University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn or UPenn, although the former is the preferred and recognized nickname of the University) is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fifth oldest institution of higher education in the U.S., it is also a member of the Ivy League. Penn is considered to be a leader in the sciences, the humanities, law, medicine, education, engineering and business http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php.

Traditions

Toast throwing

As a sign of school pride, crowds of Quaker fans perform a unique ritual. After the third quarter of football games, spirited onlookers unite in the singing of "Drink a Highball." In years long past, students would literally make a toast to the success of Penn's athletic teams. During Prohibition, stubborn students insisted on keeping their tradition - since they could not use alcohol, they had no choice but to literally "toast" Penn. As the last line, "Here's a toast to dear old Penn," is sung, the fans send toast hurling through the air onto the sidelines. Also, in more recent years, some students have become more creative in their choice of projectiles, and it is not rare to see a hail of bagels or donuts, or even a loaf of French bread come flying down from the stands. The Penn athletic department even owns a toast "Zamboni," created by an Engineering student as a Senior Project, which looks like a miniature version of the ice shaver of the same name. It is used to clean up all the toast, of which there is often quite a lot.

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Befriending Ben

Penn students show love to the founder of their school, Benjamin Franklin, by paying special attention to the statues and monuments throughout campus. Students and tourists often take pictures sitting on Ben's lap or in other fun and friendly poses.

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Goal post tossing

In past years, the Penn Quakers have won the Ivy League championship, sending the jubilant fans into a frenzy. In celebration, the fans ripped down the goal posts and tossed them into the Schuylkill River. This is one Penn tradition that the administration hopes is short-lived.

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Econ scream

At midnight on the eve of the first Microeconomics 001 midterm, students ease their frustrations by participating in a campus-wide shout! Some brave students have even been known to streak through the Quad . . .

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Class Day and Hey Day

In April, several class traditions are celebrated. Class Day, which began in 1865 to supplement the final graduation exercises, celebrates the progression of all classes and the departure of the seniors. In 1916, this day merged with Straw Hat Day and became the "day of two events." In 1931, Hey Day arose from these two celebrations. On this day, the juniors gather on Hill Field for a picnic, don straw "skimmers" and canes, and march triumphantly through campus. The procession tradition began in 1949. When the procession reaches College Hall, the students make an arch with their canes to greet the President of the University. The outgoing and incoming senior class presidents then give speeches, and the juniors are "officially" declared seniors. In recent years, the current senior class pelts the juniors with shaving cream, chocolate sauce, flour, painful vinegar, and other condiments.

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The compass

Showcasing their superstitious side, Penn students avoid stepping over the tiled compass on the scenic Locust Walk. Supposedly, the compass serves to guide freshmen through their first year; stepping on will put a student in danger of failing midterms or finals. According to popular myth, the only way for a freshman to reverse the "curse" is to have sex under the sculpture of a button in front of the Van Pelt library.

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The Button

It is an oft-proclaimed goal of Penn undergraduates to have sex underneath the large split-button sculpture in front of Van Pelt library sometime before they graduate.

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Ivy Day

One of the oldest Penn traditions is Ivy Day, when the graduating class plants ivy by a building, and an "Ivy Stone" is placed on the building to commemorate the occasion. In 1981, the day was officially moved to the Saturday before Commencement. Also on this day, the prestigious Spoon, Bowl, Cane, and Spade awards are given, honoring four senior men; and the Hottel, Harnwell, Goddard, and Brownlee awards are presented to honor four senior women. During the celebration, a noted individual who is chosen by the class gives an address. Recent Ivy Day addresses have been presented by Penn Parent Joan Rivers, former Philadelphia Mayor and current Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell, and basketball player Julius Erving

Related Topics:
Harnwell - Joan Rivers - Ed Rendell - Julius Erving

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"...Brooowwn..."

Penn students have a special version of the school anthem (not to be confused with alma mater), "The Red and The Blue" which is sang only during confrontation with Ivy League rival Brown University

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Lingo

• DPS - Acronym for what the staff at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania calls Drunk Penn Students.
• Hup - H.U.P., Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where aforementioned DPS end up
• Quaker - somebody affiliated with Penn
• DP - The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's free daily newspaper
• The Walk - Locust Walk, the campus' central pedestrian thoroughfare and social artery of the undergraduate body
• FroGro - Fresh Grocer, the 24-hour supermarket on the northwestern corner of Penn's campus.
• TriDi - The Triangle Diner (now defunct), replaced with Tony Luke's Sandwiches
• Flungover - a play on the oft-suffered hangover when it occurs during Spring Fling
• The Dueling Tampons - an enormous red metal sculpture outside the high-rises
• Ghettomagic - The now-defunct movie theater Cinemagic, formerly infamous for its dilapidated facilities
• Smoke's - Smokey Joe's, a popular bar on 40th Street
• Whore-ton - derogatory (in jest) moniker for Wharton used by non-Wharton students.
• Steiny-D - Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, former home of the Wharton School of Business
• ABP - Au bon Pain, the café chain fondly known for its sheer multitude of locations inside Wharton buildings
• The Old Guard - Alumni who have graduated more than 50 years ago
• Stwinger - A Penn student who has lived in the Science & Technology Wing (STwing) residential program, and is inevitably a fantastic geek
• Baby Quad - The small southeastern section of the Quadrangle that looks like a miniaturized verison of the rest
• Superblock - old name for the large city block containing Penn's three residential high-rise buildings
• M&T - A student enrolled in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, earning a degree from the Wharton School and the School of Engineering. The epitome of the overworked student
• J.Ro - Nickname for former Penn president Judith Rodin
• The Nipple - The circular southwestern corner of the Quad, which when viewed from a map bears resemblance to a human nipple. This is also the location used to smuggle alcohol into the Quad during Spring Fling
• Penntrification/McPenntrification - term used to describe Penn's attempts at expanding Penn's campus and gentrification of West Philadelphia. Derogatory if used by locals, neutral/positive if used by most of the student body
• The Death Star - nickname for Jon M. Huntsman Hall, for its huge scale, partially round shape, and being home to the Wharton School
• Jewniversity of Pennsylasia - playful (non-derogatory) nickname for the University of Pennsylvania, derived from Penn's historically high population of Jewish and Asian students in relation to peer institutions