January 25, 2024

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House committee demands documents from Penn on antisemitism response by Feb. 7

Larry Jameson Can the caretaker president unite Penn?

Information requested included communications by the Board of Trustees and other Penn affiliates, as well as Sidechat posts and text messages DIAMY WANG Senior Reporter

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed clinician training at Massachusetts General Hospital, and became chief of the thyroid unit and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School before leaving in 1993.

Rubenstein — who was familiar with Jameson and his research while Jameson worked in Massachussetts — told the DP that “[Jameson] was well known as an outstanding researcher” at the time. He specialized in endocrinology.

Jameson spent the next 18 years at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, where he served as chair of the department of medicine and eventually medical school dean in 2007. His former colleagues at Northwestern made a point to highlight his measured leadership and personal involvement both inside and outside of the lab during this time.

Feinberg School professor of urology and biochemistry and molecular genetics Joshua Meeks — who was one of Jameson’s Ph.D. mentees — told the DP that he was impressed with Jameson’s work ethic and care for others’

The United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce requested a plethora of documents from Penn on Wednesday, citing “grave concerns” about the University’s response to antisemitism on campus.

Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (RN.C.) sent a letter to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and University Board of Trustees Chair Ramanan Raghavendran detailing “deeply troubling” actions on campus in regards to antisemitism and free speech. She requested that the University submit documents and information by Feb. 7 as part of the committee’s ongoing investigation.

Foxx wrote that “mere warnings are insufficient,” adding that students feel “threatened by the explosion of antisemetic incidents on campus.”

“We have received the request from the House Committee on Education & the Workforce and will respond after we complete a review of the request,” a University spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Foxx claimed that Penn had an “environment of pervasive antisemitism,” referencing not only campus events since the Palestine Writes Literature Festival in September 2023, but also the decline of Penn’s Jewish undergraduate population since 2013 and the Penn Middle East Center’s affiliation with the Middle East Studies Association — which supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.

“Penn has demonstrated a clea r double standard by tolerating antisemitic vandalism, harassment, and intimidation, but suppressing and penalizing other expression it deemed problematic,” Foxx wrote.

The letter cited multiple examples as “cases

See PRESIDENT, page 2

See HOUSE, page 3

DEREK WONG | VIDEO EDITOR

Interim Penn President Larry Jameson delivers an introductory speech at the 23rd Annual MLK Social Justice Lecture & Award event on Jan. 24.

Jameson’s rise from physician to leading a University in crisis BEN BINDAY AND NEEMA BADDAM Senior Reporters

Larry Jameson, a clinician turned University administrator, has been interim president for just over a month — and there is perhaps no Penn leader to have taken office amid so much turmoil on campus.

Penn is the subject of two congressional investigations, placing scrutiny on its tax-exempt status and its response to antisemitism in recent months. The University is also battling student and faculty concerns about free speech and donor influence, while welcoming a new University Board of Trustees chair and anticipating another presidential search following former Penn President Liz Magill’s unprecedented resignation.

All of this and more is expected to be confronted by Jameson, who ascended to the Penn presidency on Dec. 12, 2023 — three days after Magill stepped down from the presidency amid national controversy. A request for comment on how long Jameson will serve was left with a University spokesperson, though an Undergraduate Assembly meeting recording and comments by its president suggest he will “reasonably” remain president for the rest of the academic year and into 2025.

Jameson — a physician who insists that his department chairs refer to him as Larry — comes to College Hall after spending over a decade as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. Penn Med was highly successful under his leadership — prompting Arthur Rubenstein, Jameson’s predecessor as executive vice president and dean, to call him the “obvious choice” for the interim presidency.

“He brings people together,” Perelman School of Medicine Chair of Radiation Oncology James Metz told The Daily Pennsylvanian of Jameson. “And that’s what we need right now — as an institution, as a country, we need unifiers.”

The DP spoke with 22 current and former colleagues of Jameson to hear about Jameson’s history, accomplishments, and leadership ability. All of those interviewed spoke highly of his qualifications for the interim presidency.

An early career as an ‘outstanding researcher’ Prior to working at Penn, Jameson graduated from the

Around 800 Penn students waitlisted for on-campus housing, up from last year Of the students placed on the waitlist, approximately 500 are rising juniors and 300 are rising seniors NICOLE MURAVSKY Staff Reporter

Approximately 800 students were placed on the Penn Residential Services waitlist for on-campus housing for the 2024-2025 academic year — an increase from last year.

Penn allocates 900 spots for on-campus housing for juniors and seniors, with first-year students and sophomores required to live on campus under a policy that went into effect in fall 2021. Of the students placed on the waitlist — which means that they were not originally selected for on-campus housing — approximately 500 are rising juniors and 300 are rising seniors.

Last year, 720 rising juniors and seniors were placed on the waitlist, and the University said it allocated around 950 spots for on-campus housing to rising juniors and seniors.

Applicants are randomly selected to be either given a room selection slot or placed on the housing waitlist.

An automated system then goes through the student housing database and picks applicants at random to assign timeslots, according to Associate Director of Housing Occupancy Melissa Dunlap.

Many students who applied for on-campus housing initially received an email on Dec. 15 from Residential Services informing them that they had been placed on the waitlist, with a follow-up email sent on Jan. 12, and another scheduled for Jan. 23, according to the Jan. 12 email. The emails also contained the next steps for students to take if they wish to remain on the waitlist.

Director of Residential Services Pat Killilee told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Residential Services is open to meeting and connecting students with helpful resources — particularly in the case of extenuating circumstances that have not yet been shared. Killilee also suggested that students who are currently on the waitlist reach out to Off-Campus Services, a resource for both Penn undergraduates and graduates.

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Off-Campus Services will sponsor a virtual housing fair on March 21, at which students can speak with local landlords and explore off-campus housing options.

Associate Director for Off-Campus Services Linda Kromer will also lead five housing information sessions in February.

“We go over understanding your lease, knowing the differences in leases, and pointing out some very important components of a lease,” Kromer wrote in a statement to the DP. “I do a demonstration of how to search the database, and there is a Q&A.” Despite the concerns that students may have, Killilee insisted that there are attractive housing options near campus that will be available heading into the summer.

“A lot of students will hear that if they don’t sign the lease for the next year by October, there won’t be any housing, and that’s just not true,” Killilee said.

Several students told the DP that they are stressed about being placed on the waitlist, and are feeling uncertain about where they will live for the next academic year. “[L]iving off campus isn’t always a guarantee,” Engineering sophomore Kayla Bleier said. “Finding houses that are in my price range and finding people that I want to live with aren’t a guarantee, so it kind of feels like there is this threat — or this looming fear — of being homeless.”

College sophomore Keanu Natan similarly shared his frustration with finding off-campus housing.

“The process was long and tedious [to find off-campus housing],” Natan said. “Most of the people I knew got waitlisted, so planning with roommates was difficult. I wish they’d run the lottery earlier in the year so See WAITLIST, page 2

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Penn faculty sent a letter to University admin. alleging a violation of Open Expression Guidelines.

Letter to admin. from Penn faculty alleges policy violation with student discipline case

The student confirmed that the investigation pertains to the placement of stickers relating to the Freedom School for Palestine ETHAN YOUNG Staff Reporter

More than 80 Penn faculty members sent a letter to University administrators alleging that the summons of a Penn student by the Center for Community Standards and Accountability violates University guidelines on open expression.

The letter — which was sent on Jan. 2 — expresses concern about about a Office of Com munity Sta nda rds meeting with college senior Katie Francis, who was called for

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“adher[ing] stickers to campus signs and light poles,” according to the letter. The signatories allege that the meeting violates Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression.

“We cannot comment on student disciplinary matters,” a University spokesman told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

In the letter, which was obtained by The See LETTER, page 3

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PRESIDENT, from FRONT PAGE

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The high-rise dorms, Harnwell (left) and Harrison (right), ser ve as on-campus upperclassman housing.

WAITLIST, from FRONT PAGE you can plan things out more clearly.”

College sophomore Helena Giner also shared her frustration with not receiving a timeslot for on-campus housing while her planned roommates received them.

Residential Services will not know more details about the waitlist until early February, according to Dunlap and Kililee. Both students who were given a room selection slot and students on the waitlist may find off-campus housing, changing the makeup of the waitlist.

Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger added that students should “understand that the waitlist is really in flux right now.”

Residential Services still recommends that students on the waitlist — who still need housing — fill out the room selection application opening on Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. and closing on Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. to make students eligible for a timeslot should they be removed from the waitlist.

Upperclassmen who will live on campus also have the option to live in the Axis, which was recently leased by Penn Residential Services to accommodate more upperclassmen during the renovations to the Quad. The Radian will also continue to be leased for undergraduate students of all ages — continuing a policy from August 2023.

Gutmann College House will become a four-year college house for the next academic year to accommodate some of the first-year students who would have otherwise lived in the Quad — as the second phase of the Quad renovation shifts to Ware College House. 624 first-year students will be relocated, which is 170 more than those who were relocated when Riepe College House was under construction this year.

successes.

“I was fortunate enough to go to meetings with him and travel with his family, and he balanced all that incredibly well,” Meeks said.

Mary Hunzicker-Dunn served as a professor in the department of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern when Jameson was chair of the department of medicine.

Hunzicker-Dunn, like many of those interviewed, praised Jameson’s quiet confidence — but never arrogance — in his academic abilities, and his interpersonal skills outside of them to approach a variety of situations.

“He’s aggressive in his scientific approaches, but not in his approaches to people,” she said. “I think that’s what’s made him so successful — he just listens and then responds appropriately.”

Applying a clinician’s lens to his work In 2011, former Penn President Amy Gutmann recruited Jameson to succeed Rubenstein as dean and executive vice president.

Penn Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, who was on the search committee that selected Jameson, praised his preparedness and public speaking ability.

“When he came in and talked to the [search] committee, he addressed each person and made sure — whether it was a student or faculty member — that everyone got a chance to ask him a question,” Carnaroli said.

Rubenstein said that he approved Jameson’s hire and was very pleased with it, citing his previous familiarity with Jameson as a “very distinguished and well-known researcher and writer” as well as “an already very accomplished administrator … and very successful dean.”

Many of those interviewed suggested that Jameson’s background as a physician influences his leadership style, praising his empathetic approach.

“As a clinician, he comes to all aspects of his work through the lens of there [being] multiple possible outcomes here, and if we thoughtfully consider the evidence, we’ll come up with the right strategy to pursue,” Senior Vice Dean for Clinical and Translational Research Emma Meagher said.

Jameson’s colleagues also described him as a leader who gives agency to his colleagues by not being excessively hands-on, but also maintaining frequent communication.

Dermatology department Chair George Cotsarelis praised Jameson’s memory, describing an instance when, after mistaking the location of a meeting, Jameson entered a planned departmental review without his notes and detailed the review by memory.

“I was just floored,” Cotsarelis said. “It was shocking to me.”

Several of those interviewed also mentioned Jameson’s close relationships with Magill and Gutmann during their tenures, adding that Jameson met with both presidents multiple times every week as part of his routine.

“Both Dr. Gutmann and President Magill really viewed him as a member of the cabinet,” Carnaroli said. “So he was at the leadership table with us as we dealt with a variety of issues.”

Rubenstein also praised Jameson’s ability to work effectively with Trustees, particularly on Penn Medicine’s subcommittee on the Board.

“He’s able to project the image of competence and

modesty and outstanding ability in a very direct and quiet way,” Rubenstein said, “and the trustees must have admired that a lot.”

Raising Penn Med’s stature Jameson’s colleagues also noted a range of successes as an administrator — raising the stature of Penn Med through research breakthroughs, implementing several strategic plans, and navigating several crises.

Eve Higginbotham — Penn Med’s inaugural vice dean for the office of inclusion, diversity, and equity — specifically mentioned Penn Med’s decision to discontinue participation in the annual U.S. News and World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings in 2023. She commended Jameson’s willingness to solicit others’ opinions.

“It would have been easy for him to make the decision on his own, but he called on his advisory groups for advice … and got various opinions,” Higginbotham said. “He provided the necessary platform for the discussion [and] the necessary data.”

Higginbotham also mentioned Jameson’s support for the implementation of a strategic initiative following the death of George Floyd, which resulted in approximately 97% of Penn Med’s 45,000 employees receiving unconscious bias training.

In the early 2010s, Penn researcher Carl June — who described himself as a “huge fan” of Jameson — made a breakthrough discovery pertaining to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy, a treatment that modifies a patient’s T-cells to target and kill their own cancer cells.

Jameson oversaw the licensing and marketing of this discovery, including a 2012 exclusivity agreement with Novartis — which June cited as a good decision and praised Jameson’s involvement in.

June praised Jameson’s efforts to keep him at the University following his breakthrough, after which he received several employment offers. June specifically noted the creation of an endowed professorship and improvements to infrastructure.

He also praised the improvement of Penn Med’s reputation under Jameson’s leadership, saying that “the track record of what Perelman [School of Medicine] has done is the envy of every other university in the U.S.” “We get the cream of the crop now, and then that means we’re able to cherry-pick people, for faculty and so on,” June said, listing his lab as an example of the stronger applicant pools under Jameson’s leadership.

In October 2023, Penn researchers Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their research into messenger RNA technology, which was critical in the development of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines. The research has been credited as saving 14.4 million deaths within a year.

While Weissman and Karikó’s discovery did not take place under his leadership — and the University’s treatment of Karikó, in particular, has received widespread criticism — Jameson managed and invested much of the University’s revenue from their successes. He spoke at a press conference on the morning of the announcement and attended a flash mob in celebration of their win.

“The achievements of Dr. Weissman and Karikó have changed the course of history,” Jameson said at the press conference.

Neurology department Chair and Co-director of the Penn Medicine Translational Neuroscience Center Frances Jensen praised Jameson’s response to the team’s successes — which combined to place Penn first on a 2023

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM ranking of research institutions by licensing revenue.

June’s discovery has generated in excess of $800 million, according to him, and Weissman and Karikó’s research has generated in excess of $1 billion.

“He’s been stewarding that very well, and keeping people well informed, he’s very transparent, and very direct in his communications,” Jensen said.

Jameson was the University’s highest-paid administrator in fiscal year 2021 and received a base salary of $4.5 million last year. He also spearheaded the construction and opening of the Pavilion — Penn Med’s $1.6 billion and 17-story facility — which opened to patients in fall 2021.

Chief Executive Officer of UPHS Kevin Mahoney, who was described by other sources as having spearheaded the Pavilion project, described Jameson as their “north star” for his guidance during the process.

“Larry I would put down as the provocateur,” Mahoney said. “He would ask challenging questions, [and] he listened as we debated. In terms of going to the board of directors and working with College Hall, he was a leader.”

In his role as executive vice president and dean, Jameson also had an important role to play in the University’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — with several of those interviewed praising Jameson’s ability to innovate and pivot at the early stage of the pandemic.

Mahoney said that he spoke with Jameson regularly at the early stage of the pandemic to project the need for hospital beds based on early data and working closely with the University to set up COVID-19 testing and protect staff. He added that Jameson was familiar with the ongoing development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Jameson also played a role in a number of high-profile administrative appointments. He chaired the 2013 and 2019 search committees for the next Wharton School deans — the latter of which recommended Wharton Dean Erika James. He also led the 2017 and 2022 provost search committees, which recommended Provost John Jackson Jr. in 2022; and served on the Presidential Selection Committee which recommended Magill’s appointment.

James wrote to the DP that she is grateful for the role Jameson played in bringing her to Penn and to Wharton, and stated that she is “especially grateful to have an interim president who is so knowledgeable about Wharton.”

Taking care of a university under scrutiny Radiation Oncology Chair Metz told the DP that the entirety of Penn Med was pleased with Jameson’s appointment and is confident in his ability to handle this tumultuous time on campus.

“As I talk to chairs, as I talk to leadership here, as I talk to the Penn Medicine side who has worked with Larry for all these years, everybody to a tee says that he is the right person for this job,” Metz said. “I’ve not heard one negative from somebody saying this is the wrong person.”

Former CEO of UPHS Ralph Muller — who retired in 2019 and said that he has been in regular communication with Jameson over the past month — told the DP that Jameson recognized that it was a tough task to accept the job of interim president. He also said that Jameson was planning on leaving his role as dean and executive vice president in late 2025 prior to his appointment as interim president.

“I think anybody who’s enrolled on Penn’s campus now is going to have to deal with [controversial] issues,” Muller said. “I think temperamentally, he’s so balanced, he gets along with people, and he is not a contentious person — but nor was President Magill.”

Senior reporter Jessica Wu contributed reporting.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

HOUSE, from FRONT PAGE

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The United States Capitol on March 29, 2023.

LETTER, from FRONT PAGE Daily Pennsylvanian, the signatories wrote that the summons of Francis raises “troubling questions about the university’s adherence to anti-discrimination laws and policies.”

