Author: Raymond Rorke
Is this Penn’s new extreme sport? A couple of castoffs from the Seventh Seal? Or is this how the bubble gets cleaned?
A couple of castoffs from the Seventh Seal?
Actually, I do have an idea what’s going on, and if you do too, send an email to alumni@ben.dev.upenn.edu. The first person to answer correctly will get a cool Penn Park memento courtesy of the Penn Alumni blog.
In the meantime, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Filed under Campus Life, Penn Park, Raymond R., Sustainability at Penn
Author: Colin Hennessy
As the University takes a break from the busy fall semester, we would like to share our thanks with each of you for reading and engaging with Penn through the Frankly Penn blog.
Thank you for reading, commenting, and share your stories with us – you are what we are most thankful for this season.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Penn.
Filed under Campus Life, Colin H.
Author: Sabrina Shyn, C’13
This is the view I get to see every night in winter when I look out my window at dusk from Rodin College House.
Filed under Campus Life, Photos, Sabrina Shyn, Student Perspective
Author: Casey Ryan, C’95
Homecoming this year was amazing. The fall weekend was glorious with its bright light blue sky slightly dusted with clouds and the crispy cool air keeping any rain at bay. The combination of great weather and engaging programming drew record numbers of alumni back home to Penn. There is my list highlighting some of the incredible events from this past weekend.
10. Pre-Game Coming Home Tribute: From Penn to Princeton — A Dedication to Lenape Land.
Penn and Princeton reside on Lenape soil and to pay tribute to their ancestors, the Association of Native Alumni and Natives at Penn came together for a touching ceremony honoring their land home. The attendees found it poignant that this observance was held on the newest use of Lenape land, Penn Park.
9. 77th Annual Alumni Award of Merit Gala
The event to kick-off the Homecoming Weekend festivities, the Gala is the formal hallmark event of Homecoming. President Amy Gutmann and Board of Trustees Chair, David Cohen, L’81, paid tribute to the following outstanding alumni, classes and club in a black and white game-themed party that accentuated the many years of love and appreciate that these alumni have for Penn.
Festive decor at the Gala.
8. Alumnus Stefan Fatsis, C’85, Celebrates the Creative Powers of Scrabble.
As Words with Friends takes over everyone smart phones, it’s refreshing to take a moment and recall the tiled game that started our love affair with making words. Fatsis and follow alumni enjoyed a lively special discussion in celebration of the tenth anniversary release of his bestselling book, Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players.
7. Alumni Bacchanal/Platt Fifth Anniversary Party
Those in the performing arts at Penn recall the annual Bacchanal, the end of the year costume party, fondly. Capturing those memories, the Platt Student Performing Arts House invited alumni back to revel in the boisterous Alumni Bacchanal to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Performing Arts’ newest home on campus.
Platt House 5 Years at the Alumni Bacchanal
6. Free-at-Noon Concert featuring Frank Turner
WXPN’s weekly “Free-at-Noon” concert at World Cafe Live featured Frank Turner. Turner is an English folk/punk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Winchester and formally the lead vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead. His musical style seems to be counter to his upbringing – educated on a scholarship at Eton College and studied alongside Prince William. Yet, his current directions are now acoustic-based which have critics calling his work “a fearless venture for an artist with something interesting to say.”
For the “Free-at-Noon” concert in its entirety, visit NPR: here.
5. Feature Film Screening: Thunder Soul Presented by the Penn Alumni Film Festival
The pinnacle of Penn’s newest Homecoming tradition, the Penn Alumni Film Festival, this feature film did not disappoint. Jamie Foxx’s rousing documentary tells the story of Conrad O. Johnson, a music teacher at a predominantly black high school in Houston. Johnson replaced the mundane standards that students of the Kashmere Stage Band were learning to play with contemporary funk, jazz, and original compositions. He not only got their attention and their active participation in class, he changed their lives forever.
A darkened auditorium watching Thunder Soul
4. Old Guard Brunch
This is the perennial favorite event for those in Alumni Relations and alumni alike. Our distinguished alumni who have passed their 50th reunion are invited to this buffet brunch. Our staff is enchanted by the stories of the Woodland Avenue Trolley, Althea Kratz Hottel, the Mungermen, and Rowbottoms, told so vividly by our alumni that they could have happened yesterday. Fellow alumni are always excited to see and catch up with old friends as welling as making a new one along the way. The gathering always ends with festive singing and cheering before folks head over to the game.
