Penn Club undergraduate deal attracts current students

NEW YORK CITY — Blocks from the garish glitter of Times Square and the towering glass skyscrapers of Sixth Avenue lies a piece of old New York and a second home for some alumni —The Penn Club of New York.

This summer, the club, which normally caters to alumni, has a special deal for undergraduates: those who are over 21 can purchase a summer membership for $150 that offers access to all of the club’s amenities, which includes access to other clubs’ facilities — including the squash courts at the Yale Club down the street and several golf courses near the city — all over the world.

Younger students can purchase a membership that allows them to use the club’s gym — called the Palestra. At $90, it is one of the cheapest summer gym memberships in the city. It costs more than twice as much to join the YMCA for the summer. However, the gym membership does not include access to other clubs’ facilities, such as the Yale Club squash courts.

The club will also be hosting happy hours for students who are 21, with each happy hour geared towards a different school. For students who are not members of the club, drink tickets are available for purchase. Upcoming events include a lecture called “How to Build a Social Audience” and a tour of the Claes Oldenburg exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

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While the Penn Club is inexpensive for undergraduates, annual dues increase as members get older. Members in their early 20s pay only $305 per year, but those in their 30s play over $1,000 per year.

According to 1997 Wharton graduate Regina Jaslow, who is the director of member marketing at the club, the program is already more popular than it was last summer. Jaslow estimates that at most 20 students bought a gym or summer membership last summer. This summer, about 15 students have bought gym memberships and 8 students bought full memberships.

2002 College graduate and Penn Club of New York Vice President Lauren Davidson Sachs purchased a summer membership when she was working in the city after her junior year. “I definitely enjoyed using the Palestra … and grabbing drinks after work with friends in the Grille Room,” she said.

That summer, Sachs befriended Penn students she met at the club, whom she had not previously known. She added that it was a great place to network.

“For students taking advantage of the summer membership, there is a lot of value in getting to know alumni at the club for networking within their industry of interest,” she said.

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Rising College senior Gena Lee also uses the Penn Club as a place to unwind or get drinks with coworkers from her internship at the United Nations. Lee commutes from her home in New Jersey to her internship every morning. Because traffic is unpredictable and she does not want to be late, she arrives at Manhattan an hour early and goes to the Penn Club.

“Instead of going to a crowded Starbucks in New York, I go to the library [at the Penn Club], where I can do some work or some reading,” she said.

She says that she has met a lot of alumni, who mostly work in finance. “I think it would be very beneficial, for someone who wanted to go into finance [to join the Penn Club],” she said.

Rising College sophomore James Frier bought the summer gym membership because it was cheap and convenient and has been pleased with the facilities so far. “I really like it,” he said. “It’s well equipped for a small gym … the locker rooms are clean and … the staff is helpful.”

But Frier is not sure if he will join the Penn Club when he graduates. “In terms of going to the gym, it’s a matter of convenience,” he said. “[Joining the Penn Club] depends where I live and work but I would definitely consider it.”

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