Because you are what you eat, I made this guide containing important information and my opinions on all the Drexel University dining halls, defined as any Campus Dining location that accepts meal swipes. Every first-year Drexel resident is required to purchase an All-Access dining plan. Exceptions can be requested for various medical, religious or dietary restrictions. Drexel Campus Dining offers a registered dietician to assist students with special dietary concerns. It is important to note that while an All-Access dining plan contains unlimited meal swipes, a meal swipe can only be used once every thirty minutes. There are three locations that accept meal swipes: Urban Eatery, Handschumacher Dining Center and the Cafe at the Perelman Center for Jewish Life.

Urban Eatery

Located on 34th and Lancaster Streets, Urban Eatery is the only dining hall open all week and for all meals. In the morning, it will offer bagels with whipped cream cheese, oatmeal, yogurt and fruits, scrambled eggs, waffles, pancakes, sausages, turkey bacon, potatoes or hashbrowns and an omelet station. From my experience, the bagel is a good option, and the pancakes are always reliable. The omelets may be a little greasy, but they are cooked to your liking with fresh ingredients. The scrambled eggs, however, always taste like plastic. I would recommend taking boiled eggs instead if they are offered. Dessert choices are usually donuts on Mondays, muffins or other pastries.

For other meals, diners can pick between sandwiches, pizza, salad, burgers or chicken. The salad bar is quite extensive. The burger line is always long, and while they often have few ingredients, they can be the only palatable option for a meal. The chicken, on the other hand, is always greasy and drier than the Sahara Desert, no matter what form it takes. The only exception is the grill station which serves either chicken pasta or chicken quesadilla depending on the day. They are simply greasy but not dry. To get a little variety, diners are given the option to choose from fried chicken and rice, chicken nuggets or a chicken sandwich. Take some fries to go along with it for some extra grease! Dessert options include pies and cakes.

Handschumacher Dining Center

The Handschumacher Dining Center is located on Chestnut Street across from the Papadakis Integrated Science Building. Hans is an excellent option relative to Urban Eatery, but it is only open on weekdays.

Breakfast mostly has the same items as Urban Eatery with a few important differences: Hans pancakes are cooked fresh and usually have toppings like chocolate chips or blueberries. Hans also offers real bacon instead of turkey bacon and sometimes has interesting combinations of eggs with other breakfast ingredients. Especially for students with morning classes near the Academic Quad, Hans can be a hidden gem!

Lunch at Hans certainly offers better, healthier options than Urban, but the routine can get boring throughout the year. There is always a station where diners can build their own bowls. Typically, they are hummus bowls, but burrito bowls and poke bowls have also been offered. There is also a fried food station that offers chicken tenders, cheesesteaks, grilled cheese sandwiches and fries. Despite being all-you-care-to-eat, Hans usually serves small portions at this station, and diners must get back in line for seconds. There is usually also a salad bar, made-to-order pasta, pizza, Southern food (described as comfort food by the station label) and a meat and veggies station. The real treat of Hans, however, is the dessert bar offering strawberry shortcakes, brownies, cookies and fresh smoothies and acai bowls. To shake things up, Hans has been participating in Sustainable Fish Fridays, where the pasta station temporarily transforms into a mini gourmet seafood station. In the past, Sustainable Fish Fridays has served linguini with oysters and rainbow trout. Make sure to arrive at eleven!

For dinner, Hans transforms from a normal dining hall to the Drop. To order from the Drop, students have to order a takeout meal on Grubhub. Options include a drink, a choice of side and an entree of burritos, salads, burgers and chicken tenders. Wait times can be long, so make sure to order ahead of time. The Drop sometimes hosts events like bingo or trivia night and offers prizes like free Grubhub credits and swag to winners.

The Cafe at the Perelman Center for Jewish Life

Located on 34th and Cherry Streets, Perelman is a hidden gem that accepts meal swipes and is the closest dining hall to the residence halls. Although it is the Center for Jewish Life, all students are welcome to eat, study and relax. Importantly, Perelman serves only kosher certified food to meet Jewish dietary needs. Because the food must be kosher certified, all food is catered from kosher restaurants, so it is guaranteed to have some level of quality control that Aramark, the company contracted to service Drexel’s dining locations, does not have. Make sure to stop by for lunch on Monday for sushi! Unfortunately, the Cafe at Perelman is only open Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner, and its design necessitates a to-go model rather than an all-you-care-to-eat model. 

