Some student-loan lenders are cutting back or have stopped offering federal loans to students, but members of the U.S. Congress have recently stepped in to try to help. Major reasons the student-loan industry is suffering include market pressure on lenders and cuts in subsidies from Congress.

Penn students and Philadelphia residents might soon be bidding SEPTA tokens farewell. With plans in the works for a new "smart-card" fare-collection system, SEPTA passengers will only need to wave a card to ride the subway. SEPTA plans to use contactless bank cards that will make the use of public transportation just a "common retail purchase," SEPTA spokesman Gary Fairfax wrote in an e-mail.

Brown and Stanford universities' announcements of free tuition, room and board for undergraduates below a certain income level sound impressive - but Penn's program is already very similar. In the past week, both Stanford and Brown announced expanded financial-aid policies that increase the amount of grant aid given to qualified students.

With older brother Brian - Penn basketball's senior captain - about to suit up at the Palestra for the final time, you might think Tom Grandieri would have some substantial shoes to fill as the only sibling left wearing Red and Blue. They're actually cleats.

Engineering freshman Dara Elass wears long sleeves, pants and a burkha, a head scarf traditionally worn by Muslim women, every time she pays a visit to Pottruck. She follows traditional Islamic law, which requires that women cover up in the presence of men - even at the gym.

University President Amy Gutmann will receive a leadership award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania on March 3 at the organization's 22nd annual Take the Lead awards ceremony.

At some schools like the University of Southern California and New York University, rush occurs within days of arriving on campus freshman year.

Burglary Feb. 19 - Jermaine Harris-Stevens, 27, of the 5400 block of Osage Ave., was arrested by Penn Police after he was observed allegedly removing metal scaffolding from inside a construction site at the Center for Advanced Medicine, located at 3401 Riverview Dr., at about 11:50 p.m.

Two Thursdays ago, tragedy struck the campus of Northern Illinois University. A disgruntled former student burst into a lecture hall and opened fire, killing five students before taking his own life. Within hours, camera crews swarmed the scene, and the media quickly spread the devastating news.

With the pending stress of Fall Course Registration on the horizon, the School of Arts and Sciences is doing its best to make students happy. For some students, that happiness comes with more night-class options in the College of General Studies.

Paper as a medium is dying. Thanks to the Library's subscriptions to numerous online journal archives, students seldom spend time paging through books for exactly the right article or pay for accessing online resources. But many other scholars aren't as lucky.

Penn wrestling coach Zeke Jones got more than he expected when sophomore transfer wrestler Phil Boyer showed up. Boyer was recruited at 125 pounds; he came to the team weighing 133. He was expected to be just another lightweight addition to an already strong team.

"I've never tried this before" is the last thing you want a doctor to say to you. However, there is a first time for everything, and medical procedures are no exception. Fortunately, Penn's School of Medicine uses advanced technology to enable students to practice procedures on mannequins that can simulate complex surgical procedures.

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

If you think stress has to be a normal part of your Penn life, think again. Last night, several student organizations on campus hosted leaders from various groups for the campus' first Mental Health Camp. The initiative was started to provide students with practical mental-health techniques and strategies they can apply in their everyday lives.

Cora Daniels, the author of Ghetto Nation: A Journey Into the Land of Bling and the Home of the Shameless, which calls 'ghetto-ness' a "mind set which embraces the worst," came to the Penn Bookstore yesterday to promote and discuss her book.

Two weeks ago, Angela Davis gave the keynote address of PENN's Women's Week. I think that Angela Davis' career, including her invitation to this University, is a sign of something wrong on many American college campuses. I believe in freedom of speech. I believe that all people have the right to express their ideas, even if I find them offensive.