Prameet Kumar
Recent articles
Prameet Kumar | A walking tour of your time at Penn
People are surprised when you tell them you’re in Wharton. You don’t seem the type. There’s definitely a type.
Obama campaign opens field office at 52nd and Walnut
The office, which opened May 2, is Obama’s sixth location in Philadelphia, highlighting the importance of the city in the 2012 presidential race.
Polls see low voter turnout overall, in Penn area
With no major disputed races on the ballot in yesterday’s Pennsylvania primary, few voters went to the polls on or near campus.
Low voter turnout expected in Pennsylvania primary
With former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum out of the Republican race, there is little doubt that the general election will be fought between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Faculty find faults with 'Penn Integrates Knowledge'
John Detre, the director of the Center for Functional Neuroimaging, criticized the extent of resources tied exclusively to recruitment that cannot be tapped into by existing faculty.
Mitt Romney talks taxes, election at Tea Party event
Romney spoke of the need to lower taxes to several hundred members of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association, the largest Tea Party group in the tri-state area.
Penn's congressional representative proposed education reform in House in March
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), who represents the second congressional district, which includes Penn, introduced the American Dream Accounts Act of 2012 in the House of Representatives last month.
Penn professors weigh in on constitutionality of healthcare reform's individual mandate
While the Supreme Court deliberates the constitutionality of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, Penn professors are also debating the issue.
Joke Issue: Canada out as Penn looks for new grad speaker
Bowing to student pressure, the University announced Tuesday that social activist Geoffrey Canada will no longer be this year’s Commencement speaker.
Experts sound off on Ivy League candidate for World Bank head
Experts say Kim — a physician and co-founder of the nonprofit Partners in Health — would bring a major change to the banking institution, which has historically been led by economists and government officials.
Exploring Penn's financial contribution to the city
Penn and other major nonprofits, which once made millions of dollars in voluntary payments to Philadelphia, pay nothing today.
Critics respond to dismissal of ghostwriting accusations
Some bioethics experts are criticizing Penn’s dismissal of the research misconduct charges levied by a psychiatry professor against two of his colleagues in the department.
Penn raises tuition despite Obama's motion to cut costs
In his State of the Union address last month, President Barack Obama implored colleges and universities to decrease the cost of getting a degree.
Annenberg's 'FlackCheck' attacks deceptive political ads
Annenberg Public Policy Center Kathleen Hall Jamieson — along with FlackCheck.org, run by the APPC as a sister site of Annenberg’s popular FactCheck.org — is on a crusade to prevent deceptive political ads from being aired.
After decades of decline, HUP autopsy rate stabilizes
The decline in autopsies at HUP mirrors a drop in autopsy rates across the nation, although academic hospitals have fared better than their non-academic counterparts.
Huntsman Sr. backs son's campaign through a super PAC
Jon Huntsman Sr.’s financial backing of his son’s presidential bid has laid bare concerns of potential coordination between super PACs and presidential candidates.
Former Penn prof denied lesser sentence in child porn case
Scott Ward, the former Wharton professor of Marketing currently serving time for transporting child pornography, had his request for a reduced sentence denied late last month. Ward was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years in prison.
Professors take sides on BDS conference
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions conference held this weekend exposed a wide gulf of disagreement among Penn professors on opposite sides of the issue.
Romney wins Florida primary with strong student support
Mitt Romney coasted to a victory in the Florida primary yesterday, reclaiming his title as the frontrunner of the Republican presidential race. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, received more votes than his two closest competitors — former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen.
City embarks on Dilworth Plaza renovations
The City broke ground Monday on a $50-million renovation of Dilworth Plaza, the public square west of City Hall that was formerly the site of the Occupy Philadelphia encampment.
Recent posts
Silfen Forum participants split on election predictions
The participants of the Silfen Forum held today at Penn all agreed that Mitt Romney would be the eventual Republican presidential nominee. They disagreed, however, on whether Romney would beat President Barack Obama.
Gutmann dines with Obama and Cameron
Penn President Amy Gutmann had dinner with President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron at the White House last night.
Gutmann was among the 362 people who attended a state dinner held in honor of Cameron and his wife Samantha, according to a guest list released by the White House.
Nutter's approval rating rises despite concerns about the city
Despite residents’ concerns about the state of the city, Mayor Michael Nutter’s approval rating has improved significantly over the past year.
A poll from The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative released today found that 60 percent of Philadelphians approve of Nutter, a rise from 52 percent last year.
Pennsylvanians abandon Gingrich, support Romney and Santorum
Pennsylvanians are abandoning Newt Gingrich and throwing their support behind Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, a new statewide poll found.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review/WPXI-TV poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, showed that Gingrich’s support in the state sunk to 13 percent from 35 percent six weeks.
Huntsman named to Ford's Board of Directors
Jon Huntsman was named to the Board of Directors of Ford Motor company, the corporation announced today.
“Jon understands the importance of strengthening the country’s manufacturing base, which will contribute to our success going forward,” Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a statement.
