A makeshift headquarters consumes the empty hotel ballroom, where a row of business-clad individuals quickly type resolutions addressing Colombian drug trafficking and current tensions between Israel and Palestine. But this is not some top-secret government agency - this is the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference's operational room, also known as "Ops.

The University recently announced that renovations to Du Bois College House - originally set to begin next year - will in fact start next month. This decision to renovate the increasingly dilapidated low rise could not be more welcomed. For years, students and staff who live and work in Du Bois have pushed for these updates, charging that the dorm was ignored in favor of the Quadrangle and high rises, which are more popular with on-campus residents.

The closure of the South Street Bridge threw a wrench into the daily routines of many Penn athletes. But with the new Weave Pedestrian Bridge, they will now make it to practice on time. The bridge - which opened to the public on Jan. 19 and is part of the Penn Connects initiative - spans from the Amtrak Northeast Corridor train lines to Hollenback Center and the athletic fields to the south.

For the Penn women's basketball team, the start of the home Ivy League season is a sigh of relief - and an opportunity to erase the memories of last week's disappointing loss to Seton Hall. "This week was really about regrouping as a team, getting our minds right and preparing for what's ahead," guard Erin Power said.

Penn's colors may be red and blue, but green has been gradually joining that group. The University recently completed a first working draft of Penn's action plan for climate neutrality, which is being reviewed by the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee and upper-level members of the administration, including University President Amy Gutmann.

An eight-game losing streak and a 2-12 non-conference record earlier this year didn't predicate a successful season for Big Green basketball. Toppling a huge Ivy contender on the road just two games into league play, however, is no fluke. "They certainly have some good pieces to the puzzle," Penn coach Glen Miller mused about the Dartmouth squad's victory over Harvard.

Graham Natatorium in West Chester, Pa., is unlike most swimming complexes. It houses just one six-lane pool, which limits the size of the teams competing and directly affects their lineup flexibility. Tonight, the Penn men's and women's swimming teams must overcome those challenges when they make the short trip west to face the Golden Rams at 6 p.

The University's health-insurance policy may be in violation of its nondiscrimination policy, many members of the Penn community say. Currently, the University employee-benefits program does not cover sexual reassignment surgery, but it is in direct violation of its nondiscrimination policy by not covering these procedures, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Center associate director Erin Cross wrote in an e-mail.

On the first Friday after spring classes began, the Quakers sat in a Palestra room and watched film of NJIT, which they would travel to face the next morning. When the session broke up, sophomore guard Remy Cofield pulled coach Glen Miller aside. Cofield told Miller that he felt stressed and anxious and that playing basketball was only worsening things.

For the past few years, comedians have had it pretty good. With his political blunders galore and unfortunate ineloquence, bashing former President Bush became somewhat of a national pastime. I'm all for a little humor - a few good jokes at his expense can keep the president's ego in check.

Take a quick look at Hofstra's 5-foot-8, 174-pound monster Alton Lucas, and it's not very hard to see why he's the pride of the Pride wrestling squad. His chest resembles that of a mythical hero, his arms massive pillars of granite. OK, that may be a bit of a hyperbole, but suffice it to say, the guy is ripped.

Through a round of "speed-friending" and a game of Taboo last night, Hillel and Penn's chapter of the NAACP hoped to tackle the taboo topic of race and religious relations on campus and help students from Penn's Jewish and black communities get better-acquainted.

Penn coach Glen Miller doesn't know exactly how Harvard's Tommy Amaker handled his squad after it upset then-No. 17 Boston College earlier this month, but he did have some ideas. "I only speak for ourselves, but the first thing I would do with my team, if we had a win like that over somebody, is I would have a difficult practice the next day," Miller said.

Rush just ended, which, though a relief (or disappointment) for many, also means for the time being we won't be judging people as much, at least formally. Throughout history, in admitting people to various clubs, we often judged them on their origins - race, gender, religion, wealth: largely superficial ideals about who we wanted to belong.

President Barack Obama wants to make sure you can pay for college next year. His financial stimulus package, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday by a vote of 244 to 188. The $819 billion bill has a variety of measures aimed at bolstering the economy, but a large section is devoted specifically to financing education.

Lauren Sadaka can't wait for the women's tennis season to begin. Individually, the team captain is undefeated in Ivy League play and would love to cap off her senior season with an Ivy League title. "There's a good feeling about the team this year," Sadaka said.

Although the next campus election is nowhere in sight, the Nominations and Elections Committee is already promising change. The student group responsible for running campus elections has planned a retreat and diversity workshop for Feb. 7. The day-long event will contemplate the current dearth of diversity in student organizations and strive to create a leadership that actively reflects campus demographics.