Penn boys, get ready - this female Quaker is flaunting both her brains and her beauty. Rachel Brooks, a master's student in the Fels School of Government and the 2007 Miss Pennsylvania, competed in the Miss America pageant last Saturday night. Though Brooks did not make it to the top 10, she said the competition was "an awesome experience.

In the latest stage of an ongoing investigation into the study abroad industry, several colleges, including Harvard, Columbia and Brown Universities, have been subpoenaed for information. After striking big last year with his investigations into the student loan industry, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo turned his sights on study abroad.

Almost two weeks into the spring semester, the Penn InTouch shopping season is nearing its end and students are quickly turning their eyes and ears to a new order of business: the summer. Love it or hate it, the season of the internship search is here, the time when many students feel the burn of Penn pre-professionalism.

Former Penn Law student Joseph Cho, accused of trying to kill his neighbors last January, has been deemed mentally competent to stand trial. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for today. Cho faces charges of attempted murder and related offenses stemming from a Jan.

Spruce and Walnut streets were alive with cheering and dancing on Thursday night as sorority recruitment came to a close with Bid Night. Wynn Commons was filled with groups of sorority sisters ready to welcome the new recruits, who awaited them in the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall.

It's a common complaint among math and science students that their grades are lower than those of their peers in humanities classes. And it turns out the figures back up their feelings - 63 percent of students in humanities courses get As compared to only 40 percent in the natural sciences, according to College of Arts and Sciences data from 2004-05.

Leave two engineers alone with a large brush, two bottles of water, a sensor and a pile of wood and the results may be impressive. Engineering seniors Elyse Newman and Francesca Lattanzio developed a "smart trash can" that automatically sorts recyclables that people place on a track.

Mechanical problems and rising gas prices might make that trip to Center City a little more expensive. According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, a potential price increase in cab fares could raise the cost of an average cab ride from $9.15 to $9.87, a 72-cent increase.

A man robbed the Commerce Bank located at 38th and Walnut streets yesterday afternoon and got away with an unspecified amount of money, according to Det. James Horm of the Philadelphia Police. The robber did not display a weapon and no one was injured in the incident.

The National Institutes of Health has failed to adequately investigate financial conflicts of interest of researchers, which can potentially lead to skewed and unreliable results, according to a recent report by Daniel Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.

He has been called the "architect" of the White House, has stirred up some of the most controversial debates in recent years, and now he's coming to Penn. Karl Rove, political strategist and former deputy chief of staff to President Bush, will speak to the Penn community at 8 p.

Despite rumors circulating around campus and on the Internet, Penn administration confirmed earlier today that the 2008 Commencement Speaker will not be Emeril Lagasse. "I have no idea how that rumor started," said University Secretary Leslie Kruhly, said.

The appointment of a new dean of admissions will likely not affect the way potential applicants and admissions counselors view Penn, admissions experts say. Because the admissions dean is only one component of the administrative team, it's unlikely that the appointment of Eric Furda, who was selected for the position Jan.

Schuyler Ferguson - College senior - "It's been available online for free for a while, but I guess it's always nice to have paper copies." Wharton junior"I don't read the newspaper too much, but it seems like a good thing . and the Times reports on a wider range of topics than The Journal.

They may be known as Mask and Wig, but the club's tenth Annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival headliner doesn't need a disguise to attract interest. Kenan Thompson of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and Nickelodeon's "All That" fame will host the festival, known as ComFest, at 8 p.

After twenty years away from his alma mater, 1987 Penn graduate Eric Furda will be back this March - with a few more responsibilities than he had while he was here as a student.

Long lines, cold weather, dimpled chads and senior citizens. When contemplating voting, those are just a few terms that enter a student's mind. But increasingly, students are turning to absentee voting as a way to remain active back home.