Penn.

Perhaps it was the sheer desperation from losing to Yale in the three previous matchups against the Bulldogs or the loss of momentum that drove both the offense and the defense to lose composure. However, in every game this season, the Quakers have forfeited more yards in penalties than their opponents.

One thing is for certain. Penn has the potential to secure wins over its opponents, but the team is struggling with concentration and kickstarting its momentum earlier.

With only four Ivy League teams left to play, Penn needs to prove they can play clean and consistently drive the ball for four quarters straight.

CONTACT US: 215-422-4640