Penn will begin the spring semester with several COVID-19 mitigation measures — including two weeks of virtual learning and a new masking requirement.

On-campus housing move-in, which was previously scheduled to begin on Jan. 8, will begin on Jan. 15 and in-person classes will resume on Jan. 24. 

The location will be renovated into a mixed-use office building, according to Executive Director of Real Estate Ed Datz.

The petition calls for final exams for large lecture classes to be moved online, citing several grievances with the enforcement of the PennOpen Pass self-reporting system and difficulties with social distancing in classrooms. 

Penn community members coped with the ever-changing pandemic and associated losses, and they managed a complicated and often stressful return to in-person classes and exams.

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.