The letter was sent by associate professor of history and President of the American Association of University Presidents at Penn Amy Offner to Interim Penn President Larry Jameson, Provost John Jackson, Vice President for Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson, Chair of the Committee on Open Expression Lisa Bellini, as well as several other University administrators.

The letter says that Francis’s summons is in response to the placement of stickers related to the Freedom School for Palestine teach-in, which took place in Houston Hall last semester. Dozens of Penn community members occupied the Reading Room in Houston Hall for over two weeks to advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, protection of

freedom of speech at the University, and instituting critical thought on Palestine across campus.

Francis told the DP that they received a notice letter from CSA on Jan. 8 pertaining to an incident occurring on or about Dec. 13. Francis confirmed that the stickers were related to the Palestine Freedom School and were screenshots of a post by a Gazan journalist.

In a statement to the DP, Offner — who will serve as Francis’s advisor at the CSA meeting — wrote that Penn’s disciplinary process entitles Francis to have a faculty advisor present.

Offner wrote that faculty members have offered to serve as advisors to students facing disciplinary action or investigation for their involvement in the Freedom School.

“Since the fall, numerous faculty members from across the university have offered to serve as advisors to students in the Freedom School who have been summoned for CSA meetings on grounds that appear to violate the Guidelines on Open Expression or other university policies,” Offner wrote.

Penn’s poster policy states that posters should

All members of the University community are invited to bring topics for consideration to the

be restricted to kiosks, and states that the “mounting of posters or use of paint on walls, sidewalks, trees, benches, or other surfaces not intended for posting is prohibited.”

The letter also questions how Francis was referred to CSA in the first place, stating that — according to CSA — Francis was reported for investigation by the Division for Public Safety.

“We would like to know how and why the Office of Public Safety surveilled Ms. Francis,” the letter reads, stating that the Guidelines on Open Expression limit DPS activity in order to “prevent police activity from having a chilling effect on protected forms of expression.”

Francis told the DP that they were unaware of DPS monitoring them.

“This brings up questions of how [DPS] were able to identify me, and whether it was because of my political involvement on campus, which is concerning, or if it was because of my disability that makes me identifiable because I have a service dog,” Francis said.

In December, more than a dozen students involved in the Freedom School were summoned

of Penn canceling or sanctioning speech it disfavored,” including action taken against University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amy Wax in 2022 and a canceled invitation from the Wharton India Economic Forum to Narendra Modi in 2013, who is now the Indian Prime Minister.

The committee requested 25 groups of documents and information relating to multiple topics, including antisemitism or anti-Zionism on campus, pro-Palestinian groups and actions at Penn, foreign donations to the University, and data on Jewish enrollment since 2003. These include communications by the Board of Trustees and other Penn affiliates, including Sidechat and social media posts and text messages.

The com m ittee’s investigation was first opened on Dec. 7 after a congressional hearing on antisemitism with former Penn President Liz Magill, former Harvard University President Claudine Gay, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth. The committee said it would use the “full force of subpoena power” to hold the University accountable. Two days later, Magill and former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok resigned.

The Department of Education has since dismissed an antisemitism investigation originally launched Nov. 16, 2023, citing the existence of a lawsuit containing the same allegations. The House Committee on Ways and Means also launched its own probe into the University’s taxexempt status on Jan. 10.

Staff reporter Ethan Crawford contributed reporting. for a meeting with CSA for alleged violations of University policy, according to the letter.

The signatories wrote that the investigation into Francis is part of a similar pattern “in which the university appears to be using the disciplinary process to silence peaceful protest.”

According to the letter, that December meeting did not result in disciplinary action for any of the students.

“We are deeply concerned that this use of the University’s disciplinary procedures will have the effect of chilling speech on campus,” the letter concludes. “We ask that the Office of Public Safety withdraw its report against Ms. Francis, and we ask that CSA end any investigation of them.”

CSA’s website states that it acts on behalf of the University for matters of student conduct violations and “works to resolve these allegations consistent with the goals and mission of the University as an educational and intellectual community.”

Senior reporter Elea Castiglione contributed reporting.

23/24 SEASON

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL

OPEN FORUM Wednesday, February 21, 2024 4:00 p.m.

Hall of Flags, Houston Hall

A PennCard is required to attend University Council meetings PennCard holders who want to be assured of speaking at Open Forum must submit a request to the Office of the University Secretary (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) by 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 5, 2024, briefly indicating the subject of the intended remarks. Speakers’ statements are limited to three minutes and should be framed to present topics of general University interest and be directed to University Council as a body through the moderator, and not to an individual.

Those who have not submitted a timely request to the Office of the University Secretary will be permitted to speak at the discretion of the moderator of University Council if time remains after the registered speakers.

For the meeting format and guidelines for remarks, please consult the University Council website at https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/open-forum.

The Office of the University Secretary can be contacted at ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu or 215-898-7005.

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Sorority rushes celebrate bid day at the Perelman Quadrangle in 2008.

I dropped sorority rush and I’m glad VESELY’S VISION | On-campus sororities claim they value diversity, yet I didn’t see it I’ve always been wary of places that don’t make space for me. And as a Black woman at Penn — from a Title I public school in Arizona — I didn’t think Panhellenic sororities were for me. I came into college with the assumption that sororities were for a certain type of girl, but I decided I needed to experience the process before I could actually have an opinion on the matter. I can’t decide if it’s for better or for worse, but what I saw of sororities was exactly what I expected.

Before rushing this year, people in Greek life told me that sororities lacked diversity not because they didn’t want a diverse group of women, but because underrepresented women didn’t rush. After rushing, I can say that’s simply not true. I saw many more women of color rushing the sororities than in the sororities themselves.

Ultimately, I dropped rush after a couple days with few invitations left and an expired social battery for places I didn’t see myself represented in and, truthfully, didn’t want to pay for — sororities cost upwards of $1,170 a semester in 2018, and the price has only increased in recent years.

I set out on this experience not in hopes of getting a bid, but in the hope of seeing what sororities at Penn were about, and opening myself up to an experience I never thought I would partake in. I’m not writing this to bash sororities or to sound bitter because I didn’t get invitations back to places that may or may not like me — if there’s one thing I am, it’s extremely passionate about what I stand for. There’s no way to learn everything

about a person in 15-minute conversations, and I don’t take being dropped personally in any way.

In fact, I understand why I wasn’t invited back to a majority of the houses. In one conversation, I was asked why I chose Penn.

After quickly indexing my thoughts and deciding how I wanted to present myself, I was honest and mentioned Questbridge. Matching through Questbridge — a program for lowincome, high-achieving students — is what brought me here and isn’t something I’m ashamed of. I was met with a blank stare, and after a couple milliseconds of silence, I asked her if she knew what it was. She uttered “Yea, ummm … I’ve never heard of that working out for anyone … wow.”

I don’t believe myself to be a socially awkward person, and while I wasn’t sure exactly what that response was supposed to mean, it wasn’t said in a positive tone. So much of sorority recruitment is about fit, and if you don’t fit in a place, you’re obviously not going to progress.

Another reason I decided to rush was because I truly appreciate philanthropy and wanted to see what sort of efforts sororities supported. Philanthropy is advertised as a central part of a sorority’s mission, and — as a Civic Scholar and non-profit employee — it posed as something I figured I would be able to relate to.

I found it very hard to take their philanthropy seriously when some sororities only hold one event a year. Whether it’s profits from a date night being given to

charity or a hired chef cooking the food being sold in a drive, I don’t believe that’s the true effort it takes to be considered a philanthropic organization.

That being said, any degree of service is helpful, and I don’t mean to denigrate any of that work. I’m just voicing my surprise at the methods in which it’s done — often solely in very hands-off and indirect ways.

I want all women — especially the young women of color who rush and don’t necessarily see themselves already represented in the people they’re talking to — to know that if they want to rush, they should. As silly as I think the whole ordeal was for me, I would do it again. I had so many conversations with women who were very lovely and kind, and I believe every experience makes you better.

That being said, you should know what you’re getting into. Sororities are built around a structure of exclusivity and uniformity, and unfortunately, those ideals both center around proximity to wealth and whiteness. When asked about diversity, many of the sororities to whom I talked jumped to how they have so many majors represented, or many women from different cities. While interesting, that is not exactly what I think truly encapsulates a diverse group of people, and for this to be the first thing mentioned with regards to diversity seems a little nonsensical.

I also want those women to know that not getting a bid from a sorority doesn’t define you and will not define your college experience, nor is it a reflection of your character or who you are. Over the past few days, I’ve seen

so many frantic, cold, and shaking women on the sidewalk comparing choices with their friends and uttering the occasional “Why did all the top houses drop me?” or worrying that they only have one “reputable” house left.

