On March 30, 2009, Colin Kavanaugh wrote a column praising Sen. Arlen Specter for his recently declared opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. We wish to respond to his piece and explain why we, and many others, view Specter's decision as a gross betrayal of the working people in this state who have so long supported him.

What do you get when you blend a fake afro, a Celine Dion video, a cookie monster mask and a human banana? Besides a phenomenal theme party, of course. The answer: a third-place finish at the Student Athlete Advisory Committee's athlete talent show, revived for the first time since 2006 at the Zellerbach Theater this past Monday evening.

The small room that will house the new Nursing Biobehavioral Research Lab in Claire Fagin Hall may not look like much, but for the researchers in the School of Nursing, it's a place to call their own.

Rodin College House recently announced that, for the next two years, it will no longer admit freshman. There are several sound reasons behind the decision. The communal culture in the high rises - something most consider essential for a successful freshman year - is not nearly at the level of the Quadrangle, Hill or King's Court-English.

SEPTA has just made traveling in Philadelphia cheaper, faster and easier. In a press release, SEPTA announced that it will introduce a "One Day Independence Pass" and a "Family Independence Pass," which will be available for use on trains, trolleys and buses.

Future changes in Rodin College House's demographics will be less about excluding freshmen and more about giving sophomores what they want. College Houses and Academic Services director Leslie Delauter explained that Rodin was chosen as the college house to pilot the changes not due to any issues involving freshmen, but rather due a need to accommodate the growing sophomore demand in high-rise living.

Colin Groshong may have graduated from Penn all the way back in 2007, but the Red and Blue are still following him. Well maybe just the Blue. Groshong, in front of former Penn lightweight rowing teammates and coaches, coxed the Oxford first team "Blue" boat to a win in the 155th incarnation of its paramount contest against Cambridge, known simply as "The Boat Race.

Just hours before the Phillies took the field for Major League Baseball's Opening Night, the Penn football team took to the gridiron at Franklin Field for the first time in 2009. Unlike the Phillies loss to the Braves, this one didn't count: it was the team's annual intrasquad scrimmage.

Nancy Nielsen, president of the American Medical Association, shared "sobering statistics" Tuesday in Huntsman Hall. In Nielson's lecture, "U.S. Health Care: Is 2009 the time for a Revolution?" she discussed the need for major health care reform in the U.S. The event was hosted by the Wharton Politics and Business Association, Wharton's newest student group.

Penn's Medical Emergency Response Team wants 1920 Commons to become an emergency base. Completely student-run, MERT responds to medical emergencies. "We are the first response, and we make sure the patient is stable," College junior and Chief Josh Glick said.

After an encouraging performance with the bats in its last Ivy weekend, the Softball team looked to carry that momentum into a doubleheader against city rival Temple. But besides a pair of home runs, the Quakers couldn't put any additional runs on the board, and the defense wasn't much better in 7-2 and 7-1 losses at Warren Field.

Despite receiving almost 23,000 applications and attracting students from all around the world, Penn is still not a "dream school" - at least according to The Princeton Review. Although Penn did not make the company's "Dream Colleges" list from its "Colleges Hopes and Worries Survey," administrators and college consultants say the rankings will not affect Penn's reputation.

In today's economic climate, financial uncertainty is problematic for many international students applying to U.S. universities for graduate study - and a Council of Graduate Schools survey released last week confirmed these concerns. Based on preliminary numbers of international graduate applicants, the survey found that doctoral applications increased over the past year, but master's applications decreased.

April 7 - With its hopes of an Ivy League title all but dashed, the men's lacrosse team viewed its Tuesday matchup with archrival No. 2 Princeton as a chance for redemption. The Tigers were fresh off an upset of then-No. 2 Syracuse - the defending national champion - so Penn was looking to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent team history.

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering senior from Houston. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

College sophomore Hillary Ross, who is studying abroad in Barcelona next semester, said while she will be conscious of how much money she spends in Spain, the economy "was never going to prevent" her from studying abroad. "I may have to take out a bigger student loan for next semester to cover spending costs," she said, adding that her parents have been supportive of her decision.

With two weeks until Spring Fling, the Social Planning and Events Committee announced the design that will display the event's theme: "Some flings never get old." College freshman Yilu Zhang created this year's winning design, which features Ben Franklin sporting a pair of "Kanye shades," SPEC Spring Fling co-director and College sophomore Jayme Van Oot described.