Penn's cultural resource centers are excited to welcome new and old students alike back to campus.
Penn's CRCs include the LGBT Center, Pan-Asian American Community House, Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, La Casa Latina, Penn Women’s Center, and the African American Resource Center. They offer specialized programming and provide students with a place to find community and growth. The various centers will host open houses, welcome dinners, and receptions throughout the end of August and September.
“[These events] are a time for celebration, to learn about the different resources, and also to meet with other students, faculty, staff and alumni community members,” Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Will Atkins told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Many of Penn's CRCs are housed within the Arts, Research, and Culture House, located at 3601 Locust Walk. In 2022, Penn began renovations on the ARCH building and dedicated it as the home to the University’s main minority coalition groups and cultural centers. Renovations focused on redesigning the rooms, upgrading furniture, and offering designated spaces for cultural groups.
Atkins said that the ARCH building renovations had been completed, and that all four floors of the building are available for CRCs and student organizations that would like to use them for “connection, community building, and cultural celebration.”
The LGBT Center, located at 3907 Spruce St., seeks to celebrate and enrich the Penn experience for LGBT students, faculty, and staff through a social justice-oriented, intersectional lens. The center is home to several student groups and offers mentorship programs, catered events, and open spaces, allowing students to freely explore and discuss their identities.
PAACH, housed within the ARCH, celebrates Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander cultures, offering leadership development and community service opportunities and collaborating with student groups. Through its partnership with Penn's Asian American Studies program, PAACH also offers co-curricular events focusing on Asian American research, culture, history, politics, and social issues.
The Women's Center, located at 3643 Locust Walk, advocates for issues including gender equity, childcare, and workplace discrimination. It also offers resources relating to domestic and sexual violence, mental health, and career development, while aiming to provide support and community for people of underrepresented genders, sexual orientations, and racial identities. The Women's Center will be hosting an open house for undergraduates on Sept. 12 at 2 p.m.
Makuu, housed in the ARCH, is affectionately known as the "home" for many Black students and alumni at Penn. It provides resources, opportunities, and support, as well as a space for students to study and spend time together.
La Casa Latina, located in the ARCH, seeks to raise awareness of Latinx topics, culture, and selfhood across campus through events such as the March of Flags and Lightning Talks.
The Greenfield Intercultural Center focuses on fostering intercultural understanding among students and developing leadership skills in an interconnected world. The GIC — located 3708 Chestnut St. — will be hosting an open house on Aug. 29 at 4 p.m.
The Spiritual and Religious Life Center is a home on campus for students with an interest in religious and spiritual exploration. SPARC hosts events throughout the semester and is located at 240 Houston Hall.
In December 2023, Interim President Larry Jameson created Penn's Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community, a group of students, faculty, staff, and trustees tasked with addressing the “interconnectedness” of hate, discrimination, and bias on Penn’s campus. Jameson formed the group in response to heightened campus tensions due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
In a July report, the Presidential Commission recommended that the University create new cultural spaces on campus, particularly an inclusive space for Middle Eastern and North African students. The group also advised the University to continue “evaluating existing physical spaces and adding new ones as deemed necessary.”
A representative from University Life at Penn wrote to the DP that University Life was “eager to explore how the [CRCs] can actively contribute” to their implementation. The representative also wrote that the community could expect updates related to the Task Force and Presidential Commission’s recommendations in the fall.
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