Editorials
Editorials represent the majority view of members of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc. Editorial Board, which meets regularly to discuss issues relevant to Penn's campus. Participants in these meetings are not involved in the reporting and writing of articles on related topics.
Editorial | To promote civic engagement, Penn must suspend operations this Election Day
For a University that has designated this academic year as the Year of Civic Engagement, there is no better way to support civic participation than by suspending operations on Election Day.
Editorial | Polling places need volunteers. Penn students, it’s time to step up.
It is necessary that those who can risk exposure and are eligible for poll work do their civic duty and help our election be safe and fair.
Editorial | Instead of one long spring break, Penn should have two short ones
To protect the mental health of its student body, while also protecting the physical health of West Philadelphia, Penn should add an additional mini-break of two days to the calendar.
Editorial | Professors, give students the break that Penn won’t. Cancel class next week.
Professors should step in where the University will not. Faculty members should cancel classes and recitations next Thursday and Friday if they are able.
Editorial | Grad students need transparency on what the Ph.D. admissions freeze means
The School of Arts and Sciences must provide more information surrounding its decision to halt Ph.D. admissions and what it means for the graduate student body.
Editorial | Penn’s abrupt shift to a remote fall places a financial burden on students
Penn’s decision to limit on-campus housing and instruction is a positive one. However, this does not excuse the lateness of the announcement, which places an undue burden on students.
Editorial | RAs and GAs deserve respect and a fair contract. Penn is offering neither.
Penn needs to be honest and transparent with RAGAs, and compensate them commensurate with the invaluable, dangerous work they do.
Editorial | As questions arise about the fall, Penn should host a community-wide town hall
Peer institutions like Cornell, Emory, and Purdue already made attempts to answer student questions through virtual town halls, giving Penn a blueprint from which to work.
Editorial | What if COVID-19 continues to worsen? Students must know how Penn will respond.
Penn needs to be clear about which criteria it will use to reassess the viability of its hybrid model leading up to and beyond the start of fall semester.
Editorial | The fall semester will be mostly online. Tuition and fees should reflect that.
Though the economic downturn is hurting everyone in America, including private institutions like Penn, the burden should not be placed on students to recuperate the University’s money.
Editorial | Students need to know if their classes will be online or in person
To improve clarity of communication, Penn should turn away from vague language and instead release a comprehensive list of all courses with 25 students or fewer and the format in which they will be taught in.
Editorial | Students in Philadelphia must continue to follow safety protocols amid pandemic
As students return from around the country and world, they risk causing a new wave of viral spread that would continue West Philadelphia’s current plight.
Editorial | Words are not enough. Penn must act to fight racist policing.
As a primarily white institution where Black students, faculty, and staff have faced racism from other students and the institution itself, Penn owes its Black community members more.
Editorial | Philadelphia needs a Department of Labor. Vote ‘yes’ on June 2.
While progress has been made to give protection to workers, the Office is now in need of its own protection.
Editorial | Penn must provide on-campus housing for low-income students in the fall
Regardless of which approach the University chooses for the fall semester, it must guarantee on-campus housing for low-income and other vulnerable students.
Editorial | Penn should introduce a preventative mental health care model
In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the immense stressors it produces, Penn should adopt a proactive rather than reactive stance towards mental health.
Editorial | Completing Penn’s COVID-19 survey can create change on campus
If students want to continue having the Penn administration hear their voices, they need to fill out Penn’s COVID-19 Pulse Survey.
Editorial | Penn should drop its standardized test requirement for next year’s applicants
Given the significant disruptions that high school students are facing, Penn Admissions should not require any standardized test scores for applicants in the coming academic year.
Editorial | Summer classes give students a sense of purpose. Penn should cut their cost.
Many students are now searching for other ways to be productive and keep occupied this summer, such as enrolling in online courses for credit.