by Anonymous
There are countless organizations at Penn engaging in community-building and striving to hold the University accountable for the harm it perpetuates against students and community members. We encourage you to find a group that aligns with your identity and values and get involved!
Community Support Groups
Coalition Against Fraternity Sexual Assault (CAFSA)
CAFSA’s mission is to transform fraternities on Locust Walk into cultural and wellness centers in order to foster positive and safe environments for students with minority and historically underrepresented identities. Their demands include the allocation of space through the expulsion of fraternities from areas where students pass to and from class, to offer resources such as a non-Penn affiliated reporting service with options to report anonymously and be connected to survivors who have been harmed by the same person, and to create university-wide sexual harassment and cultural diversity trainings required for all university-affiliated professors.
Website: cafsapenn.com
Instagram: @cafsapenn
Resource Guide: cafsapenn.com/survivor-support
Fossil Free Penn (FFP)
Fossil Free Penn is a climate justice group on campus. Their work focuses on pushing Penn to divest from fossil fuels and repair the damage from Penn’s complicity in environmental racism. They are a direct action based group who strives to work with the West Philadelphia community and other justice oriented groups on campus to achieve our collective demands. In April 2022, FFP held a six-day encampment on College Green as a call on the University to divest and support climate justice organizations on Penn’s campus and beyond.
Website: fossilfreepenn.org
Instagram: @fossilfreepenn
Listserv: FFP Updates
Police Free Penn
Police Free Penn is an abolitionist assembly of students, faculty, and community members formed in the midst of demonstrations against police brutality and racial violence in 2020. The organization demands that Penn divest from the Philadelphia Police Department and disband the Penn Police Department, and imagine new safety measures that prioritize houseless, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Instead of funding the police, Penn must funnel the contributions to community-controlled funds in West Philadelphia and beyond. Police Free Penn is also an ally to the Save The UC Townhomes Coalition.
Get Involved: PFP Action Network
Facebook: FFP Facebook
Instagram: @policefreepenn
Penn Against the Occupation (PAO)
Penn Students Against the Occupation (PAO) is an independent student organization that provides a space for open discussion and meaningful action toward ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Their primary goal is to foster thoughtful discourse on the occupation that leads to influential political action on Penn’s campus and beyond. Some of their activities focus on learning about the issue (i.e. discussion panels) while other efforts are advocacy-based. Due to the complexity of the issues they plan to engage with, and with the goal of incorporating a diversity of voices, they recognize and welcome an array of methods to resist the occupation. Supporting or not supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is not a qualification for membership in PAO—nor is supporting a two- or one-state solution. Their members have different views and perspectives. However, as an organization:
- They condemn Israel’s violations of international law and human rights of Palestinians.
- They condemn Israel’s settler colonialist practices in Palestinian territory.
- They condemn Israel’s system of legalized racial discrimination that places Palestinians under a second class citizenship.
- They recognize both Israeli and Palestinian self-identification as peoplehoods and we absolutely do not tolerate antisemitic rhetoric.
This is not a space for the normalization of Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Their efforts are aimed at ending the occupation. At Penn, this begins with recognition and condemnation of any and all University complicity in the occupation. They demand that Penn be transparent with their investments and immediately divest from companies which condone and/or profit off of the occupation.
Instagram: @penn.against.the.occupation
Penn for Immigrant Rights (PIR)
It is impossible to neglect the human rights crisis as the country’s southern border becomes more militarized, as ICE & DHS continue to terrorize and kidnap people and disrupt communities, and as undocumented immigrants continue to be targeted by the state through bipartisan efforts fueled by an ideology of xenophobia, imperialism, and white supremacy. Penn for Immigrant Rights (PIR) is led by and for undocumented students and allies who engage in direct action, political education, and coalition-building to advocate for undocumented students and affirm that migration is a human right. TheyWe were instrumental in pushing Penn to become a sanctuary campus in 2016 and continue to advocate for Penn to adopt policies that protect and uplift our undocumented peers.
