The Class of 2028 students kicked off their first year by getting to know each other—and the Penn campus—at New Student Orientation (NSO) Aug. 21-26. The program is a series of events to help students acclimate to their new life at Penn, with special events for transfer, international, and first-generation and/or limited-income students.
Hallmark events included the traditional all-access evening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with tours, dinner, and dancing; a masquerade dessert reception for second-year students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the New Student Resource Fair for graduate and undergraduate students, walking tours of Philadelphia, the President and Provost’s Family Welcome, Penn Traditions: Highball to Hey Day, and the Class of 2028 photo on Franklin Field. New Student Orientation will then culminate with Convocation.
On Thursday, Aug. 22, the members of the Class of 2028 gathered in the Palestra for a welcome session, introduction to Penn resources, and the new Building the Penn Community event, a series of reflections with returning students, staff, and faculty on creating community, countering hate, and growing through differences.
“The students had a palpable sense of energy and excitement, seeing their entire class together in the historic Palestra, a building likely to already be familiar to many basketball fans,” says David Fox, who directs NSO and serves as a lecturer in theater arts.
The day culminated with another new event at the National Constitution Center, where students got a grand view of Independence Hall and historic Philadelphia. “Getting to know the city is an important part of being at Penn,” Fox says.
The National Constitution Center has embraced the themes of speech and discussion, which underscores the programming of this year’s NSO and is perfect for an election year, Fox says. “You’re going to meet people you agree with; you’re going to meet people you disagree with. But it’s important to treat everyone with respect. The Constitution Center puts that in historical framework.”
Several other events were new this year, including a culture festival with campus cultural resource centers as well as the Intercultural Greek Council and Getting Ready to Dialogue, a special Zoom workshop led by Interim President J. Larry Jameson on the findings and recommendations of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community.
