The final fumble
Jerome gets sidelined: After five and a half seasons — and the worst record of a Penn basketball coach since 1914 — Penn Athletics fired coach Jerome Allen.
The new squad leader: Steve Donahue, a former coaching assistant, will return to Penn next season as the new basketball team coach. He’s leaving his current gig as head coach at Cornell, where he transformed a bottom feeder team into winning three Ancient Eight titles.
In review: Ball is life.
Pussy Riot comes to campus — no, it’s not the latest chlamydia outbreak
The Story: The feminist, punk band Pussy Riot came to Penn on Tuesday to share their experiences advocating for oppressed and marginalized groups in Russia through their music.
Why It’s interesting: Pussy Riot has made a stir all around the world with their two most famous videos “A Punk Prayer” and “I Can’t Breathe.”
What they shared: Pussy Riot reflected on their stint in prison that occurred after they were arrested by the Moscow police while filming “A Punk Prayer,” which criticized the Church’s support of Putin in the last election.
Shots fired at potential firearm legislation
The Story: In 10 states, lawmakers are advocating for bills that would allow carrying a firearm on campus, arguing that it would decrease rates of sexual assault. Students of Penn Law School have denounced this proposal, suggesting that such a law will facilitate more violence on college campuses.
Their Worries: Penn Law professors claim that guns at frat parties do not “jive with reality” and are, not to mention, dangerous considering that accidents involving firearms happen all of the time.
Penn students turn up … their light switches
How Penn channeled Lil Jon: Each year, Facilities and Real Estate Services hosts an annual competition asking the college houses to reduce their energy uses. This year, less than half of the student body successfully reduced their power usage. The majority of the college houses turned down for nothing — actually increasing their usage during the challenge.
But Eco-Reps still feel turnt because: Despite the discouraging figure, Penn students got creative with the challenge. Some college houses were reported to hold pancake dinners without the lights on and use specialty light bulbs. As far as Eco Reps are concerned, they claim to have achieved their goal of teaching the student body about energy conservation.
It's the remix to admission
Students take a look in Penn Admission's kitchen: Since a group of Stanford students figured out a way to view their admissions files — and what admissions officers have written about them — it has become a trend for students at Penn and across the country to start requesting access.
The Downside: Admissions officers complain that these requests divert time and energy away from other priorities.
Why it’s such a draw: All students are interested in knowing why and how they were accepted to their chosen University. Requesting students petition that the admissions process seems so “mysterious” to applicants and, years later, the system still holds a certain mystique for Penn students.
