Penn to stop awarding dean’s list recognition to undergraduate students

The dean’s list is an annual honor given to students based on academic performance during the fall and spring semesters

KATIE BARTLETT Staff Reporter

Penn announced that it will no longer award the dean’s list to undergraduate students effective July 1. The policy change is a result of “the shared belief that a dean’s list designation does not reflect the breadth and evolution of students’ academic achievements over the course of their education at Penn,” according to a message dated March 24 from Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein and Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen.

Spring 2023 will be the final semester for which dean’s list will be awarded, according to an email sent to students on Tuesday from administrators from Penn's four undergraduate schools. The administrators wrote that the list was redundant and does not capture how a student progresses during their time at Penn.

The dean’s list is an annual honor given to students based on academic performance during the fall and spring semesters. The award is given to any student who achieves a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, provided they also take a minimum of six credits, receive no grade lower than a C, and complete all classes on time.

The administrators wrote that members of the Penn community — including deans and student representatives from the Undergraduate Assembly

See DEANS LIST, page 3 advance a “colorblind” college application process that, historically, has been seen in conflict with the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law.

The current legal precedent has upheld the rights of schools to consider race as a contributing factor to admissions in higher education. University of Pennsylvania Carey Law professor Kermit Roosevelt said that the current case is “absurd” given this precedent.

“I think it would complete what’s been a project for a while, which is turning the Equal Protection Clause from a constitutional provision that prevents the government from inflicting inequality to one that prevents the government from promoting equality,” Roosevelt said.

In response to an interview request, Penn Carey law students and co-advocacy chairs of the Black Law Students Association Ty Parks and Devontae Torriente directed the DP to an opinion piece in The

See AFFIRMATIVE, page 6

Penn political groups divided on affirmative action, debate methods for diverse admissions

PAIGE RAWISZER Staff Reporter

Leaders of Penn’s undergraduate political organization are divided on how the Supreme Court and Penn should address affirmative action.

Politicians across the ideological spectrum have disagreed about the future of affirmative action ahead of the court’s ruling for two cases filed by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Democrats have encouraged the court to uphold affirmative action, while Republicans have urged the court to end the policy.

Members of the Young Democratic Socialists of America and Penn Democrats have pointed to how affirmative action policies should increase socioeconomic diversity in addition to racial diversity. College senior and member of YDSA Matthew Liu said in a statement sent to The Daily Pennsylvanian that affirmative action policies have increased racial diversity within admissions, but the policies have failed to recognize socioeconomic diversity within the admissions.

“Although affirmative action has resulted in increased access to elite universities for underrepresented minorities, Penn and other elite schools have remained almost exclusively composed of the wealthy and upper middle class,” Liu wrote. Penn Dems Diversity and Coalitions Chair and College junior Joy Olatunde echoed this sentiment about affirmative action overlooking socioeconomic status. She said that if affirmative action remains upheld by the court, it should encompass both race and socioeconomic status.

“While affirmative status should include race because of the problematic past that the United States has with obviously segregation and racist policies that have held African Americans back academically and financially, I think there should be more emphasis on students’ socioeconomic status, as well as race,” Olatunde said.

Olatunde added that students of lower socioeconomic statuses often cannot afford tutors and books, which can heavily impact which schools they can get into. Certain students also benefit from “extra boosts” in admissions, Olatunde said, such as legacy status and inclusion on the Dean’s interest list.

Expanding beyond the factors that contribute to admissions, Liu added that Penn and many of its

See POLITICAL , page 6