In an exclusive interview with The Triangle on Wednesday, July 3, current Drexel University president and incoming Temple University president-elect John Fry expanded upon his decision to leave Drexel. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Sophia Mattia: Why are you leaving your position at Drexel?

John Fry: This has really been agonizing. I love Drexel. I just started my 15th year on Monday and there’s a time where you feel like you’ve given everything you have to give. The average tenure I think for a University president now is five and a half years. I think I’ve been able to do much better than that and do so with so much commitment and energy. I really do love the place. I’ve never had a bad day at Drexel. But, personally, I’m 64 years old. I would like to be able to have one more institution that I impact and if I’m going to do that, the time is probably now. It’s for very personal reasons. 

I can tell you this was really not an easy decision. I spent the last three days, I probably talked to over 250 people from Drexel, just thanking them for their incredible work and their support and their friendship and it was really hard to do. The way I think about this is Drexel has been so compelling to me and now I look at another compelling institution like Temple. I feel like I have one more opportunity to do something meaningful, running a university that is also in my hometown, and that has a lot to do with it. We all love Philly. I raised my kids here. We’re so happy here. The opportunity to be involved with yet another Philadelphia institution — and beyond Drexel I used to work at Penn — just feels like a great next step for me. 

SM: What are your goals for Temple during your presidency?

JF: I’d say there’s short-term, the things that I would want to do right away, and there are long term things. The first short-term goal is to really get to know the Temple University and Temple Health community and the neighbors in North Philadelphia. Just to really sort of understand at the university, in the health system and in the neighborhoods, what are people’s priorities? What do they care about? What do they think Temple as a whole can do for them individually, but for the community collectively? I think always the best way to start one of these jobs is just to listen and get to know people and to absorb what the environment is all about. 

The second thing would be to focus immediate attention on campus and neighborhood safety and Temple has commissioned a report from former Police Commissioner Ramsey, it’s called 21CP. That’s his company and they went through an extensive analysis of all the things that Temple could do to improve campus and neighborhood safety. They’ve implemented many of those things — enhancing the police force and lighting, making sure there’s good feedback and advisory groups in place from students. 

I’m familiar with this because we did this in the summer of 2020. We also hired Charles Ramsey at Drexel. He also provided a 21CP report. We’ve implemented those recommendations. We hired Chief Singleton to help lead us forward and I think we’ve had really good results. I think Temple was incredibly smart to do what they did and what I want to do is really sort of get to know not only the strategy, but the people, the officers, the security guards, the people who support campus safety administratively, especially the Vice President for Public Safety and really see what I can do to support their work. 

The third would be to begin to work with the enrollment team to look at their plans for both stabilizing and enhancing enrollment and maybe to bring some of my experience in that regard to the table, not only the undergraduate freshmen recruitment, but also graduate recruitment, online, and their international strategy. Also domestically, how do you spread the word about Temple? Those would be some of the immediate things that I would do.

Longer term, two things in particular. One is once I understand the institution better, making plans for investing in academic excellence, in student success, in employee development. How can we enhance this university in terms of what its people do and how do we give them the optimal amount of support to do so? Those kinds of investments. Also an emphasis on philanthropy. Temple in 10 years will be 150 years old. That’s a perfect way of creating a context for saying,  as we approach 150 years since the founding, what are the types of investments that Temple deserves from its alumni, its friends, its foundations, corporations and others who support it?

SM: How do you think Drexel and its future are going to be affected by you leaving your position? 

JF: I think that if I pride myself on one thing it’s that I’ve spent so much time building an amazing team so I’d really like to think and I think this is a fair statement that when I do go over to Temple — and we haven’t determined that date yet — it will be sad for me and my colleagues who are also my friends, but mostly it’ll be smooth. We have such capacity and depth in our administration. We also have an amazing board who I’ve worked so closely with and who my team works so closely with and between the depth and talent in the administration and the depth and the commitment of the board I feel like yes, they will miss me initially, but it is such an amazing institution. It will be so attractive to people who want to be its next president. I feel like all is going to go well. I’m already preparing my team for that transition. 

SM: Are there any new candidates in mind for who will fill your position that you can speak about?

