As we noted last year, it's hard to ask freshmen to run real, substance-driven campaigns after they've barely spent a month at Penn. Many fall back on popular anti-dining positions, while others resort to superficial slogans or other flashy gimmicks to win votes.

Janice Dow is a College sophomore from Rowland Heights, CA. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Tell me a joke. Or a funny story. Actually, what's your favorite food truck on campus? These questions may not seem out of the ordinary to the average person, but when they appear in the middle of an On-Campus Recruiting interview this week, students may be thrown for a loop.

New changes to plans for the imminent reconstruction of the South Street Bridge include fewer vehicle lanes, a lower speed limit and wider pedestrian and bicycle lanes. The City of Philadelphia has already sent the original plan out to contractors to solicit bids for the project but will release an addendum with these new revisions, according to Marcia Wilkof, Democratic leader of the 30th Ward and Jim Campbell, president of the South Street Bridge Coalition.

Bouncers demanding IDs. Bartenders checking for wristbands. Spaces that are off-limits. This may be the scene freshmen will face at the average fraternity party during next year's New Student Orientation. On Sunday night, the Undergraduate Assembly passed a proposal put forth by the InterFraternity Council to repeal Penn's ban on registered fraternity parties during NSO.

Penn is continuing its efforts to maintain its status as a pioneer on the final frontier - the human brain. The University announced the creation of five new Penn Integrates Knowledge professorships related to the field of neuroscience last week. The move will expand the PIK program beyond its original goal of 18 professors and bolster Penn's growing neuroscience programs.

Since voting for the 2012 Class Board and Undergraduate Assembly representatives began Monday night, candidates have been going all out in an attempt to garner votes. Each fall, freshman candidates for student government listen to their fellow new students' concerns and then plaster the campus with posters promising to improve campus food, extend dining hours and put air conditioning in Hill College House.

Burglary: Sept. 15 - A male student, 19, reported that someone entered his residence on the 4000 block of Walnut Street through an open window and stole a laptop at about 8 p.m. Theft: Sept. 18 - A man, 45, and woman, 39, both unaffiliated with the University, reported that someone broke into their vehicles, parked at the Penn Tower Hotel and stole loose change and other items at about 2 p.

Through increased communication and coordination with the city's colleges and universities, Mayor Michael Nutter is making crime prevention a larger focus within Philadelphia. While both the Philadelphia Police and Penn's Division of Public Safety say the two police forces have long collaborated, new channels of communication between the city and the University have been opened by the Nutter administration.

Nine days ago, Penn field hockey coach Val Cloud said she was "at wit's end." Her players couldn't avoid slow starts, so she suggested putting a bomb under them. Since then, the Quakers have dropped two more games, managing just one goal in the process. So Cloud has a new idea.

Penn women's soccer coach Darren Ambrose knows the situation all too well. The Quakers have a lead late in the game, only to "hit the wall" and lose it near the end. "It's about playing for 90 minutes, scoring if we get our opportunities," Ambrose said. The Quakers (2-3-1) know what they need to do against University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) at Rhodes Field tonight at 5 p.

While the excitement surrounding the upcoming presidential election may distract some student's attention away from the local candidates on the ballot, this excitement may end up affecting the outcome of these races. "We are expecting a huge turnout and when this happens, a lot of funny things can happen," said Zachary Stalberg, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a non-partisan organization for efficient and ethical politics around Philadelphia.

Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy posted his seventh-straight shutout and Alex Grendi, Andrew Ferry and Kevin Unger all scored as the men's soccer team rolled to a 3-0 victory over Penn State at Rhodes Field last night. The win is redemption for last season's bitter double-overtime loss at University Park, Pa.

With the recent appointment of Harbir Singh to the newly created position of Vice Dean for Global Initiatives, Wharton is moving toward the internationally focused school that Dean Thomas Robertson outlined last fall. This new appointment comes at a time when Wharton has been adding a more international perspective to its programs and needed someone to take the lead, officials said.

"Shoulders, shoulders, get your shoulders!" Penn strength and conditioning coach Jim Steel bellowed. Clipboard in hand, Steel marked down the members of the football team as they entered the weight room and began their lifting routine. Practice wasn't over when the team jogged off the Franklin Field turf.

The InterFraternity Council wants the University to allow registered parties during New Student Orientation, and the Undergraduate Assembly is backing its efforts. At its third meeting of the semester, the UA took up its first new item of business: the NSO Fraternity Safety Proposal, authored by IFC president and College senior David Ashkenazi and UA member and College sophomore Alec Webley.

After over a year of hard work and $1.1 million spent, the green roof renovation on Kings Court/English House is now officially complete. Dedication of the green roof occurred yesterday afternoon and featured speeches by the College House's Faculty Master Jorge Santiago and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli.