Category Archives: Campus Life

September 29, 2011 · 3:33 pm

Tug of War: The Penn Park Version

Author: Stephanie Y., C’08

I’m always surprised how much Penn students love tug of war. The annual sorority tug of war competition in the Palestra is always quite the spectacle, and this year, the College Houses battled it out at the Penn Park Field Day. Being a College House lifer (I lived in Rodin College House all 4 years), I was really excited to see all the College House gear at Penn Park. Check out Rodin’s awesome yellow headbands. I wish we had those when I lived in Rodin! I also loved Hill House’s “We’re too cool for A/C” t-shirts (not pictured). Very clever.

Rodin College House and the power of the yellow headbands

Rodin College House, Part II

Stouffer College House

Teams of 10 competed in the single-elimination tournament, and Stouffer College House won it all. In fact, the championship round was Stouffer A vs. Stouffer B, so they got 1st and 2nd place. They managed to win without the power of matching headbands or matching t-shirts. Very impressive. I hope everyone has checked out Penn Park. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait to play on the new tennis courts and run the Penn Park Homecoming 5K on Saturday, November 5, 2011.

Stouffer College House – Penn Park Tug of War Champions (pictured with the Michael G. Housman College House Cup)

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September 28, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Continuing Your Penn Education

Author: Amanda D’Amico

Penn takes pride in its ability to offer new and innovative programming to its alumni. These programs provide alumni with the opportunity to continue their education and discuss current events with engaged and intellectual professionals.

As a an alumna of a small liberal arts college, I’m always impressed by the amount of education and learning opportunities that Penn offers to its alumni.  As a staff member at Penn, I’m happy to be able to take part in some of what Penn has to offer.  I regularly comb through the Penn Current and Daily Pennsylvanian’s list of upcoming events to see what’s going on at Penn. In the next few months, there several fantastic programs:

  1. Lying Your Way to Truth, September 28 at 11:55 a.m.
  2. 50 Jobs in 50 States, October 4 at 6:00 p.m.
  3. Kelly Writers House: A Lunch Talk with Karen Heller, October 17 at 12:00 p.m.
  4. Imagine Africa Lecture Series: Africa and the World, October 20 at 6:00 p.m.
  5. Wharton Leadership Lectures: Honorable Eric Cantor, U.S. House Majority Leader, October 21 at 4:30 p.m.

*Please note that some of the above events are only open to certain alumni or require registration.

 Of course, this is only a snippet of what’s happening at Penn. Next time you’re on in Philadelphia, continue your Penn education with an on campus lecture.

And be sure to meet your fellow alumni at Homecoming (November 4 – 6) featuring Arts and Culture at Penn. Homecoming offers several opportunities for personal enrichment and networking with fellow alumni.  For more information or to register, visit www.alumni.upenn.edu/homecoming2011/.

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September 23, 2011 · 7:16 pm

Friday Rain

Author:  Sabrina Shyn, C’13

I’ve spent a lot of sunny days in my rainboots because weather.com was wrong about the forecast. Like yesterday, when it said it was going to rain but it was bright and shiny the entire day.

So even though today’s forecast called for rain again, I decided not to wear my rainboots this morning. And as soon as I left my dorm it started pouring, of course.

The shoes I decided to wear:

At least I didn’t choose flip flops.

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September 22, 2011 · 7:25 pm

Five Years at Penn

Author: Kelly Graf

This past Tuesday marked exactly five years since I began my career at Penn. Five years! Ok, so it’s not exactly a lifetime, but it has encompassed a lot of really amazing experiences. Because I try to keep things all about me, I decided to look through these five years and find one of the most exciting developments at Penn for every year that I have worked here. ***Please note that I do not take credit (at these not all) for these accomplishments, though the timing does seem coincidental.

  • 2007:     The Making History campaign was launched. A little over a year after I started at Penn, the University launched its biggest campaign in history with an ambitious goal of $3.5 billion. I celebrated the launch on College Green with thousands of Penn students, staff and faculty.
  • 2008:     The Perelman Center opens. The $302 million, 500,000-square-foot outpatient facility was truly magnificent to see built as I passed every day on my way home. Today, it serves as home to 12 clinical specialties whose staff will work together in multidisciplinary teams aided by state-of-the-art medical technology.

  • 2009:     Vincent Price named provost. After a bittersweet departure with former Provost Ron Daniels, the University community was thrilled when Vice Provost Price was formerly named as Daniels’ successor in serving as the University’s “chief academic officer.”
  • 2010: >George A. Weiss Pavilion completed.  With more than 8,000 square feet of workout space, the two-story fitness center offered an east campus alternative to the Pottruck Center.

