The Obama-Biden campaign opened 35 new offices in Pennsylvania yesterday, bringing the total number of offices in the state to 65, according to a campaign press release. These openings come as the campaign enters its final eight weeks. "To mark the eight-week home stretch, volunteers will register 8,888 new voters on college campuses alone this week," the press release said.

During Saturday's game with Rutgers, the Penn field hockey team had trouble winning loose-ball battles. Coach Val Cloud set out to remedy the problem in this week's practices, and the Red and Blue (1-1) will be immediately tested, as they host a speedy Saint Joseph's squad tonight at Franklin Field.

As freshman Ursula Lopez-Palm watched her rebound soar over Pittsburgh goalie Morie Kephart's head and into the back of the net, she started jumping up and down during what she called a "surreal" moment. "[My teammates] made fun of me a little for my celebration dance," Lopez-Palm admitted.

In my ninth grade sex-ed class Ms. Dorado one day tried to explain that the use of the word "gay" as a pejorative could be quite offensive. "No, no Ms. Dorado," retorted a classmate of mine. "We don't use it to offend anyone. We just use it to say that something is stupid.

The Nu chapter of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority announced today that due to insufficient membership numbers, the group will be seeking new strategies to foster expansion this semester. According to a statement from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, Phi Sigma Sigma's numbers "have not been as strong as they could be" recently, despite many years of "close sisterhood and strong programming.

With the start of every school year, students and parents are bombarded with reminders about the dangers of drinking on college campuses. Don't drink. If you're going to drink, don't drink too much. If - and when - you drink too much, something bad will happen (since that's what why you're being warned), so just don't drink.

If the Penn men's soccer team --had any doubt about who would mind the net, it need look no further than the man currently occupying the starting role. After splitting time with two other goalkeepers last season, senior Drew Healy has staked a strong claim to the starter's role, playing all of both games this weekend and letting in no goals.

An Iranian human rights scholar scheduled to teach at Penn Law as a visiting professor is reportedly being detained by the Iranian government without charges or explanation. The scholar, Medhi Zakerian, was arrested in mid-August as he waited for U.S. visa clearance, said Penn Law professor and international law expert William Burke-White.

A curfew is something that most Penn students haven't had to deal with in a long time - but for anyone still under 18, it's something to be aware of. Local businesses like Fresh Grocer and Izzy and Zoe's have recently posted signs with information about Philadelphia's curfew, prompting surprised reactions from students who didn't know the city had a curfew.

Student leaders across the University are helping Penn lead the vote. Penn Leads the Vote - a nonpartisan group that aims to increase voter participation - wants student leaders to "take on voter registration and civic engagement as their own task," PLTV President and College senior Stephanie Simon said.

This year, Penn's freshman cohort of international students had one more way to ease their transition to life at Penn. The International Mentoring Program, which was organized by the International Student Council at the end of last semester, paired new international students with current Penn upperclassmen from their home countries this fall.

The best cross-country distance runners push through the pain at around the three-mile mark. They ignore the numbness in their calves, the burning in their lungs and the queasiness in their stomach. When they finally get to the finish line, they collapse to the ground, frequently helped off by coaches and sometimes, stretchers.

Publishers have found some clever ways to squeeze money out of students. With unnecessary new editions or costly supplementary material, it seems that we're doomed to shell out more and more cash at the beginning of every semester. And so far, the University doesn't seem to care much.

When it comes to picking a PIK professor, the requirements are stiff, and the stakes are high. PIK, or Penn Integrates Knowledge, professors hold joint appointments in two departments in two schools in the University.

Two new groups on campus have embarked on a "quest" to "push" for more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender awareness. Queer Undergraduates in Engineering, Science and Technology, founded last semester, will primarily serve students studying science and technology in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or the College of Arts and Sciences.

Scan through the Penn women's track records from the past few years and you'll see a pair of names repeat themselves over and over: Claire Kim and Stacy Kim, usually with either a "1." or "2." next to their names. The now-graduated twins were not only the Red and Blue's leading finishers, but were also their heart on and off the track.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College senior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.