Dear Penn Office of Undergraduate Admissions,

We, the Penn community, stand with all students who participate in peaceful demonstrations, such as school walkouts for gun control in light of the recent mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. We support students' rights to take action on any issue – not just gun control, but also sexual assault, racial justice, and more. We wholeheartedly support the decision of many universities to release statements that disciplinary action resulting from peaceful demonstration on any issue will not impact students' admissions status. Such universities include Yale, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, Boston University, Johns Hopkins and more than 40 others.

Please release a statement on social media assuring prospective students of their right to walk out or engage in other peaceful demonstrations without fear of any negative impact to their admissions status. Civic action is an essential component to participatory democracy, and young people should not be penalized for speaking and acting in the name of social change. We look forward to reading your statement.

Sincerely,
Penn community members