When the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children gathered in the Civic House living room Tuesday night to teach other students how to "step" - a dance form using hands and feet to create intricate beats and rhythms - it was clear a celebration had begun. The event was just a taste of Civic House Week, a series of activities commemorating the 10th anniversary of Civic House on Penn's campus this week.

The families of Penn students seem to be financially stable relative to this year's unpredictable economy. Midyear undergraduate requests for additional financial aid increased to about 90 cases this academic year compared to 60 last year, but that difference is not the "sharp rise" the University had been expecting, according to Student Financial Aid director Bill Schilling.

Jonathan Berkowsky is going back to where he belongs. After placing 11th at the NCAA Championships in sabre last year - which earned him an honorable mention All-American nod - the junior standout will look to improve upon that finish at this year's NCAAs, which start today and end tomorrow.

With two outs in the fifth inning of the second game of its doubleheader against Saint Joseph's yesterday, the Penn softball team appeared poised to retire the high-powered Hawks offense in a quick three up, three down fashion. Down by two runs, the Quakers were still well within striking distance of pulling off a come-from-behind victory.

It's March Madness, baby! Penn might be out of the tournament again, but three familiar faces are on your bracket. No. 14 Cornell will face No. 3 Missouri, the third time in four years that the Ivy rep has faced a Big 12 team. No. 11 Temple meanwhile has a legit chance to pull an upset, facing No.

If you were guaranteed an internship in the industry of your choice, would you pay for it? At the University of Dreams, students do exactly that. After College senior Jackie Newman couldn't find an internship on her own last summer, she turned to University of Dreams and landed a job at Vidicom, a media and public-relations company in New York.

Does faith create practice or does practice create faith? Does the authorship of a religious work matter most or is our personal experience of the work more important?

Welcome to college baseball, boys. Shortstop Derek Vigoa and pitcher Chris McNulty have officially been collegiate athletes for under a month, but they played beyond their years yesterday, leading Penn to an 11-6 win over Temple in Ambler, Pa. Vigoa went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and an RBI bunt single, keeping the Quakers' offensive outburst rolling.

In the time since University President Amy Gutmann asked me to serve as interim provost, I've had occasion to reflect on what "interim" means. Literally, it means that I will remain in this role only temporarily, until a new provost takes office some months from now.

In a sport predicated on individual accomplishments, 11th-ranked 149-pounder Cesar Grajales and the No. 24 Penn wrestling team (12-7, 6-3 EIWA) understand the importance of unity. Grajales sees ardent support from fellow Quaker grapplers as a major factor to being successful at this weekend's NCAA Tournament, which runs today through Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St.

Yesterday, students and researchers gained a new perspective on visual attention in children. At the Institute for Research in Cognitive Science, Sabrina Smith, Neurology and Pediatrics professor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, delivered a talk that addressed her recent research on visuospatial defects in children who have experienced neonatal and pediatric stroke.

At a demonstration Monday at The Susquehanna International Group Center for Graphics, a student volunteer attached sensory markers to her legs, and a crowd watched as her cartwheels were imitated on a screen by an animated pair of legs. The demonstration held for graduate students showed off the center's new motion-capture studio, the largest academic motion-capture studio in the region, and part of renovations to the building completed in January.

Like many urban universities, Penn often has a contentious relationship with its neighbors, a natural clash born out of differing viewpoints, goals and interests. But the University should have put more effort into dialogue with the community in its recent conversations with West Philadelphia residents concerning the proposed extended-stay hotel on the corner of 40th and Pine streets.

Janice Dow is an College sophomore from Los Angeles. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Marisa Lozano, Penn State's leading scorer, will have her big sister there at Bigler Field to watch her take on the Penn women's lacrosse team tonight. But her sister won't be there for support - Gloria Lozano will be on the opposing team's sideline. The elder Lozano has been Penn's assistant coach for five years.

Assault March 7 - Police arrested a 15-year-old female suspect for allegedly assaulting another 15-year-old girl at the 4000 block of Sansom Street at about 6:15 p.m. Both parties are unaffiliated with the University. Theft March 6 - A woman unaffiliated with the University reported that an unknown suspect removed her unattended wallet from the Food Court at 3409 Walnut St.

The players on Penn's baseball team have an annual obligation to forego college students' favorite pastime, spring break, in favor of America's. Nevertheless they are feeling as fresh as any college student after their success on the spring trip, which they hope to continue today against Temple.