Of the 32 U.S. universities in the middle of capital campaigns of at least $1 billion, Penn gained the most in February with $26.1 million in new gifts and pledges. Though this is not the most Penn has received in a single month - that record belongs to June 2007, when the school took in $129 million just before the Making History capital campaign entered its public-fundraising phase - the number is strong given the current economy.

With just two Ivy League matches left, Jonathan Boym and the men's tennis team are having a hard time figuring out exactly how their season slipped away. "I don't know if one particular thing went wrong this season; I don't know," Boym repeated. Maybe it was "just a couple of bad breaks.

This is the last chance for the women's tennis team. As the Quakers close their 2009 season with matches against Columbia and Cornell this weekend, the Quakers will try to avoid a winless Ivy League season, in sole senior and team captain Lauren Sadaka's last weekend wearing the red and blue.

We entered the room ready to learn, as we always do. But this was no ordinary class, you see. As the sun began to set on the chilly Sunday evening, the group - half Penn students, half Dalits, or India's "untouchables" - carried flowers and refreshments. Then class began.

Glenn Cummings, a student in Penn Graduate School of Education, has been selected as deputy assistant secretary of education in the Obama administration. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan offered Cummings the assignment in the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, which will start on May 4.

Next Year, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Civic House Associates Coalition are making New Student Orientation more civic-minded. The UA's Civic and Community Engagement committee is introducing five new proseminars - courses taken by incoming freshmen during NSO for no credit - that will focus on community service and civic involvement.

In the spirit of political journalism, American political news correspondent and commentator Tucker Carlson encouraged debate last night at St. Anthony's Hall fraternity. "I will do my best not to impose my opinion," he said. "If you disagree, shout out louder!" Carlson is a former co-host of CNN's Crossfire and MSNBC's Tucker and is currently an MSNBC senior campaign correspondent and senior fellow for the Cato Institute.

"Big Bellies" aren't easily filled - at least when it comes to trash. Facilities and Real Estate Services has installed Big Bellies - energy efficient, solar-powered trash and recycling compactors - outside the Penn Bookstore and the Wawa at 38th and Spruce streets, and within the next week, five more machines will be installed along Spruce and Walnut streets.

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project - Pennsylvania's first legal center dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted inmates - started accepting applications earlier this month. And in only three weeks, the project has already received more than 87 applications from inmates who believe they were convicted of crimes they did not commit.

Given that its starting goalkeeper is a freshman from San Diego, it's hardly surprising that the Penn men's lacrosse team is trying to ride a wave. Only this time, Joe Hegener, head coach Brian Voelker and the Quakers will be trying to build off three consecutive strong defensive performances, not surfing on the coast.

After leaving with a 48-90 record, Pat Knapp has a successor. Former Holy Family women's basketball coach Mike McLaughlin will take over the program at Penn, a source close to the situation confirmed. With a record of 381-55 at the Division II school located in Northeast Philadelphia, McLaughlin's .

Will Gordon carried the Quakers to victory yesterday. The first baseman and pitcher was dominant in all aspects of the game. Penn scored four runs in the eighth inning to pull off an impressive 12-9 victory on the road against La Salle yesterday, as the right-handed junior went 3-for-4 with five runs batted in.

Daniel Schwartz is a College junior from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is dschwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Straightening historical facts To the Editor: I'm assuming others will write in to debunk Emerson Brooking's offensive defense of the Confederate flag and the racism that it has symbolized through the decades ("In defense of Dixie" 4/15/2009). But I was also struck by the line in his piece that read: "Almost 300,000 Southerners fought and died under the flag of the Confederacy, and the resulting Reconstruction altered the course of the South's economic and cultural development, creating a depression that would linger for generations.

It'd be pretty awesome to have President Barack Obama speak at Penn. Given his popularity and prestige, I think almost all students and alumni would be honored for him to appear on campus. But apparently not everyone feels the same way, because significant objections have been raised about his invitation to address graduates at the University of Notre Dame next month.

The economic downturn has had a mixed effect on summer programs at Penn, with some experiencing growth and others seeing a decrease in applications. Penn hosts a wide variety of summer programs, including athletic and academic programs targeted at high-school and college students.