February 4, 2021

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 3

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After weeks of denying access, Penn will offer COVID-19 testing to Bon Appétit dining workers Bon Appétit workers are subcontracted and not employed by Penn, which complicated providing them access to testing LINDSEY PERLMAN Staff Reporter

Greek life makes up a “completely disproportionate” number of COVID-19 cases

ISABEL LIANG AND ALANA KELLY

Penn admin. warned students in Greek life to stop hosting in-person social events HANNAH GROSS Senior Reporter

A “completely disproportionate” number of positive COVID-19 cases on campus has been linked to fraternities and sororities, a top Penn administrator announced in a meeting with Greek life members Wednesday evening.

Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Tamara Greenfield King held three Zoom meetings for members of fraternities in the Interfraternity Council, sororities in the Panhellenic Council, and off-campus Greek organizations, with over one hundred members in attendance. Greenfield King called the emergency meetings to “sound the alarm bell” and demand that all fraternities and sororities stop in-person social events, which University contact tracers found to be a substantial driver for COVID-19 spread.

The percentage of positive cases at Penn is dispro-

portionately composed of students in the Greek community, Greenfield King said. Approximately 25% of undergraduates are involved in Greek life on campus.

Three IFC fraternity members and one Panhellenic sorority member confirmed the contents of the meetings with The Daily Pennsylvanian. Greenfield King did not respond to a request for comment. In the call with IFC members and

Every day, a Falk Dining Commons worker serves food to Penn students while thinking about her family at home. She fears bringing COVID-19 back to them — her young child, her elderly parent — which she knows she can’t afford to do after she was furloughed by the University for the fall semester. She looks out the window while on the job and sees Penn’s COVID-19 testing site, located on the high rise field, just footsteps away.

But, as a subcontracted Bon Appétit dining worker, she’s been barred from using it for the past month.

The worker, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from Bon Appétit and Penn Dining, is just one of about 100 Bon Appétit dining workers who have spent their workdays at risk of contracting the deadly virus. Now, almost one month after dining employees started work for the spring semester, Penn will allow them to schedule COVID-19 tests starting this week.

The move came as a surprise to some dining workers, who were under the impression the University would not test them at all.

“It’s kind of like back in the day when my ancestors had to deal with ‘Blacks only’ bathrooms and ‘whites only’ bathrooms, this logic of, ‘you can’t use this testing site because you’re in that building. You’re not a part of the Penn family, even though you’re working on campus.

You look right at the test site, but you better not step foot in here because you’re not welcome,’” the worker said.

Penn Dining employees are able to receive COVID-19 testing at on-campus testing sites, Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. But subcontracted dining workers through Bon Appétit — who wear the Penn logo on their chef jackets, perform similar jobs as Penn Dining workers, and staff retail dining locations like Falk Dining Commons and Houston Hall — fall into a loophole. Since they are technically not employees of the University, Penn has denied them access to testing, despite a COVID-19 testing site across the street from their workplace, multiple dining workers told the DP. “What makes [this delay] even worse is that Penn’s testing center is right outside of our location,” the Falk Dining worker said. “We look at it all day long — we could go down the steps and walk right over.”

SEE GREEK LIFE PAGE 6

Penn receives record-high 56,000 applications for Class of 2025

SEE DINING PAGE 3

Penn will adopt new block schedule system starting in fall 2021

The number of applications jumped 34% from the prior year, which Penn Admissions attributed to its test-optional policy

The move will standardize course start times and eliminate back-to-back classes

LEANNA TILITEI Staff Reporter

SUMMER WYLIE & TYLER HARRIS Staff Reporters

Penn received an all-time high of 56,000 applications for the Class of 2025, a 34% increase from last year’s applicant pool.

The large applicant pool, likely influenced by test-optional policies enacted in the wake of COVID-19, is set to result in Penn’s lowest-ever acceptance rate, according to Penn Admissions.

“With just the sheer increase in application volume, and the fact that we’re not increasing the size of the class, I expect that this will be a selective year — not only more selective than last year, but probably more selective than two years ago, which was our most selective year,” Interim Dean of Admissions John McLaughlin said.

SEE APPLICANTS PAGE 2

AVA CRUZ

Penn will implement a new block schedule format beginning in fall 2021 to standardize class start times and eliminate the possibility of back-to-back classes.

Under the new format, classes will start at one of eight designated start times beginning at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m., with the latest classes ending at 10 p.m. Classes will run for either 60, 90, or 180 minutes, and students will have at minimum 15 minutes between classes.

University administrators said they aim to ease the course selection process by reducing course conflicts and encourage wellness on campus by providing breaks between classes.

The block schedule is intended to “increase the opportunity for student

The Ivy League — which saw a collective spike in applications — postponed its coordinated decision release date by six days to April 6.

SEE SCHEDULING PAGE 2

“It’s time for Penn to start taking its responsibility to subcontracted workers seriously — and no longer wait for public displeasure to dictate when they step up.” - DP Editorial Board PAGE 4 Since taking over, Penn basketball coach Steve Donahue has become known primarily for his unique offensive approach: the 95 and 5 rule.

PAGE 12

Students of color want Biden-Harris admin. ‘to prove whether they were all talk’

NEWS Some students stay home in fear of COVID-19

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SCHEDULING >> FRONT PAGE

and faculty interactions after a class meeting, to support cross-school course enrollment, to provide built-in breaks between courses scheduled consecutively to promote student and faculty wellness, and to reduce the number of courses that overlap/ conflict in time, thereby providing greater course selection for students,” Associate Vice Provost for Education and Planning Gary Purpura wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Professors had mixed reactions to the new scheduling format, with some embracing the guaranteed breaks between classes and some believing that the change was unnecessary.

Undergraduate Chair of the Department of Anthropology Katherine Moore said the block schedule was first discussed by Penn administration in fall 2020. She believes students and faculty will benefit from the change, adding that the new schedule works for her personal teaching style.

Moore said she hopes longer breaks between classes will prevent students from having to rush to their next class. She added that if the University returns to in-person teaching in the fall, the breaks will allow professors more time to sanitize classrooms.

“We wanted to ensure that classrooms would be

safe before we brought students back into them, and one of the ways that we are going to increase classroom safety is by making the time blocks in between classes much longer,” Moore said.

Some professors, however, found the change to be unexpected and unnecessary. Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Psychology Department Elizabeth Brannon wrote in an email to the DP that she and some of her colleagues believe that the new block schedule was neither properly explained nor justified to faculty.

Brannon wrote that one of the unintended consequences of the new schedule is that it may disincentivize students and professors from registering for and teaching classes that meet three times a week.

Political Science professor Robert Vitalis is also wary about the schedule change, telling the DP that the University did not inform professors about the change with an adequate explanation.

“It’s been unclear to me why this matters and what their goals and objectives are in undertaking this change. It’s never been explained. And if you’re not explaining it to faculty and to students, that’s a disaster,” Vitalis said.

Students similarly expressed mixed feelings with the new scheduling format. Some students said the longer breaks between classes will eliminate the need to rush to class when in-person learning returns, but some will miss the ability to schedule

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

courses back-to-back.

Wharton sophomore Shawn-Ryan Bootsma called the change “a double-edged sword,” as it may be beneficial to students who dislike taking classes back-to-back but could be a challenge for those who prefer scheduling classes this way.

College junior Tori Borlase said she is grateful for the fact that she will no longer have to sprint from David Rittenhouse Laboratory to Huntsman Hall and will be able to eat lunch during the guaranteed breaks. She added, however, that she is concerned about the lack of flexibility this standardization may allow in course registration.

Despite their mixed views, some students think the new schedule will have an overall positive impact.

“My general impression is that they designed this new schedule in an attempt to benefit both students and professors, so I appreciate that, just because sometimes it does feel like people who design and schedule stuff don’t really know what it’s like to actually be a student or a professor at Penn,” Borlase said. “I think it will have a net positive impact on students and professors who have to run between classrooms.”

College senior and Undergraduate Assembly President Mercedes Owens echoed Borlase’s sentiments, praising the University for prioritizing mental health. She said this move was presented to

her at meetings with administrators as an essential change to promote student and faculty wellness.

“I think, honestly, that [administrators] have been doing a lot this year, from a lot of the meetings I go to, and have done a better job of prioritizing mental health, and this can be seen with the extension of the unlimited pass/fail policy and with the implementation of break days throughout the semester,” Owens said. “They’ve been doing a better job of listening this year and I really do appreciate that.”

Purpura told the DP that the new block schedule will be a large change for the faculty members who are used to teaching their courses at the same time each semester, as well as for students who are familiar with the times that courses were previously offered.

ISABEL LIANG

APPLICANTS >> FRONT PAGE

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The Ivy League — which saw a collective spike in applications — postponed its coordinated decision release date by six days to April 6. Students will have until May 3 to declare their enrollment, a twoday extension from the traditional May 1 deadline.

McLaughlin, who assumed his interim role on Jan. 1 after former Dean of Admissions Eric Furda departed Penn, said that the extended decision release date will allow the admissions office ample time to review the University’s largest set of applications.

“It gives us a little bit more flexibility in order to make sure that not only are we able to review all of these applications, but we’re able to review these applications in a thoughtful way that’s consistent with our desire to review every application on an individual basis and consider all sorts of different parts of the applicant,” McLaughlin said.

Despite the large influx in applications, the admissions office is not currently planning to increase the total admitted class size beyond the usual 2,400 student target — which McLaughlin said will likely cause Penn’s acceptance rate to fall to a record low.

Penn accepted 8.07% of applicants to the Class of 2024, the first time the acceptance rate ticked upward from the previous year in five years. Penn’s lowest-ever acceptance rate was for the Class of 2023, where 7.44% of applicants were offered admission. Penn admitted 8.39% and 9.15% of applicants to the Class of 2022 and Class of 2021, respectively.

In December, Penn accepted 15% of applicants to the Class of 2025 through its early decision program, a record-low. 7,962 students applied through the University’s early decision program, a 23% increase from the previous year’s 6,453 applicants.

Several factors may have contributed to the spike in application numbers, Associate Director of Admissions Sara Cohen said. Along with many other institutions, Penn adopted a test-optional policy for

the Class of 2025, no longer requiring applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores with their applications. Penn will adopt the same policy for the Class of 2026.

Cohen added that some students may have applied to more schools than usual this year because they may have had trouble narrowing down their top institutions as the pandemic eliminated the possibility of campus visits.

