Uncertainty and confusion over this week's financial meltdown drew more than 1,000 students to Zellerbach Auditorium last night to hear Wharton professors' take on the situation. Penn students were shocked to hear on Sunday that Bank of America would acquire Merrill Lynch & Co.

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

Crime is down nationwide and in Philadelphia, according to the FBI's annual crime report for 2007. This week, the FBI issued its annual Crime in the United States report, a compilation of crime statistics for the nation, states and individual agencies. The report also includes arrest, clearance and law-enforcement employee data.

His colleagues joke that he's the brains of the program. They're really only half-joking. True, football operations director Daniel Kuhn - DK to anyone inside the Franklin Field hash marks - does not call plays. Nor does he hit the road to find the next star Quakers.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission unanimously recommended yesterday that the city's Zoning Board of Adjustment approve plans to build an 11-story hotel at 40th and Pine streets. For the past year, the hotel has been a source of contention between developers and local residents.

It was no surprise that inviting the son of the Democratic vice presidential nominee to campus during election season would spark student interest. So when 1991 alumnus Joseph "Beau" Biden spoke Monday as part of the College Alumni Mentoring Series, he let students know he was "happy to talk about Barack and Joe" as well as his own path to becoming attorney general of Delaware .

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In any emergency, fast communication between officials and the public proves absolutely crucial. The University's Department of Public Safety worked last year to instate UPennAlert, designed to alert students and faculty of any crisis situation through e-mail and text messages.

Mornings begin for Engineering student Rob Yaffe at 8:15, when he stumbles out of his double suite in Riepe, devours a bowl of Trix and wanders, bleary-eyed, to his 9 a.m. class. Like most freshmen living in the Quadrangle, Yaffe appreciates his air conditioning, beautiful view and the food carts next door.

Every year, Penn students and their families face rising tuition costs and high-interest loans. But don't expect either presidential candidate to make those issues a campaign focus anytime soon. Both Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and Democratic nominee Sen.

For a Penn squad that struggled to find its groove week after week, the defensive unit was a rare bastion of consistency. The Quakers were third in the Ivy League in points allowed (19.3) and second in rushing yards against (100) per game. But while they return a strong secondary - led by All-Ivy corners Chris Wynn and Tyson Maugle, along with free safety Jordan Manning - the Red and Blue are green up front.

Wanted: an on-campus job for a self-starting, motivated undergraduate with attention to detail and the ability to work independently. Minimum wage, 10-15 hours per week. Please? Is that so much to ask for? Apparently it is, since I don't possess the coveted status of a Federal Work-Study student.

Engineering sophomore Joe Weinhoffer says that among his group of friends, Michael Sheahan was "the glue that brought us together." Those friends and classmates of Sheahan, an Engineering sophomore who was killed in an Aug. 25 car accident, came together last night in McClelland Hall to share memories and honor Sheahan's life.

Four games, four shutouts. That's the feat the men's soccer team has accomplished so far this season. Its defensive success is the primary reason that Penn has gotten off to a 3-0-1 start and brought home trophies from tournaments at Marquette and Princeton.

Recently, I had a conversation with a current high-school senior about chances and strategies for applying to Penn. She was from my alma mater - a rural public school of 1,600 - and if admitted, would be only the second graduate to break into the Ivy League in more than 10 years.

The cost of energy is spiraling beyond the reach of many Pennsylvanians. Forty-three percent of residents and 59 percent of businesses are having trouble keeping up with recent energy-cost increases, according to the statewide environmental advocacy group PennFuture.

Penn's six branches of undergraduate student government and six minority and cultural coalitions recently began a collaboration to diversify student government. The effort was prompted by a decline in minority participation that leaders of different organizations have noticed.