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

PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025

VOL. CXLI

NO. 6

Penn reinstates standardized testing requirement for 2025-26 admissions cycle After four years of test-optional admissions policies, the University announced that prospective students applying to Penn for admission in fall 2026 will be required to submit either SAT or ACT scores as part of their application WILLIAM GRANTLAND Staff Reporter

University, and Drexel University — rallied in protest of the Trump administration’s changes to federal research funding policies. The rally in Philadelphia was part of a larger

Penn reinstated the standardized testing requirement for all undergraduate applicants on Feb. 14 for the 2025-26 admissions cycle. An announcement from the University stated that prospective students applying for admission to Penn in fall 2026 will be required to submit either SAT or ACT scores. Applicants who face “hardship in accessing testing” may submit a testing waiver as part of their application, according to the announcement. A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson. Penn implemented a test-optional policy during the 2020-21 application cycle after the COVID-19 pandemic closed standardized testing sites. The policy has since been extended every year, with Penn Admissions attributing the decision to the “continued effects of the pandemic” and the need to ensure its office can “responsibly review the role of the test-optional practice.” “Since then, the University has committed to reassessing this policy each year to determine whether and when it would be appropriate to reinstate the requirement,” the recent announcement stated. According to Penn Admissions, the reinstatement of the requirement “aims to remove uncertainty” for applicants deciding whether to submit scores. Penn will continue “considering a student’s school-based

See FUNDING, page 3

See TESTING, page 2

DEVANSH RANIWALA AND ANNELISE DO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER AND SENIOR DESIGNER

Penn faculty join hundreds to rally against Trump administration’s federal research funding freeze The Wednesday rally in Philadelphia was part of a larger ‘Nationwide Day of Action’ organized by Labor for Higher Education, with more than a dozen events in cities across the country GABRIEL HUANG Senior Reporter

Over 300 individuals gathered together in Center City on Wednesday to protest recent federal funding cuts to academic research. The rally, held outside the office of Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) in Center City, was organized

by Labor for Higher Education in conjunction with the American Association of University Professors, American Federation of Teachers, United Auto Workers, and other groups. Faculty, students, and staff from several universities — including Penn, Temple

Department of Education letter orders universities to eliminate DEI programs within two weeks

Fifth annual Energy Week at Penn highlights future of energy and sustainability

The letter gave educational institutions 14 days to comply with the new requirements to continue receiving federal funding

This year’s programming featured events ranging from panels on approaching energy policy to an on-campus e-waste drive

PAIGE RAWISZER Staff Reporter

MEGAN LIU Staff Reporter

The United States Department of Education published a letter last week threatening to revoke federal funding for all schools and universities that do not remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter from Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor expanded the DOE’s interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which struck down affirmative action, to apply to academic programming more broadly. Trainor wrote that educational institutions have 14 days to comply with the new requirements in order to continue receiving federal funding. A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson. In the letter, Trainor wrote on behalf of the DOE that the Supreme Court decision, which held that affirmative action policies were unconstitutional, did not solely apply to the use of race in admission. Rather, the letter addressed that the use of race-based considerations in any aspect of educational institutions was not legal. “If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law,” the letter stated. “Put simply, educational institutions may neither separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race.” Additionally, the letter criticized practices by some universities that promote “segregation by race” at graduation ceremonies and dorms, referring to them as “a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history.” The letter also mentioned that other indirect DEI programming could be in violation of such legal principles, as these programs “frequently preference certain racial

groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.” “The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions. The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter stated. Penn recently scrubbed the University’s primary Diversity and Inclusion website as part of a series of actions that have resulted in the removal of references to DEI initiatives and practices on various University sites. The change comes alongside the removal of the DEI webpage for the School of Arts and Sciences. Penn also took down DEI websites for schools and programs including the School of Nursing, the Wharton School, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Penn Athletics.

ETHAN YOUNG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The DOE published a let ter on Feb. 14 threatening to revoke federal funding for all schools that do not remove DEI initiatives.

The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology hosted the fifth annual Energy Week from Feb. 10 to Feb. 14, bringing together students, faculty, and experts for panels, workshops, and discussions on the future of energy and sustainability. Since its inception in 2019, Energy Week at Penn has aimed to foster dialogue on energyrelated research and pressing global issues. This year’s programming featured a range of events, from panels on conservative approaches to energy policy to an on-campus e-waste drive encouraging students and faculty to recycle old electronics. These events were organized in collaboration with various Penn centers and schools, including new partners such as the Penn Museum and Penn’s Common Press. Cornelia Colijn, executive director of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, emphasized the growing importance of this year’s Energy Week. “The challenge of climate change is incredibly complex, requiring interdisciplinary solutions informed by those working on the frontlines of progress,” Colijn said. “Energy Week is not just about a single discipline or program at Penn — it’s about bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to teach and learn from each other.” Colijn emphasized that the event’s growth reflects the increasing urgency of the climate crisis. Many sessions throughout the week saw high attendance, with some reaching standing-room capacity. “It’s a testament to the enormous appetite our community has for participating in these

conversations,” she said. One of these keynote events was the Joseph Bordogna Forum, featuring former United States Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk and Penn Engineering Vice Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vanessa Chan. Their discussion focused on the intersection of energy, technology, and society, particularly the role of universities in advancing clean energy transitions. Chan, who also moderated a panel with BidenHarris administration officials on clean energy investments in the private sector, emphasized the impact of federal policies such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These policies have injected significant funding into clean energy efforts, spurring commercialization and technological development. “We now have a lot of money — over half a trillion dollars — going towards demonstration deployment,” Chan said. Yet, while technological innovation is crucial, Chan pointed out that the real challenge lies beyond simply developing new technologies. “Only part of commercialization is about getting the technology to work,” she added. “The other part is overcoming barriers like cost, regulations, workforce, and supply chain.” Chan emphasized how this year’s Energy Week highlighted the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration in clean energy innovation, as clean energy solutions cannot emerge from any one discipline alone. “The hardest thing right now is getting the See ENERGY, page 3

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