Put on some salsa shoes and get ready for a week-long fiesta. Latino Coalition, the umbrella group for all Latino groups on campus, is organizing the 26th annual Festival Latino from March 30 to April 5. Packed with events designed to entertain and educate the Penn community, Festival Latino is "a way for Latino students to bond and illustrate the diversity and richness of their cultures," said Wharton sophomore and chairman of the Latino Coalition Rami Reyes.

From class visits by Karl Rove to Los Angeles field trips, the Creative Writing Program plans to kick off the next academic year with an exciting array of new courses. During Dick Polman's journalism course on the 2008 Presidential Election, for example, students with a passion for both writing and politics will have the opportunity to track and critique the news as the election unfolds.

Penn alum Dr. Arnold Eisen, current chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, addressed a full audience at Hillel yesterday, offering a sociological perspective on the current state of Judaism. He focused his speech on the importance of youth reinterpretation and redefinition of Jewish history, culture and text.

SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey announced last week that the agency will attempt to improve quality for riders without raising fares with a $1.08 billion operating budget for the 2009 fiscal year. The transportation organization said it wants to improve on several issues, including "service, cleanliness, convenience, courtesy and communications," according to a SEPTA press release.

College sophomore Phillip Benedetti was awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship last week, with College and Wharton sophomore Stefan Sabo receiving an honorable mention. They were among 321 sophomores and juniors who were recognized for success in math and sciences, chosen from among 1,035 nominees for the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Despite an April Fools' Day prank about a speech by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on campus, the importance of young voters to the Democratic presidential candidates is no joke. With the Pennsylvania primary set for April 22, the campaigns of Obama and New York Sen.

There is a growing gap between the life expectancies of richer and poorer Americans, recent government data shows. Although Americans as a whole are living longer lives, the life expectancy gap is growing between the rich and the poor, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

April Fools' Day came early, thanks to a campus-wide prank planned by three students. But contrary to the information contained in eggs and flyers Wharton freshmen Nick Greif and Marko Horvat and College freshman Logan Steinhardt scattered around campus, Illinois Sen.

Looking for a post-midterm stress reliever? Mental Health Awareness Week has plenty of offerings. Active Minds, Penn's mental health advocacy group, hopes to bring mental health issues to the forefront of students' minds by hosting everything from workshops and lectures to more hands-on activities, like chalking the walk and holding rounds of Quizzo at Cavanaugh's.

Students unsatisfied with campus dining and printing are in for a treat. The Undergraduate Assembly unanimously passed two proposals at Sunday night's meeting tackling complaints about inefficient dining halls and expensive printing. n With its Dining Proposal, which has been in the works since last year, the UA seeks to create a series of "baby steps" for Penn Dining to improve the quality of food and service.

There are few who doubt that a new South Street Bridge is needed, and fast. From the cracked pavement to the corroded metal, everything about this 85-year-old structure demands renovation. In certain areas, the metal has worn away so much that pedestrians are given an unintended look at the Schuylkill River below.

After 35 hours of discussions and debate this past weekend, the Student Activities Council is increasing its funding for student groups. For the first time since 2000, SAC has updated its funding policies and guidelines in time for its annual budget allocations process for the 2008-2009 school year.

They used to hold parties in the basement of the ARCH, plastering newspapers over the windows to protect the anonymity of the attendees. But for the current Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender community on campus, these carefully guarded gatherings are a thing of the past.

Films at this year's Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival ranged from the frivolous and fun ballad of a hot air balloon spy to the weighty and grave story of a transsexual Drexel student switching genders. About 540 people attended the third-annual festival last Friday, where students from Penn, Drexel and University of the Arts took away the majority of the awards.

Harvard Law School is easing the burden of taking public service jobs with a new tuition plan, a move experts and students applaud but say could go further. Under the new plan, the law school will pay the third year of tuition for future students who commit to work in public service for five years following graduation, Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan announced last week.

For some, April Fools' Day has come early -- despite the "Obama" eggs scattered around campus and the flyers posted on Locust Walk saying otherwise, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will not be speaking at Irvine Auditorium tomorrow night.

PhillyCarShare has some competition. Zipcar, another car-sharing company, began service in Philadelphia last week. Zipcar will begin its service in Philadelphia with 110 cars located throughout University City, Center City and Queen Village. The company says it has more than 180,000 members in 50 cities throughout the United States, Canada and London.