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Amid Campus Unity on Sidechat, Students Wonder When They Can Bully Each Other Again

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cc//facilities.upenn.edu

As students come together on the anonymous social media platform Sidechat to wish each other well, look after one another, and provide tips on navigating college life, many students are wondering when they can go back to bullying each other again.

“I just feel like I can’t be my true self,” said Junior Melissa Toward (W ‘25). “I haven’t called someone out by their initials on Sidechat in almost three days! I think I’m going through withdrawal.”

Ben Ressing (C ‘27) noted the positivity on Sidechat was beginning to wear him out. “It’s just not what Penn is,” said Ressing. “The Penn I know and love is when I got 48 upvotes for saying GJ in Penn Dems is a pervert. And I don’t even know a GJ!”

Despite Sidechat’s inundation with messages of positivity, older students are confident the platform and campus will return to equilibrium. 

“I’m sure people will get to bully each other again soon,” said College Senior Tyla Marks. “Everything returns to normalcy at some point. Water returns to vapor, pets to their owners, humans to dust. Don’t you worry. Penn will return to bullying.”

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