The ending of a year is always bittersweet, as we think back on those who ascended to the Heavens this calendar cycle. Sure, Michael Jackson and DJ AM died, but so did some of our favorite and least favorite campus institutions. As the year comes to a close, we pay tribute to those we lost in ’09:
Transit
Deceased: April 2009
Cause of Death: All good things must come to an end?
Survived By: Painfully bad fake ID’s, Theos, short black skirts, the eight people in each bathroom stall, Lil’ Wayne anthems.
In Memoriam: We were crushed to hear the most epic of downtown venues was closing up. Transit was the rare friend to all: a trippy rave spot and Spring Fling bonanza locale bundled up into one massive, sweaty dance hall.
Jewish deli breakfasts, sub-par PennDining on Spruce, Scantron sheets and old school fro yo after the jump!
Jerome Allen, back in the day.
We gave you our take on the Glen Miller debacle a couple of weeks ago, but today the New York Times weighed in on the ordeal. Thanks to the Gray Lady, we learned that from 1963 to 2007, Penn and/or Princeton won every Ivy League championship except for two. Whoa.
We also got this awesomely Wharton-y quote from Wharton sophomore (and team co-captain/Maccabi stud) Zack Rosen: “Not all C.E.O.’s work out, and that’s what the head coach of a basketball team is. With Coach Miller, there was a disconnect. For whatever reason, his formula just wasn’t working.”
Basically, Jerome Allen has a lot riding on his shoulders, but his stats are super legit and the boys love him. So for the first time in a long time, we’re pretty excited to see what they can do. Allen’s first game as interim head coach is Monday night versus Davidson, and will be broadcast on XPN starting at 7 p.m. Want to actually see some action? Tune into ESPN2 on New Year’s Eve to see the Quakers take on Duke at 6 p.m.
We reported last week that your favorite neighborhood film house might be purchased by some groovy folks known as Rave Motion Pictures. Well, this news is now confirmed. When you check out Rave’s website, you’ll even find The Bridge listed in theater locations for Pennsylvania. Thrilling.
And now, an open note to Rave Motion Pictures: please do away with the assigned seating. This is not an airplane.
A couple of weeks ago myGreek.org launched at Penn. Pretty much everyone we know, Greek or not, got an email about this “Greek social networking site,” so we were intrigued. We snooped around the site for a week or so, and we have some thoughts.
1. Anyone can join. And we mean anyone. Yes, anyone can join Facebook now, but you need to have a valid Penn email address to be part of the Penn network. Not true over at myGreek. There is literally no verification, so that totally cute girl listed in the TriDelt composite could very well be a creepy guy who lives in his mom’s basement. There is a “secure your chapter” option, but it doesn’t look like anyone (save for Beta and AXO, that is) is using this feature.
2. Penn chapters include Theos, Owels [sic], and Bones Gate. Doesn’t sound too Greek (or legit) to us. Read the rest of this entry »
Congratulations on surviving finals week, dear readers. For now, we leave you with some pictures of Penn at its snowiest to tide you over until you’re back on campus (classes officially begin January 13, lest you forget). Thanks to DP photo editors Pete Lodato and Maanvi Singh for the Quad snowball fight pics, and to tipster Dave Dobkin for the ones of campus looking all pretty.
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Inquiring minds want to know, so here it is: grades are not due until January 4, two weeks from today. Good luck with all that Penn InTouch refreshing! (But seriously, shouldn’t we get an email or something when a grade is posted?)
Good morning, Van Pelters. Gossip(y) Girl(s) here.
The other day, someone forwarded us this email in which some dude (actually, a now Penn Law student and former class prez) recounts a conversation he overheard in Van Pelt. We laughed, but didn’t think much of it…until we received the email on like, twelve other listservs we’re subscribed to. When we looked back over the email, we had a number of concerns, including but not limited to: why is everyone declaring their love in Rosengarten? Also, did this guy sit there transcribing this whole exchange? Considering how quickly excited freshmen speak, we find this words per minute count to be impressive. Oh, and…to all the “Obnoxious Girls” and “Awkward Boys” out there — we salute you.
In the unlikely case that you didn’t receive the email (we simultaneously envy and pity you for not being subscribed to eight zillion listservs), the full text is below the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Have people already started to compulsively check Penn InTouch for their fall grades? This is what popped up when we tried to log on:
Freshmen were out in full force celebrating their first real Penn snowfall! Quad-dwellers took a break from being some of the only people left on campus (way to go Math department) to have good, old-fashioned snowball fights and make good, old-fashioned snow nipples. Miss out? Apparently another fight is scheduled to go down later if you’re itching to douse someone in snow.
More pictures after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
Contrary to popular belief, not all Penn students can get home via train/car/bus. Some people are from LA! And Miami! These unlucky souls have to fly home. But we here at UTB want to make sure your flight home is as pleasant as possible, despite crazy lines and awful delays.
The first thing you need to know about good ol’ Philly International is that wireless is free for students all day, every day. Just head to any info desk, show your student ID and catch up on your UTB reading before your flight takes off. Hitting up any other airports this break? Google is footing the bill for free wireless at 54 US airports through January 15.
Stuck in the airport and need some grub? Philly has all the airport standards (McDonalds, Burger King, Auntie Anne’s, ABP), but we recommend springing for Vino Volo. This place is seriously delicious. Not only is the food incredible (warmed brie and prosciutto with fig jam, anyone?), but the seating (huge sunken chairs with armrests, big wooden tables) is sure to calm those preflight nerves. Need a little extra help taking the edge off? Vino Volo is also a wine bar with a host of reasonably-priced options.
Before you can enjoy these perks, however, you need to figure out how to get to the airport. Let us give you the rundown. Read the rest of this entry »
