THE UPENN UPCOMING SPEAKER STATESMAN EVENTS! Vol. I, No. 7 Friday, November 9, 2018 www.upennstatesman.org Penn Facing Title IX EXCLUSIVE: Only 0.72% of Investigation Penn Profs. Donate to GOP Sydney Gwynn Executive Board Publisher university system or the health system. A recent study conducted by The According to our data, of the 962 The National Coalition for Men UPenn Statesman discovered that only employees of the University of Pennsylvania (NCFM) has fi led a Title IX federal civil 0.72% of Penn professors that donated that have donated to political groups, only rights complaint against the University of to political groups gave funds to right- fi ve employees have donated to conservative Pennsylvania. The complaint lists twenty- leaning groups. Using publicly available groups. This means only 0.52% of all Penn’s two groups at Penn as being discriminatory data from the Federal Election Commission, employees who have donated this year chose towards men. The Offi ce of Civil Rights we were able to search for employees of to give their money to republican groups. (OCR) in the Department of Education is Penn, see how much they donated, to Three of the fi ve conservative donors reviewing the complaint. If it believes there whom they donated, when they donated, are medical professionals, one is an is enough evidence suggesting possible sex and what they listed as their occupation. administrative employee, and the discrimination by any of these groups, it will So far in 2018, University of Pennsylvania last one is a statistician in Wharton. launch a full investigation into the groups employees have donated $424,946.38 By narrowing the sample down to only that allegedly violate Title IX provisions. in total to political groups. For this study, those who teach at Penn, such as Professors The NCFM believes that “[t]he University of employees are anyone who works at Penn Pennsylvania is in violation of Title IX because regardless of whether they are in the Continued on Page 3... it offers resources, funding, fellowships, by the program involve issues which impact and scholarships that are available to women women and LGBT groups, but not men.” only, even though men are a minority both Wharton Women in Business was also nationwide [42%] and at the University of listed in the complaint for reasons similar Pennsylvania [47%, incoming class of 2021].” to the previous groups. Notably, the NCFM The fi rst group listed is the Center for claims they have a student willing to testify Research on Reproduction and Women’s against Wharton Women in Business if the Health. Kursat Christoff Pekgoz, who helped OCR elects to launch a full investigation the NCFM draft the complaint against Penn into the group. When The UPenn Statesman and has previously fi led successful complaints reached out to Wharton Women in against Yale and the University of Southern Business for comment they were unaware California, told The UPenn Statesman of the federal complaint against them. that the Center’s “asymmetry in terms of The other eighteen groups listed in the funding medical research on the basis of complaint are: FOCUS on Health and sex was a signifi cant factor” in choosing Leadership for Women, Women Against to fi le a complaint against groups at Penn. Abuse, Penn Center for Women’s Behavioral The complaint suggests either creating an Wellness, Trustee’s Council for Penn equivalent center for men or changing the Women, Penn Association of Alumnae, Penn name of this Center to a gender-neutral title. Forum for Women Faculty, Penn Graduate The University of Pennsylvania Women’s Women’s Support group, OwnItUPenn, Center was also targeted in the complaint. PennGEMS, Penn Graduate Women in Penn Dems Releases The NCFM alleges the Women’s Center is Science and Engineering, UPenn Association discriminatory in its “overall effect.” They for Women in Mathematics, UPenn Women assert the Center has a discriminatory name, in Computer Science, PennDesign Women Controversial Statement, offers resources only to women, and has in Architecture, Women in Physics at the only female participants and administrators. University of Pennsylvania, UPenn Advancing These different features combine to create a Women in Engineering, Penn Society of Then Removes Comments “hostile environment against men.” Further Women Engineers, Women of Color at Penn, Toren Arginteanu the NCFM claims the Women’s Center’s anti- and Penn Association for Gender Equity. Tech Director Facebook users left comments discrimination clause is “hollow and illusory.” These groups all either have a discriminatory expressing disappointment at, in the The NCFM also believes that Penn’s funding name, serve only women, or have no Barely nine hours after the horrifi c words of one commenter, “this attempt of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies equivalent group for men says the NCFM. shooting at a Pittsburgh Synagogue that to use tragedy for political gain.” (GSWS) department constitutes a Title IX While not listed in