Student Life
Penn enters agreement to purchase McDonald's on 40th and Walnut streets
The location will be renovated into a mixed-use office building, according to Executive Director of Real Estate Ed Datz.
Hundreds petition Penn to move finals online after University bans indoor social gatherings
The petition calls for final exams for large lecture classes to be moved online, citing several grievances with the enforcement of the PennOpen Pass self-reporting system and difficulties with social distancing in classrooms.
Year in Review: A look back at the stories that defined 2021
Penn community members coped with the ever-changing pandemic and associated losses, and they managed a complicated and often stressful return to in-person classes and exams.
Here's everything you need to know about Penn's indoor social gatherings ban
Dubé said the decision to prohibit indoor social events was preventative in nature and was made in an effort to avoid the need for further restrictions on campus movement, which could jeopardize the University's academic mission.
How the ups and downs of COVID-19 defined 2021
Whether in-person or online, masked or unmasked, socializing or isolating, COVID-19 continued to determine what life at Penn looked like in 2021.
Penn students protest injustice and inequity
The return to in-person campus life allowed students and community members to resume gathering to demonstrate their grievances and frustrations with the University.
Penn students return to Phila., angering residents while increasing local business revenue
The return of students to campus boded well for many local businesses after a year of financial hardship brought on by the pandemic.
Students return to in-person, on-campus life
Classes remained largely virtual until fall 2021, when in-person instruction — as well as the on-campus party scene — resumed.
Students who come to Penn with high school peers cite initial social advantage
Despite a trend of students from the same high schools consistently being admitted, the Admissions Office maintained that there is no formula to get accepted to Penn.
Penn Student Government launches fund to distribute $150,000 to marginalized student groups
The Social Life Inclusion Fund will distribute $50,000 each year over the next three years starting this semester in a three-year pilot program.
Penn cancels student group social events through 2021 following uptick in COVID-19 cases
Social events include parties, formals, and other spaces where alcohol, food, and dancing are present.
Penn set to host COVID-19 booster vaccine clinic Dec. 15 to 17
The clinic will provide the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all students, faculty, staff, and postdoctoral students.
Quarantine policies discourage international students from going home during winter break
Countries like New Zealand, Vietnam, and Japan are requiring travelers from the United States to quarantine upon arrival even if they are fully vaccinated.
‘Gen Z and Public Service’ event helps students approach public sector internships
Penn students who interned in the public sector discussed the value of building connections and the ability to move between the public and private sectors.
Students say ‘sauna’-like rooms are disrupting their sleep and studying
When the University switched the air conditioning systems to heating systems in mid-October, students living in high rises and New College House West experienced temperatures reaching what they said felt too warm.
Students talk immigration, hazing, and climate change at virtual Penn Paideia event
Students said they enjoyed the ability to have an open conversation with others who hold different viewpoints.
Penn Dining extends hours, expands meal exchange opportunities and breakfast options
The changes were made based on feedback submitted by students as well as discussions with the Dining Advisory Board and the Undergraduate Assembly.
Penn senior named one of 12 Mitchell Scholars to receive funding for study in Ireland
Wragan, who majors in neuroscience at Penn, plans to continue studying neuroscience and chronic pain at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.
MERT expands available medical services as calls return to pre-pandemic levels
MERT, a student-run organization that responds to medical emergencies in the Penn community, has responded to more incidents relating to general medical emergencies than student intoxication this semester, in a break from previous years.