“Your average college applicant is applying to more colleges this year than they might have — perhaps due to test-optional, perhaps because they were not able to visit a campus. There may be more uncertainty on what are their top choices,” Cohen said. “If your average college applicant is applying to more colleges this year, then your average college institution is seeing an increase in applications.”

Due to the high number of applications, McLaughlin said the admissions office likely will not have time to fact check applications and may opt to discard applications that raise questions about honesty. Penn Admissions told The Daily Pennsylvanian in 2019 that due to the large number of applications the University receives, there is not enough time to properly fact-check each application, particularly as fabrications are uncommon.

“If there are questions or apprehensions around the veracity of an application, that might not be an application that we feel comfortable moving forward with, especially knowing that we have 56,000 other applications with which to consider, and many of whom are wholly accurate and truthful,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the pandemic has prompted the admissions office to anticipate a “new normal,” which he anticipates will continue through the next several admissions cycles.

“I wouldn’t say that next year we’re necessarily going to be even more selective or less selective, but I think that next year is probably going to be consistent with this year,” McLaughlin said.

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DINING

>> FRONT PAGE

Lea-Kruger wrote.

It is unclear whether Penn will vaccinate Bon Appétit employees given their subcontractor status, though students like Singh believe that they are essential workers. Penn’s COVID-19 Vaccination FAQs state that it is “too early for the University to commit to any timeline for the vaccination of its students, faculty, or staff.”

Penn’s alleged missteps regarding COVID-19 testing point to a bigger issue of subcontracting, Singh said. While many Bon Appétit workers are paid under $25 per hour, dining staff employed by Penn make more money despite working similar jobs. Bon Appétit staff also do not receive a college fund with tax benefits or tuition benefits for their children, both of which are included in Penn Dining staff’s benefits.

Harris said he hopes that Penn will eventually eliminate subcontracting altogether and hire the Bon Appétit workers as Penn employees.

“We look at [the testing center] all day long — we could go down the steps and walk right over,” a Falk Dining Commons worker said.

“We work just as hard as the Penn workers. We just need to be a part of the entity. We’ve raised families on underpaid wages, right on their campus,” he said.

The Falk Dining employee agreed, adding that dining locations staffed by Bon Appétit employees, like Houston Hall, have won major awards — unlike all-you-care-to-eat locations like 1920 Commons and Hill House.

“I’ve been working here 16, almost 17 years, and we never get treated the way other dining workers do. We’ve been dealing with that as far as pay is concerned, we’ve been dealing with it as far as title is concerned, and even though we’re good enough to wear Penn Dining on our uniforms, we’re not considered Penn Dining.”

Students of color want Biden-Harris admin. ‘to prove whether they were all talk’ Although students of color say they largely settled for Biden, many remain cautiously optimistic for progress BRANDON ANAYA Staff Reporter

MAX MESTER

James Wideman prepares a meal at Ginger @ Spruce! in Houston Market.

Some students stay home in fear of COVID-19 Most expressed caution about returning to campus in fall 2021, hoping for a vaccine and increased in-person opportunities by then KAMILLE HOUSTON Staff Reporter

While thousands of students are living on campus for a hybrid spring semester, many chose to not return to Philadelphia at all in fear of contracting the virus.

More than 3,000 students arrived on Penn’s campus in mid-January, many for the first time since March 2020.

Those who are on campus are required to heed guidelines that prevent the spread of COVID-19, including mandatory COVID-19 screening tests and social distancing measures.

Some students, however, still chose to stay home in efforts to protect their families and themselves from the virus, adding that being away from Penn has nevertheless made them feel lonely.

Atypical to the experience of college seniors, College senior Mark D’Souza is spending his last semester at Penn at home in Dubai. Though D’Souza was originally planning to live in Harrison College House, he decided not to return to campus because both of his roommates chose not to return to campus for fear of catching the virus.

According to D’Souza, Penn also would not allow him to arrive on campus in the middle of the semester after the official move-in period, which was the group’s preferred option amid the pandemic’s ongoing wreckage. His decision was not based out of the concern for travel restrictions as the United Arab Emirates currently allows travel to and from the U.S. D’Souza hopes to return to Philadelphia, either as a graduate student or later in the semester while living in off-campus housing, as he believes it is unfortunate that many seniors will not be able to spend their last year at Penn together on campus.

Similar to D’Souza, international travel restrictions were not a concern for Wharton first-year Peter Lee, who is remaining in Hong Kong this semester, as residents are allowed to travel between Hong Kong and the U.S. Instead, Lee said he stayed home due to the financial and emotional burdens of traveling to Philadelphia.

After being accepted to Penn in 2018 and deferring his enrollment due to compulsory service in the Singaporean military, Lee said that his time in the military made him realize that while it would have been great to meet people in person, the use of resources to travel and the risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19 was not a good enough trade-off for him.

Wharton first-year Sebastiane de Réal Caballes stayed home in Texas out of concern for his family, hoping to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 by choosing not to travel to Penn this spring.

Caballes said that he initially felt left out of campus life as he saw his friends posting photos of themselves at Penn on Instagram, but emphasized that it is important to situate those feelings within the context of an ongoing pandemic.

“Definitely during move-in I felt a little bit of FOMO because a lot of my friends were moving into Lauder, which is where I would have been,” Caballes said. “But it’s not something that on its own would make me want to go to campus or regret my decision to stay [home].”

Like Caballes, Wharton first-year Adelyn Chen’s primary concern was exposing her family to COVID-19 by traveling back and forth from Philadelphia to her home in California.

“I have been motivating myself by knowing that what I’m doing is what is safest for me and my family, and I feel like that is more important than going out and having fun,” Chen said.

For other students, the lack of in-person classes and activities alongside the risk of exposure to COVID-19 made returning to campus in the spring unappealing.

College junior Kartik Devashish, who is at home in Texas, said he would have considered returning to campus if more classes were offered in person, but reasoned that another semester of online learning was not worth the risk of contracting COVID-19.

“We still really don’t know that if you were to catch COVID, would you regret it down the line?” Devashish said. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take at this stage.”

Last fall, Devashish said he experienced challenges in establishing a strong work routine at home, emphasizing that he found it easier to get burned out when attending college in his childhood bedroom — devoid of socialization.

Still, he is willing to undertake a second virtual semester with the hopes of returning to campus safely in fall 2021.

Some students also chose not to return to campus because they felt their home environment provided a safer and better quality lifestyle.

College first-year Summer Maher chose to stay at home in New Jersey because she said isolating in a dorm did not seem appealing to her, adding that she enjoys the sense of community she has at home with her family.

Adjusting to her first semester of college in an entirely virtual setting was difficult for Maher, who said that because many of her fall and spring semester classes are

NEWS 3

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

asynchronous, she has learned to rely on herself and her classmates to understand the material. However, she is now more optimistic about the spring semester, having made friends with other students while studying for classes and grown more used to completing virtual assignments.

Mentioning added complications of traveling across the country and food insecurity as her top concerns, Engineering sophomore Jenesis Cochrane also chose to stay home with her family in Texas this semester.

Cochrane cited dining hall operations as a primary reason for not coming to campus. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of people who can enter a dining hall is limited, and students can no longer receive as many helpings of food as they would like, she said. She reasoned that for her, food is more accessible at home where she can share the responsibility of cooking with her family.

College sophomore Isabela Viswanath, who lives in Philadelphia, decided that it does not make sense for her to return to campus while already living nearby, adding that she never believed the University would ultimately invite all students back to campus this semester.

Penn reversed its decision on Aug. 11 to allow students to live on campus following an increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States — just three weeks before students were scheduled to move in. There are currently more COVID-19 cases in the U.S. than there were in the fall.

Though Viswanath felt socially isolated during the fall semester, she hopes that she will be able to have more inperson social interactions as more of her friends at Penn have moved to the city for the spring.

“Now that Penn did bring people back, I know more people in Philly now,” Viswanath said. “I’m just going to make a point to get out of my house more, go on walks with people if possible, and I’m hoping that’ll bring up my morale and I’ll feel better with all the academic work.”

Many students who stayed at home for the spring still expressed hesitation in returning to campus for the fall 2021 semester.

Before feeling comfortable enough to return to Philadelphia, Maher stressed that students on campus need to behave more responsibly, expressing frustration at first years who have been breaking social distancing guidelines while living on campus.

Multiple first-year students have reportedly been partying in college houses and meeting in large groups both indoors and outdoors, a direct violation of Penn’s COVID19 guidelines.

“It’s hard enough having to watch you guys meeting each other on campus, and then to see people ruining our chances of coming back on campus or having a normal fall semester, it’s really frustrating,” Maher said. “Please keep in mind that we also want to be on campus, so do your best, do your part, and stay safe.”

Her message to first-year students who are currently on campus, she said, is that students have a responsibility to the community of Philadelphia to follow COVID-19 guidelines and that it is difficult for those who made the decision to stay home to protect their family members to see other students behave irresponsibly.

Before Chen returns to Philadelphia, she said she hopes that most people are vaccinated and that in-person classes and activities are more widely available to students.

“I would prefer that going out and having social interaction is something that would be encouraged, as opposed to something that people should be cautious about doing,” Chen said.

Despite having ongoing concerns about COVID-19, Devashish expressed a more definite interest in returning to campus in fall 2021 to complete his senior year.

“I think that’s probably where I draw the line, I would not give up a senior year back on campus with friends for anything,” Devashish said.

The desk College first-year Isabela Viswanath is learning from for the spring semester. Photo from Isabela Viswanath

SUKHMANI KAUR

Students are relieved to have a less controversial figure in the White House.

Like many other students of color around the nation, College junior Luke Coleman felt cynical in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election. A Black biracial man, Coleman viewed his vote between two polarizing candidates as a choice between the lesser of two evils.

Although he voted for Joe Biden, who was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on Jan. 20, Coleman believed his decision to do so was inconsequential. At the time, he said it felt as if “people who look like [him] are really going to face pretty much no change at all.”

But when Biden was declared victorious against Republican incumbent Donald Trump, Coleman said he felt an unexpectedly overwhelming sense of patriotism.

Biden’s win — coupled with his appointment a historically diverse Cabinet and of Kamala Harris as the nation’s first woman, Black American, and Asian American to be vice president — served as a symbol of hope and relief after four years of turmoil in the White House. Although students of color said they largely settled for Biden, many remain cautiously optimistic of the new administration.

Like Coleman, Wharton first-year Natasha Johnson said that as a Black woman she saw her vote this year as a vote against Trump, rather than a vote for Biden. She said she hopes that the Biden-Harris administration will hold true to its promises of racial equity and pandemic management during the upcoming four years so that she can be more enthusiastic to vote for them if they run again in 2024.

