Katie Busch

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, students were forced to cut their spring semester on campus short and transition to online learning.

Social distancing and travel restrictions have forced in-person fieldwork and research to a standstill, and universities' nationwide hiring freezes are making it harder to secure a job in academia.

Over a month after lockdown, West Philadelphia businesses struggle to receive loans and grants – and even they manage to do so, it is often not enough.

A video of Philadelphia police officers forcibly removing a  passenger without a face mask from a bus went viral on Twitter earlier this month.

Students resorted to online video chat platforms such as Zoom to connect with distant loved ones and attend virtual services over the holidays, and many got creative with substitutes for various components of their religious traditions. 

Currently, Penn allows students to change their courses to pass/fail grading until April 13, the earliest opt-in pass/fail deadline in the Ivy League by more than two weeks. 

After tumultuous evictions from campus amid the pandemic, select students managed to stay in their University housing. Now, Penn is asking students to relocate to other dorms in an effort to consolidate resources. 

The funds will go to affected workers as well as the PHL COVID-19 Fund, which is helping local nonprofits stay afloat during the pandemic. 

Penn's first week of online classes was not without technological issues. But many students praised professors for their dedication and compassion amidst COVID-19.

Without student clientele and with coronavirus commerce restrictions in full swing, small businesses around Penn are struggling to make ends meet.