Category Archives: Alumni Programming

August 3, 2012 · 1:59 pm

Penn’s Got Game

Author: Amanda D’Amico

With the Olympics on TV day and night, it’s hard not to think about sports. In fact, every two years, I’m reminded of some obscure sports and games that most people don’t normally discuss on a daily basis.

But Penn students are usually talking about them.  In fact, Penn hosts 25 of 35 official Olympic sports, either as an official athletic team or as a club activity. Here’s a complete run-down of those events.

With these numbers, we’re sure to have alumni at Olympic games for many years to come.

And while we’re at it, let’s not forget to congratulate Penn alumna, Susan Francia, C’04, G’04, who just received her second the gold in the rowing competition at the London 2012 Olympics! Read  more about it here.

Photo courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania

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July 31, 2012 · 4:20 pm

Traditional Archival Photos

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

Penn Alumni have a long history of engaging in tradition and thanks to the University Archives Digital Image Collection, it is easy to access digital photos of the University’s traditions.  Here are some of my favorites from the collection:

Penn fans throw toast onto Franklin Field after the third quarter of every home football game. The toast-throwing tradition was in response to the line “Here’s a toast to dear old Penn” in the school song “Drink a Highball”. The act of throwing toast was adopted after alcohol was banned from the stadium in the 1970s. In a good season, 20,000 to 30,000 pieces of toast are thrown per game!

Throwing toast - a Penn tradition,1999, Tommy Leonardi, photographer

Throwing toast – a Penn tradition,1999, Tommy Leonardi, photographer

Established in 1895, The Penn Relays represent the largest amateur track meet and oldest organized relay competition in the United States. The event is held every April for three days at Franklin Field. The Relays bring together the best track and field athletes from high schools and colleges worldwide, in addition to races on Saturday with Olympic athletes. An important event to the community, the Relays bring in over 100,000 spectators each year.

Penn Relays, 1913, 4-mile, George Atwell Richardson, photographer

Penn Relays, 1913, 4-mile, George Atwell Richardson, photographer

Although it’s possible to get basketball season tickets without camping out overnight at the Palestra, the best seats go to those who wait in “The Line”. Groups spend 24 hours in the nation’s oldest basketball arena just to score coveted court-side seats. The tradition started in 1969, and now the date and location where the tickets will be sold is changed every year and kept top secret.

University of Pennsylvania campus, 1932

University of Pennsylvania campus, 1932

In 1916, Hey Day was established as a “Moving-Up” celebration to mark the advancement of each class. In recent decades, Hey Day has represented the official passage of the junior class to senior status and is characterized by thousands of marching students parading around campus and wearing red T-shirts, carrying canes, and biting into fake straw hats.

Class Hey Day crowds,1950

Class Hey Day crowds,1950

Hey Day has changed a bit since 1950 and the celebration is bigger and more festive than ever.  Here is a photo from the 2012 Hey Day parade.  This photo is today’s competitor in the Ivy+ Alumnipics competition.

Hey Day 2012

Hey Day 2012

Show your Penn Pride by “liking” the photo on Facebook between 11am EST Tuesday, July 31st and 11am EST August 1st.  The more “likes” we receive, the greater our chances of winning the gold medal!

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July 26, 2012 · 8:35 pm

Penn Serves LA

Author:  Kiera Reilly, C’93  (@KieraReilly)

Penn Serves LA’s first event at the Turning Point Shelter in Santa Monica, CA.

On Saturday June 9, Penn Serves LA hosted its first successful volunteer event. More than 20 Penn alumni and friends were on hand to serve dinner with dignity to the 55 residents of Turning Point Shelter in Santa Monica. Volunteers brought chicken, salad, dessert, decorations and more to prepare this memorable meal.

“We are thrilled that first event exceeded our expectations of interest from Los Angeles Penn alumni and their families,” shares Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16, a founding member of the Penn Serves LA Committee. Jane, along with Denise Winner, W’83, Leanne Huebner, W’90, Aileen Level, C’99, GSEd’00, and others, have been putting their various nonprofit experiences and connections together to get Penn Serves LA together and running.

