Good morning, Penn.
Happy Thursday — I’m filling in for Vivi today. We’re less than a week away from the last day of classes!
The 129th edition of the Penn Relay Carnival begins today! Stay tuned for live coverage from The Daily Pennsylvanian’s sports team over the next three days and pick up a copy of our special print issue on campus.
1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump signed a slate of new education-related executive orders, and Penn Hillel hosted 1949 College graduate and Holocaust survivor Michael Katz in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
But first, Penn spent $250,000 on lobbying efforts during the first quarter of 2025, the most the University has spent in a single quarter in the past 25 years.
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Photo by Chenyao Liu
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Penn spent $250,000 on lobbying efforts
As the Trump administration continues to escalate its attacks on universities across the country, Penn spent $250,000 lobbying the federal government in the first fiscal quarter of 2025 — the most money the University has spent lobbying the government in a single quarter since 1999.
According to a recently filed disclosure, Penn lobbied the federal government on multiple issues including National Institutes of Health funding, research, graduate medical education, and general matters pertaining to higher education and international students. The record expenditure from Penn comes as the University has continued to increase its spending on lobbying — totaling $640,000 in 2024.
The quarter — from Jan. 1 to March 31 — spanned a tumultuous time for the University, which has been targeted by the Trump administration from multiple angles.
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FIVE MORE BIG STORIES
 Many of Penn’s peer institutions aross the Ivy League have policies of institutional neutrality — but some have taken markedly different public stances than Penn in criticizing the Trump administration.
 On Tuesday, Trump signed a new set of executive orders related to higher education.
 Yesterday, Penn Hillel hosted Penn graduate and Holocaust survivor Michael Katz for a Holocaust Remembrance Day event.
 Penn Violence Prevention staged the Clothesline Project on College Green this week to visually demonstrate statistics on interpersonal violence.
 Perry World House hosted two prominent business leaders for an event discussing hate in the modern world.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS
On April 10, SEPTA announced fare increases and service reductions in response to its rising financial challenges.
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Design by Elizabeth Yuan
COLUMNIST LINDSAY MUNETON comments on the self-promotion mentality that Penn fosters among its students, examining both its pros and cons.
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SPORTS
 The annual Penn Relay Carnival is steeped in rich Black culture both on and off the track.
 Quincy Wilson, a 17-year-old Paris Olympian, is set to return to this year’s Penn Relays.
Associate head track and field coach Chené Townsend has shaped champions on and off the track.
Also, pick up a copy of our Penn Relays special issue in print today.
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Photo by Autumn Powell
In 2023, Penn’s largest union, Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania, signed authorization cards to form its union effort. This year, during negotiations with the GET-UP, Penn struck out multiple provisions relating to discrimination and harassment.
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Click here to play today's Mini Crossword, which was constructed by Clarice Wang.
And click here to play today’s Password puzzle, which was constructed by Doer He.
Also, pick up a print edition to play Threads and our newest standard crossword, exclusively in print!
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FROM 34TH STREET MAGAZINE
Do you consider it odd that we don’t have a definitive film that tackles climate change? It might be keeping Film & TV writer Aden Berger up at night. Global warming and environmental damage are serious problems that not only affect our entire planet but will continue to get worse if future generations abandon the fight altogether. And yet, different from history or social science, science teachers might have a difficult time selecting a film that synopsizes the need for ongoing climate action. Join Aden along on his journey to figure out why it’s been difficult to fully capture this slippery topic in a broadly appealing movie, and discover what he eventually landed on for his carefully–selected top contender.
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Today’s newsletter was copy edited by Prashant Bhattarai.
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