MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 VOL. CXXXIV NO. 6
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
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ore than 1,000 Penn students study abroad in over 50 countries around the world each year. And while many opt to travel to more familiar or secure locations, others choose to travel to “heightened risk regions.” Penn Global’s Committee on International Travel Risk Assessment deems 70 countries as “heightened security risk regions” for reasons ranging from terrorism threats to fragile government infrastructures. As of October 2017, 18 locations were marked with a travel security risk rating of “extreme,” 58 were marked with a rating of “high,” and 31 were marked with a rating of “medium.” These risk levels are based primarily on the risk ratings of International SOS, the world’s largest medical and travel security services firm. The United States Department of State Travel Advisory is taken into account as a secondary measure as well. Students wanting to study abroad in these regions must take extra steps to get their programs approved. In addition to the standard application process, Penn Abroad requires students planning to study in heightened risk regions to complete the Undergraduate Travel Request Process. After reviewing their travel requests, the Committee on International Travel Risk Assessment provides safety recommendations. “Typically, most students are approved, but they are approved under the condition that they take our recommendations into account,” Penn Abroad Director Nigel Cossar said. “The whole process is centered exclusively on our students’ safety abroad.” Sometimes, students can also successfully petition to study abroad in heightened risk regions as participants of non-Penn affiliated programs. College senior Shirin Vetry petitioned to study in Kampala, Uganda last semester, as part of School of International Training’s Uganda Development Studies. Though the region was deemed “high risk” due to concerns regarding road safety and crime, she said that the non-Penn affiliated program was an excellent opportunity to work with refugees, while also writing her senior thesis. “Uganda is the biggest host of refugees in Africa and is known for its particularly benevolent refugee policies,” Vetry said. “Studying there was a perfect way to blend all of my pasSEE STUDY PAGE 7
CHRISTINE LAM | DESIGN EDITOR
Former Penn trustee accused of sexual misconduct Dozens said he made employees perform sex acts SARAH FORTINSKY Senior News Editor
Dozens of people have accused 1963 College graduate and former Penn Board of Trustees member Stephen Wynn of sexual misconduct, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wynn served on the Board of Trustees until 2004 and donated $7.5 million for the construction of the Perelman Quadrangle,
which includes Wynn Commons. In 2006, he was also granted an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University. Wynn, a real estate mogul who was named the financial chair of the Republican National Committee after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, allegedly pressured various employees to perform sex acts. In one account by an unnamed manicurist, Wynn forced her to take off her clothes and have sex with him even after she repeatedly told him “no.” He later paid the manicurist $7.5
million in a settlement, the WSJ reported. In a written statement to the WSJ, Wynn denied all allegations. “The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” he wrote. “We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits. It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation.” In an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian, University spokes-
person Steve MacCarthy wrote, “These are very troubling allegations and we are monitoring the situation closely. But at this point we are unable to comment further.” Wynn is the current chairman of Wynn Resorts. In the past few decades, he has been responsible for building various luxury establishments in Las Vegas, including the Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore casinos. He launched Wynn Resorts in 2002 with his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, with whom he has spent
years in legal battles over their divorce agreement. As of Jan. 26, his net worth was $3.6 billion, according to Forbes. Trump and Wynn have a long history of battling both as “rival casino owners” and in court in 1999 over a variety of allegations, including fraud, money-laundering, perjury, conspiracy, and theft of trade secrets, Forbes reported. The two ultimately settled in 2000, The Daily Beast reported. “One of the great qualities Steve and Donald share: when they’re in a war they will fight like you’ve
never seen. But when it’s over it’s over,” Skip Bronson wrote, who authored a book on Atlantic City in the 1990s. Wynn did not publicly endorse Trump before his inauguration, but he was an active member of Trump’s inauguration committee and has remained an avid supporter as the financial chair of the RNC, a position he took on at the end of January 2017. While Wynn’s financial contributions to Penn have certainly SEE WYNN PAGE 7
College sophomore’s alleged killer linked to a neo-Nazi group
Pictures were obtained of the suspect with the group REBECCA TAN Executive Editor
Samuel Woodward, the man charged with murdering College sophomore Blaze Bernstein, was part of an extremist, neo-Nazi group, according to a report published by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica on Jan. 26. Based on the accounts of three sources with close knowledge of Woodward’s past, ProPublica reported that Woodward has been a member of the Atomwaffen Division, which the Southern Pov-
erty Law Center listed in 2016 as an active hate crime group. The Anti-Defamation League has described the group as “a loose group of neo-Nazis” that has been targeting college campuses. The group was allegedly among a range of other alt-right organizations behind the racist flyers that appeared at various American universities, including Penn, in late 2016. ProPublica said it obtained pictures of Woodward at an Atomwaffen meeting held in the Texas countryside. One of the pictures shows Woodward in a mask making the Nazi salute, and other pictures show him without
a mask and easily identifiable. The report from ProPublica comes as the latest update in the ongoing investigation into the death of Bernstein, who went missing in Orange County, Calif. on Jan. 2, and was later found dead in a shallow grave on Jan. 10. Several days later, the Orange County Register reported that Bernstein, who was gay, had been stabbed over 20 times in what authorities suggest was “an act of rage.” Woodward, who attended high school with Bernstein at the Orange County School of the Arts, was charged with the murder of the Penn student on Jan. 17.
OPINION | COMBAT RAPE CULTURE
“It’s becoming a rarity for me to meet a woman who hasn’t been sexually assaulted at Penn. I’ve only been a student here for six months; this is just the tip of the iceberg.” - Isabella Simonetti PAGE 4
SPORTS | SLAMMING IT HOME
Behind AJ Brodeur’s first double-double of the season, Penn men’s basketball powered past Saint Joseph’s, 67-56, in the final Big 5 contest of the year BACKPAGE FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ONLINE AT THEDP.COM
According to a sealed affidavit obtained by the Orange County Register, he told investigators that on the night of Bernstein’s murder, the Penn student had tried to kiss him. Following Woodward’s arrest, there have been reports that the slaying was a hate crime targeted specifically against Bernstein’s sexuality. Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said at a press conference on Jan. 17 that investigators have yet to establish a motive, but that they were “open to all evidence.” “The question of a hate crime
NEWS FGLI students find Penn job resources inadequate PAGE 3
SEE WOODWARD PAGE 6
ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT | TWITTER
Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas said that investigators have yet to establish a motive, but that they were “open to all evidence.”
NEWS LGBTQ faculty and core courses to expand PAGE 7
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