Penn's first-years have returned to campus, but issues with partying and possible COVID-19 spread threaten the in-person semester the Penn community wants.

From Jan. 10-17, thousands of students returned to campus for the spring semester during a move-in period unlike any other. Here's what it looked like.

Penn was one of the few universities to keep the pass/fail grading option for the spring 2021 semester, a step in the right direction for grading equity and accessibility during the pandemic.

Biden, a former Penn Presidential Professor of Practice, was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States this afternoon in a ceremony markedly different from any other inauguration in the nation's history. 

While Philadelphia places higher-education employees in phase 1C of vaccine distribution, the Medical School sent an email to its staff on Jan. 12 stating that the school is placing employees in phase 1B.

Beatrice Forman will lead the newly elected 34th Street executive board as editor-in-chief, along with campus editor Chelsey Zhu, culture editor Mehek Boparai, and assignments editor Karin Hananel. Forman and her team plan on shaping Street into a publication with a consistent output of high-quality social justice coverage that amplifies the voices of marginalized communities on Penn’s campus.

Led by Wharton junior and DP President Dane Greisiger, the 137th board consists of 26 student leaders who are ready to take charge amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Greisiger and his team plan to devote their board terms to driving indispensable news coverage as well as facilitating the success of the organization's student staffers. 

Collectively, Greisiger, Pintado-Urbanc, and Ahn will make up the "big three" leaders of the company. Together, they aim to improve representation of diverse communities in news coverage as well as within the organization.

As editor-in-chief, Morrison coordinated the launch of UTB’s first regular weekly newsletter, continued to introduce interactive content formats such as quizzes, and formed a broader coalition of comedy groups at Penn to recruit new members. Morrison said he was proud to maintain regular output despite difficult circumstances.

A new slate of Penn affiliates will serve in leadership roles within the Biden-Harris administration, ranging from the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach to Biden's White House COVID-19 Response Team.

In August, PSG announced the donation of $200,000 to Makuu, of which $150,000 was reserved for UMOJA, and $50,000 for the Center for Africana Studies in an email to undergraduates. 

A week prior in the Wild Card Round, the Browns conjured up a historic 48-37 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The victory snapped the Browns’ 17-game losing streak at Heinz Field and secured their first divisional round appearance since 1994. 

While the students on-campus may be the subject of the headlines, there is still a substantial number of students who will be learning from home, for health, personal, or other reasons. They, too, must be factored in as the semester progresses.

Many University buildings have expanded their hours and on-site offerings to account for the larger number of students living on campus.

To limit the spread of the virus, the University is launching the Penn Cares COVID-19 response program, which requires undergraduates to get tested for COVID-19 twice per week at one of several locations on campus.

Students said they were excited to finally come to campus, but expressed concerns about the clarity and effectiveness of Penn's Quiet Period COVID-19 guidelines. 

This is the second recorded case of the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant in Pennsylvania.