I begin this new academic year at Penn grateful to be a part of a University community so joyfully infused with the desire to learn and the commitment to serve. Thanks to our dedicated move-in and New Student Orientation teams - who did a fabulous job helping new students navigate the transition to life at Penn-our campus is bustling with more creative energy and camaraderie than ever.

If the Penn women's soccer team's season opener against Rice was going to come down to a battle of the goalies, the Quakers may have looked like clear underdogs. After all, Penn freshman Cailly Carroll had yet to play a collegiate game, while Owls goalkeeper Amy McClintock had three years of college soccer and a full month of the 2006 season under her belt.

Only several blocks from the lively corner of 40th and Walnut streets, the intersection at 40th and Market boasts far less impressive retail and activity. A collection of community stakeholders, however, is convinced that this does not have to be the case.

By DEENA GREENBERG The Daily Pennsylvanian Penn may have dropped to No. 7 in August's U.S. News and World Report rankings, but it barely made the top 40 in another publication. Washington Monthly, a left-wing publication that discusses politics and current events, ranked Penn at number 30.

Several cultural groups have gotten some new space in the ARCH building, but some say they'll take more if they can get it. "We're on a roll right now, so we want to keep that momentum going," Asian Pacific Student Coalition Chairwoman and College senior Mana Nakagawa said.

The School of Arts and Sciences' Webmail has experienced its first technical hiccup of the semester, though New Student Orientation festivities may have caused students to overlook the glitch. SAS Webmail regularly runs updates from its software company, Sun Microsystems Inc.

Two games into their season, the Penn field hockey team still has yet to get on the scoreboard. The Quakers (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) looked to get off to a good start during opening weekend, but instead they fell to Syracuse 1-0 and then struggled in their second game against Ohio State, losing 4-0, at the Blue Hen Classic hosted by the University of Delaware.

Zeta Beta Tau will attempt to re-enter campus this semester, but the fraternity will look different than when it left two years ago, national ZBT officials say. "We're very intent as an organization on getting a quality group of guys," said Matt Tobe, director of expansion for the ZBT national organization.

At Colgate University, there's a summer reading list that suggests five books before freshman year. At George Washington University, days of orientation are devoted to the subject of separation anxiety. But only parents need apply. These programs are examples of a growing array of university-run programs that help parents say goodbye to their new college freshmen.

Charlie Allen, who manages the CVS at 43rd and Locust streets, has begun to stock an item not usually carried by drug stores - ping-pong balls. Allen said that his decision to carry the balls, essential for the popular drinking game Beirut, is a result of the store's recent increase in business from Penn students, stemming from a shuffle in drug stores around campus.

After a virtually nonexistent preseason, the women's soccer team salvaged a scoreless draw against a formidable Rice squad in its season opener on Monday. Despite not making it onto the scoresheet, the Quakers performed an impressive opening act. Rice (3-0-1), coming off consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, opened this season with three straight victories - the best start in school history.

Al Bagnoli is trying to answer a difficult question: What could stop his second-ranked Quakers from reclaiming the Ivy League football title? He got some of the answers Friday during a scrimmage against Division III Widener, which visited Franklin Field for the third straight year for a preseason game.

Jurassic Park fans, get ready: There are a whole lot more dinosaurs out there. Research from a Penn professor estimates that only 29 percent of dinosaur species have been found, and many more are coming in the future. Peter Dodson - a paleobiologist and anatomy professor - put together a statistical analysis of every dinosaur genus, a biological classification one rank above species.

The term "online degree" might make you think of a scam in which you receive a phony bachelor's in exchange for your mortgage. These days, however, online degrees seem to be rising in status - and helping more people get jobs. But Penn graduates don't have to fear much job competition from those with online degrees, officials say, even as the industry expands.

If an Ivy League professor were to be arrested for importing child pornography, most people would be shocked and surprised. And that was the case when police arrested Marketing professor Scott Ward, 64, for importing child pornography. When police apprehended ward at Dulles Airport, his baggage contained a laptop, DVD discs and a digital video camera, all of which allegedly contained videos of young children engaging in sexual acts - some of them with Ward.

The candidates for Pennsylvania's contested Senate seat sat inches apart from one another to battle out the issues Sunday morning on Meet the Press. The debate - covering issues from the Iraq war to birth control - lasted an hour, and the candidates had plenty of material to fill it.