A program that began in 2000 to rehabilitate area homes has stopped expanding, but 400 properties near campus have been restored as a result of its efforts . The Neighborhood Preservation and Development Fund was created by the University and its partners to buy dilapidated homes in University City and rent them at cheaper rates to graduate students and West Philadelphia residents.

If you don't have time to tune into CNN, depending on your Blackberries for the latest election headlines might be better than you think. According to CBS correspondent and 1995 Penn alumna Nancy Cordes, the role of often-overlooked online reporters has never been more important.

For such a little team, there sure are great expectations. Despite the Penn softball team entering the 2008 season with only fourteen players, fifth-year coach Leslie King says this year's is the "most talented group that we've had here in my time at Penn.

Penn and Drexel University will be waiting when University City High School closes its doors in 2010 for two years of renovations. The universities want to divide the school - one of the 70 lowest-performing schools in the city- and replace it with two co-existing themed high schools.

Jennifer Lesser is a College sophomore from Minneapolis, MN. Her e-mail address is lesser@dailypennsylvanian.com.

For all of the uncertainty surrounding the presidential race this year, one thing's for sure: For better or for worse, George W. Bush will not be president come Jan. 20, 2009. In America (thank God), we have these pesky little things called "elections" and "term limits.

Clothing and toys are not the only imports coming from China these days: one in four doctors in the United States is Chinese. As China increasingly becomes a powerful force in the economy, it is also becoming a major force in health care, with India rapidly catching up, according to Dr.

After years of behind-the-scenes measures, noticeable transportation-security efforts at Amtrak stations will now be implemented. Last week, Amtrak announced that new security procedures, including random bag checks, will be deployed at stations across the country to "minimize the risk of terrorist threats," according to a press release.

Last week, while you were indulging yourself for hours on JuicyCampus.com, the School of Engineering and Applied Science was wrapping up E-Week, its annual salute to problem sets, merciless grading curves and masochism in its purest form. Around the country, some used the week as an opportunity to draw attention to a familiar question - does the U.

Numbers alone were enough to vouch for John Cole. The Penn baseball coach had led Rowan University to a .758 winning percentage and five Division-III tournaments in seven years. And since he took the helm of the Penn program in 2005 - the one that finished last in the Gehrig Division two years straight - the Quakers have re-staked their claim for Ivy relevance.

Last year, a Penn team picked by Baseball America to finish last in the Gehrig Division rode a remarkable season on the mound from Rookie of the Year Todd Roth to prove the pundits wrong. The Quakers played themselves to the brink of NCAA Tournament qualification, winning their division before falling in the Ivy playoff to Rolfe Division champion, Brown.

Some student-loan lenders are cutting back or have stopped offering federal loans to students, but members of the U.S. Congress have recently stepped in to try to help. Major reasons the student-loan industry is suffering include market pressure on lenders and cuts in subsidies from Congress.

Penn students and Philadelphia residents might soon be bidding SEPTA tokens farewell. With plans in the works for a new "smart-card" fare-collection system, SEPTA passengers will only need to wave a card to ride the subway. SEPTA plans to use contactless bank cards that will make the use of public transportation just a "common retail purchase," SEPTA spokesman Gary Fairfax wrote in an e-mail.

Brown and Stanford universities' announcements of free tuition, room and board for undergraduates below a certain income level sound impressive - but Penn's program is already very similar. In the past week, both Stanford and Brown announced expanded financial-aid policies that increase the amount of grant aid given to qualified students.

With older brother Brian - Penn basketball's senior captain - about to suit up at the Palestra for the final time, you might think Tom Grandieri would have some substantial shoes to fill as the only sibling left wearing Red and Blue. They're actually cleats.

Engineering freshman Dara Elass wears long sleeves, pants and a burkha, a head scarf traditionally worn by Muslim women, every time she pays a visit to Pottruck. She follows traditional Islamic law, which requires that women cover up in the presence of men - even at the gym.

University President Amy Gutmann will receive a leadership award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania on March 3 at the organization's 22nd annual Take the Lead awards ceremony.