Although the U.S. economy is facing its most severe downturn since the recession of the 1980's, Greek life is as strong as ever on Penn's campus. The number of sorority pledges increased 19 percent this year, according to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, and both fraternity and sorority members and Greek leaders say they don't think finances will be an obstacle for most Greek-involved students.

One of the major complaints about the required freshman meal plan is that there is nothing to do with the inevitable unused meals at the end of the semester. Over the past few years, a handful of students have tried to get those leftovers to people who need them, like Philadelphia's homeless population.

Robbery Feb. 5 - Norwood Chaney, 19, of the 3900 block of Ludlow Street, and Lenny Walker, 19, of the 5500 block of Pine Street, were arrested at about 5 p.m. for allegedly striking a man in the face after an argument and fleeing with his jacket. All individuals involved are unaffiliated with the University.

Yesterday, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) discussed solutions to the grim employment prospects facing soon-to-be Penn graduates in an address to nearly 100 students and faculty members. Specter is one of only three moderate Republicans who voted in favor of the final economic stimulus package, which passed last week with a vote of 60 to 38.

Provost Ron Daniels will become president of Johns Hopkins University next month. The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with him to reflect on his tenure at Penn and his plans for Hopkins. Below are excerpts from the interview. The Daily Pennsylvanian: What would you consider your most significant contributions to Penn? Ron Daniels: The international agenda was something [Penn] President [Amy] Gutmann was quite anxious to have me focus upon when I came to Penn and something I felt quite passionate about.

Though no new cases of meningococcal infection have been reported at Penn, the scare has continued to ripple through both the city and other schools in the northeast. On Monday, Barnard College and Brown and Colombia Universities all sent e-mails to their student bodies informing them of the situation at Penn.

Vibrators, lube and G-spots. Although not typical lunchtime conversation topics for most students, these subjects were on the agenda yesterday afternoon for the women who attended the free, women-only Sex Toy Social at the Penn Women's Center. The Sex Toy Social was part of a series of events to celebrate Women's Week, which started on Monday, Feb.

Remember that tried-and-true line from admissions officers, "If you have two people and a common interest, then you can start a group at Penn"? Well, that's literally how it is for Six Directions, Penn's sole group for students of Native American descent.

When College freshman Marissa Finn was deciding where she wanted to live next year, she said price was a huge factor in her decision. "Because of the state of the economy, I had to consider whether or not the Radian was affordable," she said. Finn is not alone - for many, the economic crisis has complicated decisions about where to live, forcing students to choose their future housing based on price tag rather than personal preference.

Poet, author, civil rights activist and "Phenomenal Woman" Maya Angelou will speak this evening at 6:30 in Irvine Auditorium. Angelou will deliver the keynote address for Women's Week, a series of events honoring women organized by the Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women.

For those who may not want to get a flu shot, a video starring employees at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - "Baby be Wise, Immunize" - may make them reconsider. College junior Ryan Leonard and Mel Kearney , an occupational medicine nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, produced the video last fall to raise awareness about flu vaccines.

Last night, students and community members gathered to learn more about the candidates for the Office of Philadelphia District Attorney. Four of the five candidates participated in a panel which took place at Claudia Cohen Hall yesterday: Seth Williams, Michael Turner, Dan McElhatton and Brian Grady.

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has had a busy couple of weeks in Washington and is making a stop at Penn to talk about it. Specter - who is one of the most senior members of the Senate, having served five consecutive terms since his election in 1980 - will address students and faculty at 3:30 p.

The Undergraduate Assembly saw its largest turnout yet this semester at Sunday's debate on the recent decision to update the current Information Systems and Computing calendar rather than endorse DormNoise as the official University-wide calendar system. While DormNoise - created by Wharton sophomore and UA member Jay Rodrigues - functions as a social networking Web site with a built-in calendar, ISC would rework the Penn calendar system on Penn Portal.

Penn received slightly more regular-decision applications for the class of 2013 than in past years, while the total number of applicants remained about steady, the Admissions office announced this week. The University received 19,179 regular-decision applications, up slightly from last year's 19,023.

The upcoming renovations to DuBois College House mark yet another step in Penn's college house makeover. In the past 10 years, about $325 million have been devoted to improving on-campus residences. Throughout the renovations, all college houses have received new security, sprinklers and fire alarms and laundry-facility upgrades, among other things, according to Business Services Executive Director Douglas Berger.

The Dean's Advisory Board believes Penn students can change the world, and is creating a new International Development minor to help. Last spring, the DAB conducted a survey on Locust Walk asking students about their academic experiences. Feedback showed significant interest in international development.