Change is the hot word nowadays. But what about fairness? In a mad rush to dole out carrots, it's easy to forget the importance of the stick. That's why I'm not sure conference tournaments are such a good idea - in any sport, in any league, including Ivy League lacrosse, one of the conference's shining beacons of success amid a sea of backsliding mediocrity.

Study-abroad choice punishes To the Editor: As a University alumnus and the parent of two University of Pennsylvania graduates who benefitted from study abroad during their time at Penn, it is distressing to read that the University was among a small handful of schools that have suspended their study abroad programs in Israel.

The last time Carrie Biemer scored fewer than 10 points in a game was Jan. 15, 2008, in a 67-50 loss at Seton Hall. As fate would have it, Biemer's 27-game double-digit scoring streak was snapped yesterday by that same Seton Hall squad, as the senior captain was held to nine points and zero rebounds.

Depending on how far one can stretch the transitive property, Dartmouth could very well stake a de facto claim to the nation's top spot. The perennial Ivy League bottom-feeder turned heads in the Ivy League this Saturday by making neat work of Harvard in overtime, putting away the Crimson by a decisive 75-66 score in Boston.

College junior Alexandra Berger has a vision. Elected chairwoman of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education on Sunday night, Berger's goals for the year include developing the group's relationship with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and continuing SCUE's efforts to promote non-traditional learning and improve online tools like the Penn Course Review and Penn InTouch.

Despite the economic downturn, some people still see hope. Marc Lasry, the Chairman, CEO and a founding partner of Avenue Capital Group, spoke at Claudia Cohen Hall last night about surviving in today's volatile financial market. According to Forbes, Lasry is one of the 400 richest Americans and a pioneer in the field of distressed investing - buying securities of firms near bankruptcy, reorganizing the firms and reselling them for higher prices.

After gaining the approval of both the Philadelphia Historical Commission and the City Planning Department to build a hotel at the corner of 40th and Pine streets, Campus Apartments still finds itself challenged by the surrounding neighborhood. The first hearing in front of the Zoning Board of Adjustment took place on Jan.

In case you didn't get the memo, the economy's not doing too hot right now. This week's corporate report cards won't likely brighten the situation, so brace yourself for a financial Hurricane Katrina. On the home front, the job-seeking senior class grimaces over the uncertainty of their post-Penn lives, but the anxiety over securing a coveted junior-year internship amid a deepening recession is the big story among the Class of 2010 right now.

Yale didn't exactly have a stellar non-conference season at 5-9. But after two contests with Brown, the Bulldogs boast a five-game win streak and their first 2-0 Ivy start since 2001-2002. Two tight wins over last year's Ancient Eight runner-up are impressive.

Ilana Millner is an College junior from Washington's Crossing, Pa. Her e-mail address is millner@dailypennsylvanian.com.

It wasn't very long ago that the Ivy League men's basketball season consisted of a two-horse race, with each contender starting with the letter 'P.' Since the start of the 1958-59 season, the Ancient Eight has crowned 54 champions and co-champions. Princeton and Penn have earned a combined 50 of them.

Charles Schulz's Peanuts character Lucy sold advice for a nickel. But users of a new Web site can make a good deal more for their own wisdom. GottaMentor.com, designed to foster mentorships between students and professionals and provide career advice, is launching a biweekly advice contest today.

At least seven shots were fired into a residence on the 3900 block of Ludlow Street Monday night, according to the Philadelphia Police. Police say no one was injured and that the investigation is ongoing. At 7:36 p.m., police received reports of gunshots at 3913 Ludlow St.

About 40,000 people are released from prison into the Philadelphia region each year. Many of these ex-offenders find it difficult to reenter society. To address the issue of rehabilitation for ex-prisoners, the Division of Public Safety hosted a panel discussion yesterday titled "Life After Prison.

The chips, it seemed, had fallen just right for Columbia last season. The Lions, who hadn't broken .500 in the Ivy League season since 1993, had a team loaded with experience and a pair of formidable big men - a rarity in the Ancient Eight. But 2008 saw the streak continue.

Starting in March, taking the SAT will get a little less stressful for many high-school juniors - but not necessarily for those applying to Penn. However, both admissions officials and college consultants say that Penn's decision not to accept the College Board's Score Choice program will not affect the University's applicant pool.

Seven years ago, the Penn International Business Volunteers organized three summer consulting trips to work with Non-Governmental Organizations in developing countries. Last year, the organization turned away many of the applicants for its ten consulting trips, marking an impressive growth in interest.