Editorial | Cheers and jeers for 2015

This year was a historic one, both at Penn and across the country. Following the unjust decisions in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases late last year, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought racial inequality to the forefront of current debates in the United States. Attacks in Paris — first Charlie Hebdo in January, then the Bataclan massacre in November — shocked the world, while daily attacks in Beirut, Lebanon, and Nigeria and Syria and elsewhere, along with floods in Japan and other natural disasters, barely went noticed by the global community.

At Penn, the results of the Association of American Universities’ campus sexual assault survey made waves as the report indicated that nearly one in three Penn undergraduate women reported having been sexually assaulted in their time at the University. Penn’s Facilities and Real Estate Services was also criticized for its poor service to students and poor treatment of employees, as revealed in a Daily Pennsylvanian series about FRES. And the administration came under fire because of a lack of diversity on campus that students feel University leaders aren’t doing enough about.

But not everything was so bad. On a lighter note (or on several lighter notes), Adele released her new album — which we all know will be blasting on our headphones in Van Pelt Library as we study for upcoming finals. We finally beat Villanova in football (after 100 years of losing), and Penn took home the Ivy League title. The new Saxby’s opened, as well as Honeygrow, and they both look awesome.

There’s a lot to reflect on this holiday season — some good, some bad, some funny and some sad. So here’s to all the cheers and jeers from this year.

Cheers

• #BlackLivesMatter — it’s time for real racial equality Adele — for giving us beautiful music for finals studying Fossil Free Penn
• Netflix and Chill
• Bernie Sanders — and Larry David’s impersation of him Pope Francis
• Franzia
• Penn’s Campaign for Community
• Penn football — for a historic win and an Ivy title Taking a leave of abscence if you want or need one Penn Law Library — for not doing bag checks
• The newly renovated Saxby’s
• Gov. Wolf for standing up for Syrian refugees
• Free condoms at SHS
• Active Minds, Penn Benjamins, RAP-Line, CAPS
• And all mental health resources and groups

Jeers

• Racism in America
• Donald Trump (latest reason: his call for banning Muslims) Van Pelt bag checks — because why?
• OCR
• Rape culture
• Being overly PC
• The area under 1920 Commons — for being closed still Silencing perspectives you disagree with
• The drinking age
• Amy Gutmann not hosting her holiday party at her house FRES, for putting profit before people
• Bill Cosby — and Penn for not revoking his degree Watching a movie for next year’s Penn READING Project High rise elevators — for being so slow
• The underwhelming mental health task force report Stigma surrounding mental health and counseling

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