Resources & Activities

For the first time in University of Pennsylvania history, eligible need-based students at all 12 University of Pennsylvania graduate schools have access to apply for financial assistance for unpaid or underpaid summer internships. 

Internship funding was a recurring need that Keshara Senanayake J’23 kept hearing in conversations with fellow students. It became clear to the former Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GASPA) Vice President of Programming that disparities existed between the schools. While some schools featured robustly funded internship programs thanks to decades of significant alumni support, others had students who required support for career-building summer opportunities.  

In response to this recurring need, GAPSA generously gave a $700,000 gift to Career Services to establish Penn’s first university-wide Graduate Summer Internship Program. Over $200,000 of the gift went to immediate disbursement this past summer. The remaining $500,000 will be put into a permanently endowed fund to provide continual financial support for Penn graduate students.  

The Graduate Summer Internship Program aims to defray costs associated with the summer experience, encompassing travel expenses, living costs, and other related expenditures. The funding amounts are determined based on the internship’s career development value, duration, and identified needs of students. The available funding levels that can be awarded will be determined on a yearly basis. 

“When you hear about a problem it just makes sense to do something about it. We chose to create this fund, in hopes of immediately supporting students this past summer and to create the momentum to structurally address this issue,” said Senanayake, a recent graduate of the Carey Law School. “For a long time, we’ve heard this was a problem, but there was no data to back it up. Now, we can collect data about the need and hopefully encourage alumni to support this initiative with the newfound tangibles.” 

As the governing body for the approximately 13,000 Penn graduate students, GAPSA is responsible for funding each of the 12 schools through student groups, events, and initiatives for student success. Due to the pandemic halting several of its programs, GAPSA had accumulated a significant amount of carryover funds.  

Director of the Graduate Student Center Meredith Wooten raised the idea that GAPSA could address the lack of internship funding for graduate students. Senanayake found that Career Services offered a Summer Funding program that helps undergraduates take advantage of impactful internship opportunities that are beyond their financial resources. In late February, board members met with Career Services representatives to install a similar initiative for graduate students.  

GAPSA quickly passed a resolution to create the Summer Internship Funding Program, representing the largest gift the organization has ever provided. Senanayake credited the GAPSA assembly for recognizing the need to provide resources to better the lives of graduate students.  

“I am a firm believer that no student should be denied opportunities because of a lack of financial resources,” Senanayake said. “Internships are a prerequisite for career and professional development, and a number in your bank account should not limit your potential. I was able to attend Penn because of the generous support of alumni and the school’s moral obligation to reduce barriers for others.  

“Paying it forward is instilled into the Penn DNA. I see it in our students, our alum, our trustees, our faculty, and our staff.”  

Paying it Forward

In its first year, the Graduate Summer Internship Program extended financial support to 71 graduate students representing eight graduate schools. Among them, the School of Engineering had the most recipients with 32 awardees. Following closely behind, the Graduate School of Education had 13 students benefiting from the program. Meanwhile, the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Social Policy & Practice, and the Weitzman School of Design each had seven students selected.   

“The summer experience available to students like me, coming from a First-Generation Low-Income background is nothing short of remarkable,” School of Engineering and Applied Science graduate student Ruohu Lin said in her summer blog. “It is an opportunity to gain invaluable industry experience that will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of our careers. As a budding software engineer, the chance to immerse myself in a real-world tech environment was a dream I eagerly seized upon.” 

A demonstrative need for internship funding for international students became apparent to Senanayake in his conversations with GAPSA peers. Inflation, currency devaluations, and various geopolitical, natural, and economic crises have exacerbated the financial struggles associated with living expenses during underfunded or unpaid internships.  

Forty-six percent of the inaugural Graduate Summer Internship Program awardees were international students.  

Director of Graduate Career Initiatives Joseph Barber highlighted that Penn Career Services received at least 10 applications from recent mothers or parents, some of whom were supporting several young children. He said this situation is more unique to the graduate student experience, emphasizing added costs associated with balancing an internship experience with finding and paying for childcare.  

Right People at the Right Time 

The Graduate Summer Internship Program’s rapid launch was made possible through the collaborative efforts of GAPSA and Penn administration.  

Senanayake credited Barber and Executive Director Barbara Hewitt of Penn Career Services for seamlessly materializing the initiative. He said they were both very receptive to graduate students' needs and made connections across campus to quickly get the program available for the summer.

“Both have spent countless hours meeting with key stakeholders across the University to bring the program to life and have been advocates on the issue for years,” Senanayake added. “This initiative is a testament to having the right people at the right time.”

Career Services and the Graduate Student Center worked collaboratively to encourage GAPSA to provide meaningful support for graduate students. Barber noted that the Graduate Student Center laid a solid foundation for the Summer Internship Program’s success due to its strong relationships with GAPSA and their long-standing commitment to support the professional growth of graduate students. The Graduate Student Center shared valuable insights with Career Services about the funding application challenges experienced by graduate students.

Led by both Wooten and Executive Director for Graduate Education and Initiatives Anita Mastroieni, the Graduate Student Center spent countless hours and energy advising GAPSA, supporting their initiatives, and building strong relationships between student leaders and staff across campus. In particular, Wooten played a pivotal role in raising awareness about internship funding disparities and guiding GAPSA leaders throughout the entire process.

“Their feedback helped shape the proposal into something that could actually happen,” Senanayake added. “The staff at Penn University Life care deeply about the graduate student experience, and for that, I, and countless others, are incredibly grateful. “

Now, as an alumnus, Senanayake is comforted knowing that this fund will endure indefinitely, yet his ultimate aspiration is to inspire fellow alumni to champion programs and initiatives of this nature. The primary objective of this program is to create momentum in this space. GAPSA contributed generous donations toward establishing a perpetual endowed fund. For the program to persist and flourish, the indispensable backing of alumni and donors is crucial. 

Read about graduate student summer internship experiences on the Penn Career Services Summer Funding Blog.

The summer internships were game changers in the students’ career aspirations. 

They included: 

• behavioral specialist internship, Center for Utilizing Behavioral Insights for Children at Save the Children
• jet propulsion internship, NASA   
• international education development internship, UNESCO’s International Institute for Education Planning in Dakar, Senegal
• programming internship, SciFeCap
• wildlife medicine internship, WildCare Oklahoma
• policy analyst, Research for Action
• software engineer, SkyIT
• architecture heritage internship, Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage, New Delhi
• intercultural communication specialist with refugees and asylees, Nationalities Service Center, Philadelphia
• architecture internship, MASS Design Group, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
• backend software developer, Roamer
• AI Development Intern, Mentorz
• Archeological and Heritage Preservation Internship, Al-Hiba Publication Project, Lagash, Iraq
• Transit Strategic Planning and Analysis internship, SEPTA
• Educational Planning and Policy internship, International Institute for Education for Planning, UNESCO, Paris, France

In 2022-23, Platt House hosted over 18,125 hours of rehearsals and 24 events in the Lounge and Cabaret Stage. Managing the day-to-day operations at Platt House is a big job. McCall’s team includes two Penn alumni: Megan Edelman, C’11, LPS’22, Associate Director, Sara Outing, C’13, Program Coordinator, as well as Amanda Labonte, Technical Advisor in the PAC Shop, and part-time support staff. “Platt House represents so many things,” says Edelman. “For students, it’s where they might find their friends, their community, their voice. It can be a place to be brave and experiment, to try something new, or to fail and learn from that.” Edelman leads a short tour of the Platt House space in this video.

Providing resources to Penn’s growing performing arts community at Platt House and beyond is an ongoing priority. “The students and our team at Platt House make it easy to love my job,” says Outing. “Our students are talented, and they lift each other up, work through issues, and advocate for one another and their craft.”

In addition to the Platts’ founding gift, ongoing support has funded key initiatives like performance funds, equipment including pianos and microphones, and “After School Arts at Penn”, a program that supports about 40 school-age children each year. The Platt House team also oversees a community ticketing initiative that provides complimentary tickets for student performances to Penn undergraduates, local kids, and community members.

Looking ahead, Penn recently announced a plan to build a $75 million Student Performing Arts Center that will provide even more space and resources for the performing arts community.

To celebrate Pride Month, University Life hosted a conversation with Penn's revitalized employee resource group, LEAP (LGBTQ+ Employees at Penn). The newly formed LEAP leadership team shared their vision and goals for LEAP and spoke candidly about their experiences at Penn. The interview below was hosted in University Life and included the following LEAP Members:

• Michael Sievers (he/him/his), LEAP Co-Chair
• Dani Trimmer (he/him/his), LEAP Co-Chair
• Nik Kroushl (she/her/hers), Communications Co-Chair
• Sarah Punderson (she/her/hers), Communications Co-Chair
• Emily Delany (she/her/hers), Programming Chair
• Sam Lim (they/them/theirs), Internal Affairs Chair

LEAP includes a diverse of representation of faculty, staff, and post docs from schools and spaces across the University of Pennsylvania. Members of the Penn community interested in becoming involved with LEAP should contact co-chairs Michael Sievers (sieversm@upenn.edu) and/or Dani Trimmer (dtrimmer@upenn.edu). 

University Life: Can you discuss how LEAP has been reenergized over the past year? 

Dani Trimmer: My previous employer had a similar employee resource group that was stagnant, and we revived it. When I came to Penn, I started asking if Penn had something similar. I kept getting directed to go to Penn's LGBT Center. Unfortunately, the pandemic had forced the group to take a pause. Once we returned to normal operations post pandemic, some colleagues were having conversations about reenergizing the group. We came together and voiced that we would like to see this brought back and shared how an LGBTQ+ group for faculty and staff here at Penn can support community building.  We started from a blank slate and have been off to a great start. 

University Life: How long has it been since the restart? 

Michael Sievers: Last fall of this past academic year, there was a call out to Faculty and Staff and an informal event hosted by the LGBT Center to see if anyone was interested in reviving LEAP. I had expressed some interest in joining and was tapped on the shoulder by the LGBT Center’s Malik Muhammad to consider co-leading the effort. There were a couple of other people interested, and he encouraged us to get together and really talk about it.  This effort was important to all of us, so we began figuring out how best to revive it. When I was asked if I’d be willing to step up and be a part of this, I said absolutely.  

Nik Kroushl: Malik Muhammad and Jake Muscato [in University Life at Penn] have given us guidance and support throughout this process, and they should get a shoutout for being our lighthouse.  

University Life: Considering the Penn community, what types of initiatives, policies, and changes would you like to see happen that relate to LEAP’s mission and goals?  

Emily Delany: The stuff that we’ve already done has been very rooted in community building. What we’re doing now is presenting different social opportunities. We had a Wellness Walk at the end of June to close-off Pride Month. It’s just a way to create a social opportunity to meet and greet folks from across campus and offer an opportunity to walk together and have discourse about different things happening on campus, different things happening in our city, as it relates to like LGBTQ+ folks. We just had a social event called Pride and Popsicles. A lot of what we're doing right now is rooted in community building and social interaction. As a queer employee, it's something that I look for in an employer: to be able to create community and feel seen and heard in the space that I function in every day. A lot of what LEAP is trying to do is create spaces of authenticity where people are able to oscillate in this safe environment. Building community is a primary goal for what we're trying to accomplish. We’re constantly looking for input from folks about how to build the community we want to see at Penn. That's a big root of what we have been doing so far. 