Our revered alumni enjoying each other’s company
3. QuakerFest
The weather couldn’t have been better on this perfect fall day. Music filled College Green and tents for food and tables for groups to meet up dotted Blanche Levy Park. Partnered with the Penn Alumni Arts Fair, QuakerFest was the place to be to tailgate before kickoff. In time for the game, the Quaker mascot joined the crowd to lead alumni and friends to Franklin Field!
College Green full of Penn Pride
2. Taste of Penn: A Global Celebration
Taste of Penn is the flagship festival of the Penn Alumni Diversity Alliance. This year’s party was a tour de force celebrating Penn’s cultural diversity – accentuating its global scope. Complete with a globe centerpiece with all roads leading to Philadelphia, alumni and friends danced to hip-hop, rock, reggae, salsa, and pop as well as enjoying the flavors from these rich cultural identities in savory entrees and refreshing cocktails.
Peruvian courtship dance by Cynthia Paniagua, who the subject of “Soy Andina,” directed by Mitch Teplitsky, W'80, and featured in this Homecoming’s Penn Alumni Film Festival
1. Penn Football: Homecoming Game vs. Princeton
We have a saying in Alumni Relations, “Homecoming isn’t just about the game, but it IS about the game.” This is always the biggest draw for the weekend. Alumni and friends travel from New York, Washington, Boston, and beyond to be back in Franklin Field and cheer on our football team. The Quakers Homecoming victory over the Tigers continues to give Pennsylvania the chance of being Ivy Champs this year. It was a thrilling match up, but thankfully, a definitive win, which fueled our hope for another Ivy Title.
Below, you can view for yourself the post game press conference given by head coach Al Bagnoli, wideout Ryan Calvert, C’12, and linebacker Erik Rask, W’12, held to celebrate the Quaker’s fifth straight win over Princeton.
Thanks to everyone who returned and we hope to see you back on campus for Alumni Weekend 2012, May 11-14!
Author: Raymond R.
What a great Homecoming Weekend! I walked around campus with my iPhone and the video below captures what happened. Call it a “handheld homecoming” — a quick, pocket-sized excursion through the weekend that alums might like to share.
So much was happening, right from the start! The black-tie glamour of Friday evening’s Alumni Award of Merit Gala…The peaceful, early morning solemnity of the Lenape Land dedication ceremony at Penn Park…
Throughout the weekend, I was struck again and again by how warm and connected our alumni are, and how enthused they feel about tapping into the “real life” at Penn — all of the great things that are available on campus every day: our history, traditions, and diversity, our brilliant faculty and professionals, daily illuminating lectures, expressive arts, and a beautiful urban campus of architectural masterpieces as well as Penn Park. In addition, we share a genuine sense of community and service, always remain energized and forward-looking, and, of course, we get to interact with students, students, students!
No wonder we call this place (one that unites us like family) “home”…
If you returned to campus last weekend, you might already feel a bit nostalgic… If you weren’t here, perhaps this short peek at what turned out to be our best attended Homecoming Weekend ever will inspire you to come back to Penn next fall — or maybe even next week!
Author: Stephanie Y., C08
Thanks to SPEC Connaissance and my PennCard, I spent yesterday afternoon sitting in the 4th row of Irvine Auditorium listening to James Franco talk about his acting and academic careers. Each year, SPEC Connaissance brings an array of public figures to address the Penn community. Past speakers include Anderson Cooper, Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger, Whoopi Goldberg, Peyton Manning (I attended), Billy Joel, Ben & Jerry, and Ellen DeGeneres (wait – when did ELLEN come? How did I miss that?) Tickets to the James Franco event were only available to PennCard holders. Hooray for working at Penn!
James Franco in Irvine Auditorium (photo credit: The Daily Pennsylvanian)
In addition to being a huge Hollywood star, Franco holds multiple advanced degrees (from UCLA, Columbia University, and New York University), and he is currently enrolled in a PhD program at Yale University. I have always been impressed with his CV, but I still wondered whether he was admitted into these programs based on merit or his name. During the interview, Franco admitted he receives special treatment for being famous, but the talk confirmed that he is brilliant, and he can certainly hold his own in an academic setting. The man is a true scholar in addition to being a super dreamy Hollywood star.
Here are a few fun facts from the talk:
Thanks, SPEC Connaissance! I can’t wait to see who you bring to Penn next time.
The tents are popping up along Locust Walk, Sweeten House goodies are being set out, and staff stand poised to begin registration at 11 AM on College Green. If you haven’t already registered, that’s okay–walk-on registrations are more than welcome.
