News

Philadelphia lifts some restrictions on outdoor dining and bar seating

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the city is changing the restrictions to help restaurant owners remain in business.

Racial disparities in vaccinations increase among young people in Philadelphia

Only 15% of Philadelphia’s Black residents and 23% of Philadelphia’s Hispanic residents between the ages of 20 and 44 have received at least one vaccine dose.

New UA leaders seek to increase student and community input on Penn’s policies

Newly elected Undergraduate Assembly President and College junior Tori Borlase and UA Vice President and College and Wharton junior Janice Owusu plan to prioritize student wellness and administrative accountability next year.

Penn Museum apologizes for housing remains of children killed in MOVE bombing after backlash

Penn Museum apologized for using the remains for research and teaching purposes, rather than returning the remains to the Africa family.

Pennsylvania’s soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate Seat might be filled by a Penn affiliate

The announcement of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.)'s retirement in early October has prompted a flood of candidates to enter the race.

Penn Climate Ventures holds inaugural environmental tech startup competition

The event was part of Penn Climate Venture's mission to  encourage climate careers by extending climate programming to students through opportunities working in energy and entrepreneurship, and to improve campus sustainability. 

Penn’s Biomedical Library will be renamed, renovated to become interdisciplinary hub

The building will soon be known as the Biotech Commons and is set to feature new collaboration spaces, expanded study rooms, and a digital fabrication lab with 3D- and poster-printing capabilities.

Spike in fatal overdoses in Philadelphia impacts Black and Latinx residents most

Over the past three quarters, fatal overdoses increased 11% citywide, with the most growth among Black and Latinx populations.

Penn Medicine researchers find preventing evictions is key to controlling COVID-19

If Philadelphia were to experience a fivefold increase in evictions, researchers predict that it could lead to 53,000 additional infections.

Penn Justice Dems partners with political group to pass progressive democracy reform bill

The club is working to mobilize support for the "For The People's Act," which progressive organizations across the country say will increase voting accessibility, protect the right to vote for marginalized communities, and establish nonpartisan redistricting committees to eliminate gerrymandering.

Winners of 2020 President’s Engagement Prize switch focus to restorative justice

Collective Climb, which was founded by 2020 College graduate Hyungtae Kim, 2020 Wharton graduate Kwaku Owusu, and 2020 College graduate Mckayla Warwick, was originally awarded the prize to fight poverty by utilizing Philadelphia’s community assets. 

Class Board 2022 postpones Hey Day to the fall in hopes of in-person celebration

Last year, the Class of 2021 celebrated Hey Day virtually with a video from Class Board 2021 and Penn President Amy Gutmann. 

National sorority organization delays vote on inclusion of nonbinary members

The outcome of the vote, which was scheduled to take place last week, would amend the membership policies of the 26 national and international sorority organizations included in the National Panhellenic Conference.

Penn study finds racial, gender, socioeconomic factors linked to receiving diabetes treatment

The study found that the use of a class of drugs proven to treat type 2 diabetes, remains low in Black, Asian, and lower-income Americans despite an increase in use among the general population.

Penn archaeologists aim to improve climate modeling by studying Earth in the past

Researchers have compiled a collection of archaeological and historical land-use evidence from four periods in time into a single, easy-to-understand database.

Penn Libraries receives donation of prints by renowned photographer Arthur Tress

This donation brings the total number of photographic prints in Penn Libraries’ collection to 2,500.

Supreme Court will not hear the final challenge to Pennsylvania’s 2020 election results

The suit argued that it was illegal for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to extend the deadline for mail-in ballots to three days after the election in Pennsylvania.

Penn among local employers to commit to diversifying business contracts

Alongside Penn, the collaborative includes 100 of the region’s largest employers such as Wawa, Drexel University, and Comcast. 

Penn to require all students to receive COVID-19 vaccine ahead of in-person fall semester

The University expects that masks will still be required in many locations on campus and COVID-19 testing may still be mandatory.

Faculty advocacy group outlines recommendations to govern course end times with new block schedule

Penn's chapter of the American Association of University Professors urged the administration to refrain from encouraging professors to teach through the 10-minute passing time at the end of class meetings.