Since assuming office, President Biden, a former Penn Presidential Professor of Practice, signed 45 executive orders, including instituting a reversal of Trump’s ‘Muslim ban,’ rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, and creating a task force to reunite hundreds of families who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration.

“I think the first executive orders are a really good sign in terms of what can be done in a short period of time,” Coleman said, adding that he nevertheless believes these orders were surface-level and hopes that future policy would address issues more in-depth. He said rejoining the Paris Agreement may be a good start, but believes tougher action must be taken to address climate change.

Regarding Biden’s executive order to end private prison contracts, College sophomore and Chicano student Andrés González-Bonillas said that though the action may seem like a large, progressive change, private prisons only account for less than 9% of incarcerated individuals. He also criticized the president for not including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in the order, where 81% of individuals are held in private prisons.

A self-described anti-capitalist and antiimperialist, González-Bonillas said he does not view Biden much more highly than he did Trump. Although he voted for Biden, he said he believes more in local activism and does not stem his hope for progressive change from politicians.

College sophomore and College Republicans member Jay Allen, who is Black, said he was trying to remain optimistic in the face of the election outcome. Allen voted for Trump in the election, citing the former president’s platinum plan for Black Americans as well as several of Biden’s remarks about the Black community as determining factors of his choice.

Although Allen’s preferred candidate lost the election, he said he hopes Biden will keep his promises regarding efforts toward racial equity.

During his campaign, Biden promised to support a study of reparations for Black Americans, a Voting Rights Act amendment, and the decriminalization of marijuana.

“It’s their time to prove whether they were all talk, or if they’re actually willing to do stuff,” Allen said.

Allen, along with many other students, also expressed concerns about the economic and public health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he wants Biden to provide economic relief in the form of another stimulus check as well as create support for small businesses through loans and a payment protection plan.

He also expressed the need for vaccine distribution to be expanded within Black communities, which have been disproportionately impacted by the virus. Black Americans currently suffer the highest COVID-19 death tolls at 1 in 750 — more than double that of white Americans.

Wharton junior Omer Qureshi, a PakistaniAmerican, believes that the Biden-Harris administration is more capable of handling the pandemic, comparing the president’s current mask mandates with Trump’s consistent downplaying of COVID-19 along with his widespread skepticism about face masks.

“When you see that your leader is unwilling to even engage in one of the most basic forms of precaution, I do think that makes a difference,” Qureshi said. “In a crisis of this scale, leadership at the top really matters.”

Biden must first find a way to unite people before implementing COVID-19 policies, Wharton first-year Rachael Patterson, a Black woman, said. She believes Trump left behind a divided nation where people lack faith in their political advisors, and that the general public must now work together to address the pandemic.

Similar to Qureshi, Patterson believes the virus was treated as a political issue rather than a public health one under the previous administration.

Coleman voiced a similar sentiment, explaining that he feared how certain disinformation spread by the former president, like one of Trump’s comments suggesting that injecting disinfectant may be a potential COVID-19 treatment, would affect people’s willingness to take the vaccine in the future.

“This idea of alternative facts that has come out of the [Trump] administration, I feel, has been damaging,” he said. According to The Washington Post, Trump made over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his presidency.

Wharton first-year Tahlea Salmon said that there were noticeable inconsistencies with how Trump-incited, right-wing mob rioters were treated during the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol versus how peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were treated during demonstrations over the summer.

“The other side painted BLM protesters as dangerous when they were really the dangerous ones,” Salmon said, adding that she hopes Trump, who has now been impeached twice, is convicted and barred from running for office again.

While she was glad that Biden was elected, Salmon did not express too much hope that the administration would address issues important to her, such as healthcare reform and racial justice.

“I don’t really have faith that in the future there will be any extremely progressive executive orders,” she said. “I do think that it’s going to get back to a normal America, but I don’t know if it’s going to progress forward.”

Students nevertheless expressed joy at Harris’ historic appointment as vice president, citing her ethnic background and female identity as a landmark moment.

As a first-generation Jamaican American, Salmon said that she was excited to find out that the new vice president would be a Jamaican woman. “[It] makes you understand the type of spaces that we can get into even though we might not see a lot of representation,” she said.

College first-year Summer Maher agreed, saying that it was emotional seeing a woman sworn into the nation’s second-highest office.

Although Maher said she did not like Harris politically due to her record as a prosecutor, she believed that much of the attention surrounding Harris has been overly and unnecessarily negative, which she believes would not have been the case with a male politician.

“I think they brand her the way that they do any woman who’s in a position of power,” Maher said.

Allen and several others were concerned over Harris’ record as a prosecutor and California Attorney General, citing actions like her anti-truancy program, which made it a misdemeanor for parents whose children were absent for at least 10% of school days. Though Harris has not spoken much about her past as a prosecutor, Patterson said she believes that being transparent about her past could be a step in the right direction toward addressing criminal justice issues on the national level.

Coleman, however, believes that the intersectionality of Harris’ identity could help create initiatives that place marginalized communities at the forefront of Biden’s political agenda.

Maher was also concerned about criminal justice, referring to actions like Biden’s role in the 1994 crime bill.

“We’re not going to just accept his flaws and his past record in politics,” she said.

While students were overall mostly relieved to have a less controversial figure in the White House, they are now focused on the future direction of the country.

“I’m hopeful that [Biden and Harris] are going to do something effective and change the way that we’ve been living, but I also recognize that they alone can’t do it,” Patterson said. “It’s going to be an effort from all of us as people, regardless of which political side that you’re a part of.”

4 OPINION

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

OPINION EDITORIAL

Penn continues to do the bare minimum for subcontracted workers

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII, NO. 3 137th Year of Publication DANE GREISIGER President ASHLEY AHN Executive Editor HADRIANA LOWENKRON DP Editor-in-Chief ISABEL LIANG Design Editor CONOR MURRAY News Editor PIA SINGH News Editor HANNAH GROSS Assignments Editor BRITTANY DARROW Copy Editor KYLIE COOPER Photo Editor ALFREDO PRATICÒ Opinion Editor SUNNY JANG Audience Engagement Editor

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Wanna be a Baller | Penn will forever be associated with the Trumps. It’s time we hold them accountable while we can

s a child, I would often ask my mom about my grandfather, mayhem we have witnessed over the last four years. No Trump a man I only ever met in my imagination. Most of the time, affiliate, especially not Penn alumni such as Donald Trump Jr., she provided a blanket statement that sounded something like Ivanka Trump, or Tiffany Trump, should be allowed to partici“he hated everyone” to calm and protect my feelings about his pate in any campus- or Penn-related activity. The University must personal thoughts. Born in Ukraine in 1943, my grandfather denounce all of these individuals just like these individuals denounced facts. Penn must hold every Trump affiliate culpable was a Nazi sympathizer. As an adult, I now see America S E S U T TO N & MI has a Nazi problem. We consume Nazism through BY CHA NS for their blatant disloyalty and undermining of our UH pop culture. We study it and search for answers TOS P commonwealth.

O Last October, I watched Penn College Rethrough documentaries. We rationalize it in publicans face off against Penn Democrats in our families. Nazism has continuously fesan online debate. It was appalling to witness tered in the United States and it expanded the College Republicans defend the Trump during the years of the Trump adminisadministration’s distorted concept of contration. servatism. They pandered towards his Former President Donald Trump, a attempted annihilation of our democracy.

1968 Wharton graduate, is, at minimum, Recently, I caught up with Penn Dems a white supremacist enabler. He began his to get some of their thoughts on how Penn 2016 presidential campaign deceitfully should respond to Trump and his adminiscalling Mexicans “rapists” and claiming tration. They shared, “It is very important that he would “make America great again.” As Penn and other institutions are thoughtful about a nation that has never owned up to its dark the speakers who they welcome to campus. While it is history, there is plenty of room to argue that the important to be cognizant and respectful of all viewpoints, United States has never been great. With that context, it is clear that Trump’s pomposity was always geared towards Trump’s actions over the past four years, and especially over the certain Americans. Everyone that attached themselves to and past month, have been inexcusable. The Republican Party also empowered Trump (including Mr. MyPillow) must be held ac- needs to do some serious reflection about whether such actions countable. Trump is a fascist. He has long manifested racism and have a place within their party and take firm action in opposing Trump and what he stands for.” I couldn’t have said that better. white supremacy as mechanisms for support and control.

I also got the opportunity to check in with Jeremy Ashe, a ColAs a true autocrat, Trump utilized his power to undermine our democracy and the rule of law. He eroded truths and created fan- lege first year and member of College Republicans, who gave me tasies that millions of Americans consumed as legitimate. With his personal perspective on Trump and the Republican Party: “I the exception of a few, Republicans are responsible for Trump’s hope the Republican Party can divorce itself from the inflammareprehensible behavior over the last few years. They empowered tory rhetoric that Trump used, while retaining the policy agenda that extended/helped every single American. However, considerhim. He thrived on their abnormal and indecent support.

Trump’s four adult children, three of whom are Penn gradu- ing Trump is very liked within the party, I think the party will ates, must also be condemned for their role in the destruction adopt some of the bluntness and appeal to the working class that their father caused. They are all complicit in the alt-right’s ex- Trump used, while rejecting some of the worst parts of rhetoric.” tremism. They all supported their father’s agenda and they all I too hope the Republican Party can divorce itself from inflammatory rhetoric. However, I don’t see the ways in which Trump contributed to the normalization of dishonesty.

Harvard students recently published a letter demanding guide- helped every American. I’m blinded by the deaths his lack of lines be created to hold former Trump officials accountable. We leadership enabled, amongst many other failures.

In History professor Mia Bay’s seminar “The Civil Rights need to do the same. Penn should no longer be silent about the IO AT

QIANA ARTIS Podcast Editor

the larger population. Penn chose to bring students back to campus, so they must take every measure possible to ensure the safety of the students, the workers who interact with them, and the broader Philadelphia community.

Further, when Penn has testing facilities steps away from Houston Market and Falk Dining Commons, workers should not have to go out of their way to be tested at inconvenient locations, far from their work and homes.

The delay in testing for subcontracted workers is just another instance in a pattern of continued mistreatment. Time and time

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LETTERS Have your own opinion? Send your letter to the editor or guest column to letters@thedp.com.

Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn’s campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on related topics.

again, we have seen the University blame the logistics of subcontracting for their inaction and shift accountability to Bon Appétit. Last spring, the University initially moved to lay off subcontracted workers. Then, as now, it wasn’t until public pushback and a petition emerged that the University agreed to pay these workers through the rest of the semester. With such a repeated pattern, the University’s claim that “numerous technical and logistical steps” prevented them from testing subcontracted workers earlier seems hollow. The administration had months to prepare for the reopening of campus — this should’ve included accounting for the need to test all workers.

Penn would not be able to bring undergraduates back to campus if it was not for its subcontracted workers. They would not be able to cash student’s housing and dining checks, if not for the labor of dining workers.

Penn benefits immensely from subcontracted workers but, absent public pressure, mistreats them. It’s time for Penn to start taking its responsibility to subcontracted workers seriously — and no longer wait for public displeasure to dictate when they step up.

Penn must hold the Trumps accountable

BRANDON PRIDE Sports Editor LOCHLAHN MARCH Sports Editor

the people they rely on and for the safety of the larger community. Using workers’ subcontracted status, as an excuse for not testing them from the very first week they returned to campus is an inexcusable attempt to defer accountability to the very workers who make this campus run.

When workers are safer, we are all safer, so by not testing all members of the community, Penn puts everyone at greater risk.

Although Penn’s baseline mitigation strategy for reducing the spread of COVID-19 states that “members of the University community participate in screening testing throughout the semester,” this has not been true. Subcontracted workers perform the same jobs as dining workers employed by Penn, interacting with each other and students in what can be close proximity.

Although Bon Appétit provided testing for workers in response to a confirmed test at Falk Dining Commons in Steinhardt Hall, reactive testing is not enough. Screening tests allows positive cases to be identified before individuals become symptomatic, reducing the chances of spread in the workplace — and to

This semester, more than 3,000 undergraduates returned to campus for the first time since March. With more students living on campus, the University has reopened many dining locations that had been closed in the absence of students, bringing back the over 100 workers it furloughed in the fall. While the increase in campus population has come with increased precautions surrounding the spread of COVID-19 — twice-a-week testing for undergraduates and at least weekly testing for faculty, graduate students, and staff — until recently, subcontracted dining workers have been unable to get tested on Penn’s campus.

And it took public outcry and a petition with over 600 signatures to get to that point.

Penn’s dining workers, including those subcontracted by Bon Appétit Management Company, feed and nourish our community.

It should not have to take public pressure for Penn to do the right thing by offering tests to their subcontracted workers.

Bon Appétit workers are putting their health and the health of their families on the line to feed us. Penn has an obligation to test all workers who work on its campus, for the safety of

Movement”, I always appreciated what College senior and former Penn Dems President Owen Voutsinas-Klose added to our discussions. His point of view was consistently veracious and reflective. I reached out to him to see what his thoughts were. He shared, “Donald Trump and his enablers should be banished from civil society. They shouldn’t sit on corporate boards, be accepted into reasonable discourse, or participate in Penn events. There’s no equivocating on whether it’s good or not to incite a riot or separate children from their parents. With that said, conservatives thrive off of playing the victim and acting persecuted for their views. It’s important to not appear to muzzle views when they appear on campus but rather robustly confront them.” VoutsinasKlose is right — we need to make it clear that dangerous rhetoric that enables violence and white supremacy is intolerable.

At the end of the day, history will judge Trump’s atrocities.

In the meantime, let’s keep the pain he caused America and his facilitators in the front of our minds. It is imperative that we address everyone that aligned themselves with Trump, especially Penn alumni, accordingly and stop giving alt-right narratives and white power rhetoric spaces to prosper. The student body and the University must dismiss the fantasies projected by the Trump administration that spurred homegrown terrorism. Here’s what that should look like at Penn: Trump and his affiliates should not be welcome on campus to speak at any event, guest lecture, or conference. They should not be awarded any honorary degrees, awards, or be offered invitations to participate in any commencement activities, ever.

Ultimately, a guideline for accountability is indispensable.

Democracy is a concept essentially connected to America.

Likewise, we must acknowledge its delicacy. A slight fray in our democratic process could lead to an unstoppable unraveling. The only way to disrupt such destructive occurrences is to label them what they are. We must not accept the Trump administration’s impairments as a normality. The time to do better and look ahead is upon us.

JESSICA GOODINGis a College senior from Philadelphia studying history and English. Her email address is jgooding@sas.upenn.edu.

Take your slacktivism to the next level

Bring 2020 election energy into 2021

Despite having a new administration in office, the hard — and necessary — work is just beginning

Guest Column | Just because the offices up for election are local doesn’t mean the impacts aren’t felt

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he Biden administration has been in lot more good than a reshare of a “so you office for a little over two weeks, and want to talk about X” post on Instagram.

A side effect of the wave of “activhas already signed 42 executive orders and nominated one of the most diverse Cabinets ism” that swept the country last summer in American history. While these actions includes an inaccurate picture of what are a welcome affirmation of the tireless it looks like to be an organizer at the work of organizers and voters to get the grassroots level. Society has glamorized Biden-Harris ticket elected, it’s essential we protesting, while in truth, organizing is a remember our work must continue and we brutal job. The hours it requires add up to must stay present past the first 100 days of more than that required of a full-time job, this new administration. It’s important to not to mention the emotional exhaustion realize the privilege we hold as Penn stu- that comes with fighting for your basic dents to be civically engaged only when it human rights and the rights of others. is convenient for us. So yes, let’s celebrate Rather than pick up a poster and march the election of the Biden administration, once, find ways to help those who have but also find ways to stay engaged and hold dedicated their lives to working on the our politicians accountable that go beyond ground. These individuals are the true drivers of change. Volunteering with or hashtags and social media posts.

In the months ahead, take your civic en- donating to organizations like Philly We gagement one step further. Educate yourself Rise or Mutual Aid Philly gives us the on why certain populations in America are opportunity to show we care about these so frequently discriminated against. Dis- causes in meaningful ways.

You can also commit your time to cover how this marginalization impacts people’s access to basic rights like hous- staying updated on legislative actions ing and healthcare. Programming like the being taken. Be engaged with Penn Stavros Niarchos Foundation Paideia Pro- Democrats, who keep track of key policy gram preceptorial and even courses taught decisions, or even tune in to Philadelphia

by Penn professors make it easy to educate City Council meetings to get a perspecyourself on the structural racism experi- tive on the issues facing those who call enced by many in this country. Through West Philadelphia home 365 days a these kinds of programs and with the wealth year. Information from these kinds of of information now available online, there sources can help students see if their repis truly no excuse for Penn students to be resentatives are keeping their campaign ignorant of the marginalization of minority promises, but more importantly, can allow students to understand the needs of communities in our country.

Further, take Academically Based Com- people outside the Penn bubble.

As Penn students and visitors in the munity Service courses, which are designed to help students develop their activism by West Philadelphia community, the deciworking with Philadelphians in all areas sion to stay informed, show up, and be of life. These courses are offered through civically engaged is ours. But it is one we the Netter Center for Community Partner- must be willing to make, in ways that go ships, which provides many other avenues past social media activism, if we truly for partnering with the local community and want to create change in the lives of those resources for enhancing civic engagement to around us. the Penn community. Civic House is another Penn organization with similar intentions, through projects like alternative spring ALEX EAPEN is a first year in the breaks and tutoring projects. These are all College from Elkridge, Md. His email is forms of meaningful engagement that do a aeapen@sas.upenn.edu.

ith the 2020 election over and a new presidential administration sworn in, it is understandable that many students feel politically fatigued. The events of 2020 and early 2021 have left many shaken, maybe making us want to tune out or disengage from politics.

However, with another election coming in Pennsylvania on May 18, 2021, it remains more critical than ever that Penn students remain civically engaged.

This May, Penn students have an opportunity to continue the youth-voting momentum from the fall. Youth turnout in the 2020 presidential election was significantly higher than it was in 2016, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Voter turnout among young people ages 18-29 was roughly 52-55% this past November, compared to a turnout of only 46.1% of those eligible voters in 2016.

While off-year primaries do not receive as much attention as presidential and midterm races, these elections are significant. In May, there will be primary elections in Philadelphia for offices including district attorney as well as numerous state and local judges. Local officials often have a bigger impact on individuals’ lives than the president and other prominent elected officeholders do; they have smaller, more local constituencies, and they deal with a wide range of issues — from trash collection to criminal justice — that directly impact our day-to-day lives. Consequently, it is important for students to take this opportunity to help shape their community. The race for district attorney is particularly important, as incumbent Larry Krasner will be running for reelection. Krasner made headlines with his improbable win in the 2017 race for district attorney, underscoring the importance of voting in these local elections.

Because many of these elections may not be covered as prominently in the media, students might need to do more research than they would for high-profile national elections.

However, researching candidates and making informed decisions is an important civic responsibility, and it is one that Penn students should take seriously. Penn Leads the Vote’s website has resources for students to research

and learn about elections in Philadelphia and across the country. Students can register to vote in Philadelphia if this is their first time living at Penn, check their voter registration status, or register in their home state.

Furthermore, voter turnout tends to be significantly lower in primaries that have no federal elections. In the May 2019 primary elections, only 200 students voted on Penn’s campus. As a result, those who do turn out to vote in the May 2021 elections will have a larger say in deciding the results than voters had last November. This is because, in elections with fewer voters, each individual vote makes up a larger percentage of the overall vote share.

Thus, Penn students can have an uncommonly large impact on the outcome of the coming May elections. There is also always a possibility that a race is decided by single-digit margins, as occurred last November when an election for a seat in the House of Representatives was decided by only six votes (out of almost 400,000 votes cast). Individual Penn students can be the difference in elections decided by razor-thin margins.

Of course, voting is only one part of being civically engaged, and students cannot only be civically active at the ballot box. Volunteering to help the community is critical, and volunteering with PLTV can help you have an even bigger impact on youth turnout. Encourage others you know to register to vote and stay informed.

As always, PLTV is available to help with any and every voting-related question or concern. We can be reached at any time via email at pennvotes@upenn.edu. Students are also encouraged to visit our website for customized voter information and resources. Penn students, we’ve faced a litany of challenges over the past year. But let’s keep our community in mind and stay civically engaged.

PENN LEADS THE VOTE is the University’s non-partisan election hub.

Visit www.pennvotes.org for more information.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

Rushing towards an outbreak Isabella’s Impressions | Penn’s COVID-19 guidelines for Greek Life are unrealistic and don’t help discourage risky behavior

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s this semester unfolds, Penn and the organizations it supervises are creating COVID-19 guidelines that are often unrealistic. While students try their best to navigate the complex maze of dos and don’ts, the University appears blind to some of the most egregious violations. If Penn hopes to have a successful semester, it must have realistic expectations of students’ actions and rightfully discipline those who violate its rules.

