With meetings getting increasingly shorter, the Undergraduate Assembly is trying to improve efficiency during meetings while still addressing a wide range of issues. Some topics from last Sunday's meeting include: n The UA Housing Committee is working with Housing and Conference Services to improve the housing-application process.

How do you say Locust Walk in Taiwanese? Some of Penn's 3,484 international students may be able to tell you. Penn ranked No. 10 out of 20 schools for hosting the highest number of foreign students in the academic year 2006-2007, according to a report published yesterday by the Institute of International Education.

Penn President Amy Gutmann raked in $777,692 in total compensation in 2005-06, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's annual survey released yesterday. The total placed Gutmann second among Ivy League leaders, only trailing Yale University's Richard Levin, who earned $869,026.

As Mayor-elect Michael Nutter prepares to assume office in January, he hopes to change the way things operate in City Hall. Running a campaign against corruption and Philadelphia's rising murder rate, Nutter promises a break with the past and fresh new ideas to revitalize the city.

An AlliedBarton security guard exposed himself to a female student after escorting her home last night, Division of Public Safety officials said today. The guard escorted the student from 38th and Sansom streets to her house on the 300 block of S. 41st St.

Ever wonder what an Ecuadorian Amazon witch doctor looks like? Or have you pondered the image of an elephant caravan winding its way through the jungles of Thailand? These days, Penn students don't have to look far for them - or travel beyond their computer.

A female student was sexually assaulted early yesterday morning inside an apartment on the 4000 block of Spruce Street, prompting the Division of Public Safety to issue an alert late last night. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said that police believe the assault was a stranger-rape, but that she could not provide any additional details.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation donated a five-year, $3.5-million research grant to the African-American Collaborative Obesity Research Network. AACORN, based at the School of Medicine, will use the money to conduct community-based research to reduce obesity among black children and adolescents.

When Andy Anderson is a farmer, he's also a teacher, a salesperson and a cashier. The manager of Pennypack Farms in Horsham, Pa., Anderson both grows produce and runs educational sessions about sustainable living. He also brings his wares to the farmers' market in Clark Park every week, part of a rising trend of farmers' markets held both in the Philadelphia region and nationwide.

Gov. Edward Rendell's love of dogs brought him to the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine Friday night to speak about his plans for improving Pennsylvania's laws governing the treatment of dogs. Rendell discussed statewide dog kennels conditions and the state's difficulty in enforcing animal-cruelty laws.

Penn students walk past the Richards Laboratories every day on Hamilton Walk. Few realize, however, that the building between the Quad and the biopond is a potential national historic landmark. Historical preservation organization Save Our Sites sponsored a tour of the building complex yesterday.

It's not every day a rising basketball phenom hands back a full scholarship to one of the top college teams in the nation. For Tamir Goodman, the decision came without hesitation. At a Jewish Shabbat dinner held on campus last Friday, Goodman spoke to students of the inseparable roles basketball and religion have played in his life.

There's a "celebrity whore." A would-be "gangsta." A father. Pinocchio . And they're all part of the University. The Pan-Asian American Community House has embarked on a campaign to give Penn community members the chance to express themselves anonymously, with blank postcards as canvas.

Despite three hung juries in the murder trial of Wharton student Irina Malinovskaya, experts say a fourth trial is still a distinct possibility. Lead prosecutor Paul Wallace declined to comment on the possibility of a fourth trial, but experts say the state could take the rare step of retrying Malinovskaya for a third time.

The judge in the murder case against Economics professor Rafael Robb is considering whether to hold a hearing about the admissibility of testimony from two mental-health experts.

A new Engineering program is trying to get more women involved in labs, experiments and science-based careers. The Advancing Women in Engineering program, which took off last month, is the School of Engineering and Applied Science's newest recruitment tool, aimed at increasing the number of women interested in engineering at Penn and elsewhere.

The Division of Public Safety issued an alert late Monday night after a female student was sexually assaulted Monday morning inside an apartment on the 4000 block of Spruce Street. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said police believe the assault was a stranger-rape, but could not immediately provide any more details.