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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2025

VOL. CXLI

NO. 24

TRUMP’S COMPACT

EULINA JI | STAFF DESIGNER

The proposal set forth sweeping guidelines that would govern Penn’s admissions, tuition, and hiring practices THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN STAFF

Two weeks ago, the White House approached Penn with its “Compact for Academic Excellence,” a proposal offering the University funding advantages in exchange for compliance with a set of sweeping demands. The compact’s provisions — which include freezing tuition, limiting international student enrollment, and imposing broad oversight on university decision-making — have prompted swift backlash from the Penn community and

governance bodies. The University has until Oct. 20 to provide feedback on the document. Penn and eight other universities received the compact on Oct. 1. At the time of publication, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University have rejected it. Invitations to sign the compact — which promises “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants” — have since been extended to academic institutions

nationwide. On Oct. 5, Penn President Larry Jameson said that the University was reviewing the offer. According to the message, the “review and response” to the proposal will “seek the input of our Penn community” — including deans, the Faculty Senate, and the Board of Trustees. Potential impacts on Penn Drawing on past enrollment data, current

institutional policies, and interviews with higher education experts, an analysis from The Daily Pennsylvanian found that several provisions in the compact could have far-reaching consequences across the University. At the time of publication, the federal government has not yet clarified what, if any, consequences an institution may face for rejecting the document. While schools are “free to develop See COMPACT, page 6

Penn launches investigation into student video containing racist remarks

Penn professors, student political groups discuss importance of voting in local elections

The video — which has received broad condemnation from student groups — was first posted to a private social media account

The last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Oct. 20, ahead of the general election on Nov. 4

SAMANTHA HSIUNG AND FINN RYAN Senior Reporters

ALEX DASH, RIANA MAHTANI, AND ARTI JAIN Senior Reporters and Contributing Reporter

Content warning: This article contains mentions of racial discrimination against Black people and racial slurs that can be disturbing and/or triggering for some readers. Penn has launched an investigation into a video of two Penn students expressing racist remarks and racial slurs that was circulated on campus. The video — which has received broad condemnation from student groups — was first posted to a private social media account. It contains derogatory remarks towards Black people, including repeated use of the N-word. “There is no room for hate within the Penn community,” a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “As such, we are actively investigating a deeply offensive video posted by a student on a private social media account and following up with students and student leaders.” In a statement posted to its Instagram account on Oct. 6, the Undergraduate Assembly — which one of the students previously ran to be a member of — condemned the individual’s actions. “The Undergraduate Assembly unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech and discrimination,” the

group wrote in its statement. “These remarks are antithetical to our values of respect, inclusion, and equity. We do not tolerate or condone such behavior in any capacity.” One of the students in the video was also a former DP staffer who has since been dismissed from the company. On Oct. 8, UMOJA publicly condemned the video in a statement posted to the group’s Instagram account and co-signed by other groups across campus. “Over the past two years, the University has swiftly disciplined students for actions it deemed as violations of free speech, particularly toward those involved in campus protests and demonstrations,” the statement read. “We will not stand idly if this same level of urgency is denied to Black students in the face of blatant racism.” UMOJA also listed four demands for the University, including “substantive disciplinary action” against the students, a formal apology to Penn’s Black students and faculty members, the development of an accountability framework for racial incidents, and increased investment in support centers and services for Black students. In a statement to the DP, College seniors and UMOJA co-chairs Menna Delva and Dahai Yonas described their See VIDEO, page 6

As Pennsylvania’s Oct. 20 voter registration deadline approaches, The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke to student political groups and professors at the University about the importance of local and state elections. Both student group leaders and faculty members who spoke to the DP emphasized the importance of civic engagement ahead of this year’s off-cycle election. Amid lower turnout, they emphasized the importance of voting on down-ballot races and the heightened impact of individual votes. College sophomore and Penn Leads the Vote spokesperson Juliana Li told the DP that the club was focusing on voter registration and education ahead of the election. She added that creating communities increases voter efficacy. “If you think of yourself as one singular voter, you’re not going to think you have that much efficacy. But once you think of yourself in a group, you obviously become a lot more powerful,” she said. Nursing sophomore and Penn Democrats spokesperson Kayla Mengden told the DP that much of Penn Dems’ strategy this semester revolves around phone banking and canvassing efforts. She emphasized the importance of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court race in

particular, as it could have “impacts on abortion access or redistricting.” College senior and Penn College Republicans spokesperson Peter Kapp told the DP that College Republicans is working to elect Patrick Dugan, the Republican candidate for Philadelphia District Attorney; Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for New Jersey’s gubernatorial election; and several Republican candidates for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Kapp outlined the club’s central topics in this election cycle, including public safety, “immigration issues,” and “budgetary concerns.” Mengden underscored the importance of this year’s Nov. 4 election in particular. “Last fall, we had a big presidential election, and that’s where most of our voters tend to go out and vote,” Mengden said. “But there’s also local elections, like the ones for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to retain our judges, and those are really important. They often have lower voter turnout, which means that your vote can be even more powerful. [While] millions of people vote in the presidential election, local races tend to have way less turnout.” See VOTING, page 2

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