November 9, 2017

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 VOL. CXXXIII NO. 85

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

What occurs when Penn students take three courses

PROTECTING QUAKERS ABROAD: How Penn responds when world events put students in harm’s way ALEX RABIN | Senior Reporter

LONDON: A series of attacks in London prompted Penn to communicate with its university partners to check in with all students.

FOUNDED 1885

PARIS: Penn students experienced the November 2015 terrorist attack in Paris firsthand.

Dropping below four courses can prevent students from participating in Greek life OLIVIA SYLVESTER Senior Reporter

When a Penn student finds four courses in a semester overwhelming, many can choose to drop a class. However, for some students, there can be serious repercussions to doing so. Taking a reduced course load can prevent students from applying to join Greek life, participating in varsity sports and in some instances, maintaining their visa status. College senior Haley Mankin took three courses during both semesters of her freshman year. As someone who has chronic migraine syndrome, Mankin was homeschooled for most of high school and thought the transition would be easier with three courses. Mankin said taking three classes allowed her to begin her Penn experience on a positive note. She added that “[this] last class can make everything harder,” especially those struggling from mental or physical health problems. “Coming to college was already a big step as it is to everyone,” Mankin said. “It really wasn’t a question. First semester, three courses felt like a lot. I was able to do that and be academically successful.” But not all students feel like they are able to drop a course. For international students, taking less than four courses each semester can threaten their immigration status, said President of the Assembly of International Students and Engineering senior Dhruv Agarwal. The Penn Global website states that students who “cannot meet the full-time requirement” of four course units will need to complete a request for a Reduced Course Load. “Dropping below full-time without an RCL is considered an unauthorized drop, which will endanger your immigration status,” the site states. Agarwal said most students he knew personally who have taken less than four credits have applied and been approved for an RCL, but added that from his personal experience, most academic advisors are not aware of this four course requirement for international students. Students not taking at least four classes can also be excluded from participating in Greek life. If a Penn student is planning to rush an on-campus sorority

CAIRO: Penn students were abroad in Cairo when protests broke out in 2011.

BARCELONA: Students were evacuated from Barcelona after protests broke out in Catalonia last month. HAVANA: In response to Hurricane Irma, Penn abroad moved students from Havana to Merida, Mexico.

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s political unrest in the Catalonia region continues to develop, Penn Abroad has had to keep a tight watch on the safety and security of students studying abroad in Barcelona. Catalonia, which is a region in northeastern Spain, has been vying for independence for years. This is partly due to regional discontent between the relatively wealthy region of Catalonia and the less affluent Spanish provinces, said Chair of Penn’s Political Science Department Anne Norton in an emailed statement. Last month, after Catalonian leaders held a controversial referendum to gain independence from Spain, violence broke out on the street of Barcelona. The Spanish po-

lice yanked protesters from polls, beating many of them and launching rubber bullets into crowds. The regional government was deposed after the unilateral vote, which has sparked protests in Catalonia against what many see as the Spanish government’s suppression of their regional independence. While the Penn students in the region have remained safe despite the violent incidents that have sprung up around the city, Penn Abroad has been working closely with risk assessment services at Penn and its study abroad implementing partner, the Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad, to ensure this continues to be the case. “It’s obviously been a pretty hectic time,” said College junior Adam Tashman,

who is currently studying abroad in Barcelona. “I think it’s hard, especially for Penn and our program, to gauge what’s going on, because nobody really knows, and it changes every day … It’s mostly just strikes and large gatherings in the street to shut everything down.” Associate Director of Advising & Enrollment at Penn Abroad Kristyn Palmiotto said the students were evacuated from Barcelona to Peñíscola, a town south of Catalonia, from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, when a general strike occurred and all universities were closed. The students missed a total of four days during which classes were held. SEE CATALONIA PAGE 9

CAMILLE RAPAY & GEORGIA RAY | DESIGN EDITOR & DESIGN ASSOCIATE

SEE COURSES PAGE 3

Patients unaware of treatment teams behind the scenes at CAPS Typically, teams of six to eight treat each student KELLY HEINZERLING Staff Reporter

Counseling and Psychological Services at Penn is composed of approximately 35 staff members — psychologists, social workers, postdoctoral students, interns, and prescribers — who are organized into five treatment teams of six to eight members. These groups meet weekly to discuss any problems that may surface on any team member’s student cases. While other universities often employ similar staff structures, students are not always told that these treatment teams exist. Consequently, they are not aware that the personal information they share with their therapists often extends past their private sessions and into the teams’ weekly meetings. Although every senior staff

member of CAPS staff is licensed to practice in the state of Pennsylvania, the team system allows postdoctoral students and interns at CAPS who do not have that license to sit in on and contribute to conversations relating to students’ treatment. In addition, these treatment teams are reshuffled every three years, sometimes forcing students to switch psychiatrists. Some students say that information surrounding this team system needs to be made more accessible, particularly because it has direct implications on the way they understand their own treatment. This is also not the first time that students have called for CAPS to improve its communication to the student body. CAPS provides referral services to students over the summer, though many have indicated that they are not aware of this. Similarly, CAPS rep-

resentatives have said that students have the ability to extend their treatment if they want to, though many have said that they were referred out of CAPS against their will and did not know that they could choose otherwise. Why these treatment teams exist “The teams at CAPS are structured so that each member brings a different area of expertise to the conversation,” CAPS Director Bill Alexander said. “There is typically one person on team who can prescribe medicine, one psychiatrist, and one clinician. This was designed to improve the care that the student receives,” Alexander said. “It’s very important in medicine that the prescriber and therapist are in close collaboration and consultation about the student,” he said. “That can happen most easily if the prescriber has to collaborate with

OPINION | No to New College House West

“ … New College House West’s construction comes as a distraction from the calls to action within the Penn community.” - Lucy Hu PAGE 5

SPORTS | A national championship

Penn sprint football squares off against Army this Friday night in the Collegiate Sprint Football League championship game BACKPAGE

a fewer number of therapists.” The weekly team meetings are also a chance for staff to brainstorm treatment options and have others weigh in on clinical decisions. “It’s a chance for the team to sit down together and say here are the issues we’re dealing with with the clients on our team,” Alexander said of the weekly meetings. “It’s like a mini cross-section of CAPS.” Engineering sophomore Katie Waltman, who received treatment from CAPS last year, said she has still never heard of the treatment team structure before. She expressed concern that her privacy might not have been preserved if a team of CAPS staff were discussing her treatment. “People think that they’re having a very private conversation when they see someone like a therapist or psychologist,” Waltman said. “But looking [at the] bigger picture, I

NEWS Penn extends ED deadline for some applicants PAGE 3

MEGAN JONES | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“The teams at CAPS are structured so that each member brings a different area of expertise … ” CAPS Director Bill Alexander said.

guess they’re looking out for you and they’re trying to discuss the best possible options for you.” Waltman, who is a Daily Pennsylvanian staff member, added that she wished there was more transparency in how CAPS is organized. “I think it would be nice if

NEWS OCR access up in the air for certain students PAGE 9

they were more upfront about their whole team system,” Waltman said. “It’s a little odd.” Alexander said that the team structure is typical for counseling centers at other universities, though representatives at Counseling and Psychological SEE CAPS PAGE 9


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