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.

Philadelphia police are investigating the murder of Army veteran and Penn student L'Salle Harvey, but have yet to make any arrests or discover a motive. Harvey was gunned down at 3:10 a.m. on Thursday while riding his bicycle on the 2200 block of North 31st Street.

Think that new kitchen in Harnwell is nice? Try an outdoor heated pool. Luxury living is becoming the standard for many students as universities cater to demands for privacy and higher-quality spaces. And some schools have gone way beyond what Penn provides to meet that demand.

Bryn Mawr 150, Penn 5. That's a painful-looking score for a Penn student. Those numbers show students' participation in the Quaker Consortium, an arrangement in which students at Penn, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore and Haverford colleges can take classes at any of the other schools.

Despite an 0-2 start to their season, Nyssa Liebermann and the Penn field hockey team have already proven to themselves that they can compete with whatever opponent they play. Now, faced with a matchup against Saint Joseph's tonight, they have another chance to prove it on the field.

Touching on both poetry and the threat of terrorism, University President Amy Gutmann welcomed the Class of 2010 to the Penn community with a message to stay passionate. Convocation for incoming freshmen and transfer students - at which they are formally recognized as Penn students - took place on a muddy College Green last night and was followed by a dessert reception at Wynn Commons.

Thanks to a newly reformatted SAT exam, the national class of 2010 saw the sharpest drop in scores in 31 years. Students entering college this fall have an average SAT score that is seven points lower than that of the previous class. The decrease consisted of a five-point drop on the critical reading section and a two-point drop on the math section.

Maybe Temple's basketball program is not so different from Penn's after all. Just about a month after Quakers starting guard David Whitehurst was dismissed from Penn for academic reasons, new Owls coach Fran Dunphy will have to deal with the ineligibility of two returning starters - senior center Wayne Marshall and junior guard Mark Tyndale.

Hordes of students are coming back to party during New Student Orientation, and Allegro Pizza's new owner wants his restaurant ready for them. "I want it set up like my other store!" owner Dimitrios Dimopoulos yelled into his cell phone Monday, negotiating with the phone company.

Wharton junior Jack Hotz will be returning to school a lot richer this year - thanks to a gigantic fish. Hotz caught an 82-lb. white marlin in the White Marlin Open in early August, winning the top prize of $1.5 million. Hotz was fishing in the Ocean City, Md.

The recent murder of Penn Law School alumnus Robert Wone has elicited sorrowful memories of him from Law School faculty while puzzling those investigating the killing. Three friends found Wone - who graduated from the Law School with honors in 1999 - in their Washington, D.

Penn graduate Sam Burley ran the third leg of an American record-setting 4x800m relay in Brussels, Belgium on Aug. 25. Burley represented the United States at the Memorial Van Damme meet and broke the world record of 7:03.89 and the U.S. record of 7:06.5. But he and his team never officially held the world record - the Kenyan team ran a time of 7:02.

College freshman Zuolu Liu and her father, who is a Drexel employee, transport her belongings into Liu's dorm room in the Quadrangle on Monday afternoon. Most freshmen moved in earlier this week to arrive in time for New Student Orientation, which begins today.

Authorities are still investigating the shooting of a bicycle-theft suspect by a Penn Police officer earlier this summer. The officer shot and wounded Brahim Johnson, 25, during an attempted bike theft at about 4:45 p.m. July 4. Officials at Penn's Division of Public Safety said the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is still investigating the incident but could not comment further, citing the ongoing inquiry.