Sam Lim: It's important to contextualize that on a national scale. We came out of a pandemic that directly impacted the LGBTQ community in a disproportionate manner. Being in the city of Philadelphia, sometimes we think we're safe from that, but in reality, we're not. I appreciate that Penn is willing to support this type of work to support our folks. I want to reinforce that, yes, it's community building, but it's also life-saving community building in so many ways and for so many individuals. People don't realize how important small, day-to-day interactions will make a difference for someone living their true life. 

University Life: What does it mean for Penn students that might be LGBTQ+ and see that their university supports the people that work for them? 

Emily Delany: As someone that works in a student-serving role, I find that often our engineers are yearning for spaces in which they can create these mutual relationships. For example, having a lab partner and feeling as if they will not be misgendered in their lab space. I'm very much an out employee at Penn. Just having that someone that you see in the halls and know that they'll advocate for you, organize meeting spaces, or help you facilitate conversations with faculty members if there was an issue ensued in class. It's important to have that visibility so that folks are able to feel like they can be their best selves while they're here and live up to their highest potential. But it's very hard to do that unless you can see some of yourself and the folks that are working in the spaces, you're actively involved in every day. 

Michael Sievers: For me, I’ve found it important to have a queer person that you can point towards and say they are living their life here and living fully whom they are. It’s just important to have that representation.  

Nik Kroushl: I work with faculty on building courses, and I've had opportunities occasionally to help them adjust language or think about how certain things are presented. I’ll talk about my partner with faculty members, and maybe that gives them an idea to include LGBTQ+ folks when they're creating a case study. It establishes that sense of visibility. If some of the content in classes is a little bit more inclusive, then hopefully it makes a little bit of a difference.  

University Life: What does LEAP need from the larger Penn community to advance your work? 

Dani Trimmer: LEAP is one of the more prolific staff resource groups here at Penn. Something that I want to see is if we can be a model for other groups out there that want to come together and create their own network by using LEAP as an example. There are plenty of folks out there that are looking for the different resources that Penn offers in these areas. It's not recreating the wheel. We do have these resources at the university. It comes down to whether they have the capacity or the balance to be able to offer them to faculty and staff, and that's something that I see LEAP being able to serve as a model for other resource centers. If there were more Business Resource Groups (BRGs) like ours, we could have partnerships.  

Sam Lim: So many professional schools lie outside of the traditional university network. For the law school, we’re trying to start up more resources to support our LGBT employees, and there is an active student group. In the next few months, we will go to school to school and get the word out about LEAP. If we can build relationships with the schools specifically, maybe we can find more affordable and accessible ways for us to do those types of monthly rounds across the university so we’re not just sticking to one side of the campus.  

University Life: What types of goals, initiatives or policies would LEAP advocate for change at Penn? 

Sam Lim: This isn’t necessarily unique to Penn. Uniformity would be beneficial in terms of how LGBTQ+ policies are implemented. For example, the way that pronouns or gender identity are captured at the Law School is completely different, than other parts of campus, and even between staff and faculty.  For best practices sake, any employee who's onboarded at Penn should have the opportunity to self-identify their gender identity. 

Sarah Punderson: There’s a desire from many staff and faculty to have gender-neutral bathrooms in all buildings, not just those that serve students. That’s such a tangible thing. If LEAP can keep bringing that up and make University leadership aware that it’s a huge priority for everyone—not just students—that seems like something that’s doable and would be an easy win for Penn culture.   

Emily Delany: The restroom point is the No. 1 conversation that I have with students. We have folks that are working in buildings on campus that must exit the building they're in, go outside on the street, and access another building that has gender-inclusive restrooms. It’s problematic for many of our folks, not only our students, but our faculty, staff, and everyone at Penn. It is rooted in safety, and it should be such a high priority. From a policy and procedure standpoint, gender-inclusive restrooms are such a low-hanging fruit. It’s something that’s important to our community.  

Nik Kroushl: We did a survey to see what people wanted, and one thing that came up was that there is not a centralized or clear process for name changes that cut across all university systems. Of course, there is the perennial problem of a billion different software programs and systems, and they don’t all talk to each other.  

Sarah Punderson: This is all social justice. It’s all about pushing Penn to become the most inclusive employer and representative of Philadelphia residents.  

Sam Lim: Actually, Penn has great benefits for queer people, specifically for trans folk who are trying to get different types of procedures and access. But we need to be transparent about those benefits to potential job candidates.  

University Life: What has LEAP and Penn’s LGBTQ+ community done to allow you to flourish as Penn as an employee? 

Michael Sievers: I used to work for a religious-based institution. I had to hide my identity and say that I was not going to be gay. On my first day on campus at Penn, I remember seeing the pride flag on a door, and it made me feel seen.  Being able to talk with my coworkers about my life, whether it’s who I’m dating or where I am socializing, — it’s made a tremendous difference in my well-being. Just being able to live fully as myself. I don’t feel I need to censor parts of who I am. That’s something that’s impacted me here.  

Dani Trimmer: Due to the nature of my position here. I talk to lots of people at Penn, and I end up essentially being a cheerleader for Penn because I've talked about how much I love being here. I love the culture that's here. Are we perfect? No, absolutely not. I focus on the good that we do here, and LEAP is one of those things. I can tell you that it fills me with a sense of pride. This discussion that we are having here right now — being able to talk about LGBTQ+ rights at Penn and hear people’s reactions from it — particularly hits home for me. It's pretty promising, and it makes you feel like you're actually doing something bigger than you. 

Nik Kroushl: This is the first time that I've had queer coworkers in my own department. I've been lucky that I've been in education, places where generally people are supportive. I had a coworker who got married last fall, and we had a big cross-department meeting, and they shared their wedding photos, and we had a cake for them. I know it meant a lot to that person to have that celebrated because they've been in environments where it wouldn't have been celebrated. To see them be excited about having a supportive environment makes me really happy. 

Sam Lim: In 2017, I was kicked out of my college’s fraternity because I came out and I was in surgery. After graduation, I went to teach in the South, and I was harassed. I was told I wasn’t fit to be a teacher because I was queer. Then I went to become the head of an LGBT Center at a university in the northeast. I thought I was safe, but I was still harassed and discriminated against by my colleagues. This is the first job where I can be out and use the word transgender. My coworkers respect me, and I have the benefits I need. That has changed my quality of life so much. I understand the weight that these situations hold for our students who have experienced coming out in college. This board is helping to show future professionals that they can be supported in a professional environment.  

Sarah Punderson: Personally, since I’ve been at Penn, my wife has carried our two children and we’ve grown into a family of four. It’s no small thing to simply be able to share that joy with my coworkers. They threw me a baby shower, which was unexpected. I want to help LEAP lean into improving Penn’s reputation as a great place to work for the queer community for a number of reasons.  

Emily Delany: For me, it's been rooted in visibility. At Penn Engineering, we have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office. I think having an employer that creates spaces of visibility and supports them, whether that's monetarily, publicizing events, or giving access to space. And I hope LEAP continues to be a part of building out those spaces. 

A sincere "thank you" to LEAP for participating in this interview with University Life. Click below to learn more about LEAP @ Penn.

LEAP @ Penn

A new documentary produced by the Annenberg Public Policy Center explores the history of the holiday and illustrates how and why freedom and citizenship were intertwined. The film features Berry and Roosevelt, among others.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 that enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Texan Opal Lee fought for decades to get Juneteenth recognized nationally, and her efforts were rewarded in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed a bill making June 19 a federal holiday.

Annenberg Classroom, part of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC), has released a documentary “Juneteenth: Exploring Freedom’s Stories” that surveys the history of the holiday and illustrates how and why freedom and citizenship were intertwined. The film features Lee, Mary Frances Berry, a professor of history and Africana studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, Kermit Roosevelt, a professor at Penn Carey Law, and others discussing the recently-designated holiday, and how it is connected to freedom. They have hosted several events where the public can view the film and participate in a discussion.

Read the article on Penn Today

On a mild spring night at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Haydr Dutta, C’26, was backstage preparing to introduce ALOK, an internationally acclaimed author, poet, comedian, and public speaker whose work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition.

On stage, Haydr’s confident demeanor matched their heartfelt introduction. ALOK, in pink earrings, glittering eyeliner, and a vintage dress that stopped short of their hairy calves, did not disappoint.

ALOK, a gender non-conforming South Asian performance artist, is the inaugural Endowed LGBTQ+ Scholar-in-Residence, a residency made possible by an anonymous $2 million gift to Penn’s LGBT Center. Many Penn students were first introduced to ALOK on Instagram, where they regularly share thought-provoking posts and colorful couture outfits with their 1.2 million followers. During their four-day residency, ALOK presided over graduate classes, led workshops, gave the comedy and poetry performance, and shared meals with students. Throughout these public and private events, discussions ranged from trans identity and trauma to radical love, belonging, and the human condition.

Haydr, a health and societies major who hails from Bangalore, India, has considered ALOK a role model for many years. “In my application essay for Penn, I wrote about how ALOK was my favorite activist,” they said. “It was unbelievable to have the opportunity to introduce them at the comedy and poetry performance.”

Programming that features public figures who identify as trans and non-binary is especially important in 2023. Since the beginning of the year, more than 543 anti-trans bills have been proposed across the U.S., and 70 have already passed. “Right now, trans and non-binary communities are facing extremely harsh political backlash across the country,” says Jake Muscato, Associate Director of Penn’s LGBT Center. “With ALOK’s residency, we showed that trans and non-binary communities matter. Our voices matter. And we will continue to create spaces for trans and non-binary scholars at Penn.”

“It’s about visibility,” says Haydr. “ALOK was the first person I saw who was South Asian, trans, and non-binary. ALOK is so many things: a scholar, activist, poet, radical self-love proponent, pro-body hair. And they’re unapologetically themself.”

By all accounts, the ALOK residency was a success. The audience at the comedy and poetry performance was buzzing in anticipation and excitement. ALOK’s performance that night was at times hilarious and halting, vacillating between a tight stand-up set and performance poetry that left the crowd so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“LGBTQ+ scholars belong in academia,” says Muscato. “LGBTQ+ students need to see themselves reflected in higher education, so they know with complete certainty that they have every right to be here. I know that this residency will encourage more LGBTQ+ folks to pursue academia and engage in important conversations around equity and inclusion.”

Support the LGBTQ+ Scholars-in-Residence Program

For 150 years, Ivy Day has been an annual tradition at Penn, with each graduating class installing at least one new plaque and planting a sprig of ivy. On Saturday, May 13, the class of 2023 added to the 200-plus plaques throughout campus with a stone designed by Marah Sanchez, a Class of 2023 student in the School of Nursing, and remarks from Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma.

“The Ivy Day Award Ceremony is a special celebration that gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of our graduating student leaders,” Kozuma says. “It is also an occasion to create connections. At the ceremony, we have the privilege of meeting family members and loved ones who have supported the students, while the students can connect with alumni who received the same recognition 25 years ago.”

More images are available on Penn’s Flickr site.

