Much has happened around here since January 2007. An exciting political primary battle, a sex change for Logan Hall and a championship for a city that could scarcely recognize the word. And yet, for all the unexpected news that made its way across the wire over the past 24 months, the following never did: Penn beats a Big 5 opponent.

Author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou will be the keynote speaker for Women's Week, an annual collection of events celebrating women and their accomplishments organized by the Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women. This year's Women's Week will be February 9-17.

The men's squash team better enjoy it while it lasts. Coming off of break, Penn's schedule featured matches against a number of weaker opponents. And after taking care of Amherst and Williams on Saturday, the No. 7 Quakers head to Franklin & Marshall tonight for their final match of the season against another team ranked outside of the top eight.

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

With the start of the new semester comes two familiar sights: girls in dresses and nametags waiting in alphabetical order on the sidewalk, and boys flocking across the street for free cheesesteaks, ice cream and barbeques. The first two weeks of spring semester are the primary time for fraternities and sororities to recruit new members through processes that differ dramatically from each other and from the Multicultural Greek Council groups.

After being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year as a freshman and first team All-Ivy as a sophomore, Jonathan Boym entered his junior season on the men's tennis team with high expectations. But after being sidelined for most of the year with a shoulder injury, he was forced to shift his focus to his upcoming senior campaign.

When I was in elementary school, my Sunday school teacher would always close with a heartfelt prayer for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Although I was too young to understand the complicated origins of their peoples' conflict, I knew enough to hope that their leaders could come to an agreement that might end the litany of suicide bomb attacks and retaliatory strikes that haunted the evening news.

The Office of Study Abroad may have closed the door on studying abroad in Israel this semester, but the window of opportunity might not be closed for good. College sophomore Elliott Thomasson, a modern Middle Eastern studies major who plans to study in Israel next year, is confident that the current situation in Israel will not inhibit his study abroad plans.

Like many Penn seniors, Alex Grendi spent his winter break looking for a job. But instead of on-campus interviews, he did his networking on the soccer field. The Columbus Crew selected Grendi 45th overall in last Thursday's Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Parents' office buildings may not be an ideal place to spend the night, but for some students attending the inauguration, they were the way to go. Although hotels in Washington, D.C. and the city's surrounding suburbs were completely booked for yesterday's inauguration, students who traveled to the inauguration managed to find other, less-costly places to stay.

For the second year in a row, the heat is on to lower the global temperature - or at least, to lower the amount of trash Penn produces. RecycleMania is a national competition between colleges and universities to produce the greatest reduction in the waste.

Across the board, from robberies to sexual assault, Penn experienced a significant drop in most categories of crime last year. For this, we must recognize the role played by the Division of Public Safety for bringing about these declines. Throughout the past several years but specifically in 2008, DPS's work has turned the campus from a security theater to a safe environment for students and the faculty and staff living in the University City neighborhood.

Janice Dow is an College sophomore from Los Angeles. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Talented but inconsistent guard Remy Cofield has left the basketball team permanently and will transfer at year's end to a college closer to his home in Newton, Mass., according to a two-paragraph athletic department statement released yesterday. "Remy has been dealing with some ongoing family situations and has reached a point where he feels it is in his best interests to spend more of his time focusing on them," coach Glen Miller said in the release.