Website: upenn4immigrantrights.wordpress.com
Email: pennforimmigrantrights@gmail.com
Instagram: @pennforimmigrantrights
PILOTs Action at Penn
PILOTs Action at Penn is a direct-action organization formed by Penn students, faculty members, alumni, and community members. They assert that Penn, as an institution of higher education, must play its part in adequately funding Philadelphia public schools. They seek payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) from Penn as a form of community reparations. Due to its status as a nonprofit, Penn pays no property taxes on its non-commercial buildings despite its history of contributing to and profiting from gentrification. This exempts the university from paying its fair share to the tax base that finances Philly’s public schools. Money from PILOTs will go toward removing toxic environmental hazards from our city’s underfunded public schools and help build a vision of safe and healthy schools for all.
Instagram: @fundphillyschools
Interest form: Get Involved
Contact: pilotsactionatpenn@gmail.com
Penn Justice Democrats
Note: Since the creation of this guide, PJD has rebranded as Penn YDSA
Formerly known as Penn Students for Bernie, Penn Justice Democrats serves as an independent left-wing student group with the mission of electing leftist candidates at the local, state, and national level, as well as serving to promote progressive/leftist causes on campus and in Philadelphia. Though they are not affiliated with the National Justice Democrats organization, they were inspired by their success at recruiting and electing progressive leaders whom they hope will be committed to fighting for Medicare for All, Housing for All, College for All, Justice for All, and many other leftist policies.
Website: pennjusticedems.org
Instagram: @pennjusticedemocrats
Listserv: bit.ly/pennjusticedems
Penn Community for Justice (PCJ)
Penn Community for Justice (PCJ) provides a platform for Penn and Philadelphia community members who are committed to direct action to organize for racial and economic justice, and an equitable redistribution of Penn’s hoarded wealth and influence. To join, sign onto their pledge: https://tinyurl.com/PCJpledge.
Facebook: facebook.com/pennforjustice
Instagram: @pennforjustice
Radical South Asian Collective (RSAC)
The Radical South Asian Collective (RSAC) was created in response to the lack of critical discourse within and mobilization of the South Asian diaspora on campus. RSAC is a space for students to organize and advocate for radical change within the South Asian diaspora and beyond. The organization facilitates intra-community dialogue, emphasizes political education, and is in solidarity with the global liberation movements of marginalized people.
Facebook: facebook.com/radicalsouthasiancollective
Instagram: @rsacpenn
Contact: rsacpenn@gmail.com
Affinity Groups
7B
The 7B is the primary minority coalition at Penn. Each of the seven boards represents student groups which share a common identity. The 7B hosts open forums for marginalized students to share their concerns and then communicates those concerns with administrators and the broader Penn community.
Penn Association for Gender Equality (PAGE)
PAGE is the umbrella organization for undergraduate groups that advocate for gender equity at Penn. Their constituents include pre-professional organizations, arts groups, identity-based discussion groups, and Panhellenic and cultural sororities. Their long-term goals involve advocating for the cultural centers, increased diversity in hiring, increased sexual assault trainings, and Greek Life enforcement of sexual assault policies. They are also piloting a program for menstrual product distribution across campus and worked with Penn Non-Cis to produce a Trans-Inclusive Language Guide. Aside from running for board positions and attending events, students can get involved through First-Year Fellows, a discussion and reading group, Penn Gen Eq, a pre-orientation program, and Gen Eq week, a series of events and speakers in the spring.
Linktree: linktr.ee/penngenderequity
Facebook: facebook.com/penngenderequity/
Instagram: @penngenderequity
Lambda Alliance
Lambda Alliance is the umbrella advocacy group for LGBTQ+ students at Penn. In addition to advancing the causes of legal and social LGBTQ+ equality on campus, Lambda serves as a forum for a diverse array of constituent groups to interact and foster a cohesive community. Some of their programs and events to promote community connectivity are a first-year buddy program, lgbtq+ coffee chats, and QPENN—an annual week-long celebration of queer life at Penn. On the advocacy side, they strive for increased diversity in hiring, multi-stall, all gender bathrooms, and independent, physical cultural center buildings.