The 2023 Ivy Day awardees and presenters, all Class of 2023 unless otherwise noted, are:

Contribution and Athlete Awards:

Ceremony host: Carson Sheumaker

Sol Feinstone Undergraduate Awards
Presenter: Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein
Recipients: Jacqueline Chan and Jasleen Gill (third years); Iris Horng (third year); Emilia Onuonga

Association of Alumnae Fathers’ Trophy
Presenter: Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein
Recipients: McCaleigh Marr, Kayla Padilla 

Class of 1915 Award
Presenter: Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein
Recipient: Piper Bond

Academic Achievement and President’s Prizes:

Penn Student Agencies Award
Presenter: President Liz Magill
Recipient: Isabella Mirro

James Howard Weiss Memorial Award
Presenter: President Liz Magill
Recipient: Emily Tu

President’s Engagement Prizes
Presenter: President Liz Magill
Recipients: Seungwon (Lucy) Lee, Catherine Chang, Kenneth Pham

President’s Innovation Prizes
Presenter: President Liz Magill
Recipients: Tifara Boyce, Gabriela Cano, Gabriella Daltoso, Sophie Ishiwari, Caroline Magro

Student Awards of Merit:

Penn Alumni Student Awards of Merit
Presenter: Penn Alumni President Michael Barrett
Recipients: Ryan Afreen, Joan Dartey, Margaret Gladieux, Rebecca Nadler, William Seklar 

Senior Honor Awards:

R Jean Brownlee Skimmer Hat Award
Presenter: Bethany (Rubin) Henderson
Recipient: Alisa Ghura

Spade Award
Presenter: Jason Judd
Recipient: Derek Nhieu

David R Goddard Loving Cup Award
Presenter: Marti Speranza Wong
Recipient: Annie Vo

Cane Award
Presenter: JP Lespinasse
Recipient: Justin Acheampong 

Gaylord P. Harnwell Flag Award
Presenter: Daina Richie-Troy
Recipient: Maria Jose Rodriguez Velazquez

Bowl Award
Presenter: Tal Golomb 
Recipient: Carson Sheumaker

Althea K Hottel Shield Award
Presenter: Rachel (Ehrlich) Albanese
Recipient: Hunter Korn

Spoon Award
Presenter: Benjamin Dietz
Recipient: Yaaseen Mahomed

The Golden Spring Fling lived up to its name. The University of Pennsylvania celebrated the 50th anniversary of Spring Fling on Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22 at Penn Park. The two-day, milestone event sold more than 4,700 tickets, making it one of the highest attended events in its history.  

The student-led Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC) works tirelessly to put on a multi-day celebration for Penn students every year. Associate Director of Programs Gabe Marenco-Garcia (they/them) oversees the Spring Fling Concerts and Spring Fling Daytime sub-committees that engineer every aspect of the planning and execution of the event.  

Concert planning begins with vetting talent. Executive Liaison Jeffrey Yu and student directors Mia Woodruff, Peyton Singletary, and Tami Owolabi worked around budgets and availability for artists around the show in the early fall. The concert committee’s biggest hurdle is competing with Coachella’s massive lineup every year.  

“As much as we would love to have Beyonce, the budget doesn’t lend itself to that,” Marenco-Garcia said. “There are a lot of factors when it comes to selecting talent. It can either go smoothly, or the process can drone on for a while.” 

Lauv headlined this year’s concert. New York-based rapper Lil Tjay opened the show.  

The planning process involves selecting a theme for Spring Fling and then building the weekend around that concept. Since it was the golden anniversary (50 years) of Spring Fling, liaison Queenie Huang and student leaders Elizabeth Xu, Joyce Davis, and Sheehwa You chose Golden Spring Fling. After that, the organization fit activities, food, and engagements into that theme.  

At the Golden Spring Fling, the Daytime committee offered a 90-foot slide, bungee trampoline with a rock wall, miniature golf, water race trailer, and two different obstacle courses. It welcomed artists that specialize in airbrush tattoos, balloons, caricatures, and face-painting. Nine food vendors, including Federal Donuts, Walking Taco, and El Merkury, were on hand. Giveaways were offered to the first 1,000 Penn students.  

The Spring Fling originated in 1973 as a way of building a community centered around music. Over time, Spring Fling has blossomed into an event that hosts some of the top musical acts in the country. 

Past Spring Flings have comprised of prominent acts such as Tiesto, David Guetta, Chance The Rapper, Gryffin, Louis the Child, Zedd, Kygo, Chloe x Halle, Passion Pit, Janelle Monae, Lupe Fiasco, Rina Sawayama, Wale, Blues Traveler, Flo Rida, Snoop Dogg, Kid Cudi, Akon, Ludacris, Gym Class Heroes, Third Eye Blind, The Roots, The Black-Eyed Peas, Cherub, Hall and Oates, Tinashe, JoJo, and Jerry Seinfeld. Listen to University Life’s Spotify playlist of artists that have played Penn’s Spring Fling. 

“It’s a chance for students to take a break,” Marenco-Garcia said. “We know that that is not always a high priority for Penn students. They want to keep going, going, going…but the weekend of Fling is an opportunity for us to say, ‘we are almost there, we are almost to the finish line.’ It is a chance to kick back a little bit, take your mind off school and try to build a community on campus.” 

Marenco-Garcia said that stress and deterioration of mental health is prevalent during the spring semester’s waning weeks. As a result, students sometimes feel inclined to engage in negative behaviors as a coping mechanism to get through the finish push. Spring Fling is a space where Penn students can disconnect in a meaningful and memorable way with their friends. “To me, that’s really why we have Spring Fling — to make sure that we are building that community.” 

After the months-long effort of putting together the groundwork of a large-scale event, seeing students walk away with the feeling that they had an enjoyable time is the pinnacle of the weekend. Marenco-Garcia measures the program’s success on whether students were able to connect with friends, unwind, and engage with the larger Penn community.  

Marenco-Garcia is always encouraging students on the Concerts and Daytime Committees to “step back and soak it in.”  

“If I were to be selfish, my hope is to see the students in their element and feel there is a sense of unity,” Marenco-Garcia said. “They should walk away feeling that they can take a breather and enjoy themselves. It is important that student leaders realize that their hard work has paid off.” 

Spring Fling has experienced a variety of tinkering and tweaking over the past few years. Previously, Spring Fling had organized daytime performances and food vendors in the Quad with a carnival on College Green. Growing concerns about extracurricular behaviors and wellness forced a move to a one-day event at Penn Park in 2018 and 2019. Low attendance numbers motivated SPEC to shift back to a two-day model with a concert on Friday night and a Saturday daytime event. There was a growing sense that students were exhausted and gearing towards thinking about their exams and assignments by Saturday evening.  

Spring Fling was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and it functioned in a virtual format in 2021, which was very well attended. Beginning with last year’s show that featured Cheat Codes, Flo Milli, and Lil Yachty, there has been a yearning for daytime entertainment and events.  

In Marenco-Garcia's opinion, the first year of hosting both events on the DCC Field of Penn Park was a success.  

One element that drives Spring Fling’s planning is the year-after-year reimagination to ensure 'Fling is an authentic and lively event that speaks to each generation of students. For Gen Z students in attendance, there are always conversations about experience and ambiance. A new addition to Spring Fling was the Concerts and Daytime Planning Committees’ inclusion of elements that enhance the student experience. The concert included seesaws, a glow-in-the-dark park, and other attractions that provided a fun break for students in attendance. By empowering student committees to shape Spring Fling annually, the Penn student body remains the centerpiece of the conversation. 

Next year’s Spring Fling will be held on April 19-20, 2024. It will mark SPEC’s 35th anniversary. 

Listen to Spring Fling's Playlist on Spotify

Ryan Miller, Ed.D., Director of Academic Support in University Life's Weingarten Center for Academic Support & Disability Services, is featured on Pittsburgh's CBS subsidiary, KDKA-TV sharing tips to maximize time management and avoid becoming overwhelmed.

Click Here to Watch Dr. Miller's Interview

Penn is an institution that prides itself on its diverse student body and it's no surprise that many students at Penn celebrate Ramadan. To learn more about this sacred holiday, University Life reached out to Maliha Rhaman in hopes that she would share what it looks like to practice Ramadan as a student on-campus. Maliha was gracious enough to share her experience, including what a particular day might look like for a student during the holiday. 

This year Ramadan starts on the 22nd of March and ends on the evening of April 21st.  

What is Ramadan?  

It is the Arabic name for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is regarded as one of the holiest months for Muslims, and it's characterized by a period of fasting. This is meant to represent one of the five pillars of Islam.  

The 5 Pillars of Ramadan Are: 

1. 1. Faith 
2. 2. Prayer 
3. 3. Charity 
4. 4. Fasting 
5. 5. Pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca 

Where are you from? 

I'm from Atlantic City, New Jersey 

What class are you taking and what are you studying? 

I'm a sophomore studying Health and Societies and minoring in Chemistry and Asian American Studies. I am also on the Pre-Med track 

Do you have any hobbies you would like to share? 

I'm really into K-dramas because since school is so stressful, it's nice to watch something funny, romantic, and simple. I also like to go on walks, especially by the river. 

What is your favorite class you're taking right now? 

Asian American Activism. I like it because it's my first Asian American Studies class, and I'm learning a lot of history that I didn't know about. It's really interesting to learn about Asian Americans in the 1800s and 1900s. Most of us are first-generation American citizens, so it's really interesting to learn about the people that came here 100 years ago and what they went through. We also have guest speakers who are activists. That is really cool and interesting to experience, especially as a Pre-Med student because it's so different from the rest of my classes.  

What class are you most looking forward to? 

Introduction to Asian American History. Since my current class focuses more on activism, I wanted a class that focused on history. It will go more in-depth, and I'm really looking forward to it.  

What is your favorite place to eat around campus? 

I like to go to Kiwi. I don’t eat out often, but I'm always down for a late-night snack!  

When did you first start participating in Ramadan? 

I didn't have to do it until I was 11; however, I started practicing when I was 7. I didn't do it for the full month, but I did it for a couple of weeks because my brother and my parents were doing it. It was a good habit to practice. At that point, it was August, so if I could get through it in one of the hottest months of the year, then I could definitely get through it afterwards. 

How does it make you feel? Do you feel more connected to Allah and to your community by practicing fasting?   

I like the community aspect of it, especially at Penn. Ramadan is considered as a time of reflection, forgiveness, and being kind to others and yourself. Definitely listening to lectures about Islam, listening to or reading the Quran. Breaking fast with family brings me closer to God, and that’s why I'm practicing to begin with. Especially at Penn, because there is this greater sense of community with the MSA and that we have iftars five days a week. It's honestly a little easier being around my Penn community. Growing up I had Muslim friends but they did not practice as much as I did. At Penn, I feel that being around people who practice as much as me or even more has helped me stay on track and continue to be religious.  

How has it been navigating through the rituals of Ramadan and being a student at Penn? 

I think it's harder because when you are in high school — yes, you have to be up at 7 a.m. — but it's not that hard compared to college. At home, my mom would wake me up to eat Suhoor, and now I have to make sure I get as much sleep as possible in order to wake up in time and have a meal before my classes. The meal itself is very different, as my mom would have a slow cooked meal, and here I wake up to eat a granola bar. Taking this in mind, I think sleep has been an issue: not getting enough sleep has made it hard to focus on class and studying for exams has also been difficult. Because of that, I have to study all the time, and I don't have enough time to devote myself to Islam, read the Quran, or pray in congregation. Activities have also been difficult to maintain because they coincide with breaking my fast. Everyone has been very understanding on why I can't be present, but it is a little sad that I have to miss out on that part of my Penn experience, especially big activities like Spring Fling.  

What is Eid Al-Fitr? How are you planning on celebrating it? 

Eid Al-Fitr is the last day of Ramadan where we break our fast. Because I have the privilege of being so close to home, I will go home and spend it with my family. Although there is a community at Penn for me, Eid is about family. Since I recognize I have the privilege of spending it with my family, I try to relish the time I'm home.  