Seeing moments like these saddens me, as it really should be about the people that you like and not necessarily prestige — we’re all talented, smart, beautiful women, and what sorority you’re in doesn’t determine your worth. Sorority rush pits women against each other when the central purpose of womanhood is to uplift women of all backgrounds, even those that differ vastly from your own.

The rush process is extremely superficial and inherently personal: You are putting your personality, history, and interests on the line to be judged, while only answering surface level questions.

As a sophomore not in greek life, I can say I have found many lifelong girlfriends, still go out on the weekends, and my sense of self and values have only been solidified after rushing. If you don’t fit the mold many sororities require, it does not make you any less of a woman, nor does it speak to any sort of character flaws. There is so much to experience on this campus, and Greek life presents only a small sliver.

MIA VESELY is a College sophomore studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Phoenix, Ariz. Her email is mvesely@sas.upenn.edu.

To rush or not to rush?

LEXI’S TAKE | Greek life as the last independent institution on campus

JINTONG WU | DP FILE PHOTO

Columnist Lexi Boccuzzi weighs the pros and cons of Greek life on campus.

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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.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Land on which the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian stands is a part of the homeland and territory of the LenniLenape people, known to the original Indigenous people as “Lenapehoking.” We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold The Daily Pennsylvanian and the University of Pennsylvania more accountable to the needs of Native American and Indigenous people.

To rush or not to rush? This is the question for many incoming Penn underclassmen, and those who chose to participate likely have many takeaways.

As you will hear from any Kite and Key tour guide, only approximately 25% of Penn students are involved in Greek life. Though Penn often lauds this number as low, it is far higher than the national average of 10-15%.

We only have slightly less than the University of Alabama known for the infamous “‘Bama rush,” where 36% of students are in fraternities and sororities.

This statistic is evident on campus.

Whether it’s the barrage of rush-related Sidechat content or the blaring music from fraternity houses on any sunny day no matter the temperature, it’s hard to miss Penn’s greek life. While I chose not to rush, for many of my closest friends joining fraternities and sororities has been the best decision they made on campus. Unlike ‘Bama, we don’t fit the mold of traditional frat schools. We’re a relatively small private university located in a northeastern city known for our investment bankers, not our football players.

If the cards are stacked against greek life here, then why does it persist? Is it just the racist, expensive, gendered, hazing-obsessed home of parties that it is accused of being, or something more? In reality, greek life seems to offer a unique counterculture to the

University as one of the last independent organizations on campus.

While Penn does have oversight over fraternities and sororities (i.e. the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the Panhellenic Council), in practice greek chapters inherit many of their practices from national organizations. Chapters have handshakes, songs, initiation ceremonies, and recurring events that bond members to each other and alumni. As schools like Penn slip farther and farther away from traditions (can you sing the Red and Blue by heart?), greek life provides a resistance to that loss of memory. The ties to national sororities and fraternities for oncampus chapters also provide the opportunity for repercussions if conventional faux pas like dangerous hazing occur. These relationships also provide associations to charities for their philanthropic efforts and access to scholarships for brothers.

“Greek life has completely shaped my Penn experience by giving me a home base on campus that I can rely on as a support structure, friend group, and stress reliever.

Fraternities aren’t some sort of big machine, we are just big friend groups that are fortunate enough to share a network and a house. But the friendship of a fraternity will always come first for most of us,” explained one former fraternity president.

On a campus that is often accused of being

transactional, greek life uniquely fosters these types of relationships. While schools like Yale have college houses, and Princeton has eating clubs, Penn’s greek organizations are independent of the University and provide connections to a national network.

“The networking from alumni and current members is unmatched by any university offerings, career fairs, resume books, etc. The bonds formed in greek organizations serve as a great support network during hardship, your career, or any other aspect of life,” said a current fraternity social chair.

College junior Bella Corman, president of Alpha Phi, has had a particularly exceptional experience with this. She said, “Just a few months after joining my chapter, one of my sisters contacted me about a CNN producer looking for college students’ thoughts on the 2022 midterm elections because she knew I was passionate about politics. A similar scenario happened this past summer when one of my sisters working at News Nation needed a college student to debate the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings.”

These experiences are consistent with national polling which shows that greekaffiliated students are more likely to have jobs postgraduation than their non-greek counterparts. While it’s hard to identify direct causation, greek life certainly offers professional networks. The same data also showed that participation in a fraternity or sorority was more correlated with measures of well-being than even attendance at an Ivy League school.

Greek life is not without its flaws. After all, I have been famously critical of hook-up culture on Penn’s campus, including how it often leads to increased rates of sexual assault.

While “Abolish Greek Life To Abolish College Rape Culture” is a common rallying cry, it seems quite naive. These proposals ignore the vetting mechanism and liability concerns that fraternities provide which can serve to insulate them from harboring sexual assailants. Greek life has also historically served as a good opportunity to meet potential partners, which is becoming harder and less common at Penn.

“Greek organizations are in the business of status. The perpetuation of any sort of sexual violence by a member of a greek organization would undoubtedly damage the status of that group beyond repair. This truth has led to every fraternity rigorously vetting the type of man they bid as it pertains to the safety of women,” said a former fraternity president.

Sororities also have prevention measures through risk managers who ensure the safety and comfort of sisters. “We develop a wellprepared and educated community through our educational process and health, wellness, and accountability protocols. These efforts not only benefit members during college but also for real-world scenarios,” explained a current sorority president.

While greek party culture is often called exclusionary, fraternity events provide an opportunity for many people of various grades and walks of life to come together on campus.

Without them, bars are limited to those who are over 21, house parties make cross-campus mixing difficult because of space and inviteonly events, and societies can often be even more restrictive. Therefore, for those of us who choose not to engage in greek life, the social role that it plays on campus can still benefit our experiences.

When considering whether to rush or not to rush, make the decision that is best for you.

In truth, as has been suggested in a recent column, greek life and its process is not the most diverse and can be superficial. I chose not to rush because I knew that in many ways, ideological and otherwise, I was not a good fit for Penn sororities. However, we should be careful not to fall into the trap of traditional misconceptions about fraternities and sororities. For every criticism you have of Penn, be thankful for the greek organizations that can provide a competing culture to the norms on the rest of campus.

LEXI BOCCUZZI is a College senior studying philosophy, politics, and economics from Stamford, Conn. Her email is boccuzzi@thedp.com.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION 5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

The hate I felt on campus GUEST COLUMN | Being reminded of hate by way of a grin I believe that every person should be treasured.

That every soul bears some semblance to mine. I’d like to think that these beliefs have carried me far in life. But I remember one day eight years ago, during an interaction with a prominent member of Penn’s community, these convictions led me astray. It is not that I doubt their truth. But through my encounter with this person, I learned that not all people wish to live their lives abiding by such beliefs.

The wounds of this lesson linger within me, even now, thousands of days later. And I was reminded yet again of that very same lesson through a photo of that very same person, still a prominent member of Penn’s community. The photo was taken a few weeks ago, when several dozen Penn community members, funded by multiple Penn-affiliated sponsors, including Penn Hillel, met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Among the many faces in that photo that gleamed — for better or for worse — without shame is the face of this person responsible for this lesson.

By sharing my interaction with them, I do not wish to cause them harm. I specifically do not identify them out of respect for their privacy. By sharing this story, I do not wish to detract attention from other incidents of hate on campus, including the very real danger of antisemitism at Penn.

I do not want this piece to speak over other voices of those who have experienced hate or prejudice, physical intimidation, explicit Islamophobia, or spray-painted swastikas. I share my story to bind

our struggles and to intertwine our hopes.

I want the story of the hate I felt on campus to coexist with the stories of others who have felt hate on campus, so that we are each reminded by way of each other’s pain that our stories, and indeed our souls, bear great semblance to each other.

During the week of March 21, 2016, I was on Locust Walk when I approached a table near the Compass. Several people were at the table, including some small children and the person I identified above. The children were handing out small, triangle-shaped cookies in commemoration of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Admittedly, I was a bit hungry (and, regrettably, I do have a bit of a sweet tooth), so I approached this person and struck up a conversation with them in the hopes that the children would give me a cookie or two.

The first few minutes of the interaction were nothing short of cordial. My curiosity about the Jewish holiday of Purim, coupled with this person’s receptivity to my questions and their passion about their heritage, made for riveting discussion.

The children handed me a cookie and then later started playing a game of tag. I had learned from this person that the cookie represents a pocket (or to some, an ear) and that the holiday is a commemoration of the saving of the Jewish people from a sinister scheme. I was most moved in that the origins of this holiday trace back to more than 2,500 years ago. Its continued commemoration speaks to the resilience of the Jewish people and

is a beautiful affirmation of Jewish peoplehood.