Penn alumni helping in the kitchen.

Making lunches for the Turning Point residents.

In these difficult economic times, many succumb to homelessness due to job loss and these shelters are key to getting them back on their feet. According the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center, an estimated 254,000 men, women and children experience homelessness in Los Angeles County during some part of the year and approximately 82,000 people are homeless on any given night. Interestingly, 32% of LA’s homeless have bachelors’ degrees (compared to 45% of the overall population) and 41% have worked in the previous year.

PennClubLA’s Snehit Neenakri, GEN’09, and Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’ 14, PAR’16.

The Penn Serves LA goal is to volunteer our services as Penn alumni, parents and family to contribute to needy nonprofits in our community. Penn Serves LA is regularly scheduling service events whereby Quakers can proudly work together to service the Los Angeles community.   We are working in partnership with PennClubLA, Wharton Club of Southern California, and the Southern California Regional Advisory Board.

Serving food from the kitchen.

The next Penn Serves LA event is September 22 The group will serve lunch at The Midnight Mission. More details will be available soon, and the event will be promoted via emails and through the local Penn and Wharton clubs.

The Penn Serves LA committee is seeking more LA-based alumni, parents and students to support our initiative. If you have interest in learning more, or in joining us on September 22, please contact pennserves@gmail.com.

All photos (c) Kiera Reilly.

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July 19, 2012 · 12:01 pm

An Olympic Games Primer

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02, GED’10

As you can see from my colleague’s previous post, we have a little bit of Olympic-fever here in Alumni Relations.  But with the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games quickly approaching, what better time to reflect on this historic event through a Red & Blue lens?

For those curious about the origins of the Olympics, look no further than Thomas Tartaron, associate professor of Classical Studies.  As Tartaron explains in the latest issue of the SAS Frontiers e-magazine, some aspects of the event haven’t changed much at all:

Like today’s game…a major portion of the [Olympic games] lent itself to money making.  Feasting was a constant over the span of five days, punctuated with athlete fanfare and victory processions.  Greeks came by land and sea to attend the games, which translated into financial gain for those offering food and lodging.

Scene from Attic Black Figure Amphora , ca. 510-490 BC, depicting a boxing contest (‘pugme’). Two boxers wear soft leather ‘himantes’ or boxing gloves. The man with the long stick is either a judge or trainer. A naked youth stands by, holding extra ‘himantes.’ University of Pennsylvania Museum Object ID MS403.

Wondering how many Quakers have made it to the pinnacle of athletic competition?  A recent Pennsylvania Gazette article breaks down the numbers:

Excluding the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, a Penn student, coach, faculty member, or alumnus has appeared in every single Summer Olympics…According to an online exhibition posted by the University Archives and Records Center, Penn’s athletes have won at least 26 gold medals, 28 silver medals, and 28 bronze medals…In all, the University of Pennsylvania has sent nearly 200 athletes, coaches, managers, doctors, and committee members to the Olympics—competing in sports that include track, rowing, swimming, wrestling, field hockey, equestrian, fencing, rugby, and yachting and representing countries ranging from Canada to Belize to Great Britain and to Greece.

This year is no exception to this tradition. Susan Francia,C’04, G’04 who won a gold medal as part of the women’s eight boat at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, was selected for the same eight-person boat at the 2012 Olympics.

And now, let the games begin!

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July 18, 2012 · 10:07 am

2012 London Olympic Games

Author: Kelly O’Connor

Only nine more days until we can cheer on two fellow Penn Alumni in the 2012 London Olympic games!

Penn is continuing it’s Summer Olympic streak in 2012 by sending two alumni to the games. According to the Penn Athletics, there has been  a representative in every summer Olympic game since 1900. Check out the list of Penn’s list of Olympians.

Former Penn rower, Susan Francia, C’04, G’04 will be attending her second Olympic games along with former Penn basketball player, Koko Archibong, C’03, who will be competiting as a member of the Nigeria basketball team for the first time.

Francia, a gold member winner, walked-on her sophomore year and is the 11th Penn women’s rower to make the Olypmics.

Archibong, a four-year letter winner is believed to be the first person with ties to Penn to play basketball in the games.