the complaint, the NCFM claimed eleven lives, the Penn Democrats Several Jewish commenters expressed violation. In addition to the GSWS department also takes issue with Penn’s Men Against Rape released a statement on Facebook placing offense at the statement. One commenter having a discriminatory name, the NCFM & Sexual Assault student group. Written on blame for the attack on the Republican accused, “The shooter was an avid Trump hater, believes that women are overrepresented in the their news brief on their complaint against Party and President Trump. The page then but you use this to blame Trump. Despicable.” department, that they offer certain resources deleted at least ten comments objecting to Within minutes, the Penn Democrats’ only to women, and that “all classes taught continued on page 3... the statement within hours of its release. page began to delete these comments. The statement began by lamenting the Among the deleted comments was a request attack and encouraging Penn students to that the page moderators “don’t be so be supportive of one another. The second cowardly to remove comments that call you 1O LESSONS FROM paragraph, which occupied the bulk of the out for this display,” as well as a taunting NATIONAL DOG SHOW statement, decried President Trump’s “tacit message about the deletions from the UPenn A DOMINATRIX support of white supremacist ideologies” and College Republicans, whose statement about the Republican Party’s willingness “to look the the event was met with less controversy. PAGE 3 PAGE 4 other way as anti-Semitism pervades its ranks” Screenshots of the deleted comments can as “the context that leads to such terrorism.” be found online at www.upennstatesman.org. To support these accusations, the Penn After about three hours, the Penn Democrats OCTOBER: MONTH WHY I DECIDED NEVER Democrats cited Trump’s affi liation with page appeared to stop deleting new comments. “avowed anti-Semite Steve Bannon” and At the time of publication, the post has more IN REVIEW TO VOTE AGAIN alleged failure to condemn white supremacist than one hundred comments, the vast majority demonstrations. The statement also presented of which strongly object to the statement. PAGE 5 PAGE 7 Republican candidates’ antagonism towards Penn Democrats’ leadership has stated in the George Soros and “globalists” as “thinly- Daily Pennsylvanian that the comments were veiled appeals to anti-Semitism.” It also removed for “profane language and name- INTERVIEW WITH PENN’S ECHO asserted that congressman Steve King (R- calling.” Many of the removed comments IA) has “extensive” ties to Neo-Nazism. did not contain profanity or name-calling. MADISON GESIOTTO CHAMBER The post concluded by quoting a portion of Penn Democrats still has not responded the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer of mourning. to our multiple requests for a comment. PAGE 10 PAGE 11 Following the statement, several IN THIS ISSUE (c) 2018 The Statesman, Inc. The truly independent student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania Follow us @upennstatesman PAGE 2 THE UPENN STATESMAN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2018 NEWS Midterm ElectionsBy Danielle Yampolsky On November 6, 2018, American citizens from all around the country casted their votes, exercising their civic duty and letting their voices be heard. With 40 governorships, 35 Senate seats, and all 435 U.S. House seats up for grabs, the midterm elections will make a difference and should not be disregarded. Governorships last for four years, with the exception of Vermont and New Hampshire, where terms last for two years. Senators keep their seat for six years, while Congressmen keep their seat for two years. The midterm elections after a president’s first two years in office historically have gone in favor of the opposing party. The only years that the president’s party gained seats in both the House and the Senate were 1934 (FDR) and 2002 (George W. Bush). In 2010, after Obama’s first two years, the Democrats lost 6 seats in the Senate and 63 seats in the House. This year, the midterm elections could have gone much worse for President Trump. While Republicans lost control of the House, they made gains in the Senate. Since 1914 (when citizens began directly electing senators), this is the first time that a party has won control of the House without gaining seats in the Senate. Governor Races Senate Races With 40 governorships at stake, there were certainly many close races. Prior to Election Day, there were 33 Repub- Prior to Election Day, the United States Senate was comprised lican, 16 Democrat, and 1 Independent Governor(s). Key of 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and two Independents, both “toss up” races and their outcomes include: of whom caucus with the Democratic Party. Republicans were able to keep control of the Senate, and made gains in Florida, Connecticut: Ned Lamont (D) defeated Bob Stefanowski (R) Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota.