Covid
First years burdened by workload but buoyed by social life during first weeks of school
Many students agreed that their social experience has been better than expected, citing opportunities to meet other first years through classes and virtual study groups.
Virtual shopping period met with a mix of praise and privacy concerns
Students, overall, have found the access to Canvas pages useful in determining whether to enroll in classes, but not all classes' Canvas pages are available, as class material access is up to the discretion of the professor.
Penn's competitive job recruitment season shifts online for first time in U. history
While some students said they find it more difficult to build connections with employers without meeting them in person, others said virtual recruitment alleviated the stress of on-campus recruitment and Penn's toxic, competitive recruitment culture.
Penn shot put record holder Maura Kimmel transfers to Notre Dame
After the coronavirus derailed her senior season, Maura Kimmel will take her talents to South Bend, Ind. to throw for Notre Dame in the competitive ACC.
NEC eases requirements to appear on the ballot as student government campaigns go virtual
To alleviate the burden on candidates, the Nominations and Elections Committee reduced the number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot by 33% for each position.
Pennsylvania's COVID-19 death toll may double by January, new model suggests
Officials have pointed factors such as increased mobility and decreased compliance with mask mandates as driving the rise in projected cases and deaths in many states.
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.
A virtual brotherhood: Greek life changes for fall 2020
While some fraternity members are living off-campus together, IFC fraternities plan to hold fall recruitment online with hopes for in-person rush this spring.
Nursing students publish open letter condemning Penn Nursing admin’s response to COVID-19
Nursing students used iHuman, an online nursing simulation, and listened to a free podcast called "Serial" in lieu of in-person clinical rotations this past spring and summer terms.
Temple moves classes online after more than 200 students test positive for COVID-19
Temple's decision comes several weeks after other Philadelphia colleges, including Penn and Drexel University, decided to conduct the fall semester remotely.
First years tackle virtual NSO with Zoom panels and remote Quizzos
First years praised the overall NSO experience despite its completely remote status. Some, however, encountered difficulties accessing certain events online and wished events allowed for more communication amongst students.
Penn will now pay to ship students’ spring dorm items home following student pushback
The shipping process will begin around mid-September and take several weeks to complete, Penn Business Services Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian on Monday.
What If? Three fall sports teams that were set up for successful seasons
If Penn's athletic teams had been able to play this fall, football and both soccer squads would have had a shot at some special seasons.
‘You really can’t distance to play slap cup’: Off-campus parties spark social media outrage
Penn currently reports at least 42 active coronavirus cases in the community, but many students fear potential virus clusters in the next fews weeks and are taking to social media to share their concerns and call out partygoers.
At least 42 Penn students tested positive for COVID-19 on campus in the past two weeks
Penn has administered 7,140 COVID-19 tests in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags since beginning to test students returning to the Philadelphia area on Aug. 1.
Penn Medicine joins international consortium to compile and analyze COVID-19 data
The Consortium for Clinical Characterization of COVID-19 consists of 96 hospitals around the world and has gathered data on more than 27,000 COVID-19 cases.
Broken mirrors and missing TVs: Penn fails to deliver items left in dorms to many students
Many students believe the lost and damaged belongings were the result of a disorganized process with little oversight from Penn and poor record keeping from moving companies.
First virtual Convocation inducts Class of 2024 and transfer students into Penn community
The ceremony, which premiered at 7 p.m. EDT on the Penn Convocation website, featured remarks from Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett, as well as performances by student groups.
Phila. health department warns students to avoid all social gatherings amid pandemic
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health stated that the guidance was updated in response to new outbreaks on college campuses, both locally and across the United States.