For a person with just over 8 percent of support in the polls, Republican mayoral candidate Al Taubenberger is remarkably optimistic. "I'd say I have about a 50-50 shot," he says. "For one thing, I'm going to do a lot better than the last poll indicated." Optimism seems to define the plucky, enthusiastic candidate, who will square off today against Democratic nominee Michael Nutter.

Whenever a high-profile controversy emerges among student groups, one organization is almost always involved: the Undergraduate Assembly. Over the last few years, the UA's role in mediating student conflicts has increased significantly, with student leaders often turning to the UA for help when trying to reach a compromise.

The mission of the College is to educate tomorrow's leaders - in science and medicine, in the arts and culture, in government and politics and in the non-profit and profit sectors. Rather than providing training for specific careers, the College's liberal-arts approach prepares its students to take on the manifold challenges society will face in the future.

Mayoral campaign Our Endorsement: Michael Nutter (D) This past May, we supported Michael Nutter in the Democratic primaries because he had the experience and vision necessary to tackle the city's rising crime rate and corruption in City Hall. Although we commend Republican candidate Al Taubenberger for running an honest and civil campaign, Nutter would do the best job as mayor in helping Philadelphia fulfill its role as America's next great city.

Penn isn't the only school in the area with dreams of a bigger campus. As the University gears up to begin its long-awaited expansion onto the postal lands, two other major Philadelphia universities are also in the midst of multi-million dollar capital campaigns designed to fund ambitious campus expansion.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No - it's an XXY Supermale attempting to evade a crime based on his genome. Paul Appelbaum, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, lectured on behavioral genetics and its relation to crime last night in Houston Hall. And no, the "Supermale" claim will not prove insanity in a court of law.

Goalkeeper Kevin Sweetland may have thrown his name back into the starting mix with his performance last Saturday against Princeton. The sophomore, who was the Opening Day starter, ably manned the net. He replaced junior Drew Healy, who had been the regular starter for the Quakers this season.

The golden goal gets all the glory, but 92 minutes of stingy defense paved the way for the Quakers' title-clinching victory Saturday night at Rhodes Field. In what promised to be a physical, emotionally-charged showdown for Ivy League supremacy, the Red and Blue effectively repelled the Tigers' attack throughout the match, consistently frustrating Princeton's offensive focal point, senior Diana Matheson, while keeping goalie Sara Rose from having to make a single stop.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College junior from Haverton, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Policing and providing safety and security in an urban university environment like Penn is an ever challenging and difficult proposition. Much of the difficulty in understanding policing in the Penn patrol zone, which extends from 30th Street to 43rd Street, Market Street to Baltimore Avenue, lies in the fact that the Penn community is unaware of the depth and breadth of the portfolio of responsibilities falling under the University of Pennsylvania Police Department.

Dodging other cars, giving the right of way and stopping at intersections are all standard rules of driving. Little Ben, a Toyota Prius, obeys them all - without a human driver.

WILMINGTON, Del. - Jurors still have yet to decide the fate of accused murderer Irina Malinovskaya more than a week after closing arguments. Malinovskaya allegedly bludgeoned to death Irina Zlotnikov, the girlfriend of her ex-lover Robert Bondar, in Dec. 2004.

The Undergraduate Assembly is trying to give more students a voice, but most of them aren't talking. As part of his platform for UA chairman, College senior Jason Karsh promised to implement a 10-minute open forum at every meeting during which any undergraduate could speak about campus issues.

Ben Franklin once said an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Nowhere does this seem more applicable than when it comes to the issue of mental health on college campuses. As the Virginia Tech shooting made painfully clear, effective university counseling services are crucial in preventing troubled students from harming themselves - or others.

Less than three minutes into an extra frame, sophomore forward Mara Fintzi's cross from the right corner was sent home by a header from freshman forward Kristin Kaiser, giving Penn a 1-0 victory and a share of the Ivy League title for only the second time in school history.

Campus is growing. But how big is too big for students to get around on foot? The addition of the postal lands to campus will increase the length of campus by several blocks, but University officials are working to ensure that getting to the new parts of campus will be relatively easy - and maybe even enjoyable.

Red and blue made green Friday as the Penn Environmental Group hosted GreenFest. The annual festival is designed "to let Penn students and the community know that there's an active student interest in environmental sustainability," PEG director Jen Tintenfass said.