The future of campus protest | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, Philly. It’s set to be another sunny Tuesday. While the city’s heat emergency is officially over, temps will likely hit 90, so take care out there.

Following a semester full of on-campus protests and encampments, we asked local universities what they’re doing to prepare for the fall. And Christian Street between Broad and 20th — once considered “Main Street for Philadelphia’s Black Elite” — is now officially known as Black Doctors Row.

Let’s dig in to these stories and more.

— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Pro-Palestinian protests rocked college campuses across the U.S. this spring, including at local schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, where a 16-day encampment on College Green led to dozens of arrests.

And when classes are back in session for the fall, more campus protests are likely. Are colleges using their summer to prepare?

🏛️ Penn earlier this month issued temporary protest guidelines that explicitly ban encampments. The University City-based school also announced a task force to further examine its “open expression” guidelines over the next academic year.

🏛️ At some other area institutions that became hosts to on-campus encampments last semester, officials said reviews are underway for expression guidelines, too.

🏛️ Experts say universities developing these policies should seek input from their faculty and student bodies, be clear in whatever policies they do enact, and apply punishment for rule-breaking evenly. But these thorny issues must be addressed in some form before the 2024-2025 school year begins.

“Many campuses are still doing wound care,” the American Council on Education’s president told The Inquirer. “It sort of stops the bleeding, but you still have bandages on.”

Higher education reporter Susan Snyder has the full details.

A six-block stretch of Christian Street has a new name: Black Doctors Row.

The past: In the early 1900s, the neighborhood shifted from a middle-class Irish community to a middle-class African American community. Residents included physicians, teachers, politicians, and pharmacists.

The present: A demolition next to the former home of prominent architect Julian Abele prompted neighbors to rally for preserving the area — and to ensure it was recognized as a historic district.

The future: Because the blocks sit in gentrified Graduate Hospital, residents worry about affordability for future generations of Black Philadelphians.

Communities reporter Lynette Hazelton has the story from the dedication ceremony.

Which Hollywood star modeled the protagonist of his latest Western on Frederic Remington’s sculptures — one of which stands in Fairmount Park?

A) Clint Eastwood

B) Kevin Costner

C) Tom Hanks

D) Leonardo DiCaprio

Think you know? Check your answer.

🍓 Volunteering: At this urban farm tackling food insecurity from the grassroots.

🍵 Booking: A ~soulful afternoon tea experience~ at Powelton’s Akwaaba Tea Salon.

🍅 Visiting: The Clark Park farmers market and plenty of others in this guide.

The nearly 20-year-old contemporary ballet group HQ’d on Washington Avenue.

BELL TAX

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Anita Lovitt, who solved Monday’s anagram: Independence Hall, a.k.a. the room where it happened. U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle is proposing a bill to hold a commemorative joint session of Congress nearby at Independence National Historical Park in 2026 as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

Enjoy your Tuesday. See you back in your inbox tomorrow!

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