Penn in the News

Reports that Baylor University’s president, Kenneth W. Starr, is being forced to resign for failing to respond adequately to a string of sexual assaults on his campus prompted more than a thousand people on Wednesday to rally to his defense online. "We as Baylor constituents love and support our president, Judge Ken Starr," reads the petition, which had attracted more than 1,500 signatures by Wednesday evening. "Over the past six years, Judge Starr has ushered in a new era of success. We believe he will continue to do so going forward in his current role."

Some people shouted at a commencement speaker this weekend after she gave a brief part of her remarks in Spanish and talked about presidential candidate Donald Trump — and many are still upset about it. People who were there said they heard people yell, “Get off the stage!” insults, a slogan for the Trump campaign, and commands to speak English.

Before Brianna Suslovic heads to her commencement ceremony Thursday morning, the Harvard senior will stick a long piece of red tape on her black graduation cap. “By wearing red tape, we want to show members of the Harvard community that we’re standing in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence, including ones who can’t be there because of the violence they experienced,” she said.

The Institute of Contemporary Art is included as a destination spot for tourists visiting Philadelphia.

The Obama administration is wading through nearly 20,000 applications from Americans seeking to have student loans canceled on the grounds they were deceived by colleges, the fallout from a student-debt boom that already has led the government to forgive tens of millions of dollars of borrowings. As of early May, 19,657 borrowers alleging illegal practices by their schools had applied to the Education Department to be relieved of repaying their federal student loans.

Joyce Xi doesn't want to see another family go through what hers has endured. That's why the daughter of the Temple University professor who was accused of spying for China, in charges that were then dropped, is demanding an apology from President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch to her father and other Asian Americans wrongly charged.

FactCheck.org of the Annenberg Public Policy Center is cited for its reports about Hillary Clinton and the Benghazi attack in 2012.

Matthew Bidwell of the Wharton School says, “We see a large proportion of your lifetime earnings growth happens in your 20s.”

Peter Salovey, president of Yale University, announced in April that, despite protests, the university would continue to name a residential college after John C. Calhoun, an alumnus, senator from South Carolina, vice president, and leading proponent of slavery in the 19th century. One Yale graduate and former resident of Calhoun College, Malcolm Pearson, who describes himself as an "old Southern white," calls this decision "almost beyond comprehension." Pearson is right. The decision prompted me to put 10 questions to President Salovey.

This developing story has been updated. Sitting in his office last November, surrounded by football regalia and ornaments featuring Bible passages, Kenneth Starr, the president of Baylor University, defended his institution’s handling of sexual assault and domestic violence. “If you look at the way we approach the issue of interpersonal violence,” Starr said, “I believe a fair-minded judge would say, ‘You’re doing everything that you can.’” Baylor’s Board of Regents seemingly would disagree.