In an ideal world where everyone followed the Student Campus Compact, Penn’s policies would be effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, after close to a year of masks, social distancing, and quarantines, students are mentally and emotionally exhausted. This is no excuse for having large gatherings, but Penn should have anticipated that some rules are simply not going to be followed and are nearly impossible to enforce.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

As a student living in a greek house, I have seen firsthand some of the strict and unreasonable policies the University has put into place. For example, students were encouraged by Penn to form social pods. The rationale behind this policy is understandable; while students are exposed to some risk of contracting the virus, it is fairly mitigated as people are expected to see the same individuals and not socially venture outside of their pod. My own housemates and I have “podded” together with the understanding that since we live, eat, and do homework together, we are exposed to one another’s germs. Contradictions arose, however, when Penn’s Student Compact stated that students “must wear a facial covering whenever [they] are in physical proximity to other people (even in [their] place of residence).”

This rule sticks out to me as strange.

What does Penn want? Does it want students to form pods and have some semblance of

normalcy, or does it want students to feel isolated even around those they live with? Penn needs to be clearer with its expectations, and more reasonable, too. The University is ignorant if it believes that people will wear masks to go and get a glass of water in their own homes.

Being an individual affected by this rule has been extremely frustrating because it feels like we are being punished more just for living on campus. In addition to the fact that this rule seems to primarily target those on campus, since it would not be feasible to monitor how people interact in off-campus houses, it is also unclear how this rule is being enforced on campus. Should we be waiting with bated breath for Penn to catch us slipping up as we do our homework at the kitchen table? Penn appears to be creating rules that are neither followed nor enforced.

Another well-intentioned but entirely unrealistic guideline also arose in response to the “Romeo and Juliet effect.” As many know, Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers, prohibited from seeing one another because of their dueling families; yet, they revolted against tradition in the name of love and met with one another in secret. Had the story of Romeo and Juliet taken place in the present day at Penn, the Office of Fraternity /Sorority Life would take the place of the Montagues and Capulets, or at least, so the school says.

BRANDON LI

In a meeting with greek life house managers, OFSL explained that romantic or sexual partners were not permitted to see one another. The rationale was logical; each party is living with their own pod, but if the two parties were to meet, then those two households would be connected. However, despite the noble intentions of limiting a problem like this one, it just is not realistic. Keeping people apart from those closest to them will prove to be difficult, especially since it is difficult to enforce off campus. Instead of creating rules such as this one, the University should be focused on limiting the spread from more populous gatherings, which continue to happen.

Penn has a duty to promote and protect the health of its students, but being

tunnel-visioned about disciplining the wrong people and addressing the wrong problems is not the solution. COVID-19 exposure between housemates, partners, and close friends is expected and a risk taken by students. To create guidelines and regulations that are unrealistic and isolating will just put Penn at a disadvantage, as students may be less inclined to take any of the Compact seriously. Instead of creating rules that are begging to be broken, Penn should focus on being reasonable and smart with its COVID19 policies.

ISABELLA GLASSMAN is a College sophomore studying philosophy, politics, & economics from Suffern, N.Y. Her email is iglass@sas.upenn.edu.

Penn needs stronger punishments for COVID-19 rule violators The Watchdog | We all need to do our part, but Penn should have been prepared for inevitable noncompliance

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ith first years already seen partying on campus, one might expect that offenders would have experienced a myriad of severe disciplinary action by now. Yet, it has become a running joke that partygoers are getting off scot–free and are continuing to break COVID19-19 rules even after being caught. Clearly, Penn is off to a rough start in enforcing social distancing rules, and the lack of punishment of COVID-19 rule violators will further promote rule violations and, inevitably, more COVID-19 spread.

Penn correctly understood that stringent safety regulations were required as thousands of students returned to campus. With the implementation of a two-week Quiet Period, Penn follows the rules of quarantine as provided by the CDC. After the Quiet Period, students are restricted to close contact with only those in their residential pods. All of these rules are reasonable and backed by science, but simply communicating the rules is not enough. Penn needs to actually enforce these rules, and enforcing them requires punishing rule-breakers.

The city of Philadelphia has cracked down on business owners who haven’t complied with the city’s COVID-19 protocols. These business owners arguably have justifiable reasons for breaking COVID-19 rules, given that many need to keep their businesses open to survive.

Partying, on the other hand, is just about as nonessential as it gets. Therefore, there is no reason for Penn to not discipline students who participate in parties and large social gatherings, whose actions put the Penn community at risk. However, the Student Campus Compact does not mention any specific punishments for noncompliance; this is especially disheartening. Without a clear message of retribution for infractions, Penn does not provide a sufficient deterrent to prevent students from participating in large social gatherings. Not only would punishment discourage rule breakers, it would also serve as an example to others who plan to break rules. Other schools have used punishments such as fines, suspensions, and expulsions for violating their COVID-19 rules. While I am not arguing for anything as extreme as expulsion, the clear implementation of strict punishments for violations of the Student Campus Compact is crucial to demonstrating Penn’s commitment to community safety and deterring students from participating in such events.

TYLER KLIEM

ALICE CHOI

While there is some merit to trusting Penn students to act in the best interests of those around them, Penn should have recognized the inherent moral conflict college students face as they seek social affirmation. I am not absolving any of the rule-breakers from responsibility for their actions, but with ever-increasing pandemic fatigue, everyone is itching for a sense of normalcy. First years especially, who are eager to meet new people, might prioritize social gatherings over social distancing. Last semester, while Penn told most students to stay at home, many other universities opened their campuses for hybrid semesters, resulting in thousands of COVID-19 cases. Much of this was due to super-spreader events such as large parties and sporting events. Let’s not pretend that Penn students are somehow immune to the same urges to socialize as other college students. Students living off-campus last semester were already throwing maskless parties and generally not following Penn’s social distancing rules. There is no doubt that this will be amplified this semester if the current lack of COVID-19 guideline enforcement continues.

With the Quiet Period ending, students will inevitably feel the urge to socialize more. The people of West Philadelphia are already angered

by Penn’s decision to welcome students back on campus for fear of a potential surge in cases.

Penn needs to prove that they did not make the wrong decision in bringing students back. Of course we must continue to remain proactive in social distancing and hold each other accountable. However, the course this pandemic takes on campus and in West Philadelphia hinges much more on Penn’s ability to shut down and prevent the inevitable attempts at partying and gatherings. Without stricter punishments, rule violators will continue to party, assuredly resulting in outbreaks. Penn owes it to students and faculty, as well as to the residents in West Philadelphia, to commit to their safety and more stringently enforce the COVID-19 rules they have put in place for this semester.

MATTHEW LIU is a College sophomore from Allentown, Pa. studying biochemistry. His email is liumatt@sas. upenn.edu.

First-year parties: Did we expect anything less?

Andy’s Angle | It should not come as a surprise that asking outgoing 18-yearolds to patiently wait another two weeks in their rooms didn’t work

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ver since word got out that first-year students have been violating Penn’s COVID-19 guidelines, I’ve had to set the record straight countless times: I was not at one of those parties. Just this past week, I was met with a frenzy of varied reactions to our so-called “not-so-quiet Quiet Period.” A professor sarcastically called me out in class for attending these social gatherings. An off-campus classmate fervently went on an Instagram tirade about our irresponsibility. And my parents called to remind me always to wear a mask — even when indoors — concerned that one week into the semester, we would already be sent home.

News of these maskless parties immediately threw firstyear students into the limelight, giving rise to questions of whether Penn was naive in taking a leap of faith. Aside from an ominous cloud of discomfort, there seems to be a prevailing sense of incredulity that has factored into the Class of 2024’s rise to notoriety. Most of the Penn community has been taken aback by first years’ inconsiderate disregard for campus protocol — almost as if no one was expecting some of us to choose short-term gratification over the community’s needs. As I see it, the expectation when opening campus never should have been that there would be no transgressions. It should not come as a surprise that asking outgoing 18-year-olds to patiently wait another two weeks in their rooms didn’t work. Instead, what we urgently needed was a clear set of rules and countermeasures to address noncompliance with Quiet Period requirements.

Focusing on the blanket category of first years as the bane of campus life diverts attention away from arguably the more important stakeholder: the University itself.

It goes without saying that COVID-19 came at a truly inopportune time for us first years universally — we were the only ones expected to launch our undergraduate years over Zoom. I myself stayed in Korea this past semester, during which I spent many weekends joining 4 a.m. calls looking for any chance to meet new people. Now that the opportunity to truly claim our independence has been conferred upon us, there is undoubtedly a sense of anticipation for what is to come. All of this has only been amplified by pandemic fatigue, meaning it is simply growing more difficult to sit through a series of quarantines.

Even for the students who don’t have the express intention of violating COVID-19 guidelines, another complexity of on-campus interactions is peer pressure. While it is not impossible to juggle our fear of COVID-19 and our desire to make friends early in the semester, it is admittedly difficult to befriend those who only “leave their campus

residences for limited, essential movement.” Students who started out strictly abiding by campus rules are thus often inclined to make personal compromises, which leads them down a slippery slope of unwise decisions. As such, while I can do nothing but condemn the avid partygoers for endangering their peers, let alone West Philadelphia residents, I cannot say I was surprised — and neither should you.

This is not an elaborate way of arousing pity to justify first years’ transgressions. I indeed urge all first years to be introspective and call out troublemakers. However, once we admit to ourselves that this recent misbehavior is not surprising, we can start to see that the onus of safeguarding our community is also on the University.

It is ultimately up to Penn to provide clear guidelines regarding what behavior is allowed — not to mention promptly address the misconduct that occurs. Some first years told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they felt as though the University had not effectively communicated COVID19 rules. I, for example, frankly had an embarrassing amount of trouble grasping what specifically constitutes “the community beyond Penn’s campus” — or, more specifically, whether I was allowed to make a trip to CVS on my second night. While this ambiguity is certainly not a viable excuse for partygoers, further transparency will prevent those committing minor infractions from claiming plausible deniability, or otherwise unintentionally disobeying rules. Only when Penn challenges major transgressions such as off-campus parties with the gravity they deserve will the pendulum of each student’s cost-benefit analysis swing toward caution.

With the Quiet Period now behind us, we need a better picture of what campus life will look like after Feb. 1.

When Penn starts allowing people to gather indoors with their pod and exit their residences for non-essential purposes, we need to ask ourselves: Will we be surprised when reports of another party come in? As the University continues to make calculated risks regarding COVID-19 guidelines, part of these “calculations” need to account for an unsurprising amount of broken rules — unless Penn explicitly does something about them.