  • 2011: Penn Park opens.  What was a huge parking lot full of postal vehicles is now an inviting, specious landscape full of sporting fields, green space and recreational activities. It is truly breathtaking to see the transformation that Penn has accomplished there.

I can’t wait to see what the next five years brings to Penn, thanks to gifts and support from our loyal friends and alumni.

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September 20, 2011 · 6:15 pm

Resurrect Dead

Author: Lisa Marie Patzer

I recently attended the Philadelphia premiere of Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles at the International House.  I knew very little about the film but was curious to learn more about the odd tiles I had seen scattered throughout the streets of Philadelphia. Here is one located at 43rd and Chester:

Resurrect Dead, a documentary film directed by Jon Foy, follows Justin Duerr a Philadelphia-based artist, on his journey to find the source of the Toynbee Tiles.  Hundreds of these cryptic messages have been found embedded in the streets of major cities across the U.S. and South American and Justin has taken a photo of nearly every one.  The tiles contain some variation on the following inscription:

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN KUBRICK’S 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER

I would classify the film is a hybrid doc-fiction that attempts to de-code the meaning behind the tiles as well as uncover the identity of the creator.  I will resist including any “spoilers” here, but I will say I was impressed by the film and the audience support.  The attendance at the International House was so overwhelming they added a 5th screening to the program.  

Kendall Whitehouse with the Wharton School at UPenn has a great  photo album of a Q&A session with Jon Foy.

In order to promote the film, the producers of Resurrect Dead gave the audience stickers that look like the Toynbee Tiles.  I have seen several pasted in public places throughout the city.

This Philadelphia based film is receiving a lot of buzz, both locally and nationally.  It has moved on to Chicago, but I am sure it will be back.  For more information, see the official website.

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September 8, 2011 · 3:35 pm

Welcome to New Students

Author: Jeanne Leong, University Communications

This past Tuesday, the University held Convocation ceremonies for the new Class of 2015.   Over 2,500 of the incoming class attended, alongside 129 transfer students.

Photograph by Peter Tobia

President Amy Gutmann gave the students their first University test by asking them to show their school spirit by cheering after she called out the names of the four undergraduate schools. “College of Arts and Sciences!” “Nursing!” “Engineering!” “Wharton!”

After the raucous cheers, Gutmann encouraged the freshmen to be open to new experiences.  “You make your journey alongside an amazing group of classmates. You will challenge each other to broaden your horizons, to think in new ways and to see controversial issues from different perspectives, including on such fundamental matters as which food truck offers the best fare.”

Provost Vincent Price quoted Benjamin Franklin, saying, “Don’t squander time.” He advised students, “Spend time off line. Go ahead and follow someone, but do it on a bike or on a hike.”

In encouraging them to become well-rounded, Price recommended exploring interests outside of academics.

“Make room for new experiences. Go see a play. Or better yet, try acting,” he said.

The members of the Class of 2015 hail from 49 states, and the class includes 370 international students from 66 countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana and India.

You can view the full Flckr stream of photos here.

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September 5, 2011 · 9:00 am

Locust Walk Talk: Penn Traditions Family Picnic on College Green

Author: Casey Ryan, C’95

I can’t believe that it’s been over two months since I wrote about things to do when the students aren’t at Penn. Over the last week, campus’s energy has increased as student volunteers, like the Phins come back for training before move-in. The buzz culminated for us this past Thursday as Alumni Relations welcomed the class of 2015 and their parents.

Welcome

Penn Traditions Family Picnic serves as brief respite for parents and incoming first years from the move in process.  Alumni Relations and Penn Traditions welcome all to grab a bite to eat and relax on College Green.  Everything now seems so unfamiliar and imposing.  Yet, the view from the grass on a red or blue blanket is of new beginning and opportunities.

Families and the incoming Class of 2015, getting a bite to eat

There’s College Hall, Wednesday’s site of an introductory class.  There’s Van Pelt library, the future site of an all-nighter to write a research paper.  There’s Split Button, a midnight study break where students play Whac-A-Mole with friends. (Seriously, I did this a few times to blow off some finals steam.)

The Penn Band entertaining the crowd

Now, it’s fodder for memories – the grown-up versions of the first day of School.  A young student takes her first steps to independence.  Parents acknowledge the son has grown-up well.  A brother is inspired by his sister and looks forward to his college search.  Grandmothers and grandfathers are in awe of their granddaughter’s achievements. These are all moments for everyone to be proud.