JF: No, it’s so early. I’m honestly still digesting all this news and I think what’s going to happen is our chair Rich Greenwalt is going to identify a search committee. I know he’s working on that right now. He’s also going to select a search firm and I know they’re working on that right now. I suspect this effort will start up very soon so we can get a jump on the recruitment season. It’s always good to get a jump because you tend to get the better candidates that way. I think this search is going to start quickly. I think it’s going to move very expeditiously and there’s gonna be a ton of people who are going to be interested in competing to be Drexel’s next president. Obviously no one knows better than me what the benefits of that job are and so I’ll of course be on hand if they need me to help in any way. I don’t think there’s going to be any shortage of great candidates. I am sure that the next president of Drexel is going to be an absolute star. 

SM: What do you feel is your biggest lasting impact on Drexel?

JF: I think I’m proud maybe of two things. The first is that early on in my tenure at Drexel, almost from the start, I wanted to prioritize student success. I felt like we were recruiting classes, but I’m not sure how well we were supporting those classes from everything from financial aid, to advising, to counseling, to better spaces for them to live and all the other things that make for a well-rounded student experience. Also, really trying to make it easier for students to do the things that they wanted to do and to make it not burdensome administratively. I don’t think we’ve succeeded on all those fronts completely, but I do think that the Drexel we have today versus before is much more focused on the success of students, and taking barriers out of their way and being much more generous with financial aid, and really trying to do everything we can to make the campus experience and also the co-op experience much better. I’m really proud. I’m proud of that, how we’ve leaned into that and I hope we’ve made some real progress.

The other thing I’m really proud of is the way we’ve really engaged in meaningful ways with our neighbors around so many issues that they really felt were lacking at Drexel in terms of the civic work that is now in place through the Dornsife Center, through the Lindy Center, through the new Powel Science Leadership Academy Middle School. All the things we’ve done to try to make our neighbors really feel part of our university and in doing so to create an environment for our students especially and our faculty, to also work with neighbors on really complicated challenges, particularly urban challenges. If you take a look at the level of engagement between Drexel students and faculty with our neighbors in Powelton Village and Mantua and West Powelton, it’s been very very significant. It’s something I’m really personally proud of because Anthony J. Drexel didn’t set up Drexel to be a sort of institution like an ivory tower. He set it up in the middle of the city and wanted it to have extensive connections to surrounding neighborhoods and to the city of Philadelphia. I feel like in many ways we may have realized some of those aspirations during my time at Drexel and that work will carry on. It’s strong. It’s significant. It’s meaningful, and I think it helps a lot of people. 

SM: Do you have any last parting words for the student body of Drexel?

JF: You guys are so talented and so amazing and so humane in terms of the things that you do. I will really miss you dearly. It’s always been the best part of my experience at Drexel just watching what our students do with the things that we’ve given them, but especially with the things that they’ve just started themselves and just sort of figured it out. They’re just so resilient. 

The other thing I would want to convey is, thank you for being so constructive. In all my office hours and all the things I’ve dealt with students over years, very rarely did I get a complaint without a recommendation. Drexel students are unfailingly constructive. They have criticisms. They think we can do things better and they’re right. But, they always have a proposal along with the criticism and I can’t tell you how much that means to me because I always feel like after a conversation like that, I walk away having a pretty good idea of what I need to, as opposed to just being criticized. That’s important. That shows their level of maturity and I think as a result our university has gotten better because we’ve had so many students working constructively to help us do so. 

On Wednesday, July 3 at 9:56 a.m., Drexel President John Fry announced his decision to end his presidency at Drexel and accept a new role as president of Temple University in an email to the Drexel community.

“This job has been the honor of my professional life, and I am profoundly grateful to all of you who have made it possible,” said Fry in his email. 

Fry acknowledged the R-1 university that Drexel has developed into during his 14 year tenure as president. 

“Drexel is now Philadelphia’s go-to for talent, expertise, and collaborative partnerships,” stated Fry. However, he also expressed how his presidency at Drexel affected him personally. “And along the way, you pushed me and made me a better president and a better person.” 

Fry also thanked the Drexel community for its impact on the university during his tenure. “I am so proud of what we have achieved together over the last 14 years, and I look forward to personally thanking you all for all that you have done to make Drexel a stronger, more competitive, and more humane and civically engaged university.”

