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Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan mocks university for donation request amid federal funding pause

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Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan mocks university for donation request amid federal funding pause

Former University of Pennsylvania women’s swimmer and conservative influencer Paula Scanlan is never in a giving mood when it comes to her alma mater, but she was in a joking mood when the university coincidentally came asking for a donation on the same day the Trump administration paused $175 million in its federal funding. 

Scanlan, who was one of the female UPenn swimmers forced to share a pool and locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2021-22 season, told Fox News Digital she often gets requests from the university call center for donations. 

By chance, she just so happened to get one on Wednesday, hours after the funding pause was announced. 

“They always call me, and they call all alums… obviously, I’m not interested in donating any money. I don’t think I would ever even consider that until I am given an apology about being forced to undress in front of a man in the locker room three times a week.

“But, ironically, yesterday evening was one of the times they chose to call me to ask for a donation… they’re always calling me asking, always asking for money and [Wednesday] was one of the times they chose to do that, which I thought was really funny considering the announcement.” 

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Scanlan added that the last time she received a request from UPenn for a donation was in February via email. 

“This is not a new thing, but I’m sure they’re pressing for cash and that’s definitely something they’re trying to do.” 

RILEY GAINES WANTS TO SEND A ‘THANK-YOU NOTE’ TO LIA THOMAS – HERE’S WHY

Paula Scanlan shares her story as a swimmer at UPenn competing against teammate Lia Thomas, the first transgender D-1 athlete to win a title. The “Take Back Title IX” bus tour made its first stop in Scranton, Pennsylvania, rallying against the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports. (Aimee Dilger)

However, Scanlan wants more than just an apology in order for her alma mater to ever have a chance at earning her donation. 

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“University of Pennsylvania has 150 plus unique things that you can major in, I think that we are looking at mass departments that are completely useless degrees. Students are taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to major in useless things like gender studies and I think that we need to see them get rid of that,” Scanlan said. 

“This is not unique to the University of Pennsylvania and that’s something I would want to see before I’d ever consider donating, not just to my university, but any university across this country.” 

Scanlan has been one of the most outspoken critics of UPenn for its decision to roster Thomas on the women’s team dating back to the trans athlete’s women’s debut season in 2021-22. 

Scanlan offered anonymous insights to news reports about the emotional impact that Thomas’ presence on the team had on her and other teammates. Then in July 2023, Scanlan openly testified alongside Riley Gaines to members of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. 

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

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Paula Scanlan, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, testifies during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government hearing titled “The Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Children,” in the Rayburn Building on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Now, three years after the college swimming season that changed her life, she is seeing the institution that put her through that experience pay a hefty financial penalty. 

Still, it is not as big of a price as she would like to see it pay. 

“I think that it’s obviously a good thing, it’s a good message to send,” Scanlan said. “But it’s only going to make a small difference and I think what they’re probably going to do with the funding cut is probably fire a couple administrators, it’s not going to make overhead change to these departments, to the types of professors they’re hiring, to the ideology they’re teaching. 

“I hope that we continue to see people crack down on these kind of campuses and I hope to see reform, but again, this is only a small first step.”

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The news of the funding pause has prompted more celebratory responses from some of Scanlan’s former teammates, but they share her belief that further steps must be taken. Former UPenn swimmer Grace Estabrook told Fox News Digital she wants to see all of Thomas’ and other trans athletes’ records and accolades in the women’s category be revoked. 

“I am grateful that the administration is recognizing federal violations and taking action, but we still need these institutions to be held fully accountable. This means clear policy changes, the prior records, awards, and recognitions to go back to the women who deserve them, and the institutions who facilitated sexual harassment and our suffering to be fully aware of the wrongs that they have done and the pain they have caused,” Estabrook said. 

Estabrook is part of a lawsuit alongside her and Scanlan’s other former UPenn teammates, Margot Kaczorowski and Ellen Holmquist, seeking to have Thomas’ records scrubbed. 

