The word is out, and so are the papers. Free copies of The New York Times will be available to students every weekday, starting today and continuing through April 19.

Last Friday the family of College sophomore Anne Ryan, who died from meningitis at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 9, filed a lawsuit against HUP alleging misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Former University Chaplain William Gipson is making the leap from the chapel to College Hall. As the new Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access, a position created this semester within the Office of the Provost, Gipson is taking the lead in maintaining Penn's reputation for prioritizing diversity in higher education.

Parents sending their kids off to Penn undoubtedly hope to receive calls about their child's progress through college. They probably hope those calls are not notifying them that their children have been abusing drugs or alcohol. According to a Wall Street Journal article published last week, an increasing number of universities are contacting parents about their underage children's alcohol and drug violations, sometimes for the first offense.

Alleged panty thief awaits arraignment Legal proceedings against Diexia Wang, the Wharton senior who allegedly stole female undergarments from Mayer Hall, will continue next week. Wang, 21, is scheduled to be arraigned in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Dec.

Philadelphians may have another team to cheer for within the next two years. Major League Soccer is enlarging its field from 14 to 16 teams and Philadelphia is MLS' top choice to join Seattle in hosting the expansion teams, which would begin playing in 2009.

Months down the line, the student loan industry fiasco is far from forgotten. It is so memorable that Conde Nast Portfolio magazine named it the number-two business scandal of 2007. Last spring, Penn -- along with many other colleges and universities - came under scrutiny when New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo revealed that universities had been receiving kickbacks when their students borrowed money from certain loan programs.

Blood-thirsty yells shatter the solitude of Clark Park on a Saturday afternoon. At about 1:30 p.m., a motley group of kids brandishing plastic foam swords assemble on the northwestern corner of the park. When the game starts, they charge toward the other team, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Three months ago, ten Wharton freshmen sat in a circle in the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Back then, they were little more than polite strangers. Yet now, after a semester of working together as a Management 100 team, this group has become closer on a more personal level.

With a bit of luck, the Van Pelt night scene may get a whole lot livelier. After a push from members of the Undergraduate Assembly's Facilities Committee, Van Pelt administrators agreed to extend hours until 2 a.m. through reading days and finals. And to help students beyond finals period, the UA is currently in talks with the library administration about extending Van Pelt hours until 2 a.

The departure of former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has shown how much power Penn President Amy Gutmann wields, raising questions about the role of the Board of Trustees in checking the president's power.

The number of minority graduate students is up - but the social and academic support for those students isn't keeping pace. Minorities, women and international students made up most of the two-percent growth in graduate students this past year, according to a recent report issued by the Council of Graduate Schools.

When College freshman Ben Epstein is asked what he would like to do after graduation, he says he wants to write. But on a campus where career paths like business and pre-med take center stage, such interests are often dismissed as dead-end hobbies. "People say 'that's nice, but impractical,'" Epstein said.

College freshman Michael Tomback ran outside as soon as he saw it. He spun in circles. He took photos. It was finally snowing. For Tomback and many other freshmen from warm climates, last week's snowfall was not only the first of the season - but the first of their lives.

The University announced a new financial aid policy Dec. 17, launching an initiative that will eliminate loans from all undergraduate financial aid packages within two years. Beginning in September 2008, undergraduate students with family incomes under $100,000 will receive loan-free packages, according to a University press release.

The "Making History" campaign is living up to its name, Penn administrators say. With $1.69 billion in the bank, the five-year fundraising effort is already at over 48 percent of its $3.5 billion goal after being launched publicly this past October.