Drexel University Board of Trustees Chair Rich Greenwalt explained the process of selecting a new president for Drexel in an email to Drexel community at 10:13 a.m., “In the coming weeks, we will form a search committee to recruit the 15th president in Drexel’s 132-year history. And I will provide timely updates about the search as details become available.” 

The Temple Board of Trustees also announced its decision to appoint Fry as the 15th president of Temple University in a press release to the Temple community. 

“Fry’s appointment was confirmed by a vote of the Board of Trustees following a comprehensive national search overseen by the Presidential Search Advisory Committee and informed by a robust community engagement process,” stated the press release. 

Fry will assume his new role as Temple president as soon as new leadership is found for by the Drexel Board of Trustees. He will succeed Temple President Richard Englert and late former Temple President JoAnne Epps. 

“I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve as the 15th President of Temple University, a globally recognized, mission-driven R1 university. Temple stands as a cornerstone of our region’s vitality — a vibrant and accessible anchor institution that provides transformative opportunities and positively impacts countless lives through its mission,” stated Fry in response to his election. He also acknowledged his time serving as Drexel’s president. “I also want to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for the entire Drexel University community, where I will continue to serve until our Board of Trustees has named new leadership.” 

Temple Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell L. Morgan feels confident in Fry’s abilities and believes that Fry is who Temple needs moving forward. 

“John Fry embodies the experiences and qualities that our community said they were looking for in the university’s 15th president,” said Mitchell in the press release. Mitchell also highlighted how the city of Philadelphia would benefit from Fry taking leadership at Temple. “After decades of positively impactful work in higher education and economic and community development, this appointment is also a win for the City of Philadelphia as John now brings his experience and a fresh vision to Temple University.”

As Temple’s incoming president, Fry will be leading an institution larger than Drexel with “17 schools and colleges, eight campuses, more than 600 academic programs, over 30,000 students, 8,700 faculty and staff, and nearly 360,000 living alumni,” stated the press release. 

During his presidency at Temple, Fry will also “oversee Temple Health – one of the region’s top academic health systems driving medical advances through clinical innovation, pioneering research and world-class education.” 

Temple is looking forward to how Fry’s higher education experience can benefit the future of the University.

The Triangle will be interviewing President Fry regarding this announcement later today. 

On Wednesday, July 3 at 9:56 a.m., Drexel President John Fry announced his decision to end his presidency at Drexel and accept a new role as president of Temple University in an email to the Drexel community.

“This job has been the honor of my professional life, and I am profoundly grateful to all of you who have made it possible,” said Fry in his email. 

Fry acknowledged the R-1 university that Drexel has developed into during his 14 year tenure as president. 

“Drexel is now Philadelphia’s go-to for talent, expertise, and collaborative partnerships,” stated Fry. However, he also expressed how his presidency at Drexel affected him personally. “And along the way, you pushed me and made me a better president and a better person.” 

Fry also thanked the Drexel community for its impact on the university during his tenure. “I am so proud of what we have achieved together over the last 14 years, and I look forward to personally thanking you all for all that you have done to make Drexel a stronger, more competitive, and more humane and civically engaged university.”

Drexel University Board of Trustees Chair Rich Greenwalt explained the process of selecting a new president for Drexel in an email to Drexel community at 10:13 a.m., “In the coming weeks, we will form a search committee to recruit the 15th president in Drexel’s 132-year history. And I will provide timely updates about the search as details become available.” 

The Temple Board of Trustees also announced its decision to appoint Fry as the 15th president of Temple University in a press release to the Temple community. 

“Fry’s appointment was confirmed by a vote of the Board of Trustees following a comprehensive national search overseen by the Presidential Search Advisory Committee and informed by a robust community engagement process,” stated the press release. 

Fry will assume his new role as Temple president as soon as new leadership is found for by the Drexel Board of Trustees. He will succeed Temple President Richard Englert and late former Temple President JoAnne Epps. 

“I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve as the 15th President of Temple University, a globally recognized, mission-driven R1 university. Temple stands as a cornerstone of our region’s vitality — a vibrant and accessible anchor institution that provides transformative opportunities and positively impacts countless lives through its mission,” stated Fry in response to his election. He also acknowledged his time serving as Drexel’s president. “I also want to express my deepest gratitude and admiration for the entire Drexel University community, where I will continue to serve until our Board of Trustees has named new leadership.” 

