Identities
Students commend Penn’s ranking as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly colleges in America
LGBTQ leaders and students applauded Penn's support in building a strong LGBTQ community, a forte which proved to be the deciding factor for some students when deciding to come to Penn.
In wake of new statue, Black students call on Penn to go beyond 'performative' gestures
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.
Students celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Week with online games and Zoom concerts
While Penn's 27th annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Week took place virtually for the first time this year due to the pandemic, many students deemed the online programming a success.
Penn’s latest campus sculpture aims to celebrate Black womanhood
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.
Penn students organize boycott of classes this week to promote student wellness
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.
Penn's official response to Wallace Jr. killing omits police involvement, outraging students
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.
Students, profs, and politicians fear disenfranchisement of voters of color this election
For Penn-affiliated politics aficionados, President Donald Trump and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbate America's sordid history of voter disenfranchisement.
Police fatally shoot Black man in West Philadelphia, prompting protests near Penn’s campus
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, a bystander-filmed video showed that Wallace Jr. was armed with a knife and appeared further than arm's length away from the officers when they opened fire.
Citing the ‘power of landmarks,’ prof. launches civil rights site preservation initiative
The Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites will be led by Faculty Director Randall Mason, a professor in the graduate program in Historic Preservation at Penn.
Penn’s Lambda Alliance buddy program helps LGBTQ undergrads connect during virtual semester
Lambda Alliance has manually matched eighty students so far in the program and will notify more students of their matches by the end of October.
Penn denies congressional request to disclose stats on diverse-owned firms managing endowment
Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.) and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) sent a letter to 25 colleges and universities on July 10, requesting information regarding the participation of women and minority-owned asset management firms in the administration of endowment assets.
‘Latinos can make a community anywhere’: Students celebrate Latinx Heritage Month virtually
While some students said the virtual setting could not match the same exciting atmosphere of the in-person traditions, most students and faculty still deemed this year's online celebrations an overall success.
Incoming Dental and SP2 grad students are now required to take anti-racism education course
The online course consists of six Canvas modules spanning 20 hours that focus on Penn and Philadelphia's history of structural racism, implicit bias, allyship, gender identity, and healthcare equity.
Penn AAPI Politics and Pa. AAPI for Biden co-host virtual rally with Andrew Yang, Helen Gym
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus concluded its National AAPI Bus Tour with the one-hour Zoom rally on Wednesday evening.
From civil rights to Black Lives Matter: Inside the fight for racial justice at Penn
The Black Lives Matter movement inspires numerous comparisons to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. But some Penn alumni — who have marched on its bloodiest streets and decades later, remain committed to seeking justice — are not convinced there can necessarily be a direct comparison.
Penn students protest to demand murder charge for officers who shot Breonna Taylor
The protesters’ main demand was to indict the officers for Taylor’s death, but speakers and organizers also criticized the role of police in general and advocated for police abolition.
Petition with over 1,000 signatures calls on Penn to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous Peoples’ Day, also known as Columbus Day, takes place on Oct. 12 to honor Native American peoples’ resiliency in the face of violence by European explorers.
Penn students found club to boost representation of women in startups
Only 13% of Penn founders are women and raise just 6% of venture capital, according to Wharton Alumnae Founders & Funders Association.
Here’s how Penn’s six cultural centers plan to support students remotely this fall
The DP spoke with the directors of all six cultural resource centers to discuss their programming for the online fall semester.