Last night Michael Oren, a New York Times best-selling author and the CBS Middle East expert, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd in the Shotel Dubin Auditorium at Hillel's Steinhardt Hall. In a talk sponsored by Penn Hillel, Oren described four existential crises Israel presently faces to a crowd of both students and local residents alike.

If you want to fit in at Penn but want to try something different than rushing a fraternity or singing a cappella, consider research. Though research is typically associated with graduate students in lab coats, at Penn and peer institutions, undergraduate interest in research seems to be on the rise - and it's taking many different forms.

Last year, one message was beamed at our generation: vote. We heard it from celebrities, politicians, campus leaders, family members and friends. We were told over and over again that this moment was our chance to prove all the naysayers wrong and to show that we're not suffering from a collective apathy that threatens our futures and the future of America.

With their teams struggling to accumulate Ivy League championships, Penn athletes combined forces for a greater cause at the Pride Games on Hill Field Sunday - and still didn't come away with first place. That honor, along with a celebratory ice cream party, went to Team Philadelphia, which was comprised of board members of the Federation of Gay Games, "We're delighted and kind of surprised," team member Rick VanTassell said of the win.

Art is the latest subject of an ongoing trend to become more environmentally friendly at Penn. For the next three weeks, world renowned sculptor Patrick Dougherty will work on an all-natural sculpture approximately 22-feet tall at the Morris Arboretum, Penn's historic public garden and educational center.

The Penn women's lacrosse team controlled every aspect of its game at Columbia - in the first half, that is. Despite a second half dominated by its unranked Ivy League opponent, the No. 2 Quakers pulled out a 16-11 victory over the Lions Friday afternoon in New York.

In an e-mail to "Penn Basketball Alumni, Family and Friends," senior associate director of athletics Mary DiStanislao announced that Penn Athletics will host a "town hall" meeting April 26 at 10:30 a.m. at the Inn at Penn in which basketball coach Glen Miller will field questions. The event "is intended to bring together season ticket holders, former players, alumni and select student supporters as well as long-time friends of the program for an extended answer session about Penn Basketball with coach Miller," the e-mail said.

Penn men's tennis senior captain Jonathan Boym may be physically rusty, but his veteran perspective remains sharp. "Obviously I'm extremely distraught that I couldn't close that match out . but I think the test of a true athlete or a true competitor is how well you bounce back the next time," Penn's No.

When a team is struggling, a matchup against the fourth-best team in the nation generally is not the cure. The men's lacrosse team showed that Saturday, continuing its season-long defensive struggles in a 21-11 loss to No. 4 Cornell. "Going against the [No.

At this year's Spring Fling concert - which will take place at Franklin Field on April 17 - alternative rock group Guster will share the stage with hip-hop artist Akon. Each year, Fling's musical guests are selected through the Social Planning and Events Committee's student-body survey.

Penn softball kicked off Ivy League play with a split against Dartmouth. The Quakers dropped the first game, 8-7, but bounced back in the nightcap with an impressive 8-0 rout. Dartmouth (8-11, 1-1 Ivy) dominated the first game from the outset. Second baseman Kirsten Costello drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on two groundouts before being knocked in on a double by Molly Khalil.

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This week, one of Rolling Stone's top 100 guitarists of all time will come to campus. Friday at 7:30 p.m., members of the Penn community will have the opportunity to see Robert Randolph and the Family Band perform at Wynn Commons in a concert put on jointly by the Student Planning and Events Jazz and Grooves Committee and SPEC to Represent Undergraduate Minorities.

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

It's still early in the year, but a few recent crime statistics actually have us optimistic for the rest of the year. Compared to the same period in 2008, theft from buildings - the typical unattended wallet-and-laptop swipings - were down significantly in 2009.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton doesn't spend all her time chatting with interns - but College senior Rafaela Zuidema will still have a good chance of seeing her around the office this summer. Zuidema will start work in the State Department just one week after graduating, providing day-to-day support to Clinton in the Office of the Secretariat.