The absence of snow days affected the Drexel community this year as February began with two major snowstorms, during which most Philaldelphia businesses were closed. Drexel was no exception, with on-campus activities suspended, yet online classes continued as normal.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many students’ lives have changed over the last year. One of the most recent changes, new in this time of virtual learning, was the inability to disconnect from school and truly enjoy snow days. Drexel professors continued holding remote classes as normal and did not give students the day off, as instructed in the campus weather advisory issued by Drexel University on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The shortened nine-week term, paired with the fast-paced atmosphere at Drexel, could be credited.

“One of the big losses of virtual learning is the presumed absence of snow days,” said a Drexel University professor, who asked to remain anonymous. “If you’re like me, a good snowstorm feels much like a holiday. We should treat it as such.”

The heavy workload, along with extreme winter weather conditions, likely would have looked different before the pandemic, but in the age of online learning, classes can take place even during less-than-ideal circumstances. Regardless, many students were seen outside, playing in the snow, going to The Philadelphia Art Museum or other locations, and snowboarding or sledding at numerous parks, according to a report by 6ABC Philadelphia.

Some Drexel students were affected by not having a few days off, which computer science student Janaki Nair said was largely an inconvenience.

“I had one professor [who] extended our deadlines because of the snow days, but that was pretty much it,” Nair said. “Honestly, it was less inconvenient this time around because everything was remote. If you are living on your own and go grocery shopping by yourself, snow days probably caused a pretty big inconvenience, so having no wiggle room from professors could definitely make it worse.”

However, some instructors did elect to give students a snow day, and it was a welcomed gesture.

“When it snowed, my professors made it feel like a sense of normalcy,” Entertainment Arts Management student Madeline Avarese said. “Even though I am home, I still have a lot of time to catch up on my school work, so that just meant more time for me and more time to relax.”

The School District of Philadelphia adopted the same technique as Drexel, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia. On-campus activities were cancelled, with students expected to attend classes virtually. As the age of remote learning continues amid the pandemic, snow days may continue to look this way for the time to come.

Alison Beam, a Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law alumna was nominated on Jan. 22 to serve as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Department of Health.

Beam, who graduated from Drexel in 2013, previously served as PA Governor Tom Wolf’s Deputy Chief of Staff. Her appointment to the role comes after the departure of Dr. Rachel Levine, who was nominated by President Joe Biden as assistant health secretary.

In a statement from the Governor’s office, Beam is described as being a “talented public servant.” Prior to working for the Governor, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner and Director of Public Policy and Associate Counsel for Independence Health Group in Philadelphia.

Beam is being nominated for this role in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Case numbers in the U.S. are slowly on the decline, yet there are still many challenges facing the country, one of those being vaccine rollouts. “Alison knows that a strong, widely available, and successful vaccination strategy is the path out of the pains of this pandemic,” the statement reads. “Her foremost and immediate focus will be on strategic distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

The Governor’s office is not the only group praising Beam for her work and commitment to public health; Beam’s former law school professors have been reflecting on their experiences working with her. “Alison was one of the most energetic and engaged health law students I have taught at the law school,” Professor Robert I. Field said.

In a statement released by Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Beam acknowledged the role Drexel played in both her education and professional career. The school helped prepare her through what she describes as a “broad, yet deep, health law curriculum.” She also recognizes the role her instructors played in her educational experience.

Although she is awaiting confirmation, Beam has appeared in multiple interviews as well as press briefings on the pandemic alongside Governor Wolf — both recognizing the gravity of the situation Pennsylvania and the rest of the country is facing.

“This position is an opportunity to serve Pennsylvanians at a time of unprecedented crisis. Which also creates a path to reconstruct a better society than that which existed prior to the pandemic,” Beam said.

As the economic fallout of COVID-19 continues, Drexel’s Undergraduate Student Government Association has proposed the creation of a Student Stimulus Fund as well as a tuition freeze and reduction for the upcoming academic year.

Back in late 2020, the USGA encouraged students to fill out a petition in support of the proposal as well as their personal stories and testimonies about the effects of COVID on their lives. The petition has now reached just nearly 700 signatures and those who signed it have expressed just how bad the situation is for Drexel students and how much a little money would go a long way.

