Guest Column by David Britto | Why pride isn't an admissions criteria

By David Britto · March 3, 2015

In her column, “Inviting Quaker pride,” two weeks ago, Dani Blum argued that Penn should continue to admit high percentages of the freshman class through the Early Decision program.

Guest column by Connie Chen, Will Johnson and Thomas Lee| Five myths about fossil fuel divestment

By Will Johnson , Thomas Lee and Connie Chen · Feb. 25, 2015

Fossil fuel divestment is often misunderstood by opponents, so we're here to debunk common myths.

Guest column by Julia Slater | More than a week for women

By Julia Slater · Feb. 24, 2015

Sometimes it’s easy to sweep sexism under the rug. Sometimes it's easy to see it as a problem that exists elsewhere — not on college campuses, and certainly not at a place as progressive as Penn.

Guest column by Dia Sotiropoulou | The blue-and-red-eyed monster

By Dia Sotiropoulou · Nov. 17, 2014

As I’ve scrolled through my Facebook news feed recently, I’ve stumbled every so often on emphatic promotional blurbs urging me to “beat Harvard.” With a “like” to the Daily Pennsylvanian’s Facebook page, apparently, I can stick it to those sneering Cambridgeites and help overtake the popularity of their altogether-too-revered Crimson.

Guest column by Xeno Washburne and Amber Blaylock | Autism Speaks and Penn's Neurodiversity Problem

By Xeno Washburne and Amber Blaylock · Oct. 29, 2014

Autism Speaks has no interest in improving the lives of autistic people. It is dedicated entirely to improving the lives of those without autism, who, it holds, are unfairly burdened by having to deal with people whose sensory and social experiences differ dramatically from their own, to the point where cold-blooded murder is an understandable, sympathetic response. Autism Speaks seeks not to change the future for autistic people, but to end it.

Guest column by Will Johnson and Thomas Lee | Gutmann’s climate plan is not enough

By Will Johnson and Thomas Lee · Oct. 28, 2014

Last Tuesday, President Amy Gutmann sent an email to the Penn community about the launch of Climate Action Plan 2.0. Despite its account of previous accomplishments and plans for the next five years, CAP 2.0 falls short of the mark. To be a genuine climate action leader, Penn must divest its endowment from fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy.

Guest column by Heather Holmes | Racism 101

By Heather Holmes · Oct. 23, 2014

Unfortunately, for our black peers, “learning about racism” by occasionally dipping one’s toes into side research and casual activism is not a choice. Racism is a front-and-center issue for many Penn students, not necessarily because they seek out racial minorities as so-called special interest groups, but because they are subjugated to virulent racism themselves.

Guest column by Theodore Caputi | In defense of Tom Corbett

By Theodore Caputi · Oct. 16, 2014

What’s most disappointing about the Penn Dems’ column is that they fail to mention any of Corbett’s successes. There’s no hint of a counterargument in their entire column. They don’t mention that Corbett cut the Pennsylvania state deficit by over $4 billion, that Pennsylvania recently experienced its lowest unemployment rate since 2008, that the state income tax has not increased over his entire tenure and that he reduced the state government to its smallest size in 50 years.

Guest column by Penn Education Society | How do we help our schools?

By Penn Education Society · Oct. 14, 2014

At a last-minute, barely publicized meeting last Monday morning, the School District of Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission ended 21 months of negotiations and canceled its contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. Ending this contract means that PFT members, who currently pay nothing for health care benefits, will now be required to pay 10 to 13 percent of the cost of their medical plan premiums.

Guest column by Daniela Jinich | It's all noise

By Daniela Jinich · Oct. 5, 2014

Who is fighting whom? A democratic country versus a terrorist organization. Is “number of deaths” the only way to measure justice? Or should we instead look at how well a government protects its people? Let’s ask, why did the Hamas leadership tell the citizens of Gaza to ignore the pamphlets, phone calls and text messages sent by the Israel Defense Forces to Palestinian civilians before attacking rocket-launching sites?

Guest column by Penn Democrats | What’s missing in hate crime legislation

By Penn Democrats · Sept. 29, 2014

Pennsylvania is one of just 14 states with hate crime laws that do not include protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Hate crime protection increases the severity of charges for violence motivated by malicious intent, and these laws protect the people in our community who are the most vulnerable. It is inexcusable that the LGBT community is not protected.

Guest column by Ghinwa Moujaes | Transition to Penn

By Ghinwa Moujaes · Sept. 28, 2014

It was hard adjusting to Penn. After two weeks, I was set on going home. I had decided that Penn wasn’t worth it. I didn’t want to be Americanized. I wanted to stay true to my identity. I wanted to go back home to Lebanon.

Guest column by Penn Dems | Starving for change

By Penn Democrats · Sept. 22, 2014

Fortunately, Republicans were not able to cut SNAP funding by $40 billion. Still, Republicans were somewhat successful in their quest to cut aid to the needy. Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law a compromise agreement that cut SNAP by almost $9 billion.As a result of those cuts, 175,000 Pennsylvania families will lose $65 in benefits each month. Many of these families undoubtedly live close to Penn, and perhaps some of the affected children are those whom Penn students tutor in local schools. For families that have already been struggling to make ends meet, these cuts will be devastating.

Guest column by College Republicans | An inconvenient truth: When rhetoric and action don't line up

By College Republicans Executive Board · Sept. 22, 2014

We want to reaffirm our support for a two-state solution, predicated not on concessions to terrorists, but on security and mutual trust.

Guest column by Jaime and Paul Shweitzer| In defense of the Maimonides program

By Jaime and Paul Shweitzer · Sept. 22, 2014

We have had over five years experience with MEOR on two college campuses, one of them being University of Pennsylvania.

Penn Dems | Cannabis prohibition: fiscally flawed, morally bankrupt

By Penn Democrats Executive Board · Sept. 9, 2014

The War on Drugs is a pandemic, and we do not pretend that these policies are a panacea. Still, the City Council’s and Sen. Leach’s prescriptive measures are steps in the right direction, and we can’t afford to miss the forest for the trees.

Vaishak Kumar | Planted myths about GMOs

By Vaishak Kumar · July 8, 2014

While it is certainly understandable that certain GMO products or related practices might be harmful, it baffles me that someone can consider banning an entire technology that has not only helped millions of farmers, but consumers as well.