You can read even more in the about Archibong and Francia in the articles below:

 Archibong- Penn Athletics article

Francia – Personal Website 

The rowing competition runs from Saturday, June 28 – Saturday August, 4. Basketball competition runs from Saturday June, 28 – Sunday July, 12. For the full Olympic schedule click here.

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July 13, 2012 · 6:45 pm

Hurrah, Hurrah, A-Antarctica

Author: Nicole C. Maloy, W’95

As Philadelphia finds itself at the beginning of yet another heat wave, and as much of the nation has experienced record heat this summer, I thought I’d take you on a little trip with me through time and space to someplace just a bit cooler. In February 2008, I was fortunate enough to host a Penn Alumni Travel trip to Antarctica. Coolest moment (no pun intended, but it stays): being out on our Zodiac raft when three humpback whales decided to hang out with us. I casually asked the Naturalist driving us if there was any history of whales overturning a Zodiac raft. He shrugged. I tightened my life vest. A few of my video clips of those whales are below. I will never forget this trip, and my temperature has dropped a few degrees just looking at these photos again. May they have the same effect on you.

I love that the coats they gave us match our flag! If they’d been certain other colors, I think some alumni might have braved the cold for this photo.

One of my favorite shots of the trip. This Gentoo penguin chick walked up, stopped and looked at me before moving on.

Molting Adelie penguin chick teaches me a new dance.

This penguin chick walked right up to this guy and stopped. I tried to tell him, but he was too focused on taking photos of the penguins in front of him to hear me. So I started taking photos. Then his wife, approaching with that group on the left, starts pointing down at his feet. Then he looked down…

Oh, hello.

Three humpback whales befriend our raft. The woman sitting next to me is really, really excited about it.

Humpback whales are identified by the patterns on the underside of their tails. One of the Naturalists asked for this video because she didn’t think they’d seen this one before. And here I was thinking it was cool enough just to see it dive!

The ice. I still can’t believe I saw this with my own eyes.

Bottom of the world, Ma!

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July 6, 2012 · 10:26 am

Free Classes at the Ivies

Author: Amanda D’Amico

How many times have you come across a problem in your career, only to wish you paid more attention in this class or taken that one while in school?

Penn has teamed up with Princeton, Stanford, and Michigan to offer a solution: Coursera. In addition to the many lifelong learning events and opportunities at Penn—including classes through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies—Coursera offers free online courses to anyone who would like to take them. From computer science to health care, these not-for-credit courses are taught by accredited faculty and staff at one of the four sponsoring universities and range in length from four weeks to 12 weeks. The outstanding faculty members teaching courses via Coursera include the following:

• Ezekiel J. Emanuel, the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor, with appointments at the Wharton School and the Perelman School of Medicine;
• Robert Ghrist, the Andrea Mitchell Penn Integrating Knowledge Professor, appointed at both the School of Engineering and mathematics department in the School of Arts and Sciences; and
• Kevin Werbach, associate professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School.

Check out Coursera’s video or visit www.coursera.org to learn more.

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July 5, 2012 · 10:59 am

Time to Pack My Binoculars

Author:  Emilie Kretschmar

Penn Alumni Travel is going on safari, and I invite you all to join us! On Facebook and Twitter, that is…

On July 11, I’ll be heading off on my first Penn Alumni Travel trip as a staff host. Although I’m no stranger to travel, I have never been to Africa, and I must admit that thinking about the trip has consumed most of my thoughts these past few weeks. There is so much more to prepare for when you’re going on safari in Tanzania! You have to get vaccinated against scary-sounding diseases like typhoid, yellow fever, and polio; you have to pick-up special malaria drugs; you have to figure out which clothes to take so as not to upset the wildlife…At the same time, there is also so much to look forward to.

During my stay in Tanzania, I plan to live tweet and post to Facebook on the Penn Alumni Travel social media pages. However, when asked about Wi-Fi and Internet connections, the travel company responded with this:

Phone and Internet access will be available at most of the accommodations, but if you need to stay in touch with family or friends back home, there are other options.

