Urooba Abid | Love your neighbors, and strangers too
At the heart of Penn’s campus, distanced from the array of academic buildings, sits a statue reading the most valuable lesson Penn can impart on its students: love.
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
At the heart of Penn’s campus, distanced from the array of academic buildings, sits a statue reading the most valuable lesson Penn can impart on its students: love.
Although mere blocks from campus, the inner politics of the Philadelphia public school system can feel worlds apart from the consciousness of Penn students. This January, while thousands of students returned to Penn’s campus, public schools in the city remained closed. Now, despite safety concerns from parents and teachers, schools are phased to reopen in early March.
In a shocking video posted to Twitter, tenured Penn professor Robert Schuyler was recorded using a Nazi salute and rallying cry at a virtual archeology conference. Since the incident, widespread student outcry has called for the professor’s dismissal, arguing that white supremacist and antisemitic sentiment has no place at the University. Meanwhile, the professor and his defenders have cited freedom of speech as a protection in this case.
For me, the decision to vote for Joe Biden’s presidency was clear. President Donald Trump’s long history of xenophobic policies and remarks speak for themselves. But as I voted, and felt the powerful emotion of participating in my first presidential election, I couldn’t help but also feel frustrated. While I am hopeful in seeing so many of my peers engage in voting efforts this election, I resent the idea that we are civically engaged merely by voting.
Recent social uprisings and calls for racial justice for the Black community are forcing Americans to reckon with the existence of systemic barriers to equity. As Penn students, we have special proximity to one such barrier, and one that we have undoubtedly benefited from — the higher education system.
The ever-changing news of the outside world can feel suffocating. But at home, during Ramadan, some long-standing traditions make it feel like nothing’s changed.
For as long as I can remember, conversations about my future career plans have gone hand-in-hand with conversations about when I plan to start a family. As a woman, it’s not uncommon to hear pointed questions like, “When you’re working, who will take care of the kids?” and “How will you have time to be at home?” when discussing career ambitions.
The scoreboard had Harvard leading 15-3. My friends and I hastily entered the stadium, which was scattered with crimson and blue jerseys, close to halftime. Even as a visiting Penn student, I was swept up in the excitement of this year's Harvard-Yale game.
I was exposed to a vibrant community of young Muslims from across the country and the globe for the first time at Penn. In my hometown, my family was one of few Muslim families in the area. When I arrived to Penn, I looked forward to meeting people with backgrounds and beliefs that resembled my own, and finding a community to celebrate customs with.
With the fall semester gearing up, returning students begin the essential undertaking of finding housing for the upcoming school year. Due to their association with the University, most Penn students have plenty of affordable housing options.
Thousands of students passionately marched at the youth-led Climate Strike protests this past week. Students held signs that read “There is no Planet B,” and “We Deserve a Future,” while shouting chants like “Climate change is not a lie!” While the cries for change are necessary at the global scale, they also have an important role closer to home.
As students, it’s imperative that we educate ourselves on the ails of the American health care system. Otherwise, we may be shocked at what appears on our next medical bill.
With summer only a few weeks away, this is usually the time of year when Penn begins advertising the opportunity to take summer courses online, on-campus, or abroad. For many students, summer courses are a great option. They offer the chance to catch up on requirements, take classes towards their dual degree programs, and possibly lighten their course loads for the academic year.
A few weeks ago, on a Megabus back to Philly, a group of women noticed the Penn logo on my sweatshirt. Immediately after seeing where I attended school, one woman made a comment about how I must be rich. At first, I was surprised and a little hurt by her insensitive assumption about my background. But at the same time I knew that it was not unwarranted. She was justified in assuming my privileges as a Penn student.
Wharton undeniably influences every facet of Penn's campus culture — from the academics to the social life. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Often, I hear my peers share their plans to send their future kids to private schools. Whether that opinion is rooted in their own private school experiences or their terrible public school experiences, they will make the assertion that it’ll be much easier for their kids to get into a school like Penn if they send them to elite private schools rather than public school.
On Tuesday, Penn Provost Wendell Pritchett announced the appointment of professors Camille Charles and Robert Ghrist to serve as the two faculty directors of the Office of Penn First Plus, a new office for first-generation, low-income students announced in the spring.
Penn broke another record this year with its lowest-ever overall acceptance rate of 8.39 percent.
At Philadelphia's "March for Our Lives" event on March 24, thousands of students, teachers, and other Philadelphia residents packed the march route, carrying painted signs and chanting slogans against gun violence.
While the activism around gun violence following the Parkland shooting has largely been spearheaded by high school students, various students, faculty, and staff at the university level have found ways to show their solidarity with the movement.