Student Life
Despite declining COVID-19 positivity rate, admin. brace for uptick after days off
Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said he is apprehensive about the effect that potential student travel in spite of COVID-19 safety protocols over the break may have on the campus positivity rate in the coming weeks.
Students report no decrease in workload despite two days off this week
Despite the shortened two-day spring break taking place this week, some students reported that they have assignments due on days where no classes will be held.
Anonymous discussion-based app launches at Penn to foster dialogue around mental health
The app was first launched by a group of students at Dartmouth College and has since spread to 40 colleges and universities.
This year’s Spring Fling concert will take place virtually over two weekends in April
The Social Planning and Events Committee announced it would hold the concert virtually on April 9, 10, 16, and 17. The event will be free and feature multiple performers that have yet to be announced.
Students pleased with Pottruck reopening, calling it a ‘glimpse of the old routine’
Pottruck reopened some of its facilities to all undergraduate students on Feb. 24 after piloting COVID-19 protocols that proved successful.
Students confident in Penn’s testing program but worried by peer behavior, DP survey finds
About 70% of respondees said they believe their peers are not acting responsibly and over 71% said they know someone who has attended a gathering of over 10 people this semester.
Penn student-run letter-writing initiative reaches over 13,000 frontline workers
Lockdown Letters has expanded their reach to target all essential workers, after focusing exclusively on health care workers at the start of the pandemic.
Penn responds to fraudulent green PennOpen Passes with new daily code
Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé and Chief Operating Officer for Wellness Services Erika Gross confirmed that students had been creating fake green PennOpen Passes to access campus buildings when they did not actually meet the required criteria to enter that building.
Black Penn students allege pattern of racism in Chemistry dept. on viral Instagram page
Multiple posts levy accusations against Penn’s Chemistry Department, leading the department to apologize to certain students for their "negative experiences" related to the department, but the University as a whole has taken no such steps.
Penn offers Wellnest app access for students, staff to encourage mindfulness amid pandemic
Wellnest is the newest part of the University's Penn Cares program to help the Penn community cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the LOVE statue to Chinatown: New club helps students complete their Penn bucket lists
The club, Penn Bucket, will host events for its members that lead them to venture outside of the “Penn bubble” and explore Philadelphia.
Drunk, maskless, uncooperative: Student parties place police officers at risk
As students continue to host in-person gatherings in off- and on-campus locations, Penn Police Department officers responding to the parties are voicing concerns over contracting the virus while on the job.
Penn students in Texas struggle with virtual learning amid power outages and burst pipes
Winter storms across large parts of the Central and Southern United States have hit Texas with high levels of snow and unusually cold temperatures, causing widespread flooding and power outages.
Penn urges students to remain vigilant even as COVID-19 positivity rate reaches semester low
University administrators urged students to remain vigilant in following public health guidelines — particularly after a student was hospitalized due to severe symptoms and two students tested positive for the B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant since arriving on campus this semester.
Two students form senior society open only to College students
The interdisciplinary background of students in the College is one of the main things that differentiates Gryphon from other school-specific senior societies, such as Hexagon for Engineering, Lantern for Wharton, and Nightingales for Nursing.
Pottruck Health and Fitness Center reopens to all undergraduate students
Pottruck began a reopening pilot program on Feb. 3 after the Quiet Period ended, with plans to potentially reopen to all students. Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé told The Daily Pennsylvanian on Feb. 23 that the protocols taken during the pilot program “have been shown to work.”
Students learning in isolation cope with warped sense of time, concentration issues
Many students experienced fatigue, struggles with time management and concentration, and stress as a result of confinement and the illness itself.
Wharton MBA student raises $62,000 for charity by dropping pizzas out of his apartment window
Good Pizza Philadelphia hosts "pizza drops" each week, offering a limited number of free pizzas to people with the request that they donate to local organizations.
After a month on campus, first years grateful for social life but worried about COVID-19
While some first years say the ability to meet others in person for the first time has been crucial in easing the transition to college life from an isolating first semester at home, others describe difficulties in balancing social distancing guidelines and forming new friendships.