College freshman Jessica Wolfe boarded a flight home to Denver, Co., at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 20. But, as the plane approached Denver International Airport, it was unexpectedly diverted to Nebraska because of weather conditions. Wolfe had five minutes to decide whether to stay in Nebraska - an eight-hour drive from her home - or to fly back to Philadelphia.

Four wins over break would have been too much to ask for the men's basketball team - the last time Penn went undefeated over winter vacation was 1979, when the Quakers ended up in the Final Four.

While most students were sleeping and catching up on Grey's Anatomy, the Penn men's basketball team was going through some final tune-ups before the start of the Ivy League season. Listed are five things the Quakers learned about themselves that will tell in upcoming games a lot about their chances of repeating as league champions and returning to the NCAA Tournament: 1.

A recent donation could help give citizenship a boost at Penn. A $2.5 million endowment from the Mellon Foundation will be donated to Penn for a new interdisciplinary program on Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionality, University officials announced at the end of last semester.

The University's Project on Civic Engagement kicked off its major initiative, Great Expectation: Citizen Voices on Philadelphia's Future, at St. John's University last night. The forum is part of a series that will take place at community centers, hospitals and college campuses in different neighborhoods across the region.

University City was subject to several violent crimes over winter break, with one murder and four major robberies. All of the crimes involved victims unaffiliated with the University. On Dec. 24, Robert Rose, 21, was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the back and legs on the 3900 block of Market Street, Division of Public Safety officials said.

After months of deliberation, SAS administrators remain locked in negotiations over replacing the current Webmail system, which has repeatedly broken down over the past year. SAS Vice Dean for Finance and Administration Ramin Sedehi said the school is still negotiating with both Microsoft and Google in an effort to ensure that the privacy and security of students is protected.

22,950Iraqi Health Ministry's estimate of how many Iraqi civilians died violently in 2006.Source: The New York Times

Daniel Schwartz is a College freshman from Decatur, GA. His e-mail address is schwarm@sas.upenn.edu.

A cold afternoon from the field and ineffective defense off the dribble sent Penn to another loss on Saturday, as the Quakers closed out 2006 with a 94-85 defeat to Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena. After crashing back to earth in a 80-61 loss to Virginia Tech two days earlier, the Pirates (7-2) exploited a shaky Penn defense to go on a 13-3 run late in the first half.

A reflection on columnizing and life.

University presidents' paychecks are getting larger each year. And though her counterparts' salaries have been catching up over the last few years, Gutmann remains one of the most highly paid administrators among university leaders. In the 2004-2005 academic year, more than 100 presidents of four-year institutions received compensation packages of at least $500,000, a 53 percent increase from the previous year, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education survey.

Dear Ira Winston, IT officials and members of the administration, In case you aren't already aware, School of Arts and Sciences students are angry.

Unlike more recent campaigns to reduce crime on campus, the Nuisance Alarm Reduction Team prefers to keep a low profile. Their goal: Stop falsely triggered alarms from disrupting the academic lives of students throughout campus. And with the recent increase in the sophistication and number of alarm systems across campus, University officials say NART's job is more necessary now than ever.

After a tough loss, it can't be easy to wait 11 days to play again. It is even harder to get rid of that sour taste against a top-5 team. But that is the tall order the Penn Quakers face after a 94-85 loss to Seton Hall last week. Their method? A trip down to Tobacco Road to square off against No.

After the third Webmail crash in three days on Friday, School of Arts and Sciences technology officials say the problem may have finally been put to bed.

Through the first half last night, it looked as if the Quakers' inside game hadn't changed since it got beat up by Fordham for a 38-25 rebounding edge in a loss last game. On defense, Illinois-Chicago's big frontcourt manhandled the Quakers for 12 offensive rebounds against Penn's nine in the first 20 minutes.