Administration
New Vice Provost for University Life begins job, prioritizes meeting students virtually
This semester, VPUL Mamta Motwani Accapadi hopes to provide students with the resources they need to vote in the upcoming presidential election and help the Penn community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wharton MBA students petition for lower tuition to offset limited in-person networking
Many students said the remote semester greatly diminishes the MBA experience where students can no longer network in-person or take advantage of Wharton-sponsored traveling and co-curricular activities.
Despite COVID-19 pandemic, Penn’s endowment increases by $200 million to $14.9 billion
This year's endowment had a return rate — the percent of growth from investing the endowment funds — of just 3.4%, continuing the downward trend in return rates since fiscal year 2017 which recorded a 14.3% return rate.
Disorientation Guide for first years critiques Penn’s impact on students, staff, and Phila.
The guide, published annually, was written by various student groups including Penn Community for Justice, Police Free Penn, the Penn Slavery Project, Fossil Free Penn, Philly Jobs with Justice, and the Coalition Against Fraternity Sexual Assault.
Gutmann, highest paid Ivy League president, will not take COVID-induced pay cut like peers
In response to the financial downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidents of four other Ivy League schools have taken pay cuts of 20% or more for this academic year.
Penn modifies COVID-19 test system in an effort to get students' results faster
The previous messaging system for COVID-19 tests sent students emails with results, but the new system asks students to log into a portal and independently retrieve their results.
Penn FGLI students say pandemic exacerbates pre-existing educational disparities
FGLI students at Penn maintain that the pandemic has certainly hit FGLI students and students of color harder than other students, citing their struggles to secure housing during the pandemic and "disjointed" communication from administration.
Grad students and professors demand funding transparency after SAS pauses Ph.D. admissions
For the past four months, Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania, the union of graduate and professional students at Penn, has been demanding a one-year extension of funding for all doctoral students.
Penn Law removes statement on RBG’s death after inclusion of Amy Wax quote sparked outrage
The statement, posted to the law school’s Facebook page on Sept. 23 at 8:51 a.m., included an excerpt from Wax's book review — published in Claremont Review of Book's Winter 2020 edition — on Jane Sherron De Hart's "Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life."
Penn faculty challenge Penn to pay PILOTs ahead of Thursday Board of Trustees meeting
Four Penn professors held a press conference open to the public on Tuesday to discuss Penn’s obligation to pay PILOTs to Philadelphia public schools.
Penn will offer weekly COVID-19 testing for all off-campus students
Although this testing is not mandatory, Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé encouraged all off-campus students, especially those with three or more roommates, to sign up for weekly testing.
Resisting student pressure, Penn stands by decision to scrap fall break
While all seven other Ivy League institutions either have at least one day off in the middle of the semester, a week-long Thanksgiving break, or both, Penn's fall semester only features a four-day Thanksgiving break.
Chemistry department will not pause admissions for Ph.D. students next academic year
While the Chemistry department must endure the same budget cut as the other SAS departments, Chemistry Ph.D. students are typically supported by research grants from government agencies.
SAS will not admit new Ph.D. students next academic year due to COVID-19 financial loss
Pausing admissions for the 2021-2022 academic year will allow SAS to allocate available funds towards current graduate students who need more time to complete their degrees.
Here’s how Penn’s six cultural centers plan to support students remotely this fall
The DP spoke with the directors of all six cultural resource centers to discuss their programming for the online fall semester.
Penn will not pay contracted dining workers in financial blow to Bon Appétit employees
While Bon Appétit workers will not receive pay this semester, the 113 dining workers directly employed by Penn are not furloughed and will continue to be paid for their typical 40-hour work week.
Penn launches new $2000-COVID-19 Childcare Grant for eligible faculty, staff, and postdocs
Some members of the Penn community say the grant is, in many cases, not enough and excludes graduate students with children.
Hundreds petition Penn to extend widespread COVID-19 testing for the entire fall semester
The University will invite specific asymptomatic members of the Penn community, including students, faculty, and staff who are deemed have a higher exposure risk, to enroll in surveillance testing protocols once Penn has finalized the details of the program.
Penn will not create an ethnic studies, anti-racism requirement despite community support
Emory University, the University of Pittsburgh, and California State University — the largest public university system in the United States — have all recently required students to take a class on ethnic studies and anti-racism.