March 19, 2018

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Penn Bracket

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MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018 VOL. CXXXIV NO. 18

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Alumni weigh in on Wax controversy BLM supporter calls for her to be fired MADELEINE NGO Staff Reporter

CHASE SUTTON | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR

Penn men’s basketball faced off against the University of Kansas in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After starting off strong and jumping out to a 21-11 lead, the Quakers eventually fell to the Jayhawks, 76-60.

Former Law prof. redraws Pa. district lines

Penn is now the under 3rd Congressional District LUCY CURTIS & MAX COHEN Staff Reporters

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court released an updated state congressional map on Feb. 19, redistricting the University of Pennsylvania from the 2nd Congressional District to the 3rd Congressional District — a map drawn by former Penn Law professor Nathaniel Persily. The decision was made in

January after the state Supreme Court ruled that the previous map violated the state Constitution due to gerrymandering. Since the old map’s implementation in 2011, Republicans have won 13 out of Pennsylvania’s 18 districts, despite never gaining more than 55 percent of the vote. An expert in redistricting and election law, Persily has drawn districts for Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina, and was selected by the state Supreme Court to draw the map after Gov. Tom

Wolf (D-Pa) rejected the Republican House’s proposal in Feb. The updated map has major ramifications for Penn, as students and faculty will now cast their votes in the 3rd Congressional District instead of the 2nd. In the old 2011 map, the City of Philadelphia was almost entirely encompassed in the 2nd district. Election experts estimate Democrats can now compete in eight to 11 of the new seats. State Republicans have blasted the new map, accusing the court of partisan favoring of Democrats.

According to the Washington Post, Democrats could see a net gain of three or four seats in November’s midterm elections, which would provide a crucial boost in the party’s bid to reclaim control of the House of Representatives. Persily taught election law and political science at Penn from 2001 to 2007. He taught courses titled Law and the Political Process, Contemporary Issues in Law and Politics, as well

As the debate around Penn Law professor Amy Wax continues to grow, pundits are calling her comments and her experience emblematic for what they see as larger, endemic issues within higher education. In the past weekend alone, a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement has weighed in on Wax’s comments, prompting a fiery response from a notable critic of the BLM movement. For reasons beyond their control, Penn Law has found itself at the center of a national debate around free speech and racism on college campuses. Asa Khalif, the leader of Black Lives Matter in Pennsylvania, told the Philadelphia Tribune on March 17 that he wants Wax fired for her claims that black Penn Law students have never graduated at the top

of their class. Khalif added that if no action is taken by Penn Law Dean Ted Ruger within the week, he will plan to lead petitions across Penn’s campus as early as Mar. 23. He referred to the protest as a “last resort,” but said that he was prepared to disrupt classes and other campus activities. Khalif’s comments come less than a week after a 2017 video of Wax claiming that her black students had never graduated at the top of their class incited widespread controversy on campus. Following a petition signed by students and alumni, Ruger sent an email announcing that Wax would be banned from teaching a firstyear class. “Anyone with the types of beliefs she holds teaching Black and brown students is a danger to them and their future,” Khalif told the Tribune. “We are unwavering in our one demand that [Wax] be fired. Based on her beliefs and the SEE WAX PAGE 6

SEE REDISTRICTING PAGE 6

No clear timeline for gender-neutral bathroom installation across campus since fall semester The LGBT Center website keeps track of locations

JULIO SOSA | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

GIOVANNA PAZ Staff Reporter

Penn has been working on installing gender-neutral bathrooms in buildings around campus, but since last fall, almost no new bathrooms have been converted to or installed as gender-neutral. Additional steps toward achieving that goal, however, are well underway. The latest stage in the process, according to University Architect David Hollenberg who is leading the project, has been the creation of a design study. Last year, Facilities and Real Estate Services, in partnership with LGBT Center Director Erin Cross, determined that over 100 single-stall bathrooms in academic buildings met the criteria set by Cross in order to become genderneutral bathrooms. In September, Hollenberg then laid out his goal of converting as many single-stall bathrooms into multi-stall bathrooms in buildings, similar to the layout in Hill College House, which reopened last fall after undergoing an $80 million renovation. Included in the renovation were the first multi-stall gender-

The White House released a statement that accused the economists of bias and a lack of transparency in their analysis of the plan.

Trump admin. feuds with Penn economists Wharton Budget Model analyzed the Trump plan FERNANDO BONILLA Staff Reporter

JULIA SCHORR | DIGITAL DIRECTOR

neutral bathrooms on campus. Hollenberg had said he was waiting on buildings to express interest, but that they would be selected to undergo the transition to gender-neutral by early November. So far, only three academic buildings have expressed interest. Cross, however, said some administrators of other buildings and academic departments also have shown interest in the project.

Hollenberg confirmed that the group has also hired an architect for the study, which will help “identify any code implications, and provide conceptual designs and cost estimates for the rooms in the study.” A “kickoff meeting” planned for today hopes to set the project in motion. Less than 20 percent of nonresidential campus buildings, maintained under FRES, had at

OPINION | Kicking and Screaming

“I feel as if there is something wrong with me, especially because everyone around me seems to be moving on. And for the first time, I don’t know what’s going to happen” - Amy Chan PAGE 5

SPORTS | A Tough Out

The Quakers lost against No. 1 Kansas 76-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Wichita, Kan. BACKPAGE FOLLOW US @DAILYPENN FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ONLINE AT THEDP.COM

least one gender-neutral bathroom accessible to all community members. At the time, some students still expressed frustration over the accessibility and convenience of these bathrooms. The LGBT Center website keeps track of gender-neutral bathrooms, and how to access them, in various Penn buildings. The list on SEE BATHROOM PAGE 2

President Donald Trump’s White House has sparred with porn stars, actors, and even his own “Saturday Night Live” impersonator. Now, the president is fighting with economists from his own alma mater. Earlier this month, the team of economists behind the Penn Wharton Budget Model became the latest target of Trump’s ire when the nonpartisan research initiative unexpectedly found itself in an online back-and-forth with the White House over the group’s

NEWS

NEWS

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Wistar Institute organizes walkout against gun violence

analysis of Trump’s infrastructure plan. Trump unveiled his longawaited plan on Feb. 12 after repeatedly emphasizing infrastructure as a major priority for his administration. The proposal would inject $1.5 trillion into the nation’s roads, bridges, and other forms of infrastructure. Ten days later, PWBM released its analysis of the plan, concluding that it would spur only an additional $30 billion in spending by non-federal agents and have “little to no impact on the economy.” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was questioned in SEE TRUMP PAGE 3

Nursing grads create scholarship for midwives of color

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March 19, 2018 by The Daily Pennsylvanian - Issuu