penndisorientationguide

Tying it All Together

Antiwar demonstrators following the Penn marching band during Hey Day in 1972. Students rallied to protest the U.S.'s involvement in the Vietnam War and Penn's role in funding the war effort. In a black and white photo, students with signs and a megaphone confront band members playing their instruments. Photo courtesy of Penn Archives.

Hopefully, now at the end of this guide, you have a clearer understanding of Penn as an institution. You’ve seen how Penn’s foundation was dependent upon displacing indigenous peoples and using enslaved labor, how it exploits its workers today, how it fails to meet the needs of its students, how it intensifies racial inequalities, and how it deprives us all of an environmentally sound future.

Editors’ Letter

Penn students protest the construction of Meyerson Hall on campus. These protests were one of the many free speech cases that the University has dealt with in its history. Other instances include the “water buffalo” incident, race-based protests and, more recently, Occupy protests. Photo courtesy of The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Welcome to the Disorientation Guide (DG), where you get to read about all the things Penn doesn’t want to tell you.

Penn’s Pipeline to White Collar Crime

Huntsman Hall, the home of the Wharton School of Business.

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.

Who’s Who of the Penn Trustees

Former members of the Penn Board of Trustees pose for a photo. All of them are white, and all but one are men.

The Board of Trustees is Penn’s government. They choose the President, manage the endowment, and oversee all aspects of Penn. The Board does this with no outside checks, voting process, accountability, or even transparency on how they come to their decisions.

Exploitation “for Science”: Unethical Research at Penn

Albert Kligman, a white man with dark hair, experiments on a rabbit. Kligman infamously experimented on incarcertated individuals at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia.

From Big Pharma corrupting the medical school to carbon capture research funded by the fossil fuel industry, nefarious interests are rampant throughout research here at Penn, and it is important that incoming first-years are aware of these influences before they delve deeply into research.

Penn and the Climate Crisis: A System of Destruction for Profit

Members of Fossil Free Penn set up tents on College Green in front of College Hall to protest Penn's hefty contributions to the climate crisis.

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.

Penn’s Treatment of Indigenous Peoples

n Pennsylvania, there are no federally recognized Indigenous tribes, even though more than 18,000 Native Americans live within the state. This sets the tone for understanding the University of Pennsylvania’s relationship with local Native communities and with Native students. It is a relationship

How Penn is Cheating Philly’s Public Schools

Protesters march on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania demanding the school and Drexel University pay PILOTS to support Philadelphia schools on March 30, 2021. A black student in a blue coat holds up a sign that says, "Pay your fair share PILOTs now!!" Another protestor in the background holds a sign that reads, "Fund our schools not police."

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.

The Enduring Connection Between Penn and Slavery

Two community members protest Penn's possession of the Morton Collection of skeletons from enslaved people. A white man with dark hair and a Black woman hold signs that read "RETURN THEM ALL."

Penn and slavery had an undeniably intertwined relationship, in which both parties benefitted from the other.

A Brief and Violent History of Campus Policing

Protesters gather outside of the Penn Police headquarters. A Black woman holds a microphone in front of a white banner with black text that reads: Pay PILOTs Now #PoliceFreeCampus.

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.