ANDY YOON is a first year student in the College and Wharton from Seoul, South Korea. His email address is andyy327@wharton.upenn.edu.

It’s time to bring back indoor dining Dining in our rooms just isn’t working; Penn needs to do better

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SARAH KHAN is a College senior majoring in biology. Her email address is skhan100@sas.upenn.edu.

s the devastating COVID-19 pandemic nears its one-year anniversary, every precaution must be taken to limit transmission.

Especially with thousands of students from around the world returning to Penn’s campus, the risk of illness is greater than ever.

Due to high levels of contact between food, students, and staff, dining halls are a crucial aspect of college life to be monitored. Penn established a “grab-and-go” policy where students must reserve their meal pick-up times and proceed to eat alone in their dorms or outside. But as temperatures continue to drop to below freezing, the latter is quite painful and unbearable.

As classes are virtual and students are isolated in single dorms, mealtimes are one of the only opportunities for social interaction.

Especially for first-year students who are living alone for the first time and eager to make friends, human contact is crucial. This consequently leaves many students with no choice but to endure the brutal winter winds in their desperate attempt to connect with others.

While dining hall restrictions are certainly in place to keep students safe, Penn’s rules actually produce the opposite effect. Those who choose to eat outside remain unmasked and seated in large groups, so it would technically be safer if Penn provided indoor seating and monitored the number of students at each table. In fact, limited indoor dining has resumed in Philadelphia since Jan. 16, and with students getting tested twice a week, there is no reason why

Penn can’t follow the same city-wide policy. Dining hall restrictions have also encouraged students to venture off campus to indoor restaurants, increasing the risk of contracting COVID-19 and bringing it back to Penn.

As the Penn Eats app already serves as the mandatory platform to select mealtimes and order food ahead of time, students can easily follow the same process to reserve indoor seating. With thorough cleaning between reservation times and tables set six feet apart, a safe and comfortable dining experience can certainly be established. Before all dining halls are immediately overwhelmed with a new system of indoor seating, the largest and most popular locations, such as Hill House, can start slow and evaluate the outcome.

Not only will this incentivize students to remain on campus, but this will also allow them to establish long-lasting bonds with their peers in a warm and enjoyable setting.

The pandemic has been difficult for all members of the Penn community, and such struggles should not be exacerbated by forcing students to eat alone, or worse, in dangerously cold temperatures. Students deserve the opportunity to dine in a safe and comfortable environment, and eating outside is anything but that.

EMILY CHANG is a College first year student studying sociology. Her email address is changem@sas.upenn.edu.

6 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

GREEK LIFE

>> FRONT PAGE

students in IFC fraternities, Greenfield King pointed to fraternities holding events at venues in downtown Philadelphia, hosting large indoor parties without masks, and bussing potential new members out of state for events in order to avoid punishment for Student Campus Compact violations.

Office of Fraternity/Sorority Life, Campus Health, and VPUL also sent an email to members of the Greek community on Jan. 30 detailing outbreaks of COVID-19 in three chapter homes, the identities of which they would not disclose.

OFSL Associate Director for Chapter Housing and Risk Reduction Jon Bell said at the meeting that OFSL has done everything it can to work with the University and continue to support its chapters, but it is feeling intense pressure from administration to take action against the spread of COVID-19 within Greek life.

When students test positive for COVID-19, they receive calls from contact tracers asking them to detail everything they have done and everyone they have seen to identify close contacts who may have been exposed to COVID-19. This process has allowed the University to link a large number of positive COVID-19 cases to events hosted by Greek organizations, Greenfield King said.

Greenfield King and Bell both urged the students to be honest with the contact tracers, adding that noncompliance can lead to disciplinary action.

While the University is currently operating at Alert Level 2: Heightened Awareness, indicating conditions of increased exposure or cases, Greenfield King warned that Penn may enter Alert Level 3: Safer at Home — which would require students to quarantine in their residences — if students continue to disobey the Student Campus Compact.

Students have already been sent home for violations of the Student Campus Compact, Greenfield King said at the meeting. She added that the Office of Student Conduct is also handling a “significant amount of cases” linked to students attending in-person social events held by Greek organizations. Sanctions may include PennCard deactivation or an issuing of a red PennOpen Pass, Greenfield King said.

From Jan. 24 to Jan. 30, there were 111 positive cases among undergraduate students, a 100% increase from 55 cases published the previous week.

Greenfield King said on the Zoom call that the behavior of certain Greek organizations and members is putting other members of the Penn community at risk, particularly members of the Division of Public Safety, which is tasked with responding to parties.

Greenfield King urged students to limit social interaction to members of their pods, small groups of people who agree to socialize only with each other. She also suggested that the leaders of each chapter implement consequences for Student Campus Compact violations within their organizations.

“We also remind that no persons are to mix pods with members of different households, including chapters without chapter homes,” OFSL, Campus Health, and VPUL wrote in the Jan. 30 email. “No persons are to enter any fraternity or sorority residences unless they live in the property.”

IFC fraternity recruitment concluded on Wednesday, while Panhel sorority recruitment ended on Jan. 22.

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8 NEWS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

What’s next for the Republican Party?

With Trump gone, Penn faculty and conservative students are expressing uncertainty over the GOP’s future IMRAN SIDDIQUI Staff Reporter

With the defeat and two-time impeachment of former President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump, conservatives — including those on campus — are refocusing their mission to carry on Trump’s legacy and ensure electoral victories for their party in the future.

While Trump received over 74 million votes cast in his favor during November’s presidential election, the Republican Party lost control of both the presidency and the Senate for the next two years. This leaves them in the position to find their footing again and rethink their strategies.

From his campaign to his time in office, Trump played a big role in moving the Republican Party further to the right on salient issues such as trade, immigration, and national security, according to Political Science professor Matthew Levendusky.

Levendusky believes that following President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Republican Party now has to evaluate its best course of action and how closely it wants to be associated with the former president’s policy positions and actions while in office.

“It is tough to know where the Republican Party is now,” Levendusky said. “Did Trump take over the party, or did he just rent it for four years?”

Penn College Republicans Communications Director and College sophomore Harrison Selznick said that he has seen the Republican Party’s platform shift towards populism since Trump was inaugurated. He said that by putting America first, the Trump presidency allowed “the American people’s success to be the most important objective of the government.”

Levendusky said that the high voter turnout for both Democrats and Republicans is a testament to how people vote when they perceive a lot to be on the line. Biden received about 81.3 million votes — a record in United States history — and more than 7 million votes more than Trump. About 67% of the voting-eligible population cast their ballot in the 2020 presidential election — the highest percentage in over 120 years.

Wharton sophomore Justin Chan, who identifies as a Republican, said there were three types of Republican voters in last year’s election: those who happily voted for Trump because of his personality, those who voted for Trump just because they always vote Republican, and the Republicans, like himself, who voted for Biden. He sees the divide between more traditional Republicans and those who favor Trump-era policies as one of the biggest factors that the GOP needs to overcome in the near future.

While Trump’s rhetorical style allowed him to stand apart from other Republicans, Levendusky

CHASE SUTTON

Trump’s role in moving the Republican Party further to the right leaves his supporters at a crossroad.

said his personality will not be easy to replicate in the future. He said it is much more likely that people who hold similar policy positions will copy his set of approaches rather than his personal style.

Chan said that Trump was very successful in using his polarizing rhetoric to shift the party’s platform away from what it originally was. He also mentioned that Trump’s divisive tactics have only contributed to an increase in animosity between the parties.

Political polarization has increased across the country in recent years, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. Before the election, about 90% of both Republicans and Democrats would have been “very concerned about the country’s direction” had the candidate they not favored won.

“He creates an ‘us-versus-them’ mentality,” Chan said. “Republicans really have to go back to their fundamental principles of being for the individuals.”

Selznick agreed, stating that he believes that the general public opinion on conservative

politics has become more polarized over the past four years due to “the inflammatory Trump presidency and politicized media that would not separate opinion from truth.”

Down the road, Selznick added that he believes maintaining Trump’s base should be extremely important for the GOP in order to ensure electoral success for the Republican Party.

Levendusky said that the GOP must also address Trump’s claims of election fraud. While 61 of Trump’s 62 lawsuits across the country have failed according to USA TODAY, 39% of people surveyed said that they do not trust the American electoral process, according to a poll conducted earlier this year by Vox and Data for Progress. “[The claims] were never found to have merit or even really [be] able to produce any credible evidence at all,” Levendusky said. “How the Republican Party grapples with the legacy of that moving forward is one of the other things that has to be resolved.”

In regards to the future of the party, Selznick said that he hopes Republicans will work to bring

back suburban voters and maintain their support with working-class Americans. He believes the GOP must retain the confidence of existing Trump supporters by “following Trump’s ideology of an America-first future.”

Chan said the best course of action for the Republican Party is to recognize the demographic change across the nation: Trump had more support from Cuban and Venezuelan voters, among other minorities, than recent Republican candidates. He also believes it is essential for the party to look back and return to its principles of small government.

Overall, it may be too early to tell what course of action the GOP will take, according to Levendusky. While the current political environment is always changing, he still emphasized that there are big questions that the Republican Party leadership needs to ask themselves.

“The broader question for Republicans is what happens in the long term?” Levendusky said.

“Do they double down on ‘Trumpism,’ or do you move back into a new direction?”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The Daily Pennsylvanian seeks students from historically The Daily Pennsylvanian students from marginalized groups interestedseeks in journalism and media for the first cohort of a newgroups fellowshipinterested program. in historically marginalized

journalism and media for the first cohort of a The Daily Pennsylvanian Five fellows new will receive $4000 annual fellowship program. News stipends while working for the independent student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania.

Five fellows will receive $4,000 The program offers fellows: annual stipends while working A staff position andstudent training in a for•the independent specific DP program or publication. newspaper at the University of • Connection to an alumni mentor Pennsylvania.

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working as a media professional.

• Regular support The program offersseminars. fellows:

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10 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

An Olympic alternative: A look back at Franklin Field’s 1980 Liberty Bell Classic SPORTS | Track athletes competed representing 29 different countries Kathryn Xu Sports Associate

In 1980, athletes from the United States and 28 other countries went to Franklin Field instead of the Olympics.

