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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 14

Van Pelt Library closed for fourth day as flood clean up continues Students expressed frustration since the library first closed on Monday JARED MITOVICH AND SOPHIA LIU Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter

In response to multiple requests for comment, DPS wrote that they do not comment on personnel matters. The DP attempted to contact McCoy through her DPS email and LinkedIn but was unable to reach her for comment.

Van Pelt Library will remain closed for a fourth day on Thursday as the building continues to recover from flooding and a power outage. The library first closed on Monday due to a "serious" failure of a chilled water pump that flooded the library's basement mechanical room in the morning, Executive Director of Operations & Maintenance Faramarz Vakili wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian on Tuesday. The presence of water damaged some of the electrical gear that Van Pelt and two other buildings use for electricity, causing a power outage, Vakili added. Penn Libraries wrote in a service alert on its website that no staff areas, public spaces, or library collections in Van Pelt were affected by the flooding. Facilities and Real Estate Services is responding in order to pump out all the water and fix the equipment that was damaged, which may cause "[i]ntermittent localized power outages." Jaffe History of Art Building was one of the two buildings near Van Pelt that lost power, according to an email sent to students that have class there. Vakili wrote that a timeline is still up in the air for when Van Pelt will re-open. "We are hopeful to bring electricity back to the building soon, but this is complicated restoration job and we do not have a definite time table at this point," Vakili wrote. In the latest service alert, Penn Libraries wrote that it had extended return due dates for books to April 24, and the library will forgive any fines that loaners of equipment have accrued since they are currently unable to return the items. It also said that the remote computer lab, which has a connection to physical machines in Van Pelt, is not available for use, and no new electronic course reserves can be created.

See POLICE, page 7

See LIBRARY, page 3

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

Penn Police’s Commanding Officer of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Nicole McCoy was allegedly fired after being reported on Dec. 23.

‘AN UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER’ Penn police captain removed from position after allegedly assaulting Philadelphia high school student MOLLY COHEN Senior Reporter

Penn may have quietly fired a University police captain months after she allegedly assaulted a Philadelphia high school student. Destine McCleary, a high school senior at the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that she filed a complaint through Penn's Division of Public Safety against Nicole McCoy — Penn Police's

former commanding officer of diversity, equity, and inclusion — on Dec. 23, after McCoy allegedly physically assaulted her while in uniform. McCleary's mother, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, said she was told by DPS that they initially suspended McCoy with pay in January and was later told on March 21 that they had fired her.

Penn lifts COVID-19 vaccine requirement The University has removed one of its last remaining pandemic-related policies BEN BINDAY Senior Reporter

Penn has lifted its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students, faculty, and staff. The change, announced by Wellness at Penn on April 13, ends a policy that has been in place since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. The decision marks the removal of one of the University’s final remaining COVID-19-related policies for students. Prior to the 2022-23 academic year, the University lifted mandatory COVID-19 testing, ended PennOpen Pass, and gave professors the option to mandate masking in their classes. While members of the Penn community are no longer required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, the University “strongly encourages” all members to remain up to date on COVID-19 immunizations per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations. “Vaccines remain a cornerstone of our public health approach to campus health and wellbeing and are one of the greatest tools we have,” the University’s announcement read. “The goal of vaccines has always been to prevent death, severe disease, and hospitalizations. On our campus, they also exist to support the academic mission of the institution by keeping our community healthy during their academic journeys.” Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the lifting of the mandate is consistent with decisions made by other institutions of higher education in Philadelphia, as well as other Ivy League universities. It "keeps us aligned with the federal guidance as we move into this next phase of the pandemic," Dubé wrote. "Our public health mission has not changed," Dubé added. "As the virus has evolved, so has our guidance. After receiving advisement from local and federal agencies, we continue to highly recommend that all members of the Penn community remain upto-date with their COVID-19 immunizations." Penn will return to its pre-pandemic immunization requirements for the 2023-24 school year, Dubé wrote, which are consistent with government agencies, and Penn will continue to hold a flu vaccine clinic in the fall. "Additionally, the revised guidance encourages more individual agency when assessing risk," Dubé wrote. The decision follows President Joe Biden's signing of a bill on Monday ending the United States’ COVID-19 national emergency, despite previously stating that he planned to do so on May 11. Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health lifted the COVID-19 vaccination mandate SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

for all institutions of higher education. The vaccine mandate remains in effect for health care workers at Penn. In response, Drexel University announced on April 12 that it would no longer require COVID19 vaccination for students or employees. Temple University, Saint Joseph’s University, La Salle University, and Villanova University still currently have mandates in place. Penn is the third Ivy League university to lift its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for faculty, students, and staff, following Columbia University and Dartmouth College. On Feb. 27, Columbia University Provost Mary Boyce and other university officials announced the lifting of Columbia’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement on May 11. Dartmouth announced a similar policy on April 11.

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

In addition to the $3.5 million settlement, Penn and other University City institutions will provide support services to UC Townhomes residents.

Penn to support UC Townhomes residents under $3.5 million settlement between City, developers Residents expressed disappointment in the result — demanding more agency in the development of affordable housing in West Philadelphia HALEY SON Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY CHASE SUTTON

Members of the Penn community are no longer required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, according to an announcement by Wellness at Penn on April 13.

Penn will fund support services for University City Townhomes tenants under a $3.5 million settlement reached by the City of Philadelphia. Under the terms of the settlement, the City will receive $3.5 million and the nonprofit United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey will distribute the funds among the former tenants of 70 units at the UC Townhomes to address relocation costs — equivalent to $50,000 for each displaced family, according to the settlement agreement. In addition, Penn will help fund a coalition to provide support services to the tenants along with other

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University City institutions, including Penn Medicine, Drexel University, University City Science Center, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Penn, along with a coalition of anchor institutions in University City, will contribute funding for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia to provide ongoing support services to the residents, which will include financial counseling, legal aid, and employment counseling for the families that have or will be relocated from UCTH," University spokesperson Ron Ozio wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The settlement proposal also requires IBID Associates to transfer a 23,595-square-foot parcel of the land to the City for the development of 70 permanently affordable units and community green space. In a press release from the Coalition to Save the UC Townhomes, residents expressed disappointment in the result, continuing to demand a "Right to Return" and more agency in the planning and development of affordable housing in West Philadelphia. “We must have a written commitment from the City that guarantees a ‘Right to Return’ with a housing subsidy for current and former residents and a commitment to work with the residents on the redevelopment of the preserved site,” Rasheda Alexander, a resident and member of the UC Townhomes Resident Council, wrote in the press release. The lawsuit — I.B.I.D. Associates Limited Partnership v Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and the City of Philadelphia — alleged that Gauthier and the City had violated IBID’s constitutional right to sell the UC Townhomes property and to make use of the property’s former zoning for high-density commercial and mixed uses. See SETTLEMENT, page 3