I never much considered the way the health of my University was tied to the well-being of the financial markets. It is perhaps a naive state of mind, considering the presence of dear Wharton on our campus, but I always imagined that universities held a special position above the fray of economic cycles.

On Wednesday, the Asian Pacific Student coalition, an umbrella organization for 20 Asian-Pacific student organizations, elected Wharton junior Raymond Flores as its new chairman. Flores, who is originally from the Philippines, currently serves as the vice president of Cultural Programming for the Penn Philippine Association and is a member of the bid team to bring the East Coast Asian American Students Union Conference to Penn.

See the scene at last night's Big Man on Campus event.

There's no time to rest for Penn women's swimming. Despite a bevy of injuries, a season-opening loss to Columbia last Sunday and only a six-day break between meets, the Quakers have to gear up for a tri-meet with Princeton and Cornell this weekend. And regardless of the short amount of recovery time, practices this week have remained grueling.

How's this for a busy opening weekend? The wrestling team starts its 2008-09 campaign with dual matches against Princeton and No. 9 Michigan tomorrow at the Palestra, and then on Sunday, it hosts nine other teams in the all-day Keystone Classic. "It's going to be a grind," coach Rob Eiter said.

If the Penn football team somehow makes it out of the weekend with a share of the Ivy league title, it wouldn't be the most bizarre happening of the past few seasons. As the Quakers face Cornell on the road tomorrow, their only chance at the Ivy crown comes in the form of a four-way tie, which would be a League first.

The trek down Locust Walk just got a little brighter. Over the past two weeks, Penn has been installing its annual light displays along the trees lining Locust Walk, a winter tradition that dates back to 1995. Prior to that, sporadic holiday displays were put up around the center of campus.

With tomorrow's home opener against Monmouth looming, Penn men's basketball coach Glen Miller is keeping it close to the vest. Will the starting lineup feature seniors Brennan Votel and Kevin Egee, who are coming off strong performances? No comment. What's the status of the injured Justin Reilly, Aron Cohen, Tommy McMahon, Andreas Schreiber, Mike Howlett and Darren Smith? No comment.

Everyone knows that when there's a train wreck, it's impossible to turn away. And when local news anchors reporting on these disasters become the train wrecks themselves, it's even harder. The gods of guilty pleasure are surely smiling down on us, allowing this calamity to play out right before our very own television-strained eyes.

Tonight, Penn students will be strutting their stuff on campus, modeling the artistic creations of over 10 student designers. Smaller than its spring edition, the annual Dzine2Show fall fashion show is a sample of the dedication and success of the University's premier fashion organization, which was founded in 2003.

It was too good to be true. With over 5 million votes registered, Drexel University had overwhelmed the Victoria's Secret online poll to become the first school to be added to the Pink Collegiate Collection. The nearest competition - Texas Tech and George Mason University -trailed behind Drexel by at least two million votes.

Thanksgiving on Penn's campus is one of the quietest times of year. There are no office hours or classes and few unlocked doors. Wandering down Locust Walk becomes a solitary experience. The peace and quiet here belie the communal gatherings happening indoors - in kitchens over glasses of cider and wine, around crowded dining room tables, and - yes - in front of the television.

Nov. 21, 10:45 p.m. FAIRFAX, Va. -- One goal, and the men's soccer team's season was over. The Quakers fell, 1-0, to George Mason in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Patriots will move on to face Maryland on Tuesday, while the loss marks the final game for Penn's twelve seniors.

Alex Jacobson is a College junior from Los Angeles. His e-mail address is jacobson@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Nov. 23, 9 p.m. Penn wrestlers won four of 10 weightclasses and the Quakers recorded a first-place finish in the Keystone Classic tournament today at the Palestra. All four winners from Penn were the top seeds in their respective weightclasses: Rollie Peterkin at 125 pounds, Cesar Grajales at 149 and senior captains Matt Dragon and Zack Shanaman at 157 and 165, respectively.

By ALEX MELAMED Staff Writer amelamed@dailypennsylvanian.com Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, which uses art to improve local communities and collaborates with Penn's Fine Arts Department, will lose $500,000 in funding with the city's recent budget cuts.

Paying attention to community needs To the Editor: Despite a witty column by Jim Saksa and objective reporting by Katie Karas, the DP's editorials have regularly supported the Campus Inn project, poo-pooing the concerns of neighborhood associations and immediate residents.