Facebook: facebook.com/pennlambdaalliance
Twitter: @pennlambda
UMOJA
UMOJA derives its name from the Kiswahili term for “unity.” The first of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, “Umoja” is the core mission and primary goal of this umbrella organization. UMOJA speaks as the representative voice of Black students and Black student organizations at the University of Pennsylvania and derives its legitimacy from the consent and confidence of its membership organizations (Constituents). UMOJA is charged with uniting its Constituents into a common political voice, mobilizing its Constituents for a common agenda, and organizing its Constituents under a common calendar. Their 30+ constituents will have great programming and info sessions to welcome incoming Black freshmen into our community. They are fighting back by building long standing solidarity between Black Penn and Black Philly while supporting our allies fighting for PILOTs, a police free campus, and reparations from the university to displaced and exploited people.
Website: umojaupenn.org
Instagram: @umoja_penn
Latinx Coalition (LC)
The Latinx Coalition was founded in 1997 and since its inception has taken an active approach to collaborate with various groups at the University of Pennsylvania. The LC is the umbrella cultural organization that represents more than twenty undergraduate and graduate constituent groups. Through valuing the exchange of ideas and believing in the exposure of the ideology, culture, and politics of our peers, the LC creates a wealth of knowledge within and outside of the Latinx community. The LC aims to facilitate effective communication within the Latinx organizations on campus, provide a unified voice for all our constituents, and develop a comprehensive strategy to deal with the underrepresentation of the Latinx student body. Thus, this coalition has partnered with numerous organizations focused in cultural, professional, artistic, and social spheres.
Website: www.upennlc.com
Instagram: @lc_upenn
Asian Pacific Student Coalition (APSC)
The Asian Pacific Student Coalition (APSC) is an umbrella organization that serves to build a sense of AAPI community, advocate for AAPI students and student groups, and build coalitions with other marginalized communities on and off campus. Their diverse community consists of cultural organizations, pre-professional groups, political groups, and discussion and organizing groups. Their constituents and the community they create are the backbone of the work they do. Currently, APSC’s efforts are focused on advocating for buildings on Locust Walk for cultural centers, increasing political education within their community, supporting the Asian American Studies department, and building their relationships with student groups and off-campus organizations. APSC also stands in solidarity with the defunding of Penn Police, the payment of PILOTS, and other organizing groups fighting for racial and social equality at Penn.
Website: upennapsc.org
Instagram: @upennapsc
United Minorities Council (UMC)
The United Minorities Council was founded in 1978 as an intercultural coalition of students who fought for equity and access to resources for Penn’s minority student population. Among UMC’s earliest accomplishments is staging sit-in protests that led to the establishment of the Greenfield Intercultural Center (3708 Chestnut Street). Today, the UMC represents over 35 student groups that serve a variety of cultural communities. They provide funding for their events as well as hold their own semesterly events. The UMC has two primary goals: to foster intercultural understanding and solidarity within the student body and to fight for better resources from the University for minority students. They work closely with the other 7B groups to pursue these goals, and meet with Penn’s administration (including the Vice Provost Office and President Gutmann) multiple times per semester. Ultimately, UMC serves as a bridge between the student body and the University in order to advocate for the needs of its underrepresented students. For students who want to get involved, UMC holds biweekly General Body Meetings that anyone is welcome to attend. In addition to this, they hold elections every December for our ten Board Member positions, and anyone who feels passionately about social justice is encouraged to run.
Contact: unitedminoritiescouncil@gmail.com
Instagram: @upennumc
Website: upennumc.squarespace.com
Natives at Penn (NAP)
Natives at Penn (NAP) is Penn’s Native student organization representing Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native students, dedicated to increasing awareness of Native & Indigenous culture, history, and contemporary issues, while enhancing the visibility of Native & Indigenous students on campus, which is on Lenape Land.
They achieve this by:
- Improving recruitment and retention efforts in admissions to increase Native presence on campus, and
- Connecting Native students, staff, alumni, and allies through events such as Penn’s annual Powwow, their Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, numerous speaker presentations, and other outings and activities that build cultural-awareness and strengthen their supportive community.
NAP is open to everyone! Whether you have been highly immersed in your culture, still learning or wanting to learn more about your heritage, or even if you don’t identify as Native but want to learn about Indigenous issues and be an ally, they are excited to welcome you!
Website: NAP site
Instagram: @nativesatpenn
Penn Disorientation Guide 