People’s Board
The People’s Board is a coalition of direct-action groups that organize around different systemic problems on Penn’s campus. These groups address sexual assault, fossil fuel use, immigrant rights, police brutality, and Penn’s exploitation of the city it inhabits.
Student Labor Action Project (SLAP)
The Student Labor Action Project is a student and worker organization working to combat labor exploitation at and around Penn. As a profit -driven business, the university is compelled to mistreat and underpay the very people who are integral to the functioning of their institution. In past years, SLAP has been working with subcontracted Bon Appetit dining hall workers — workers in campus dining halls who wear Penn uniforms, yet are managed by an outside company that allows Penn to completely avoid accountability: first in helping them to unionize, and now continuing to fight against oppressive, dehumanizing conditions. The fight to support worker rights on campus is ever-continuing and more crucial than ever in these tumultuous pandemic conditions!
Coalition Against Fraternity Sexual Assault (CAFSA)
The Coalition Against Fraternity Sexual Assault was created in the aftermath of the successful shutdown of fraternities at Swathmore. We wanted to recreate their direct action tactics to shut down fraternities and reallocate the space to the cultural centers (3 of the 5 which were then, and are still, confined to the basement). Our other demands included switching to anonymous reporting systems, institute required harassment training for faculty, and improve sexual assault educational offerings for students. We oversee a coalition of groups who are committed to ending sexual assault on campus and hold themselves to a higher standard of centering survivors. We collect students’ personal experiences and visions for Locust walk on our website, and plan actions throughout the year.
Fossil Free Penn (FFP)
Fossil Free Penn is a climate justice student activism group on campus. Their work focuses on pushing Penn to divest from fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy and community sustainability. FFP believes student and community power and involvement in Penn’s decision making in order to ensure accountability to the people that Penn impacts.
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. We 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.
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. Message our Facebook to learn more and how you can be involved.
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 us, sign onto our pledge: https://tinyurl.com/PCJpledge.
Police Free Penn
Police Free Penn is an abolitionist assembly of students, faculty, and community members that formed this summer in the midst of demonstrations against police brutality and racial violence. 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. If you would like to stay up to date on what PFP is doing, please sign up on their Action Network. If you have the capacity and interest to get involved, please email policefreepenn@gmail.com.
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. Our primary goal is to foster thoughtful discourse on the occupation that leads to influential political action on Penn’s campus and beyond. Some of our activities focus on learning about the issue (i.e. discussion panels) while other efforts are advocacy-based.
Due to the complexity of the issues we plan to engage with, and with the goal of incorporating a diversity of voices, we 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. Our members have different views and perspectives. However, as an organization:
- We condemn Israel’s violations of international law and human rights of Palestinians.
- We condemn Israel’s settler colonialist practices in Palestinian territory.
- We condemn Israel’s system of legalized racial discrimination that places Palestinians under a second class citizenship.
- We 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. Our efforts are aimed at ending the occupation. At Penn, this begins with recognition and condemnation of any and all University complicity in the occupation. We demand that Penn be transparent with their investments and immediately divest from companies which condone and/or profit off of the occupation.
PILOTs Action at Penn
PILOTs Action at Penn is a direct-action organization formed by Penn students, faculty members, alumni, and community members. We assert that Penn, as an institution of higher education, must play its part in adequately funding Philadelphia public schools. Payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) is what we ask of 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. Stay up to date on our work by following Philly for PILOTs on Instagram @fundphillyschools and and fill out our interest form or contact us at pilotsactionatpenn@gmail.com to join our team.
6B
The 6B is the primary minority coalition at Penn. Each of the six boards represents student groups which share a common identity. The 6B 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. Our constituents include pre-professional organizations, arts groups, identity-based discussion groups, and Panhellenic and cultural sororities. Our 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. We also are 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, you 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.
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 our 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, we strive for increased diversity in hiring, multi-stall, all gender bathrooms, and independent, physical cultural center buildings. If you are interested in getting involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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. Our 30+ constituents will have great programming and info sessions to welcome incoming Black freshmen into our community. In this unique semester, we 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.
Latinx Coalition
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.
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. Our diverse community consists of cultural organizations, pre-professional groups, political groups, and discussion and organizing groups. Our constituents and the community we create together are the backbone of the work we do. Currently, our efforts are focused on advocating for buildings on Locust Walk for cultural centers, increasing political education within our community, supporting the Asian American Studies department, and building our relationships with student groups and off-campus organizations. We also stand in solidarity with the defunding of Penn Police, the payment of PILOTS, and other organizing groups fighting for racial and social equality at Penn. Get involved by attending our events, our constituents’ events, and running for a position on our board in November. Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our board members!
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. We provide funding for their events as well as hold our 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. We work closely with the other 6B 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. These meetings will be held virtually this semester. In addition to this, we hold elections every December for our ten Board Member positions, and anyone who feels passionately about social justice is encouraged to run. Please reach out to unitedminoritiescouncil@gmail.com with any questions.
Penn Disorientation Guide 