This person then asked me where I was from. I told him that I am an American immigrant, a Palestinian Christian born in Jordan and who came to the U.S. at a young age.

“You’re not from Palestine. You mean you’re from Jordan,” they retorted.

Brushing aside this remark as a simple misunderstanding, I corrected them that, though I was born in Jordan, I am not just Jordanian. I identify by blood, and indeed by spirit, as a Palestinian.

And my family comes from Palestine.

“No,” they stated curtly. “Palestine does not exist.”

I had felt hate on our campus. This person no longer sought to deepen our nascent connection but instead to deny my identity outright. Their spiteful words lodged themselves like a boastful dagger into my soul. I looked back at the children, who were now shepherding squirrels. I recall how I envied that their innocence persisted so stubbornly, and yet so proximately, to where mine had been shattered into many tender pieces. I glanced back at this person, whose grin was just as derisive then as it is in their golden photo op. I returned the treat and walked away in sadness, dwelling on a newly discovered pain.

“And yet it does,” I uttered under my breath.

I am older now. A few tears wiser. A few more shades less naïve. I know that this encounter was by no means an atrocity. It did not render Penn uninhabitable. Worse things have happened on

ISA MERRIAM | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Guest columnist Omar Khoury reflects on the discrimination he faced during his time at Penn.

campus. What makes this parable worth sharing now, nearly three thousand days later, is that this person is still a prominent member of Penn’s community. This person still commands the respect of Penn as an institution by representing it on a faculty trip to Israel. In this photo, I see Penn outwardly championing this person, who blatantly showed me, a Palestinian-American first-year, their hate by denying my identity. I see Penn affirming that same hate in being represented by this same person standing alongside Mr. Herzog.

Last month, for better or for worse, our president resigned after a historically short-lived tenure, buckling under immense donor pressure that cited her inadequate response to antisemitism at Penn and the egregious crime of permitting a Palestinian literature festival to congregate on campus. Following her resignation, Penn’s administration pledged to confront and condemn all forms of hate, with Interim Penn President Jameson recently stating that “hate has no home at Penn.”

Hate should have no home with those who represent Penn, too. Any good-willed member of the Penn community would agree. It is loyalty to my alma mater that informs my decision to revisit this memory and to publish this account of the hate I felt on our campus.

The only thing that saddens me is the misgiving I have that, ultimately, my story will not matter.

Indeed, I do not expect Penn to issue a strongly worded statement distancing itself from this throng of Penn representatives that stood so openly — who grinned so fervently — next to a person who professed that an “entire nation …is responsible” for the heinous terror attacks of Oct. 7. It will instead honorably decline to comment. I do not believe that Penn will reevaluate its relationship with Mr. Herzog following his statements that deny the existence of a legal distinction between civilians and combatants. I am not so naïve.

And neither do I want Penn to condemn that Mr. Herzog personally signed the bombs that have in turn leveled entire neighborhoods in Gaza, that have mercilessly uprooted the unoffending dead from their unavailing graves, and that have sent well before their time a great many more people to join them in their rotting atop of the Earth. For I know that to take such a stand is expensive, and I want Penn’s $21 billion endowment to grow.

But I do wish for Penn to listen to this story because I feel, for better or for worse, that this photo deserves to be met with more outrage. I feel it wrong that an esteemed member of our community still represents Penn at its highest echelons when they violated, through a hate that I, Omar Saeb Khoury, felt on our campus, one of its most solemn principles: not to give hate a home.

By quoting the Jewish readings of Pirkei Avot, I want Penn to hear this story because it must know that, in its noble mission to eradicate hate on campus, it is “not obligated to complete the work, but neither is it free to desist from it.” And neither is it free to decline to comment about it.

May my story — and the many others like it — orient Penn in relation to the needful steps to be taken. May my story — and the many others like it — affirm that hate has no place at Penn, neither on campus or nor its behalf.

OMAR KHOURY is a 2023 Penn Carey Law graduate and 2019 College graduate in Modern Middle Eastern Studies and English.

His email address is okhoury@sas.upenn.edu.

Our faculty’s visit to a changed Israel GUEST COLUMN | Describing my visit to Israel after Oct. 7 When I arrived in Israel two months after Oct. 7, I met a different country, a changed people.

Something of the native Israeli arrogance, cynicism, and semi-indifference to the surrounding, the self-confidence, and sense of superiority, had disappeared. They were replaced by a craving for closeness, a desire for a hug, a kind of heartwrenching despair. Moreover, these desires and cravings were expressed with surprising directness. The people whom we met showered us with warmth and affection, for we came from far away to be with them in their time of pain, even for a few days.

We were some 30 professors from the, as of late, infamous University of Pennsylvania. 30 professors who organized privately, whose disciplines spanned the natural sciences, medicine, law, and humanities. All of us were American Jews, except for one Christian of German origin, and three (including me) who are originally Israeli.

What unified us all was the sense that the time had come to declare our love for Israel and offer help not only from a distance but rather with a concrete visit, touching body to body, with one’s tears mixing with those on the cheeks of others. We had no idea to what extent we were wanted; how thrilled and grateful they would be that we came.

At the outset, we were received at the president of Israel’s residence by the president and his wife.

He tried to warn us a bit: “You will see a bleeding country,” he said. We did not truly understand this yet, however, and smiled in the group photo. But the weight became heavier as we moved from site to site, from one encounter to another.

A mother of one of the hostages made our souls tremble: Thin, almost transparent, she stood erect and described the wounded young man for whose fate she was anxious. The director of Hadassah Hospital told us of his gratitude to hundreds of dentists who volunteered night after night to identify those who were burnt without leaving a trace of DNA. A commando unit’s doctor predicted that: “if Israel stopped fighting now, the horror

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A rally calling for the release of Israeli hostages was held in front of Penn Hillel on Oct. 20, 2023.

could all repeat itself within a few months to a year.” In Kfar Aza, we bumped into the brother of one of the hostages who was mistakenly killed by friendly fire. He confessed that he was a walking dead. “You think you see a man who is alive, but no.” He roamed the neighborhood where they used to drop by each other’s places for coffee, which is now strewn with the skeletons of burnt cars instead. And under the orange trees lie bright orange fruits, rotting, for there is no one to pick them.

Our hearts were broken to pieces by the story of a father of a family who survived the Be’eri massacre. His leg was amputated, hospitalized in rehab at Sheba Medical Center, he spoke to us: “I could not understand why my roommate at the

hospital thanked God. What was he thankful for?

And then it dawned on me,” he continued, “I thank [God] for the 32 years I had the privilege to live with my wife before she was murdered, and the 15 years I spent with my son before I buried him with his surfboard as he requested.”

In Tel Aviv, the piano played at what is now referred to as “Hostage Square” while its owner is captured by Hamas in Gaza and his mother pleads with us and with anyone who might, perhaps, with some miracle, bring back her son, the pianist. And I did not even mention those of high rank, presidents of universities and academies, former ambassadors, admired hospital directors, prize laureate scholars, and decorated officers

who made time to talk to us, to thank us from the bottom of their hearts, and tell us that history will not forget those who stood by Israel’s side when she bled. And although they did not say it, we heard how, without words, their voices echoed the deep loneliness, the burden of everyday existence in an alien universe that rejects this country, a different country already, but still beloved by many.

NILI GOLD is a professor of modern Hebrew literature in the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department. Her email is niligold@sas.upenn.edu.

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ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Penn Hillel, the Jewish campus organization, is located in Steinhardt Hall.

Penn’s antisemitism task force chair shares updates, plans for next semester The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Morton Amsterdam Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Mark Wolff, who said that the task force was working to find consensus despite “massive” differences in opinion ELLA SOHN Senior Reporter

Penn’s task force on antisemitism is continuing with its work despite the resignations of former President Liz Magill and Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok. The task force — which was formed in November 2023 to provide feedback and policy solutions to combat antisemitism — has been meeting consistently under the leadership of Morton Amsterdam Dean of the School of Dental Medicine Mark Wolff. As the task force takes its work into the spring semester, The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Wolff to provide an inside look at the group’s meetings so far and its plans to impact the campus community under the direction of Interim President Larry Jameson.

The leadership transition Magill launched the task force on Nov. 1 of last year as part of a University-wide action plan to combat

antisemitism. The announcement came amid escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, and criticism from donors and alumni over the University administration’s response to the Palestine Writes Literature festival.

The group held its first meeting on Nov. 16, according to Wolff. The next day, Magill publicly named the full membership of the task force, which includes seven faculty representatives, two student representatives, and six staff, alumni, and Trustee representatives.