Can you tell me what your day during Ramadan looks like? 

From the vivid red poppy of Turkmenistan to the golden shower tree of Thailand, all 66 Asian and Pacific Island countries are now represented on a vivid mural in the ARCH building lobby. The mural, “Planted in Different Worlds by Chance, But We Bloom Together by Choice,” was planned by the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) and unveiled with student collaboration in an April 13 event.

The base of the painted mural is a woman’s silhouette and a house icon representing PAACH, said Vicky Aquino, associate director and self-taught artist. Aquino came up with the mural’s vision. PAACH, she said, “is a place where everyone can grow and bloom like flowers that have their own colors, scents, and unique beauty.”

Aquino invited students to choose one or more of 66 flower decal stickers and attach them to the mural, adorning the hair and neck of the silhouetted woman with roses, lilies, plumerias, and Tahitian gardenias. 

“The national flower of the Philippines is jasmine, which smells really good,” said Aquino, who chose that as her sticker. “As a Filipino American, that’s my pride. I really want to be inclusive of every single person; the best way is to represent them through the national flowers of Asia and the Pacific Islands. As a community, we should all work toward the same goal of advocating for each other, uplifting one another, and living our lives harmoniously like a field of colorful flowers.”

Anya Arora, a third-year Wharton School student from Singapore studying finance, and Mary Yao, a fourth-year Wharton student from Longmont, Colorado, studying finance and operations, were excited to see a new mural for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) month, celebrated in May, and came to place stickers, they said. 

“There’s a lot of diversity amongst Asians and Asian Americans,” Yao said. “Everyone has really different backgrounds.” Yao meets with the Asian American Pacific Leadership Initiative, a nonprofit that began through PAACH in 2001. While the students in the group explore their leadership styles through multiculturalism, they also “try to unpack a lot of what that what it means to be Asian American,” Yao said.

Grace Edwards, a second-year studying health and societies with a journalistic writing minor, worked with the PAACH team on the mural as their office assistant intern. Edwards, who grew up in Damascus, Maryland, and has since moved to Haverford, Pennsylvania, felt it was important to include everyone, she said.

Edwards identifies as biracial. Her mother is from Vietnam; her father is from Barbados. Sometimes, she says, she felt as if she had to choose. During the pandemic, there was a surge of both anti-Black racism and Asian hate, she said. 

“I was able to come to terms with that and figure out what it means to be Black in America and what it means to be Asian American in America,” Edwards said. “I’m still kind of navigating that. But I’m hoping that I can use my identity to bridge these two cultures.”

The mural also incorporated a QR code that goes to a website where students can list additional AAPI organizations. “If you are part of an AAPI community, please identify that group so that we can come and reach out to you in the fall to collaborate,” said Cindy Au-Kramer, PAACH finance, operations, and program coordinator. “If you are looking to connect and you don’t know what the resources are, whether it’s Penn services, alumni connections, or community partnerships, come to us so that we can connect you.”

This project was supported by the PAACH team and program assistants; Marjan Gartland, director of creative strategy and design at University Life; and Will Atkins, associate vice provost for university life.

Article on Penn Today

Penn announced the pilot of a co-responder program designed to improve mental health response on campus.

As a partnership between the Division of Public Safety, the Office of the Associate Vice Provost for University Life, and Wellness at Penn, the pilot program will feature a mental health clinician accompanying a Penn Police officer in the event of mental health crises during some overnight periods. Prior to the launch of the pilot, mental health counselors conducted a virtual assessment during these crises.

“Right now, a student [would be put] on the phone with a counselor, and the officer would do an on-site assessment in conjunction with the mental health counselor on the phone,” Vice President for the Division of Public Safety Kathleen Shields Anderson said. “And then, together, they talk about what the best next steps and referrals are for that student in that moment of crisis.”

Currently, outside of business hours, mental health professionals are only available over the phone. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Sharon Smith said that it was important to improve the quality of care at all hours, not just during the day.

“We have an ongoing community of care,” Smith said. “And we want to view that community of care through the lens of what goes on at 2 a.m., and what goes on at 2 p.m.”

Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé said that there is a difference between a clinician attending in person rather than over the phone, as has been done historically.

“If you’re having a bad day, talking to someone over the phone versus going out to coffee with someone is very different,” Dubé said. “It’s a lot easier for the conversation to evolve faster in person than over the phone because you communicate both verbally and nonverbally.”

Shields Anderson added that it is beneficial for the clinician themselves to examine cues that are not apparent virtually, enabling them to make a faster and more accurate judgment.

“For someone experiencing a true crisis, it’s helpful for our officers to be in the room and see not just what is being said, but also how the person appears, and what is the state of their house, and their room,” Shields Anderson said. “There are other kinds of contextual clues that you can gather about where the person is mentally from being present.”

The City of Philadelphia launched its co-responder pilot program in the spring of 2021 known as the Crisis Intervention Response Team Program, in which a police officer and mental health professional responded to calls together.

Dubé said that the program, which was introduced at the Board of Trustees meeting in early March, is being piloted with the goal of improving student health and quality of life, similar to previous programs led by DPS and Wellness at Penn.

“The reason why we are piloting this program is in line with what we have done in the past — working on the betterment of our students,” Dubé said.

Dubé, Smith, and Shields Anderson said that the idea for the pilot was independently discussed by the three teams prior to last summer, and the groups came together to coordinate the pilot at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

“Our approach to policing has changed our approach to mental health, our responsiveness to mental health, [and] the stigma surrounding seeking help, all from a societal perspective,” Dubé said. “So we’re seizing that moment because there’s a window for us to innovate and do better.”

Shields Anderson and Dubé said that Penn will hire a flexible amount of mental health professionals to staff the pilot. They said that the hiring process should conclude within the next several weeks, followed by training to familiarize the hirees with the culture at Penn and the expectations of their positions.

A now-expired online job listing stated that the hired workers “will work in concert with other emergency response resources to respond to calls for service, conduct socio-clinical assessments, and make appropriate referrals and handoffs to emergency medical care and/or other University and community support services.”

The leaders of the pilot expressed hope that students will see the pilot as a way Penn continues to look out for their best interests.

“We want [students] to recognize that we have their best interests at heart,” Smith said. “We all have an idea of how we want to support our students, and so students across the board, as diverse as they are, will get something of a similar experience.”

Article on the daily pennsylvanian

The Penn Women’s Center occupies three-quarters of a three-story house tucked off Locust Walk, with a front garden dotted with clumps of hellebores and daffodils during the spring. It has a full kitchen, a barbeque in back, and rooms that can be reserved by anyone on campus, with first preference going to student groups. 

Founded in 1973, the Center works with students, staff, and faculty to promote gender justice and support personal and professional development. It’s a place where advocacy, equality, and wellness come together, says Elisa Foster, the director. It is a warm and caring house, filled with warm and caring people with interests ranging from sustainability to anti-violence to sex positivity, she says.

Although recently appointed director, Foster has worked for the Center for more than six years and has almost 20 years of experience working at the intersection of racial justice and gender equity. This was the first job that felt like home, she says. When her young son visits, he calls it “the work house.” 

“A lot of the things that I’m passionate about are part of the reason why I do this work. I’m a mom. I have a 5-year-old. I have one coming in a few weeks,” Foster says. “When I started working here at the Women’s Center, I was the main person downstairs using our lactation room. So, I got a first-hand experience of what it means to support parents on our campus. And I think that made me an even better advocate for a lot of the folks that we work with and a lot of the people that come to the Center needing support, who are caretakers or who are nursing or are new parents,” she says.

Foster is also a breast cancer survivor. “That’s how I spent COVID, in chemo.” Going through that experience made her even more passionate about reproductive justice and health care for women, she says. 

“When we talk about wellness and balancing our lives and academics and jobs, these are all things that I’ve always felt really passionately about because they’ve always been things I’ve had to balance,” Foster says.

“I think Elisa is one of the primary reasons why the Women’s Center has such a welcoming environment,” says Hannah Goldberg, a musicology and English major from Kansas City, Kansas. Goldberg, who graduated in December, works full-time for the Center supporting student initiatives and heading its wellness and sustainability programs. 

Goldberg describes Foster as a compassionate leader and exceptionally approachable. “Everyone at Penn is running around,” Goldberg says, “but she’s so present with everyone she meets.” 

For three hours on a sunny March afternoon, the Penn Women’s Center ebbs and flows with students looking for a place to study, a group of women discussing Gender Equity Week with flyers and stickers and an Instagram rollout strategy, and some 15 high school students here for a reading group. There are snacks. There are gel rollerball pens. There is loose-leaf tea. But as warm and nurturing as the Center is, it’s also a serious place to discuss serious issues. 

The upstairs hall of the Center serves as an ad hoc museum, with flyers and posters from almost 50 years of history. Founded in 1973 as an anti-violence initiative, violence prevention is still a big piece of the Center’s work.

“We’re a confidential resource,” Foster says. That means that students, staff, or faculty can come to the Women’s Center, talk about what’s bothering them, and get some help. “We do what we call crisis options counseling, which means they come in with whatever their concern is—and that can range from sexual violence to discrimination in the classroom to a conflict they have with their roommate—and we give them we give them all the options and resources that they have here on campus and off campus,” she says.  

The center works closely with Penn Violence Prevention and also hosts a pre-orientation program with Penn Association for Gender Equity. This allows people to come in and learn about violence prevention in a small, safe setting, which can later be shared peer to peer, Foster says. 

Women’s Center staff also serve as mentors, advising student organizations, as well as helping them logistically and financially, says Hitomi Yoshida, the Center’s coordinator. “We encourage students to voice their ideas, so they have more opportunity to practice their activism and engagement on campus.” 

This often means collaborating with the cultural resource centers or with community groups on projects that might advocate against anti-Black violence or facilitate access to menstrual care. The staff supports the issues the students take on and the nature of this work evolves as the national landscape evolves, Foster says. 

Although Foster is the director, she says she leads without pushing. She creates space for everyone to talk and later comes in with suggestions or encouragement. “That collective framework has been built into the Center,” Foster says. “Historically, we’ve always felt that everyone’s voice was really important.”

As it moves toward its 50th anniversary this fall, the Center has become even more gender inclusive. “The name is Women’s Center, but all are welcome,” Yoshida says. “We are a welcoming space to build community around gender justice.”

People of all genders have played a role in anti-violence initiatives like Take Back the Night, Foster says. In partnership with Penn Violence Prevention, the Center advises and mentors the student organization Abuse & Sexual Assault Prevention, which plans and sponsors the annual Take Back the Night rally. 

It is an event where the campus comes together to protest sexual violence and rally to support survivors, which is reflective of the foundation of the Penn Women’s Center, Foster says. “Fifty years after the Women’s Center was created, we’ve made tremendous strides in offering resources to protect our community, but we still have a long way to go to eradicate interpersonal violence and establish and gender equity. This continues to be at the core of our work.”

Article on Penn Today

I recently spoke with Tarah Paul, C’24 about a range of topics such as Black History Month, Penn Athletics, and Makuu: The Black Cultural Center. During our conversation, I often found myself awestruck due to the strength of her words and the thoughtfulness of her ideas. When I asked her about what Black History Month meant to her, she said:

For me, it means celebrating and cultivating. It represents showing appreciation, grace and gratitude because Black History Month is not just one month, it's every month. It's also because living as a black person is history in and of itself…

Her statement is powerful. As a community, we must recognize, celebrate, cultivate, appreciate and show gratitude towards Black culture and the people putting in the work for equality and inclusion. As Tarah said, this should happen not just during Black History Month, but always.

