For the past three years, Penn students in the LGBT community have reached out to welcome prospective freshmen before they even arrive on campus.

The “virtual” world might conjure up images of avatars, fantasy worlds or “The Matrix.” For Wharton students, it means something completely different. The Virtual Lab, launched this semester, gives anyone with a Wharton account access to the Wharton lab — similar to accessing one of the computers in Huntsman Hall — from any network connection.

Snaps, shouts and applause resonated in Dunlop Auditorium Saturday night in appreciation of the Excelano Project’s show “Split No Lightning,” which took place this past Friday and Saturday. Excelano welcomed both old devotees and some new faces in the audience.

“Personally I have been through a lot of bad relationships, which is why I came to this conference,” said West Chester University student Sherita Rooney, who attended the Black Love Lives conference last Saturday. “I wanted to learn strategies that would help mend past relationships and would hopefully foster successful new ones.” This past weekend, writer, holistic healer, community activist and motivational speaker Nisa Ra hosted Black Love Lives in Houston Hall.

Instead of vacationing in Cancun or California over break, some groups of Penn students opted to help drug addicts on the street. Others embarked on various community service trips.

Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order earlier this month establishing the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multi-Cultural Affairs. The new office will be tasked with “improving access to city services, engaging community-based organizations, developing economic resources and assisting with educational opportunities,”

Catholic students react to the election of new Pope Francis I.

Hikaru Kozuma has been named Penn’s associate vice provost for student affairs, the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life announced.

Delicias, a new arepas and Latin cuisine food truck, brought its bright wheels to campus on Feb. 19.

The Wharton Social Impact Initiative, along with several other Philadelphia organizations, helped the city of Philadelphia to create a winning proposal designed to spark innovation and help solve the city’s problems.

Find out what’s been going on at peer schools since spring break.

Starting in January 2014, the University will begin construction on its 12th college house at Hill Field.

Nutter presented his budget, which included details on the city’s property tax overhaul, the Actual Value Initiative.

Last week, AlliedBarton Security Services, the company that provides the security guards around Penn’s campus, joined the 100,000 Jobs Mission, a coalition of companies that aims to hire more returning United States military veterans.

Now in its second semester, Resident Select — an online movie-streaming website offered through the Penn Video Network, which supplies traditional cable TV on campus — now has 800 to 1,000 hits a month.

The SAT, a rite of passage for many college-bound students throughout the country, will be undergoing a redesign.

Funding from the Making History campaign will ensure that Penn’s community service legacy continues for years to come.