Special Events | Penn Today

4/10

Unsettling Global Media and Communication Studies

stock image of world depicting global connection

The two-day conference will feature four distinct panels, a keynote address on Thursday evening, and a closing session. These sessions will examine how political crises may influence scholarly pedagogies and methodologies. Speakers will interrogate the broader insights that global media studies can offer in the wake of crises.

All Day

Annenberg School for Communication, 3620 Walnut St.

4/29

Annual Zine Fest

Zine makers and DIY-print enthusiasts are invited to join the annual Zine Fest at Kelly Writers House, co-organized by students in Weitzman School Lecturer Kayla Romberger’s Pixel to Print course.

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

4/28

Sachs Program 2025 Grant Awards Celebration

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation will announce the recipients of its 2025 annual grant awards and celebrate students and faculty awarded earlier in the academic year. Penn Vice Provost for the Arts Timothy Rommen will share welcoming remarks.

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St.

5/13

Spring Symposium: Criminal Justice Reform

A close up to the an ornamental scale in an office with law books on shelves behind it.

The 2025 Quattrone Center Spring Symposium will span two days of solution-focused discussions on the future of criminal justice reform. Sessions will be led by policymakers, academics, and legal practitioners, offering a unique opportunity to learn, engage, and build connections that drive tangible change for a fairer future.

All Day

Hybrid; Golkin Hall, 3501 Sansom St.

5/1

Hey Day 2025

Penn third-year students will celebrate Hey Day, a tradition dating back to 1916, by wearing red shirts, parading along Locust Walk with mahogany walking canes, and biting into flat-brimmed hats. Hey Day follows the last day of classes, marking the transition from junior to senior at Penn.

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

High Rise Field, Rodin College House, 3901 Locust Walk

4/3

Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night (TBTN) is an annual nationwide campaign against sexual violence on college campuses. This year, TBTN at Penn will include a resource fair in Houston Hall, speakers on College Green, a rally and march around campus with the Penn Band, and a survivor speak-out and candlelight vigil.

4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Various locations

4/24

BioBlitz with Penn Biology Department and Penn Vet

A person holding an insect at Penn’s BioPond.

The School of Veterinary Medicine and Biology Department staff will provide an overview of wildlife at Kaskey Park during the Spring BioBlitz. Participants can help spot and identify wildlife, take photos, upload information to the iNaturalist app, and learn from experts about frogs, insects, birds, and other animals.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

James G. Kaskey Memorial Park, 433 S. University Ave.

4/23

Sustainable Collections at Fisher Library

Attendees will learn more about the sustainable collections housed in Penn’s Materials Library, including buttons made from discarded milk, bricks made from paper, and packaging made from mushrooms. Visitors can also browse the circulating book collection about sustainable design, art, and architecture.

12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th St.

4/22

Upcycle Your Old T-shirt into a Reusable Grocery Bag

An outline of the globe nested in a lush forest of green trees.

In honor of Earth Day, attendees will recycle and upcycle with the Leon Levy Dental Medicine Library. Participants can bring old t-shirts and learn how to transform them into no-sew reusable grocery bags.

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Levy Dental Medicine Library, 240 S. 40th St.

4/4

Improv for Interviewing

Person sitting at personal laptop holding hand out as though in discussion virtually.

Penn Career Services often hears feedback from employers that Penn students get “stuck in their head” or are “unable to go off script” in interviews. Participants will learn ways to combat these pitfalls using theater-style improv techniques.

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.