Just as applicants to Penn come from all over the world, people interested in Penn admissions are everywhere, too.
And so, without a real watercolor to gossip over, they turn to an online one.
Since his departure from Penn, blogs and Internet forums have been sustaining interest and driving conversation about former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson.
On one of the most popular discussion boards for college admissions, College Confidential (collegeconfidential.com), discussions have sprung up among Penn students, applicants, parents and other onlookers about what case for Stetson's departure they think most likely.
They also let fly their opinions on how Penn President Amy Gutmann has handled the affair, how The Daily Pennsylvanian has covered it, and what impact this departure may have on the admissions world.
After Stetson abruptly left Penn in August, the University has failed to disclose the reasoning behind his departure, aside from Gutmann's comment that the resignation is in the "best interests" of Penn and Stetson.
Blogs and discussion forums are often not held to the same standard as print publications, and with no official word coming from the University, rumors have run rampant.
IvyGate Blog, which posts on Ivy League news and gossip, and Philadelphia magazine's blog, The Daily Examiner, have especially taken advantage by picking out choice rumors to publish.
The resignation has also been a topic of conversation on Philadelphia Weekly's blog, Philadelphia Will Do, and admissions forum AutoAdmit. It has even trickled down to high school newspapers: Los Angeles prep school Harvard-Westlake's student newspaper published a story on its Web site earlier this month.
A.J. Daulerio, who writes for The Daily Examiner, said the Gutmann administration must have known that, in the absence of official information, the Internet would turn into a rumor factory.
"It seems strange that they wouldn't acknowledge what the blogs are saying and what the rumors are," Daulerio said.
Karl Bunday, a member of the College Confidential community and a parent of four, said that where he lives near the Twin Cities in Minnesota, few students apply to Penn, and so few people are interested in Penn's dean of admissions.
Online, however, he has found a willing and enthusiastic community.
College Confidential managing director Roger Dooley said that "Web communities have a role to play -by providing a venue to discuss the topic. There is a place for everyone."
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