During fall term 2020, Drexel made some effort to recognize the financial struggles students were facing by implementing a tuition freeze. Federal CARES Act funding was also available for students in the form of emergency grants. The CARES Act funding was meant to cover expenses relating to food, housing, textbooks and so on. However, the USGA proposal emphasizes the importance of continuing such efforts during times of COVID and beyond.

The petition contained several components, asking students to sign in support of the proposal, to describe how their families have been affected by COVID, and how a tuition reduction and Student Stimulus Fund would assist them. The results showed that many students and their families are facing issues with job security and health-related costs.

Between spring 2019 and 2020, unemployment rates for individuals between ages 16-24 have tripled from 8.4 percent to 24.4 percent as a result of COVID-19. Drexel students in particular have been greatly affected by economic issues as most depend on their co-op salaries for financial support to pay for tuition, housing, and other costs.

“At Drexel specifically, the co-op employment rate dropped notably from its typical pre-pandemic 98 percent to 82 percent during the late March 2020 to mid-September 2020 (Spring/Summer) co-op cycle — as reported to USGA by the Steinbright Career Development Center,” USGA Student Body President Timothy Hanlon said in the formal proposal for the SSF and tuition reduction.

According to the proposal, co-op employment rates have still not fully recovered to their pre-COVID status.

In the proposal, Hanlon lays out how, in addition to lower co-op employment rates, the majority of Resident Assistants were laid off of their positions back in fall term given the low amount of students living in residence halls. Many work-study positions and other paid opportunities for students were similarly either completely cut or led to a reduction in hours, leaving most students without their normal source of income. In other words, students who were dependent on this income were deprived of the ability to work in the middle of a pandemic.

Hanlon also notes the economic effects of the pandemic on international students as well as students of color. The already-high tuition rates at American universities coupled with additional financial complications from the pandemic have led the enrollment of international students in the United States to dramatically drop in the past year. The pandemic has similarly highlighted some of the structural inequalities among the unemployment rate, as Black people and Asian people have disproportionately unemployed compared to their white counterparts.

The proposal’s argument further focuses on Drexel’s responsibility to its students as the university’s main source of revenue. As the university’s tuition rates were already high prior to the pandemic, it raises the question of whether Drexel will continue raising rates as an increasing number of students are forced to drop out from financial insecurity.

The Student Stimulus Fund, which is one of the proposed actions, would be an initiative separate from the already existing Student Emergency Fund, which provides a one-time payment of only up to $1,000 for an immediate hardship like an accident or emergency. The SSF would be designed to outlast COVID times and to be more flexible with reaching students where they are instead of dictating specific amounts or payments. “In terms of how the SSF would help students,” Hanlon said, “it was interesting to see that most people didn’t say it would cover lavishing costs but rather smaller recurring fees like groceries, medication, and textbooks.”

Behind the two proposals is the idea that students need these small changes not in order to profit off of them, but rather to help cover the cost of living and sustain themselves during unprecedented times. While it is unclear whether any action will be taken by Drexel following the proposal, it is evident that the SSF and the tuition reduction has popular support among the student body, and will likely be a huge part of future conversations at Drexel.

“My hope is that the fund we are looking to create does not just address pandemic era problems but lasts well beyond COVID-19 to continue addressing the needs of my peers,” Hanlon said. “By creating greater camaraderie we will better be able to address the immediate challenges and the aftermath of this pandemic along with issues that extend beyond.”

Once known as “America’s Mayor,” Rudy Giuliani was seen as a leader. Now, in 2021, his legacy is shadowed by his work as former President Donald Trump’s personal attorney; a role that has been scrutinized due to his lies, involvement with Ukraine and most recently his role in the Jan. 6 pre-insurrection rally that took place in Washington D.C. As a result, Drexel’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law Student Bar Association is calling for the removal of Giuliani’s honorary degree.

The letter, originally sent Jan. 23 to Drexel’s president John Fry and the Board of Trustees, cites Giuliani urging supporters of President Trump to engage in “trial by combat.” Something which Giuliani has since back-peddled, claiming it was a reference to a scene in the TV series “Game of Thrones.”
Aside from the urging to engage in “trial by combat,” the letter also implies that Giuliani’s honorary degree should be revoked due to his attempts to undermine democracy. As a result of Giuliani’s push of voter fraud lies, he is being sued by Dominion as well as other companies.

