Graduate students spent a day celebrating springtime their way during GradFest '08 earlier this month.
The second-annual spring carnival for graduate students, organized by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly in association with the Graduate Student Center, drew a crowd of more than 1,000 graduate students and their families.
The $5 entry for the event secured the attendees a bag of goodies from Penn Dining, lunch from Tommy Gunns BBQ and access to all the games and events, such as the Grad Olympics - a sports competition involving tug of war and a three-legged race - and a Casino Night.
There was also a Penn Quizzo about Penn traditions and a boat cruise on the Delaware River later in the evening.
Different graduate schools and graduate student organizations had stalls called Funshops where they showcased the unique talents of students of those particular schools.
School of Arts and Sciences humanities graduate students wrote participants' names in different languages like Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Arabic, Hebrew and Mandarin, while chemistry students made molten iron from iron oxide and froze flowers and fruits with liquid nitrogen.
Students from the Engineering School made ice cream from carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
"This is a way for all schools and student groups to contribute to GradFest," said Alejandro Hagan, second year masters student in the School of Social Policy and Practice and vice chairman for GAPSA.
Dressed in casual jeans, Provost Ron Daniels came to pick out winners of raffle items donated by Bank of America, 4300 Spruce and Bed Bath and Beyond.
Daniels said GradFest is representative of graduate life on campus.
"Just look at the activity and the sense of energy," he said.
GAPSA chairman Andrew Rennekamp described the event as "festive, unifying and connecting," adding that GAPSA envisioned it becoming a new Penn tradition for graduate and professional students, just as undergraduates have Spring Fling and Hey Day.
"Graduate students lead more isolated lives" because they are spread out in different parts of campus, he said.
A surprise attendee at the event was Penn President Amy Gutmann, who also handed out the prizes to the raffle winners.
"I applaud GAPSA for finding a way to bring the graduate community together in celebration," she said.
Fels Institute of Government alumnus Joung Lee, who started GradFest last year when he was vice chairman of GAPSA, said the festivities were larger in scale this year because the resources that were applied last year to start it are now being used to expand it.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.