Saturday night's 99-89 loss to Villanova was the first Big 5 experience for Penn coach Glen Miller. Afterward, Miller showed his unfamiliarity with the nature of Big 5 action. "I'm awfully ticked off when we lose a game," Miller said. Responding to a question about not dwelling on Big 5 games, Miller said, "the game is just like any game.

Last time Frank Elegar and Chaz Crawford played at the Palestra, it wasn't pretty. Drexel's frontcourt duo, greatly outplayed by Penn's Mark Zoller and Steve Danley, was held to a combined 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting in the Dragons' loss. So in their latest game in the Palestra, Elegar and Crawford decided to make up for it.

They may not be industry moguls or top executives, but Penn professors are certainly willing to shell out money in support of their favorite political candidates. Penn ranked fourth in a study measuring the sum of education-industry employee donations to federal campaigns this election cycle.

The Penn Police department will begin its re-accreditation process next weekend. A team of assessors from a national accreditation agency will come to campus to examine the department, which is currently responsible for 116 fully-sworn police officers headed by a chief of police.

A Penn project to build houses may build bridges, as well. Last year, 18 Architecture students participated in a studio design class led by Architecture professors Richard Wesley and Ali Malkawi in which they designed residential units for six formerly homeless women and their families as part of the Bernice Elza Homes project.

Philadelphia newspaper racks will remain full, at least for a bit longer. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News's largest union threatened to strike after midnight Friday, but management and union representatives continued contract negotiations through yesterday.

Senior Mike Nardi is Villanova's lone remnant from an outstanding backcourt that saw three guards jump to the NBA last June. Randy Foye was drafted seventh overall and is now on the Timberwolves, Kyle Lowry was drafted 24th by the Grizzlies, and Allan Ray is now playing for the Celtics.

It's only been a couple of months since the season's final Clark Park flea market, but you may already miss the cluttered tables of handmade jewelry and racks of patterned blazers from the '80s. Fortunately for Penn's flea-market junkies, the organizers of this community staple are putting together an event this Sunday that is sure to hold us over until Spring: a holiday bazaar at the Rotunda, located at 40th and Walnut streets.

Chairmanship of the United Minorities Council is a tough gig - so tough, in fact, that this year leaders say there were no qualified candidates to fill the role. The UMC - an umbrella organization for dozens of minority groups at Penn - held elections Wednesday night, and although two candidates were in the running, no chairman was elected.

If you're waiting in line at Koch's Take Out Shop, somebody will probably offer you a free pickle.

The security guard said I had to move, so I moved. It was Dec. 4, 2004, my second Big 5 Classic, and after Penn beat La Salle in the opener, my ticket said I still had one more game to watch. CSC Event Staff said otherwise; I had to make room for the Villanova student section to watch the Wildcats play Temple.

Last night, the junior class president pledged to keep students informed about the fate of Hey Day as student leaders met for the fourth annual State of the School event. Over 100 members of the six branches of student government gathered in College Hall for humorous, but informative, presentations from the heads of each branch.

The Big 5 landscape is changing, but the rivalry between Penn and Villanova is still alive and well.

Too many Penn students don't offer a hand to a person who trips or falls - unless the person falling is very attractive.

Trespassing and Conduct Nov. 24 - Carlton Smith, 28 and unaffiliated with the University, was arrested at about 12:05 a.m. when he allegedly attempted to enter an enclosed unit at the 4040 Baltimore St. Gunther Hall Apartments. Nov. 24 - Andre Soriven, 32 and unaffiliated with the University, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct when a student complained that Soriven was disturbing residents of Sansom Place East.

The Quakers' Big 5 opener against Villanova was your typical City Series matchup: loud, physical and close to the very end. And once again, the Wildcats came out on top with a 99-89 win at a packed Palestra. A huge factor in 'Nova's win was their flawless free-throw shooting -- a torrid 27-of-29, with the only two misses in the irrelevant final minute.

22Americans who died in 2003 from being crushed by human stampedes.Source: Trans. Safety Board