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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

AMY WAX FILES BACK

Penn’s medical school quits U.S. News rankings The Perelman School of Medicine joins Penn Carey Law School, which remains resolute in its opposition to the rankings SARA FORASTIERI, ELEA CASTIGLIONE, AND MAX ANNUNZIATA Senior Reporter and Staff Reporters

The Perelman School of Medicine announced that it will no longer participate in the annual U.S. News and World Report “Best Medical Schools” rankings. J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Medical School and executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, publicized the decision in a memo sent to the faculty, staff, and students on Jan. 24. He emphasized the “focus on innovation and impact and shaping the future of medicine as more important cornerstones for measuring the school’s reputation,” according to Penn Medicine's press release. “The USNWR measures encourage the acceptance of students based upon the highest grades and test scores,” Jameson wrote to the Penn Medicine community, according to the press release. “Yet, we strive to identify and attract students with a wide array of characteristics that predict promise.” Penn Carey Law also disclosed their decision to withdraw in early December. Subsequently, U.S. News & World Report announced changes to how it ranks law schools in a letter sent to the deans of American law schools on Jan. 2, but Penn Carey Law did not change its opposition in response to the announcement. The University of Pennslyvania Carey Law School, which most recently ranked sixth in the U.S. News rankings, described them as “unnecessarily secretive and contrary to important parts of our mission” when it said it would no longer submit data on Dec. 2. A spokesperson for U.S. News did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Penn Carey Law wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that it had nothing to add from its early December statement, where it announced it would end its participation in the rankings. “In the interest of greater transparency, we will make relevant data public so that anyone can see the inputs that make Penn Carey Law a leading law school and how our alumni launch See RANKINGS, page 3

NO. 3

INSIDE: THE FACULTY DECIDING WAX’S FUTURE WHY WAX CANNOT BE FIRED EASILY DESIGN BY LILIAN LIU

A grievance complaint leaked to the DP warns of an “attack” on academic freedom JARED MITOVICH Senior Reporter

Tenured Penn Carey Law School professor Amy Wax filed a grievance against Dean Theodore Ruger, initiating a faculty procedure that serves as a countercomplaint to the University’s ongoing disciplinary proceedings against her. Accusing Ruger of exploiting University procedures and his power as dean to punish her, Wax requested that her case be evaluated by the Faculty Grievance Commission and the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, according to documents obtained exclusively by The Daily Pennsylvanian. In the 43-page grievance filing dated Jan. 16, Wax’s lawyer, David Shapiro, wrote that the grievance

was intended to stop Ruger and the University from using the formal sanctions process to “crush” her academic freedom. “Dean Ruger’s charges are an attack on Prof. Wax’s academic freedoms and freedom of expression,” the grievance filing read. “And, as the University policies make clear, only the Faculty Grievance Commission (the 'Commission') and the Senate Faculty Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility ('SCAFR') have jurisdiction over claims related to academic freedom.” In the documents, Wax's lawyer also alleged that Ruger is personally biased against Wax because of his

Penn has shortest breaks among Ivy League universities, DP analysis finds Even compared to local universities, Penn offers the lowest percentage of days off during the school year SNEHA PARTHASARATHY AND JIN KWON Senior Reporter and Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY JESSE ZHANG

John L. Jackson Jr., the Walter H. Annenberg dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Penn’s next provost.

Annenberg Dean John L. Jackson Jr. will be Penn’s next provost Jackson, an urban anthropologist, will take office on June 1

SARA FORASTIERI Senior Reporter

Penn President Liz Magill announced that Annenberg School for Communication Dean John L. Jackson Jr. will be the University's next provost starting June 1. Jackson, who is also a Richard Perry University professor, will succeed Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein, who has served in the position since former Provost Wendell Prichett took a leave of absence in May 2021. Winkelstein will return to the position of deputy provost. “I could not be more honored and genuinely humbled to be asked to serve in this important post,” Jackson wrote in the announcement, which was posted today. “I SEND STORY IDEAS TO NEWSTIP@THEDP.COM

