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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2025

VOL. CXLI

NO. 30

Penn welcomes record number of QuestBridge matches to Class of 2030

Penn Hillel shares results of student survey on Jewish campus experiences

The program, which allows low-income students to apply early to selective institutions free of charge, accepted 112 students

The survey results indicated that 85% of respondents said they experienced, heard about, or witnessed ‘something antisemitic’ at Penn

LAVANYA MANI Contributing Reporter

A record number of students matched with Penn in the QuestBridge National College Match for the Class of 2030. According to a Dec. 1 announcement from Penn Admissions, 112 students were accepted through the program, which allows low-income students to apply early to selective institutions free of charge. Students who match with a college or university receive a fouryear scholarship. This year’s cohort includes 83 first-generation college students. In a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule described the cohort as a reflection of the University’s “bold thinking and culture of collaboration that makes [the Penn] community thrive,” adding that the group has “record representation in Nursing, Engineering, and Wharton, and more than 80 first-generation scholars.” “We are energized by the future they’ll help shape and could not be more excited for all they will contribute to our community and the world beyond it,” Soule added. According to a Dec. 1 press release from Penn Admissions, the cohort includes students from “106 different high schools across 24 states.” The group will now join over 600 current undergraduate QuestBridge scholars at Penn. In total, the University admitted 259 students through QuestBridge last year, with 111 students admitted through the early, binding match program. The QuestBridge scholars admitted are the first to be accepted into Penn’s Class of 2030. Later this month, the University will release admissions decisions for students who applied early decision. Last year, the Class of 2029 received over 9,500 early decision applications, an increase attributed to the University’s test-optional policy. The Class of 2030 is the first group of applicants since Penn reinstated its standardized testing requirement. The press release also highlighted many of the resources available to new students, including the Penn First Plus program, libraries, and the College Houses.

Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania, voted to authorize a strike last month following a year of contract negotiations with Penn administrators. If a strike is called, graduate workers involved in teaching and research roles will stop performing all work duties. “I certainly respect their right to do this and understand what some of the interests are that they’ve raised,” Jameson told the DP. “At the same time, the University really has an obligation to take care of the elements that are important to the University.” Jameson reaffirmed his commitment to the “best education, the best research opportunities” at Penn, and the culture, policies, and procedures needed “to support those missions.” GET-UP previously criticized Penn for “distribut[ing]

Penn Hillel shared the results of a University-wide survey it conducted that polled Jewish students about their experiences on campus. The survey was circulated among Penn students beginning in February and collected responses throughout the 2025 spring semester. Its results — which were shared by Hillel at a webinar hosted for University alumni and parents of students two weeks ago — indicated that 85% of respondents said they experienced, heard about, or witnessed “something antisemitic” at Penn. Franklin’s Forum, a Penn alumni newsletter, first published the results of the survey that were presented by Penn Hillel Executive Director Gabriel Greenberg during a webinar attended by alumni and parents of Penn students two weeks ago. During the presentation, Greenberg highlighted six priorities for addressing antisemitism and maintaining Jewish students’ feelings of belonging — including “ensuring fairness in the classroom” and “building and restoring Jewish unity,” according to Franklin’s Forum. He noted that there had been a decrease in antisemitism since the survey’s release but stated that more progress was necessary. A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson and Greenberg. The survey asked students about their personal connection to their Jewish identities, their feelings about Israel and related discourse at Penn, and the extent to which they had heard of or experienced antisemitism on campus. According to survey results, 96% of respondents were proud of their Jewish identity and 97% considered Judaism to be important in their lives. Along with the 85% of students who said they experienced, heard about, or witnessed “something antisemitic” at Penn, 45% stated that they felt uncomfortable or intimidated because of their Jewish identity or relationship with Israel, and 31% said they felt the need to hide their identity. 29% and 26% of students responded that they felt unwelcome in certain campus spaces and experienced antisemitic or anti-Israeli comments from professors, respectively. Jewish students surveyed offered varying opinions on

