With all this talent and excitement at Penn, it can be easy to get lost in the flood of campus events. Well, the DP has got your back. This weekend our friends at the DP launched Events@Penn. We’re liking what we see so far. While it might be a little premature to dub itself the “definitive listing of events happening in the University of Pennsylvania community,” the site has some handy features–including the ability to RSVP to events and export them to your Google calendar.
So, brave/annoying/disheartened souls flyer-ing on Locust Walk, consider posting your event. We hear the internet is a great way to reach people and with your help maybe one day Events@Penn can claim its “definitive” title.
Stop by Houston Hall (Wynn Commons) from 11:00 a.m. (a little bit before right now) to 3 p.m. for SPEC Special Event’s Annual Winterfest. Hub Bub is handing out free coffee and hot chocolate, there’s a synthetic ice skating rink with skates available to rent (we’ve received word from a Street ed on the ground that it “looks dumb”), and s’mores.
This is the perfect opportunity to impress the girl of your dreams by landing a triple axle and then roasting her the perfect golden-brown marshmallow, so stop by. And wear a flame retardant leotard so that you can go from rink to fire with limited wardrobe interference.
Photos from the event after the jump.
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UPDATE: The event has been moved to the Women’s Center at 37th and Locust.
Come to the Compass (37th and Locust) tonight at 7:30 to take a stand against sexual violence. The speak out is being held by Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women (PCUW) and One-in-Four, in response to the third reported case of sexual assault on campus this year (more information available on thedp.com).
PCUW writes:
We feel that, given the frequency of reports of sexual assault on campus this semester, and in the spirit of those that have not been and will not be reported, it is necessary for Penn students to continue to formally denounce sexual violence. Campus leaders, administrators, and other affiliates will address on-campus sexual violence — by educating our community on its prevalence, disseminating information needed in the event of sexual assault, and advocating on behalf of survivors of sexual violence. We hope to encourage open discussion and create a community that condemns all acts of sexual violence.
The event is last minute, so you can help by spreading the word, and by stopping by tonight to show your support.
Cheesesteaks' far superior, vegetarian-friendly Philly cousin.
Some people bike for affordable housing. Some people bike for mad street cred in France. And some people bike for getting places, we guess. But forget all of them; there are those who bike for a way worthier cause, and that cause is pretzels. Soft innards, a crispy shell, and salt the size of those crystals they throw on the street when it snows? Pretzels are so totally twisted. Literally!
In honor of the feature in tomorrow’s issue of 34th Street, which follows these valiant riders on a weekly pretzel mission, we present to you after the jump our top three Philly pretzel palaces that bring Philly its twisty, salty, fame. Get on your fixed gear and tell these pretzel princes to throw it in the (paper) bag.
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If you’ve been to the Perelman Quad around lunchtime any day this week, you may have noticed the sound of Winnie the Pooh being read aloud. Chances are, you let it go without a second thought. It’s not like it’s so bizarre to hear the faint mumblings of A.A. Milne every now and again, right guys? Well this time, there is actually an explanation.
The DP reports:
Starting [Sept 28], ACLU is honoring the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week by reading banned books aloud in Wynn Commons. Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day until Friday, group members will recites passages from books ranging from Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Today is your last chance to check it out. We stopped by on Wednesday and found an unmanned table, so let us know what happens. Otherwise we’ll think the event got banned.
Penn thinks pink. Amy thinks, "Oh god, what do I do with my hands?"
We’ll be the first to admit that we’re sometimes a little hard on Wharton. And we’ll probably be around the…oh 23rd or 24th to admit that some of the claims we have made or supported are not 100% deserved, 100% of the time. The suggestion that business students are severely lacking in the “soul” department, for example, has us feeling a little bad today. But that’s just because Wharton Women (in conjunction with a ton of Penn student groups) is bringing together these three things:
1. Cupcakes
2. The Color Pink
3. A Good Cause
It’s like a recipe for a smile! The initiative, called Penn Thinks Pink, is an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer along with $5,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. To help achieve these goals, the illustrious cupcake truck will be returning to campus from 12-2 in support of the event. Get there before they sell out (That means exactly at noon. YESTERDAY). Later, at 6:30 in Huntsman, Komen Foundation President and CEO Hala Moddelmog will deliver a keynote address. Tickets are available for $5 on the walk or at the door.
