As a graduate of the Class of 2008, here's a toast (or several pieces of it) to my batch-mates and all our wondrous experiences at Penn. While most of us have left the University in body, many remain connected as mentors to our underclassman friends, assistants to our professors and participants in programs and causes that we have pursued from our NSO days.

Students who use embarrassingly large amounts of toilet paper, garbage bags or red Solo cups have a new Web site that might make their lives easier. PennTen.com is a student-founded online retailer that stocks, sells and delivers 10 popular dorm supplies in bulk.

About 2,430 new students from all 50 states and every continent except Antarctica will arrive at Penn in the next several days, bearing New Student Orientation wristbands and an anticipation of their next four years on campus.

When the Ivy League provided an extra week of practice before the season, the Penn volleyball team didn't use the time to hit the gym for two-a-days and fitness training. Instead, the women scaled the rockclimbing wall at Pottruck and struggled to get through "the spider web" at a ropes course.

What's in a name? For the Penn chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ, a lot. After 25 years on campus, the faith-based student group - often called "CRU" - has decided to change its name to Penn Students for Christ after many members objected to the negative connotation the word "crusade" has t

The incoming freshmen from the class of 2012 are not just moving into their dorms today, they are also moving into a battleground state in the height of the general election season. The Penn Democrats and College Republicans are planning enthusiastic welcomes for this new group of potential voters.

As students return to campus this week, they will find less cereal and more chocolate. Chef Jose Garces, of the downtown restaurants Amada and Tinto, opened the doors to Distrito, his newest restaurant. The Mexican tapas restaurant opened on July 21 in the University City Hub, located at 3945 Chestnut St.

With the largest gift to the "Making History" fund-raising campaign, Anne and Jerome Fisher announced a $50 million donation to the University on June 30 for the establishment of the Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Center. Scheduled to open in 2010, the new center will be designed with the intent to facilitate collaboration between disciplines.

Faced with a world increasingly geared toward the Internet, the College of General Studies is stepping up to the plate by adding more advanced online courses to its curriculum. Penn Advance, Penn's online learning program, was introduced by CGS in 1998. The program allows advanced high school students, CGS students and, more recently, full-time Penn students to take classes entirely online.

More than two months after suspending her presidential campaign, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton paid off all her bills to universities and colleges. Clinton - who held rallies and policy speeches at campuses throughout the country during the Democratic primaries - still owed $146,347.

Former interim Chaplain Rev. Charles Howard took over as University Chaplain on July 1, replacing former Chaplain William Gipson who left his post in February to serve as the Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access. Howard has served as interim chaplain since February 2008 and associate chaplain since 2005.

Returning students will find a new name on a familiar building this fall. Almost four months after the name change of Logan Hall was announced, the signs on the building were changed in July to feature the name of famous entertainment journalist and editor of the New York Post's "Page Six" column Claudia Cohen.

Penn President Amy Gutmann received a 41-percent pay increase last year - a jump in compensation that makes her one of only a handful of college presidents who take in more than $1 million annually. Gutmann earned a total of $1,155,634 in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the latest year for which compensation figures are available.

It is "unrealistic" to expect people who can vote and serve in the military "not to be able to take a drink," says Penn President Amy Gutmann. But she has decided not to sign an initiative asserting that the legal drinking age of 21 leads to widespread underage binge drinking, even though she said she supports debate about

Despite the recent increase in graduate student stipends, Leslie Warden is still struggling to pay for out-of-print books that cost up to $300 for her dissertation research. SASgov, the student government of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, will be hosting an essay competition to draw attention to the increasing costs of books.

Penn has been a target of a recent round of spam e-mail attacks - known as phishing scams - that are mimicking official University messages to obtain private account information and passwords from users. Spam occurs in surges at universities nationwide, but this wave is especially sophisticated because it is customized, increasing the likelihood that people will fall for the ploy, School of Arts and Sciences vice dean of administration and fi

There is no need to mourn - Scoops DeVille has not disappeared completely. Rather, it has been transformed into Penn Student Agencies' newest business venture, Reel Scoops. The shop will offer DVD rentals and ice cream and will open Aug. 20 at the former Scoops DeVille location in Houston Hall.