Student Life
Winners of 2020 President’s Engagement Prize switch focus to restorative justice
Collective Climb, which was founded by 2020 College graduate Hyungtae Kim, 2020 Wharton graduate Kwaku Owusu, and 2020 College graduate Mckayla Warwick, was originally awarded the prize to fight poverty by utilizing Philadelphia’s community assets.
Penn to require all students to receive COVID-19 vaccine ahead of in-person fall semester
The University expects that masks will still be required in many locations on campus and COVID-19 testing may still be mandatory.
Students face extra obstacles to safe sex during the pandemic
Campus Health director Ashlee Halbritter expressed concerns over what Campus Health calls the "Romeo and Juliet Effect," an interconnected system that can put multiple students and their romantic partners at risk for COVID-19.
West & Down’s reopening sparks student concerns of COVID-19 violations
Students who have been in West & Down and witnessed long lines outside the club expressed doubts about its enforcement of mask-wearing and other COVID-19 safety protocols.
Penn’s undergraduate COVID-19 case count remains low for second straight week
Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said the low positivity rate is a testament to continued adherence to public health guidelines, and he urged students to continue to wear masks, socially distance, and wash their hands.
Penn receives 500 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to administer Wednesday
Penn community members who are vaccinated on Wednesday will receive the second dose of the vaccine on May 12, a victory for students in on-campus housing who are required to move out by May 13.
Penn senior Tathagat Bhatia receives Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Bhatia will pursue a master’s degree in history and philosophy of science at Cambridge, after majoring in science, technology, and society with a concentration in energy and the environment at Penn.
Wharton first year starts podcast to build connections and counter pandemic isolation
The podcast, called “Oluswole,” features conversations between Adekeye and his guests, who range from Penn students to family members and high school classmates.
Penn senior Sakshi Sehgal named Truman Scholar
The prestigious, merit-based award, created by Congress in 1975 to honor the 33rd president, offers recipients up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school to prepare for a career in public service.
TEDxPenn hosts first-ever virtual event, featuring speakers from academia to the NFL
The theme for the April 10 conference was “Unknown,” centering around stories of science, discovery, and the human condition.
Penn community members call day one of on-campus vaccinations a ‘well-oiled machine’
The entirety of the Penn community, including all students, are eligible to receive the vaccine on-campus on April 19, when the city of Philadelphia begins vaccinating all adults.
Penn to begin vaccinating faculty, staff, postdocs on April 14, all students on April 19
Vaccination appointment times for the week of April 19, when all adults in Philadelphia become eligible under Phase 2 of the city's rollout plan, will be released on the scheduling platform by Friday afternoon.
Undergraduate COVID-19 case count decreases for third straight week, nearing semester low
Penn administrators said the continued decrease in cases was encouraging, but emphasized that members of the Penn community must continue to be vigilant, even after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Penn juniors co-host conference with female hospitality industry leaders and restaurateurs
The conference, called “Hindsight 20/21: What I Wish I’d Known,” was hosted by Women in Hospitality United and Gourmand, a podcast by College junior Alaina Chou and Wharton junior Maggie Tang.
Penn Libraries Wikipedia edit-a-thon aims to improve reliability of online health information
The event, called the #citeNLM Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, takes place in the spring and fall of each year with the goal of updating Wikipedia articles about healthy aging with information from credible sources.
Louis the Child, Rina Sawayama among headliners at this weekend’s virtual Spring Fling concert
Gryffin, a DJ and music producer, and Cherub, an electro-indie duo, will perform on April 9, and pop singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama and EDM duo Louis the Child will perform on April 10.
Friend-matching app ‘Berri’ made by Penn students launches at all Ivy League schools
Although students can only currently match with students at their own university, the Berri team has plans to add an intercollegiate matching feature that will allow users to match with students at other schools.
SAC groups successfully use Penn Clubs website for online club recruitment, DP analysis finds
During the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, all clubs overseen by the Student Activities Council used Penn Clubs for virtual recruitment.
Penn launches undergraduate fellowship program to foster social equity in West Philadelphia
Students’ projects focus on promoting minority-owned West Philadelphia businesses, alleviating local homelessness, exploring the harm caused by Penn’s territorial expansion across West Philadelphia, and fostering social justice through athletics.