The Olympic Games that summer were to be held in Moscow, in the former Soviet Union. Following the U.S.S.R.’s invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and various other activists and groups pushed for a boycott, including a writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian, Milton Lewin, in his piece “Boycott the Olympics.� On March 21, 1980, Carter officially announced the decision to athletes gathered at the White House. “I can’t say at this moment what other nations will not go.� Carter said, adding, “Ours will not go.

I say that not with any equivocation. The decision has been made.�

An international coalition suggested that athletes from boycotting countries — also including Canada, West Germany, and Japan — compete instead under a neutral banner. Carter responded by threatening to void the American passport of any athlete who attempted such a thing.

So American athletes did not go to the 1980 Olympics. For those who competed in track and field, they instead came to Philadelphia.

The Liberty Bell Classic, like all of the sporting events commissioned by Congress for boycotting countries, was hastily put together. After Congress allotted $10 million dollars for alternative athletic tournaments to be staged in places other than Moscow, Philadelphia was chosen from a slate of four cities. In Philadelphia, Penn’s historic Franklin Field was the chosen site.

There was a certain lack of glamor surrounding the entire situation. A 1980 Sports Illustrated piece

painted the locale of Franklin Field (and Philadelphia as a whole) through a grimy lens. “[O]n Interstate 76, hummed four lanes of traffic; in front, beyond the browning grass of the discus area, was a web of power lines leading from a barely visible substation,� journalist Craig Neff wrote. “Watching in the 96 degree heat were perhaps 100 people.�

The meet was marked by such weather: intense heat, followed by a sudden thunderstorm that dropped the temperature by 20 degrees, followed again by intense heat the next day. Competition felt weak; many other notable countries such as the United Kingdom, France, and Australia were not competing. The crowd was largely listless.

But it slowly picked up speed and attention.

American hurdler Renaldo Nehemiah won the men’s 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.31 seconds, only .31 off his world record. Villanova senior and local hero Don Paige won the men’s 800m event handily with a time of 1:47.19.

For Americans watching, the Liberty Bell Classic was not only a small point for national pride — the United States would win 20 out of the 33 total events — but also historical. Mary Decker, who had finished recovering from an earlier foot injury and was coming off an 18-hour flight, would go on to set a new U.S. record in the women’s 1500m event with a time of 4:00.87. “I’ve never seen a crowd like this in Franklin Field,� Paige said. “I think it’s great they’re getting a chance to see what some of the European meets are like.�

Paige’s comments reflect the truth. The Liberty Bell Classic, with athletes participating from 29 different countries, marked the largest track and field event held in the United States since the 1932 Olympics. 20,111 spectators watched in Franklin Field on the final day. Nehemiah’s performance in the 110m hurdles and James Walker’s performance in the men’s 400m hurdles were faster than the gold-medal performances in Moscow.

COURTESY OF PENN ARCHIVES I n 1 9 8 0 , Fr a n k l i n F i e l d b e c a m e t h e h o m e to t h e L i b e r t y B e l l C l a s s i c , a n a l te r n a t i ve competition for track and field athletes from countries boycot ting the Olympic s .

Despite the event’s billing as an “alternative Olympics,� it was no replacement. Many eligible athletes, including 17 of the 34 champions of the still-held 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials, declined to attend.

Before the official cancellation, Paige supported the boycott but added, “Deep down, I still believe I’m going, but if we boycott, when it finally hits me, I’ll probably break down and cry.� After winning the 800m event at the Liberty Bell Classic and competing in the European season instead of the Olympics, Paige still said of his non-Olympic experience,

“There’s only one Olympics.�

Still, the Liberty Bell Classic was not only an opportunity for accomplished athletes from boycotting countries to compete, but it also demonstrated the historical mixing of politics and sports. “People say, ‘Politics shouldn’t be involved in the Olympics,’ but that’s not being realistic,� Paige said preceding the boycott. “Politics have been a part of every Olympics since 1936.�

And it was at Penn’s Franklin Field, even if against the backdrop of power lines and browning grass, that that fact was clearly illustrated.

Freshman guard Matteus Case is taking his basketball talents across the border SPORTS | Case was a member of Canada’s Under-16 Boys’ National Team Anusha Mathur Sports Associate

Basketball has given Matteus Case a lot of firsts: his first sport, his first time traveling abroad, and his first priority. Despite his impressive personal accomplishments and national status, Case always puts his teammates first.

For Case, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard from Toronto, basketball achievements have defined both the course of his career and his worldview.

One pivotal moment in his life was when he was accepted to play on Canada’s Under-16 Boys’ Na-

tional Team in 2017. He attended a two-week training camp before traveling to Argentina for the FIBA U16 Americas Championship. He competed against some of the best players from around the world and helped his team advance to the finals against Team USA. “I got to go to a whole different country — a different continent actually — to play basketball,� Case said. “It made me feel like I was almost a professional basketball player. That was the first time I ever traveled in my life, so I really got to see basketball from a different perspective.�

Of all the sports that Case played in his childhood, he felt most connected to basketball, as it kept him both physically and mentally engaged. His goal has always been to play Division I basketball and then

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move onto competing professionally. He is excited to make the first part of that dream a reality at Penn. “I know basketball can take me lots of places,�

Case said. “It already has in my life. So, I’m coming to Penn looking to gain knowledge and see where it can take me in the next years of my life. I don’t know any of my friends from my high school back in Canada who went to an Ivy League school, so I feel like it was a good life opportunity for me.�

During the recruitment process, coach Steve Donahue appreciated Case’s talent and competitive spirit. Case is versatile, excelling in both offensive and defensive positions. However, what Donahue was most drawn to was Case’s selflessness. “He’s a high character kid and I’ve enjoyed getting to know him,� Donahue said. “He made great sacrifices on his high school team. There’s a lot of examples of him taking a lesser role to help the team win: not taking as many shots and not trying to score, but being unselfish and passing the ball.�

Case’s long-time friend and former teammate, Shak Pryce, echoes these sentiments. He said that Case rises to the challenge when games get difficult and prioritizes the team’s victory. “I never felt like Matteus cared about whether he was the star player or he had the most points,�

Pryce said. “A lot of times he was the youngest on our team. Even though he was probably the biggest name on that team because of his national team status, he never used that to say, ‘I deserve to have the ball the most because I’m going the furthest.’ He always just felt that whatever is best for the team, that’s what he’s going to do.�

For Case, stepping up for this team in this way has become second nature. “Individual success oftentimes comes from being on a good team and winning,� Case said. “Last year with my high school team, we were missing the point guard, so I moved over to the point guard position and my scoring got affected by that. But it didn’t really bother me because my team was in the state final four, looking to make a state championship run. The biggest thing to me really is just winning games, and whatever position coach wants me to be in, if that’s me scoring the ball or if that’s me passing along, I do it.�

Case’s recruitment process was different than normal, as he was not able to visit campus or meet his coaches in person. Additionally, because of COVID-19, he opted to stay in Toronto for the entirety of his freshman year. However, he has been playing basketball in the United States for the last few years and feels ready to make the jump to the collegiate

level. “A lot of my friends who went from Canadian schools right to America feel the biggest difference when they get on campus is the level of competition,� Case said. “I know it’s going to be different obviously because I’m going from high school to college, but I feel like I’m ready for that. I just can’t wait to get out there with the team and be in the Palestra.�

For Case, being at home in Canada rather than in Philadelphia with his new teammates has been difficult. However, he maintains a positive attitude and strives to use this time to make himself a better player. He follows an intense regimen of waking up early to work out and practice, managing his school work, and ending his day with more practice. “We try to make it similar to what it would be like if I was on campus and living a normal college life just so I get prepared for it,� Case said. “It’s a lot at times, but it’s just finding the balance, and I love basketball, so I don’t mind doing it.�

Case has also bonded with the other four freshman Quakers on the team over the course of this year. “It’s not the same as being in person and living with them, but that will come eventually,� Case said. “Right now, it’s just trying to get to know each other a little better than we already do.�

Case’s positive spirit throughout the pandemic has been appreciated by those around him, especially his coaches. “He’s been very disciplined,� Donahue said. “He’s gotten bigger, stronger, and better. He didn’t feel sorry for himself. He just took it as an opportunity to make sure he is doing everything he can so that when the time does come, he’s going to be prepared to play.�

While Case has been working towards his own goals of playing basketball professionally, his teammates and friends appreciate that he cares for them and remains a source of support and motivation. “Matteus is really unselfish,� Pryce said. “He’s caring. He’s thoughtful. Even though he’s in a different place in life and a different level of basketball, he’s always making sure that I’m good and working hard and that I’m doing what I need to do.�

Cases’s hard work, discipline, and talent have led him to success on the court and are reasons why his coaches have high hopes for his time playing for the Quakers. His empathy, sportsmanship, and selflessness have allowed him to forge lasting connections with his teammates and leave his mark on every team that he has been a part of.

PHOTO FROM MATTEUS CASE Fr e s h m a n g u a r d M a t t e u s C a s e h a s a l r e a d y p l a y e d b a s k e t b a l l o n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l stage, traveling to Argentina while representing his home countr y of Canada .

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

SPORTS 11

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021

Freshman guard Colin Chambers hopes to build upon his family legacy SPORTS | Chambers’ father and uncle were both standout athletes at Penn Danny Chiarodit Former Sports Editor

Colin Chambers may have been born to be a Penn basketball player.

It’s no secret that coach Steve Donahue cares a lot about character when evaluating players.

Giving a lunch pail to the hardest-worker of each practice is just one example of how he has created a culture of grit and toughness at Penn.

So it makes sense that Chambers, a freshman guard from Malvern, Pa., earned a spot on the Quakers roster. Ask anyone to describe him as a player, and they will use the same words: hard working, gritty, team oriented — just to name a few.

“I think he just fits the culture of our program, and those are the things that really gravitated me toward him,” Donahue said. “He’s just willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, and fitting the role of a point guard, those were the key things for when we decided to recruit Colin.”

Chambers echoed Donahue’s comments about what he will be bringing to the table for the Red and Blue when the team returns to the court.

“I’m just going to come in, work hard every day of practice no matter what, just bring the competitive edge,” Chambers said. “Whatever the coaches need me to do, I’m willing to do that.”

Chambers is not the first in his family to be a Penn athlete. His uncle, Tim Chambers, was a three-time All-Ivy football player for Penn, and in 1984 became the first Quaker to be named Ivy League Player of the Year. A few years later, Chambers’ father, Paul Chambers, came to Penn with aspirations of following in his brother’s footsteps on the gridiron. However, Paul Chambers’ sights quickly shifted to the basketball court.

“I actually went to Penn to play football, and then I walked on to the basketball team, and I was fortunate enough to play,” Paul Chambers said.