Since his role in the pre-insurrection rally, Giuliani, who declined to comment, has had other honorary degrees revoked. The New York Bar Association has opened an investigation into Giuliani.

Currently, Drexel University’s administration is looking into the matter involving the removal of Giuliani’s honorary degree. “A decision to rescind an honorary degree is not taken lightly and when these situations infrequently arise, we have a process that we follow,” Drexel University President John Fry said in an email to The Triangle. “The process to study and discuss rescinding Mr. Giuliani’s degree is underway but a decision hasn’t been made.”

Noelia Wiegand, a current 2L student at the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and a member of the Student Bar Association echoed the letter, believing that it is necessary to revoke Giuliani’s honorary degree.

“It is vital to see a result because this will send a strong message to our community that Mr. Giuliani’s behavior is unacceptable, and the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law is an institution that values integrity,” Wiegand said.

At this time, the Student Bar Association sees that the Drexel University administration is going in the right direction, if the situation were not to go in their favor, they will consider the next steps in the process.

For members of the Student Bar Association, this matter goes beyond a consequence for Giuliani’s involvement in an insurrection and his behavior serving as former-President Trump’s personal attorney, this is about upholding what it means to be an attorney, as well as what Drexel University upholds as their values.

“The purpose of the legal profession is to zealously advocate for the interests of others in the continuous effort for a more just society,” reads the letter. “By allowing Mr. Giuliani to continue with an honorary degree from our institution, we allow our name and our values as a community to be associated with a man, who time and time again, has intentionally and maliciously worked to undermine democracy and our democratic process.”

As law students await the decision from Drexel University’s administration, they hope that the school upholds the integrity and honor that they see as an enduring characteristic of Drexel University.

“I believe it is our responsibility as Americans to safeguard our democracy, and as individuals who pursue higher education, our duty to not be indifferent to actions taken by those who are working against it,” Wiegand said. “As we enter the professional legal field, it is paramount to send a clear message that moral character is important.”

The U.S. has been grappling with the coronavirus pandemic for a year. Schools have been closed off and on, remote learning has become the new normal as attempts to slow the spread of coronavirus on college campuses and surrounding communities. Recently, President Joe Biden has signed an executive order for the Department of Education to provide more guidance for college reopenings.

The executive order, which was signed on Jan. 21, 2021, directs the Department of Education to consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide “evidence based-guidance to institutions of higher education on safely reopening for in-person learning, which shall take into account considerations such as the institution’s setting, resources, and the population it serves.”

This step by the Biden administration differs from the Trump administration, whose main reopening plan was a push to have all schools open and ready to welcome students at the start of the school year. Now, still in the midst of a pandemic that has killed more than 470,000 people, there is an attempt being made to slow the spread.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) had previously issued guidelines for college reopenings, which focused on providing guidance that best suited each institution rather than an identical approach. Yet these guidelines were met with criticism from medical professionals such as Dr. Leana Wen. “On the one hand, it is true that there shouldn’t be a one size fits all solution because colleges are so different and are located in different areas…” Wen said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. “The federal government has the responsibility to do two things — one is to have a minimum set of requirements for safe reopening and the other is to have a way to collect real-time data.”

Dr. Wen also believes that there needs to be more guidance, something which the Biden administration aims to provide. The executive order instructs the Department of Education to create a “Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse” which would provide educational centers a way to provide information on the reopening process.

As for Drexel University, in a statement provided to The Triangle, President John Fry shared that “the University follows guidelines released by the CDC and works closely with city and state officials to ensure that we are fully complying with their guidelines.” He also stated that the university does adjust its guidelines based on the latest science-driven data.

An email regarding plans for the spring term at Drexel University was sent on Thursday to students, which echos similar messages members of the federal government have shared. Dr. Anthony Fauci has recommended wearing two masks since the discovery of deadlier strains of coronavirus. Even with the rollout of vaccines, it is still being recommended to social distance, wash hands and wear masks.

Even with guidelines changing, plans still being finalized and the urges to slow the transmission, President Fry still has one priority for the Drexel University community going forward. “Our top priority is the health and safety of our entire community,” President Fry said.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus and the resulting hardships which have ensued, the Drexel-founded company GoPuff has announced a new partnership. This program will offer students living in Drexel’s American Campus Communities buildings (including The Summit, University Crossings and Chestnut Square) free delivery on all of their products. In addition to Drexel, the program will be launching at ACC buildings on other local campuses, such as Temple and the University of Pennsylvania.

