Spring rush is a done deal for this year's sorority girls. Last night, a new class of recruits received their bids as part of a wild ceremony in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags. The ceremony marked the end of a week-long process of dances, tours and sorority parties, which College freshman Jamie Nichol described as "speed dating, only with girls.

Since Penn's 2007 NCAA Tournament appearance, it has gone a woeful 0-for-Big 5 over two seasons. In the low point of their play in the informal conference, the Quakers were blown out, 82-42, by Saint Joseph's a year ago. It was an absolute debacle in every sense of the word.

The decline in homicides in Philadelphia last year didn't meet the ambitious goal Mayor Michael Nutter outlined when he took office but still showed a considerable drop. Homicides were reduced by 15.3 percent last year, down from 392 in 2007 to 332 in 2008.

'Can I see your I.D.?" might sound different from "Ausweis, bitte" but, in essence, they're both harboring the same doubt: You don't look old enough to buy alcohol. To some at Penn, this isn't viewed as a nuisance - they may see it as a necessary evil or as a non-issue.

Today's issue of the DP will be the last published by its 124th Board of Editors. On Monday, a new board will assume leadership of Penn's newspaper of record. One of our most important goals this past year was to transform The Daily Pennsylvanian from a newspaper into a news organization.

This Tuesday I woke up in D.C. at the crack of dawn to watch Barack Obama say the words, "I will execute the office of president of the United States faithfully." Or was it faithfully execute? Whatever it was, I was there to see it happen - well, sort of. My brother, cousin and I were fortunate enough to score some "blue" tickets to the inauguration - three of over 250,000 total tickets, of the millions who wanted them.

Every month, David Salas-De La Cruz spends $900 to leave his nine-month-old son in a day care three days a week. For families with two working parents, the cost of day care is usually manageable. But for graduate students like Salas-De La Cruz, a Ph.D. student in the Engineering school, affordable childcare can be much more difficult to come by.

Daniel Schwartz is a College junior from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is schwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Aspiring actors on campus will have a chance to show off their Hollywood skills this weekend. Tomorrow there will be a general open casting call for extras in the latest M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Last Airbender. Shyamalan, a Philadelphia native, has directed a number of box-office hits, including The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Happening.

"Though each of us has our own unique perspective on the issue as it unfolds.there is a time to pay homage," said College sophomore Roxana Moussavian, an organizer of a vigil for victims of the violence in the Middle East. Sponsors included the MSA, PRISM, Hillel, Penn for Palestine and the Penn Israel Coalition.

No eight-hour bus rides, no boxed dinners, no hotel rooms. After a season of away meets, the Quakers will finally swim in Sheerr Pool. Tomorrow at noon, Penn will host its only home meet of the season, welcoming Rider and Navy. "It's awesome to have spectators because they'll definitely keep the mental focus, and I'm excited to race," freshman freestyler Cameron Hood said.

Hey, Beige Block - which sorority will have the hottest pledge class this year? Which frats should you avoid at all costs? No, it's not Gossip Girl, but gossip Web sites can offer freshmen going through the rush process a wealth of information. Although Greek leaders say students should make their own decisions about the organizations, sites like JuicyCampus and threads on College Confidential offer takes on everything from what to wear to what type of people fill each house.

Wharton sophomore Steve Cymerman has more than just an academic incentive to earn good grades - he's getting paid for his A's, too. Cymerman is one of about 13,000 users of GradeFund, a Web site launched two months ago through which students can ask family, friends, corporations and even strangers to "sponsor" their grades at school.

In the plans for eastward expansion, the University is not limiting itself to the postal lands. In fact, recent developments have planted Penn even farther east - 7,245 miles, to be exact. The University recently announced key partnerships with two universities in China: Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

It is almost too easy to say that as Tyler Bernardini goes, so go the Quakers. When a team's best scorer struggles, as Bernardini did in many of Penn's losses before last night, it is natural to think that if he just finds his stroke again the victories will magically appear.

Penn's early decision acceptance rate increased this year to 32 percent, up from last year's all-time low of 28 percent. The higher acceptance rate is a result of the fact that fewer students applied early, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said. This year, Penn received 3,666 early decision applications, compared to last year's 3,912.