Uncategorized – Page 2 – Penn Disorientation Guide

Penn vs. International Students

By U.S. Customs and Border Protection – CBP International Travel Preclearance Operations in Canada, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66500139 by Anonymous, 2025 Penn hosts one of the largest international student communities in the Ivy League, with students hailing from over 137 countries, a fact often repeated in admissions flyers and marketed as a differentiating strength. In theContinue reading “Penn vs. International Students”

Lynching victims in the dissecting room: Penn’s record of desecrating Black human remains

Clipping from the Inquirer (1894) by Anonymous, 2025 The University of Pennsylvania’s history is a story of scientific racism and dehumanizing practices. In 2021, facing pressure from racial justice community organizers, the Penn Museum and the University issued long overdue apologies for displaying the skulls of enslaved Africans in a eugenist collection and for stealingContinue reading “Lynching victims in the dissecting room: Penn’s record of desecrating Black human remains”

ICE out of Philly

Immigration agents are seen on video as they arrest five Guatemalan men near 20th and Morris Streets in Philadelphia on July 6, 2025. Obtained by The Inquirer by Anonymous, 2025 Before I ever sat in a lecture hall at Penn, I cleaned the Alpha Tau Omega house on 39th St. That summer of 2019, rightContinue reading “ICE out of Philly”

How Penn Gentrifies

Mel Hairston, resident at the UC Townhomes, protests with Fossil Free Penn to save UC Townhomes on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Photo by Siena Christopherson by Anonymous, 2025 Following a period of relatively cordial relations established by William Penn himself and ended by his death, his sons engaged in a legalistic swindle of the Lenape’sContinue reading “How Penn Gentrifies”

History of Organizing Last Year at Penn

A lot happened last year. September 9/4-9/10: Disorientation Week A collective of student activists published the annual Penn Disorientation Guide and hosted a week of educational and community events in collaboration with Penn and Philadelphia organizations. 9/22: Palestine Writes Literature Festival A collective of Palestinian writers and allies welcomed hundreds of visitors to Penn’s campusContinue reading “History of Organizing Last Year at Penn”

For Palestine: Vignettes from the Encampment

A Genocide is ongoing in Palestine. A Genocide. A Genocide is ongoing in Palestine. It has not ceased and does not cease if we look away, and the University of Pennsylvania, with all its power continues to look away. It has not condemned Israel, and it has not divested from Israel. For this, Penn isContinue reading “For Palestine: Vignettes from the Encampment”

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.

We hope that, rather than being demoralized by Penn’s lengthy list of faults recorded in these articles, the DG inspires you to partake in collective action, and that the resources you can find at the end of this guide help you with your efforts. In the wise words of activist Mariame Kaba…“let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair.”

A Fragmented Oneness: Investigating Penn Hillel, Pro-Israelism, and the Jewish Experience

Penn Hillel is an organization for the Jews that are in positions of authority, and one that is not for the Jews that question it. Penn Hillel fragments the oneness of the Jewish people by means of indoctrination and status.

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.

The Disorientation Guide is an annual project that attempts to paint an honest picture of life at Penn.

A Recent History of Organizing at Penn

The Penn community rallies in response to injustice on- and off-campus. Among some of the most notable events that occurred in the past year were pushes for unionization from multiple groups, organizing against Penn’s role in gentrification, large protests regarding climate justice, and student protestors facing disciplinary actions and arrests from the University.