Sphinx in the News

In addition to being spotted around campus, Sphinges have been really busy doing what they do best: getting things done. Unsurprisingly, Sphinges have been all over the news recently both on and off campus.

Our very own Sarah Waxman has been "solid in goal this season for the Quakers, allowing only 55 goals in ten games and starting every contest." And the DP just named the Women's Lax (that means Lacrosse) team "Overnight celebrities" after 16 years of Dartmouth's dominance over the weekend.

Sphinx was also out in force for a 36-hour sit-in for Darfur this week. According to the DP:

With more than 3.5 million people in the Darfur region of Sudan are completely reliant on international aid for survival, student leaders say they've felt compelled to help out.

"We feel really invested in educating the Penn community about this issue," said College senior Ezra Billinkoff, who was involved in organizing the event, a result of only two weeks worth of planning.

Student groups involved in the effort include Hillel, Sphinx Senior Society, Alliance and Understanding, STAND, Tzedek and the Darfur Action Planning Committee.

The Undergraduate Assembly also made the DP after passing a proposal on improving Penn's Student Health Service and a proposal on climate change that was co-sponsored by Ivy Council.

In other UA news, Brett Thalmann was could be seen posing a question at the last University Council meeting. The meeting featured some administrative updates and a presentation by Kevin Rurak on behalf of the Lambda Alliance regarding the issue of whether Penn's policy on blood donations is discriminatory.

Shawn Safvi had a great column in the DP's joke issue and campus was so relieved to finally hear the truth from the DP leadership:

You accuse us of deliberately targeting you or simply ignoring what you do. I tell you that's not true to your face, but I'm lying. The DP really doesn't care, and the news editors usually delete your e-mails once they realize it's you.

It's not that they don't like you … well, it kind of is, but that's not the point. The DP just doesn't cover boring events, and let's be honest, watching you "appreciate your heritage" doesn't make the cut

Shakirah was also quoted supporting the UMC's recent actions to campus events:

"I think they did a great job," said College senior Shakirah Simley, 2006's UMC chairwoman.

"Their energy is on how they can enact structural change, which I think is more important, useful and constructive. I think this incident is just a platform to talk about what's going on in the greater context," she said.

And in local, national and international news:

"Marshmallow Compromise Saves Penn Ritual"

If you've been living under a rock, the Penn tradition being referenced is Hey Day. Both Puneet Singh and Brett Thalmann were quoted in this AP story:

"I really enjoyed it," said senior Brett Thalmann, who participated in the festivities last year despite having things thrown at him. "I think it's one of Penn's great traditions."

Junior class president Puneet Singh agreed it was "a great resolution."

Thalmann said Hey Day does. It's one of only a handful of times Penn students get together with their entire class, he said.

"It's a really powerful feeling," said Thalmann, a student government leader who worked on the compromise. "The focus on the negative aspects definitely has been more recent and really is a minor part of the day."

The story was picked up by over 43 news outlets including the Washington Post, Philly Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Sun-Times, LA Times, Forbes, Guardian Unlimited UK, and the Kalamazoo Gazette.

That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll be back soon to mention even more Sphinges in the news.

~SN