EDITORIAL: Glad to have you

A primer on University lifeA primer on University lifefor the Class of 2000.A primer on University lifefor the Class of 2000.____________________________ And now, at long last, you've arrived. As you, the members of the Class of 2000, prepare to embark on a journey that will include love, laughter, tears, freedom, partying, some disappointment and (of course) stress, we'd like to extend a hearty welcome. At Penn, you will find a diverse array of people living, learning and working with you. You'll be exposed to academic disciplines you didn't know existed as you fulfill requirements and explore with electives. You'll discover more about yourself and about interacting with others than you will about ancient Egyptians or chemical reactions, but that's part of the package. The University experience will change the person you are now and will help shape the person you will become. Once you start college, you'll be calling the shots -- whether with respect to your schedule each semester, or at Murphy's Tavern. And finally, your time will truly be your own. You will answer and be responsible only to yourself. Four years at the University will teach you about any subject, but more importantly, they will teach you about life. Admission to the Class of 2000 was the most selective in recent memory. Penn's standards and reputation, under University President Judith Rodin, are on the rise -- and you should be proud to play a part in this production winning worldwide acclaim. But this is also a time of great change at the University. Before you graduate, for example, residences may be reorganized into "virtual colleges," groups of dormitories that would have additional faculty and graduate student residents and might be centered around themes of research or community service. Similar pilot programs start this fall. Initiatives spearheaded by Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon promise improved campus safety. You should see parts of his plan -- including additional lighting of key campus arteries and off-campus blocks and more community policing -- implemented this fall, too. Ground was broken last winter for the Perelman Quadrangle student center project, which will fund renovation and reconfiguration of four landmark campus buildings to provide study, meeting, eating and performance space. We hope your class will see this project completed. Lastly, Quaker football and basketball teams are poised to regain their dominance of the Ivy League. It will be an exciting year, in the classrooms and the laboratories, on the courts and the athletic fields. And you'll have a front-row seat. Browse through this special edition of The Daily Pennsylvanian and see what's left out of the campus tour. Once you arrive, join us to cover the University. Or help manage our independent corporation, with its $1 million annual budget. The least you can do is become an avid reader. We, the 112th Board of Editors and Managers, encourage you to enjoy the rest of your summer and store up some sleep for those all-nighters that lie ahead. See you in September!