Tarah’s work in support of her community is remarkable. She is co-chair of Umoja, works as Makuu’s Student Coordinator, is a member of The Inspiration A Capella group, and is involved in countless other organizations on campus and within the Philadelphia community. Tarah expressed she loves being involved and doing this type of work because she wants to give others the best possible experience. She wants to be the biggest advocate for others in the same way Makuu has been for her. This is one of the most important sentiments I took from our conversation – the idea of being a supporter for others and what it means to have advocates on your behalf.

Everyone deserves to have someone you can lean on and a chosen family. I've heard from many people, including alumni, graduate students, or people outside of Penn, about how their biggest regret was not finding a place in college where they felt supported or where they felt at home.

Cultural Resource Centers at Penn, such as Makuu and La Casa Latina, give people the space to feel at home and feel part of not just a community of people, but a family too. Penn benefits from this family-like culture and from having people like Tarah who think creatively or seek to make solutions to better the experience of everyone.

For example, Tarah identified a need within her community for free beginner swimming lessons and sought a solution, ultimately bettering the experience for everyone around her. Now, because of Tarah’s initiative, as well as University Life and campus partner support, 40 students have the opportunity to learn how to swim. This is something that, due to lack of accessibility in society, they wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

My goal for people reading this story is knowing the importance of paying attention always, not just at a particular time, to those who make the Penn experience more meaningful for others. We should not only celebrate people but also learn from them and strive to do our part in making the community better. We should do as much as we can to make people feel at home and to feel like they have family, especially in a world that seems so divided. This is the real Penn experience. These everyday moments in which we all come together, as little as they seem, is the real history and one in which I am proud to be a part of.

Highlights from my Conversation with Tarah

Tell me about yourself.

I'm a graphic design major at Penn. I'm currently a junior and originally from Philly. On the side, I love photography, videography, graphic design and small passion projects. I also love baking, especially banana bread. It's become my staple dish.

Tell me more about your involvement with the Inspiration A Capella group. What is your favorite song to perform? Can you sing a snippet for us?

The group is primarily focused on music written or performed by artists from the African Diaspora. Our purpose is to entertain and educate. I joined the group in my freshman year, which was during Covid-19. It was a crazy transition going from online to in-person performance and it helped me appreciate the group, which built my community even more. My favorite songs that we have performed are “Bass Song” by PJ Morton and “Sure Thing” by Miguel.

I've linked both performances below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6si2_Y0mAcAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa73C4oReG4

Penn Campus Recreation Collaboration

I've heard you are working with Penn Campus Recreation. Tell me about the project you are working on?

The project is a collaboration between Penn Campus Recreation alongside Makuu. We are working with Shana Vaid, Aquatics Coordinator, and we've also been working with Erica Hildenbrand, the Director of Campus Outreach, with the aim to create a swimming lesson program for Black students at Penn. The idea started because I noticed that there was a need for free or subsidized swimming lessons for Black students. I don't know how to swim, and I know there are other students like me who also don't know how to swim. I talked to Brian, the Director of Makuu, about how we could offer something that gives students the opportunity to gain water skills. We then talked to Shana and Erica about this idea. Ultimately, we were able to have our first cohort of 40 students who signed up and who are receiving 8 free swimming lessons this Spring.

What inspired you to come up with this project and how did you bring it to life with Penn Campus Recreation? What was that process like?

In terms of process, we had meetings to determine the logistics of the swimming lessons and we also had meetings with different stakeholders like University Life, Penn First Plus, Office of Social Equity and Inclusion, etc. to get their involvement or support to offset costs. Additionally, our first cohort received swimming gear because we wanted to alleviate any other financial burden. That was the process behind the scenes, and we were able to start the program in January.

Do you have any specific information that you would like to share about the pilot program?

We are hoping to have another cohort after Spring break. The first cohort won't be the last cohort, so we will have more to offer and more sign-up opportunities like this for Black students at Penn in the future.

What is your favorite style of swimming if you have one?

I don't have one since I'm still a beginner in swimming; however, I learned how to do a handstand and a flip, and I think that is fun. I like doing silly things in the water because before these lessons I couldn't do that

Makuu and Black History Month

What does Black History Month mean to you?

To me it means celebrating and cultivating. It also means giving appreciation, grace, and showing gratitude. Black History Month is not just one month, it's every month. It's also because living as a black person is history in and of itself. This is a moment to do reflection and gain the attention we already deserve – prominent past or current figures did and are doing amazing work to serve our communities and society. When I say celebrating black history, I mean celebrating the work the people are doing and the work that people have done. When I said cultivating, I mean not just in doing work in the past tense but continuing to do the work and continuing to push for equality and inclusion in all spaces. When I say showing gratitude it's also thanking people and acknowledging the time and effort that people have and are putting in daily – to not be selfish but selfless. That is what comes to mind.

What is Makuu and what is their goal?

Makuu is a Black Cultural Center on Penn’s Campus. It serves as a resource center or a cultural resource center for its students and the Penn community. I know Makuu as my second home and I’ve been able to develop close relationships with the people who interact with Makuu through Brian Pearson, Director of Makuu, Michelle Houston, Associate Director of Makuu, and many others. In Makuu they are your supporters and your advocates. They are able to be a resource to you. Thus, whether it's through classes, hosting events, networking, or through Robeson Cooper Scholar program, which I am also a part of, they can support and to create a second home for its students.

You have a leadership position at Umoja. What is your role within the organization? What work does the organization do for the community?

I am a co-chair of Umoja which is a 7B organization as well as an umbrella organization that oversees 28 black constituent groups including BSL, MAPS, NSBY, and The Inspiration – to name a few. As co-chair we help lead GBM’s, meet with other 7B organizations, and we also work with Makuu and University Life. We also help provide funding to our constituent groups. Some of our recent events have been in collaboration with Makuu to lead open forums during BHM. We are planning on celebrating UMOJA 25th anniversary and making a UMOJA week this fall with a culminating event to celebrate all the work that has been put into this organization.

What events did Makuu organize for Black History Month?

Makuu helped hold a plantain party and we also invited a Black Penn alum to speak. The speaker was Kalyne Coleman, an amazing actress who is doing great work in her field.

Makuu also worked with the Penn Fund and Alumni Relations to invite other Black Penn alumni to come speak in a panel about what it's like after graduating and the importance of giving back to Penn.

Other events include Step Afrika, which was a performance in Irvine that had a really great turnout.

Can you tell me a bit about your vision for the BHM mural?

I worked with Makuu and with University Life to make the mural come to life. The theme behind the mural was to center it around a piece created by Black Penn alumni Abdi Farah called “Cloud of Witnesses”. This is a charcoal drawing of notable Black Penn alumni including John Legend, Julian Able, Sadie Mosell Alexander, among many others. In addition to centering the mural around that specific piece, we wanted it to include images of black joy, black experiences, and black moments to show the full spectrum of what you see as black history. Within that concept, I worked with the art direction for the mural alongside University Life, Umoja constituents, and Monolith – a black student visual arts collective. In collaboration with two Monolith artists, we were able to come up with drafts for the mural until we settled on what you see now.

What has been your favorite Makuu moments?

My favorite Makuu moments are either in the “living room,” which is located at the ground floor of the ARCH, or the many events I share with my friends. It could even be as simple as meeting someone and having a conversation with them. Those spontaneous moments are the ones I like the most. Some specific events that come to mind are Kwanzaa, the Senior Celebration, and Makuu family dinner.

What do you feel you have learned about yourself from your experience in Makuu?

I think what I've learned is how much I want to give back. This is because I have seen the difference it makes to have someone in your corner. I want to help others in the same way that Makuu helps me. This is one of the lessons that I have learned from Makuu. That's why it's so important to me to find ways to be creative and to use the tools that I have in order to make an experience better for others. That's also why I love being co-chair in Umoja and why I'm so involved in many other organizations on campus.

On Being a Leader

What does it mean to be a leader at Penn in the Black community, and could you tell us what you've learned?

I almost don't want to think of myself as a leader because to me it evokes a sense that there is a difference between me and my peers. If anything, I want to think of myself as their biggest supporter, advocate, and cheerleader. I would much rather use those words than describe myself as a leader because these are people that I consider my friends and are also going through the same issues day-to-day. In my role, I want to make sure that their needs are being met, that they feel like their voices are being heard, and that they feel like someone is in the room advocating on their behalf to make the environment or the community better for them.

I've also learned patience. While I always thought of myself as a patient person, I have become even more aware that you can't solve everything in a day. As someone who thinks creatively all the time, I know not everyone works within the same schedule or pace as you do. Thus, you must be patient and consider the long run instead of trying to do a quick dash towards an outcome. I've learned to be okay with the baby steps, with listening, and with becoming more understanding. You must be understanding because people have different experiences and opinions as you do, and even within the same community it's not binary. There's a whole range of experiences. I think, overall, it's about being able to give grace to myself and to others.

Makuu: the Black Cultural Center


Penn Athletics

Now in its 10^th year, this national recognition celebrates vibrant student affairs workplaces like ours – one in which we are committed to work-life balance, inclusive excellence and fostering a sense of belonging. The selection process focuses on workplace diversity, staffing practices and work environment. The research determining selection uses a web-based survey approach to examine categories such as family friendliness, salary and benefits and professional development opportunities.

It is our divisional goal and ethos that when people have a voice in the process, they are much more engaged and committed to the outcome.

Tamara Greenfield King, J.D.
Interim Vice Provost for University Life | Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs
It is our divisional goal and ethos that when people have a voice in the process, they are much more engaged and committed to the outcome.

Tamara Greenfield King, J.D.
Interim Vice Provost for University Life | Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Penn selected by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as one of “The 2023 Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs"

University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research institution with over 22,000 students, and more than half of them are graduate or professional students. The pandemic propelled the university life division to engage in innovative strategic long-term planning. “This planning intentionally involved every staff member in the entire division, allowing for everyone to have a voice during the planning process,” says Tamara Greenfield King, interim vice provost for university life and senior associate vice provost for student affairs. “It is our divisional goal and ethos that when people have a voice in the process, they are much more engaged and committed to the outcome.”

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine Edition


2023: INSTITUTIONAL PROFILES


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ALOK named first Scholar in Residence at Penn’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center

The University of Pennsylvania announced a $2 million commitment to create the first residency, at any university in the United States, dedicated to championing LGBTQ+ communities and scholarship.

The LGBTQ+ Scholar in Residence provides new resources to bring prominent leaders to Penn’s campus. The residency will launch this April with inaugural scholar ALOK, an internationally acclaimed author, poet, comedian, and public speaker, whose work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. ALOK is the author of “Femme in Public” (2017), “Beyond the Gender Binary” (2020), and “Your Wound/My Garden” (2021), and has toured more than 40 countries over the past decade.

“University Life is deeply appreciative for this impactful gift,” said Tamara Greenfield King, Interim Vice Provost for University Life and Senior Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs. “The Scholar in Residence program complements the incredible work of our Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center to make visible the experiences of Penn’s LGBTQ+ community. We are honored to lead the inaugural program, and we are committed to demonstrating, on a national level, how this program can bolster the LGBT Center’s efforts to create inclusive cocurricular experiences for our students.”

read the Full Story at Penn Today

Penn Violence Prevention hosted a consent workshop on Feb. 22, inviting members of the Penn community to strengthen their communication skills around navigating consent. 