Need more persuasion? Download the free Homecoming Weekend mobile app diretly to your smart phone by typing www.alumni.upenn.edu/mobilehomecoming into your mobile web browser to see all of the excellent programming and to search our Look Who’s Coming list. You can also visit the website to view events and attendees here.
Finally, if you need visual evidence and inspiration, check out this countdown video highlighting some of the key events.
And, if you do attend, consider using our Twitter hashtag (#PennHW2011) to send us status updates. We want to know what you’re up to.
Hope to see you back on campus in the next 24 hours. Go Quakers!
Author: Ali Berryman, GSE’12
Over in Williams Hall, the men and women of Penn Student Agencies are working hard to serve the Penn community and we love every minute of it. But there is something missing… a void in our hearts. Where are our alumni? Where is the man who designed the Penn Calendar in 1994? Who is the woman who thought up the idea of laundry delivery? Where are the people who spent countless hours working on these small businesses so that hundreds of students would continue to have jobs years down the road?
Alumni, we are looking for you!
Maybe you were a barista, or the manager of Promotional Programs, or maybe you delivered The New York Times to dorm rooms. Whatever your job, we want to meet you. We want to hear about your experiences and share with you how PSA is now. Perhaps you have some good ideas or tips for our students.
On Friday, November 4, 2011 at 6 PM in Houston Hall, we will have a dinner for all people who have ever been associated with PSA to celebrate the organization and the fabulous people who have given so much to ensure the success of the businesses. We will also be holding a penny (loose change) drive for the non-profit that is near and dear to the heart of several PSAers, Back on My Feet.
If you can’t make the event, please get in touch with us! We’d be happy to send you newsletters and invite you to other events.
All RSVP’s for this event to be held during Homecoming Weekend featuring arts and culture can come directly to me, Ali Berryman (PSA Graduate Assistant) at berryman@gse.upenn.edu.
Author: Nicole Maloy, W’95
Did you know that the Du Bois College House has undergone an amazing renovation? It’s been a little while now, but some people still haven’t seen the changes to the residence where I stayed overnight when I first visited Penn, where I rehearsed with The Inspiration, where I watched The Cosby Show and A Different World on Thursdays (Cosby Night!), and where I stayed up all night playing spades. I was a “lifer” in this House (4 years!), and proudly served on the House Council. After countless programs, discussions, and celebrations, there is just no way to separate my experience at Penn from this more-than-a-dorm which offered academic and social resources in-house, and served as the model for the University’s entire College House system.
Du Bois College House was founded in 1972 for students interested in African-American scholarship and culture. What’s not in the official description is how the House has served as a home away from home for generations of students since then. With residential programs like Consciousness in Black Film and Theatre and Politics & Cultural Pluralism/American Indian Cultures, and a Du Bois Fit program to encourage healthy living, the House has more to offer to students today than ever before.
Let’s take a little stroll through the House in its newly renovated state, shall we? Special thanks to Ms. Trish for showing me around and letting me take these pictures.
At the entrance with Du Bois College House Dean Ms. Patricia Williams, aka “Ms. Trish.” She oversaw the entire renovation project.
Check out these beautiful new windows in the Multi-Purpose Room! Amazing the difference more natural light can make.
These student lounges are now on every floor. With these, plus the library, plus Seminar Rooms A & B, plus the computer lab, there is no shortage of space to work on that group project or get all that homework done.
These signs are over the trashcans. Penn is doing an impressive job with going “green,” and Du Bois is no exception.
Can you believe this? Gameroom. This is what the basement looks like now. Well, one side of the basement…
…the other side looks like this! And this isn’t including the weight room and cardio facilities down there now. I tell ya, back in my day, the basement was scary, and we didn’t have air conditioning in our rooms! These kids don’t know how good they have it! (waving cane)
Check out more photos of the renovated Du Bois College House on the official page. Enjoy, and try not to lament that all this happened after we graduated.
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life, Multicultural Outreach, Nicole M.
Author: Stephanie Y., C08
Do you ever walk by something and think, “Wait a minute…that wasn’t there yesterday!” The newly renamed Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has shiny new signs at The Robert Wood Johnson Pavilion and inside the Biomedical Research Building (BRB) II/III. I walk through these buildings on a daily basis on my way to and from work, but I rarely take the time to look up at the building signs. The shiny letters caught my eye the other day, and they give the buildings some new sparkle.
Outside of the Biomedical Library
Inside the Biomedical Research Building (BRB) II/III
The Official Sign
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Campus Life
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