Temple Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell L. Morgan feels confident in Fry’s abilities and believes that Fry is who Temple needs moving forward. 

“John Fry embodies the experiences and qualities that our community said they were looking for in the university’s 15th president,” said Mitchell in the press release. Mitchell also highlighted how the city of Philadelphia would benefit from Fry taking leadership at Temple. “After decades of positively impactful work in higher education and economic and community development, this appointment is also a win for the City of Philadelphia as John now brings his experience and a fresh vision to Temple University.”

As Temple’s incoming president, Fry will be leading an institution larger than Drexel with “17 schools and colleges, eight campuses, more than 600 academic programs, over 30,000 students, 8,700 faculty and staff, and nearly 360,000 living alumni,” stated the press release. 

During his presidency at Temple, Fry will also “oversee Temple Health – one of the region’s top academic health systems driving medical advances through clinical innovation, pioneering research and world-class education.” 

Temple is looking forward to how Fry’s higher education experience can benefit the future of the University.

The Triangle will be interviewing President Fry regarding this announcement later today. 

On the morning of June 28, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that current Drexel University president John Fry is likely to be leaving his post to become the president at Temple University.

In Sept. 2023, Temple announced it would be conducting a search for its next president following the resignation of former president Jason Wingard. According to the Inquirer, the search could be coming to an end. Their sources indicate that Fry was the presidential selection committee’s unanimous choice.

President Fry took his current position at Drexel in 2010. During his tenure, he has overseen a number of construction projects, including academic buildings and public-facing projects, such as the ongoing development of Schuylkill Yards in conjunction with the Brandywine Realty Trust. He has also coordinated Drexel’s affiliation with the Academy of Natural Sciences, as well as leading the university through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fry’s presidency has faced criticism from students, particularly in recent years. Notably, Drexel’s financial investments were challenged by pro-Palestinian protesters at the spring’s encampment, and last year’s 35-day sit-in at Main Building protested Drexel’s ties to the destruction of the UC Townhomes, an affordable housing complex in University City. The University has also faced declining enrollment, particularly since the pandemic.

Temple has also struggled with enrollment numbers, as well as the post-pandemic rise in crime. Wingard cited the surge in crime in North Philadelphia, and subsequent frustrations from students and families, as a major cause of his retirement.

Since his induction, Fry’s salary has dramatically increased. His $2.5 million salary in 2022 placed him among the top ten highest-paid university presidents in the country. Wingard’s last reported salary was almost $1.4 million, according to the Inquirer.

Currently, the Presidential Search Advisory Committee has made no official statements regarding their selection, nor has Fry. Temple’s Board of Trustees are expected to make a statement, though it is unclear at this time when they will do so. The Triangle has reached out to Drexel for comment. At the time of publishing, the university has not responded. 

Early Friday morning, Philadelphia Police moved to dismantle the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania. At 6:00 a.m., 33 protestors, including students and faculty, were arrested and taken to a Police District station at 61st & Thompson.

Police warned students, giving them a two-minute window to leave the area. A group then gathered around the Ben Franklin statue, locking arms before being forcefully removed by Police. 

The encampment, lasting 16 days, has now been cleared as of 9:26 a.m. A garbage truck parked on Locust Walk was loaded up with tents, tarps and other materials inside of the encampment. 

The area is now blocked off, with six-foot barricades set up surrounding the College Green.

 “‘Van Pelt Library is accessible through the Rosengarten entrance, on the ground floor at the east end, facing Levy Park,’” said the Division of Public Safety in a statement.

Access to the College Green area of the campus will be restricted until further notice, said Interim President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson. 

The arrested individuals were cited for trespassing and were all released as of 9:05 a.m., according to Philadelphia Police and legal observers.

“We are disappointed that riot police dismantled a peaceful student-led protest this morning. From the start, we advocated for a negotiated, nonviolent resolution. Sending a large military police force against students and faculty is an inappropriate and deeply concerning response,” said Councilmember Jamie Gauthier and State Rep. Rick Krajewski in a joint statement. 

Both Gauthier and Krajewski visited the encampment numerous times, expressing their support for the protestors and saying that they will always defend their constituents’ First Amendment rights.

