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INSIDE: QUAKER DAYS

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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2026

VOL. CXLII

NO. 12

UA urges Penn to set ‘clear’ protocols for possible ICE activity The resolution comes after several student groups voiced concerns about how the University would respond to federal immigration enforcement on campus ISHA CHITIRALA AND FINN RYAN News Editors

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN STAFF

Health System revenue powers Penn The University of Pennsylvania Health System was responsible for over two-thirds of Penn’s $17.3 billion in total revenue last year SAMANTHA DASIKA AND MISHAL GEORGE Staff Reporters

Penn’s schools, programs, and centers run on billions in revenue each year, most of it thanks to the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Last year, Penn raked in over $17.3 billion in total revenue, and the Health System was responsible for over two-thirds of that figure. Patient revenue alone — by far the largest contributing category to the University’s total earnings

— netted over $10 billion in fiscal year 2025. The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with Penn’s Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield and UPHS Chief Financial Officer Julia Puchtler for a closer look at how Penn Medicine drives the University’s finances. “Penn Medicine” serves as an umbrella term, encompassing both UPHS and the Perelman

White House budget proposal a ‘gut punch’ to Penn, researchers say

These Penn clubs date back centuries

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with University faculty and administrators to discuss potential impacts of the plan NORAH FINDLEY Senior Reporter

The White House’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 calls for significant funding reductions to multiple federal agencies, including several that provide federal funding to Penn. The plan, released on April 3, proposes a cut of more than 50% in federal spending for the National Science Foundation and a 13% cut to the National Institutes of Health. Ahead of the proposal’s submission for congressional approval, The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with University faculty and administrators to discuss how the potential cuts could affect their research. Earth and Environmental Sciences professor Leigh Stearns described the proposed NSF cuts — which specifically impact projects related to the climate and environment — as a “gut punch.” “I think I probably won’t be submitting as many proposals,” Stearns said in an interview with the DP. “It does shift how you think about your research, because I’m probably going to have to look at other funding agencies to fund some of the work that I would like to do through NSF.” In January, Congress rejected a previous proposal from 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s administration, seeking similar cuts to federal science research budgets. Although the proposal would continue to fund research areas like artificial intelligence and quantum information, Stearns said that climate research remains essential. “Even though we are confident about the way climate is changing, there’s still a lot of questions about how and when that will manifest,” Stearns said. “There’s a lot of fundamental science that needs to be done to understand those systems.” Stearns — who also serves as the graduate chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department — also noted that reduced federal investment could weaken the nation’s competitive edge in scientific research on a global scale. “A lot of European Union countries and China are going the opposite way — they’re investing more in fundamental science and supporting climate science at a time when we are making cuts,” she said. She added that other nations have already moved to “poach” United States graduates in scientific fields, and she hopes that Congress will reject the “devastating and reckless” proposal. “It’s just a really bad optics for scientists and the international community,” she said. “Everybody knows that climate and environmental issues are very present in geopolitics and security and economic See FUNDING, page 6

NEWS Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is set to deliver the Penn Carey Law Commencement address this year

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School of Medicine. Despite the two institutions serving vastly distinct roles at Penn, both are financially tied to the University at large. Puchtler explained that Penn Med students “benefit tremendously” because the school is “highly integrated” into the Health System. She added that UPHS was “ultimately created to See REVENUE, page 3

From performing arts groups to academic societies, students have gathered around shared interests for centuries AMY LIAO Senior Reporter

Penn’s storied history stretches back to 1740 — and so does its tradition of student-led organizations. From performing arts groups to academic societies, Penn students have gathered around shared interests for centuries. The Daily Pennsylvanian compiled a list of the oldest clubs still operating on campus today. Penn Glee Club Founded in 1862 during the Civil War, the Penn Glee Club is the University’s oldest performing arts organization and one of the longest continually running glee clubs in the United States. In addition to its singers, the entirely student-run organization also includes a band and technical section. In an interview with the DP, College senior and Glee Club President Julia Gauffreau said that some of the group’s long-standing traditions include performing at convocation ceremonies and “[prestigious] gigs,” such as embarking on a tour each year. Glee Club has toured in over 40 countries and territories across five continents, generally alternating between domestic and international trips each year. “What brings us all together really is this shared value of wanting to have excellent performance, and that carries through a tradition and gives us a brotherhood,” Gauffreau said, adding that Glee Club’s three “pillars” are “performance, brotherhood, and tradition.” In 2021, the Glee Club voted to merge with its

sister group, the Penn Sirens, and remove the group’s gender restriction on singing membership. “The Glee Club has been a group that’s been willing to adapt and change as times have changed itself,” Gauffreau stated. Gauffreau described Glee Club’s songbook as “really central and important” to the organization because it has preserved traditional repertoire while serving as “the opportunity to make our own new traditions.” The collection includes longstanding arrangements, as well as the University’s alma mater, “The Red and Blue,” and other fight songs. She added that the songbook took on new significance after the group became coed in 2021, when portions of the repertoire were rearranged to accommodate soprano and alto voices. The club introduced sections “to be inclusive of upper voices” and continually reviews the songbook with input from students and Director Sam Scheibe. “We’re this musical ambassador, musical hand to the University, and being able to specifically represent Penn in Philadelphia and around the world is what sets us apart from other performing groups,” Gauffreau said. The Philomathean Society Founded in 1813, The Philomathean Society is one of the oldest continuously existing collegiate literary societies in the United States.

