After a week of filling in bubbles of teacher-evaluation forms, some students are finding that rating professors on a scale of one to four just doesn't cut it. The Center for Teaching and Learning - a University-run team of officials that helps professors improve their teaching - is currently working with student-government groups to enhance the feedback that instructors receive at the end of every semester.

The man allegedly responsible for a series of robberies by point of screwdriver around University City over the last month is in custody, Philadelphia and Penn police say. Police have positively identified the suspect in three of the incidents, and are awaiting for victims to verify his identity in five more robberies, police said at an afternoon press conference Friday.

For a short time this winter, the Philadelphia smoking ban might be stubbed out. Philadelphia City Council recently passed an amendment to the original smoking ban that includes a provision changing the effective date to Jan. 8 And if Mayor John Street signs the bill on or before Dec.

Penn's AlliedBarton security guards should expect better working conditions for next semester - if the Undergraduate Assembly has its way. The UA is currently working with Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush and Allied Security District Manager Sidney Toombs to discuss the implementation of the assembly's Workers' Rights Proposal, which offers suggestions to improve the treatment of AlliedBarton security guards.

Thanks to a change in LSAT policy, aspiring law students may be able to breathe easier on test day. After a shift in American Bar Association protocol last June, 74 percent of law schools currently or will soon evaluate applicants based on their highest LSAT scores, according to a recently released survey by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

Unlike more recent campaigns to reduce crime on campus, the Nuisance Alarm Reduction Team prefers to keep a low profile. Their goal: Stop falsely triggered alarms from disrupting the academic lives of students throughout campus. And with the recent increase in the sophistication and number of alarm systems across campus, University officials say NART's job is more necessary now than ever.

After the third Webmail crash in three days on Friday, School of Arts and Sciences technology officials say the problem may have finally been put to bed.

The wife of a Penn professor was found murdered in her Main Line home late last week. The victim, Ellen Robb, was the wife of Rafael Robb, who teaches in the Economics Department. Her body was found Friday afternoon, and authorities told The Philadelphia Inquirer that, according to the autopsy, her death resulted from being beaten with a long, cylindrical object.

University alumnus Ralph Roberts and his son, alumnus Brian Roberts, have pledged $15 million towards a $144 million proton-therapy center scheduled to open in 2009. Other funds will come from the federal government, the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

For students at Cornell University, keeping in touch with Mom and Dad is becoming a whole lot easier.

After two mistrials in Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya's murder case, there is still no indication whether she will be retried for a second time. Mary Burnell, a Malinovskaya defense lawyer, said the prosecutors in the case have not contacted them about a third trial, although immediately after the trial they had announced their intention to retry.

At the start of the holiday season, Nursing freshman Kayla Guarneri wasn't dreaming about snow or eggnog. Instad, she was thinking about the looks on local children's faces when she gave them the gifts they'd been begging Santa Claus for. Guarneri is one of about 20 student volunteers who dressed up as elves or Santa Claus and delivered 125 Christmas presents - most of which were purchased by Penn students - to children at two nearby low-income Catholic schools yesterday morning.

With a Gospel choir in full force and surrounded by legions of supporters chanting his name, state Rep. Dwight Evans finally declared his mayoral candidacy last night. Evans, who had long been consided a contender in this year's Philadelphia mayoral race, officially announced his intentions to run before the largest crowd of any candidacy announcement thus far.

No quiero Taco Bell - not with E. coli, at least. All 15 city Taco Bells voluntarily closed Wednesday after an E. coli breakout near Philadelphia. It is unknown when the local eateries will resume business. The closings included the Taco Bell located in Penn's Food Court at 34th and Walnut streets.

Overwhelmed by finals and in the need of some comic relief? If so, tomorrow's stand up comedy show "Spring Bring" - put on by Penn group Simply Chaos - might just be the ticket. The five-year-old student organization will be putting on two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.

Penn President Amy Gutmann has named Gregory Rost vice president and chief of staff for her office, officials announced yesterday. Rost, currently the chief of staff at Temple University, will join Penn on Dec. 18. He will replace Joann Mitchell, who will assume the position of Vice President of Institutional Affairs.

University President Amy Gutmann echoed her commitment to remain Penn's president at yesterday's Board of Trustees meeting. "I will say it, and I will say it for the last time: I am absolutely committed to being Penn's president, and I am not interested in any other presidency," Gutmann said.