This year, Penn's freshman cohort of international students had one more way to ease their transition to life at Penn. The International Mentoring Program, which was organized by the International Student Council at the end of last semester, paired new international students with current Penn upperclassmen from their home countries this fall.

The best cross-country distance runners push through the pain at around the three-mile mark. They ignore the numbness in their calves, the burning in their lungs and the queasiness in their stomach. When they finally get to the finish line, they collapse to the ground, frequently helped off by coaches and sometimes, stretchers.

Publishers have found some clever ways to squeeze money out of students. With unnecessary new editions or costly supplementary material, it seems that we're doomed to shell out more and more cash at the beginning of every semester. And so far, the University doesn't seem to care much.

When it comes to picking a PIK professor, the requirements are stiff, and the stakes are high. PIK, or Penn Integrates Knowledge, professors hold joint appointments in two departments in two schools in the University.

Two new groups on campus have embarked on a "quest" to "push" for more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender awareness. Queer Undergraduates in Engineering, Science and Technology, founded last semester, will primarily serve students studying science and technology in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or the College of Arts and Sciences.

Scan through the Penn women's track records from the past few years and you'll see a pair of names repeat themselves over and over: Claire Kim and Stacy Kim, usually with either a "1." or "2." next to their names. The now-graduated twins were not only the Red and Blue's leading finishers, but were also their heart on and off the track.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College senior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Penn Football went 4-6 last year. It graduated a sort-of starting quarterback, its running back, fullback and two best wide receivers, plus three starting linemen. (This is just the offense.) And yet, somewhere between New Hampshire and New Jersey, someone out there knows how Penn can win the Ivy League.

If Penn's volleyball team wants to improve upon last season's second-place Ivy League finish, it needs to fill the hole in the middle of its defense. On Friday, Bowling Green exposed it as ball after ball dropped - as if in slow motion - between two or three players who stood by idly watching.

When Penn established the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in late 2007, it made a major statement about the University's commitment to stem cell research. And even with struggles for funding in the biomedical sciences and some political opposition to stem cell research, Penn isn't having trouble fulfilling that commitment.

There are stickers all over Philadelphia - political stickers, advertising stickers, bumper stickers and artsy stickers with mice on them that say "Glue." They're stuck on lampposts, parking meters and subway stops. On Baltimore Avenue at 47th Street, there are two stuck right next to each other, both with little logos that look like biohazard warnings.

As students become more focused on going green, college guide books have created ways to measure sustainability on campuses. And for Penn - which has made sustainability a priority in recent years - these evaluations provide a way to compare its progress to that of other schools.

You can buy books, pay your bills or order clothes online. So why can't you register to vote? Political groups like Rock the Vote offer easy-to-use Web sites which include printable forms, but many states - including Pennsylvania - still require residents to mail in voter registration papers.

When it comes to picking a PIK professor, the requirements are stiff, and the stakes are high. PIK, or Penn Integrates Knowledge, professors hold joint appointments in two departments in two schools in the University. They teach courses and direct research within their interdisciplinary field, collaborating with colleagues and students in both schools.

By ELIZABETH RUBIN Staff Writer elizr@dailypennsylvanian.com Matt Amalfitano was the only Jewish student in his high-school graduating class of 300 in Hagerstown, Md. So for the College sophomore, the strong Jewish community at Penn was a significant factor in his decision to enroll.

The School of Arts and Sciences announced this week that the College of General Studies will be renamed the College of Liberal and Professional Studies next Tuesday with the hopes of better reflecting the school's mission. According to executive director of CGS Kristine Billmyer, the project has been in the works for approximately 18 months.

The federal government is in trouble. No, not for the usual litany of reasons concerning diplomatic blunders abroad, lack of unilateral credibility or a skyrocketing deficit. This time, it's about Boomsday - the looming retirement of thousands of baby boomers from the government.