We will most definitely revert back to our Whartonizing ways soon. But definitely not until after we’ve eaten a cupcake for a good cause.
For more details about the event, check out the press release after the jump.
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Earlier today we told you about SPEC’s Battle of the Penn Bands. Almost immediately, an argument (Mask and Wig vs. any other musical group) raged in several passionate comments. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before we find out who will win, or even participate in, that part of Fall Festival. But there’s more to this event, which will take place on College Green Saturday, October 10. More than Penn bands doing covers of pop songs, you say? Why yes!
After weeks of trying to trick committee members into divulging the Fall Festival musical guest before the official press release, we finally succeeded. Fine, the official press release is out. Their lips were seriously sealed! Anyway, in what they hope will be the first many Penn-wide autumn dance parties, SPEC will present Super Mash Bros, a collaboration between Nicolas Fenmore and Dick Fink, who describe themselves as “Girl Talk’s hot cousin.” The up-and-coming mash-up artists are set to hit the stage at 6:30 p.m. Luckily for those of you who like to sing along to every word at a concert, all of Super Mash Bros’ music is available for free download here.
Also keeping you entertained at Fall Fest will be over 40 student organizations, inflatables, a free yoga session (gotta be flexible for the dance party), lots of food, and the cupcake truck! We’ll keep you posted with more information as it comes our way, but for now, let’s plan on meeting at the bouncy castle. We’ll be the ones jumping way higher than you.
Mayor Nutter will be on campus tonight at 7:30 in the Terrace Room of Claudia Cohen Hall, to talk to the Penn community about Philadelphia and the issues that matter to us, not some stuffy old politician with white hair and a jar of dentures beside his Tempurpedic and an absolutely boring personality. His speech will be followed by a Q & A session, so come prepared to ask hard hitting questions. We’ve got “What is your lunch meat of choice?” and, “Is it true that angels cry when I use bad language?” covered, so don’t steal those.
Be sure to send info/photos to underthebutton@gmail.com if you attend the event!
SPEC Jazz and Grooves will take over the Rotunda on Thursday, October 1, for a night that will make any indie music fan’s heart skip a beat. Brooklyn natives The Antlers, who we got a chance to check out at the Pitchfork Festival this summer, will be joined by Holly Miranda, a vocalist loved by Kanye West and Vanity Fair alike. More information about the musical acts, courtesy of SPEC, along with the music video for The Antlers’ “Two,” after the jump.
Tickets are on sale on the walk, as well as through this website. Student tickets will be sold for $10 ahead of time and $15 at the door. Be sure to get yours before all the cool kids of Philadelphia get wind of the show. At that point, the average attendee hipness might rival that of the American Apparel ad that was Girl Talk 2009, and tickets will go like hot cakes. (Man, talk about a hip phrase.)
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Let’s face it. The majority of us spend way more time on campus than we should. We’re in a city, for Pete’s sake! A city with lots of fun goings-on around every turn. So in an effort to bring Philly to you, we’ll be posting weekly weekend roundups, chock full of events that make crossing the Walnut St Bridge (or 41st St) totally worth your while. Enjoy the first edition, and be sure to check back for more!
(Asterisk denotes 21+ venue)
This week, NY Magazine gave our city a shout-out in the Travel section. Sure, the article, “Make a Craft Beer Run to Philadelphia” is geared towards weekend get-away-ers, but leaving University City counts for us. This weekend we’re particularly interested in checking out Tria’s Fermentation Class*, stopping at Monk’s* to try Russian River beer, which apparently has a cult following and cannot be found (on the East Coast) anywhere but Philadelphia, and getting an order of craft beer truffles at Verde.