See JAMESON, page 2

See SURVEY, page 3

KEVIN REN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

From unions to University decisionmaking, five key takeaways from Jameson’s interview with the DP AYANA CHARI AND ANVI SEHGAL Senior Reporters

Amid administrative changes, national scrutiny, and escalating labor organization on campus, Penn President Larry Jameson sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian for an interview. During the Nov. 24 conversation, Jameson addressed the University’s relationship with the federal government and highlighted the role that students, faculty, and other campus stakeholders play in Penn’s future. He discussed the University’s approach in adapting to a rapidly changing environment and the values Penn maintains throughout its decision-making processes. Here are five takeaways from Jameson’s recent sitdown interview with the DP. Graduate student union bargaining Penn’s graduate student workers union, Graduate

Penn investigating business software University Council adopts Diversity data breach affecting personal and Equity Committee name change, records discusses hate speech incidents Penn is in the process of notifying individuals whose personal information was compromised by the incident, according to a University spokesperson

A Dec. 2 motion renamed the body the ‘Committee on Community and Equal Opportunity’ and marked the second round of public debate over a name change

ISHA CHITIRALA AND FINN RYAN Senior Reporters

CHRISTINE OH AND ANANYA KARTHIK Staff Reporter and Contributing Reporter

CHENYAO LIU | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The University disclosed a data breach on Dec. 2 regarding documents that were obtained from its Oracle E-Business Suite.

Penn is investigating a cybersecurity breach of its Oracle E-Business Suite servers that compromised the personal information of University-affiliated individuals across multiple states. The breach — identified by the University in

November — exploited the business software Penn uses to manage internal operations, according to letters filed with attorneys general in multiple See HACK, page 3

Penn’s University Council approved an amendment to its bylaws renaming its Committee on Diversity and Equity on Wednesday. The Dec. 3 motion — presented at an open forum in Houston Hall — renamed the body the “Committee on Community and Equal Opportunity” and marked the second round of public debate over a potential name change. An earlier proposal to adopt “Committee of Belonging” failed after students raised concerns. Prior to the vote, Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs Joann Mitchell outlined the context surrounding the name change, saying that “legal and legislative changes” prompted a review of committee names and standing charges across the University. She added that the Penn Office of General Counsel advised revisiting language that referenced “affirmative action” or other terms affected by recent federal guidance. Faculty Senate Past Chair Eric Feldman emphasized that the new name was developed following feedback during the October University Council meeting. Feldman said the Faculty Senate tri-chairs met with student leaders, the Office of the General Counsel, and administrators to “understand the legal constraints” and then worked with students to identify language that would remain compliant with the law while “preserving the core responsibilities” of the committee. A motion to call the question passed, and the amendment was approved by majority vote. Several student groups reiterated concerns about

removing “diversity” and “equity” from the committee title. Representatives from the Latinx Coalition, Penn Association for Gender Equity, Penn for Immigrant Rights, Disabled Coalition, and UMOJA said that the proposed name still alters how the University presents its commitments to students from underrepresented groups. “It doesn’t feel right to me and my conscience, on behalf of my constituents, to vote yes,” College junior Victoria Navarrete-Ortiz — who previously served as the external affairs chair for the Latinx Coalition — said during the forum. “If the name is going to be changed regardless … then I don’t think it makes sense for us to vote in favor.” College sophomore Kaison Wills — who serves as the political chair for Penn’s Association for Gender Equity — also spoke in opposition. “The collaboration did not bring about the same meaning and purpose that the words ‘diversity,’ ‘equity’ and ‘inclusion’ hold,” Wills said. “Because our federal administration is attacking us for certain things, that doesn’t mean Penn needs to continuously back down from these challenges.” Students also asked for clarification on the legal rationale behind the name adjustment. One representative asked whether the University was responding to “specific scrutiny” or federal action. Mitchell replied that the Office of General Counsel could discuss the issue in more depth, but that the See COUNCIL, page 3

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