An Interview with the Penn Preservation Student Association (PPSA)

Our goal this year is to make up for lost time during the pandemic, this includes getting to know each other better and making sure that Historic Preservation students have a voice within STUCO and the school of design. As part of this we’re working with the HSPV social media team to ensure HSPV is well represented on Weitzman social media. Don’t forget to use #PennPreservation in your posts!

We’re here for you whether you’d like to suggest a fun event idea, or if you have a request or concern that we can help raise to the department. We are always looking for new members, so if you’re interested in joining our team let us know! Send us an e-mail at: penndesignppsa@design.upenn.edu

Do you need to own a jean jacket to be a member of PPSA?

Dan: No!

What are you planning for students this semester?

Arden: We’ve already teamed up with the department to host faculty and alumni lunchtime spotlights- these are a great way to see what faculty are working on, and hear about alums from our program and their work in the “real world.” We couldn’t get STUCO funding for dedicated HSPV happy hours, so we decided to co-opt the Weitzman Friday happy hour and host PPSA sponsored meet ups at those once a month. Stay tuned for the next one on October 29^th.

Caitlin: We were so excited to plan the outing to Eastern State Penitentiary for their revamped Halloween event: Halloween Nights. It was a great opportunity for students to witness the delicate balance of sensitive interpretation and fundraising needs as priorities in site management, not to mention it was fun! We’re also hoping to host study breaks and put together some goody bags during finals week.

What are you looking forward to most this year?

Ali: For the second years, we didn’t have a lot of together time last year because of the pandemic, so we are definitely enjoying being on campus and spending more time together as a cohort. We're excited about getting to know the first years and all of the in-person activities we have planned for this semester.

Dan: As a first year I’m excited to get to know the city and both cohorts better. I know we’re all incredibly busy but it’s so nice to take a break now and then and have some fun, so I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone outside of classes too.

Prepared by Alison Cavicchio (MSHP'22), one of Historic Preservation's Comminication Assistants.