GoPuff is a mobile convenience storeconceived by then-business students Rafael Ilishayev and Yakir Gola during their freshman year at Drexel in 2013. Ilishayev and Gola used their freshman year to plan their new business; by their sophomore year, they were delivering to students from the back of their car. GoPuff works through an app that acts as an online Wawa-like convenience store. Users place their orders and, within an hour, GoPuff delivers the goods.

Since its launch, GoPuff has continued to widen its scope in terms of areas served, product offerings and philanthropic efforts. In addition to operating at Philadelphia colleges and universities, GoPuff has extended its reach to over 40 total institutions of learning, both independently and with its new ACC deal.

While GoPuff originally only delivered food and basic toiletries, it has now extended its reach during the pandemic to supply COVID-related items, such as KN95 masks, home COVID-19 test kits and other over-the-counter medical items. Over the past year, the GoPuff founders have made several donations to Drexel institutions, such as a scholarship to the Close School of Entrepreneurship and a new Torah for the Drexel Chabad.

While the pandemic spelled economic ruin for many companies, GoPuff used it as an opportunity for expansion, even before the ACC deal.

“As a college student, it’s so helpful to be able to get food and other items delivered straight to my apartment,” Drexel student Gabrielle Boskin, who recently discovered GoPuff, said. “I wish I used this at the start of the pandemic. It’s a game changer.”

For its part, ACC is thrilled by the new deal, which it has folded into its “Be safe. Be smart. Do your part.” program in its buildings with GoPuff’s contact-free delivery options.

The Philadelphia Department of Health decided to cease distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to Philly Fighting COVID, the biggest clinic the city had at the time, due to privacy policy changes. These changes allowed medical information to be sold after the organization became a for-profit Jan. 25.

Although Philly Fighting COVID, run by 22-year-old Drexel student Andrei Doroshin, has no direct ties with Drexel as an institution, many board members, staffers and volunteers were part of the Drexel community. Besides the CEO being a student, its chief science officer was Karol Osipowicz, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Psychology — and Doroshin’s academic advisor — and its head of systems was Johnathan Lawless, a Drexel alum (Class of 2019) whose main experience was his co-op experience with Johnson & Johnson.

Philly Fighting COVID began as a PPE nonprofit which made face shields for health care professionals using a 3D printer. Then, they began offering free COVID-19 testing opportunities to Philadelphians, including a testing center at the Fillmore (currently closed due to the pandemic) in Fishtown. However, the organization shifted its focus at the beginning of 2021 to COVID-19 vaccines, hosting the biggest vaccination center in the city at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said in a virtual press conference Jan. 26 that the Department of Health decided to suspend their vaccine distribution because Philly Fighting COVID’s new privacy clause was inappropriate. The Department of Health did not feel at that point that Philly Fighting COVID was a trustworthy organization.

Farley confirmed that PFC said they had not sold any information yet and that the City’s law department will make sure that does not happen.

“Up until that time they had vaccinated a lot of people, and so there was a lot of good that came out of that, but we found […] that having a trustworthy organization was very important and so that’s when we stopped,” Farley said. “At that point, as far as [private patient data], now the organization is saying that they have no intention of selling that information and haven’t done that yet.”

Farley also clarified that they were made aware of PFC’s shift to for-profit after it had occured, but he also said that this change was not the reason for the halt in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The Department of Health distributes the vaccine to other organizations, like the Rite Aid pharmacies, who are for-profit. The action that made PFC a non-trustable organization was the change of language in the privacy policy, Farley explained.

In response, PFC put a statement on their website addressing the stop of vaccine distribution from the City and the change in policy.

“There was a language in our privacy policy that was problematic and as soon as we became aware of it, we removed it. I apologize, for the mistake in our privacy policy,” wrote Andrei Doroshin, CEO of PFC and BS/MS Psychology student at Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement that also later shared on their Instagram. “We never have and never would sell, share or disseminate any data we collected as it would be in violation of HIPAA rules.”

