Out in the flyover, we don't get a lot of coastal news. Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, all I knew about Philadelphia until I was eight or nine was that it had been home to both the Fresh Prince and Ben Franklin. I've since become more enlightened, but it's ironic that I ended up at Penn, the Philadelphia institution that, more than any other, walks the line between these two worlds.

Penn's strategy for raising the remainder of the money for its $3.5 billion capital campaign is fairly standard, experts say. Although finance consultants vary on how much a university should raise during the quiet phase, they generally agree that Penn was ready to take the next step in the campaign.

Amira Fawcett is a Engineering junior from Houston. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

The second-degree murder charge for Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya should be dropped, the defense argued yesterday, in light of the circumstances surrounding the 2004 bludgeoning of Temple University graduate student Irina Zlotnikov. Defense attorney Eugene Maurer brought a motion asking Judge James Vaughn to forbid the jury from considering the charge because the murder must have been premeditated, which would only leave first-degree murder as an option.

Just as applicants to Penn come from all over the world, people interested in Penn admissions are everywhere, too. And so, without a real watercolor to gossip over, they turn to an online one. Since his departure from Penn, blogs and Internet forums have been sustaining interest and driving conversation about former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson.

Finance or Fine Arts? Economics or English? Successful alumni say, "Go with what you like. Five years down the road, it's not going to matter anyway." A College Alumni Mentoring Series panel discussed the impact a liberal-arts education has on one's career yesterday.

While the Penn women's soccer team had little trouble dismantling its opponent, the Quakers' players did have one major challenge to overcome: not retaliating against UMBC's physical play. In last night's 4-0 win in Baltimore, the Retrievers' players took three yellow cards on the game.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Week organizers are implementing a work-hard, play-hard attitude toward this week's array of cultural awareness events. Monday night began with a mixed group of about 250 students at Houston Hall listening to music of hip-hop-based duet Blue Scholars and celebrating the diverse heritage of Asian Pacific Americans as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Week.

Penn placed 12th among U.S. research institutions in the number of Fulbright Scholarships awarded by the State Department this year, according to a report released on Monday by the Institute of International Education. The report lists Penn as having earned 17 scholarships for study abroad out of a 108-person applicant pool.

Communication between Penn, other local universities and community groups on gentrification and affordable housing issues will be a key issue in the coming years, the man who will likely be the next mayor told West Philadelphia residents last night.

Penn doctors are giving some patients a second chance at life. School of Medicine professor Lance Becker and his team are researching a medical procedure that can reduce the amount of brain damage caused when a patient's heart stops. Even a 10-minute cutoff to oxygen can cause irreversible injury to the brain, said Vinay Nadkarni, who teaches at the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania.

Daniel Schwartz is a College sophomore from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is schwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

When it comes to capital campaigns, the University has a history of reaching some hefty goals. Since Ben Franklin's first fundraising efforts to establish the University, Penn administrators have embarked on six capital campaigns, including the campaign launched Saturday night.

Yale coach Jack Siedlecki was worried already. Penn faced a big third-and-six from the Bulldogs' 42, and a conversion could help set up a go-ahead field goal in the closing minute of the first half. So Seidlecki wasn't thrilled when a few careless seconds came Penn's way on that third down - the result of a missing man in a hat and a refereeing crew that had both sides yelling at it all Saturday afternoon.

As Penn begins the public stage of its largest-ever capital campaign, donors have more questions on their minds than how much to give. At a brunch Saturday for Benjamin Franklin Society donors - those who donate $2,500 or more annually to the University - many expressed concern and curiosity over the departure of former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson, who suddenly resigned in late August.

The School of Nursing community came together last Friday to hear about the school's current conditions. Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis delivered the annual state-of-the-school lecture, speaking about the school's progress over the last year, recalling its achievements and outlining its goals for the future.

It's good to be healthy, and for the first time in a couple of weeks, the Penn men's soccer team is near 100 percent. Last week's games against Dartmouth and Rutgers saw a few key players either out or stuck with limited minutes because of injuries.