March 1, 2018

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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018 VOL. CXXXIV NO. 15

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

FOUNDED 1885

Joe Biden makes low-profile visit to campus

Trump donations: a family affair

The Trump children together have donated at least $10,001 LUCY CURTIS Staff Reporter

Three of President Donald Trump’s children have attended Penn — administrative records show that all of them have donated to the University. Since 2010, Donald Trump Jr., who graduated from the Wharton School in 2000, Ivanka Trump, who graduated from Wharton in 2004, and Tiffany Trump, who graduated from the College of Arts and Science in 2016, could have contributed combined donations of anywhere between $10,001 to $22,743. Other documents, including University reports and tax filings from the Trump Foundation show that their father may have donated up to $1.4 million to the University. These records show that on top of sending several students to Penn, the Trump family has also made multiple donations to the University. Despite these contributions, Penn has largely stayed reticent about its links to the family, particularly after the controversial election of President Trump. Donations from the three Trump children can be found on the Honor Roll, which is a list of donors sent to every member of the class in the fall. The Honor Roll is one of many SEE TRUMP DONATIONS PAGE 3

Biden visited to speak to Wharton graduate student on Feb. 28 REBECCA TAN Executive Editor

had been relocated. “It’s entirely reasonable that when [the site] was closed as a cemetery, that all of the human remains were removed at that time – say in the 1920s or the 1940s,” Lloyd said. “Now if that’s not true, if they just paved it over, then the present-day owners of the land have a problem. A very big problem.” The property was purchased in 1826 by the group African Friends to Harmony, which President of the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum Doug Mooney said he believes was an

Former Vice President Joe Biden came to campus on Feb. 28 to deliver a lecture to students enrolled in William Lauder’s leadership course. Biden entered from the Walnut Street entrance of Huntsman Hall at around 2:55 p.m. on Wednesday. He came to talk to Wharton graduate students in the highly-selective course run by The Lauder Institute’s William Lauder, who also serves as the executive chairman of Estée Lauder Companies. Biden’s visit was not publicized, and he arrived at the back entrance of Huntsman Hall to little fanfare. In the two hours before his arrival, both University spokesperson Stephen MacCarthy and Wharton spokesperson Peter Wincov wrote in separate emails to The Daily Pennsylvanian that they were not aware Biden was coming to campus. Wincov referred the DP to Director of Media Relations Ron Ozio, who did not respond to immediate request for comment. The Lauder Institute website also did not list Biden’s lecture as an up-

SEE CEMETARY PAGE 7

SEE BIDEN PAGE 6

ALICE GOULDING | STAFF REPORTER & CHRISTINE LAM | DESIGN EDITOR

The oldest African American cemetery in West Philadelphia could be lying beneath a Penn parking lot and the remnants of a former car wash near 41st and Chestnut streets. Now, a Philadelphia business wants to turn the site into a new apartment building. Maps dating back to 1886 indicate that the cemetery was located at 4125 Chestnut St. and extends eastward to a parking lot that Penn now owns and operates. Many experts say it is unclear whether those buried in the cemetery are still underground or whether they have been relocated elsewhere. “From my estimation looking at it,

Penn owns roughly two-thirds, maybe three-quarters, somewhere in that range, and the other third or quarter is being developed now [for the apartment building],” Penn University Archivist and Record Center Office Manager and Senior Archivist Jim Duffin said. “More than the majority of the cemetery is owned by the University – it’s the parking lot.” Director of the University Archives and Record Center Mark Frazier Lloyd said it’s currently unclear whether there are still any remains at the location at this time. However, Lloyd added that he had also not seen any documentation that the remains

Penn admissions’ numbers reach a historic high

Penn leaders oppose GOP bill slated to affect financial aid for students

YONI GUTENMACHER Staff Reporter

A proposed Republican higher education bill that aims to change the way students pay for college will have negative impacts for Penn, according to Penn officials and student leaders. The Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform Act was written by two Republican congressmen and passed the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in December. The proposal will negatively impact Penn’s financial aid in a number of ways, according to University Director of Financial Aid Elaine Papas-Varas. Papas-Varas listed changes to the federal grant program, loan programs, workstudy, and loan forgiveness as ar-

Penn received 44,482 applications this past year

Penn received a total of 44,482 applications for admission to the Class of 2022, a drastic increase from last year’s 40,413 applications and the most in Penn’s history. Of those applications, 37,409 were submitted in the Regular Decision process while the remaining 7,073 were part of the Early Decision Program. Last year’s applicant total was also the highest ever at the time, yet it was still easily topped this year. The total amount of applications received by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has increased by 10 percent since last year alone and has nearly doubled over the past

10 years. The total number of applications was first published as “44,000+” in a post on page 217 of Dean Eric Furda’s official blog. Kathryn Bezella, Penn Admissions vice dean and director of marketing and communications, clarified that the exact total was 44,482 in an emailed statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. Noting the record-breaking application total, Furda added that this year’s applicant pool saw “notable increases across broad geographical boundaries and within programs including Artificial Intelligence, behavioral economics and STEM fields broadly defined.” The release of the total number of applications comes several months after Penn announced its lowest early decision acceptance rate to date of 18.5 percent.

It will impede students’ ability to pay for college MAX COHEN Staff Reporter

OPINION | The Price Tag of Sisterhood

“Sororities cater to the wealthy and threaten inclusivity. The culture of wealth that permeates Panhellenic sororities must end.” - Isabella Simonetti PAGE 5

SPORTS | Wrapping Up

Penn men’s basketball is one weekend away from the Ivy Tournament but there is still work to be done. The Quakers hope to tie up loose ends by clinching the regular season title on Friday. BACKPAGE

JULIA SCHORR | DIGITAL DIRECTOR

Changes to the federal grant program, loan programs, workstudy, and loan forgiveness are all areas that could be affected.

eas that could be affected. To lobby against this plan, Papas-Varas attended a meeting of the Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations and participated in 11 meetings with representatives of Congress and staffers from the Philadelphia area

NEWS Environmental residential program to come

NEWS CAPS to start workshop series about body image

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in Washington, D.C. at the end of January, according to Student Registration and Financial Services Communications Director Paul Richards. Papas-Varas, along with COHEAO and Penn’s Office of Government and Community Affairs,

developed “talking points to share with members and their staffs,” Richards said. A foremost concern for PapasVaras is that the PROSPER proposal would eliminate the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant fund, a grant for students with exceptional financial need. “We have students here who certainly benefit by the FSEOG grant,” Papas-Varas said. “That would be one negative impact of the PROSPER Act to our students.” Papas-Varas also said that loan programs would be cut for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates would see an elimination of subsidies and graduate students could be potentially limited in the amount they could borrow. Penn students who participate SEE GOP BILL PAGE 6

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March 1, 2018 by The Daily Pennsylvanian - Issuu