However, there were other warning signs about Philly Fighting COVID. When the city announced its own vaccine-interest website, the health department revealed that they did not have access to the data that PFC had accumulated in their own registration website, WHYY reported. The organization also lost key demographic data after its first days of vaccinating, due to an Amazon cloud glitch.Additionally, when PFC began its vaccination operations, they unexpectedly ceased their testing operations, abandoning community groups who relied on them for free tests. According to WHYY, PFC said they stopped testing because of low demand.

Doroshin was later accused by an on-site nuse of taking vaccines outsides the clinic in another WHYY article published Jan. 26. That same day, the organization had already rejected a number of people over the age of 75 because the clinic was overbooked, the article reported. Additionally, WHYY had numerous sources saying they had seen images of Doroshin wearing a suit and holding a syringe before a seated person in what appears to be someone’s private residence. Philadelphia Magazine then reached out via text message to Doroshin regarding the allegations, to which he answered: “This is baseless, I have no idea why they are saying this.”

The same day the article went live, Health Commissioner Farley said that any leftover vaccines from clinics any day had to be returned to the Health Department.

However, on Jan. 28, Doroshin admitted in an interview with NBC’s “Today” that he took doses home, saying four were left over after the mass vaccination clinic. He said he and his team called everybody they knew and he had to take them because they were about to expire.

Doroshin admitted that he is not a nurse and is not qualified to give the vaccine, but stated that he had undergone their internal certifications.

“I stand by that decision. I understand I made a mistake [and] that is my mistake to carry for the rest of my life, but it is not the mistake of the organization,” Doroshin said in the Today interview.

Additionally, in a press conference organized by Doroshin Jan. 28, he said that 100 vaccines were leftover and would  expire by the end of that day. Doroshin said the entire PFC staff was calling everyone they knew, including people who had missed appointments earlier that day or during other days, and they were able to vaccinate 96 people. In the end, he decided to give the four vaccines left to other people he knew who were not eligible in the current vaccine phase. Doroshin said he thought it was ethical to put the vaccines to use instead of letting them go to waste.

“We’ve done more vaccinations than anybody in the city on a community level and this is what we get,” Doroshin said in his press conference. “The political reasons [that stopped distribution] are that there were some groups that were not happy that we got the vaccine first. They told Dr. Farley and he pulled the plug; nobody at the health department was happy about this. We had a good model, we were doing the job, we had quality.” Doroshin admitted there were some issues but “not ones to kick us out of the city and throw us out of the bus for.”

The Philadelphia Health Commissioner said he wishes the City had not worked with Philly Fighting COVID, but that PFC seemed like the best solution at the time.

Drexel President John Fry sent an email to the university community on Jan. 28 clarifying that this organization is unaffiliated with the University. The email assured that Drexel Universty had no involvement with the formation or management of PFC. He added that members of the City Council have called for an investigation into Philly Fighting COVID’s contract with the city, but Drexel is not a part of those investigations.

“Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions had made arrangements with Philly Fighting COVID earlier this month for Drexel nursing students to use their vaccination site for clinical rotations, but that never transpired,” Fry added in his email.

Similarly, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences sent an email statement on Jan. 29 clarifying the separation of Drexel from PFC.

On Feb. 3, Fry sent a more detailed email showing sentiment and solidarity towards how the situation impacted the community.

“All of us are deeply disappointed by the news about Philly Fighting COVID, founded and led by a Drexel graduate student, and its controversial collapse. We are very concerned about the potential for harm to the Philadelphia community by the abrupt withdrawal of badly needed coronavirus testing,” Fry wrote. “We are frustrated, as well, by the setback to the essential work of building trust in the COVID-19 vaccine — particularly for the Black and brown communities long wary of the medical establishment.”

Fry also expressed that, despite the mistakes of PFC, he believes that the majority of student enterprises from Drexel are responsible and characterized by generosity, creativity and respectful collaboration.

“The many faculty and students who volunteered for the city’s testing and vaccination efforts were selflessly giving of their time, with the understanding that they were working with this organization and the city to address a national and local crisis,” Fry added. “At the same time, we do need to look for ways to learn from the concerns raised by the Philly Fighting COVID experience, to continue to support and engage with our neighbors, and to rebuild any erosion of trust.”

Fry’s email reminded the community that there should be no room in Drexel’s campus culture for risk-taking that endangers ethical standards or causes harm to communities.  He also noted that the Drexel community should insist on anti-racist approaches in all enterprises, especially ones with a healthcare focus.

