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Pro/Con/Pro: Sculptures on Campus

Have you ever been walking down Locust or strutting across 34th when you suddenly think to yourself, something does not belong here? If so, you may have run into one of the dozens of pieces of "public art" littered around campus! If you're not sure whether to worship these works of modern genius or run screaming from these overabundant eyesores, UTB is here to help you out.

LOVE Statue:

  • + When you visit Penn for the first time and just HAVE to take a photo with it.
  • - Watching basic bitches take photos with it.
  • + Philly is the City of Brotherly Love. It makes sense, in an obvious way.


Ben on the Bench:

  • + Smirking at all of the prospective students who sit on Ben on the Bench.
  • - Feeling bad for all of the prospective students who sit on Ben on the Bench.
  • + For those of you who still feel the urge: the newly-installed security cameras now provide an added thrill.


The Tampons:

  • + The visible cringe on parents/white boys' faces when you suggest meeting at the Tampons.
  • - The sculpture is actually called Covenant.
  • + The fact that Penn spent over $100K on this without realizing that it looks like a bunch of massive used feminine hygiene products- kind of a pro, mostly a con.


The Button:

  • + It's a simple, timeless classic. Unlike the Tampons, you can't interpret this as anything other than a button, really.
  • - People who brag about having sex under the button. Guy In My Writing Sem, no one believes you.
  • + Hello, it's our namesake. 

Although a decent number of these sculptures are objectively confusing, annoying, and downright ugly, public art on campus is part of what makes Penn so unique... and sometimes, they're just fun to pee on.

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