Kaczorowski and Holmquist provided a joint statement to Fox News Digital via the Independent Council for Women’s Sports praising the Trump administration for the funding pause as well. 

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Paula Scanlan, former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, testifies during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government hearing on gender-affirming care for children. (Jasper Colt-USA TODAY)

“We are so glad that Universities are beginning to see that there is a cost to openly harming female students on their campuses and we hope the pressure only increases. Penn and other universities within the NCAA, under NCAA policy and their own rogue leadership, have violated federal law and hurt women,” the statement read. 

“They have knowingly stolen opportunities and awards from women, placed women in physical danger, and facilitated the sexual harassment of female student athletes. Every woman on a college campus and under NCAA regulations should be assured of Title IX protections. Institutions that disregard the well-being of women have to understand they don’t get to rewrite or ignore federal protections that women rely on.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to UPenn for comment. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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Northeast

Rhode Island teacher accused of sexting, kissing high school boy

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Rhode Island teacher accused of sexting, kissing high school boy

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A married high school physical education teacher has been indicted on two counts of third-degree sexual assault after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a male student. 

Alisha Crins is accused of exchanging sexually suggestive messages and engaging in sexual contact with the student while he was enrolled at Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island as a 17-year-old, according to an affidavit cited by WPRI.

The investigation began after the former student filed a formal complaint with Rhode Island State Police in October, the documents obtained by WPRI show.

According to the affidavit, the student told investigators Crins began texting him while he was a sophomore after allegedly finding his cellphone number online.

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A sign marks the main entrance to Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. (Google Maps)

He said she initially asked him to do work for her while she was on vacation, but the two continued communicating through text messages and social media after that plan fell through.

The student alleged the relationship escalated during his junior year. He told investigators Crins frequently complimented his appearance and once asked to wear his jersey during a school pep rally.

He further alleged Crins invited him to meet near her Cranston home, where they kissed inside his vehicle. During a later encounter, she allegedly climbed into the back seat and engaged in sexual contact, according to the affidavit. The student denied having sexual intercourse with her.

The alleged assaults took place between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024, according to WJAR.

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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT

A Rhode Island State Police cruiser parked near a waterfront with boats visible in the background. (Rhode Island State Police Facebook)

When questioned by investigators, Crins denied “getting physical” beyond a single kiss but admitted to flirting and exchanging text messages that contained “sexual innuendos,” the affidavit states.

She also acknowledged sending photos and videos and told investigators the two discussed plans to have sex once he turned 18, though she said they never acted on those plans.

The Foster-Glocester Regional School District said Crins resigned from her role at the school Oct. 1, 2025, according to WJAR.

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File image of a woman texting. According to an affidavit, the student told investigators Crins began texting him while he was a sophomore after allegedly finding his cellphone number online. (iStock)

In a statement obtained by the outlet, the district said it is cooperating with authorities and referred further inquiries to state police.

Fox News Digital has reached out to state police for comment.

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Teacher pleads guilty to sexually abusing 15-year-old student weeks after giving birth: report

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Boston, MA

When did Southie get richy-rich? – The Boston Globe

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When did Southie get richy-rich? – The Boston Globe


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Born and raised in Southie, Heather Foley has seen her neighborhood morph over the past three decades of scrubbing, renovation, and new construction for higher-income new arrivals.

But even Foley was surprised to discover that her South Boston, where kids once went to the corner to buy milk and cigarettes for parents, has emerged with the city’s second-highest average income, even ahead of Charlestown and Beacon Hill.

Her first thought?: “I gotta start being nicer to my neighbors if that’s the kind of money they’re making.”

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What’s a household?

Decades ago, when “Good Will Hunting” was filmed in the neighborhood and Southie was known as a working-class area, there were more kids around and maybe just a single breadwinner in some homes.

Since then, Southie saw more two-earner households, fewer kids, and spiffier rental units where three or four roommates could contribute to a “household.” The changes, along with spillover from the adjacent, pricier Seaport, or South Boston waterfront, are factors in Census data showing more than 40 percent of Southie households earn more than $200,000 a year.