The “Pizza & Fries: Conversations About Consent” workshop was held at Hill College House and facilitated by Julie Millisky, associate director at PVP. 

Participants worked in small groups to build a pizza with ingredients that everyone agreed on before moving on to topics like developing boundaries and navigating consent when substances are present.

“Initially, I was expecting a seminar with many people attending, but it was a more intimate space for sharing, and I think that worked out for the better,” Sparsh Maheshwari, a graduate student at the School of Social Policy & Practice, said after attending the event. “My biggest takeaway was that if it's not a confident and enthusiastic yes, it's a no.”

Talia Fiester, College senior and student worker at PVP who also facilitated Wednesday’s workshop, said that the highlight of the night was seeing that students think about consent beyond just the activities that PVP facilitates. 

“We had a really good conversation on the way that all of the students practiced community care amongst their friend groups,” Fiester said. 

Wednesday's workshop was a continuation of consent circles that were conducted during Penn’s New Student Orientation in August.

According to Fiester, consent circles work towards making consent a more accessible and approachable topic for first years while also building a culture of consent on campus. 

PVP created the “Conversations About Consent” workshop in the spring of 2022, according to Millisky. PVP offers the option for the workshop to be requested by Penn student groups, organizations, or departments with two weeks' notice. They also offer another workshop, “Supporting Survivors,” which focuses on how to best support a friend if they experience interpersonal violence. 

Millisky estimates that PVP will give around 10 to 15 “Conversations About Consent” workshops  throughout the academic year. She added that these workshops have proven to be popular and offer a nonjudgmental space where students can ask questions. 

“At the end of the workshop, hopefully, students feel empowered to navigate consent in their own lives,” Millisky said.

During April, PVP is organizing the clothesline project for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which will give survivors a chance to share their stories anonymously by writing on T-shirts that will be displayed on College Green, Millisky told The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Article on The Daily Pennsylvanian

The University of Pennsylvania has named Hikaru “Karu” Kozuma as Vice Provost for University Life, beginning May 1, 2023. Kozuma is currently executive director of College Houses and Academic Services and served previously at Penn as Associate Vice Provost for University Life and executive director of the Office of Student Affairs.

“Karu Kozuma is a highly experienced national leader in university life,” said Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein, who made the announcement. “He is well known across our Penn community for his empathy, wisdom, and collaborative skill. He is deeply committed to the engagement and well-being of our students, both graduate and undergraduate, as his own experience encompasses every size and aspect of student life, including his own experience as a graduate student at [Penn] GSE.”

“I, along with incoming Provost John Jackson, am deeply grateful to the consultative committee and to the members of our community who participated in the search process for this vital position—as well as to Tamara Greenfield King for her invaluable ongoing service as Interim Vice Provost for University Life. We are confident that Karu will be an outstanding partner to all of us in leading our university life initiatives in the years ahead.”

Kozuma—who received the highly distinguished Pillar of the Profession Award last year from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators—has served at Penn as executive director of College Houses and Academic Services since 2021 and as Associate Vice Provost for University Life and executive director of the Office of Student Affairs from 2010-2018. From 2018-2021, he was chief student affairs officer at Amherst College, overseeing all aspects of student affairs, including residential life, student activities, and academic advising. Before coming to Penn in 2010, he was director of residential programs at Columbia University and spent three years in residential life at Middlebury College. He received an Ed.D. in higher education from the Penn Graduate School of Education in 2015, an M.Ed. in higher education administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2002, and a BA from Middlebury College in 1998.

A national search for a new executive director of College Houses and Academic Services will begin immediately, with more details to be announced soon.

Article on Penn Today

Ornate stone panels decorate the exterior of the late-Gothic Revival building known as The Arts, Research, and Culture House (ARCH) on Locust Walk. Inside, students recharge among the ARCH’s stone fireplaces and dark wood paneling. The building is home to three of Penn’s six cultural resource groups: La Casa Latina, Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, and the Pan-Asian American Community House.

These groups are supported by Will Atkins, Associate Vice Provost for University Life who focuses on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Atkins works daily with support staff to learn how to create more opportunities for Penn students to connect with their own communities. He also engages with student organizations in the DEIB space. “So much of the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging work that takes place across campus happens at the ARCH, along with the other cultural resource centers housed at the Greenfield Intercultural Center, the LGBT Center, and the Penn Women’s Center,” says Atkins. “In these spaces, students find community, make connections, and discover more about themselves.”

At Makuu, Brian Peterson is the Center’s director and so much more. He is a manager, role model, connector, and creative collaborator. He was also a powerful advocate for a new mural which is currently installed on the first floor of the building.

The mural, which is up on a temporary basis, is nearly 50 feet long, wrapped on two walls on ARCH’s southeast corner, and features several Black Penn alumni who made notable historic contributions to society. The original sketch of notable Black figures, “Cloud of Witnesses,” was created by Abdi Farah, a 2009 College of Arts and Sciences graduate, a decorated visual artist, and beloved former Makuu community member.

“We’re in Philadelphia, a city that symbolizes freedom, but we have connections to enslaved people and a difficult history,” says Peterson. “All of that is represented so well in ‘Cloud of Witnesses.’ The mural is uplifting, but it’s also a reminder of the stories that we still need to tell.”

“Many of the people I drew, like Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, the first Black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania, or John Baxter Taylor, the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal, moved through unimaginable resistance not only aware, but rather, empowered knowing they were forerunners of this transtemporal community,” says Farah. “I hope the accomplished Black alumni in this mural inspire the Penn community for generations to come.”

For Peterson, the mural is daily motivation for the unwritten side of his job, like doling out advice and providing a big picture perspective. “I’m centered on student wellness, so helping them succeed is one of the reasons I love being on campus,” he says.

One of these students is Tarah Paul, a third-year graphic design major in the College who considers Makuu a second home. Paul was involved in the creation of the mural, lending her graphic design skills and overall creative direction to the project. Other key collaborators were Monolith, the student group that works to showcase and uplift Black visual art, and staff members from Makuu and University Life, including Marjan Gartland, director of creative strategy and design. “The people in this mural were mountain climbers in a sense, which is why we used design elements to visually represent mountains and clouds,” says Paul. “I’m looking at this mural with a sense of guilt because I don’t recognize some of the names. It makes me wonder what other names I don’t know.”

Peterson created the key that provides information about each figure pictured in the mural. “[The mural] celebrates Black history, and every day at Makuu my job is to elevate our Black students,” says Peterson. “We want to share their stories, showcase their excellence in academics, the arts, social impact, and athletics. Our students are shining stars, but we also want to acknowledge the struggle, the culture, and the lifestyle of Black students at Penn.”

Full Article at Penn Today

The Life at Penn Staff Edition highlights our incredible team of advisors and educators, dynamic community builders, crisis managers, and partners dedicated to providing an engaging student experience here at Penn.

Get To Know Our Team

Congratulations on your promotion to Director of Penn Women’s Center. What does it mean to be the new Director of Penn Women’s Center (PWC)? 

It means so much. I've been working at the Women's Center for almost six years. With the relationships that I've developed with students and colleagues, it means a lot that I can lead Penn Women’s Center into the future as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. I want to take the relationships and important memories that I've made during the last six years and amplify them to the next level. 

Tell me a little bit about your background and how you got to Penn. 

I started out working in the nonprofit industry doing grant writing and strategic planning for organizations in Philly. I was a consultant working with a few organizations locally. Then I moved into market research, which was an interesting move, but it all kind of tied together because a lot of the clients I was working with were nonprofits and educational institutions. At the time, I was also working on my master's degree in communication studying media representation of women and black communities Nonprofit consulting piqued my interest in higher education because I was working with a lot of universities on how to best meet the needs of their constituents, which has always been a focus of my work.  I was doing projects for schools like Penn State and Lutheran Theological Seminary, thinking about how best to meet the needs of their students and their faculty.  As I was contemplating my next career move, I ended up finding a position at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. 

What role did you have at Robert Morris? 

Robert Morris was starting a Women's Leadership and Mentoring Program, and I was the program manager. It began with me and the faculty director, starting this program from scratch. It was an important initiative for the University because, unlike most colleges, Robert Morris has fewer women students than male students. 

It is because Robert Morris was traditionally a business school, right? 

Exactly. They created this great mentoring and leadership program to encourage more women applicants and to create supportive connections among women students, faculty, and alumni. I worked there for three years, and then Philly pulled me back.  In 2017, I saw the opening for an Associate Director position at Penn Women's Center and said, ‘Oh, that's perfect,’ because it marries my work supporting women and addressing issues around gender equity. The role at PWC positioned me to do the work on a broader scale, reaching areas of campus and the community that I did not have access to at Robert Morris. I love that PWC is a confidential resource; offering that kind of support to people in our community is important. 

As one of the oldest women's centers in the country, what does it mean, for both Penn and PWC, to celebrate the 50th anniversary?

It's interesting because of this moment in time where women and people who identify as gender minorities have made leaps and bounds of progress. People are intentionally making more inclusive spaces. Women are excelling in areas where they were previously underrepresented. But, at the same time, we're still dealing with a lot of the issues that were present 50 years ago. For example, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, which we should have been acknowledging the 50th anniversary of this year, is something that I think a lot about. We thought we were further ahead with issues around reproductive justice. It feels like we are taken right back to 1973. It's been interesting to reflect on how far we've come but how much more work we must do. 

What is the history of the PWC? Who founded it? Why was it established back in 1973? 

The Penn Women's Center was a result of student, faculty, and staff activism right here at Penn. There were a series of sexual assaults happening on campus. Women didn't feel safe where they were receiving their education, where they were teaching, where they were working. In the Spring of ‘73, there was a sit-in at the President's Office, and they had a list of demands. One of those demands was a Women's Center that can offer resources to students. One of the other demands was a Women's Studies Program, which is now the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies program. Another demand that has had a lasting impact was the creation of the Department of Special Services, housed in the Division of Public Safety. Penn Women's Center started out as an administrator in an office, and we've grown. In 1996, we moved into the house here on Locust Walk. Since then, we've been able to add to expand the resources and provide   support to student groups.  

Can you reflect on how PWC’s role on campus has changed over the past 50 years? 

A big part of what we have done in the last few decades has centered on gender equity, and inclusion of all gender identities. We want to make sure that, regardless of who you are, you know that you come into the Women's Center and receive care and support. That's one thing that's been really important! Especially including and uplifting our trans and nonbinary communities. We also continually work to bring in communities of color, who historically have felt isolated from women's movements throughout history to make sure that everyone has a place here, and they can receive support. We're called the Women's Center, and that has always been central to the empowerment and upliftment of women. But we also want to make sure that Gender Equity is at the foundation of what we do, and that our approach is intersectional. 

What are some of the traditional programs and services that you provide at PWC? 

One thing that has been consistent is that PWC is a confidential resource for students, staff, and faculty. Most often, that applies to people who experienced sexual violence and/or who experienced gender-based discrimination. But it also expands to a myriad of interpersonal situations: advising around conflicts with friends and classmates; dealing with health issues; trying to figure out where to go, what their next step is, what resources are on campus — we call it Options Counseling. We don’t provide counseling in the traditional therapeutic sense. We're here to listen, validate an experience, answer questions, and then lay out the options that exist on- and off-campus to address whatever challenge or concern one may have. We've always worked with student groups and student organizations. We've worked with many groups throughout the years who need advising support, or just need mentorship or a home base on campus. We've been involved in a lot of the conversations around representation on Locust Walk and making sure that students of marginalized identities have a space to feel safe in the middle of campus. PWC is very privileged and fortunate to have this house, right in the middle of everything, but I know everyone doesn't have that. We offer space to communities and student groups to support their needs, advocate for issues they feel are important, and open our doors to anyone who needs a safe space on campus – whether it’s to talk to a staff member in a confidential setting, attend a wellness program, or nap on the living room couch in between classes. 

