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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

VOL. CXXXIX

NO. 19

White nationalist scheduled to speak at Penn Carey Law class taught by Amy Wax Jared Taylor’s scheduled return to Wax’s seminar comes as Penn remains silent on whether it will sanction Wax JARED MITOVICH Senior Reporter

A white nationalist will visit campus this semester to deliver a guest lecture in a course taught by University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Amy Wax. Wax invited Jared Taylor — editor of American Renaissance, a publication that the Southern Poverty Law Center calls a promoter of eugenics and pseudoscience — to speak at her Nov. 28 class of LAW 9560: “Conservative and Political Legal Thought,” according to a copy of the course syllabus obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. This will be at least Taylor’s second visit to campus after he spoke at the same class in fall 2021. Taylor’s scheduled return to Wax’s seminar comes as Penn is yet to announce whether it will sanction Wax — three months after a faculty panel held disciplinary hearings and over 19 months since an investigation began. The University has alleged that Wax’s controversial conduct and claims have violated Penn’s behavioral standards, naming Wax’s invite of Taylor to her class as one such example. Representatives from Penn Carey Law, Wax, and Taylor did not respond to requests for comment by publication. Previously, Wax declined to comment on the University’s disciplinary proceedings when approached outside her office earlier this year on April 17. Penn Carey Law third year and Council of Student Representatives President Vinila Varghese said she was not surprised that Taylor was visiting campus — but she was surprised that Wax was able to invite him again. “Probably because [Penn’s] investigation is still ongoing, she can do what she wants because she is a professor, and they have that freedom and discretion,” Varghese said. “I just think that there are some people you don’t invite into a school, and someone who is well known as a white nationalist is definitely someone I wouldn’t invite into a school.” Taylor has previously stirred controversy at other university campuses, including a visit to Arizona State University last fall hosted by its College Republican United club. He has also visited Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, and George Mason Law School. “I have spent 25 years patiently establishing the factual and moral bases for discrimination,” Taylor See WAX, page 7

PHOTO BY MAX MESTER

Penn students are reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases across campus, matching similar trends in Philadelphia and nationwide.

Students concerned by COVID-19 resurgence on campus Penn urges precautionary measures while students say that existing resources, guidance have left them disappointed BEN BINDAY Senior Reporter

Penn is encouraging precautionary measures against COVID-19 as students report a widespread increase in cases across campus. While Wellness at Penn no longer has public data on the campus's COVID-19 positivity rate, students told The Daily Pennsylvanian that they have noticed an increase in cases since the end of summer. All students that the DP spoke with reported knowing multiple contacts who had tested positive since returning to campus in August. Some students said that Penn's existing resources and guidance has left them disappointed or unsure how to proceed after testing positive for COVID-19 during this latest surge, while others have felt secure with the information that has been shared by the University. College senior Ellie McKeown, who is immunocompromised and recently tested positive for COVID-19, said she has been "failed" by Penn’s existing resources, which have "jeopardized" her safety and the safety of

those around her. McKeown said the removal of Penn's testing center was a “huge policy failure" and called on the University to publicize COVID-19 information to prevent people from having to hunt for information — often with no success. She added that instating a temporary COVID19 testing center closer to campus would improve access. "Just not testing doesn’t make COVID-19 go away," she said. "I shouldn’t have to choose between my education and my health. I especially shouldn’t have to hear the institution I attend debate whether my life is actually worth protecting as a disabled individual.” McKeown said she consistently used masks since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been saving up tests since last semester. She said she has encountered a lack of testing availability, adding that many online links to resources direct to dead University web pages, and the walk to Student Health and Counseling’s

Medical Care office is prohibitively difficult. Both McKeown and College first year Kathleen Zhang said that when they called Student Health to inform them of positive COVID-19 test results and seek guidance, they were redirected to voicemail and did not receive a response until nearly a full day later. "I just ended up going home to avoid any complications with my roommate," Zhang, who tested positive using a test from a friend, said. In contrast, College first year Lucas Zhu said he was satisfied with the help he received from Penn. Zhu picked up a test from Student Health and Counseling’s Medical Care office at 3535 Market St. — only having to show his PennCard — and self-isolated at home in New Jersey. “Penn was pretty helpful in letting me know what to See COVID-19, page 3

Penn First Plus suspends initiative that helped students afford course materials, alarming FGLI groups

Penn Museum holds previously Students said that the announcement of the initiative’s discontinuation — which came days before the fall semester began — will undisclosed create financial challenges remains of MOVE Penn suddenly suspended an initiative that helped bombing victims, hundreds of students afford their course materials, causing alarm among first-generation, low-income activists allege students. JESSICA WU Staff Reporter

PHOTO BY DEREK WONG

In late August, Penn First Plus announced online that it had ended its Course Materials Access Code Initiative for the fall semester. The initiative — which arose during remote learning in the fall of 2020 as a partnership with Penn's undergraduate schools and financial aid office — provided free access codes for materials in "key gateway courses across a variety of fields." It grew to support approximately 350 students per semester, according to the announcement. Three students with whom The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke said that, despite some issues, the access codes were a helpful resource. They said that the announcement of the initiative's discontinuation — which came days before the fall semester began — will create financial challenges. College sophomore and Penn First Board Mentorship Chair Bill Chen said that the codes were particularly helpful when he was taking ECON 0100: "Introduction to Micro Economics" and other introductory courses. “Without [the codes], it would have placed a financial burden on me to pay out of pocket, especially

Local community organizers said that they believe there is new evidence that the Penn Museum holds previously undisclosed remains of MOVE bombing victims. Abdul-Aliy Muhammad, a local community activist, spoke at a press conference on Aug. 31 about claims of new evidence of the Penn Museum’s possession of additional remains of two victims of the MOVE bombing. The evidence comes from photos on an online photo-sharing site from a public event hosted in 2014. A Penn Museum spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the museum “reunited all known MOVE remains with the Africa Family in

See FGLI, page 7

See MUSEUM, page 7

Penn First Plus will no longer be providing free access codes for electronic course materials, as of the 2023 fall semester.

Community organizers demand more transparency after new evidence was found MOLLY COHEN Senior Reporter

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