A professor from the University was shown being led away by police along with other individuals. 

“Are they under arrest? Am I under arrest? … I’m a faculty member here, am I under arrest?,” he said to the police.

In a statement to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Associate Professor Amy Offner, called the arrests and removal of the encampment “‘cowardly and appalling,’” and that the “‘faculty and students were “engaged in nonviolent antiwar protest.’”

“We condemn the university administration, we demand the immediate release of all our students and colleagues, and we demand the reversal of all discipline and charges against students who have been the victim of the university administration’s own violation of its Guidelines on Open Expression,” said Offner. 

In an email from the interim president and provost, sent shortly after 9 a.m., they said that the students’ and faculty’s demands and proposals were not possible and that “Penn remains unequivocally opposed to divestment, and [that] it is unlawful for institutions receiving funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The encampment was described as a threat and disruption to the campus “for too long.” Jameson said that this prompted the University to take action with the support of the Philadelphia Police Department, saying that, “This is an unfortunate but necessary step to prevent violence, restore operations, and return our campus to our community.”

The pro-Palestinian encampment led by students from multiple Philadelphia universities was instructed to disband on Friday evening according to a message from the University of Pennsylvania’s Interim President J. Larry Jameson. 

Following the protest that began on Temple University’s campus, proceeded to City Hall, Drexel University and stopped on Penn’s campus at Blanche P. Levy Park, a heavy presence of both protestors and police remained throughout Thursday, April 25 into Saturday, April 27. 

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Friday, an individual spray-painted the words “Zios get f–t” on the Benjamin Franklin statue. Immediately after, it was covered with fabric and duct tape before Penn Safety and the Philadelphia Police Department set up steel barricades around the statue as Penn employees power-washed the graffiti away. A student in the encampment said that this was the act of a single individual and that the act did not represent the group’s values. 

“The vandalism of the statue in front of College Hall with antisemitic graffiti was especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime. I am deeply saddened and troubled that our many efforts to respectfully engage in discourse, support open expression, and create a community that is free of hate and inclusive for everyone have been ignored by those who choose to disrupt and intimidate, “ said Jameson in an email to the Penn community at 8:42 p.m. on Friday. 

He notified the protestors of their legal and policy violations, saying that if the encampment did not disband immediately, the protestors would face sanctions that follow the University’s “due process procedures that apply to students, faculty, and staff.”

Violations of University policies include credible reports of harassment and intimidation, according to Jameson. Penn’s guidelines on open expression affirm and support the “freedom of thought, inquiry, speech, and lawful assembly.” 

The University, described as a community of scholars, also supports the freedom to voice criticism of current practices and values that are upheld by the University. Jameson said the protestors also violated “state and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.”

Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval arrived with New York State Senator Jabari Brisport at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, joining Pennsylvania State Representative Rick Krajewski in the encampment. 

“I cannot think about what’s good for children in America without also remembering what’s happening to children in Gaza. … Thousands murdered by this brutal genocidal war from the Israeli regime … paid for by our money, by our tax dollars, by your tuition,” said Sen. Brisport. 

Visiting Philadelphia for a conference, Sen. Brisport said that he knew he had to come to the campus in solidarity and thanked the students for standing against the genocide. 

“From Pennsylvania to Palestine we stand for peace and we stand for prosperity and against the occupation,” stated Sen. Brisport. 

A representative from Philadelphia Councilmember Jamie Gauthier’s office said that the Councilmember Gauthier supports the students and faculty’s right to protest and encouraged them to reach out if any concerns are raised regarding personal safety. Philadelphia councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Nicolas O’Rourke also sent their support and solidarity to the protestors, according to Rep. Krajewski.

Sen. Saval expressed that his office wants to ensure that Penn does not respond as other universities have, such as at his alma mater, Columbia University, in New York, with repression and violence. 

At a minimum, elected officials from every level of government should adopt an anti-war stance and support a lasting ceasefire, according to Sen. Saval. In the United States, elected officials have the power to speak out and have a moral responsibility to speak out against war and violence.

“To me, this is simple. You oppose this war,” said Sen. Saval. 

Throughout Friday afternoon, protestors engaged in various activities such as arts and crafts activities using chalk near the college green, chants and Muslim and Jewish prayers as the encampment continued into late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Supplies have been generously flowing into the camp from recent donations, said the Faculty for Justice in Palestine in a recent Instagram post. 

