As Grey's Anatomy draws more prospective doctors every year, Law and Order fans seem to be turning to other fields. In a survey of 190 law schools conducted by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, half of the schools reported a decline in applications during the past two years, with a 17.

It's going to be a busy year for newly inaugurated Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and with his recent staff appointments, the same will be true for several Penn faculty and graduates. Nutter, a Penn graduate himself, vowed this fall to include university minds in shaping his policy and tackling the major problems in Philadelphia.

As food prices increase nationwide, students and West Philadelpia residents are feeling the strain on their purse strings. The price of many food staples, including milk, eggs and bread, rose drastically in 2007, resulting in higher prices at grocery stores and restaurants.

After Harvard and Princeton eliminated their early-application programs last year, many students scrambled to apply early to another institution. Penn's numbers of early-decision applicants and admitted students, however, remained steady and were seemingly not affected.

The University announced earlier today that Eric Furda, the vice president for alumni relations at Columbia University, will take over as the new dean of admissions at Penn on July 1, 2008. Furda served as the executive director of undergraduate admissions at Columbia from 1995 to 2004.

On Jan. 5, millions of students logged on to their social lifeline: Facebook. But there was something different that day, as students found themselves looking at an advertisement for the ABC News/Facebook New Hampshire Debates airing that night. When every vote counts, campaigns are now turning to sites like Facebook and YouTube to get their messages to young voters.

Overall crime in the Penn patrol zone increased by 10 percent over the past year, but the biggest jump was seen in thefts, rather than violent offenses.

Even in the dead of winter, campus is getting greener. Beginning in February, highly sophisticated sensors installed in 12 Harnwell rooms will monitor occupants' energy usage as part of the Harnwell Energy Monitoring Project, designed to promote awareness of conservation around campus.

In contrast to the homicide and four major robberies that occurred over last year's winter break, University City experienced relatively few major crimes this vacation. Over the past month, three assaults and three robberies were reported in the Penn patrol zone.

When most astronauts go into space, they bring something special from home. Garrett Reisman, a 1991 Wharton and Engineering alumnus, is bringing an M&T; emblem and a piece of ENIAC, the very first computer, which was developed at Penn. Reisman will travel to the International Space Station for two months this March.

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Two students accused of committing crimes in dormitories during the fall semester are no longer enrolled at the University. Wharton senior Jason Myers, who allegedly burglarized rooms in Harnwell College House, and Diexia Wang, who allegedly stole bras and panties from Mayer Hall dorm rooms, are no longer enrolled at Penn, Vice Provost for University Life spokesman Matt Waller said.

Actually, they do care. While most students were busy catching z's over the winter break, some Quakers were bearing the cold of Iowa and New Hampshire in support of the 2008 Presidential candidates. In a departure from previous election cycles, this year's candidates are depending on youth involvement both within their campaigns and in voting booths for their success.

It's no small feat to reduce a major city's crime rate by 30 to 50 percent - but newly-inaugurated Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter plans to try. In his inaugural speech after being sworn in as mayor last week, Nutter described his plan for a "New Philadelphia," addressing the city's major issues and presenting a series of ambitious goals for his administration.

Penn's early decision acceptance rate decreased by 1 percent from last year to match the school's lowest-ever admissions rate of 28 percent. Of the 3,912 high-school seniors who applied to Penn early decision last fall, 1,147 were accepted in December. Those students will compose about 48 percent of the Class of 2012.

Meet Leo Charney: A Yale graduate with a masters in Film from New York University who is the public voice of Provost Ron Daniels. DP: Where are you from? Leo Charney: New York City. DP: Do you miss New York City now that you live in Philadelphia? LC: I'm happy not to live [in New York City.

Kurt Mitman, the Economics graduate student who took a leave of absence from Penn last January when his academic-release privileges from a Bucks County prison were revoked, has resumed classes after having been paroled in September.