After the City broke off its partnership with Philly Fighting COVID, PFC deleted its list of staff from its website because staffers were being harassed, Doroshin said. However, some media outlets noted that the biographies of some staffers were used to bolster images, including Doroshin’s himself.

“The 22-year-old’s resume boasts of his C-suite endeavors: CEO of a real estate firm; CBO of a biomedical tech organization; a filmmaker. In high school, he says, he attempted to change Southern California air-quality legislation through a nonprofit called ‘Invisible Sea.’ Invisible Sea, however, raised only $684 of its $50,000 goal,” the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote.

When the Inquirer questioned Doroshin about his achievements, he responded, “I’m from Drexel, we all do that. Who didn’t when they were 22 to pump their resume up?”

The Health Department had originally decided to work with Philly Fighting COVID, despite PFC not being run by medical professionals. When questioned about the decision, Health Commissioner Farley said that the Department of Health had established a history with PFC after they provided testing services for the city for several months.

“In the beginning, we got a lot of doses at once to vaccinate healthcare workers, but we had to get a lot of home health aids, low-income workers who are unaffiliated with hospitals vaccinated quickly. So, we had that history with them for the testing services they had what looked like a good plan, and we had staff there at the initial site and the vaccination worked well,” Farley said. “We got 2,500 people vaccinated in two days and so, it looked at that time, like this was a success. This other information came subsequently.”

Farley also said that the city’s major medical institutions would be too busy vaccinating their own staff and handling surging COVID patients to be able to help on the community level. However, when pressed by WHYY reporters in a press conference, Farley admitted that he never actually asked for the hospitals’ help.

“The Health Department later clarified that, on a routine Dec. 22 call with the hospitals’ chief medical officers, emergency preparedness, and on-site vaccine management staff, a Health Department staff member asked if hospitals would be willing to vaccinate populations beyond their own staffs. Many health systems expressed openness to supporting vaccinations of other populations after their workforce had also been vaccinated. Farley was not on that call,” WHYY wrote.

Additionally, another nonprofit organization was offering testing services and was still waiting to begin vaccinations: the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium. This organization is composed of medical professionals and has been offering these services for the Black community for months. However, they just began vaccinations through a drive-thru service some days before PFC stopped working.

PFC’s unexpected collapse affected a lot of Drexel nursing, pre-med and medical students. Many of these students volunteered and saw this as a great opportunity to get invaluable experience in the testing and vaccination sectors during a worldwide pandemic. Now, they may be unable to use the experience in any job or school application materials due to the controversy.

“A lot of us just took it as a great opportunity for pre-med students and for nursing students. Honestly, at the time, it seemed really great,” said a Drexel student, who was able to volunteer at Philly Fighting COVID but decided to remain anonymous for this interview. “We got to help with registration, directing patients to where they were supposed to be, serving patients during their 15-minute intervals when they were being watched [after having the vaccine]. We also got to fill syringes under the supervision of an RN and the supervision of nursing professors at Drexel.”

This week, while investigations on PFC are underway, City Councilmember Cindy Bass took the unusual step of asking Mayor Jim Kenney himself to testify about the administration’s now-severed partnership with the group. However, Kenney denied, writing in a letter to Bass that he has “no unique knowledge that could assist City Council in its investigation.”

“I cannot recall a time that a sitting mayor has been subjected to questioning by a City Council committee investigating an issue,” Kenney wrote. “I share your frustration and disappointment regarding Philly Fighting Covid, and like you want to ensure all questions are answered in an expeditious manner. Philadelphians’ lives are at stake and we need to rebuild that trust immediately,’” the Inquirer reported.

Bass was among other Council members who participated in previous PFC events, like their grand opening at the Convention center.

Now, the Health Department is managing all patients who had vaccine appointments with PFC and were expecting their second shots. This week, they reopened the Convention Center for vaccine distribution.

Andrei Doroshin and Karol Osipowicz did not reply to The Triangle’s request for comment.

In his first few weeks as president, Joe Biden has made some promising changes for immigration reform. Biden overturned several of Trump’s anti-immigration policies, including undoing Trump’s “Muslim ban,” which blocked citizens from 12 predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, and stopping the funding of the southern border wall’s construction.

These policy changes indicate that Biden may follow through with other campaign promises, like significantly raising the refugee ceiling number.

