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Penn Admissions cancels Quaker Days events for admitted students due to coronavirus fears







Quaker Days annually brings newly-admitted students to Penn to experience the campus before making their final college decisions. Credit: Sukhmani Kaur

Next month's Quaker Days events will be canceled due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, Penn Admissions announced today.

Quaker Days annually brings newly admitted regular decision students to Penn to experience the campus before making their final college decisions. This year's Quaker Days events, which were planned for April 6 and April 15, and the Multicultural Scholars Preview program on April 14, have been canceled, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda wrote in a press release.

"Cancelling our large-scale, on-campus Quaker Days events is a proactive measure that supports the wellbeing of the new members of the Penn community, as well as the faculty, staff, and students who already call our campus home," Furda wrote.

Penn Admissions will be providing online materials, including a virtual tour, for students accepted to the Class of 2024, Furda wrote. Penn Admissions will send admitted students more details about how to engage with Penn's campus once admissions decisions are released later this month.

Furda's announcement comes hours after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf confirmed that two cases of coronavirus have been identified in Pennsylvania. Wolf issued an emergency disaster declaration, allowing the state government to conduct emergency operations and use available resources to respond to the situation.

Penn has suspended all University-affiliated travel to China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Provost Wendell Pritchett, Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel, and Chief Wellness Officer Benoit Dubé sent a University-wide email earlier this week, advising Penn students and faculty to avoid personal travel to these countries.

"We are disappointed that we are not able to welcome admitted students to our campus in our traditional fashion," Furda wrote. "However, social distancing and avoidance of unnecessary travel are both strong counters to the coronavirus."

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