Huntsman exits politics, returns to private sector
Jon Huntsman Jr., who dropped out of the presidential race last month, said he’s exiting the political sphere for the near future.
“No politics for me,” Huntsman said in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. “We gave it our best shot, and now we’re building the base once again in private life.”
Amy Gutmann's remarks at the Dershowitz talk
Printed below is a letter from Penn President Amy Gutmann that was read aloud before the talk by Alan Dershowitz last night. It reaffirms Penn’s commitment to Israel. Gutmann could not make it to the event, so the letter was read aloud by David Cohen, chair of the Penn’s Board of Trustees and Executive Vice President of Comcast Corporation. Here is the letter, in full:
A flyer being distributed before the Dershowitz talk
Reproduced below is a flyer being distributed outside the Annenberg Center before tonight’s talk by Alan Dershowitz.
The flyer, apparently printed and distributed by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, compares some Penn professors’ support of the BDS movement to the actions of Nazi Germany.
Dershowitz talk met with polarized online reaction
Alan Dershowitz, a professor of law at Harvard Law School and well-known supporter of Israel, spoke tonight at Penn’s Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The speech generated a very polarized response online.
Santorum's daughter hospitalized at CHOP
Rick Santorum canceled his campaign events today after his three-year-old daughter was hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Isabella Santorum has trisomy 18, a rare genetic disorder caused by the presence of an additional 18th chromosome.
Bain & Co. distances itself from Bain Capital
But another firm caught in the crossfire is Bain & Company, a management consulting firm at which the founders of Bain Capital, including Romney, worked prior to starting the new firm.
Last week, the political journalism website Talking Points Memo published an email sent from Bain & Company to “Wharton Bainies,” or newly hired Wharton students, that attempted to distance the firm from Bain Capital.
Mayor Nutter compliments Obama's address
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter issued a very praise-heavy statement following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last night.
“I applaud President Obama’s determination to strengthen the economy, create family-sustaining jobs, and reaffirm America’s commitment to the middle class,” Nutter said. “As the President emphasized, we need to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, invest in education, and ensure a fair opportunity for all Americans to succeed. Millions of Americans are still hurting, and job creation is imperative.”
Liveblog | 2012 State of the Union address
President Barack Obama will deliver his 2012 State of the Union address tonight at 9 p.m. Join us at 8:30 p.m. right here as we liveblog the speech from the bipartisan State of the Union watch party hosted by the Penn Democrats and College Republicans in room G60 of Huntsman Hall.
We’ll see you at 8:30 tonight. Until then, check out this video of a behind-the-scenes look at Obama crafting the speech.
Rick Perry drops out, endorses Newt Gingrich
Rick Perry dropped out of the presidential race today, two days before the South Carolina primary, and endorsed Newt Gingrich.
“As I have contemplated the future of this campaign, I have come to the conclusion that there is no viable path to victory for my candidacy in 2012,” he said at a news conference in South Carolina. “Therefore, today I am suspending my campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich for president.”
The endorsement may give a boost to Gingrich in the South Carolina primary, where Mitt Romney is currently the frontrunner.
Amy Gutmann praises Jon Huntsman
Penn President Amy Gutmann had some kind words for Republican presidential candidate and Penn alum Jon Huntsman.
“I’m really proud of Jon Huntsman Jr.,” she said in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian today.” He’s a model for Penn students — for all of us — for being willing to serve.”
New Hampshire behind them, candidates look to South Carolina
With yesterday’s primary in New Hampshire behind them, the Republican candidates have shifted their focus to the battleground of the next primary, South Carolina.
The latest poll by Public Policy Polling finds that Mitt Romney leads the pack in South Carolina at 27 percent, followed by Newt Gingrich at 23 percent and Rick Santorum at 18 percent.
Although Romney won decisively in New Hampshire, Gingrich’s campaign believes he can be defeated in South Carolina.
“I think that’s going to go well,” said Mattheau LeDuc, a spokesman for Gingrich’s campaign.
In New Hampshire, an uncertain fight for second place
With the New Hampshire primary underway, it’s almost all but certain that Mitt Romney will emerge the winner.
Despite losing some ground in statewide polls in the past few days, Romney still has a commanding lead over the other Republican contenders. A Jan. 8 Suffolk University/7News two-day tracking poll found that 35 percent of likely Republican voters supported Romney.
More contested is the struggle for second place.
Romney edges out Santorum, and Bachmann bows out
With just eight votes separating them, Mitt Romney barely edged out Rick Santorum to win Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses. Both candidates garnered nearly 25 percent of the popular vote (30,015 vs. 30,007), with Ron Paul finishing at a close third with more than 21 percent.
Michele Bachmann — who kicked off her campaign in Iowa, won the Ames straw poll and spent a significant amount of time and money touring the state for support — came in last among those candidates who had competed in Iowa, with a disappointing 5 percent of the vote. On Wednesday, Bachmann dropped out of the race.
Occupy Philly | Protest video
Occupy Philadelphia’s General Assembly, the protest’s decision-making body, speaks Thursday afternoon to protesters. (Video by Jennifer Sun/DP)



