A new program at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will hopefully attract more students to Penn, University officials say. Beginning with the Class of 2012, SEAS will implement its first Honors Program. Selected students will take honor-level courses, complete a research requirement and contribute to the community.

Originally opened in 1773, City Tavern has proudly upheld the time-honored techniques of 18th century American chefs. Every dish offered on their menu has a unique story behind it. My guest and I began to order our appetizers and our server came to life from being a formal colonial servant to animatedly telling us the story behind each dish: How W.

Whether you're a college student with a big appetite and a small budget or you prefer sampling a variety of dishes rather than just one, Joy Tsin Lau's daily dim sum lunch is a perfect choice. Dim sum, a Cantonese term meaning to "touch the heart," or "order to your heart's content," is the Chinese equivalent of tapas.

For Tobi Olopade, it looks as though the non-conference season was just a bit too good to be true. On a team awash with older and more highly-touted players, it seemed like the freshman track runner-slash-soccer walk-on was improbably carving out a niche as a go-to striker on coach Rudy Fuller's Penn team.

Nobody does steak finer than Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Don't be misled by the name, though. Ruth's Chris is far from a one-dish restaurant and is the perfect dining location for anyone interested in spending the night out in a more formal setting. The Ruth's Chop Salad started out the meal right, although my date and I opted to share it, due to the size of the dish and the entree we both were eagerly anticipating.

University President Amy Gutmann's refusal to disclose the details behind former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson's resignation represents an outlier in a long trend of openness as an academic and administrator.

When most Penn students think about getting a sandwich their top choices probably come down to Geno's, Pat's, or Koch's. That's a shame, because one of the best sandwiches in Philadelphia is the banh mi, or a Vietnamese hoagie offered at many small eateries.

Nine more days. With Penn's season opener against Drexel less than a week and a half away, the Quakers took to the floor last night before a sparse crowd. Faced with the first real rebuilding effort at Penn in the past several years, Miller said after the annual Red and Blue scrimmage that getting under the lights, as it did over the weekend in a scrimmage at Colgate, could do his young team good.

Instead of ESPN or an intense game of Halo, the giant flat screen in the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity house living room last night featured complicated diagrams of advanced physics and descriptions of abstract string theory. Physics professor Mirjam Cvetic spoke to about 20 fraternity brothers in a presentation on the basis of string theory and her complex theoretical research on the subject.

Few Penn students are eager to trek into West Philadelphia past the safe haven of 40th Street, but for those willing to make a small trip, there are some pleasant culinary surprises. One such destination is Dock Street Brewery and Restaurant, a new eatery located in a converted firehouse at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue.

A hectic, slightly hapless afternoon in New York is behind me. Smartsave map in hand, I made it to the U.N. building two minutes after it closed to visitors; a clutch of taxi drivers refused my fare; and I took the sweltering 456 subway line to the Whitney Museum of American Art arriving at 5:10 p.

The spiritual influence of Penn's Lubavitch leaders will soon translate into something tangible: a new home for over 100 students. The Perelman Center for Jewish Life will house the Lubavitch House at Penn, as well as the Steinhardt/Cayne Jewish Heritage Programs.

Nothing beats a leisurely weekend brunch. I treasure these meals, these few hours, to the point of reverence. They are my religion, and my ritual is pretty set: tea, fruit, homework, Simon, Garfunkel and a table outside ABP. This weekend, however, after a week bursting at the seams with unadulterated evil (read: midterms), I made the drastic decision to alter my regiment.

Next time you reach for regular bottled water, think again - the man that started Ethos water is coming to Penn. Jonathan Greenblatt will give the keynote address on Nov. 14 as part of the University Honor Council's sixth-annual Integrity Week. Greenblatt launched the water brand on a mission to bring clean water to communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Undergraduate Assembly chairman and College senior Jason Karsh led the shortest Undergraduate Assembly meeting of the semester last Sunday night in Houston Hall. n Facilities Committee co-chairwoman and College senior Sarah Abroms announced the launch of pennrecycles@gmail.

At last week's debate in West Philadelphia, mayoral candidates Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger criticized Philadelphia's city government. They criticized Philadelphia's rising crime rates. They criticized the failing public-school system. One thing they didn't criticize? Each other.

Counseling and Psychological Services is getting a makeover. Since the Office of the Provost began a campaign three years ago to invest more funding and resources in CAPS, wait times for students and individual caseloads for staff members have decreased, and on-campus awareness campaigns have increased, CAPS director Ilene Rosenstein said.