“Some things happened, some guys got hurt, and I was fortunate enough and took advantage of that situation.”

Not only did Paul Chambers work his way into the starting lineup, but he ultimately became one of the all-time great Penn point guards, leading the Ivy League in assists in the 1991-92 season and finishing his career with the most assists and steals in Quakers history. Putting this kind of career together exceeded the expectations of many in the program at the time.

“We probably thought, ‘Hey, we’re getting a tough kid to help us push our starters, run the second team,’” said Donahue, who was an assistant coach for the Quakers during Chambers’ junior and senior seasons. “Well, Paul was such a competitive player [that] he just wouldn’t allow that to happen. And every day, he forced our hand and

LEFT PHOTO FROM COLIN CHAMBERS, RIGHT PHOTO FROM DP ARCHIVES Chambers has already followed his father ’s footsteps in high school and college but his work ethic and grit have made him a standout on his own . He also has an uncle who was also a football star for Penn in the 1980s .

found himself on the floor.”

Colin Chambers already knows what it’s like to follow the path of his father, as both played high school basketball at Episcopal Academy near Malvern. As a freshman, Colin Chambers won the Inter-Ac title with his team, before going on to earn three consecutive All-Delco League honorable mentions in his next three years. He ended his career at Episcopal as a team captain during his senior season, an honor signifying his development during those four years.

“I would say Colin’s growth as a player was his maturing into being more of a leader,” said Episcopal Academy head coach Brian Shanahan, who coached Colin Chambers during his senior year.

“And he’s always been self-disciplined, but also being able to raise the play of others around him

to the point where people like playing with Colin Chambers and like being on his team.”

Aside from his toughness, Chambers’ ability to elevate the play of those around him was one of the main attributes that stood out to Donahue during the recruiting process, and it is something that Chambers will be tasked with at Penn.

“I just thought the last couple years, we just did not have a pure point guard that could really run the second team,” Donahue said. “And I think he knows that his role right now is to really make whoever he’s playing with better, and that’s where we see him. I just think we don’t have a lot of pure point guards in the program, and we just saw someone that can really fit that mold.”

As for Shanahan, his first season as head

coach of Episcopal Academy was Chambers’ senior year, but the two have known each other for Chambers’ whole life. Shanahan graduated from Episcopal Academy in 2004, before walking on to the basketball team at Temple. The coach has no doubt that Chambers will be able to make a name for himself with the Red and Blue.

“They’re not going to have to question his work ethic. He’s going to show up and he’s going to compete every day,” Shanahan said. “Nothing has been given to him. He’s going to have to work and continue to work for it, and he has.”

So when practices resume and Donahue continues his tradition of giving the lunch pail to the hardest worker of every practice, don’t be surprised if Colin Chambers goes home with it more than a few times.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 VOL. CXXXVII NO. 3

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The Donahue Rule The coaching strategy behind Penn men’s basketball CHASE SUTTON C oa ch Steve Don ah ue h a s a rep ut ation for hi s 95/ 5 of fen sive s trateg y, b ut he knows hi s players well enough to know when to deviate an d a dapt to m ore flexible s trategie s .

SPORTS | Ninety-five percent of offensive shots must be either three-pointers or layups Joey Piatt Sports Associate

College basketball coaches are often defined by the game plans and style of play that they rely on during games.

Their strategy is pivotal in attracting recruits, winning games, and creating a legacy at their respective school. For Penn men’s basketball, the man behind the clipboard is Steve Donahue, whose approach to coaching is more nuanced than the average fan may realize.

Donahue joined the Quakers in 2015, after coaching stints at both Cornell and Boston College. Since taking over, Donahue has become known primarily for his unique offensive approach: the 95 and 5 rule, sometimes also called the 95% rule.

This approach requires that 95% of Penn’s offensive shots are either open three-pointers or at-the-basket layups. This principle limits the amount of low-percentage mid-range jump shots that often detract from a team’s shooting

efficiency.

The principle has its roots in Donahue’s earlier coaching days when he was in search of a guiding concept that he could build his offense around.

“When I went to [Boston College], and I wanted to teach how we have to play, it was more of a concept that the kids could really grasp and understand,” Donahue said. “As [I] came to Penn, we did it a lot more. It helps us look at the game more conceptually in what we’re trying to accomplish on offense.”

Despite being well-known as the centerpiece of Donahue’s offensive philosophy, the rule is not a defined way of playing basketball. Instead, it is merely an overarching concept used to tie the program together.

“When I took over the program, I just thought the easiest way to grow the program was to keep it really simple and put some parameters on what we’re trying to do,” Donahue said. “Then, [we] reinforce it with the coaching behavior [strategies].”

Donahue knows that sticking solely to a coaching philosophy can lead to missed opportunities and underutilized players. As a result, he emphasizes knowing his personnel well enough to be able to adapt his strategies as needed.

“One of the key things I love to do is just see what kids are good at,” Donahue said. “[For example], I think [sophomore forward] Max Martz is a good mid-range shooter, so you still [have] to figure out how you’re going to get key buckets at times. So, for example, I don’t discourage him.”

Martz is an example of a player who can thrive when there’s increased flexibility in the game plan. However, even when a player has those additional strengths, they still prioritize the philosophy that Donahue has woven into the program’s culture.

“I think our offense is mainly focused on getting the highest-percentage shot that we can possibly take,” Martz said. “In college basketball especially, that’s open [three-pointers] and then shots around the rim. At least for the past few years, that’s what Penn basketball has been about.”

How exactly does Donahue get players to buy into the offensive strategy? He integrates it into all aspects of the team’s game preparation.

“When we scrimmage in practice, we put a little scoring system in place on shot quality,” Donahue said. “If guys are going to take difficult ones, or better yet, if we force others to take difficult ones

in practice, then your teammates will let you know either way.”

While Donahue has had success in creating and implementing his offensive philosophy, he also realizes the importance of translating this success to the defensive end as well.

“We look at the defensive end [analytics] as well,” Donahue said. “We’re looking to reduce the shot quality for our opponents. Force long [twopointers] and mid-range shots [while] limiting three-pointers. Those are the ways to be efficient.”

It’s clear that Donahue takes a careful approach to implement his coaching strategy. He is careful not to stick to his game plan too much, but he also ensures that the offense stays on track by making his principles easy to digest and understand.

Donahue has proven that a coach’s offensive philosophy is often far too complicated to be broken down into a single “rule.” While they may not be all-encompassing, the rules are useful in getting players to buy-in to the program and develop discipline in shot selection.

The process of developing offensive strategy is also an ongoing one, and when Penn basketball returns to play, fans will likely see Donahue further update the way he approaches coaching the game.

Tracing Karl Racine’s path from Penn men’s basketball to D.C. attorney general SPORTS | Racine won two Ivy League titles with the Quakers Will DiGrande Former Sports Editor

Karl Racine’s eventful life has taken him from the Red and Blue of the Palestra to the red, white, and blue of our nation’s capital.

Serving as the attorney general for the District of Columbia since 2015, the former Penn men’s basketball standout was a valuable member of Ivy League-winning teams during his freshman and senior seasons. Now, he works to carry out justice in Washington.

Racine’s story begins in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where he was born and lived before his family moved to D.C. when he was three years old. As a star guard on the court for St. John’s College High School, he quickly garnered collegiate attention and arrived at Penn in the fall of 1981 as a talent to watch. “[Racine is] a natural take-charge type of player …

He can be expected to see more than token action in this his first season,” The Daily Pennsylvanian wrote when profiling the incoming class of recruits.

He was a regular for the Quakers all four years he played, but in his final two seasons with the team — when he served as captain — Racine really made his mark. He averaged 14.3 points a game across the twoyear period, playing in 51 of the team’s 53 games and leading the team in scoring as a junior.

He drew eyes whenever on the court, but he would etch his name in Penn men’s basketball lore on Feb. 1, 1983. Playing at archrival Princeton’s Jadwin Gym, the two teams were locked in a defensive standoff and

deadlocked at 39 coming down to the wire. Racine was fouled with two seconds left and nailed both his free throws to hand the Quakers a dramatic two-point win.

“He’s one of the guys we rely on,” then-Penn coach Craig Littlepage told the DP after the game. “When those situations occur when we have to shoot free throws, we would like for the ball to be in his hands and for him to eventually go to the free-throw line.”

Despite his natural talent and leadership on the court, Racine remained humble and was the first to share the spotlight with his teammates. It was this selflessness that helped the Red and Blue capture an Ivy League title in his final season.

“I realize that it’s a great honor to be named captain and I am grateful for the honor,” Racine told the DP in November 1984. “But other than that, being named captain really won’t affect what I do that much. I think I will be a leader on the court, but my fellow seniors will all help out with leadership.”

Racine’s senior season actually got off to a rocky beginning, with the team slumping to a dismal 0-7 start. However, the Red and Blue got hot at the right time and worked their way to a 10-4 conference record and a bid to March Madness, where the 15thseeded Ivy champs fell by a score of 67-55 to heavily favored Memphis.

Following his Penn graduation in 1985, Racine matriculated to law school at the University of Virginia.

Outside of class, he volunteered in a legal clinic for migrant farm workers, inspired by his own family’s experience in coming to the country, and along with his mother compiled the first-ever Haitian Creole-toEnglish legal dictionary.

His lengthy professional career includes experience

LEFT PHOTO FROM DP ARCHIVES, RIGHT PHOTO FROM KARL RACINE Karl Racine currently ser ves as the District of Columbia’s at torney general , b ut he al so ha d a st andout c areer a s team c apt ain of Penn men’s ba sketball .

both in private firms and as a public defender. The latter saw him working at a different kind of court than at Penn, this time with Washington residents who could not afford a lawyer. From 1997-2000, Racine took a position as associate White House counsel in the Clinton administration, where he advised the president and his staff on various legal matters.

Racine made history in 2006 as the first Black managing partner of a top-100 law firm when he was elected to the position at Venable LLP, where he had worked on and off since 1989.

After decades of service and work in the D.C. area, Racine was elected the District of Columbia’s attorney general in November 2014, the first timethe position

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was open for election rather than appointment by the city’s mayor. He won re-election with 93% of the vote four years later, and will remain in his current role until at least early 2023.

Most recently, Racine has been in the news for handling a number of post-election lawsuits and prosecuting some of those involved with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In addition to his already busy life, he is also an fervent supporter of statehood for the District of Columbia, which currently does not have any voting members of Congress.

No matter where his career takes him or what cause he backs, Racine will never forget his illustrious roots with the Red and Blue.

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