A recent proposal is weighing the value of pot in more than just grams. A new proposal called the Emerald Initiative calls on college and university presidents to consider reducing penalties for marijuana use as a way to lower alcohol abuse. Drafted by the nonprofit Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation, the proposal claims that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol to users and to society and advocates that colleges punish for marijuana use no more than for alcohol use.

After seven months of class and only-God-knows-how-many exams and papers, there's little doubt that if Penn students are entitled to anything, it's Spring Fling this weekend. We've worked hard, and now it's time to take a break and bask in some of our favorite Fling things: bounce houses, dunk tanks, a capella performances, trying to sneak alcohol into the Quadrangle (don't try, freshmen, it won't work) and, of course, those fried Oreos.

Spring Fling is overrated. . Please don't hurt me. Somebody had to say it, though, and I know I'm not the only person on campus who feels that way. (I'm not saying it's a widely held opinion, but there are 10,000 undergrads here. There's some law of probability that says someone else agrees with me.

By MATTHEW BURNARD Staff Writer burnard@dailypennsylvanian.com At a time when a cash-strapped media industry lacks the resources to monitor government spending, one recent Penn alum is using new media to fill this role. Stephen Morse, an '07 College alumnus and a former Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, recently founded the Web site mytwocensus.

The economic downturn has had a mixed effect on summer programs at Penn, with some experiencing growth and others seeing a decrease in applications. Penn hosts a wide variety of summer programs, including athletic programs and academic programs targeted at high school and college students.

Have no more than one loss in a strong non-conference schedule. Cruise to 5-0 in the Ivy League. Enter a huge match with rival Princeton. Beat the Tigers soundly. Rinse. Repeat. For the last three seasons, that's been the recipe for success (in the regular season at least) for the women's lacrosse team.

Long before the first batch of fried Oreos or tapped keg of Natty Light, Spring Fling was born. While Spring Fling's history officially began in 1973, University Archives suggest a longer tradition behind the event - previous incarnations of the spring celebrationcan be traced back 90 years.

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

Student activism may not be dead. Last Friday, about 30 student and local activists staged an occupation at a buidling slated for demolition at The New School in New York City. The protest followed a similar lock-in at The New School in December, a student occupation at NYU in February and the many meetings and rallies that accompanied them.

Pat Knapp officially has a successor. Former Holy Family women's basketball coach Mike McLaughlin will take over the program at Penn, a source close to the situation confirmed. With a a record of 381-55 at the Division II school located in Northeast Philadelphia, McLaughlin's .

Of the 32 U.S. universities in the middle of capital campaigns of at least $1 billion, Penn gained the most in February with $26.1 million in new gifts and pledges. Though this is not the most Penn has received in a single month - that record belongs to June 2007, when the school took in $129 million just before the Making History capital campaign entered its public fundraising phase - the number is strong given the current economy.

There's a familiar site at the top of the men's Ivy League lacrosse standings: Cornell and Princeton sit in a tie for first place, both undefeated and both nationally ranked in the top 10. At least a share of the Ivy title has gone to the Tigers or the Big Red every year since 1995.

Two seasons ago, Todd Roth burst onto the Ivy League baseball scene and instantly became a standout pitcher. He was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, the Ivy League and Big Five Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Ivy and All-Big Five teams.

The sign still says "Open 24 hours," but Philly Diner is closed during many of its previously nocturnal hours. At 3 a.m. a few weeks ago, the intersection would have been bustling. People would trickle in throughout the night to order burgers and fries. Now, the restaurant sits empty and dark on the corner of 39th and Walnut streets.

Over the past couple weeks, the Penn baseball team has had, to borrow from the immortal axiom of last year's Spring Fling headliner, woes in different area codes. Since last playing at Meiklejohn Stadium over two weeks back, the Quakers have dropped a doubleheader to Brown in the "401" of Providence, R.

Glenn Cummings, a student in the Graduate School of Education's Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management program, was chosen as deputy assistant secretary of education in the Obama administration. Cummings, a former speaker of the house in the Maine House of Representatives, will work in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education on issues related to adult education and literacy, career and technical information and community colleges.

Many Penn-Princeton matchups of late have been mere grudge matches with empty words about intensity and ancient rivalries. But tonight on Franklin Field at 7 p.m., the women's lacrosse team will restore some meaning to the inter-state rivalry and finally give fans what they've been waiting for: a bout against Princeton with legitimate title implications for both sides.