Three days later, Penn professors, graduate associates and residential advisors are asking themselves what they would have done in a similar situation.

A relaxed atmosphere, class evaluations, maybe some donuts: These are the traits that characterize the last days of class at Penn. But the bar may have been raised yesterday, when Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, and rising musical star Kenna appeared on campus to lecture at Sociology professor David Grazian's "Sociology of Media and Pop Culture" class.

A new U.S. Cultural Diversity requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences's Class of 2012 was unanimously approved at the faculty meeting on Tuesday. The requirement "aims to develop [student] knowledge of the history, dynamic cultural system and heterogeneous populations" of the United States, according to its proposal.

As colleges across the country review communication methods in the wake of Monday's massacre at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Division of Public Safety officials say they have been exploring new mass notification technology for over a year. DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan said officials are examining comprehensive emergency notification systems that would allow them to send notices via a variety of methods - through cell phones, e-mail, PDAs and home phones and to both the Penn community and students' emergency contacts.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Much of Tuesday night's emotional candlelight vigil focused on healing and moving forward as a community. But as Virginia Polytechnic Institute students dispersed from the service, they faced a more immediate, practical question: With classes canceled through the end of the week, what to do with all their time?

After five hours of debate and difficult questions last night, the Undergraduate Assembly elected its executive board for the 2007-2008 school year.

Computer Information and Science professor Sanjeev Khanna has been awarded with a Guggenheim Fellowship in honor of his work in theoretical computer science, University officials announced yesterday. Khanna's field specializes in the computer resources needed for certain computational tasks, like the analysis of algorithm complexity.

Threats forced evacuations and cancelled classes on several campuses across the nation over the last two days as universities dealt with the possibility of attacks copying a Virginia Polytechnic Institute student's shooting spree. "Copycats are things that we have to look out for every time there's a shooting of this type," said Beverly Glenn, executive director of the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The day after the most brutal attack ever to take place on an American college campus, Virginia Polytechnic Institute students struggled to come to grips with their new reality.

Philadelphia Police have begun an investigation into the fatal shooting of an alleged carjacker who was killed Monday during a struggle with Penn Police near 40th and Spruce streets. The man was shot twice when a Penn Police officer's gun discharged as the officer and the man fought over the officer's weapon on the 200 block of Preston Street.

A small, dimly-lit room in the corner of Rodin College House offered a haven last night for students trying to cope with Monday's tragic shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Second-year MBA student Daniel Grabell is prepared to test the waters of the newly structured Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. In an election Monday night, Grabell beat out two other contestants, Jamie Ford and Soren Harward, securing the position of GAPSA chairman for the 2007-2008 academic year.

After a year of scavenger hunts and pie-eating contests, the Yen cohort has come out on top. The group claimed the freshmen Cohort Cup yesterday at an end-of-the-year freshmen celebration in Huntsman Hall. This celebration marked the end of the first year of the Undergraduate Cohort program, introduced last fall for the Wharton Business School's Class of 2010 to provide students with better social networks.

When Philadelphians come out to essentially choose their next mayor in May, many Penn students won't be joining them. At least, that's the indication from the Penn Democrats' voter-registration drive. Penn Dems President and Wharton sophomore Clayton Robinson said the organization registered about 300 students this semester, a steep drop-off from the several thousand it registered before the fall midterm elections.

Parents, students, officials and experts all agree that Penn's academic reputation trumps concerns about the dangers of Penn's surrounding neighborhood for prospective students.

If the University administration has its way, the Student Health Services offices will be moving to a new home on 3535 Market St. Over Commencement weekend, the Board of Trustees will conduct a final vote on whether the facility should move for the 2008-2009 academic year.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - "Let's go Hokies!" they yelled. What started as a somber gathering after a tragic massacre ended with students erupting into cheer, a much-needed dose of hope and pride for a beleaguered university. Virginia Polytechnic Institute held a memorial convocation service yesterday afternoon at the university's basketball arena, one day after the deadliest shooting in U.