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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA • FOUNDED 1885

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026

VOL. CXLII

NO. 11

Penn unveils draft open expression guidelines for community input Once approved, the guidelines will mark the most drastic change to Penn’s open expression policies in over three decades ANVI SEHGAL Senior Reporter

After nearly two years of internal review, Penn published its first draft of its revised Guidelines on Open Expression, outlining initial proposals for the procedures that will govern campus demonstrations and protests. Last week, Provost John Jackson Jr. announced that Penn will seek feedback on the draft throughout this semester, before presenting a final version of the updated policies at a University Council meeting on Sept. 9. Once approved, the guidelines will mark the most drastic change to Penn’s open expression policies in over three decades. The newly proposed guidelines — published in the University Almanac on March 31 — are separated into three sections: the University’s principles on open expression, the implementation of those principles, and specific policies to support those measures. Penn issued temporary guidelines in 2024, following a year of heightened activism and tension on campus, including a 16-day Gaza Solidarity Encampment on College Green. At the time, Penn announced the formation of a task force to provide recommendations to the Committee on Open Expression, which would then present proposals to the University Council and the president. Both Penn’s temporary guidelines and the University’s new draft policies give priority to University-related events when allocating campus space. The documents diverge, however, in how they handle events unrelated to official “education, research, and patient care.” Penn currently requires at least two weeks’ notice to plan non-academic events taking place on Locust Walk and in other “VPUL spaces.” The draft See DRAFT, page 3

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN STAFF

Court paves way for federal government to collect list of Jews at Penn ARTI JAIN, LAVANYA MANI, AND LUKE PETERSEN Senior Reporter and Staff Reporters

A judge has ordered Penn to comply with a federal subpoena seeking information about Jewish students, faculty, and campus groups. The Tuesday order marks the culmination of a months-long legal battle between Penn and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the agency’s authority to enforce a subpoena first issued in July 2025. A University spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian that Penn intends to appeal the ruling.

Penn has until May 1 to respond to the subpoena’s requests, but will not be required to “reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific Jewishrelated organization.” An EEOC spokesperson wrote that “the agency has no comment at this time,” and referred the DP to U.S. District Court Judge Gerald Pappert’s opinion. “For their legal arguments, respondents contend the charge of discrimination is invalid and

Penn Engineering launches $200 million fund to support faculty research, local start-ups The Futures Fund Partnership for Innovation will provide monetary support for projects across a variety of research frontiers SAMEEKSHA PANDA Senior Reporter

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The Engineering School on March 26, 2024.

Flo Rida to headline 2026 Spring Fling

into our own hands,” Penn Engineering Dean Vijay Kumar wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The effort to support research comes after a series of federal policy moves in 2025 that led to widespread funding cuts, including a 15% cut to National Institutes of Health funding projected to cost Penn $240 million. Kumar told the Philadelphia Business Journal that he “saw the writing on the wall” as a result of the cuts. He added that Penn Engineering’s reliance on research funding meant that the impacts across the school were drastic. One contributor to the fund is 1984 Wharton and Engineering graduate, University Trustee, and Chair of Penn Engineering’s Board of Advisors Rob Stavis, who is also a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. Stavis wrote in the press release that funding for earlystage research projects can be “the hardest to find and the highest in impact,” heightening the impact of federal constraints. The Futures Fund aims to fill that gap by providing

FINN RYAN News Editor

Thousands of students will flock to Penn Park next month to watch rapper and singer Flo Rida perform at this year’s Spring Fling concert. The event is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17, followed by a Daytime Fling carnival the next day. The show’s opener has yet to be announced. Penn’s Social Planning and Events Committee See FLING, page 3

Featuring food from:

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See EEOC, page 2

Penn releases regular decision results for Class of 2030 According to the announcement, over 61,000 students applied through the regular decision process this year ANANYA KARTHIK AND CHRISTINE OH Senior Reporters

College juniors Musab Chummun and Moe Mansour have been elected as the Undergraduate Assembly’s next president and vice president. Chummun and Mansour — who both ran unopposed — received 1,241 and 1,246 votes, respectively. The Nominations and Elections Committee announced the results on March 29 at 9 a.m. after voting closed on March 28 at 9 p.m. In a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Chummun reflected on his past year serving as UA Vice President, writing that the UA tackled “big goals by putting students in the room where

decisions are being made.” “Among other initiatives, we advocated against Trump’s Compact, fought against DEI cuts, pushed for clarity on ICE policies, and put more money back in students’ pockets,” Chummun wrote. “After this past year, running for UA President felt like a natural next step to help make student life better on campus.” In a statement to the DP, Mansour echoed Chummun’s sentiments, pointing to his own tenure as UA treasurer and his role in guiding this year’s

Penn released regular decision results for the Class of 2030 last Thursday, wrapping up the University’s first admissions cycle since reinstating its standardized testing requirement. According to the Penn Admissions announcement, over 61,000 students applied to Penn this year, marking a decrease from last year’s applicant pool of over 72,000. Results were released to students on March 26 at 7 p.m. Penn did not disclose a regular decision acceptance rate, continuing its policy of withholding detailed admissions results since 2022. “Each year, I’m inspired by the thoughtfulness, curiosity, and sense of purpose students bring to the application process,” Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “The Class of 2030 reflects not only exceptional academic preparation, but a genuine commitment to engaging and improving the world around them.” According to the announcement, the Class of 2030 includes students from over 87 countries and all 50 states. The cohort also features the largest number of admitted students from Philadelphia in Penn’s history. “This collective breadth of experience is one of the things that makes the Penn community so dynamic, shaping students’ experiences in ways they may not yet anticipate,” the press release read. The Class of 2030’s admissions cycle is the University’s first with a test-mandatory application since 2020, when Penn introduced a test-optional policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Penn’s reinstatement of its SAT or ACT scorereporting mandate in 2025 came as several peer institutions — including Harvard University,

NEWS Penn Hindu and Jain Association hosted its annual Holi festival at College Green on Friday

OPINION Columnist Dew Udagedara explores how opportunity presents itself for Penn’s first-year students

SPORTS Penn gymnastics captures its fifth consecutive Gymnastics East Conference championship title

See FUND, page 3

Musab Chummun, Moe Mansour elected to lead UA

The performance is set to take place at Penn Park on Friday, April 17

NEWS Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro is in talks to speak at an on-campus event next month

The School of Engineering and Applied Science announced a new $200 million fund to support faculty research and startups in areas impacted by federal funding cuts. The fund — titled the Futures Fund Partnership for Innovation — provides $200 million in monetary support to various projects across human health, sustainable infrastructure, and physical intelligence research frontiers. It will receive funding from several philanthropic partners, including Penn Engineering alumni and industry leaders. The Futures Fund seeks to enable faculty to “provide timely, flexible support for leading-edge research and educational advancements over the next five years,” according to the press release. It will support faculty efforts to secure external grants, launch startups, and develop research collaborations. “If we are to generate the resources necessary to lead in technology and innovation, drive meaningful social impact, and help shape the future, we must take matters

the subpoena violates the United States Constitution in various ways,” Pappert wrote in a March 31 memorandum filed alongside the order. “But the charge is valid and the constitutional claims are easily dispensed with.” He added that Penn — along with other campus groups involved in the litigation — “significantly raised the dispute’s temperature by impliedly and even expressly comparing the EEOC’s efforts to

Musab Chummun and Moe Mansour — who both ran unopposed — will serve as the body’s next president and vice president CHRISTINE OH Senior Reporter

See UA, page 2

Best of Penn

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See DECISIONS, page 2

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April 2

4:30-6:30 p.m. Annenberg Plaza