When Roberts Proton Therapy Center opens in fall 2009, it will bring to Penn a type of facility that has attracted attention for both its effectiveness and high price. And while critics have spoken out against its costliness, researchers see proton therapy as an important and effective treatment option for some patients, and Penn expects the center to be in demand.

Patients almost always assume that their doctors are prescribing medicine proven to treat their ailments. However, that's not always the case. Almost half of doctors surveyed in a study admitted to having used placebos in their clinical practice, according to a recent study by Penn alum and University of Chicago medical student Rachel Sherman and John Hickner, a professor at Chicago.

The recruitment process took a turn this past weekend for Penn's potential new sorority sisters as they moved from conversations to crafts. Current sorority members and potential recruits got to know each other at increasingly more intimate events over the Martin Luther King holiday.

The Wharton School announced on Jan. 8 that Kenneth Manotti will be named the associate dean for external affairs, effective Feb. 29. Manotti orginally served at Penn from 1978 to 1992. He began his work as coordinator of the Middle East Center before taking on several administrative positions at Wharton, including the assistant director of the Wharton Applied Research Center, the operations manager for on-campus recruiting, the director of development operations for Wharton External Affairs and the associate director of alumni giving, director of 25th reunion programs and director of development and corporate relations for the Joseph H.

It was a loss that, in the context of the grind-it-out Big 5, was almost unprecedented. Penn, just a year removed from a competitive 10-point loss against Saint Joseph's, found itself on the wrong end of an 82-42 drubbing, the second-largest margin of victory in Big 5 history.

Last Friday, over 800 people gathered at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia Hotel to discuss current trends in private equity. The 14th annual Wharton Private Equity Conference, the largest student-run conference of its kind, brought students and industry leaders together to network and learn.

The crime cycle often begins with an unfinished education and chronic unemployment and ends with a prison sentence. Then the cycle begins again, as getting hired with a criminal record is nearly impossible. But increasingly, governments, schools and businesses are providing opportunities for ex-offenders to break this cycle with education and employment.

Through their first three matches, the women's squash team had lost just three of 27 individual matches. This weekend, they were even better. The No. 2 Quakers traveled up to Massachusetts and Connecticut, blowing out No. 7 Williams and No. 17 Amherst on Saturday and No.

It's usually around 2 a.m. when the editors at The Daily Pennsylvanian pick up the phone to call the printers. For the three or four editors still at the office, the 15 minutes waiting for the confirmation call are spent uploading Internet content and cleaning the office. When the call finally comes, the office clears out and the DP turns off its lights. For the printers, however, the night has only just begun.

International students who are eligible for financial aid will receive the same benefits of Penn's new loan-free program, according to the University. But the new financial aid plan will not affect the number of international students that Penn can admit and offer aid to, and will not change the eligiblity requirements for an aid package.

The girlfriend of Felix Qu, the Wharton junior who was arrested for simple assault over winter break, has contacted police expressing interest in retracting some parts of her statement.

From White Castle mini burgers to Pat's cheesesteaks, this year's fraternity rush open houses have it all. In fact, the frats have so much free food this week that many students have decided there's no need to spend their own money on dinner. Why pay for a meal when every fraternity on campus is filled with tables loaded with the very finest fast food Philly has to offer, free of charge? That seems to be the question for many boys this January.

These days, Penn's catchphrase seems to be, "We'll take care of it with the Postal Lands." Because of this, students may think that the newly purchased 24 acres east of our current campus will contain scores of youth-centric delights, such as a 24-hour student union outfitted with a bowling alley, sports bar and a Chipotle.

The girls' swim team spent 10 days in Boca Raton, Fla., over winter break. But the trip was anything but a vacation. The Quakers practiced in the pool for two hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon, and also had dry land workouts every day.

New spring activities fair this Sunday The Social Planning and Events Committee will hold the first-ever spring activities fair this Sunday. The event, which will feature 240 different student clubs from around Penn, will be from 1 to 5 p.m. in Houston Hall.

Sharing is caring - and it's good for the environment, too. Yesterday Penn launched a new partnership with Philly Car Share to further promote sustainability efforts. As a kick off, green balloons decorated Locust Walk, Houston Hall and the Penn bookstore.

In the wake of tragedy, it's sometimes hard not to jump to conclusions. Last week, the family of College sophomore Anne Ryan, who died suddenly from meningitis last year, filed a lawsuit against the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, alleging that doctors mistreated and misdiagnosed her.