Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, which uses art to improve local communities and collaborates with Penn's Fine Arts Department, will lose $500,000 in funding with the city's recent budget cuts. The cuts will have an immediate impact on MAP, which plans to turn to philanthropists and other organizations in order to continue projects affected by the cuts.

At last night's State of the School, heads of the six branches of student government recounted the past semester's progress, outlined future plans and fielded questions from students in attendance. To increase interaction between the student body and leaders, the annual update on student government activities featured a question-and-answer period for the first time.

Former Economics professor Rafael Robb is "remorseful" for killing his wife, Ellen, Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Paul Tressler said yesterday, and Robb is not likely to commit another similar crime. But Tressler also said he wanted to ensure that Robb would not interfere too much in the life of his tee

For a University that prides itself on research, Penn sure likes making it hard for students to do their due diligence. Last week, administrators said that the Online Syllabi Initiative won't happen until at least 2010. Unfortunately, we weren't entirely surprised.

DP Staff Photographer Katie Rubin recently traveled to Makuleke, South Africa where she lived with and documented the life of the villagers. Penn men's soccer team, who won the 2008 Ivy League title recently committed to donate used equipment and supplies.

Down by two points with 10 seconds left - and with a chance to pull off a huge upset against Villanova on the line -women's basketball coach Pat Knapp called on a surprising source to take the final shot. Freshman Tyler Cumbo, in only her second collegiate game, missed a short running jumper with six seconds left, as the Wildcats came from behind in the final minute to eke out a 45-43 victory.

When senior co-captain Kathryn Turner entered Princeton's Dillon Gym for her last career match, she sensed an unfamiliar atmosphere. "It was quieter than that gym has been in my biggest games there, which I was a little bit shocked by," she said. Turner capitalized on the calm, putting together one of her best matches of the season.

Government officials are considering steps to make applying for financial aid a little easier in 2010. Proposals are being drafted to simplify the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid, which students seeking financial aid must fill out. Today, the FAFSA is five pages long with about 100 questions.

The four Class Board presidents came together Tuesday night for the first time this year to discuss their new constitution and collaboration for the upcoming year. The new constitution - which codified several rules about attendance and meetings between the presidents - will be key in ensuring the boards work together closely this year.

The future of U.S. and European Union trade relationships revolves around collaboration and harmonious relationships, according to U.S. Department of State representative Janet Shannon. Shannon, who works in the Office of Bilateral Trade, shared her insight yesterday in a presentation sponsored by the Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies.

The South Street Bridge will close for repairs on Dec. 8, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush. The bridge will remain closed for the next two years while a new bridge is being built. All traffic across the bridge will be diverted to Walnut and Chestnut streets.

Sophomore Kim Adams, who started Friday's opener and was second on the team in scoring in 2007-08, became the fourth player to leave the team since the end of last year. "She approached me on Monday; she has decided to leave the team for personal reasons," Penn coach Pat Knapp said.

Jennifer Lesser is a College junior from Minneapolis, Minn. Her e-mail address is lesser@dailypennsylvanian.com.

The Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council recently elected College junior and Daily Pennsylvanian editor Alissa Eisenberg and Wharton junior Shawn Woodhull as presidents for the upcoming year. Eisenberg, who is in Delta Delta Delta, and Woodhull, who is in Phi Kappa Sigma sat down with the DP last night to discuss their plans for Penn's fraternities and sororities.

Mathematically, at least, three of this weekend's four Ivy matchups have title implications. The one exception is Dartmouth at Princeton - but there's something even larger at stake. The Big Green (0-9, 0-6 Ivy) are on the verge of their first winless campaign since 1883.

On Tuesday, President Amy Gutmann and her husband donated $100,000 to fund undergraduate research. Surely this is more than a gesture in these troubled times, when even Harvard president Drew Faust issues ominous warnings that her school may "absorb unprecedented endowment losses" (30 percent!).

Trinity, Princeton, Yale and Harvard. Since 2005-06, the men's squash team's view has been unchanged: Above the Quakers, that elite quadrumvirate. Below, every other team in the nation. Penn - fifth-place finishers at the past two national championships - is tired of sitting on the outside looking in.