Guest Columns
Guest Column by 2020 Class President Karim El Sewedy | Dear Penn Seniors
No, I don’t mean getting lost going to class or stumbling into the Quad at 4am. In fact, I’m not talking about who you actually were as a first-year student at all. I’m talking about the spirit of the collective experience.
Guest Column by College Republicans Communications Director | Let Thomas Homan speak
As a qualified, relevant expert in a pressing policy area, Homan deserves the chance to be heard.
Guest Column by Francois Barrilleaux | Soleimani killing as senseless as voting for Republicans in 2020
Yes, Soleimani was a terrible individual who deserved what he got, but killing Soleimani has put American troops at greater risk by moving the United States and Iran closer to war, dramatically destabilizing the region, and doing enormous damage to United States-Iranian relations.
Guest Column by Suvir Kaul, Apurva Bamezai, and Bindu Doddahatti | Don't ignore anti-Muslim discrimination in India
We highlight these attacks on students and faculty to remind us all that these universities are being targeted precisely because they are institutions devoted to critical thinking and the exercise of reason.
Guest Column by Sean Bender and Rebecca Wallace | On transgender rights, where does Penn really stand?
To President Gutmann and the general counsel’s office: You still have time to fix this.
Guest Column by seven Penn faculty members | We support student climate change action
While not all of us agree on every tactic the students may employ, we as faculty urge our colleagues and University administrators to hear them out, engage them constructively, and take much bolder action.
Guest Column by Elliot Bones | Penn students have a responsibility to pursue sustainable careers
I am suggesting that everyone commit themselves to build a just and sustainable society, whether that’s through becoming a teacher, civil rights lawyer, therapist, an environmental engineer, a regenerative farmer, or any of the many jobs that are essential to creating a society founded on justice and sustainability.
Guest Column by Alex Yang | Criticize the principles, not the people
Are we a community that, despite how much we may disagree, will at least show a classmate basic respect for putting their thoughts out onto a public forum? Or are we a community that will destroy and belittle someone over a mistake?
Guest Column by Sabrina Ochoa | Legacy students, we have a responsibility
Legacy students, don’t hide your legacy status. Instead, acknowledge the privilege you hold in a faux-meritocratic system, speak out against it, and support others who share their struggles with the system.
Guest Column by Oliver Stern | Stop attacking those you disagree with
A successful campus and democracy rely on healthy public debate. As a community, we must ensure that our discourse is grounded in challenging the perspectives of others and our own rather than cheaply personal shots.
Guest Column by Lucia Gonzalez | I'm a FGLI student. This is my perspective on legacy admissions.
The notion that the only way legacy students can contribute to the “prestige” of a university implies that FGLI students can not.
Guest Column by Jacob Hershman | The extent of Penn’s climate inaction is disturbing
Our University will never proactively address the climate crisis of its accord. And so it is time that that we — Penn students — show the University that it must change its habits and its investments whether it wants to or not.
Guest Column by Benoit Dubé | Dear Penn: Let’s Talk.
Penn remains steadfastly committed to your health and wellness. I am personally overseeing the transition at CAPS.
Guest Column by Lauren Drake | How to help someone in crisis
When someone is in crisis, the most important thing you can ask is, "How can I help you?"
Guest column by Penn Fund co-chairs | Why we donate to the Penn Fund
We give to The Penn Fund because Penn changed all of our lives.
Guest Column by Abdul-Aliy Muhammad | Penn, complicit in slavery and displacement must engage in reparative action
This isn’t a radical idea, but a necessary demand — for nations and institutions that made their fortunes and secured their futures on the backs of the enslaved — to be held accountable.
Guest Column by Penn President Amy Gutmann | Engage daily at Penn
As we embark on a new academic year, I encourage you to seize the enormous array of opportunities at Penn to get out there, to connect with others, and to engage every day.
Guest Column by Jaden Baum | In defense of writing seminar
Reisman’s logic, although echoing commonly circulated complaints, does not fully delve into the reasons the writing seminar exists in its current form.
Guest Column by Brittany Xiao | Callowhill BID could harm Chinatown's immigrant communities
We can do our part by showing up and protesting against construction projects that may threaten to encroach on Chinatown in the future. More than ever, it is urgent that we protect what is left.
