At the end of January, the Division of Public Safety initiated a campaign to curb unattended theft on campus, and DPS officials say the results appear promising. According to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush a couple of recent key arrests should substantially lower the high number of thefts from buildings.

Penn President Amy Gutmann announced at the University Board of Trustees' Stated Meeting on Thursday that the University has appointed Marilyn Jordan Taylor as the new dean of the School of Design. Taylor, who will assume her new position Oct. 1, will take over from current dean Gary Hack, who has been dean of the School of Design for the past 12 years.

Students trying to figure out where to pick up a six-pack of beer on a Friday night may soon have more options to do so. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case that could overturn current law and allow convenience stores to sell beer packs to-go.

Although Lasik eye surgery has relieved 8 million Americans of the need to wear glasses or contact lenses, new concerns about surgical risks are being raised on the eve of its 10-year anniversary. New findings show that people who are not suitable candidates for the procedure for a variety of reasons are at greater risk for a problem during the surgery.

The preliminary yield rate for the class of 2012 fell to 63 percent, leading the admissions office to utilize its waitlist more extensively this year. The percentage of students accepted before May 1 who decided to enroll is down from the 66-percent yield at this time last year.

1:52 a.m. - May 20, 2008 Standing in the middle of a sunny Franklin Field and before a sea of excited students in black robes and mortarboard caps, University President Amy Gutmann started out the 252nd Commencement Ceremony by warning the graduates that, before receiving their diplomas, "you must prove yourselves worthy of your Penn degrees by performing one last task: Endure our speeches." But despite the light-hearted start, the speakers of Monday's ceremony went on to address politics and activism in their remarks to the graduating class.

The judge in the case of former Economics professor Rafael Robb agreed earlier this month to review the psychiatric records of his late wife, Ellen, before Rafael Robb's sentencing. On Nov. 26, 2007, Robb pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for killing his wife.

Legally Blonde was set at Harvard University, but its producer Marc Platt is a proud Penn alumnus. Platt, a 1979 College graduate who is known for producing the Grammy-winning musical Wicked and the Legally Blonde movies, has been selected as the alumni graduation speaker for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Violent crime in the Penn patrol zone decreased significantly this spring compared to last year, but a large uptick in property crimes contributed to a 14-percent increase in total crime for the semester. Crimes against people, which include violent offenses such as robbery and assault, were down 41 percent from January through April of this year, compared with the same time period last year.

Theft May 12 - Cash was reported missing from a safe at Presbyterian Hospital, located at 51 N. 39th St., at about 2:35 p.m. May 10 - A female student, 21, reported that items were taken from her pocketbook from a building on the 4100 block of Pine Street at about 12:20 a.

Graduate students spent a day celebrating springtime their way during GradFest '08 earlier this month. The second-annual spring carnival for graduate students, organized by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly in association with the Graduate Student Center, drew a crowd of more than 1,000 graduate students and their families.

A battle between Philadelphia and it its local Boy Scouts council is likely to end this month, when the scouts' lease on their 80-year home at 22nd and Winter Streets runs out May 31. The building, built and maintained by the scouts over the last 80 years, sits on city property and has previously cost them $1 per year to occupy.

School may be out for the summer, but the University's $3.5 billion capital campaign won't be slowing down in the coming months. The capital campaign, which kicked off its public phase of fundraising last October, has already exceeded its set $450 million goal for the year, Penn President Amy Gutmann said.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words - and that's what Amy Hillier, a Penn assistant professor in City & Regional Planning, is hoping to show through a mural honoring the writings of civil rights activist W.E.B DuBois. The brainchild of Hillier, the mural is being painted on 6th and South Streets, an area known as the Seventh Ward.

A man was robbed at gunpoint on the 3700 block of Ludlow Street on May 5, Division of Public Safety officials said. Two men were arrested in connection with the incident. The complainant, a 24-year-old male unaffiliated with the University, reported that several suspects approached him at about 10:45 p.

After 33 years away from Penn's campus, 1975 Law School alumnus Jeffrey Cooper will return on July 1 to take over as the new Vice President for Government and Community Affairs. Currently the chief counsel for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the executive deputy general counsel to Gov.

In the midst of falling national approval ratings for the Republican Party, a smile should be the last thing on the face of John McCain, the Republican nominee for president. But in Pennsylvania, McCain has reason to be happy. New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's primary win over Illinois Sen.