Last night, Pennchants, one of Penn's all-male a cappella groups, opened the Relay for Life Kickoff with a rendition of "Don't Stop Believing," vocalizing this year's theme: "Fighting Cancer is a Journey ... Don't Stop Believing." The Relay for Life Kickoff took place in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags at 7 p.

Many Americans are glued to their BlackBerrys - and President Barack Obama is, too. For students, Obama's use of the smartphone and other new media represents more than just an e-mail addiction - it signals his connection with the next generation. "Among the many molds that Obama is trying to break, him stepping into the 21st century with all the technology he's incorporating adds to his image as being modern and well-connected," College junior Megan Calpin said.

You don't need me to tell you that DRL sucks. But I'm not writing to complain about its lack of elevators, its inadequate heating and cooling or its general ugliness. My issue with DRL isn't about what it is - it's about what the building stands for: A barrier to conquering the acme of academia, being renowned as one of the top-five institutions in the world.

With the end of rush last week and the beginning of a new pledging season, there will be a large amount of traffic in and out of Greek houses. But in light of the wave of thefts that hit fraternity houses in the late summer and early part of last semester, potential residents could be harboring concerns about the general safety of Penn's chapter houses.

Yesterday the University announced plans to renovate Du Bois House beginning in March. The updates will be completed by fall of this year. The renovation is part of the administration's continuing efforts to improve the 11 college houses and Sansom Place East and West.

PRINCETON, N.J., - Sydney Scott was growing irritated by Neha Kumar's uncanny shot-making ability. In the decisive fifth game, after yet another miraculous Kumar recovery, Scott thrust her racquet at the court in frustration at her 4-1 deficit. Although she did give up the next three points, instead of letting her anger get the best of her, the Penn junior rattled off eight straight points to cap off a captivating performance.

The Penn Women's Center, with the help of $1,200 donated last summer by the Trustees' Council of Penn Women, has begun a series of initiatives to help students, faculty and staff with young children. PWC is converting a first-floor office - previously a "nap room" - into a nursing room open to all community members.

Two years ago, the pair of then-freshmen Ekaterina Kosminskaya and Maria Anisimova were the first doubles team in Penn women's tennis history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Last year, the two were not paired together, but this season, they will reunite and try to outdo their freshman selves.

Although it's just 1-0, the men's tennis team will play its last match of the season today against Temple - at least in the mind of coach Nik DeVore. "We won't even answer questions if guys start talking about future matches," DeVore explained. "It's almost like [any future] match doesn't exist.

Winners of the DP's monthly photo contest

Janice Dow is an College sophomore from Los Angeles. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Fraternities and sororities pride themselves on being strong national organizations with traditions shared among every chapter on every campus. But Greek life at other colleges and universities can differ drastically from the atmosphere at Penn. Some Ivy League schools defer recruitment until sophomore year, some have many more students involved in Greek life - and some don't recognize it at all.

An "energetic, dogged newsman" will speak at the Kelly Writers House today, according to Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and Penn artist-in-residence Dick Polman. These words describe Polman's longtime colleague and current Deputy Managing Editor for News and Multimedia at The Philadelphia Inquirer Vernon Loeb.

Next time students stroll down Hamilton Walk, they will pass a piece of architectural history. The Alfred Newton Richards Medical Research Laboratory and the adjacent David Goddard Laboratories were designated a National Historic Landmark two weeks ago by U.

Claiborne Pell, the quirky former Rhode Island senator, died January 1st after a long battle with Parkinson's. While Penn students were not alive during most of his 36 years in office, many should recognize Pell's name from their financial-aid statement. And for good reason - he helped to pass legislation creating the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, commonly referred to as Pell Grants, which provide direct aid to college students.

Robert Carpick is used to doing experiments in his lab, but he's about to become the guinea pig for a new program. The Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics professor is among an inaugural group of eight faculty recently selected for the Penn Fellows program.