MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 VOL. CXXXIV NO. 24
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
FOUNDED 1885
University follows other Ivies’ sexual harassment policies The ban on undergraduatefaculty sexual relations went into effect on March 28 NAOMI ELEGANT Staff Reporter
PHOTO FROM NAECHE VINCENT
CHRISTINE LAM | DESIGN EDITOR
Krone won 2,906 points and Andrews received 1,240 points HALEY SUH & CLAIRE SLINEY News Editor & Staff Reporter
College junior Michael Krone and College sophomore Jordan Andrews will serve as the new president and vice president of the Undergraduate Assembly, respectively, the Nominations and Elections Committee announced Thursday evening. Krone ran against College junior Samara Wyant, former Daily Pennsylvanian staffer, and College junior Robert J. Klopf III. “I was really thankful to be running against two really, really great candidates who forced me to really have
a well-rounded and well-positioned viewpoint on everything that needed to happen, needed to be done, who challenged me in debates, met me eye-for-eye when campaigning, so I thank them for that,” Krone said. “I feel really elated, also really, really honored. I know that we knocked on a lot of doors, but this definitely wouldn’t have been possible without great people behind us, working with us, endorsing us, believing in us,” Andrews said. Krone received 2,906 points — a 447-point margin of victory over runner-up Wyant’s 2,459 points. Klopf III came in with 1,112 points. Andrews received 1,240 points, a 343-point margin of victory over runner-up Wharton sophomore Max Grove.
Krone and Andrews ran on the platform of improving mental wellness, transparency, inclusivity, accessibility, and community engagement. In a guest column in The Daily Pennsylvanian, Krone and Andrews wrote, “We want to increase transparency between the Penn administration, student body, and Undergraduate Assembly; improve the accessibility of Penn’s resources and student life; fight for inclusivity and equal opportunity for success; promote mental wellness initiatives and culture change; and lobby for community engagement in West Philadelphia.” Krone has been a part of the UA since his freshman year, when he opSEE UA ELECTIONS PAGE 6
A new policy banning all sexual relations between undergraduate students and faculty members at Penn went into effect on March 28. This restriction — which applies to academic advisors and program advisors as well — marks a shift from the previous rule that prohibited faculty-student sexual relations “during the period of the facultystudent relationship.” For graduate students, however, this new policy does not apply, and sexual relations with faculty members is still only banned during the period of instruction. The announcement is not unprecedented in the world of higher education. In fact, among other Ivy League institutions, Penn is relatively late to introduce this new policy shift. Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, Princeton University, and Stanford University all have blanket prohibitions on undergraduate-faculty relationships for undergraduates, similar to the one Penn just implemented. Columbia University and Cornell University prohibit student-faculty relationships only where the faculty member has academic or professional responsibility or authority over the student — including teaching, advising, and grading the student — similar to Penn’s policy before the March 28 change. Cornell’s current policy, approved in 1996, has been “a topic of concern” for the last two years, and the university has created a Consensual Relationships
Policy Committee, according to the university’s website. Yale’s policy states that undergraduates are “particularly vulnerable to the unequal institutional power inherent in the teacher-student relationship and the potential for coercion, because of their age and relative lack of maturity.” Dartmouth’s policy cites the “heightened risk” of a power imbalance in undergraduate-faculty relationships. The policy change also comes in the context of a wider trend in academia. A recent public survey detailed accounts of sexual harassment in academia, including five entries from students alleging sexual harassment by Penn faculty members. The five entries were made by graduate students, who a 2015 survey by the American Association of Universities says are more likely to be harassed by faculty than undergraduates. Katie Pak, a GET-UP member in her third year at GSE, said that she did not know enough about the policy update to comment, but that she thought it was “interesting” that the change included “nothing about graduate students,” despite the ongoing campaign for improved sexual harassment policies at GSE. College junior Raisa Shah, who is political chair for the Penn Association for Gender Equity, said that while the ban may be a controversial topic, “some amount of institutional guidance” may be beneficial to students. “I think it’s good that the ban is referring to undergrads specifically because these relationships particularly can lead to a lot of abuse and maltreatment due to the vast difference in age and power dynamics,” Shah said. “Not that this doesn’t happen at the graduate level […] but I think this is a step in the right SEE HARASSMENT PAGE 3
Community fundraises medical expenses for son of Dining staffer The staffer’s son was shot Feb. 15 while walking home GORDON HO Contributing Reporter
The 17-year-old son of Penn Dining staff member Troy Harris was shot in February near his home in South Philadelphia, and Penn students have been fundraising to cover his estimated $10,000 in medical expenses. On Feb. 15, Troy’s son Azir was shot as he was walking home from dinner near his residence in South Philadelphia, Troy told The Daily Pennsylvanian. Since then, Troy said Azir has been in the hospital’s intensive care unit and has been undergoing lung, throat, and back surgery. He said Azir is also likely
to remain fully paralyzed below the waist for the rest of his life. For Troy, the high cost of medical bills has only added to the family’s stress. After the incident — which involved two other people who were shot alongside Azir — Troy said he and his family of eight were devastated. “The house just feels empty, empty. Everybody’s staying in their room,” Harris said. “Immediately after the event, I was lost. My soul left my body. I was just numb.” Wharton junior Michelle Lyu, who first met Troy during her freshman year at Hillel’s Falk Dining Commons, went to visit Azir in the hospital. She then decided to start a fundraiser on March 30 to help the Harris family. Currently, 327 donors have raised over $12,000.
Lyu said she met Troy at the hospital when he was visiting his son, who has been staying there since the incident in February. “The way Troy stood beside his son at the hospital bed and the way his voice cracked when he said, ‘He’s only 17 years old. That’s my baby,’ was heart-wrenching.” “It’s easy to remain insulated as Penn students to the hard, raw realities of many living in Philadelphia,” Lyu said. Troy estimated the medical cost to be at least $10,000. “I know that’s going to be over the roof because he has so many CAT scans, so many X-rays. It was like every day he was getting two or three X-rays,” Troy said. Lyu later added that the fundraiser also intends to aid with associated
OPINION | In Defense of Holistic Admissions
“The purpose of university is to provide an education, and the purpose of education extends far beyond classroom learning.” - Lucy Hu PAGE 5
SPORTS | Moving On
After graduating program legends Leah Allen and Alexis Sargent, Penn softball has found a way to replace their production BACKPAGE
expenses beyond medical costs, such as implementing handicap accessibility and helping the family move out to a safer neighborhood. The online fundraiser has taken hold among many members within the Penn community and beyond. Students, faculty, and friends outside Penn have posted on social media platforms and have donated as well. Yale student Amy Kim, Lyu’s friend and Los Angeles native, saw Lyu’s Facebook post about Azir and said she felt compelled to donate. “I come from a background that isn’t familiar with wealth. In fact, I had to take a gap year to help my family afford basic living expenses,” Kim said. “Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy survival.” Many professors have also con-
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PHOTO FROM TROY HARRIS
Penn students and faculty have been fundraising online in order to cover Troy Harris’ estimated $10,000 in medical expenses.
tributed to the cause. Wharton professor Samir Nurmohamed said he
SEE HARRIS PAGE 6
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Student-Led Teams Compete for $50,000 Vote for Your Favorite to Receive $5,000 People’s Choice Award! Monday, April 9, 6:00PM Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Fisher Fine Arts Library, 4th floor www.alumni.upenn.edu/IDesignEvent2018