Dear PAC,

This week we all learned that the Fall 2020 semester will be fully virtual. While we had been eager to share our provisional plans for in-person activities, this latest update has released us from uncertainty and given new clarity to the situation. At Platt House and the PAC Shop, this moment is bittersweet: we are very sad that we must wait longer to be all together and to witness your creative power in person, and we are thankful that in the meantime, this decision keeps us all out of harm’s way.

Platt House and PAC Shop Staff are now refocusing our efforts with PAC-Exec to shape a lively and fulfilling semester of virtual programming that is accessible to our full community, wherever they may be across the globe. We look forward to incorporating your values, questions, and ideas into how this semester will take shape for student performing arts. Along with PAC Exec, we will be reaching out to determine next steps.

We want to remind everyone that your virtual engagement, social media posts, and recorded performances have already brought so much positivity to the world of Penn during this pandemic. We found out that other Penn departments were starting meetings with your videos to help uplift everyone. Your talents are endless, and we have been inspired to see you bravely adapt to your digital audience. A big round of applause to you!

In the meantime, please know that we are thinking of you, working to create meaningful programs, and looking forward to the end of this pandemic now more than ever. The past five months have affected us all deeply, sometimes in ways that are difficult to acknowledge and harder to share. Please know that it is completely valid to feel sorrow and mourn this loss. Please come to us for resources, for difficult conversations, for lightness and celebrations, for space to grieve – whatever you need. We’ll be here, just a few clicks away.

Sincerely,

Platt House and PAC Shop Staff
Megan Edelman
James Grant
Amanda Labonte
Laurie McCall
Michelle Moller
Sara Outing