Along with four other colleges and universities around the country, Penn President Amy Gutmann pledged Friday to create an additional 400 civic-service opportunities for Penn students. The new opportunities will help prepare students for service in a variety of fields, expand the reach of Penn's service programs and enhance the intellectual impact that civic engagement already provides, she said.

From the birthday cake to the African violets, the 90th anniversary celebration of the Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority was truly "a glorious affair." That was the name of the celebration of DST's "90 years of excellence" that took place last Saturday in the Bodek Lounge.

Penn spent $980,038 on activities in Washington and Harrisburg for the fiscal year that ended in May 2007, an increase from $218,199 the year before. Much of that money was spent on lobbying expenses. However, according to Jeffrey Cooper, the vice president for government and community affairs, the increase was simply the result of a new law mandating that the University health system's expenses be included in the general report.

As the first undergraduate student to curate a major exhibit at Penn's Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, College senior and graduate sub-matriculate student in Anthropology Abby Seldin is in a league of her own. Along with Chief Bob Redhawk Ruth and Shelley DePaul, Seldin is co-curator of "Fulfilling a Prophecy: The Past and Present of the Lenape in Pennsylvania.

The six branches of student government have begun efforts to increase minority representation by collaborating with six of Penn's cultural and minority coalitions. The initiative is meant to address a noticeable decline in the presence of minority and female undergraduates in student government in recent years.

Hearing about emergencies on campus is about to take on a new meaning. DPS is planning an audible-alert system, which will include audible sirens and a public-address system spanning the area from 33rd to 40th Streets. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush explained that the system would benefit University visitors and nearby residents -- people not included in UPennAlert, Penn's emergency-notification system that alerts students and faculty through e-mail and text messages.

Sometimes you can't leave something dead and buried. That was apparent in many of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, and it now seems to be true in an ongoing debate over the author's remains. Last October, local writer Edward Pettit began arguing that Poe's body should be moved from Baltimore to Philadelphia.

On Friday, Wharton officials released a statement revealing that three current and past students' scores for the Graduate Management Admissions Test were cancelled last week because of cheating. "We are in the process of investigating the matter and, after we have completed our review of the facts, appropriate action will be taken in accordance with our policies," said Anjani Jain, vice dean of Wharton Graduate Division.

Despite a new dean, Penn's major undergraduate admissions policies and initiatives have remained intact. Early decision enrollment and Exploring College Options have become standard admissions programs at Penn, and according to Dean of Admissions Eric Furda - who took over the position in July - both are here to stay.

Information Systems and Computing has reconfigured Penn's wireless settings. ISC has remodeled the available wireless networks on campus, consolidating older networks and creating new ones to provide better access and support. Prior to this summer, AirPennNet, AirSAS, AirSEAS and Wireless-PennNet were all wireless networks available in specific areas around campus.

Some students and University officials are praising a move to discourage tray use in campus dining halls, but others are finding it difficult to adjust. In an effort to reduce food waste and conserve energy, trays in the dining halls are no longer easily accessible, though officials say they are still available.

Fay Ajzenberg-Selove has proven time and again that persistence and hard work can overcome any stereotype. And on Sept. 29, the White House will celebrate these traits by awarding her the 2007 National Medal of Science. President George Bush announced earlier this month that the professor emerita of physics is among the eight recipients of the Medal, the nation's highest honor for science.

Concerns over bisphenol-A - the chemical found in Nalgene bottles and other plastic goods - has sparked nationwide-debate over its safety for consumer use. Since concerns over the chemical surfaced this spring, universities have been paying attention to any possible risks.

Mayor Michael Nutter announced "Philadelphia's Education Promise" - his plan to improve the city's education system - last night before a crowded auditorium at South Philadelphia High School. The speech outlined Nutter's plans to involve the entire Philadelphia community in working toward goals that include decreasing the drop out rate and increasing college enrollment.

Athletes weren't the only members of Penn's community participating in the Olympics last month in Beijing. Three of Penn's chefs and food coordinators worked with 250 other employees of Aramark, Penn Dining's official partner, to serve 3.5 million meals during the Olympics and Paralympics this August.

Students whose expensive cultural tastes are stifled by less-than-extravagant budgets are now in luck. On Sept. 25 the Philadelphia Orchestra will host a free concert to kick off its new student-membership program, eZseatU. eZseatU is a subscription to a series of Philadelphia Orchestra concerts offered exclusively to college students.

Safiya Shabazz, a family-care physician at the Penn-Presbyterian Medical Center, expects this fall's work on the South Street Bridge to be a "huge inconvenience." Nursing graduate student Alexis Udalovas groans that, "It's going to be terrible." The two are concerned about the Philadelphia Streets Department's plan to reconstruct the bridge starting this fall - a major engineering feat that will close the bridge to all traffic for about two years.