Frequently Asked Questions - MAW

Where can I learn more about the topics being presented during the weekend?
All information about topics and speakers can be found on the Schedule and Registration page of the Web site.

Can I get CME credit for attending Alumni Weekend programming?
Programming and events during Alumni Weekend do not carry CME credit. For a list of CME courses available at Penn Medicine, you can visit the CME home page.

What programming is taking place elsewhere on Penn's campus during alumni weekend?
For a complete list of programming being offered by the University, you may visit: http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/. Please note that there may be a separate registration or other fees for events and programming not sponsored by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

I'll be in town for a while and would like to see what else is going on in Philadelphia. Where can I find a calendar of events for the city?
Visit Philly has a complete list of events and other visitor information available.

What is the route for the parade during the All-Alumni Picnic on Saturday afternoon?
Schools and classes will begin the parade at 11:45 a.m. at 38th and Locust Walk, across from Jon M. Huntsman Hall and proceed northeast down Locust Walk toward Hill Field. Upon arriving at Hill Field, alumni from various schools and centers will break off into their respective picnic tents.

What is the dress code for the weekend?
Dress for all daytime events is casual. The Friday night Dean's Dinner and the Saturday night Class Dinners are semi-formal.

What is included in the registration materials?
Your registration packet will include your name tag, a name tag holder and lanyard, a tote bag, an alumni weekend schedule, a map of campus, and other information pertinent to the weekend.

Where can I pick up my registration materials?
Your registration materials will be available for pickup in the lobby of the Biomedical Research Building from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Friday and at the Translational Research Building from 8:30 – 11 a.m. on Saturday. If you will not be attending the daytime events and are only coming to your reunion dinner, your registration materials will be available for you there.

What if I want to change or cancel my registration?
To change your registration, please call our office at 215-898-5164. Please have the credit card that you used to make your initial reservation available. Should you wish you cancel your registration, please send a written request to Penn Medicine, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 3535 Market Street, Suite 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Cancellations may not be requested 60 days after the date of your initial purchase and can only be made for credit card reservations. Please note: cancellations for accommodations must be made directly with the hotel.

I am having difficulties registering online, what's going on?
There are a few reasons why you may not be able to sign in to the online community. In Step 1, if the system is unable to find your name, it will return "No Matches Found!" Click the back button and remove any data from the "Class Year" field. Then search again. Our online system will look to match alumni with their first Penn graduation year, so if you graduated from the Undergraduate School, your name will be listed alongside your college graduation year. A few other possibilities: You might be listed under your maiden name or if you go by your middle name and have a first name initial ("W. John Smith, M.D."), try your first initial (without the period). If you continue to experience problems, please call Johanna Reilly at 215-898-5298 for assistance.

If the registration site says "Security Validation Error" when you enter your birth date, first check to be sure that you entered your birth date using the MM/DD/YYYY format. If it will still not accept your birth date, it means that we do not have it on file, or we have the incorrect date. Please call Johanna Humphrey 215-898-5298 and we will update your birth date right away.

What's the best way to get to campus?
If you are staying in one of the hotels listed on the accommodations page, there will be a shuttle bus running between those hotels and campus on a regular schedule during the day on Friday and Saturday. If you are staying in another hotel in Center City Philadelphia, you are welcome to ride the shuttle from one of our listed hotels. Shuttle schedules can be found here and will be available in packets distributed upon your arrival at your hotel, and at the information desk at the Biomedical Research Building and Translational Research Buildings. If you are from the Philadelphia area and will not be staying in a hotel, we strongly encourage you to take public transportation to and from campus. You can find schedules for SEPTA regional rail and high-speed lines at www.septa.org.

If I am going to drive to campus, where should I park?
We will have a limited number of free spaces available in the parking lot adjacent to the BRB on both Friday and Saturday during the day. These spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis. There are other lots available on campus for a daily fee that varies by garage. Refer to the parking Web site for further information about other on-campus options.

Where can I find maps of campus?
All maps of campus are available here. You can click on an area of the campus map to narrow your search and find more detail about directions and building information.

Where can I park for the events off campus?
Parking is available for the Dean's Dinner on Friday night at the Franklin Institute. Garage parking will be available at the Hyatt at the Bellevue and a parking lot is available across from DelFrisco's at 15th & Chestnut for the Class Dinners on Saturday night.

I am bringing my children to Alumni Weekend. Are there child-friendly activities? Will child care be available?
A variety of fun activities for children will be offered on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Penn Children's Center, a licensed child care facility at 3160 Chestnut Street. You can drop your child off anytime between 6 p.m. and midnight, but pre-registration is mandatory.

I have specific dietary restrictions. Will you be able to accommodate me?
We can accommodate almost any dietary needs or restrictions. Kosher meals, vegetarian options, or allergy-specific requests can be accommodated by notifying us at least one week prior to alumni weekend. On your registration form, be sure to fill out the section on dietary needs.

Are the weekend's activities handicapped-accessible?
All of the indoor programming and events during the weekend take place in ADA-compliant buildings. For the Dean's Dinner at the Franklin Institute, all entrances are handicapped-accessible. In addition, we will have two golf carts available for alumni and guests who have trouble walking long distances to go between the Biomedical Research Building and the picnic tent. A golf cart will also be available during the parade.

Where can I learn more about information specific to my class?
Visit your class page on our Web site. On that page, you can see who is serving on your reunion committee, who is attending the reunion from your class (updated on a weekly basis), your giving and participation goals and progress, the times and locations of your class dinner, and other information pertinent to your class.

How can I get in touch with my classmates once I'm at the reunion?
During registration times in the Biomedical Research Building lobby (8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. on Friday) and Translational Research Building (8:30 – 11 a.m. on Saturday), we will have a bulletin board available where alumni can leave notes for each other, post their cell phone numbers or see what other alumni have signed up for.

Where does my reunion donation go?
Donations to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania help to fund scholarships, advances in new technology and an innovative curriculum. You can learn more about all the ways your donation helps Penn Medicine by visiting the About Giving page.

Can I make a multi-year pledge?
Multi-year pledges are always welcome and many alumni choose to increase their giving to celebrate their reunion by making a multi-year pledge. The total pledge is recognized and counted toward your class giving goals in the reunion year.

What is the Benjamin Franklin Society? The Thistle Society?
The Benjamin Franklin Society is the group of alumni, parents, faculty and friends who support the University of Pennsylvania with annual unrestricted gifts of $2,500 or more. The Thistle Society honors alumni who make a gift to the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania for at least three consecutive years.

Where can I find information about a charitable gift annuity? Bequest? Gifts-in-kind?
The University of Pennsylvania welcomes all kinds of gifts and donations. If you wish to include Penn Medicine in your will, or make an estate gift to the University, please visit our Planned Giving page for more information.

When I try to make a gift online in honor of my reunion, why isn't my class year listed under the Class Scholarship Section? If my class doesn't have a scholarship fund, can we start one?
Not all classes have endowed scholarships set up. If your class year is not listed on the gift page, it means that your class does not have an endowed scholarship fund. To endow a scholarship, a class or individual must raise $250,000. This can be achieved by a number of classmates signing pledges that equal $250,000 to be paid over 5 years. If your class does not have a scholarship, you are welcome and encouraged to make a donation to the Perelman School of Medicine Annual Giving Fund, or any of the other scholarship funds listed and available on the giving page.

If I make a gift to a fund other than my class fund and the Perelman School of Medicine Annual Giving fund, will it still count towards my class reunion goal?
All gifts made or pledged to the Perelman School of Medicine in Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) count toward your reunion goals. This includes any planned gifts, bequests, or gifts in kind.