Penn has settled for its suspect loan policies, but problems are on a nationwide scale

Last Wednesday at the University Council meeting, role call may have gone a little something like this: President? Here. Provost? Here. Student government? Here. But one group was noticeably underrepresented: faculty.

It's like the limbo for Ivy League admissions rates - they just keep going lower and lower. Five other Ivy League schools joined Penn in admitting the lowest rates of applicants yet, but experts say Penn has the best chance to keep the momentum going. Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown and Columbia universities all joined Penn by accepting record-low percentages of applicants.

"They just don't make men like that anymore." So said College senior Claire Stapleton after attending "dapper" author Gay Talese's lecture on his experiences as an Italian American and his writing career. Talese, who was the first Kelly Writers House Fellow in 1999, returned to Penn for a lecture yesterday evening, speaking to a mixed crowd of about 75 students and adults.

The University reached a $1.6 million voluntary settlement agreement with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo yesterday, pledging to clean up its student loan practices.

On Sunday night, the UA passed three student life-related proposals, all of which could benefit students in the near future. The first proposal, regarding the Penn Video Network, urged the University to develop a cost-effective strategy for updating the infrastructure of the system.

College applicants have rated Penn No. 10 in a survey of "dream schools" by the Princeton Review. But their parents felt differently, with Penn failing to crack the top 10 at all. For the third year in a row, New York University was rated the most popular "dream school" among prospective students.

U.S. News & World Report released its annual graduate school rankings last week, with the Graduate School of Education experiencing the largest drop of any Penn graduate program.

The revitalization of a New York railway is inspiring local residents to pursue similar redevelopment in Philadelphia

A male student reported that he was robbed on the 100 block of S. 39th Street early Saturday morning, Division of Public Safety officials said. The student, 20, was walking while intoxicated from Allegro's Pizza at 40th and Spruce streets to his residence, near the scene of the crime, at about 12:15 a.

If you weren't "The Luckiest" when it came to getting Ben Folds tickets and are wondering why the venue won't change, SPEC wants to explain. In an effort to address student concerns about the upcoming Spring Fling concert featuring Ben Folds and Third Eye Blind, SPEC Concerts and SPEC Exec have written an open letter to "members of the University Community" explaining why the concert is set up the way it is.

Free food, live music and . floccinaucinihilipilification? That was just one of the strange words competitors were asked to spell at the Kelly Writers House Spelldown Saturday evening. The event, held to collect children's books for donation to the South Philadelphia YMCA Early Head Start Program, attracted a few brave Penn students and many adults who were eager to show off their spelling skills.

With Spring Fling less than two weeks away, the campus is gearing up for a fun - but safe - weekend of music and partying. Today marks the start of T-shirt and guest pass sales on Locust Walk. Both items, which cost $10 and $20, respectively, will feature the Spring Fling logo, designed by College sophomore Kathleen Sieffert.

Penn's overall admission rate dropped to a record-setting 15.9 percent for the Class of 2011, according to data released by admissions officials Friday.

If you weren't able to get Ben Folds and Third Eye Blind tickets during the initial sale, the Social Planning and Events Committee is giving you a second chance.

College freshman Kevin McMullin started out as just another suburban kid from halfway between Philadelphia and New York, spending his summers under the fireworks at Jersey shore. But after being given a cheap video camera, and a Mac, McMullin found inspiration from his summer experiences for his short film, The Silence Then, which will be screened at the upcoming Philadelphia Film Festival.

For the lucky residents of Mayer Hall, laundry troubles may be a thing of the past. Penn officials and representatives from Mac-Gray Corporation, the company that manages Penn's laundry services, officially opened the newly renovated laundry room in Stouffer House's Mayer Hall last night.