Penn’s Impact on Philadelphia and the World
How Penn is Cheating Philly’s Public Schools
In Philadelphia, the poorest large city in the U.S., Penn is both the largest employer and largest private landowner. However, due to its federal status as a nonprofit institution, it does not pay property taxes.
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Why Can’t Penn Talk About Palestine?
We believe that it is time to start talking about Penn’s complicity in the colonization of Palestine. Here’s what you should know about divestment from Israel, a popular movement in the fight for decolonization.
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Save the People’s Townhomes: A Fight for Affordable Housing in Philadelphia
A couple blocks from campus, at 40th and Market, the Coalition to Save the University City (UC) Townhomes has been leading a fight for affordable housing and Black autonomy for the past two years. The goal: prevent 70 families from losing their homes and preserving low-income housing on the site.
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Remembering the MOVE Bombing
In 1985, in what should be considered one of the greatest national tragedies in recent history, the Philadelphia government used military explosives over MOVE’s headquarters in the neighborhood of Cobbs Creek in West Philadelphia. Understanding both Philadelphia’s and Penn’s role in terrorizing the Black activists who were impacted by the bombing is crucial for any…
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Penn’s Treatment of Indigenous Peoples
In Pennsylvania, there are no federally recognized Native American tribes, even though more than 18,000 Native Americans live within the state. This context helps us understand Penn’s relationship with local Native communities and with Native students, which is a relationship characterized by exploitation and a lack of representation.
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Penn and the Climate Crisis: A System of Destruction for Profit
Penn is a business first, and an educational institution distantly second. That means, however, that as a researcher, an investor, a pipeline of money and talent, and a power player in Philadelphia politics, Penn’s environmental impact is massive, and is more than just the carbon it burns.
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Nurses as Cops: Penn Nursing Teaches Complicity, Not Care
We need the number one nursing program in the country to teach the truth about mandated reporting. Nurses and providers must resist demands to ensnare our patients in the criminal legal system for seeking healthcare. We cannot wash our hands of state violence when we hold the power to report.
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Keeping Cops Out of Mental Health
Students and community members who are most impacted by policing know that care means more resources, not more cops. It is a deliberate choice by the administration to fund policing over initiatives that actually promote safety. We don’t want Penn’s co-responders. Our communities need housing, just compensation, and accessible, police-free mental healthcare.
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Say NO to the arena in Chinatown!
Chinatown faces an existential threat from the proposed development for the 76ers stadium. While the billionaire developers, all with strong ties to Penn, still try to charge full steam ahead, residents, business owners, and visitors alike are organizing fervently against the development.
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A Case of Institutional Failure: Penn’s Response to COVID-19
For many, the pandemic was a breaking point: watching those with power and wealth profit while everyday people lost their jobs and their lives spurred many into radical action. Had the people leading our institutions taken the right steps to save lives instead of protecting their reputations and profits, thousands of lives could have been…
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A Brief and Violent History of Campus Policing
Universities in the U.S., like the police, have deep historical connections with two pillars of this country’s founding, stolen African labor and stolen indigenous land. Campus policing, while a newer development, aligns with and leads Penn’s legacy of violence.
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Cultural Resource Centers: A Decades-long Battle
Over time, marginalized students and staff formed their own communities on campus and advocated for formal recognition from the University of Pennsylvania. These are their stories.
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Understaffed, Underfunded, Unsupported: Medical Services at Penn
Penn’s Student Health Services (SHS) is supposed to support students in both their physical and mental well-being However, changes in accessibility, insurance policies, and the quality of mental health services raise concerns regarding its commitment to student wellness.
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The Reality of Mental Health Resources at Penn
by Anonymous Poor mental health is surging, especially among college students. Poor mental health seems to be a hallmark of the Penn experience as we’ve been ranked as one of the worst colleges in terms of mental health. Penn breeds a culture of toxic ambition and perfection, as a commonly held belief among Penn students…
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A Protestor’s Guide: How to Navigate Penn’s Administrators and Disciplinary System
Hidden in plain sight along Locust Walk is Penn’s very own Center for Community Standards and Accountability (CSA), right next to the Arts, Research, & Cultural House. Formerly known as the Office of Student Conduct (OSC), this office handles disciplinary cases at Penn, including multiple recent cases against peaceful protestors.
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Penn’s Problematic History of Union-busting
As workers across the country demand better treatment and stronger representation, Penn stands in the way of organizing workers on campus and acts as a bystander while companies across Philadelphia implement similar union-busting tactics. Corporations, like Penn, use common union-busting strategies to keep workers divided, demoralized, and controlled.
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Penn Can do More to Support FGLI Students
Despite receiving varying degrees of financial aid, many FGLI students still struggle with their financial circumstances while attending Penn. Only 3.3 percent of students at Penn are from America’s bottom 20 percent of family income, while 71 percent are from the top 20 percent and 19 percent are from the top 1 percent.
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On-Campus Organizations
There are many organizations at Penn striving to improve the University for its students, workers, and surrounding community members. We encourage you to find a group that aligns with your identity and values and get involved.
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Off-Campus Organizations
There are countless Philly-based organizations doing transformative work in the city, whether that be in labor reform, housing advocacy, racial justice, or food security. Here are a few groups to get involved with!
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Mental Health Hotlines
A compiled list of mental health hotlines to call if you are in crisis.
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Resources for LGBTQIA+ students
We’ve compiled a list of resources for LGBTQIA+ students at Penn
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Penn’s Pipeline to White Collar Crime
While highlighting the accomplishments of its most notable entrepreneurs at every chance, the University seemingly overlooks the white collar crimes of graduates using a Penn education for selfish gain.
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Resources for FGLI Students: From Professional Connections to Textbook Access
We’ve compiled a set of resources that FGLI students can use to make their transition to Penn as seamless as possible.
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Penn Disorientation Guide 