Community members can submit feedback on the guidelines via an online form before May 18 or during listening sessions this month JAMES WAN Staff Reporter

See CROWDER, page 3

See GUIDELINES, page 7

JAMES WAN Staff Reporter

Penn’s draft Guidelines on Open Expression stir debate on campus

they wrote. In an email sent to Zimmerman and obtained by the DP, Crowder’s producer wrote that they were “unable to proceed with the event as scheduled” due to “the inability to livestream” and “added security hurdles.” “We’ve just heard from Penn Live Arts and have been informed that we would not be able to livestream due to ‘safety’ concerns,” they wrote. “However, the on site security team has also informed our personal security that we would not be able to undertake many of our routine safety measures which makes us seriously doubt their

According to the Penn spokesperson, Steven Crowder’s team backed out of the arrangements following a dispute with Penn Live Arts

OPINION The Daily Pennsylvanian Editorial Board comments on recent frustrations about Penn’s Commencement speaker

See UA, page 7

A draft of Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression has garnered mixed reactions from students and faculty. Since 2024, Penn has operated under temporary rules governing demonstrations and events. While some community members welcomed the University’s proposed revisions, others raised concerns about its implications for student expression, event planning, and institutional transparency. College junior Musab Chummun — who is the current vice president of Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly and the organization’s next president — wrote blankly that “the proposed revisions do not effectively protect open expression on campus.” “Firstly, what constitutes disruption/violations of open expression is too arbitrary,” Chummun explained in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “If the University can restrict speech without clear justification, the application of open expression becomes inconsistently applied and subject to bias.” According to the draft guidelines, publicly released last Tuesday, Penn community members violate the principles of open expression if they “interfere unreasonably with the regular activities of others,” including “unreasonably disrupting the normal activity that takes place within the University.” Chummun wrote that disruption “should not be overly restricted” because “it directs attention toward a cause that would otherwise be met with indifference.” He referenced a 1973 sit-in at College Hall that led to improved protections for women on campus, including the establishment of the Penn Women’s Center.

See CLUBS, page 2

Steven Crowder debate at Penn canceled after producers back out from contract

A planned debate between conservative political commentator Steven Crowder and Penn professor Jonathan Zimmerman has been canceled, a University spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The event — part of Crowder’s “Change My Mind” series — was originally scheduled for Friday at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. According to the Penn spokesperson, Crowder’s team backed out of the arrangements following a dispute with Penn Live Arts. “The event’s producers chose not to proceed with the venue rental contract, citing disagreements with standard university policies and security protocols,”

Penn’s Undergraduate Assembly announced a resolution last Thursday to “safeguard” student rights against possible federal immigration enforcement on campus. The March 29 proposal aims to establish “enforceable” University protocols for responding to potential federal immigration enforcement, protecting student safety, and ensuring all students are “informed of their rights.” The resolution comes after several student groups voiced concerns about how Penn would respond to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on campus. “At the University of Pennsylvania, current guidance on interactions with external law enforcement lacks centralized visibility, consistency, and accessibility,” the resolution read. “This disproportionately affects undocumented, DACA, international, and other immigration-impacted students.” “Resolutions are the highest power of the UA,” College junior and incoming UA President Musab Chummun wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “It is crucial for Penn to prioritize its students, especially with issues concerning external law enforcement. Looking ahead, this Resolution will push administration to take more proactive measures, and work with stakeholder groups to advance student protections.” In the document, the UA outlined several “key problems” at Penn — including a lack of “publicly accessible policies,” “inconsistent and unclear guidance” across different University offices, and limited awareness among students of their legal rights. While University officials previously told the DP that they are “quite attuned” to the national issue, administrators have remained largely silent about how Penn would respond in the face of ICE activity on campus. In a April 2 email to the Penn community announcing the resolution, UA President Nia Matthews wrote that the University “has a responsibility not only to respond lawfully, but also to respond with clarity, care, and preparedness.” “Although the full scope of federal immigration enforcement remains shifting and, at times, deliberately unclear, its consequences for students are not abstract,” she wrote. “Penn must not allow

NEWS Penn launched a new minor that allows undergraduates to pursue a teaching license alongside their field of study

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SPORTS Meet four incoming student-athletes in Penn’s Class of 2030 ready to don the Red and Blue