Signing the Class of 2015 banner – this banner follows the class throughout their four years at Penn and beyond

This all subtext, though.  For now, parents, freshman and transfer students are on the green, sharing a soda, eating some fun and enjoying the break.  It doesn’t seem too important right now, but this picnic will be the first of all lifelong Penn traditions that each student will experience.

Taking a very deserved break on hillside of College Green

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September 2, 2011 · 3:34 pm

T-shirts and track shoes and canes. Oh, my!

Author: Nicole Maloy, W’95

I’ve always said that one of the best things about working at Penn as an alumna is having one place to put all of my Penn stuff. In any other work environment, it might appear a bit odd, if not obsessive or psychotic. Yet here, it’s perfectly appropriate to have a shelf that looks like this:

At a university, this kind of thing is totally normal. This might not go over so well in, say, a doctor’s office. Especially the track shoes.

To be fair, this is not all of my Penn stuff. There is that whole matter of the shirts and other wearable items I’ve collected between the fall of 1991, when I arrived as a freshman, and the fall of 2011, as I greet the incoming class of 2015. (2015?!) The collection started well before my first semester, though. Its origins go back to the previous December, when I discovered I’d been admitted via Early Decision.

I got home from school and picked up the mail on my way in. My grandmother was staying with us at the time, so she was home. She sat on the couch, pretending to be calm as I opened the letter from Penn, took a deep breath, and began to read it aloud. I got as far as, “We are pleased…” and then started jumping up and down, doing the happy dance. Upon reflection, I am so glad she was there for that. I know how proud she was.

She was, perhaps, slightly less proud when I picked up the phone to call my Mom at work.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi.”

“I got the letter from Penn.”

“Yeah?” More pretending to be calm. It’s clearly genetic.

“Yeah, I got deferred.”

“WHAT?!” Momentary loss of composure from Mom. Grandma, who probably heard that, sat shaking her head saying, “Oh, Nicole,” while trying not to laugh.

Mom immediately caught herself and began to reassure me despite the fact that I knew she was cursing out the Admissions Office in her head. “Well, OK, so we’ll get the applications together for the other schools, and (other things I don’t remember because I was giggling into my hand and couldn’t hear her).”

“Mm-hmm. Thanks. By the way, I’m just kidding. I got in.”

I won’t write what she said next, but I assure you, it was said with great love in her heart. Then three generations of the women in my family shared a good laugh full of joy, relief, and pride.

With Mom and Grandma at my high school’s Senior Awards Ceremony. Mom is rockin her favorite Sally Jesse Raphael glasses. Work it, Mom!

That night, while I was watching TV, my Mom called me. I went upstairs. She asked if I’d get the clothes out of the dryer for her. I went back downstairs, a little annoyed that she made me go all the way upstairs only to go back down – she’s got volume, and could have asked for the laundry from where she was, saving me a couple of trips. But, hey, I deserved it, no? So I went down, grabbed a basket, opened the dryer, and pulled out two brand new sweatshirts, tags still attached. One was emblazoned with “PENN,” the other with “WHARTON.” Turns out, she’d bought them from The Bookstore during our visit that October, and had kept them hidden until tonight. Pretty sneaky, sis.

From then through years of jumping with Track & Field, singing with The Inspiration, living in Du Bois College House, joining Friars, and generally just being at Penn, followed by years working at the University, and encountering a clearance sale at Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear before they closed (remember them, oldheads?), it’s no wonder I sometimes didn’t even realize I was covered with Penn.

Here is a sampling. This doesn’t include the hats, the jackets, the sweatpants, my varsity sweater, or assorted other bits and pieces. Maybe one day my Mom will make these into a quilt. You reading this, Mom? You’re not still mad about that admission thing, are you? 😉

One day, I was in downtown Philadelphia and decided to observe a martial arts class. The guy next to me said, “So, do you go to Penn?”

I’m thinking, STALKER! I said to him, a bit defensively, “How did you know that?”

He said, “Um, your Penn hat, your Penn shirt, and your Penn shorts.”

“Oh. Heh. Heh.” It’s a good thing we were sitting, or he might have noticed the Penn windbreaker tied around my waist.

Ah, well, back to the office. Lots of memories on this shelf. Here are some close-ups of the shrine.

That’s my Hey Day cane! (The skimmer is a replacement.) DP article from the day after Hey Day with arrow pointing to me in the crowd. Friars wine bottle cover, baseball cap, and honor cord. Photo board has Hey Day shots with buds, along with shots of us at our 10th reunion. Bottom right is us trying to recreate our poses from when we visited as high schoolers. Mine’s pretty close – see center photo.

