During her two years living in Penn college houses, College sophomore Jessica Renny has never used a landline phone. "I've never plugged it in, and I don't even know the number," she said. Although every room in college houses and University-owned Greek houses is supposed to come with a landline phone and jack, it appears that fewer students are making use of the provided service - and the shift away from landlines is taking place across the country, too.

"Come, whoever you are, come." This quote by Jalalud'din Rumi, a 13th-century Muslim poet, was the message extended to those invited to the panel discussion last night, "Do religions oppress women?" Women and men of all faiths flocked to the Hall of Flags in Houston Hall for the conversation in recognition of International Women's Day, which this year will take place on March 8.

Many at Penn praise Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) for his instrumental work to increase the National Institutes of Health's budget by 34 percent in the stimulus package President Barack Obama signed Feb 17. Yet the unclear time frame for and method of distributing stimulus funding has caused much anticipation.

Updated March 16, 11:35 a.m. The undergraduate student hospitalized with meningococcal infection March 7 remains in critical condition but is stable and improving, according to University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman on Monday. The student was infected with strain B, the strain for which there is no vaccine, according to Holtzman.

Penn will initiate a four-year study with $5.5 million to find out more about prevention of staph infections. A Penn study will receive part of the annual Pennsylvania share of the national tobacco settlement funds this year, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Everette James announced last month.

Wharton dropped to third place in the Business Week Undergraduate Business School rankings, released last week, after commanding the top spot for three years.

Last weekend's late-night disturbances at 40th and Walnut streets have re-ignited the issue of Penn's campus as a leisure destination for the city's young people. At about 11 p.m. Saturday night, about 500 teens formed a riot-like crowd between the McDonald's and the Radian on Walnut Street and had to be dispersed by Penn and Philadelphia Police officers.

While some plan to spend their spring break enjoying rest and relaxation, other Penn students will dedicate the next week to helping the less fortunate. Here are the stories of four students who will take the road less traveled as they participate in alternative spring break programs: Wharton Sophomore Danesty Len will be heading to New Orleans on the Fox Leadership Program-sponsored Alternative Spring Break trip.

March 16, 3 p.m. Tap House is expected to open in the Radian Apartments Aug. 1, according to Brian Harrington, founder of Public House Investments, which owns the restaurant. He said he hopes for it to be up and running before the bulk of the University community returns for the fall semester.

Although the value of Penn's endowment fell 19.4 percent in the second half of 2008, the impact on individual students is harder to discern. The way University finances are structured means the school will be able to survive the economic downturn with modest budget cuts.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching studied 40 U.S. engineering schools last month and found that most schools heavily emphasize textbook learning rather than hands-on experience, leaving students unprepared for the real world. But while some School of Engineering and Applied Sciences students say this is the case, others say they are happy with their courses' practicability.

Two students were swept up in Penn's effort last month to halt the spread of meningococcal infection that sent shock waves through campus. Between Feb. 12 and 13, three students were hospitalized with meningococcal infection, a bacterial infection within the bloodstream.

Penn students challenged by the task of completing a demanding curriculum within four years often choose not to study abroad - but within the next 10 years, they may have more opportunities to do so. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Wicker (R- Miss.

Anyone who's seen a Spike Lee film will tell you that the Emmy award-winning director is not afraid to express his opinions. Lee's appearance as the Social Planning and Events Film Committee's first keynote speaker last night at Irvine Auditorium further demonstrated his outspoken demeanor.

For some of Penn's Greek houses, Earth Day is coming a little early this year. Six fraternities and one sorority have joined the eight-week Greek House Recycling pilot program in an effort to reduce waste and promote environmental awareness in Penn's Greek houses.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching studied 40 U.S. engineering schools last month and found that most schools place heavy emphasis on textbook learning and not enough on hands-on experience, leaving students unprepared for the real world.

In three years of participating in on-campus recruiting, College and Wharton senior Ravi Naresh is three for three - summer internships after his sophomore and junior years and a full-time job for after graduation. But Naresh is just one of approximately 1,800 students that go through the on-campus recruiting process each year, and the picture isn't quite as rosy for everyone else.