Staying put

Foley, 46, a photo shoot producer, considers herself lucky. She didn’t move out to the South Shore like many neighborhood longtimers. She’s living in a family home on a block with residents — oldtimers and newer arrivals — who aren’t flipping properties for big bucks.

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Another blessing, particularly valuable this winter? She has a driveway.

As a kid, she went to church and school at Gate of Heaven, St. Brigid, and St. Peter, and jokes that she’s “so sad I didn’t buy a three-decker with my First Communion money, because I probably could have.”

Waves of gentrification

She remembers the earlier waves of newcomers, when glassy sports bars like Stats Bar & Grille muscled in among longtime restaurants like Amrheins.

But now, even the popular Stats is moving out at the end of the month. The property owner is developing a five-story, mixed-use residential building at the site.

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A small silver lining

Foley notes that some of the onetime “newcomers” have been here for three decades — and in some ways, have stabilized the place. Many have raised kids, who, like her son, may return to the neighborhood as young adults (albeit splitting a rented apartment with friends). Stats, the sports bar, says it will also return to the neighborhood’s thriving food scene.

“We have a lot of great restaurants now,” Foley says, “and everyone cleans up after their dog.”

Read: These maps show Boston’s wealthiest and most populous neighborhoods — plus other key trends.


🧩 6 Across: More scarce | 🌧️ 42° Another storm

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Hitting the brakes? After an ambitious state law, Lexington welcomed a wave of new housing. Now, people there are having second thoughts.

Hyde Park fatal bus crash: The driver has been indicted.

Patriots, strippers, and hookahs: A downtown restaurant’s liquor license is in jeopardy after it allegedly hosted Patriots players and guests after their AFC Championship in January. A decision is expected today.

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‘Culture of secrecy’: In a scathing report, R.I. authorities accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence of decades of “inaction, concealment, and revictimization” in complaints of clergy sexual abuse of hundreds of children.

Centers of suffering, campaigning: Federal immigration facilities have become backdrops for Democratic politicians seeking to fight President Trump’s immigration policies.

‘The best time to remember God’: Amid crackdowns, the Somali community leans into faith during Ramadan.

When is a reno worth it? Here’s how to judge the return on a home investment.


TED — TV fun in the 1990s, Framingham. Pictured, from left: Max Burkholder as John, Seth MacFarlane as the voice of Ted, Scott Grimes as Matty.Peacock

🧸 ‘Ted’ talk: Seth MacFarlane and the “Ted” cast talk Massholes, potty-mouthed teddy bears, and why Boston may have “the worst accent”

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🩰 A ‘Black Swan’ premiere: That’s among 30 sparkling arts events happening this spring around New England. Plus, why are more artists being banned from America?

🎥 Quiz: Test yourself with the Globe’s Academy Awards quiz.

⚽ Will $7.8 million stop the World Cup from coming here? Can Foxborough’s insistence on up-front security payments force the world’s soccer governing body to send matches somewhere else this summer?

♯ Teenage dreams: The future rock stars were teenagers when they wrote songs, influenced by David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, about a fictional nightclub. A half-century later, Squeeze has reworked and is releasing those songs.

💻 Death by chatbot? A new lawsuit alleges Google’s chatbot sent a man on missions to find an android body it could inhabit. When that failed, it set a suicide countdown clock for him. (WSJ)

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🍕 And a red cup, please: Fans are tracking down the few Pizza Hut Classic red-roofed restaurants that remain in the 6,200-store chain. (NYT)


Thanks for reading Starting Point.

This newsletter was edited by Heather Ciras and produced by Ryan Orlecki.

❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at startingpoint@globe.com.

✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy.

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Dave Beard can be reached at dave.beard@gmail.com. Follow him on X @dabeard.





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Pittsburg, PA

As his polarizing Pitt career winds down, a banged-up Cam Corhen has saved his best for last

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As his polarizing Pitt career winds down, a banged-up Cam Corhen has saved his best for last






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