Wolff said that the task force has assembled seven times in person since Nov. 16, with some meetings lasting as long as three hours. In the days surrounding the task force’s inception, he met with Magill “several times” to determine what the group’s objectives would be.

He acknowledged the rapid chain of events involving Magill that followed Thanksgiving break, including

the former president’s testimony before Congress about antisemitism on college campuses. Wolff said that he continued communicating regularly with Magill about the task force’s status throughout that period.

Jameson was named interim president shortly after Magill resigned on Dec. 9. While Magill’s original announcement charged the group with providing an interim update to the president by Feb. 15, on the day of his appointment, Jameson directed the task force to accelerate its work to a date earlier than previously anticipated, according to Wolff.

“President Jameson is calling for us to work rapidly and decisively, and publicly talk to our community about what we’re doing and what we can do,” Wolff said.

After the fall semester ended, the task force continued working over winter break and held three meetings before classes started on Jan. 18.

The task force’s areas of focus Though the group broadly seeks to address antisemitism on campus, members are divided into subgroups that have been working independently on topics related to its central goal.

One area of focus is studying how other U.S. universities are approaching antisemitism on campus. Wolff pointed to resources developed by Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the University of California, Berkeley, among others, as examples of the types of programs the task force is examining.

Another working group is focused on the University’s bias reporting system. The current form on Penn’s diversity webpage allows individuals to report incidents such as discrimination, harassment, and property damage caused by some form of bias. The fourteen listed bases of incidents on the form include antisemitism, citizenship status, and Islamophobia.

Wolff said that part of the task force’s work will be explaining the “restorative and investigative practices” that ensure all community members feel comfortable following an incident of bias.

The working group aims to develop a system to ensure that those who feel unsafe due to their Arab, Palestinian, Muslim, or Jewish identities can report the incident in question, seek protection, and expect an investigation of the complaint.

Wolff also highlighted a working group focused on developing key questions for listening sessions with the Penn community. These sessions will begin shortly, inviting students, faculty, and staff from across all schools to share their concerns related to antisemitism.

Another group is developing educational programming on the history and nature of antisemitism, as well as the importance of civil discussion.

The task force has no disciplinary function, Wolff said. Rather, the group will make recommendations to the University president with strategies for educating the campus community and advancing civil discourse.

Concerns about other forms of hate When Magill launched the University’s action plan,

NEWS 7 she also announced a presidential commission to address “the interconnectedness of antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate, discrimination, and bias” on campus. The group, chaired by two Penn deans Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Vijay Kumar and Dean of the Graduate School of Education Katharine Strunk, now reports to Jameson and announced its members on Jan. 17.

The announcement of the action plan initially drew mixed reactions from the Penn community. Some students said that they appreciated Magill’s recognition of the concerns of the Muslim community, while others questioned whether the University was doing enough to support either Jewish or Palestinian students on campus.

On Jan. 17, a group of Penn faculty announced the formation of Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine, a group to stand in solidarity with Palestinians — and critiqued the administration’s structuring of the two groups.

In a statement published by the DP, PFJP wrote that it was “deeply concerned with the inequality that structures” the administration’s creation of two separate groups, referring to the antisemitism task force and presidential commission. PFJP specifically pointed to the phrasing of the commission’s goal.

Wolff, who sits as an ex-officio member on the presidential commission, said that he attends all of the commission’s meetings. He added that Kumar and Strunk are also present at the meetings of the antisemitism task force as part of coordinating the work of the two groups.

“There’s no way we’re going to do something that will alienate a Muslim or an Arab community in an effort to deal with an antisemitism issue,” Wolff said. “We look to holistically affect our campus.”

An ongoing process The antisemitism task force consists of 20 community members across several schools and centers. Wolff said there are “massive” differences in opinion within the task force, given the complexity of the topic — yet said that all members are committed to reaching a common agreement on the recommendations to make to Jameson.

“These are thoughtful people, everybody does have an opinion, and we’re trying not to let our opinions be the narrative,” Wolff said. “It’s more important that we are able to find consensus in how we can speak and help the campus.”

The task force was originally tasked with submitting a final report by May 17, with the goal of recommending policies that could take effect the next academic year.

Looking ahead, Wolff said that the timeline may depend on whether the Penn president deems it necessary for the task force to continue its work.

He added that the group aims to make a long-term impact on campus to make Jewish community members more comfortable at Penn and facilitating discussion between groups that may not “see eye-to-eye.”

“I think that you’ll see the output of the antisemitism task force last for years,” Wolff said.

MICHELLE GONG | DP FILE PHOTO

From May 2024 to Aug. 2025, McClelland will be closed for renovations. Dining and package lockers will be relocated.

McClelland Sushi & Market to relocate next academic year due to Quad renovations While the new location will not change the dining hall’s current menu, the market will no longer be available EMILY PARK Staff Reporter

McClelland Sushi & Market will relocate from its current location in the Quad during the second phase of Quad renovations.

The Quad is expected to undergo the next phase of renovations between May 2024 and August 2025, receiving new windows, lighting, flooring, and furniture as well as new music practice rooms, an updated seminar room, and an updated fitness center. During these months, McClelland will move from its current position in the Quad to 3724 Spruce Street — near the current location of Wawa.

“We know how popular McClelland Sushi & Market is and we felt we needed to continue to provide this café service to the students on the meal plan,” Director of Business Services Pamela Lampitt told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Lampitt added that, while the new location will not change the dining hall’s current menu, the market will no longer be available. It will continue to offer sushi, rice bowls, and beverages.

“There won’t be any other additional food items or anything of that sort of nature being sold there, because it’s [a] very limited space,” Lampitt said.

The new location will also make ingredient delivery for the bowls and sushi easier, as the café will be able to access the loading dock at Stouffer College House.

Lampitt said that it is currently unclear whether McClelland’s hours of operation will change in the new location, but that Penn Business Services is aiming to keep the hours as close to normal as possible.

Students shared mixed opinions about the

relocation.

Wharton first year Jessica Rosales, who currently lives in the Quad, said that the relocation would help mitigate the crowds going to class.

“I personally think it would be better for foot traffic because trying to get into the Quad after class is almost impossible,” Rosales said. “It’ll be more convenient for upperclassmen to get to McClelland because now they don’t actually have to go in the Quad.”

In contrast, College first year Alan Ying — also living in the Quad — described the move as a “shame” because of the new location’s relative inaccessibility. “[McClelland] is the only dining place in the Quad, and I’ve relied on it a lot whenever I needed to grab something quick to eat or to just sit down and hang out with my friends,” Ying said.

College first year Zara Baig, who lives in Stouffer College House, similarly said that the relocation would be “inconvenient for Quad people,” but recognized that it may be beneficial for students living in other locations.”

“It might be more convenient for people who don’t live in Stouffer or Quad,” Baig said. “That being said, it would make finding time to eat between classes a little harder for me.”

Despite the change in location, McClelland will still only be available to students on a dining plan, as students will need a PennCard to gain access to the café.

This past summer, initial window, roof, and masonry repair work was completed on the McClelland building, and will be continued as part of the Quad renovations.

ABHIRAM JUVVADI | PHOTO EDITOR

Three new restaurants are set to open in University City: Asad’s Hot Chicken, Amina Ocean Restaurant, and Masala Kitchen.

From hot chicken to Southern seafood, University City to welcome three new restaurants Federal Donuts and Chicken also recently announced that they would be relocating their University City location STEVEN LI Staff Reporter

Three new restaurants recently announced plans to enter the University City food scene within the coming months — and one announced an upcoming relocation.

Asad’s Hot Chicken — which has hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views on TikTok — will be opening a new location at 40th and Market streets. Asad’s Hot Chicken already has several locations in the Philadelphia area — with locations at 7300 Roosevelt Boulevard, 2327 Cottman Ave., and 2568 Knights Rd. Asad’s Hot Chicken specializes in halal chicken sandwiches, smoothies, fries, coleslaw, sliders, tenders, and loaded fries. In response to a request for comment, restaurant administrator Nicolle Moscol told The Daily Pennsylvanian to “stay tuned” with respect to the location’s opening date and that the restaurant plans on providing a combo meal free to customers on its opening day.

Amina Ocean Restaurant will also be joining the University food scene by opening a location at

41st and Market streets. Amina will be a “Southern seafood” restaurant with nearly 100 seats and a 20-seat raw bar at the center.

