Latest From the DP:
Dear Penn,
GOOD MORNING! Today, we cover Black students at Penn’s usage of viral instagram page Black Ivy Stories to allege a pattern of racism in the Chemistry Department and other fields at Penn, and some professors’ formation of a new chapter of the American Association of University Professors to amplify their calls for University support. Also, Penn professors weigh in on President Biden’s controversial student loan forgiveness policy.
Today’s Top Stories
1. BLACK PENN STUDENTS ALLEGE PATTERN OF RACISM IN CHEMISTRY DEPT. ON VIRAL INSTAGRAM PAGE
Black Ivy Stories, an Instagram page where Black members of the Ivy League share their experiences in the institution, launched in June 2020 — since then, allegations against the Chemistry Department have surfaced alleging a pattern of alienation by faculty against Black students.
In response to student testimony describing discouragement from taking chemistry courses, faculty have attempted to create an equitable learning environment within the Chemistry Department by holding faculty trainings and creating a new committee focused on diversity and inclusion. However, students and members of the department still believe there is a long way to go.
“We have lots of work to do to break the structural barriers and gatekeeping that keep underrepresented students away from chemistry,” Chemistry professor Zahra Fakhraai wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
2. PENN PROFS. FORM ORGANIZATION TO PUSH U. FOR GREATER SUPPORT
After being disillusioned with University-wide decision making during the pandemic, Penn professors formed a new chapter of the American Association of University Professors, with the hope that the University will give a greater voice to faculty.
Emily Steinlight, associate professor of English and communications secretary at AAUP-Penn, said that Penn’s unilateral decisions to freeze hiring, lay off subcontracted staff, and make changes in the grading policy, and shut down admissions to Ph.D. programs, were among some of the motivations for creating AAUP-Penn.
“Those actions raised real concerns about how institutional decisions are being made at Penn and the substance of those decisions, which in a lot of cases is focused on making profits,” Steinlight said.
3. PENN PROFS. WEIGH IN ON BIDEN’S CONTROVERSIAL STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS POLICY
Despite garnering widespread backlash from college students and progressives, President Joe Biden’s statement that he will not consider a plan that favors loan forgiveness for students who attend elite institutions like Penn, Harvard University, and Yale University was met with validity and understanding from some Penn professors.
Yet experts maintain that those who graduate with the highest amount of student loan debt often end up with higher earnings after graduating from four-year university programs, and believe that Biden should prioritize other policies that target wealth inequality more directly.
“We are having all this conversation on debt without saying why it is necessary for all of these young people to borrow this much money,” Penn adjunct professor Joni Finney said.
Here’s what else is happening:
- In an effort to prevent the usage of fraudulent passes, Penn has added a randomly generated, three-digit alphanumeric code that changes each day on green PennOpen Passes.
- Here’s a breakdown of how all eight Ivy League schools are planning to honor their graduates this year.
- Penn Libraries created a reading list for students to celebrate Black History Month.
- The Annenberg Performing Arts Center is livestreaming performances that students can watch free of cost from home.
Opinion
COLUMNIST SURAYYA WALTERS makes the case that Wharton has a long ways to go efore becoming an equitable institution and uplifting the experiences of BIPOC women to feel comfortable in the workplace.
Support Student Journalism
We’re an independent, student-run newsroom.Consider making a donation here to support the coverage that shapes Penn.
Sports
- After the graduation of veteran Ryan Glover, the quarterback role for Penn football will be wide open. Here is a brief rundown of the six candidates on the roster who can take over next fall.
- Mark DeRosa starred on the baseball diamond and the gridiron for Penn, and the 17-year MLB veteran has gone on to do much more, including writing for the Players’ Tribune and appearing on Impractical Jokers.
- More than 40 years ago, NFL legend Gale Sayers was nearly Penn’s Director of Athletics. Find out why Sayers interviewed twice for the position and was shortlisted, but was not ultimately selected.
Podcast
This week, Dean Wertz introduces GOODWELL NZOU. Nzou takes listeners on his journey from Zimbabwe to researching the blood-brain barrier here in the beautiful city of Philadelphia.
From 34th Street Magazine
- “Minari” glimmers with its understated yet honest depiction of the Asian American immigrant experience, writes Film & TV Editor Harshita Gupta.
- For the first time in nearly two decades, there won’t be an Asian American in any of the president’s secretary-level cabinet. The exclusion, says Focus writer Kira Wang, is a slap in the face to the Asian Americans who turned out in droves to elect Biden.
From Under the Button
- BREAKING: If Wendell Pritchett Sees His Shadow, We Get Vaccines Before May
- New Seasonal Starbucks Menu To Come!: Vaccine Boost for 10¢ or Adderall Pump for 15¢
- Want more content like this? Check out our newsletter!
Newsletter by Iman Syed.
Are you enjoying this newsletter? Please share any ideas or concerns with us by emailing Executive Editor Ashley Ahn at ahn@thedp.com.
Dear Penn is published Monday through Friday by The Daily Pennsylvanian. You can update your subscription preferences or unsubscribe at any time.
Newsletter by Iman Syed.
Are you enjoying this newsletter? Please share any ideas or concerns with us by emailing Executive Editor Ashley Ahn at ahn@thedp.com.
Dear Penn is published Monday through Friday by The Daily Pennsylvanian. You can update your subscription preferences or unsubscribe at any time.
You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive headline news emails from The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Below is a sampling of recent stories from the DP which the editors felt might be of interest to alumni:
If you want to see stories like these every week in your inbox, we invite you to subscribe to our Weekly Roundup, a newsletter curated especially for Penn parents and alumni, emailed every Sunday morning while classes are in session. The newsletter costs $25 for a full year; to see the current pro-rated cost for the remainder of this school year, visit the subscription page by clicking here.
Have an idea for a story? Send an email to ideas@theDP.com to reach the top editors.
- An empty cathedral: Why aren’t more students attending basketball games at the Palestra?
It’s a Saturday night at the beginning of February, and only 30 minutes remain until tip-off for a Penn men’s basketball game against Ivy League rival Dartmouth. Coming off big wins against Harvard and Temple, one would think the student body would be lining up to get inside the Cathedral of […]
- Editorial | Why Penn students should pack the Palestra
While the Palestra is one of college basketball’s most historic sites, many Penn students fail to attend basketball games. Attendance at Penn men’s basketball games has been consistently dropping over the past two decades – while an average of 5,571 people attended each game in 2000, this had […]
- Penn volleyball coach Iain Braddak resigns after scandal-rocked tenure
Penn Athletics has announced that volleyball coach Iain Braddak has resigned from his post after two seasons on the job. Braddak oversaw a turbulent year and a half as coach of the program since his controversial hiring in April 2018 as the team’s third head coach in as many years. His first season […]
- The DP kicks off its 136th year with new student board
As The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. embarks on its 136th year covering Penn’s campus, its new student leaders prepare for a year driven by digital media strategy and internal board change. Led by President and College junior Isabella Simonetti, the Board of Editors and Managers consists of student […]
- The Daily Pennsylvanian wins ‘Pulitzer’ of college journalism for third year in a row
The Daily Pennsylvanian won the prestigious Pacemaker award, commonly referred to as the “Pulitzer Prize” of college journalism, for the third year in a row. Before 2017, the DP had not won the award for five years. This year, the DP was one of 15 publications total and the only Ivy League […]
- The Daily Pennsylvanian welcomes 135th Board of editors and managers
As the spring semester begins and students trudge their way through the snow to their first classes, the 42 students of the 135th Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian Inc. are hard at work at 4015 Walnut St., preparing to take on the leadership of the independent student media organization. With the […]
- Letter from the President | The DP is indispensable to me. I hope it will be for you too.
There’s a word document I created the summer before my freshman year that was aptly named “clubs Penn.” It contained a list of nine clubs I planned to join that fall. I’ve always been an anxious person, so I thought coming into this new, unfamiliar environment with some sort of roadmap would make […]
- Stranded in paradise: Penn men’s basketball endures 20 hours of delays on return trip from Virgin Islands
Before complaining about your upcoming holiday season travel, first consult Penn men’s basketball about what a truly terrible travel experience looks like. After an eventful and delay-filled trip down to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam tournament that was well-chronicled on […]
- Guest Column by Sabrina Qiao | With graduation looming, my dream of being a starving writer seems unrealistic
I’ve decided I’m going to boycott my 22nd birthday. “If you don’t celebrate it,” I said to my friend Aliki, “did it really happen?” Aliki knows about my aversion to growing up. We spent the summer interning in New York together. On weekends, we got together to drink cheap wine and bemoan the price […]
- Penn has 25 grads on Forbes 30 Under 30 lists – the fourth highest among colleges worldwide
A total of 25 Penn graduates and one current Ph.D. student were selected for this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, making Penn the university with the fourth most honorees in the world. There were more than 15,000 online submissions for 600 slots in the eighth annual list, placing the “acceptance” […]