Last week, both houses of Congress passed a comprehensive student-aid bill that considerably raises the maximum Pell grant and halves the interest rate students pay on federal loans.

The management of El Azteca was fed up with the vomit, the dining and dashing and the missing sombreros - all symptoms of having a drunken, college-age clientele. So the famous -or perhaps notorious - margarita-making restaurant at 7th and Chestnut streets took action last December.

A new apartment building opening means new retail options for Penn students and the community. Domus, which is opening its doors at 34th and Chestnut streets to residents this fall, has confirmed four of the five retailers that will occupy its ground floor.

Nursing senior Eric Bowles not only finished the race, but his record - 10 hours, 6 minutes - earned him first place in the 18 to 24 age group in the Louisville qualifying round.

Part four in a four-part series Quantifying QualityThis week, the 'DP' looks at the history and impact of the 'U.S. News' rankingsMonday: Penn's rise through the rankingsTuesday: An analysis of ranking criteriaYesterday: The history of the rankingsToday: 'U.

Chair and professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Brian Strom has been appointed vice dean for institutional affairs in the School of Medicine and senior adviser to the provost for global health initiatives, according to a press release from the Office of the Provost.

The Quadrangle is undergoing minor external renovations, highlighted by the replacement of the original wraught-iron fence that was erected in 1954. The $1.2 million project is scheduled for completion in mid-December and includes the complete replacement of the fence and its brick and sandstone foundations.

High illegal downloading rates and a whole network of young, powerless culprits to put the pressure on - for the Recording Industry Association of America, it seems that college students are the perfect criminals. The RIAA has pushed yet another onslaught of lawsuits against students over the last six months, with over 3,000 pre-litigation letters sent out to college campuses across the country.

Gas leaks, transformer malfunctions, electrical fires, oh my! While not exactly a trip through Oz, students living off-campus have recently had to deal with a different type of problem - a recent deluge of fires and power outages. After incidents on the 3900 block of Delancey Street and at 41st and Walnut streets, among others, gas, electrical and Division of Public Safety officials say they have solved the immediate problems surrounding those incidents.

After last year's craze over Spring Fling performer Ben Folds, Penn has decided to bring yet another Ben to campus. Ben Kweller is scheduled to headline the Social Planning and Events Committee's fall concert, officials announced today.

A lot has changed about U.S. News & World Report's college rankings since their simple beginning in 1983. But looking at today's top four schools, you wouldn't realize it. The very first ranking began with a single survey sent to university presidents asking them to pick what were, in their opinions, the five best schools in the country.

With on-campus recruiting right around the corner, Nursing students may have an easier time than other seniors in the job hunt. There is currently a national shortage of about 150,000 nurses in the country, and, by 2015, that figure is expected to reach about 700,000 as today's nurses reach retirement age.

Theft Sept. 5 - Three student laptops were taken an unsecured room in the New Chemistry building, located at 231 S. 34th St., at about 1:45 p.m. Sept. 5 - A male student reported that his secured vehicle had been broken into and his GPS system taken from Garage 40 at about 2:45 p.

Officially, Penn is a school where student and faculty loyalties lie with the Red and Blue. But for University administrators, going green is increasingly becoming an appealing alternative.

University officials are continuing to help the Penn community cope with the death of College sophomore Anne Ryan. At a Penn community gathering yesterday afternoon, about 15 administrators milled around Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, nibbling at trays of fruit and cookies and waiting to help any students that needed them.

Members of the College Republicans, joined by other student volunteers, planted 2,977 flags out on College Green last night - one for each life lost in the attacks.

A fire occurred on the 3900 block of Delancey Street at about 12:30 a.m. yesterday, forcing residents of four houses on the block to be temporarily displaced and injuring one student.