Student Voices: Penn Financial Aid

In the pursuit of higher education, financial aid systems should stand as pillars of support, fostering an environment where academic potential is not hampered by class or status. However, a closer examination of Penn’s Financial Services reveals a disconcerting juxtaposition between stated ideals and the stark reality many students face. 

The Ongoing Fight for RA Unionization at Penn

by an organizer with United RAs at Penn On March 14, 2023, the residential advisors (RAs) of Penn’s college houses filed for unionization, a historic first for student workers. The unionization effort was an inevitable response to Penn’s relentless and shameless mistreatment of its workers. We intend to use our collective power to create aContinue reading “The Ongoing Fight for RA Unionization at Penn”

Penn’s Deliberate Neglect of Cultural and Ethnic Studies

When you’re at an institution with immense money and power, one would expect that every program and department would be given ample support. However, the reality is much more disappointing, with many programs going underfunded. In particular, Penn has a history of leaving its cultural and ethnic studies departments and programs behind and only giving them more support in moments when it can serve as a boost to its own image. 

Inside the Fight for a Grad Student Union

research student employees at Penn face low stipends, unclear expectations of work hours, insufficient benefits and campus accessibility, a lack of protections for international students, all-too-common harassment and abuse, and an employer that falls short of serving the broader West Philadelphia community.

How Penn and Other Universities are Turning Teaching into Temp Work

Penn is not only a school; it is also a workplace for over 40,000 people – including faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers and instructors, graduate researchers and TAs, other student workers, healthcare employees, and subcontracted campus workers. What are the labor conditions of the tens of thousands of people whose work makes Penn work?

How Frats Get Away with Shit

Walk down Locust and you’re just as likely to see a fraternity house as an academic or cultural building. In fact, 25% of Penn students belong to Greek life. Greek life’s ubiquity continues to be a point of contention even after its tumultuous and problematic history.