The governor and mayor of Philadelphia aren't the only political leaders endorsing a candidate for the upcoming presidential primary. Last week, student government leaders at several Philadelphia universities, including Penn, Temple and Villanova Universities and Haverford College, jointly authored a letter endorsing Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for president.

Nineteen-seventy-six was the last time the Pennsylvania primary was relevant in a Presidential election. For over 30 years, Penn students have not had a meaningful say in the Democratic Party's nominee for president. This year we have our chance. The 2008 Presidential election is the most important election we have ever seen.

It was another disappointing weekend for the Penn softball team, but at least it could be proud of something: The Quakers toppled previous Ivy undefeated Princeton, 7-2, in game one of yesterday's doubleheader at Princeton, N.J. The other three games were undoubtedly frustrating for the Red and Blue, as they lost them by just five runs combined.

After graduation, most seniors are looking forward to stepping out into the real world alone. But this summer a group of six seniors will travel to New Orleans to try to make a difference - together. Inspired by an Urban Studies class that explores various models for revitalizing impoverished communities around the world, College senior Yasmin Radjy decided she wanted to turn her classroom lessons into reality down in the Big Easy.

A small fire broke out in Rodin College House Friday evening, causing no injuries but forcing residents to evacuate. A plastic container that was too close to the stove top while students were cooking caused the blaze, Rodin House Dean Ken Grcich said. The plastic caught on fire at about 8 p.

Singing, laughing and a customary Gatorade dousing of coaches marked the end of the Penn women's lacrosse team's Ivy League season. The Quakers coasted past Brown Saturday, 12-5, to collect their second consecutive Ivy title. But before Coach Karin Brower's clothes could even dry, the Quakers (12-1, 7-0) had their sights set on revenge and the Division I championship.

Three out of 51. That's Penn's record against rival Princeton since 1982, the year that the teams began playing one another. If there was ever a time to begin making up such a monstrous deficit, this weekend's back-to-back doubleheader against the Tigers would be it.

Well, the hard part is over now. The No. 6 Penn women's lacrosse team upset its chief Ivy rival in No. 2 Princeton to clinch at least a share of its second-consecutive Ivy title. All that's left for the Quakers is beating middling Brown tomorrow at Franklin Field to win the regular-season championship outright.

As is often the case with politicians, Pennsylvania House speaker Dennis O'Brien has been accused of occasionally practicing contradictory politics. His desire to keep criminals from going unpunished is unmistakable, as is his concern for the safety and well-being of Pa.

There's now yet another way to chat with friends online. In the latest of a series of updates, the online social-networking site Facebook released a new chat application last week. Users can now see when their friends are online and chat with them in real-time, eliminating the need for a separate buddy list.

Whenever Penn suits up against Maryland, it seems like a lost cause. Over the past four years, the Terps have outscored the Quakers 60-25. Still, Penn remains optimistic of its chances to upset the nation's No. 7 team when it travels to College Park, Md., for a showdown tomorrow at 1 p.

With the Pennsylvania primary four days away, Penn for Obama and Penn Democrats plan to continue Baracking the vote - only more so. In the days leading up to Tuesday's primary, Penn for Obama will "pretty much ramp up everything we have been doing," Wharton freshman and co-president of Penn for Obama Mike Stratton said.

Too many papers, too few consumers. That seminal problem was discussed last night at Kelly Writers House by Philadelphia City Paper editor-in-chief Brian Howard, news editor Doron Taussig, senior editor Patrick Rapa and agenda editor and College alumna Monica Weymouth.

Police too aggressive during Fling To the Editor: In the final hours of Fling many celebratory parties were thrown throughout the off-campus community. Around 1 a.m. Saturday night our University police force, in conjunction with the local Philadelphia police, conducted raids on many of these parties.

For some international students, post-graduation visas are now more attainable than ever before. On April 4, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new rule that allows qualified international students pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics to apply for an extension of the time they are allowed to work in the U.

Long drives turn heads, but it's putting that wins titles. If the Quakers hope to somehow do that this weekend at the Ivy women's golf championship, they'll have to improve on what coach Francis Vaughn calls "an Achilles heel." The Quakers have to finish on the greens at the Atlantic City Golf Club in New Jersey in order to beat the six other Ivy contenders and win their first league title.

Five gun-control measures unanimously passed by City Council and signed into law last Thursday by Mayor Michael Nutter have been met with heavy opposition throughout the past week. The laws prohibit the possession of an automatic weapon within Philadelphia, limit the number of firearms an individual can purchase to one a month, mandate that owners of lost or stolen guns report the loss within 24 hours and ban persons with orders of protection against them from owning guns.