Amina currently operates a Southern restaurant at First and Chestnut streets. The new University City location will become the anchor retail tenant at 3.0 University Place, a commercial lab and office building operated by University Place Associates, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Masala Kitchen will also be opening a University City location near 34th and Sansom streets in spring 2024. Masala Kitchen — which already operates locations in Midtown Village and Rittenhouse Square — will serve their signature Kati rolls, platters, and fast-casual Indian cuisine.

Federal Donuts and Chicken also recently announced that they will be relocating their University City location — also found near 34th and Sansom streets. Federal Donuts plans on relocating to a larger University City location with accessibility to Penn and Drexel students, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

JON WONG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior guard Clark Slajchert cheers from the sideline against Harvard on Jan. 20.

Milgrim | Penn men’s basketball awaits the return of ‘very helpful’ Clark Slajchert, but can he alone drive a turnaround?

While the Quakers miss their leading scorer, there are issues outside of his absence LUCAS MILGRIM Deputy Sports Editor

For Release Friday, January 19, 2024

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guard Sam Brown has been a revelation from deep with a 44.2% clip from beyond, but the efficiency and volume from Slajchert have been sorely missed.

“It’s a lot of new experiences for [freshmen guards] Tyler [Perkins] and Sam [Brown] …

Clark has been through this,” Donahue said.

“I think that’s when Clark has been missed the most, we don’t settle when shots aren’t falling.”

While the three-point problem and the leadership void could be solved in part by Slajchert’s return, which Donahue still provides no timeline on, there are some issues he may not be able to address. The Harvard loss exposed three other major holes for the Red and Blue, and Slajchert alone cannot be relied on to turn the tide for these.

Pace of play One stark difference between the Penn and Harvard game play was in the time it took to get their shots off. The Crimson let it rain early and often, with shots frequently coming with more than half the shot clock available. The Quakers, on the other hand, were using most of their 30second shot clock on nearly every possession.

While taking ill-advised shots the moment the ball crosses half court will only lead to further troubles, Penn’s sluggish play (especially against high-octane offenses like those of Harvard and Cornell) has proven to leave them at a disadvantage, needing to force tough shots to avoid turning it over.

Paint penetration Especially throughout the first half, the cause

of the Red and Blue playing slower than the average grandmother was their lack of penetration.

Brown, Perkins, and others spent precious seconds swinging the ball around the perimeter for much of their possessions. Dribble drives were few and far between, and when the ball was thrown inside to junior forward Nick Spinoso, he did precious little against Harvard’s Chisom Okpara. Slajchert has his share of rim-runs, but adding another perimeter-focused player won’t be enough to change the Quakers’ struggles at the rim.

Big man defense Spinoso is a formidable threat offensively, with a point-forward skillset that makes him a reliable ball handler in the half-court. However, in a conference laden with elite big men, such as Harvard’s Okpara, Princeton’s Caden Pierce, and Yale’s Danny Wolf, the Port Washington native’s inability to lock down the interior on his own means trouble going forward. In years past, the Quakers turned to former forward Max LorcaLloyd to stymie opposing bigs, but with him gone and graduated, Spinoso has struggled. Slajchert, listed at a lanky 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, is unlikely to be a difference-maker in paint protection when he returns.

The Ivy League gauntlet won’t get any easier for the Red and Blue, with another date in Cambridge, along with two games each against Princeton and Yale, the current conference leaders. The Quakers have a long way to go before becoming a threat to win — or make — Ivy Madness and potentially earn a tournament bid come March, with or without Slajchert.

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Penn men’s basketball’s loss to Harvard ex- Steve Donahue said. “Everyone knows each other posed myriad issues for the Red and Blue, many of well … sometimes you got to get punched in the which their leading scorer may not be able to fix. mouth, just understand how to go about your apWhen senior guard Clark Slajchert went down proach to the next game, and learn … we’re going in a marquee matchup against current No. 5 Hous- to do that … [but] when it’s like this in a league ton after playing just six minutes, it seemed that game, with someone who’s playing as well as he his injury, while unideal, came at the best possible has obviously would have been very helpful.” time. With a nonconference game against No. 13 Offensively, the Quakers’ scoring numbers Auburn waiting in the wings before starting Ivy have taken a significant hit without Slajchert. In League play, Slajchert would have a week to heal their last five games, beginning with the loss in up before the Ancient Eight opener against Dart- Houston, Penn is averaging a putrid 62.2 points mouth. per game, down from their 80.9 over their first 13.

But as it stands three weeks after the injury, Bringing back a 17.4 point-per-game scorer should Penn (9-9) remains without their top scorer and provide significant help in that category, as should ball handler, and sits in fifth in the Ivy League the senior’s presence from beyond the arc. with a conference record of 1-2. The season is far In Saturday’s loss against the Crimson, the The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation from over, but as the great Yogi once said, it Quakers shot 6-29 from three, compared to HarThe Berra New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 620For Eighth Avenue,Call: New York, 11-27 N.Y. 10018 gets late early out there. vard’s performance. Louis Lesmond led the Information 1-800-972-3550 ForRelease Information Call: way 1-800-972-3550 For Thursday, January 25, Crimson 2024 “This league is really about toughness,” coach for the with five triples. Freshman

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SPORTS 9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

ANNA VAZHAEPARAMBIL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Former Quaker Joey Slackman during last season’s matchup against Columbia on Oct. 14, 2023.

Penn football’s Joey Slackman earns Academic All-American honors, bolstering NFL hopes Slackman becomes the sixth Quaker and the first since 1999 to earn such honors as his focus turns toward next year’s NFL draft VIVIAN YAO Sports Editor

Most collegiate football players dream of one day making the NFL. Sadly, a large number of those dreams never come to fruition. In fact, only 1.6% of NCAA football players will ever play at the professional level.

The NFL Draft is one of the most highly anticipated events for an aspiring professional player — next year’s draft is slated to be held in and around Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. In a three-day affair that will see over 260 college players watch their professional dreams come true, former Penn Quaker and now Florida Gator defensive lineman Joey Slackman has his eyes set on being the first Quaker to be drafted since Justin Watson was selected in the fifth round in 2018.

Slackman’s confidence isn’t unwarranted. His senior season representing the Red and Blue was one for the history books. After registering a team high 12.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, 50 total tackles, and a blocked field goal, Slackman was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the 10th Quaker, and the first since 2015, to receive the Asa S. Bushnell Cup — an accomplishment that Justin Watson was unable to achieve in 2017 when he was a finalist.

Most recently, Slackman added another accolade to his already extensive resume. Slackman was recently named a second-team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators

due to his successful performances in both the classroom and on the field. With the recognition, Slackman became just the sixth Quaker to earn such honors, and the first in over two decades.

The last football student-athlete to earn Academic All-American honors was Mike Germino in 1999.

For a sport that is as time-intensive as football is, being able to come out on top both on the field and in the classroom is a hard-to-achieve feat. To do so, it requires the utmost discipline from the athlete. Slackman, who studied political science in the College of Arts and Sciences, figured out very early on that if he wanted to have the best of both worlds, he would have to really commit to both.

“I had to learn pretty early on in my career at Penn that time management was a really important thing,” said Slackman. “The rigors of the academics forced me to learn those tactics and learn how to budget my time properly. A lot of people have the notion that, you know, coming or playing football or playing any sport in the Ivy League, kind of means that you can’t reach your full potential, but I tried to defy the odds. I felt like I did that … just taking care of school as much as I took care of my athletics.”

Unfortunately for Penn, Ivy League protocols prevented Slackman from coming back for a fifth year. After a breakout senior season that saw him

being ranked as the third-best interior defensive lineman in all of college football, Slackman’s options for his last chance to bolster his draft stock were never ending. Among his suitors were Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Missouri, Louisville, Arizona, and Southern California. When the dust settled though, Slackman announced his transfer to Florida.

“Players coming from Ivy League usually don’t get recruited as highly as I ended up being,” said Slackman. “It was a childhood dream come true to … decide where I wanted to go to play [for] my last year of eligibility and I’m excited that I ended up in Florida.”

This influx of success wasn’t always expected though. Slackman began his collegiate athletic career not on the gridiron but on the mats as a wrestler.

Despite growing up playing football, Slackman decided in his junior year of high school that wrestling provided him with better opportunities at the collegiate level. One of his major considerations in the decision process was the quality of the college’s academics. The early interest in academics foreshadowed his commitment to the classroom as his collegiate career progressed.

After finding initial success on the mats that included positing a 14-4 major decision in a dual meet against then-No. 1 Penn State, Slackman would end up missing most of his freshman season

due to injury. When the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on all athletic events, it gave Slackman the chance to reevaluate what direction he wanted to take his athletic career. Football had been his first love, and at the end of the day, Slackman was more than ready to take his talents back to the gridiron.

