38Th And Spruce Street Intersection

Truth about textbooks | Congress, activists criticize industry tactics

By JESSICA RIEGEL Staff Writer jriegel@dailypennsylvanian.com As textbook publishers navigate a contentious market, they are attacked on many fronts. Rhetorically, they are confronted by angry student activists; financially, by a booming used book market; and now legislatively, by attempts to curb practices said to inflate book prices and make college less affordable.

It's back to Pennsylvania for political campaigns

It might seem like political deja vu. After the critical Democractic primary battle between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Pennsylvania is gearing up for its role as a general-election battleground state. Both Obama and his Republican challenger, Sen.

Opinion Art | Amira Fawcett

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering senior from Houston, Texas. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Stephen Krewson | We're number (sixty) one!

If you're anything like me, you read Forbes for one reason and one reason only: the lists. And as anyone who knows anything will tell you, the best list ever compiled by the magazine is "World's Most Expensive Yachts." When at a loss for conversation with my more nautical peers, I have often saved face by holding forth on the relative merits of the Alysia ($116.

M. Soccer Notebook | For love of the game, Olopade hangs up track spikes

Before practice on Tuesday, Sophomore Tobi Olopade took a knee to lace up his soccer cleats. Just last spring, he was tying up his track spikes, which are now collecting dust. The Chicago native elected to leave the confines of Franklin Field for the plush Bermuda grass of Rhodes Field.

Minority groups plan outreach events to start off school year

View Larger Map Getting lost in the whir of resources available at Penn can be easy, and help is available - if students know where to find it. Cultural community groups make an extra effort at the beginning of the year to publicize their resources to new students.

Capuano makes Spaniards go 'damn'

Unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection. SoccerBuzz.com National Elite Team Player of the Week. Two-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week. The leader of four varsity championship teams - in three different sports - in high school. Needless to say, women's soccer senior Natalie Capuano hasn't had problems with impressing people, whether they're coaches, teammates or opponents.

Editorial | Flawed, but still valuable

With the start of a new academic year comes an annual tradition - the release of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. And with that inevitably comes an angry response from higher-ed officials disgruntled with the rankings system. One particular component that seems to provoke outrage is the peer-assessment section, which comprises roughly 25 percent of the rankings.

CHOP electrician accused of placing a noose in colleague's work area

Federal authorities yesterday accused Children's Hospital of Philadelphia electrician William Gould of placing a hangman's noose in the work area of a black colleague. Gould, 62, left the noose where his colleague would find it on Aug. 11, according to a press release from the U.

M. Soccer | Premiere League or Ivy? Barreiro opts for Penn

When Penn freshman Christian Barreiro turned down a youth team position with Celtic FC of the Scottish Premier League, he forfeited the chance to experience the "Old Firm," a bitter and l

W. Soccer Notebook | A crowd between the pipes

Usually, a soccer team forced to rotate three goalkeepers doesn't find much success. The Quakers, however, allowed just 15 goals in 18 games en route to an Ivy League title last season, all without a bona fide No. 1 woman in net. "Injuries played a big part in that," coach Darren Ambrose said.

Amy Gutmann | It's time to explore

The 19th century British statesman Benjamin Disraeli described the ideal university as "a place of light, of liberty and of learning." For Penn students who want to make their mark on the 21st century, Penn is providing the most dynamic, lovely and liberating learning environment in our proud history by allowing students to stretch their minds, develop their leadership skills and learn from great professors and peers.

Where to party? The eternal question of New Student Orientation

NSO: an entire week devoted to introducing new students to the campus and what is has to offer academically and socially. For most, it's a whirlwind of informational sessions, ice breakers, parties and awkward situations. Once students have passed their early years at Penn though, their NSO experience changes dramatically.

Truth about textbooks | Buying used may contribute to high costs

In a textbook industry strained by persistent debates over rising prices, many students' cure for high costs may also be a cause. The used book market is booming, but publishers say it is draining their profits and driving up prices. Cash-strapped students, who spend about $900 on books each year, want lower bills while publishers want to maintain profit in a changing marketplace - a tug-of-war that represents one of many challenges in an industry that is frust

Attempted robbery reported at 41st and Walnut

Two people attempted to rob a man at gunpoint on the 4100 block of Walnut Street on Aug. 26 at about 7:15 p.m., according Penn and Philadelphia police. Penn Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella said the 44-year-old complainant, a man unaffiliated with the University, was approached by the two suspects in a building lobby.

David Lei | New year, new paper

I spent a few hours at the Student Activities Fair yesterday talking to new students about Penn and The Daily Pennsylvanian. It was exciting to be back in the thick of things and to look forward to the new academic year. This semester, in particular, we'll be seeing a lot of changes.

Profs mourn Dunfee's death

Wharton professor Thomas Dunfee - a pioneer in the field of business ethics - passed away on June 22 due to complications from cancer. He was 66. Dunfee was chairman of Wharton's Legal Studies and Business Ethics department He left behind his wife of 40 years, three children and six grandchildren.

Financial aid partnership connects admissions office and students

Some low-income students will have a new way to apply to Penn this fall. Penn will partner with QuestBridge - a non-profit program that links low-income students with scholarship opportunities at top colleges - for the first time this year. Through the QuestBridge National College Match, high-achieving, low-income high-school seniors are offered admission and full four-year scholarship grants

Meet your Fall 2008 columnists!

Michael Sheahan, a loyal son and caring friend, is remembered

Those who knew Engineering sophomore Michael Sheahan, who died in an automobile accident last Monday, say they will remember him as both an ambitious student and a caring friend and son. "What really made him special was that even though he was so brilliant, you wouldn't know it because … he was such a down-to-earth person," said College sophomore Liz Grant, one of Sheahan's friends.