Undergraduates at Penn have easy opportunities to create a lasting sense of community through shared experiences — from the Econ Scream and late night Wawa runs from the Quad, to navigating clubs and sports team.
But for some of Penn’s “nontraditional” students in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies — students who start at Penn when they’re over 21 — it’s not always as easy to find the same opportunities, according to some LPS students.
That’s where Penn’s relatively new Liberal and Professional Studies Student’s Association comes in.
LPSSA , which was founded in 2012, aims to create the same sense of community among LPS students, said Kathy Urban, director of BA and BFA programs at LPS . “It is really a touchstone for our students. It gives them the opportunity to all come together on a regular basis to network, identify common interest and share experiences,” Urban said.
LPSSA creates this community through hosting events for LPS students and advocating for their interests with University administrators.
LPSSA President Eddie Burns, an LPS senior, said that the organization’s most significant accomplishment so far was successfully petitioning the University to allow LPS students to apply for the newly created President’s Engagement Prizes. The prizes — which will provide students with up to $150,000 to develop a project that engages either the local, national or global community after their senior year — were initially closed off to LPS students.
Beyond advocacy, LPSSA also helps LPS students feel part of the larger Penn community. When Burns went to a football game with fellow LPS students and discovered that many of them did not know Penn’s “The Red and Blue” anthem , he decided to bring in members of the Penn Marching Band to LPSSA’s October meeting to teach students the tradition.
Events like this also contribute to increasing LPS students’ presence on campus, Burns said. There’s a general perception on campus that LPS students are all part-time students, Burns added, but he hopes that raising awareness about LPSSA will help correct that perception, as a lot of LPS students take a full schedule of classes.
Anna Carapellotti, an LPS senior, is currently a full-time student studying cognitive science , having enrolled after her six-year career as a professional ballerina. She decided to join LPSSA to better connect with other LPS students.
According to Urban, Burns, and Carapellotti, the LPSSA has already made a meaningful impact on the LPS student experience. “The first time I went to an LPSSA meeting...it inspired me to speak up and to get involved more,” Carapellotti said.
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