More than 300 student protestors from universities around the city of Philadelphia assembled today to call for their schools to “disclose, divest, and defend the students.” 

Protestors gathered at 2:00 p.m. at City Hall and marched west down Market Street. They were  joined by about 150 Drexel University students at the dragon statue, and then continued to Penn’s campus at Blanche P. Levy Park.

Organizers gave speeches and started various chants, including “Free, free Palestine!” and “Drexel is painted red, over 30,000 dead.” 

At 4:30 p.m., after two and a half hours of protest, a smaller group of students broke off and created a human chain to form and protect an encampment. As of Thursday, April 25 at 8:00 p.m., nineteen tents are set up on Penn’s campus and dozens of students from a variety of universities are expected to stay overnight, according to student organizer Emma Herndon. 

Speeches at the time encouraged supportive students to “call your friends, call your family, bring your laptop, do your homework, and stay here to support this encampment.” 

The encampment is expected to continue throughout the weekend and will include a line up of vigils and speakers.

The protest and subsequent encampment was organized by “a coalition of University of Pennsylvania students, staff, and faculty along with other Philadelphia community members and students,” according to a press release sent to the Triangle. 

They plan to camp on the UPenn green until the university complies with their demands to disclose financial holdings, divest financially and scholastically from corporations that profit from Israel’s war on Gaza and defend Palestinian students and activists, beginning with reinstating Penn Students Against the Occupation, a student group that was suspended five days ago.

The organizers and participants come from various universities and organizations across Philadelphia. Several of the speakers represented the organization Professors of UPenn Faculty for Justice in Palestine. MJ, a Palestinian high school student from the Science Leadership Academy, attended the rally because he thought it was “the morally correct thing to do.” 

Temple University student Kate Witiak, who formed one link in the human chain surrounding the encampment, said that “it’s really great to see all of the organizing across campuses in Philly” and that she “hopes that the university divestment demands come to fruition.”

This encampment comes in the wake of several similar encampments at universities across the country. Over the past week, hundreds of students have been arrested at colleges including the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University, according to CNN. 

Officers from the Drexel, UPenn and Philadelphia police forces were present throughout the demonstration. The march was followed by at least 15 police officers on bikes and at least 10 additional police cars. According to Drexel Police Commissioner Mel Singleton, police were there to “encourage everyone to express themselves, keep everyone safe, and to protect everyone and everything.”

There were around 15 counter protesters throughout the march and rally. Many of the counter protesters held Israeli flags. Members of the rally held up Palestinian flags and a large sign reading “Jewish boomers against occupation in Palestine” to block the counter protesters from view. 

One pro-Israeli activist stated that she was in attendance to “support Jewish students on campus so they won’t feel alone.” 

Around six o’clock, pro-Israeli activists tore a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinian liberation, off of the Ben Franklin statue in the center of Penn’s campus. Afterwards, they left the event followed by jeers from the crowd and a police escort.

An officer on the scene stated that the students would likely be allowed to remain so long as they were peacefully exercising their right to protest, but police presence remains heavy. As of 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, 16 police cars line the intersection of 34th and Walnut streets.The encampment currently has food, water and first aid supplies. They are also calling for donations in a collaborative post between the Philly Palestine Coalition, Penn Against the Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace Philadelphia and the Drexel Palestine coalition. There has been continual programming including singing, chanting, prayers in both Arabic and Hebrew and readings of names of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the conflict.

After gathering 617 signatures in support of a petition to unionize, Drexel University resident assistants overwhelmingly voted 63-4 (94% in favor) on Thursday, April 11 to form the first ever student employee union at Drexel and the second union within the Housing and Residential Life department. Only a simple majority was required to form a union.

“Drexel RAs made a strong statement today that they deserve a real voice in their workplace. It’s time for Drexel to respect their student workers through showing up at the bargaining table,” said union organizer Scott Williams in an OPEIU press release.

Architecture student Jack Sullivan said, “I’m voting yes because I’m sick of being left out of the decision making process and being told which of the hard earned benefits of the RA role are just privileges that HRL can take away on a whim; I’m voting yes so that my fellow RAs and I can have a seat at the table and hold Housing and Residence Life accountable for their choices.”

