Philadelphia sues Pa. for better gun control after 47% increase in shooting victims

While most Penn professors and student leaders recognized the need for stricter gun control in the city, some questioned the lawsuit's ultimate effectiveness on the issue.

'Sheer hypocrisy': Professors, Penn Dems express concern over Barrett's election year nomination

They were especially frustrated with the perceived hypocrisy of the Republican Senators who blocked former President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee in March 2016, stating that the winner of the upcoming election should decide who chooses the nominee.

COVID-19 pandemic leads to approx. 300% increase in gap years for incoming Penn students

Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said he does not expect the gap year increase to have a “significant impact on the selectivity or opportunity” during the upcoming admission cycle. 

CAFSA says Penn’s compliance with latest Title IX policy is ‘extremely unethical’

The new regulations now allow different third party advisors, who may be attorneys, to cross-examine students involved in the complaint, and they make the definition of "sexual assault" more narrow and subjective.

Penn’s insurance requirement and costs frustrate students living away from campus

SHS requires all full-time students to submit a waiver to opt-out of PSIP by Aug. 31 each year, or they will automatically enroll them in the plan.

Students grapple with reduced financial aid packages and re-evaluation delays amid pandemic

Some students who submitted aid re-evaluation forms did not receive their re-evaluated package before the fall tuition bill's Aug. 30 deadline, and consequently could not pay for the semester on time.

Penn sophomores launch tutoring program for newly immigrated Bangladeshi students

The program, called First Mentors, will offer free tutoring, college counseling, and mentorship for high school students at Moder Patshala, a non-profit that helps newly immigrated Bangladeshi-American students adjust to the United States. 

'Not even the bare minimum': Penn students demand more than just tuition freeze

After switching to a completely remote semester, Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett froze tuition – keeping it at the same value as the previous year – and decreased the fall general fee by 10%.

Here’s what the Ivy League is deciding for fall 2020

In early August, four Ivy League institutions backtracked on their initial plans for a hybrid fall semester and on-campus living.

Students frustrated by inability to register for coinciding asynchronous classes

After attempting to register for two asynchronous classes scheduled to be held at coinciding times, students have said the College denied their requests to allow them to register for the classes and override the time conflict.  

Calls to abolish Greek life are sweeping the nation. Now, they’re growing louder at Penn.

Students involved in Greek life believe there is room for reform, while those calling for abolition disagree because of Greek life’s long history of alleged racism, classism, and sexism.

Wharton partners with historically Black medical school in Nashville for M.D./Ph.D. program

Meharry Medical College students selected for the program will earn a medical degree from Meharry and a Ph.D. from Wharton. 

Penn Museum to remove Morton Cranial Collection from public view after student opposition

The collection is the work of Samuel George Morton, an 1820 Perelman School of Medicine graduate who used the skulls of enslaved people to argue that there are inherent differences between the brains of people of different races.

Intl. students hesitant to return to campus, citing travel restrictions and COVID-19 risks

Responses to an AIS survey so far suggest “no clear majority” among the three options — going back, staying home, or unsure — for what international students plan to do in the fall. 

Here’s how Penn’s four undergraduate schools are implementing anti-racism initiatives

The School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Wharton School, the School of Nursing, and the College of Arts and Sciences are implementing initiatives to listen to student voices.

Students call on allies of Black Lives Matter movement to promote change off social media

Allyship requires individuals who are not members of a marginalized group to actively fight the oppression of marginalized individuals. 

‘A fundamentally broken system’: Why protesters are calling to 'defund the police'

Defunding the police is largely understood to mean reallocating funds from police departments to other community resources. 

‘A protest movement’: How Phila. bail funds are challenging the existing cash bail system

There are two bail funds in the city — the Philadelphia Bail Fund and the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund — which work in conjunction with each other. 

Two College students create Penn's first undergraduate journal on the Middle East

Inspired by their Middle Eastern backgrounds, rising College sophomore Laila Shadid and rising College junior Zeynep Karadeniz decided to create the journal, called Fenjan.

SAC reserve fund grows as student groups end the semester with leftover funding

The reserve fund is administered by the Office of Student Affairs, and can be used by Penn Student Government to make large one-time purchases