Under Trump’s administration, the refugee ceiling number in fiscal year 2020 was 18,000, and Trump proposed that it be lowered to 15,000 in fiscal year 2021 — the lowest number since the establishment of the program in 1980. Of the 18,000 refugees who can legally resettle in the United States, only 11,814 refugees were actually resettled in fiscal year 2020. Biden has proposed, but not yet taken action, to raise the refugee ceiling number to 125,000 and establish a minimum admissions quota of 95,000 per fiscal year.

Although these changes are promising, the results will not be as immediate as passing these new policies. Hopefully, in addition to more accommodating immigration laws, Biden will also consider improving college access among undocumented students in the United States.

An undocumented student is someone who does not have citizenship, someone is not a permanent legal resident (or a green card holder), or someone with a temporary student visa. This means DACA students, who are temporarily protected from deportation, refugees who are in the process of legalizing their permanent residency status, people who entered the US without documentation, people who stayed past their visas expiration, people without a social security number, and many more are all considered undocumented. Approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year, and less than 50 percent of those who graduate high school are in or have attended college. Even fewer successfully graduate.

However, the primary obstacle in obtaining a degree is not a federal law prohibiting undocumented students from attending US institutions or acceptance to universities; it is federal laws declaring them ineligible for financial aid.

The median annual family income of undocumented families in the United States is less than $36,000. According to a survey of undocumented students at universities in California, 96 percent of students reported that they worried about not having enough money, and 59 percent struggled with food insecurity.

In addition to ineligibility for federal aid, policies regarding tuition and aid from specific institutions are unclear in many states. Only 20 states — California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Oklahoma and Rhode Island — offer in-state tuition to undocumented students or have state university systems offering state financial assistance. Six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri and South Carolina — have state-wide policies prohibiting undocumented students from enrolling in public colleges.

The remaining states, including Pennsylvania, do not have any state-wide legislations or systems regarding higher education accessibility for undocumented students. This means that, in those states, each institution creates their own policies, which leads to undocumented students often being charged out-of-state, or even steeper international rates, even if they can prove they have been long-time residents. Being charged out-of-state tuition, not to mention international fees, is the determinant for many undocumented students in terms of the ability to go to college.

For private institutions, like Drexel University, this is different. Even if Pennsylvania had established state-wide policies, private universities would make their own determinations concerning undocumented students, and most private universities in the United States consider undocumented students as international students, with various reasonings behind the decision.

The reason undocumented students at Drexel may be misconstrued by the public as international students is because, when reporting university numbers to state, federal or other organizations, the student population is split into two categories: U.S. citizens (which include permanent legal residents) and non-U.S. citizens (which include international and undocumented students).

At Drexel University specifically, any international and undocumented students are offered support from the International Scholars Student Services — not because they are considered international students, but because   ISSS offers students support in obtaining student visas. For international students, a visa is necessary, but for DACA and other undocumented students, the choice is theirs.

The application process for undocumented students is generally the same as any other (excluding the FAFSA and any other federal aid applications) at Drexel University and across the U.S.

Drexel’s application process requires all students fill out the Common Application or the Coalition application, the CSS profile and the FAFSA if eligible. When going through the admissions process, a student’s status does not influence an admission decision.

“Drexel is committed to access for students regardless of their status,” said Evelyn Thimba, Senior Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions and Enrollment Manager at Drexel University. Because applications are submitted through the Common App and the Coalition app, students are required to answer a question concerning citizenship. Students should be honest about the legality of their status, but undocumented students can self-identify as “US Nationals” or “Other.”

Application reviewers go through bias training to ensure that a student’s citizenship status is not part of the review board’s criteria. The only time a student’s status is taken into consideration is during ISSS’s initial offers for visa-securing assistance and when undocumented students apply for co-ops, some of which require applicants to be a U.S. citizen.

When considering students for financial aid, a student’s status is not a factor either. All students who apply are considered for need- and merit-based aid, which is integral to enrolling in and completing undergraduate education at Drexel, as the average tuition is over $52,000 per year, not including room and board.

Merit aid is offered by Drexel directly. Drexel is one of less than 500 schools in the United States that accepts the CSS profile, which is a private scholarship service that undocumented students can fill out to potentially cover their financial need for those who are ineligible for the FAFSA.