So live tweeting shouldn’t be a problem, right? I’m staying optimistic, and I hope you do too. It may not be “live-tweeting,” but perhaps we’ll get up a daily feed. Go to Facebook and Twitter before July 11 and “like” Penn Alumni Travel. With a little luck, you’ll be able to follow us as we do the following (and more):

Stand on the edge of Olduvai Gorge where Louis and Mary Leakey uncovered one of our earliest ancestors. 

View the Great Migration from the western side of the Serengeti.

Meet local people and learn more about their different cultures during village and school visits.

And if this trip has sparked your interest in Penn Alumni Travel, there is a whole calendar of new trips for 2013. Perhaps you’ll join us for the next Great Migration safari!

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July 4, 2012 · 1:31 pm

Honoring the Past and Engaging the Future

Author: Kristina Clark

Penn’s Association of Alumnae is proud to announce that 2012 marks their 100th Anniversary.

Founded in 1912, the Association of Alumnae works to strengthen the relationship between the University and its alumnae and to promote the interests and welfare of the University in areas of concern to women. They will kick off their 100th Anniversary celebration during Homecoming Weekend (October 27, 2012) with a tree dedication ceremony and reception at the Sweeten Alumni House. More information about these events will be forthcoming.

Sue Czarnecki is the Association of Alumnae Historian, and as part of their year-long celebration Sue will be bringing us some interesting stories about the Association and its alumnae.  Enjoy . .  .

The first officers of the Association of Alumnae were Pauline Wolcott Spencer, Sarah Pleis Miller, Jennie Ritner Beale, Zeta Berenice Cundey, Eleanor Fulton Karsner, and Elizabeth N. Woolman Pennock.  Of the six officers two were biologists, Sarah Miller and Eleanor Krasner, and one a chemist, Elizabeth Woolman Pennock. 

The Association of Alumnae held its first annual meeting on June 19, 1912, Commencement Day, at 3:00 PM in the Botanical Gardens.  The women graduates of the Class of 1912, Provost Dr. Edgar F. Smith, the Vice Provost, Deans and their families attended.  A Japanese comedy was presented and was followed by an informal reception.

On Wednesday, June 19, 2012 at 3:00 pm, Association of Alumnae officers and board members gathered at the Bio Pond — the same date, time and place as Penn alumnae gathered 100 years before them.  A wonderful way to kick off this momentous year-long celebration!

Association of Alumnae Officers and Board Members
Back Row (L-R): Linda Whaley, Susan Croll, Vivian Loewenstern, Janice Gian-Grasso, Nicole Maloy, Binnie Donald, Sue Czarnecki, Barbara Kardon, Debby Wolff.
Front Row (L-R): Tammy Khiew, Julie Diana Hench, Stephanie Yee, Mae Pasquariello

Bio Pond
University Archives, Calendar 1911

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June 21, 2012 · 9:11 am

Here comes Homecoming…

Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02, GED ‘10

This time last year, I blogged about the eerie calm and quiet that descends on campus after Alumni Weekend and Commencement.  Somehow, it seems like that calm, quiet period gets shorter and shorter each year.  Here it is, just barely the month of June, and already we are well into our planning for Homecoming Weekend featuring Arts & Culture.  Though Homecoming is still over four months away, programs are already being created; spaces are being secured; and marketing materials are being designed.  As much work as this is, it is also one of my favorite parts of my job.  Homecoming Weekend is an opportunity to share Penn’s creative side with the world.  And since I’m no good at keeping secrets, here’s a sneak peak at what you just might get to experience if you come back to campus October 26-28, 2012.

What is contemporary?  Learn the answer from Ingrid Schaffner, Senior Curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art.

Explore new developments in contemporary jazz with music professor Dr. Guy Ramsey.

Join a discussion about California and French Impressionism and view pieces on loan from the Irvine Museum at the Arthur Ross Gallery.

Discover what the ancient Mayans REALLY thought would happen in the year 2012 at the Penn Museum exhibit Maya 2012: Lords of Time.

Stay tuned for more exciting programs like these by visiting!  Check back in August for full details on the Homecoming Weekend featuring Arts & Culture website.

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