The RAs’ victory is no small feat. After the union petition was officially filed, Drexel hired Daniel Johns, a union avoidance attorney who has also represented the University of Pennsylvania in multiple cases that have resulted in cases going through the federal government’s administrative court system. Due to Drexel’s extended response time, the union held an election on the second floor of the LeBow Engineering Center without going to administrative court. 

The RAs were able to overcome these challenges in large part due to a centralized organizing committee of 32 RAs led by third-year sociology student Isabel Curtin. The organizing committee held weekly meetings and formed group chats to keep all RAs updated and momentum rolling. To build support, the RAs ran an Instagram account and organized a protest where Drexel Police sharply limited the action. After some RAs graduated in winter quarter, they still stayed involved to ensure union victory. The week of the election, the RAs hosted a town hall and invited their union representative to come speak as well. When the new RAs started, veteran RAs ensured that they were included and informed about the unionization effort.

The RAs will now face their biggest challenge yet as they negotiate their first contract. The union will start by polling its members about different issues they care about and bring these proposals to Drexel’s administration. They will then attempt to reach an agreement over different terms. The final proposed contract must be approved by a majority of union members. In other schools, unionized RAs have been able to win pay raises, guaranteed future employment, limits on holiday duty shifts and free Plan B. The bargaining process is not always easy. The Teamsters union representing residential desk coordinators at Drexel filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board about Drexel’s failure to furnish sufficient information.

Unionization also guarantees the right to union representation in disciplinary meetings and the ability to bargain to require the employer to have just cause for termination. In Pennsylvania, employers can fire employees for no reason at all. In the past, the Teamsters were able to get an employee reinstated after a wrongful dismissal.

The efforts of Drexel RAs are spreading to other corners as well. Since the RA unionization campaign began at Drexel, Georgetown University RAs have also announced unionization efforts. In a sign of growing discontent among student employees at Drexel, a petition to pay graduate students more is circulating as well.

President John Fry issued a statement on April 2 announcing that the Perelman Center for Jewish Life was vandalized during Drexel’s spring break. 

The vandalism was reportedly caught on video and conducted by a “group of masked individuals” who removed “several of the metal letters on the brick marquee backdrop that greets visitors,” President Fry shared. 

He also mentioned that Drexel Police are investigating the incident and identified it as a hate crime.

“It bears repeating that vandalizing centers of Jewish life and learning, defacing property with antisemitic graffiti, or ripping mezuzot off doorposts in residence halls does not constitute any legitimate form of protest,” the statement continued, referencing the series of antisemitic incidents on campus over the past six months. 

Drexel Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Isabel de Koninck provided more information on the timing of this vandalism in a letter to the Drexel Hillel Community. 

“After reviewing surveillance footage, the police determined that the letters were stolen by a group of masked vandals on Friday morning before sunrise,” stated Rabbi Isabel. “In the past seven days our Philadelphia Jewish community has been the site of far too many incidents of antisemitic graffiti and vandalism including at synagogues in Center City and on the Main Line.”

Drexel Hillel President Dan Soslowsky joined in on the discussion of the vandalism of the Perelman Center’s impact on Drexel’s Jewish community.

“​​It pains me to hear about the vandalism of the Raymond G. Perelman Center for Jewish Life. The Perelman Center has been a safe space for me and hundreds of Drexel students for years and is a staple of the Jewish community at Drexel. It is a place for peaceful prayer, life, and community. Vandalizing Jewish spaces is not criticizing Israel’s government, supporting innocent Gazans, or wanting peace. It is targeting a group of people with hate, intimidation, and division. That is emphatically antisemitic,” said Soslowsky.

The antisemitic incident was addressed in a statement sent to the university community on Jan. 16, stating that “a message glorifying Adolf Hitler appeared over the weekend on a classroom whiteboard in the College of Computing & Informatics at 3675 Market Street.”

Prior to that, an arson was reported at a Jewish student’s dorm room on Oct. 10 and antisemitic graffiti in the women’s bathroom of Academic Building. 

On Dec. 20, 2023, President Fry released a statement notifying the Drexel community about the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opening an investigation into the university’s treatment of Jewish students and response to the antisemitic incidents. Drexel joined other colleges as one of more than 20 investigations opened by the OCR.