Grad students speak up about NYU To the Editor: On Feb. 18, a group of students occupied the Kimmel Center at NYU, listing a series of demands and asking the university to negotiate with them (see www.takebacknyu.org). Early reports that excessive force may have been used during the 'resolution' of this situation raise questions for the Penn administration about the relationship between the University and state-level apparatuses based on the use of force.

Last weekend's late-night disturbances at 40th and Walnut streets have re-ignited the issue of Penn's campus as a leisure destination for the city's young people. At about 11 p.m. Saturday night, about 500 teens formed a riot-like crowd between the McDonald's and the Radian on Walnut Street and had to be dispersed by Penn and Philadelphia Police officers.

While some plan to spend their spring break enjoying rest and relaxation, other Penn students will dedicate the next week to helping the less fortunate. Here are the stories of four students who will take the road less traveled as they participate in alternative spring break programs: Wharton Sophomore Danesty Len will be heading to New Orleans on the Fox Leadership Program-sponsored Alternative Spring Break trip.

With Dartmouth and Harvard the last two contenders standing for the Ivy crown, it may be tough for the women's basketball team to draw fans to the Palestra for its final three home games, with nothing but pride at stake for either side. But tonight's opponent, Cornell (10-14, 6-6 Ivy), has two local players on the roster, including junior guard Allie Fedorowicz, who is close friends with Penn junior Caitlin Slover and maintains many ties to her hometown.

Penn fencing has already had a historic season. After the men's team captured its 16th Ivy League championship on the heels of an undefeated season, the team combined to win the overall Intercollegiate Fencing Association championship last weekend for the first time in school history.

Yes, Temple squandered its chance to become an at-large NCAA Tournament selection when it lost to La Salle and Dayton last week. Its only realistic hope to make the Big Dance is to win the Atlantic 10 tournament in Atlantic City next week. But by beating Saint Joseph's, 68-59, at home last night, the Owls (18-11, 10-5 Atlantic 10) made that task a shade easier.

March 16, 3 p.m. Tap House is expected to open in the Radian Apartments Aug. 1, according to Brian Harrington, founder of Public House Investments, which owns the restaurant. He said he hopes for it to be up and running before the bulk of the University community returns for the fall semester.

Diehard DP fans, come on down for a DP Columnist Quiz! (sort of) Your ideal spring break activity come true, I know. We as DP columnists simply scratch the surface, so this goes a little beyond in keeping you informed. I will attempt to prove that we actually cover a broad spectrum of issues - even though you might say we only write about course requirements and Facebook - and that we use facts to contextualize our arguments.

While some are packing bikinis, tanning lotion and flip-flops, my spring-break destination only requires snow boots, long johns and my trusty earmuffs. It certainly isn't Mexico, but the plane ticket was much cheaper, and I won't have to worry about falling asleep on the beach (again).

Although the value of Penn's endowment fell 19.4 percent in the second half of 2008, the impact on individual students is harder to discern. The way University finances are structured means the school will be able to survive the economic downturn with modest budget cuts.

On Wednesday morning, the entire editorial staff of the Daily Emerald-the student-produced newspaper at the University of Oregon-went on strike in protest of the attempts of its board of directors to install a publisher with unprecedented control over the newsroom.

March 12, 12:54 p.m. Women's basketball coach Pat Knapp will not have his contract renewed by the University, a Penn Athletics press release stated. "We are disappointed that we did not attain the levels of success we anticipated," athletic director Steve Bilsky said in the release.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching studied 40 U.S. engineering schools last month and found that most schools heavily emphasize textbook learning rather than hands-on experience, leaving students unprepared for the real world. But while some School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students say this is the case, others say they are happy with their courses' practicability.

Daniel Schwartz is a College junior from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is schwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

When the final seconds expired in the Penn men's basketball team's 83-58 loss to Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., tonight, the Ivy League had its 2009 champion. Thanks to a Princeton loss at Columbia, the Big Red's win gave them the outright Ivy League crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Wharton dropped to third place in the Business Week Undergraduate Business School rankings, released last week, after commanding the top spot for three years.

North Carolina has the speed, Boston University wants revenge and Yale is a whole new team. As the rest of Penn heads off to spring break, the women's lacrosse team looks forward to a set of tough games against a myriad of opponents. Today the No. 6 Quakers will play the No.