But there’s far more to do this weekend than grow your beer-belly! You can also grow your food belly, right off campus at White Dog Cafe’s Dance of the Ripe Tomatoes Block Party! At this celebration of sustainable and humane farming, which starts at 6 p.m. and goes until 9 p.m., $25 will get you delicious food, one draft beer, lots of cool speakers, and live music!
When you’re done there, head to the North Star Bar, where WXPN will welcome Roman Candle*. The latest album from this Chapel Hill, N.C. band, Oh Tall Tree in the Ear, was named a “modern rock masterpiece” by Paste Magazine. If folk isn’t your style, try anti-folk by hitting up Johnny Brenda’s* instead (also at 9 p.m.), where Jeffrey Lewis will perform with Akron/Family. None of these bands will provide adequate dance music, so if that makes you feel sad, check out Making Time at Pure, a dance night we once called the place to be “If you’re clad in American Apparel and ready to ‘FREAK OUT LIKE CRAZY PEOPLE’.”
The weekend isn’t over yet! Find out what else you should be doing, right after the jump!
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David Milch scripted this badass pose
The Kelly Writers House recently announced its author lineup for Fellows this Spring. In case you’ve been holed up in Huntsman for so long that this doesn’t mean anything to you, KWH Fellows, one of the coolest things Penn has to offer, brings three authors to campus each Spring to participate in a course, readings, and discussions with the Penn community. Past fellows have included Joan Didion (The Year of Magical Thinking), David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day, When You Are Engulfed In Flames), Art Spiegelman (Pulitzer Prize winning comic book, Maus), and more.
This year our friends at the Writers House have really outdone themselves, and will welcome Joyce Carol Oates (What I Lived For, Blonde), Susan Howe (My Emily Dickinson), and David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood, John From Cincinnati). More info about the Fellows, courtesy of the KWH, after the jump.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to enroll in the class to get involved! All students have a chance to attend free readings and discussions with the authors by reserving spaces ahead of time, but boy do they go quickly! To avoid being like some of us, who watched the livestream of Joan Didion’s reading on a laptop from the porch of the Writers House, reserve your spot now by e-mailing whfellow@writing.upenn.edu.
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Let’s face it, we kids grew a lot this summer, and you know what that means: cargo khakis falling right at the ankle bone, lacy sleeves hardly covering second knuckles, and too-small shoes that have us tripping in more ways than one. Even the clothes that do still fit are teeming with out-of-style catch phrases and outdated cultural references. Donate it all to charity, student. We’re going shopping!
Tomorrow in Houston Hall, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CollegeSampleSale.com will be hosting, of all things, an enormous College Sample Sale. Details listed below, and even more details listed on the Facebook event listing.
- All merchandise under $100
- Jeans 2 for 1
- Shirts, pants, jeans, jackets, bathing suits and other new products, all 50-80% off and brand new
- Designers including Anlo, T-Bags, Joie, AKA, La Rok, Primp, 291 and more
Want to release your inner Bard before finals eat up your life? Celebrate the end of National Poetry Month by hitting up College Green this afternoon between 2 and 4 for an open-mic poetry jam. Fuel your massive crush on Exelano and cheer on local schoolchildren from the Heartspeak poetry-writing program, who will be reading their original works. It’ll be a sunny day on the Green, so where else would you rather be? (Hint: NOT HERE.)
Does post-Fling stress disorder have you running a bit slower than usual this week? Who cares when you can watch other people run? Penn Relays is happening on Franklin Field (Yes, where Akon stood almost one week ago) today through Saturday, but it’s free today and Friday when you show your Penn card. Oh, and did we mention food and games?
Event listings for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday can be found online or in yesterday’s issue of the DP.
College students just can’t seem to escape the reputation for loving free… well, anything. Time to prove them right. Today from 11-4 p.m., Collegepalooza ‘09 will be taking place on College Green. The e-mail promises “food, fun, t-shirts, lectures and performances. From clay throwing with Fine Arts, to freeze dried ice cream provided by Chemistry, to a Samba ensemble performance representing the Music department.” You can’t get any more College than this.
