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I scrolled through Penn’s career plans survey report: “Financial Analyst, Marketing Analyst, Finance Analyst, Analyst, Database Analyst,” read the first five results under the section for economics majors (really, you can go and look for yourself). A lump hardened in my throat.
Benjamin Franklin argued for the importance of free discourse by noting “that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter.” Considering the administration’s opaque decision on fossil fuel divestment, Penn is not living up to its founder’s values.
As a member of a community that prides itself for being at the forefront of the progressive, intellectual movement and someone who recognizes the real harms of socio-economic privilege, I feel compelled to respond to the article.
As the leaders of Penn’s largest political organization, the Government & Politics Association, we decided not to co-sponsor the March for Immigrants held to condemn President Trump’s recent string of executive orders.
On the dawn of the Asian American Studies (ASAM) Program’s 20th Anniversary, founding faculty member, Dr. Grace Kao, has accepted an offer from Yale and is poised to leave.
Blaming “self-segregation” on minority groups is nothing new. To call out greek life, “similar cultural groups” and Du Bois College house as examples of widespread “self-segregation” is something that we need to think more critically about.
This past month, Israel’s Execution and Collection Authority approved plans to demolish the homes of 20 Palestinians living in the Southern Negev to make way for a new Jewish town.
Based on my news feed, there’s been a lot more fear and stress at Penn than the usual. Some of it comes from Trump’s election, and some from the validation of bigotry some believe his election stands for.
This past week has been one of the most difficult weeks of my life. Between the results of the election, the lives of members of the black freshman community being threatened, along with countless other acts of racism, islamophobia, homophobia, and xenophobia, I’m sad about the state of America.
Last Friday, President Amy Gutmann and Vice Provost Vincent Price emailed Penn faculty, students and staff to announce the creation of a new Task Force charged with combating sexual harassment and sexual violence.
In the email sent out at 5:22 p.m. on Friday night, Gutmann and Price explained that the goal of the entity is to focus “collective attention and understanding on how best to promote a respectful and healthy campus environment and to ensure that students and their parents and guardians are aware of the high-risk behaviors – many of which violate University policy and would result in sanctions for a recognized student organization – engaged in by these groups.”
While we commend university efforts, we believe that creating yet another task force, this time to target off-campus organizations, is not the sole answer.
This week Jeremiah Keenan reminded the Penn community of the question on whether people are really born gay or not (he forgot to mention other identities often roped with gayness like the L-B-T-Q-I-A of the queer alphabet). It came to us as a surprise because this issue seemed settled with the release of Lady Gaga’s iconic 2011 single — "Born This Way.” He attacks the central theme of her song, which is that “It doesn't matter if you love him or capital H-I-M ... 'Cause you were born this way, baby."
Over the last two years, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with a few organizations in West and South Philly, including Penn for Youth Debate, Urban Tree Connection, and HIAS.