Dubé said the decision to prohibit indoor social events was preventative in nature and was made in an effort to avoid the need for further restrictions on campus movement, which could jeopardize the University's academic mission.

Whether in-person or online, masked or unmasked, socializing or isolating, COVID-19 continued to determine what life at Penn looked like in 2021.

The return to in-person campus life allowed students and community members to resume gathering to demonstrate their grievances and frustrations with the University. 

The return of students to campus boded well for many local businesses after a year of financial hardship brought on by the pandemic.

Classes remained largely virtual until fall 2021, when in-person instruction — as well as the on-campus party scene — resumed. 

Despite a trend of students from the same high schools consistently being admitted, the Admissions Office maintained that there is no formula to get accepted to Penn. 

The Social Life Inclusion Fund will distribute $50,000 each year over the next three years starting this semester in a three-year pilot program.

Social events include parties, formals, and other spaces where alcohol, food, and dancing are present.

The clinic will provide the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all students, faculty, staff, and postdoctoral students.

Countries like New Zealand, Vietnam, and Japan are requiring travelers from the United States to quarantine upon arrival even if they are fully vaccinated.

Penn students who interned in the public sector discussed the value of building connections and the ability to move between the public and private sectors.

When the University switched the air conditioning systems to heating systems in mid-October, students living in high rises and New College House West experienced temperatures reaching what they said felt too warm.

Students said they enjoyed the ability to have an open conversation with others who hold different viewpoints.

The changes were made based on feedback submitted by students as well as discussions with the Dining Advisory Board and the Undergraduate Assembly.

Wragan, who majors in neuroscience at Penn, plans to continue studying neuroscience and chronic pain at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.

MERT, a student-run organization that responds to medical emergencies in the Penn community, has responded to more incidents relating to general medical emergencies than student intoxication this semester, in a break from previous years.

College senior Nicholas Thomas-Lewis from Kimball, Nebraska and Wharton and Engineering senior Raveen Kariyawasam from Colombo, Sri Lanka bring Penn’s total number of Rhodes Scholars to 33.