Photos with The Inspiration. My International Student Card from study abroad in France in 1993 along with a group shot with my fellow Lyon adventurers. The High Jump Shoes, Captain’s plaque, photo with Olympic and World Champion Decathlete Dan O’Brien, Penn Relays baton and program, and Franklin Field watercolor print (thoughtful goodbye gift from another Penn department). On the right – my graduation day kente cloth and tassel.

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August 29, 2011 · 3:48 pm

Weathering the Storm

Author: Aimee LaBrie

Well, that was a close one. At least, it certainly felt like it, especially if you spent any time watching the developing news stories, which warned of record-breaking winds, rain, flooding, trees through windows, dogs on rooftops, little old ladies flying by in their rocking chairs ala The Wizard of Oz.

At Penn, however, cooler heads prevailed. We were given regular updates on the status of the storm, on the availability of SEPTA and regional rails, and emails with documents attached detailing the best preparedness measures for hurricane-type weather conditions. In addition, the Penn homepage created a link to the most up-to-the-minute information about the hurricane. So,  even as I was receiving frantic emails from my mother (who lives in Florida and has actually witnessed serious  hurricane devastation) advising me to fill my bathtub with water, demand sand bags from  emergency services, and raid the local grocery store for 3 weeks of food and water, I was comforted by the constant and measured stream of useful information Penn provided during this stressful time.

And we made it through without too many casualties, except for the fallen tree branch outside of College Hall, which is currently being cleaned up in preparation for all of the students, new and seasoned, who will be returning to Penn’s campus very soon.

(Photos courtesy of Nicole Maloy, W’95)

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August 23, 2011 · 3:51 pm

I Remember…Freshgrocer

Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman, C’04

I know, I know.  This one seems kind of obvious.  I went to Whole Foods last weekend to get some produce and I certainly remember that.  Going to a supermarket is not a big event, right?

WRONG.  Unless you are a recent graduate of Penn and therefore think your campus always came with a convenient well-stocked (at times) grocery store, you know what I mean when I say that the arrival of Freshgrocer was an event worthy of a blog post.  When I was a freshman, Penn had no supermarket.  There was Wawa, and there was a sketchy Thriftway on somewhere around 43rd Street.  I never actually found out exactly where it was because I was too scared to go.  One of my friends went there with her parents during orientation week so she could stock up on Easy Mac and Elios pizza and I think it took all they had to not throw her in the car with them and take her back to North Carolina.

Since Thriftway was out, Wawa was my only option when it came to groceries.  I remember going there for my milk and cereal and pints of Ben and Jerry’s (freshman fifteen alert!) and then I’d supplement with the fruit food truck for some fresh produce.  Granted, an 18-year-old’s diet doesn’t require much more than that, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter.  One time I asked my best friend to bring me some fruit.  It was during Passover, I was sick and I really couldn’t eat much.  The fruit truck line was too long (so she claims), so her only other option was bringing me fruit jelly slices that her parents had given her to eat as a treat during Passover.  My poor swollen tonsils just couldn’t handle it.  Penn needed a supermarket, and fast.

Luckily, with about a week left to go freshman year, our prayers were answered.  Freshgrocer opened at 40th and Walnut and I swear I had tears in my eyes and heard angels singing as I stared up at that glistening building.  It was a miracle, like every Penn student’s collective wish coming true.

My best friend (of fruit slice fame), another friend and I were done with our finals early and decided we needed to celebrate the new supermarket.  So, we went to Freshgrocer and pretty much bought everything we could on our student budgets.  I mainly remember buying a giant baguette, tons of cheese and grapes.  We had a picnic in the quad and were so happy!  Freshgrocer led to other happy times, like visits to their candy wall during finals studying and before movies, late night food runs, and dinners of their surprisingly yummy hoagies.  That supermarket meant so much to us, because we knew what it meant to be at Penn without it.  And, despite some shutdowns because of rodent problems, ridiculously long checkout lines and a layout that was nearly impossible to navigate, we loved that store.

Looking back, Freshgrocer was only the beginning of a 40th street expansion that continued long after I graduated.  There are now things like Bobby’s Burger Palace, Capogiro gelato, one of the prettiest CVS stores I’ve ever seen, Jimmy John’s, etc. lining Walnut Street between 39th and 40th.  Izzy and Zoe’s might be gone (I really don’t know how the students are surviving without their brunches) but the expanded Greek Lady almost makes up for that.  Don’t worry, Smokes is still standing strong.  But, there’s no doubt campus has changed, and definitely for the better.  To think, my classmates and I were there when it started, standing in a checkout line for 15 minutes waiting to buy some cheese!

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