Wharton sophomore Steve Cymerman has more than just an academic incentive to earn good grades - he's getting paid for his A's, too. Cymerman is one of about 13,000 users of GradeFund, a Web site launched two months ago through which students can ask family, friends, corporations and even strangers to "sponsor" their grades at school.

Hey, Beige Block - which sorority will have the hottest pledge class this year? Which frats should you avoid at all costs? No, it's not Gossip Girl, but gossip Web sites can offer freshmen going through the rush process a wealth of information. Although Greek leaders say students should make their own decisions about the organizations, sites like JuicyCampus and threads on College Confidential offer takes on everything from what to wear to what type of people fill each house.

"Though each of us has our own unique perspective on the issue as it unfolds.there is a time to pay homage," said College sophomore Roxana Moussavian, an organizer of a vigil for victims of the violence in the Middle East. Sponsors included the MSA, PRISM, Hillel, Penn for Palestine and the Penn Israel Coalition.

Aspiring actors on campus will have a chance to show off their Hollywood skills this weekend. Tomorrow there will be a general open casting call for extras in the latest M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Last Airbender. Shyamalan, a Philadelphia native, has directed a number of box-office hits, including The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Happening.

From the Pennsylvania primary to the World Series, The Daily Pennsylvanian's 124th Board of Editors and Managers has witnessed an exhilarating year of news. With a heavy heart, it now passes the baton to the organization's next generation of leaders. Tomorrow, the 125th Board of Editors and Managers will be inaugurated at the DP's annual banquet.

Every month, David Salas-De La Cruz spends $900 to leave his nine-month-old son in a day care three days a week. For families with two working parents, the cost of day care is usually manageable. But for graduate students like Salas-De La Cruz, a Ph.D. student in the Engineering school, affordable childcare can be much more difficult to come by.

Wharton recently filled four senior positions, a move officials say will strengthen various divisions of the school. Jonathan Cutler was named director of MBA admissions and financial aid, Ira Rubien is the new executive director of communications, Leonard Lodish is now the vice dean of the program for social impact and Douglas Collom was named executive director of Wharton West.

Ira Glass has been labeled by Time Magazine as the "best radio host in America." And tomorrow night he will be making his Philadelphia debut at the Kimmel Center in Center City. Holding this event at the Kimmel Center will be a huge factor in accomplishing one of the Kimmel Center's missions: bringing renowned artists to perform in Philadelphia.

The first words that often come to mind upon hearing "West Philadelphia" are "underprivileged" and "dangerous." One professor is working to change those words to "rich in history." That was the goal when History professor Walter Licht started the West Philadelphia Community History Center virtual museum, a site that will hopefully gather the area's history in one central location.

Spring rush is a done deal for this year's sorority girls. Last night, a new class of recruits received their bids as part of a wild ceremony in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags. The ceremony marked the end of a week-long process of dances, tours and sorority parties, which College freshman Jamie Nichol described as "speed dating, only with girls.

The decline in homicides in Philadelphia last year didn't meet the ambitious goal Mayor Michael Nutter outlined when he took office but still showed a considerable drop. Homicides were reduced by 15.3 percent last year, down from 392 in 2007 to 332 in 2008.

In the plans for eastward expansion, the University is not limiting itself to the postal lands. In fact, recent developments have planted Penn even farther east - 7,245 miles, to be exact. The University recently announced key partnerships with two universities in China: Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Penn's early decision acceptance rate increased this year to 32 percent, up from last year's all-time low of 28 percent. The higher acceptance rate is a result of the fact that fewer students applied early, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda said. This year, Penn received 3,666 early decision applications, compared to last year's 3,912.

When President Barack Obama declared in his inaugural speech two days ago that "America is a friend of each nation ... and we are ready to lead once more," many hoped that a new era had dawned in U.S. foreign policy. With this in mind, Penn students and faculty members gathered yesterday in Houston Hall for an open discussion about the international challenges facing the Obama administration.

Hillel is up and running again after flooding on Saturday from a sprinkler break caused the building to close for about 24 hours. "We worked diligently that day and night to make sure the building was accessible to everyone the next day," said Hillel Operations Director Bob Williams.

Move over James Bond-- Penn Engineers are the new heroes. On Jan. 4, a four-member team consisting of a professor, a hydro-geologist and two undergraduate engineers chosen by Penn's Engineers Without Borders program travelled to Cameroon, a country in West Central Africa, to bring sanitary water to the village of Gundom.

Staying up late to finish that term paper may cause more than just a need for coffee the next morning. According to a study released by Carnegie Mellon University, people who sleep fewer than seven hours per night are almost three times more susceptible to the common cold than people who get adequate rest.