The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University both recently announced expanded financial-aid programs for undergraduates, following in the footsteps of many of their peer institutions, including Penn. On March 7, MIT announced that it was eliminating tuition for all students whose families earn less than $75,000 per year.

Rain set the tone for the demonstration on Locust Walk yesterday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war. Activists mourned the loss of those who died in the war and protested the policies of the "misinformation" dispelled by the current administration, attendees said.

In addition to teaching foundational concepts in class, certain Nursing professors are able to add real-life practical examples to lecture. These professors are called Nursing clinician educators, Nursing faculty who work in clinical settings in addition to teaching and conducting research.

Penn scientists at the School of Veterinary Medicine recently discovered a protein that slows the spread of the Ebola virus. The protein, ISG15, inhibits the spread of the virus to other cells. This discovery - which explains a way to slow the progression of the disease - has raised hopes for the eventual development of a treatment for Ebola, which has a mortality rate of up to 90 percent.

Jordan Grossman is willing to put himself into pretty much any situation if it will benefit the Barack Obama campaign. In South Carolina, the College senior went door-to-door in an impoverished neighborhood. When a car full of young men stopped next to him, glared at him and asked, "Who are you with?" Grossman enthusiastically offered that he was with Obama, going on to convince them to vote in the state's primary the next day.

While the current job market is competitive enough as is, it only gets worse for a good percentage of Penn's international student population. With many students waiting to hear back from prospective employers about summer internship offers, international students have another worry to add to their list - immigration issues.

First-year MBA student Sara Tenenbein hates carrying her purse. "I used to clip things into my bra," she said. And according to research conducted by her Wharton Business Plan Competition team called SCM Inc., a lot of women agree that having to carry something is annoying - especially when taking part in physical activities like dancing at a club.

It's time for some truthiness at Penn. Pennsylvania's upcoming primary election is drawing more well-known figures to Philadelphia than just presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - Stephen Colbert, the host of the Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report," will spend four days filming on campus next month.

On the first day of sales, over 1,115 tickets were purchased for the Spring Fling concert featuring Ludacris and Gym Class Heroes to be held April 11. At its peak, the line stretched from Steinberg-Deitrich Hall to the 38th Street bridge until rain forced the sellers to move inside to the Office of Student Life.

After perennial student demands for a more diverse yet mainstream Spring Fling lineup, this year's show will feature rapper Ludacris, indie hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes and a rock act that will be announced within the next two weeks. Social Planning and Events Committee President and College senior Max Cancre said the bill reflects students' desire for variation - and response has been overwhelmingly positive thus far.

After requesting information regarding finances and endowment spending from 136 colleges and universities, the Senate Finance Committee is currently reviewing the information it has received before deciding which step to take next. The Finance Committee, led by Sens.

The art of wine tasting is something many Penn students may be eager to participate in, but when funding for such an expensive activity comes from students' own tuitions - that's where the debate kicks in. The Wine Tasting Preceptorial has been at the heart of an ongoing debate about the annual funding it receives from the Undergraduate Assembly.

Democratic presidential candidate and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton came to City Hall yesterday to talk about the war in Iraq. But members of the press were more interested in her response to Barack Obama's high-profile speech on race, also delivered yesterday in Philadelphia.

Logan Hall will be renamed Claudia Cohen Hall this summer in memory of 1972 College of Women graduate Claudia Cohen, who died in June 2007. Cohen, a journalist who also served as an overseer of the School of Arts and Sciences, died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56.

Some Facebook users make it a priority to update their profiles constantly. But soon, the social-networking site will make some profile changes of its own. This spring, Facebook is launching a redesigned profile page that will resemble the iPhone-friendly version of the site created last year.

Plans are underway for major renovations to the music building near 34th and Walnut streets. The renovations will include the demolition of the building annex, which was built in the 1960s as an addition to the historic 19th century structure. In its place, the School of Arts and Sciences plans to construct a silver-level LEED-certified building.