What has been planned for PWC’s 50th anniversary celebration? 

We're still in the early stages of planning. First, we are going into our archives and updating the records because during the 40th anniversary, we did an archive display and we now have another decade of programs and accomplishments to add. We're working with University Life’s Strategic Planning & Operations team to digitize PWC’s archival records. We've been working with our student team to get everything organized. The archive project will be important because it will highlight the timeline of Penn Women's Center’s origins, beginning with photos and Daily Pennsylvanian articles.  It will also highlight everything that's happened and evolved over the past 50 years. For the 40th anniversary, we also started a video project called the Voices of Change. We'll be doing some more of that oral history work to make sure the voices of PWC’s community are captured. We will kick off the celebrations with a program during Homecoming this fall. We will also co-sponsor a symposium organized by Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies in Spring ‘24 to celebrate both of our 50th anniversaries. 

That sounds so exciting. As you enter the Directorship, what are some of the challenges that PWC faces? What are some of the expectations that you have moving forward? 

 A lot of universities are contemplating the same questions as they imagine the future of their women’s centers. Some centers have changed their names, transitioned into centers for gender equity, and some have combined with their institution’s LGBTQ+ center. As director, I want to determine what the next best step is for PWC at Penn. I want to listen to and engage with our community and figure out what that means. I look forward to doing a listening tour and focus groups, having conversations with our students, alumni, staff, and faculty. We want to make sure we're acknowledging the experience of people who have been coming to the center for many decades, but we also must ensure that we’re meeting the current needs of our students and figuring out what that balance looks like for a Women’s Center at this particular point in time. I'm excited to embark on this journey but it’s a very difficult question and challenge to solve. That’s what I am most excited for. On top of that, I am excited to continue building our collaborations with students and many campus partners like Penn Association for Gender Equity, Wellness, Penn Violence Prevention and our fellow Cultural Resource Centers.  

Sophia Parker looked at the array of photos of Black women in front of her, thinking carefully. The 16-year-old from North Philly picked up one of a middle-aged woman dressed to impress, and another of a younger woman with her family. Parker then told the other girls participating in the Black Girl Literacies Project last fall why she was drawn to those images, she recalled.

“When I get older, I want to see myself being a classy woman with my pearls and just being happy with life, knowing that I succeeded in some type of way,” she said. “One day, I would like to have a family and see [them] grow and be successful.”

The other girls did the same that day, using the photos to talk about how they saw themselves and what they wanted out of life. It was a different kind of practice than Parker had ever heard of, but over the course of several weeks in the program, she came to understand herself better.

“It gave me a new outlook on ways to love myself,” she said.

“Black girlhood really focuses on celebrating the humanity of folks in ways that schools don’t often honor.”

The Black Girl Literacies Project is a free program for Black girls in Philadelphia, where participants explore different ways of loving themselves. Registration is open for the project’s Spring cohort, which begins on Feb. 15 and meets every other week. The program is for Black Philadelphia girls ages 14 to 18, and meets at the Penn Women’s Center, but also holds additional sessions at places such as the Colored Girls Museum in Germantown.

Barrett Rosser, the creator of BGLP, is a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania after previously working as a Philadelphia school teacher for over 10 years. She started the project in 2020 as part of her doctoral dissertation. “[Black girls] sit at the intersection of racial and gender [oppression],” she said, explaining why it is essential for Black girls and women to practice self-love.

Full Article at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Two months into her tenure, newly appointed Penn Violence Prevention Director Elise Scioscia spoke to The Daily Pennsylvanian about her goals.

Scioscia, who began her tenure on Dec. 7, was selected for the position after a nearly year-long nationwide search prompted by the departure of former Director Malik Washington in January 2022. PVP serves as Penn’s primary resource for students experiencing interpersonal violence, including sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. 

Prior to coming to Penn, Scioscia served for 11 years at Women Against Abuse, Pennsylvania’s largest provider of services for people experiencing domestic violence, where she undertook extensive responsibilities from organizational strategic planning, operational management, public policy to prevention education work.

Scioscia told the DP that her major goal at PVP is to leverage the abundant resources available at Penn to “deepen the work in primary prevention and starting and stopping violence before it happens altogether.”

Full Article at The Daily Pennsylvanian

Filmed at the annual National Association of Colleges & Employers (National Association of Colleges & Employers) conference, Michael DeAngelis, Senior Digital Resources Manager & Co-Host of CS Radio, shares Career Services' philosophy of Career Everywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM-0-JscFS4

During the Fall '22 semester, I met up with Chris Raboy, formerly the Marketing Director for Penn Student Agencies (PSA) and now currently serving as the  Chief Executive Officer. Apart from the funny bits about juicy tomato costumes and the debate over which cafe is best, our conversation was enlightening. I’m glad I was able to talk to him about, among other things, his time at PSA, a very interesting organization here at Penn that allows students to create and run their own businesses.  

As a nursing student, Chris has no background in marketing, networking, or website building. So how did he become the Marketing Director for PSA and eventually, the Chief Executive Officer? Chris applied for the Executive Director position of First Services, sadly he did not get the job. But luckily his supervisors saw something in him. They saw that he was passionate about the job and offered him the Marketing Director position for Penn Student Agencies during. This meant he had to learn how to market these businesses, how to build websites, and how to network. How did he manage this? Email. Chris asked for help, he emailed everyone he could, asked 100 questions, he experimented, and saw first-hand what worked and what didn't. By persevering Chris was not only able to do his job efficiently, he also learned a lot of skills he uses for his personal and professional goals. Additionally he was able to find mentors that would be instrumental in not only guiding him but PSA as a whole. Similarly, that perseverance allowed Chris to promote his own passions. Currently he has his own website and social media platforms in which he promotes fitness and wellness. As for PSA, he is currently working along with the team to establish continuity within the organization and develop new businesses.  

Chris is one of those people who you look up to, partly because he actually goes to the gym and can maintain that routine, but also because he is proof that one can achieve anything. The only condition is that one must not be afraid to try, to fail and to ask for help. As I’m writing this I am reminded of this popular phrase that says “El que tenga miedo a morir que no nazca”. It translates to “whoever is afraid of dying, don't start living”. It's mostly satirical, but there is a message behind it, if you're afraid of failure you will never succeed. That's why I implore anyone to take a page from Chris’ book. Try, send a thousand emails, and ask a million questions. Learn from your failures instead of letting them define you, and most importantly never give in to self-doubt.  

Introduce yourself:

My name is Chris Raboy. I'm a sophomore in the School of Nursing studying nursing and nutrition. I am currently working at Penn Student Agencies as the Chief Executive Officer, previously the Marketing Director, and I recently began working as a fellow at Venture Labs at a startup.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy working out, and I am very interested in preventative medicine through nutrition and exercise. Additionally, I enjoy movies, specifically psychological thrillers, as well as dancing, going out with friends, and having a good time.

What's your favorite psychological thriller?

My favorites are usually those movies with a crazy last-minute twist like Shutter Island. Anything IMDB 7 or higher is usually pretty good.

I saw that you have a website, why did you choose to make one and what would you want other people to know about it?

Making a website actually came from my experience at PSA. PSA’s department recently transitioned everything to WordPress which meant that everything in regards to the websites had to be redesigned. My administrator at the time Kelly Hartman asked me to take a look and see what I could do with it. I started looking at it and realized that I was unfamiliar with a lot of things so I decided to educate myself. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked a lot of questions. I would try, mess up, and ask questions. It's funny because I’m known as the guy who sends a lot of emails and asks 100 questions, but I think that's the best way to learn. That process of trial and error taught me that website building is not as hard as I thought it would be. From that experience, I thought why don't I build my own website. I used everything I learned from PSA, kept asking questions, and over the summer I created my own website. That helped me build a skill set  that I could use not only for my website but for other things that could contribute to PSA.

What's your favorite video you've made on your social media?

My favorite video was when I challenged myself to do a 1,000 squats. Sometimes I feel like things get too monotonous so I try to switch it up. The challenges seem like a good idea at first but very quickly you realize that it's not as easy as you thought. However, no matter how hard it is, I always force myself to see it through.

What's your favorite workout? Any tips?

My favorite exercise is squats. It's such a functional exercise, a lot of people run and do a lot of leg exercises, but simple squats can make you very strong.

Finally, what was your Halloween costume this year?

This year I dressed as a juicy tomato. I ordered it on Amazon and it was great.

Penn Student Agencies

What are Penn Student Agencies? What do they do? What is their mission

Penn Student Agencies is a collection of student-run businesses on campus at the University of Pennsylvania. There were originally 10 businesses. Due to the pandemic we had to shut down, not entirely in terms of the businesses, but the university as a whole. As of recently, we have been absorbing some businesses together to centralize some processes and help establish continuity between each of the businesses. We are focusing on establishing continuity because some of the processes have been lost since a lot of people graduated and we want the processes to stay in place even if people graduate. Our mission is to teach transferable skills and business management to Penn students by providing hands-on entrepreneurial opportunities to make them competitive in the workplace environment. People who graduate from Penn that have worked in PSA get a jump start into business in the US or internationally. PSA is also good because we have a wide range of opportunities from retail, hospitality, and creative design.

Outside of on campus, we are also part of the Student Run Business Association which is an intercollegiate organization that hosts conferences to discuss different operations and provide networking opportunities for students.

Very recently you were promoted to Chief Executive Officer of PSA. Congratulations! Can you share what this promotion means to you and what your vision for PSA is headed into the Spring ’23?

As a Nursing and Nutrition student, PSA has proved to be a vital resource not only for my continued professional development but for my academic studies as well. I have not had any exposure to business prior to working as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). My time spent working over the summer and into the school year as CMO made me increasingly passionate about the program and providing students with entrepreneurial opportunities outside the classroom. I wanted to be an integral part of PSA’s future growth and development.

The promotion to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) allows me to be at the forefront of furthering PSA’s mission, vision, and growth while also increasing my knowledge to gain a comprehensive view of business and employee management skills.

As PSA heads into Spring 23’ I envision the expansion of our organization’s presence on/off campus for students, the local community, and alumni; the development of a community with on and off-campus networks ranging from clubs, departments, local businesses, and Student-Run Business Organizations; and a restoration of continuity that PSA has had in the past through an all-new management board training program.

Tell us about your role as Marketing Director before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer.

I served as the Marketing Director prior to starting my new role. I actually applied for the Executive Director of First Services position but I did not get the job. Instead, they offered me the Marketing Director position in the Spring '22 position since they liked some of my ideas and saw that I was passionate about the job.

As the Marketing Director, I was responsible for the entire marketing portfolio for PSA businesses. This means that I work in the marketing of each individual business, whether that means recruiting, inter-departmental relations, newsletters, events, list serves, I try to get PSA involved.

How would you describe your experience running the marketing for these businesses?

Very exciting. Over the summer with everything, with learning how to build the website, branding, meeting with people to talk about future plans for PSA, I learned a lot. I learned the psychology behind marketing, how to catch people's attention, and also how to market yourself. By doing this I’ve been able to get PSA out there.

