A Penn education can really pay off. Just ask College seniors Brett Muhlada and Nancy Duan, who came from behind to win the first-ever Robbins Diamond Dash - and a $20,000 Hearts on Fire diamond ring. Hosted by local jeweler Robbins Diamonds, the 550-person scavenger hunt spanned more than two hours last Saturday, kicking off at Philadelphia's Thomas Paine Plaza and concluding at Love Park.

A new law will force criminals to think twice before shooting. Recently, Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill imposing a mandatory 20-year sentence on anyone who shoots or attempts to shoot at a police officer. We commend the governor for endorsing this legislation.

If Barack Obama were running against John McCain for the Undergraduate Assembly, Obama would win in a landslide. On Penn's campus, 81 percent of students said they support Obama, compared to 17 percent who said they support McCain, according to a CBS News/Chronicle of Higher Education/UWire poll released today.

When was the last time you Democrats listened to Sean Hannity? Pat Buchanan? Anything you disagreed with? Shame on the politicians and shame on us for exacerbating a culture of intellectual self-appeasement. It's abundantly simple to believe what you hear and in turn seek out more sources - and more people - who confirm your beliefs.

Come Nov. 4, there's another reason to exercise your right to vote. Think of it as a friendly rivalry between Penn and Dartmouth. Dartmouth has issued a challenge to Penn to get a higher voter turnout rate on campus next Tuesday - and Penn has accepted. "Earlier this summer I talked with some Ivy presidents about ways to make students get out the vote, and I was thinking of a tangible and fun way we could get students involved," said Dartmouth senior and Student Assembly president Molly Bode, who issued the challenge to Undergraduate Assembly chairman and Wharton and College senior Wilson Tong.

For now, the Penn men's golf team is done until spring. But it took a fight through wind, rain and injury to close out the fall season. With a score of 929 - 77 over par - the Quakers finished sixth out of 15 teams at the Columbia Invitational in Galloway, N.

Casting director Paul Russell shared his personal "freak file" with an audience of aspiring actors and actresses last night at the Penn Bookstore. The portfolio of head shots and resumes exemplified some of the most heinous mistakes made by individuals hoping to break into the entertainment industry.

I read trash. Or at least according to some people I do. An article in Monday's issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian reported the plummeting rates of pleasure reading among college students. In it, one student said that "what college students typically read is not helpful at all to improving literacy rates anyway" and highlighted books such as the popular Twilight series as premiere examples of literary garbage.

The United Minorities Council has hosted Unity Week - its signature celebration of diversity and cross-cultural awareness - in the late fall for at least 20 years. But this year, something is different: It coincides with a historic election featuring the first female and black presidential contenders.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt once claimed the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Yet with many Americans spooked by the economy, this fear is translating into an altogether perplexing economic phenomenon. According to a report put out by the National Retail Federation, more people plan to celebrate this year's Halloween than ever before - despite the frightening fall of stocks, savings and financial security.

Alex Jacobson is a College junior from Los Angeles. His e-mail address is jacobson@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Domestic terrorism isn't free speech To the Editor: The petition that Penn faculty and students signed in support of William Ayers is totally off the mark. The petition suggests Ayers is being criticized for "voic[ing] perspectives and advanc[ing] questions that challenge orthodoxy and political power" and that this criticism "casts a chill over free speech . and the spirit of democracy.

It may not have come in a robin's-egg-blue box, but Penn officials are nevertheless thrilled about a recent $2 million donation from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation to the Botswana-UPenn partnership. Tiffany & Co. announced last week that it is granting the University $2 million to go toward building an HIV treatment center and research facility on the grounds of the Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana.

Tomorrow, the Ivy League will be thrust into the national spotlight for the second time this season as part of a television deal with Versus. And what better way to show off the conference than with a showdown between a pair of 0-5 teams when Dartmouth travels to Columbia for the "Ivy League Game of the Week, presented by TIAA-CREF"? At the very least, whatever audience is watching will see a piece of 2008 Ancient Eight history, because one of these two squads will earn its first win of the year.

Preparation for Saturday's matchup against Yale has been keeping men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller up late at night. But strategy and scheming ahead of tomorrow's game at Yale don't have him tossing and turning in bed. It's the actual on-field practices that have Fuller burning the midnight oil.

For students who plan to work or study in Boston after they graduate, a new social media Web site offers a way for them to network and connect to the city even before they leave Penn. Bostonworldpartnerships.com will be primarily informational and there is no cost to join.

The women's volleyball team had scheduled its "Dig Pink" breast cancer awareness promotion before the start of the season. But with coach Kerry Carr's recent breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy, tonight's home match against Dartmouth takes on a whole new significance.