look forward to working closely with President Magill and the entire Penn community as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of today and prepare, together, for the ones that will emerge tomorrow.” The Provost's Office oversees aspects of student life across the University, such as teaching, research, admissions, recreation, libraries, online learning, and global initiatives, according to its website. The announcement of Jackson as provost follows a search that began in September and which was led by J. Larry Jameson, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for the Health System. In a Daily Pennsylvanian interview with Magill on Jan. 9, she expressed her thoughts on the importance of the position, calling it "incredibly complicated." Magill, a former provost herself, has previously described the provost as the "chief academic officer" of the University. “[There are] 32 direct reports to the provost. So in that job, there's a particular making sure [that] the incredibly important business of the University moves forward, and that the provost is a great partner to all the many leaders they work with, as well as someone who can help me articulate a vision and execute on that vision,” Magill told the DP. Jackson, who will be Penn’s 31st provost, currently serves as the chair of See PROVOST, page 2

Penn has the fewest days off for students among the Ivy League and several other Philadelphia-area universities. An analysis by The Daily Pennsylvanian found that Penn has only 24 days off this academic year out of all weekdays, reading days, and exam days in the school year. This translates to the fewest number of days allotted to break compared to peer institutions and the lowest proportion of days off compared to days in class during the academic year — even when taking into consideration different school year lengths between universities. The data shows that a majority of Ivy League schools spend approximately 20% of the academic year on breaks, with Columbia trailing at 14.5% and Penn following in last place at 13.3%. In response to a request for comment, the Office of the Provost wrote in a statement that “the well-being of our students is one of [Penn’s] highest university-wide priorities.” “The Office of the Provost works closely with student and faculty leaders to ensure that we continue to balance our strong commitment to wellness, our educational mission, and the requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for minimum hours of classroom instruction in a semester,” the Office wrote. The Office went on to write that the University has consistently updated its policy for religious and secular holidays — including in 2022, when it modified the policy to include guidance that there may be no examinations or assigned work on Election Day in November. “We encourage students to continue to talk with their student government leaders as we work together to advance wellness across our campus,” the statement said. Although Pennsylvania law requires that

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"kowtowing to the demands of a small number of politically disgruntled minority students and alumni" and because he has "expressed hostility towards [Wax's] politics." Throughout the disciplinary proceedings that began in January 2022, Ruger has functionally served as the prosecutor on behalf of the University. Wax and a spokesperson for Penn Carey Law did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the grievance filing. Penn Carey Law wrote to the DP in September that Wax’s disciplinary hearings were still underway. The school, however, has otherwise withheld See WAX, page 2

a semester be approximately 17 weeks long, other Philadelphia-area schools such as Drexel University, Temple University, Swarthmore College, and Villanova University all grant their students a higher proportion of days off than Penn. Despite updates to University policy, some Penn students told the DP that the lack of days off negatively impacts their mental health. “Because almost everything at Penn requires such a large time commitment — classes, clubs, dance team — there is inevitably a lot of burnout,” College sophomore Zaina Maqbool said. “The efforts Penn makes to take care of students’ mental health are great, but the best way to make sure students are taking care of themselves is to give them adequate time to do that.” College and Wharton sophomore Suhitha Kotala said that more days off could be the solution, as it would give students the ability to “catch up on work or [take] time to decompress.” “It’s rare to see a Penn student who isn’t stressed,” Kotala said. The number of Penn’s days off during the academic year stayed relatively consistent throughout past years and is similar to many peer universities. However, the length of the university’s winter breaks differs from other institutions. While many Ivies provide students with winter breaks that are around four or five weeks long, Penn’s winter breaks range from around two and a half weeks to just under four weeks. Penn’s shorter winter break may pose logistical challenges to students traveling home for the holidays, especially for international students. “Lots of people choose to not go home for winter break since it costs too much and often isn’t worth it for just two weeks,” College sophomore Manya Gupta, an international student, said. In addition, College first year Tristen Brisky said that shorter winter breaks can hinder burnout recovery and prevent them from feeling prepared for the spring semester. “After a grueling fall semester, many students experience burnout,” Brisky said. “They are more likely to feel prepared for spring semester with a lengthier break, and have more time to pursue other commitments like improving their health and nutrition or pursuing [activities that are professionally enriching].” In contrast to its comparatively shorter winter break lengths, Penn blocks out relatively See BREAKS, page 2