What is your favorite part of working at PSA?

The people and the experience. My administrators and my program manager are amazing. I'm very grateful that they took a chance on me and for their unbelievable support. They helped me navigate this job and stay motivated to keep making PSA better. As for the experience, it's unmatched. I've learnt so much, marketing, communication skills, website building and so many other things. 

What have you learned from this experience?

Time management. I'm taking 5.5 credits so scheduling is very important in order to keep up with classes and my job. I feel like it makes me more efficient because if I know that's the only time I have available to get a particular thing done, I can focus solely on that task. Additionally, scheduling blocks of time for certain things helps me get organized and find more time to work, find fellowships and in general pursue more things.

Do you have a favorite business? If so, let's put your marketing to the test! In one minute, promote your favorite business. Tell Penn students why they should go to that business.

Williams Cafe: coffee, bagels, pastries. Best prices on campus, located in the language building 2nd floor. At Williams Cafe you may hear Penn Records who occasionally play on Fridays, and you can get a nice warm espresso.

Penn Student Agencies thrived on continuity as one of the oldest student organizations at the University of Pennsylvania. Each graduating class passed the baton to the next generation of entrepreneurs, creatives, and business-minded students.  

When the pandemic shuttered most of its student-run organizations into a virtual state, it disrupted the clockwork transfer of skills that kept PSA in business for 89 years. The handed-down experience of running a business and knowing the ins-and-outs from a financial, operational, and community perspective was all but lost. Without the training from students with experience, current PSA students missed the baton and were left putting puzzle pieces together from scratch. 

The expertise was retained by PSA alumni. Naturally, the first place they looked to revive the organization was with one of its own.  

Michael Paul Warren ‘20/‘21 took over as the Program Manager at Penn Student Agencies in September ‘22. The former PSA Executive Vice President of Operations 2018-2020, now titled PSA Chief Operating Officer, looks to reinvigorate PSA back to its pre-pandemic state and reimagine the organization to better meet the needs of Penn students.  

“The pandemic showed us the importance of resilience, both for organizations and individual student leaders. That resilience is what made Penn Student Agencies what they are now. We have a foundation to continue building from the pandemic.”  

At its heart, PSA is student-run. It is comprised of four organizational clusters: central corporate, creative services, dining and hospitality, and retail and delivery divisions. Within that, there are currently seven PSA enterprises, consisting of firstServices, Penn Student Design, Penn Lens, Special Deliveries, Penn Closet, Williams Café, and Benny’s Diner. It aims to teach transferable business skills to Penn students through hands-on experience outside of the classroom.  

As a student, Michael oversaw many of PSA’s human resource functions, organizational effectiveness, and the compliance policies and procedures of the businesses. He and fellow PSA director Jazzy Ortega ‘20 created a proposal to start a quick-service, all-day breakfast restaurant that became Benny’s Diner in Houston Hall.  

PSA changed the course of Warren’s career ambitions. He entered Penn as a pre-med student. When he joined PSA, he gained an appreciation for interpersonal relationships. He wanted to learn the dynamics of people working collectively in groups. The experience led him to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Law in Society from the College of Arts and Sciences.  

“I really loved understanding process design and process optimization — how different policies, laws, and structures are set up based on how humans interact with each other. PSA led me down a career path more on the operations and instructional design side of things. In business, I’ve always enjoyed the ambiguity that came with the startup environment and entrepreneurship.”   

A PSA Homecoming

Warren graduated from Penn shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic started. He moved to New York City to work in client services serving private equity firms, but quickly shifted back to the entrepreneurial space. Michael helped lead the build out of the global logistics team at a unicorn e-commerce startup based in New York that specialized in consumer goods. Launching in February 2022, he was one of the original team members, and oversaw global inventory movements and relationships on the end-to-end supply chain.  

Michael maintained his involvement to PSA as an advisor. He was appointed as co-president of the Student-Run Business Association in 2022 after serving as a Vice President and on the Board of Directors since 2019. He continued to cultivate different relationships at universities throughout the country.  

Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, Penn student Chris Raboy ‘25 was looking for advice on how PSA operated outside of a COVID context. Upon researching pre-pandemic PSA documents and websites, Raboy reached out to several alumni hoping to discover historical information that would improve his ability to reignite the program post-pandemic. He messaged Warren via LinkedIn, and the two stayed in touch after Raboy took over as the Chief Marketing Officer. When the full-time Program Manager position became available, Raboy immediately thought of Michael. The ideal candidate was someone familiar with PSA, who could create continuity, guide PSA post-pandemic, and help grow the program in an increasingly digital world.  

“From our first meeting, I was awed by what I was seeing: structure and efficiency,” said Raboy, who is PSA’s Chief Executive Officer for 2023-24. “I realized that I had to change the ways I was organizing materials, communicating, and the importance of the first impressions. He gave insight into a ton of the strategies I ended up utilizing throughout the summer.” 

Warren's interests in operations and organizational dynamics enable him to expand upon a network of institutions and nonprofits that run similar programs. For example, the business proposal for Benny’s Diner was inspired by student-run food service ventures presented at the 2019 Student-Run Business Association conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  

“I'm bringing the knowledge of what it was like operating in a pre-pandemic world, the challenges that we faced when I was a student and the challenges that the students before me had encountered. I can share that knowledge and bridge the connections between young alumni and the current students.” 

The biggest hurdle for PSA students is navigating the people element of business and entrepreneurism. A lot of businesses that were “heavy on in-person interaction had to alter those interactions to be able to operate virtually or digitally.” As organizations become more focused on e-commerce, the student-run businesses need to understand how to keep their staff engaged and ensure positions are appropriately filled. 

PSA’s focus for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond is setting up that continuity between leadership, turnover, and new students joining the organization. Warren looks to recreate the consistency that allowed PSA to thrive and replicate a consistent experience on a yearly basis, allowing Penn students to build off what individuals accomplished before them.  

From our first meeting, I was awed by what I was seeing: structure and efficiency. I realized that I had to change the ways I was organizing materials, communicating, and the importance of the first impressions.

Building A Bridge With Alumni

Warren has noticed a renewed interest in PSA alumni. He said that there is an extensive number of Penn graduates from multiple generations that want PSA to succeed and bounce back from the pandemic. One of Warren’s biggest pushes is to establish an alumni network. There is an “untapped potential” of interested and influential grads that can serve as a significant resource for PSA students. 

Because PSA is not tied to any undergraduate or graduate school, one of the advantages that it offers is a wide array of perspectives. Warren said that its leadership and general body consists of a substantial cross-section of different academic disciplines.  

“It’s a great opportunity for students to showcase their mindset and how they approach thinking. A nursing student isn’t going to approach the problem the same way a Wharton or an engineering student would. Putting them together on the same team and having them brainstorm and navigate the ambiguity that is the startup environment allows them to come up with these creative and interesting solutions to problems.” 

A large part of learning for the students in PSA is supported through the introduction of frameworks that help distill large complex problems into more manageable concepts. 

“For many students this is the first time they are taking on considerable responsibility and decision making. Understanding the impact of those decisions can be difficult with limited experience – which brings us to a framework I use with the students – FORTS.  

“FORTS stands for financial impact, operational impact, reputational impact, team impact, and strategic impact. This framework helps student leaders understand what the implications of their decisions may or will have on various aspects of their business and help create a figurative mental fort around their decision making.” 

Heading into its 90th anniversary, PSA has always been financially self-sufficient, the money that they make goes back into the programs and students. First known as Self-Supporting Students, PSA began in 1933 as part of the New Deal’s National Youth Administration, an early model of what is now the Federal Work-Study Program. It started as three student-run businesses: Dorm Laundry Agency, Parking Squad, and Trunk Moving Squad. Under the name of Associated Student Agencies, it grew to more than 10 businesses in the 1950s, including Coat Checking at the Palestra, Railway Express, and a birthday cake shop. PSA students worked at Pennsylvania’s central control point to call in vote tallies during the 1964 presidential election. Adopting its current name in 1975, the organization has since adopted several ventures to its portfolio including apparel manufacturing, tourism guide publications, newspapers, and a bartending school.  

There have been a few success stories, such as Penn Closet, that have prevailed with continued interest in the student body after the organization’s founders graduated. Some alumni have gone out and become entrepreneurs on their own by starting competing businesses. It has created unique experiences for students to compete with one of their former colleagues.  

Its alumni have each gone off to their own different paths, whether it is med school, law school, or serial entrepreneurism. Warren said, “the nice thing about PSA is that you have students who join for different reasons and get different values from it." 

As a professional and an alumnus, Warren views his role as a coach and a mentor. Sticking to the organization’s for-students mantra, he offers students the freedom to conduct day-to-day operations, think through business decisions, and determine whether they made the correct choices. 

“PSA fosters that environment where you have the support, you have the resources, and it’s up to the students to decide how they use them. Providing them direction, giving them experience, allowing them to manage teams before even going out in the corporate world gives them a lot of different exposure and experience that they wouldn’t have had if they were simply taking a class.” 

Historically each graduating class in PSA is between 30-50 students each year. Currently, PSA retains a database of 600-plus alumni ranging from the class of 2022 all the way back to some as early as 1955. PSA is looking to grow this network! 

Jessica Ryan, Director for Leadership Community in the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life at the University of Pennsylvania was awarded the Shelley Sutherland Outstanding Volunteer Award at the '22 Association of Fraternity / Sorority Advisors Annual Conference.

The Shelley Sutherland Outstanding Volunteer Award was established in 2003 and re-named for Shelley Sutherland upon her retirement in 2011. The purpose is to annually recognize outstanding volunteer service by an association member in an official AFA volunteer role. The individual has devoted significant time and energy supporting association initiatives or efforts through their volunteer role. They are consistent and reliable, communicative, and committed to the values and mission of the association as demonstrated through their service.

Ryan shared her excitement about attending the conference and receiving the award; "What an amazing experience! Thank you to the Association of Fraternity & Sorority Advisors for letting me chair the Educational Programs for the Annual Meeting Planning Team these last two years, and serve in volunteer roles with the association for the last decade. Truly a goal accomplished and amazing experience. Thankful to be recognized for volunteering with the association."

A new partnership between Wellness at Penn and the LGBT Center offers a sustainable way for students, faculty, staff, and community members to recycle outfits and shop for new ones.

4th Class Midshipmen and active duty staff from the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova University Naval ROTC units took part in an overnight retreat to Outdoor Odyssey in western Pennsylvania.

As part of an ongoing effort to explore the people that make University Life a diverse community of educators and humans, I sat down with an ordained minister, a chicken expert, a geographer, an actor, and a podcaster.

The University of Pennsylvania Recognized as one of Campus Pride’s 2022 “Best Of The Best” Colleges & Universities for LGBTQ+ Students

Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ+ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education,  announced the annual Best of the Best Colleges and Universities for LGBTQ+ students in the United States, naming the University of Pennsylvania to this year’s list of campuses creating a safe, welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff alike.

The announcement from Campus Pride features 40 four-year campuses from across the country. These campuses have achieved 5 out of 5 stars on the  Campus Pride Index (CPI), the definitive national benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs, and practices. To earn a ranking of 5 out of 5 stars, campuses receive a percentage score from 90 to 100 based on their LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs, and practices. The methodology to determine this year’s Best of the Best List was based on an overall score of 93 percent or higher.

Check out video messages from our campus colleagues celebrating the Center.

LGBT Center's website