Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of the Penn Police Department Maureen Rush confirmed that she said, “F*** you, bitch,” during a student’s speech on suspending University operations on Election Day, but maintained that the words were not directed at the student.

The announcement comes amid a fierce student backlash over a lack of breaks during the 2020/21 academic year, which has seen fall break canceled in addition to a shortened spring break.

Penn's outgoing Board of Trustees chair and top Comcast executive David L. Cohen could be named the nation's next ambassador to the United Kingdom, according to a new report from Politico. 

In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Bok, the current vice chair of the board, spoke about the University’s plans to reopen in the spring and refused to budge on students' calls to divest from fossil fuels and make Payment in Lieu of Taxes. 

Bok, who is chairman and CEO of independent investment bank Greenhill & Co., Inc., will succeed David L. Cohen, who has served as chair since November 2009. 

On Monday, the city of Philadelphia announced new COVID-19 restrictions closing indoor dining, gyms, and museums, as well as banning private indoor gatherings like weddings, funerals, and parties

The city's rush to close parts of daily life in response to the rise in cases has not motivated the University to reconsider its plan to open on-campus housing in the spring. 

While Gutmann highlighted the statue’s placement in a prominent location on campus, Black students said the artwork was largely meaningless if it was not accompanied by concrete action to support the Black community at Penn.

Penn will contribute $10 million annually over the next decade. The announcement comes as the University faces widespread criticism from both students and faculty for its refusal to make Payments in Lieu of Taxes, known as PILOTs, to the city of Philadelphia.

The Class of 2020 and 2021 are scheduled to hold Commencement ceremonies on campus in May. But as COVID-19 continues to devastate the country, seniors are beginning to worry if the traditional ceremonies will be safe or feasible.

The sculpture, titled 'Brick House,' was created by acclaimed artist Simone Leigh, and features cowrie shells on the woman’s braids which symbolize wealth, femininity, and the African slave trade in which the shells were used as currency, according to Penn Today. 

Students participating in the strike cited the cancellation of fall break, Penn’s failure to cancel classes on Election Day, and the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. as causes of students' mental health struggles this semester.

Citing Penn's reversal of its fall 2020 plans just weeks before the start of the semester, students now doubt that the University will follow through with its current reopening plan for the spring.

Penn's employee count is just 3,000 fewer than the 44,000-vote margin of victory that decided Pennsylvania in the 2016 presidential election.

In an email signed by Penn President Amy Gutmann and other Penn officials, Gutmann referred to Wallace Jr. as a neighbor of the Penn community, and his killing as a "death" with no mention of the word "police," escalating student outrage.

While some professors have implemented anti-cheating measures like "live proctoring" on Zoom, students claim that many professors have failed to take necessary precautions against cheating even in the face of inflated class scores.

Emanuel, who is also healthcare advisor to former Vice Presidnt Joe Biden, said he believes that conditions are likely to improve only by November 2021. It could, however, be feasible to reopen colleges and universities before then depending on how a potential vaccine is rolled out.