The United States Department of Education is investigating five instances of antisemitism and two Islamophobia cases across seven schools.

The letter expressed concern about the University's “failure to respond to the defamation and harassment” that pro-Palestinian faculty members have been experiencing.

Around 50 attendees watched representatives from Penn College Republicans, Penn Democrats, Penn for Liberty, and the Penn Young Democratic Socialists of America debate a variety of topics.

Penn Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Michael Morrin told the protestors that they would be arrested if they did not leave the building and gave them a 30-minute warning before arrests would begin. 

Students told the DP that the vigil was organized to offer people a sense of community while mourning the deaths in Gaza.

The letter was also sent to schools including Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Cornell, UC Berkeley, and Cooper Union.   

"These reprehensible messages are an assault on our values and cause pain and fear for our Jewish community," Penn President Liz Magill wrote.

According to a press release, Makhija — who also has served as President of IMPACT, a national South Asian civic organization — is the first-ever Indian American and Asian American elected county commissioner.

Parker, a former Philadelphia city councilmember and Pennsylvania state representative, faced Republican candidate David Oh and emerged as the winner with 74% of the vote.

President Liz Magill has previously condemned the Hamas attack on Israel and antisemitism on campus in multiple statements to the Penn community.

Philadelphia will choose its 100th Mayor, either Republican David Oh or Democrat Cherelle Parker.

Penn Democrats, Penn College Republicans, and Penn Young Democratic Socialists of America shared their preparations, plans, and endorsements ahead of Election Day.

While the drop in revenue is unlikely to affect the student experience in the short-term, experts said that the long-term financial and academic impacts are much less certain. 

Many students who spoke with the DP felt that the action plan is a necessary step for the University to take, while some felt that the plan does not provide enough support to Palestinian or Jewish community members.

Penn is arguing that graduate students are "not employees" in response to their recent decision to unionize.

Faculty members also offered support to the University community and called for “respectful and civil discourse" while refusing to allow hateful rhetoric.

The plan comes after several high-profile donors have criticized the administration for their response to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and the ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel.