Engineering junior Peter Beltramo couldn't help but look up and stare as he walked down Walnut Street last week. He walks this way often and has observed Penn's newest off-campus housing option, The Radian, take shape from the start. But while Beltramo says he has enjoyed watching the construction, he doesn't like what he sees.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System is doing a little spring cleaning, rearranging and remodeling this year. In addition to the expansive new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine - set to open in June next to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - Penn Medicine at Rittenhouse, located at 18th and South Streets, will also see some development and expansion.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! That's Happy Chinese New Year, to you. The Year of the Rat - also known as the Chinese year 4706 - began on Feb. 7, and residents of Chinatown in Philadelphia spent two weeks ringing in the new year in style. Chinese New Year is the most important of traditional Chinese holidays and is accompanied by parades, feasts and family reunions.

Penn Democrats will endorse a candidate for president next week, the organization announced yesterday - but there is still debate about whether it is too soon for such an endorsement, or whether the group should endorse at all. Penn Dems will hold an endorsement meeting on March 5 for all active members.

Having a roommate often means learning to live with differences in sleeping patterns and music tastes. For some, it can also mean getting used to someone else's eating habits. When living together with someone, dietary differences - such as being vegetarian or keeping kosher - require a degree of compromise between roommates to avoid potential flare-ups.

Last Friday at the second and final meeting of the Board of Trustees, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced that the "Making History" campaign is well on its way and will help fund the University's future loan-free financial aid initiative. The University has successfully engaged 1,800 alumni and has raised $1.

Elections are always competitive, but this year' presidential campaign has been exceptional. And as the battle intensifies, especially on the Democratic side, more and more celebrities, politicians and even companies are weighing in on the voters' decision.

When College freshman Clare Foran answers her geology professor's questions, it's not by raising her hand. She keys in the answer on a 'clicker' she brings to class. The electronic response pad, which all students in the class are required to purchase, transmits student answers to a computer which collates all the responses and displays them on a screen.

For the second time this year, Facebook has changed its policy after users voiced concerns over privacy issues. Most recently, the social-networking Web site made it easier for users to permanently delete their accounts this month. The change came after The New York Times published an article saying it was impossible to completely remove accounts from Facebook, followed by widespread user complaints.

At Penn Medicine, officials are thinking green, and they're not just referring to nauseated patients. The Raymond and Ruth Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine is on schedule to open early this summer and will have certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Last week the University announced that Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates will design Penn Park, the 24-acre park and athletic facility that will run along 31st Street between Walnut and South streets. The park is being partially built on the 14 acres of the postal lands the University purchased last year.

Last Monday, Penn reached its single largest day of commingled recycling collection during the RecycleMania competition with 3,480 pounds of recycled material - or 1.74 tons. RecycleMania, a 10-week contest sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, designed to promote waste reduction, began on Jan.

Running late to class? Beginning next fall, Harnwell College House residents will no longer be able to blame the elevators. Renovations to the Harnwell elevators begin May 22 and will include installation of new elevator controls "with the latest microprocessor technology," new motors and new doors, Department of Design and Construction senior project manager David Dunn wrote in an e-mail.

Stanford has joined the ranks of many selective universities across the United States, including Penn, by announcing an increase in the levels of undergraduate financial aid. Under the university's new plan, students whose parents earn less than $100,000 a year will no longer be required to pay tuition.

The Philadelphia School District is evaluating the role of private-management companies, including Penn, in its schools. Although Penn's official management of local schools might be in jeopardy, the University says it is committed to staying involved. In 2002, Penn and five other private institutions, including Temple University, were hired to manage different public schools in the district.

Scales, yogurt and music - just some of the tools Nursing graduate students are using to gather research and to prevent obesity and diabetes in children. The Nursing students will meet in four sessions over two weeks and assess up to 80 elementary-school-age children in the Sayre Beacon After School Program.