Additionally, as a private institution, Drexel offers its students aid directly from the institution. According to the University website, Drexel offered financial support to 95 percent of its full-time students, with an average of over $30,000 in aid, and approximately $16,000 in aid for transfer students. It is important to note that this includes federal, state and institutional aid.

However, according to Thimba, the amount of federal and state aid is significantly less than Drexel’s direct contribution. This past year, Drexel’s contribution to student aid was over $300 million in student investment. There are no Drexel scholarships for undocumented students specifically, but the direct aid the institution offers is considered generous in comparison to other institutions in the U.S.

The transition to higher education can be far more emotionally and financially stressful for undocumented students looking to further their educations. Biden’s immigration policies may make entering and remaining in the United States easier, but future policies could also focus on ensuring undocumented students can attend and pay for a full college experience.

Drexel University can decide to be more public about its support for all undocumented students, not just those protected by DACA. Drexel administration has stated clearly online that they support DACA and Dreamers at the University. However, there is no mention of undocumented students that are not eligible for DACA, which leaves more than half of undocumented students (about 216,000) unmentioned.

Drexel’s Office of Veteran Student Services and the Drexel Veterans Task Force teamed up with the Department of Public Safety last November and December to honor military members by preparing care packages during Military Family Appreciation Month.

An annual event, the military care package drive looked different this year, according to Jane Kelly, police accreditation manager in the Department of Public Safety.

“This year, we were faced with some challenges with [Drexel’s] campus being closed, and the safety concerns of the pandemic,” Kelly said. “Needless to say, the community and the Public Safety team rallied together to make it another successful event.”

Packages full of socks, travel-sized toiletries, candies, playing cards, paper, pens, crackers, gum, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, grooming products and more were sent to 110 members of the armed forces.  Many recipients were family members or friends of Drexel community members or former Drexel students.

“Many of us here in [the Department of] Public Safety reached out to our family and friends to spread the word, and the donations for our military were overwhelming,” Kelly said.

Included in many of the care packages were handmade cards and notes created by local children, Kelly said. Through the event, eight additional care packages were prepared for military canines, filled with dog shampoo, bowls and other items, some of which were provided by Drexel’s Therapy Dogs.

This year, the Public Safety team safely assembled packages while following necessary COVID-19 precautions, Kelly said. In a typical year, the annual packing event includes a large partnership between students, Drexel Veterans Task Force members, and other members of the Drexel community.

To many in Public Safety and other departments of the University, the annual military care package event is an important tradition.

“For me, personally, coming from a military family, I know the importance of receiving one of these care packages, especially around the holidays when our military men and women are away from home and their families,” Kelly said. “I currently have two nephews and a niece serving in the military. When my nephew was deployed, he would often ask us to send extra items so he [could] include those who seldom receive any mail or support from home. He made it a point to make sure no one was left out.”

A collaborative effort between students, faculty, professional staff and alumni, the military care package event demonstrates what it means to be a Drexel Dragon, fulfills the University’s mission of civic engagement and honors members of the military.

“This event has evolved over the years and some of our student-veterans who participate … often state how much it meant to them to be a recipient of a care package while serving or [being] deployed,” said Kelly.

“Many of us here in Public Safety connect closely with this particular campus goodwill mission,” Kelly said. “Several staff members are veterans, themselves, or have family members who have served or are currently serving. Chief of Police [Eileen] Behr has always been very supportive of our partnership with our Drexel military-connected community.”

Students looking to get involved with this military care package event can look for information shared by the University each year approaching the holidays. According to Kelly, several collection locations are often set up, and many volunteers are needed to pack, seal and load boxes for transport.

“It is a great event to meet fellow Drexel Dragons and show our support for our military community,” Kelly said.

Although this is event only once every year, Kelly says there are several service efforts through the Department of Public Safety that all members of the Drexel community can be a part of.

“These events include “Badges and Backpacks,” a program to supply students in the West Philadelphia community with new backpacks and school supplies; “Camp Out for Hunger,” an annual event to collect canned goods for Philabundance; “Hearts for the Families,” a collection of needed pantry items for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House; and the annual Community Day, an event providing books and DVDs for the kids and families in the West Philadelphia neighborhoods,” Kelly said. “Chief Behr encourages all of us to seek out opportunities to become involved in the community.