In the squad cars and on the streets, citizens try to help stop the bleeding of Philadelphia's rising murder rate.

Remember the name. Mike Howlett has become the fourth member of Penn basketball's Class of 2012. Howlett, who is currently finishing a second prep year at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire, called Quakers coach Glen Miller on Sunday night to inform him of the decision, according to the young man's father, Jay.

Crime in West Philly may be old news, but you know it's bad when it reaches the hallowed halls of Van Pelt. Indeed, ten cases of theft have been reported to Penn Police since mid-September and many more have certainly gone unreported. According to the Division of Public Safety, 43 percent of total thefts since July have been the result of leaving possessions unattended.

Hark! Fellow Penn students, heed my call. A blue storm is gathering and glory is being showered on the cowardly dragons. In this, the last week of the fair month October, our honor is being challenged. The evil Drexelians have somehow managed to get ringside seats in the greatest tournament of our time.

School of Design Dean Gary Hack will leave the University this summer after finishing his twelve-year run as the school's top administrator. Engineering Dean Eduardo Glandt will serve as chairman for the committee responsible for replacing Hack, who will leave the school June 30, 2008.

On the north side of campus, things continue to go south. Sunday morning's gunfight at the corner of 38th and Chestnut streets only served to emphasize a growing trend, recognized as a mounting concern by both Penn and Philadelphia police.

For one Middle East expert, the conflict in the region could last for at least 30 to 40 more years. Addressing a conservative audience at the Union League of Philadelphia yesterday evening, Martin Kramer, a senior Middle East advisor to Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign, discussed issues with current U.

'Working to solve complex real-world problems is the best way to advance knowledge and learning." This sentiment, voiced by education reformer John Dewey, deserves stronger consideration from our university than it is presently receiving. Our community, West Philadelphia, has no shortage of problems.

Sometimes it's been injuries. Sometimes it's been turnovers. Sometimes it's been the kicking game. Saturday's game at Brown was a culmination of all of those pains that have plagued the Penn football team for the last three years. This latest re-enactment of the Quakers' nightmare came in a 31-17 loss at Brown (3-4, 2-2 Ivy) on Saturday.

University researchers have determined that particular brain waves help distinguish real memories from false ones, according to a press release. Their study is the first to show that brain waves predict the veracity of human memories. The findings from the experiments may also help advance research into epilepsy.

Five more years. The University Board of Trustees announced at its meeting on Oct. 19 that Penn President Amy Gutmann's contract has been extended for five years, securing her position as Penn's leader until 2014. The extension for Gutmann, who assumed the presidency in June 2004, comes 20 months before her contract was set to expire.

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Oct. 27 - A showdown against the Ivy league's top dogs isn't a good time to have an off day. With the season on the line, the then-one-loss Quakers had their moments but in the end were swept away 3-0 by a dominant No. 6 Brown squad. Penn now sits at 2-2 in the league (5-7-2 overall), while Brown moves to 4-0 (11-1-1) and is now coasting toward an Ivy title.

The Penn volleyball team is keeping the pressure on Princeton. The second-place Quakers finished a perfect five-game road trip over the weekend, as they swept past Columbia 3-0 and Cornell 3-0. In improving to 14-7 and 7-2 in League play, the Quakers gave coach Kerry Carr win number 200 of her career.

After a brutal 56-7 loss, sprint football coach Bill Wagner called out Navy for what he construed to be unsportsmanlike play. "They're a good team, but I think they're a cheap-shot team, I think their cut-blocking is certainly of question and, in my opinion, a deficit to the game," Wagner said.

Fire alarms, a human pyramid and an almost-stolen composite picture forced Zeta Beta Tau's Halloween party to shut down early Sunday morning. Members of OZ, an underground fraternity, "caused chaos at the [ZBT] party" by forming a human pyramid while a smoke alarm was going off, said College junior and ZBT president Sam Farber.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as a capstone to Greek Week, the Panhellenic Council sponsored the seventh annual Rena Rowan Ribbon Run yesterday. The run was a 5K route around campus that kicked off on a crisp afternoon at the Compass at 37th and Locust streets.

At the Heptagonal Championships in New York City, Penn women's cross country finished fourth while the men's squad took third place. But there was no doubt who was on top. In dominating fashion, both the men's and women's individual winners came from Princeton, as the Tigers swept Heps for the second straight season.