“Transitioning back to a sport that I hadn’t played for almost three years to that point was was definitely hard, but I had the background,” Slackman reflected. “I obviously understood the game. And I knew that I had potential that I hadn’t reached yet. [W]as it difficult? Yes. But I was up for the challenge. And I feel like I’m making the most of it.”

Slackman is now currently in Florida, training with the Gators. His focus has turned toward this upcoming season and how he can best prepare himself for the NFL draft process next year. Although he is working to maximize his potential as an athlete, making sure he takes care of his academics is also something that Slackman will be prioritizing.

“My parents always said growing up that they wanted me to strive to achieve everything I wanted to when it came to athletics [and] my academics,” Slackman said. “But that being said, I do really care about football. It’s my main focus right now … and I believe that I will make it. I just have to put my mind and body to it and I think this time next year, I’ll be given my shot.”

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SPORTS

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

VOL. CXL

NO. 2

Spinning Winning and

WEINING DING | SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR

After early-season dominance, Penn gymnastics has sights set on history No Penn team has ever made regionals before, but this year’s Quakers are looking to change that KAYLI MANN Sports Reporter

Undeniable.

That is Penn gymnastics coach Kirsten Becker’s goal for this season. With dreams of qualifying for regionals and early-season scores to back it up, Becker says her approach to the season was to be aggressive from the start, highlighting the undeniable talent of this team.

“We wanted to have an open space to make mistakes and figure out your competition mindset early,” she said.

“Go for your best and we’ll figure it out.”

And figure it out they have: Penn is the only team in the Gymnastics East Conference to score over a 194 so far this season, with two consecutive meets of 195+, which both rank top 10 in program history. Penn has already beaten three teams that have previously qualified for regionals in Temple, George Washington, and West Virginia. In week two, the Red and Blue’s 195.375 was the 36th-best score in the country — the exact cutoff needed for a spot at regionals last year.

Last week, the decisive victory over West Virginia — the first win over WVU in the team’s history and its first-ever win over any Big 12 team — confirmed to the

Penn women’s track and field’s Bella Whittaker breaks records to start the season Whittaker started her senior season off strong, setting two Ivy League records in the 400 and 500 meter races NEEMA BADDAM Sports Reporter

Penn women’s track and field senior Bella Whittaker left her competition — past and present — in the dust over the past two weekends, when she clocked in not one, but two Ivy League records in the 400 and 500 meter races.

At the Wesley A. Brown Invitational hosted at Navy last Saturday, Whittaker’s personal record of 1:10.12 led a 1-2-3 sweep by the Red and Blue, with junior Jocelyn Niemiec and senior Aliya Garozzo also setting PRs and taking second and third, respectively. The Quakers finished with first-place finishes across five women’s events. At the Penn 10-Team Select on Staten Island on Jan. 13, Whittaker’s 400-meter time of 52.96 seconds set the Ocean Breeze Complex and program records, tied the Ivy League’s indoor record, and is currently the SEND STORY IDEAS TO DPSPORTS@THEDP.COM

world that Penn is coming. For The Daily Pennsylvanian Player of the Week and the meet’s winner on bars and beam, sophomore Skye Kerico, it was just the beginning.

“I think we did well and have room for improvement,” said Kerico. She said the team was focused on “[k]eeping the energy, keeping those scores up, not counting misses, and gaining confidence.”

Kerico began the 2023 season in the all-around, but had to step back after a midseason ankle injury. Last week, she competed in three events and is currently training floor. She hopes to be back in the all-around soon, but says her goal for the rest of the season is to stay healthy. “[I want to] compete all-around and continue to do this for two more years.”

Becker said she is feeling good about where the team is heading. This season, the team is competing at a higher level than ever before, with two double weekends to maximize its National Qualifying Score. The National Qualifying Score, or NQS, is calculated by using the top six scores from a team, at least three of which must be away meets, dropping the top score and second-fastest time in the NCAA this year.

Coming off of a strong fall training block, Whittaker said she had an idea based off of practice where she was, but she hadn’t realized her fitness was as good as it turned out to be.

“Leading up to the season, I had written down a bunch of goals for myself, and Ivy League and school records were on there,” she said. “So, I definitely had my eye on it, but I just didn’t know it would happen this quickly. The puzzle pieces and everything are kind of coming together, technique wise.”

Whittaker told The Daily Pennsylvanian that she was late to the sport as she grew up as a competitive swimmer, which might come as a shock given her long list of track accolades, including coming off of a back stress fracture to win the 400 meter at the Ivy Heptagonal Indoor Track & Field Championships her sophomore year and an appearance in the Olympic Trials her freshman year.

She first added track to the mix during her freshman year of high school. By the time she reached her junior year, track and field had eclipsed swimming as her main sport, so she dropped the latter to focus on running.

“I was moreso just showing up to track meets with the swimming training at the beginning, which fitness-wise actually was very complementary,” she said. “But I decided to quit swimming to put all my energy into track and and be there a hundred percent because I knew I wanted to run in college.”

She said Penn “ticked all the boxes” for her: people she vibed with, a competitive team, and a program on the rise.

Associate head women’s track and field coach Chene Townsend commended the competitive energy and positive force Whittaker brought to the group.

“She’s always trying to figure out how she can be a better version or the best version of herself individually, on and off the track,” she said. “ I think that’s what helps her to be so connected or keep trying to get even more connected with some of the people on the team.”

When asked about the strengths that played into her record-breaking performances, Whittaker said she has learned to put in the work from being an individual sport athlete for most of her life.

averaging the remaining five. The teams with the top 36 NQS make regionals.

“We’re shooting for top 36,” Becker said. “No Penn team has done that and we’re capable of it. The last two wins have made that goal a little more realistic to them, beating three teams that have gone to regionals. Just because the program has never gone before doesn’t mean this team can’t do it.”

Last season, the Quakers were champions of the GEC for the second straight season but fell short of the regional cutoff.

What is the secret that makes this team so special?

Coach Becker thinks that the relationship between the athletes and coaches is different. “I feel like this team is the first team that has only had [coaches] Casey [Zacot], Cassie [Hageman], and I,” she said, “[so there’s] less transition. They know what to expect out of us and we know what to expect from them … and recruiting builds relationships before [they] even get here.” Skye says she enjoys the “youthful energy” the freshmen bring.

After graduating just five seniors, Penn’s exceptional

young talent was poised to take the next step toward elevating the program to new heights. Up until now, that has come to fruition, but there is still more work to be done.

“I want our team to be undeniable,” said Coach Becker. “There can be a perception of Ivy gymnastics having lower scores, but I don’t want our team to have any excuses … and the gymnasts are realizing the goal [of reaching regionals] is achievable.”

As for the rest of the season, Coach Becker is looking forward to hosting the Ivy Championships on Feb. 24. Despite dominating the Gymnastics East Conference, Penn hasn’t won the Ivy Championships since 2020.

Is this the year that changes? Coach Becker certainly thinks so. In the meantime, the team is “focusing on the details” ahead of Sunday’s meet at Yale.

“Last week was one step … we all left the meet thinking we all have more to give. We have a 196 in our future and hopefully multiple of those.”

Coach Becker is right: Even at such an early point in the season, Penn is undeniable.

SAMANTHA TURNER | DP FILE PHOTO

Senior Bella Whittaker runs in the Penn Challenge on March 19, 2022.

“Over the years, I’ve really tackled the mental aspect of the sport, and how anxiety can really have physical effects on the body in performance,” she said. “There was a time when I was really struggling with that piece and the mental aspect coming back from injury, and I really put in the work to try to figure out the things that work for me.”

A few of her staples include meditation right before race days and journaling the night before.

Townsend also attributed much of Whittaker’s recent success to her confidence.

“Her confidence is something that she kind of lost due to some adversity that she had previous to this season,” she said. “So, it’s nice to see that back, and I think that’s been super helpful for her in terms of trusting herself and knowing that she’s put the work in.”

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She added that they had not intended to break records going into the past two meets and were instead focused on execution of races.

Whittaker echoed the sentiment and stated that her biggest goal for the rest of the indoor season is to make indoor nationals.

“It’s hard because the entire emphasis is on the time I run,” she said. “I’m trying to think of it more in terms of the execution and having fun and just enjoying the competition. And then I think the time will come, because that’s what I’ve done so far, and the times have come.”

Townsend agreed that Whittaker’s best this season is certainly yet to come, both indoor and outdoor.

Looking even farther into the future, Whittaker is excited for the Olympic Trials and is currently undergoing the recruitment process again for her fifth and final year.

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