After weeks of anticipation, I finally made it off the waiting list for a free Birthright Israel trip through Oranim: Let Israelis Show You Israel. I was excited for this incredible opportunity - my chance to explore the Jewish holy land, meet new people and inhale a vibrantly historic culture that still thrives today.
There are a lot of adjustments to make after graduating Penn. The hardest? Coming to terms with the fact that you will never have another summer vacation. It was a nice run while it lasted, of course. Like a lot of Penn students, I imagine, I kept pretty busy in between the school years before college.
Watch out, Rachel Ray. If you think America on $40 a day is a challenge, consider this: The maximum food stamp benefit for one American tops out at less than $40 a week. With a little number crunching, that comes to about $5 for three square meals a day. Admittedly, the federal food stamp program is usually just meant to supplement low-income budgets.
There are a lot of adjustments to make after graduating Penn. The hardest? Coming to terms with the fact that you will never have another summer vacation. It was a nice run while it lasted, of course. Like a lot of Penn students, I imagine, I kept pretty busy in between the school years before college.
Editorial | Meyerson's legacy
Internationalize the University. Improve its financial standing so that necessary reforms can be enacted. Facilitate coordination between the various graduate and undergraduate schools. These were the goals, and some of the greatest successes, of former Penn President Martin Meyerson, who lost a battle with prostate cancer on Saturday.
Editorial | Meeting the state halfway
Recently, the yearly SEPTA budget has tended to fall in the red. But $129 million is a bit excessive. So goes the logic behind the recent "Plan A" proposal, which would increase fares by about 11 percent. Unfortunately, the two Philadelphia representatives on the SEPTA board vetoed this proposal, pushing back a final decision until late June.
I woke up early, got dressed, and hopped into the car with the rest of my family. We drove downtown until we reached a cemetery. Passing underneath the extended ladders of two fire trucks, we entered the area where the city buries its fallen heroes. We stood next to the graves as the procession began.
Alicia Puglionesi is a College junior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is apuglionesi@sas.upenn.edu.
It was 9:00 on one of the last nights of finals week. I patted myself on the back for managing to get a seat among the crowd of Penn students cramming at the Bucks County cafe on the corner 40th and Locust streets, and I settled in for a few hours of reviewing for my last final of the semester, a cumulative exam for one of my English classes.
Weekly Digits
30BAdditional dollars President Bush requested from Congress yesterday to fight AIDS in Africa. Source: The Associated Press
Alicia Puglionesi is a College junior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is apuglionesi@sas.upenn.edu.
The Penn students currently on campus probably have some idea of what this summer has in store. But for everyone else - those here on campus for the first time taking summer session courses, doing internships or working (and, of course, the eventual throngs of high schoolers who will crowd campus come late June) - the City of Brotherly Love could seem a little intimidating.
Daily Digit
40,000Dollars a court ordered two former Coca-Cola workers to pay after attempting to sell trade secrets. Source: CNN.com
Editorial | The race still isn't over
When the results of the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary were released on the night of May 15, a plurality of citizens across the city could breathe a sigh of relief - Michael Nutter was victorious in the election. Almost all of the local print media establishments, from The Philadelphia Inquirer to Philadelphia Magazine (and The Daily Pennsylvanian), endorsed Nutter in the race, lauding his history of service in City Council, the breadth and depth of his plans for the city and his attempts at ethics reform.
My friends and I slogged our way over the Locust Walk bridge and down past Huntsman, moving just fast enough to still call it moving. We were near the back of the procession, behind the dental students who proudly hoisted their battle flag, a five-foot toothbrush.
Even if Penn's academics proved unhelpful in providing direction in life, the four years spent learning about one's self are priceless.
Throughout the year, we constantly get asked the questions: "What does the UA do?" or "Why should I care about student government?" These questions, while seemingly simple, cannot be answered in this limited guest column. We hope, however, to explain some of our accomplishments from this past year and give you a preview of what to expect in the coming year.
Transferring to Penn from a school on the sunny, easygoing west coast wasn't easy, but the rewards made it worthwhile.


