The Daily Pennsylvanian’s political coverage this year spanned from controversy with the Penn Biden Center to a Penn graduate being elected to Philadelphia’s highest public office.
Jan. 9 — The Department of Justice announced that it would review classified documents that were found at Penn’s Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a University think tank based in Washington, D.C. The documents — found in Biden’s office in the Center — were discovered on Nov. 2, 2022 before being submitted to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Jan. 10 — Five Penn community members were selected by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to join his administration’s transition team, including CEO of Penn Health System Kevin Mahoney and former interim Penn President Wendell Pritchett.
Jan. 18 — Penn denied allegations of foreign influence at the Penn Biden Center after a congressional inquiry sent to Penn President Liz Magill by the United States House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
The letter claimed that Penn has received "millions of dollars from anonymous Chinese sources" and that these donations tripled following the announcement of the formation of the Penn Biden Center in 2017.
Feb. 5 — Ahead of a highly competitive mayoral primary in May, three candidates with Penn connections — 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate Cherelle Parker, 1993 College graduate Helen Gym, and 2000 Wharton certificate-holder James DeLeon — spoke to the DP about their campaigns.
Feb. 6 — President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison visited Philadelphia for the DNC’s Winter Meeting.
Feb. 7 — An analysis by the DP found that faculty members at Penn contributed nearly 4,000 political donations in 2022 and that 99.7% of donations between 2021 and 2022 went to Democrats.
March 16 — Penn refuted allegations of direct investments in three “adversarial” entities after the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means sent a letter to President Magill.
March 30 — A grand jury voted to indict 1968 Wharton graduate and former president Donald Trump, making him the first former president to face criminal charges, for a hush-money payment that his former lawyer made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
April 1 — Biden made an unexpected visit to Penn’s campus to attend his granddaughter’s senior art show at the Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall.
May 17 — Penn alum Cherelle Parker won Philadelphia’s Democratic mayoral primary.
June 9 — 1968 Wharton graduate Trump was indicted for the second time, with 37 federal criminal charges related to classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
June 22 — Biden visited Philadelphia and spoke at a rally hosted by union federation AFL-CIO.
July 26 — Biden promoted “Bidenomics” in a visit to Philadelphia’s Navy Yard.
Aug. 3 — 1968 Wharton graduate Trump was indicted for the third time on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in 1987, oversaw the proceedings.
Nov. 7 — Over 20 members of Congress sent a letter to Magill criticizing Penn’s response to the Israel-Hamas War, asserting that the administration’s response was untimely and put the University’s moral compass in question.
Nov. 8 — Pennsylvania held its general election, in which Philadelphia voted for 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate Cherelle Parker to become the city’s 100th mayor.
Nov. 9 — Penn Carey Law lecturer Neil Makhija was also elected as the next Montgomery County commissioner, becoming the first-ever Indian American to win the seat.
Nov. 16 — Around 50 attendees watched representatives from Penn College Republicans, Penn Democrats, Penn for Liberty, and the Penn Young Democratic Socialists of America engage in an all-party debate.
Nov. 16 — The United States Department of Education announced an investigation into Penn over alleged instances of antisemitism.
Nov. 20 — Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie called for Magill to resign Penn’s presidency over antisemitism.
Dec. 5 — Magill testified before the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce about antisemitism on college campuses.
During the all-committee hearing, members grilled Magill about her task force on antisemitism, the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, and antisemitic acts of vandalism.
Dec. 9 — Magill announced her plans to resign from the presidency, prompting reactions from state and national elected officials.
Check out the rest of the DP’s Year in Review content here.
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