The total number of crimes in the Penn Patrol Zone in March 2009 decreased 32 percent from the total in the same month last year, dropping from 78 to 53. The total number of crimes in the year 2009 is down 25 percent from this point in time last year, from 212 to 159.

A 22-year-old man unaffiliated with the University was stabbed at around 2:15 a.m. Saturday on the 200 block of South 44th Street, according to Philadelphia Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore. Responding to a call, Penn Police found that the complainant had been stabbed in the abdomen by a taxi driver.

I had never been in a Penn sports team's locker room until last week. That's when I stepped inside the red, University-owned van that pulled up at 39th and Spruce streets. Welcome to the men's golf team's "locker room." Littered with a few plastic sports-drink bottles and lacking leg room for the lanky athletes whose inopportune arrival time forces them into the back corner seats, the van is a lifeline for first-year coach Scott Allen and his squad.

Last year, after College sophomore Sara Heinze's close family friend, four-year-old Alexa, passed away from complications after being treated for neuroblastoma, she began to think about what she could do to help. As president of her high-school athletic association, Heinze helped organize a "change drive," that raised about $2,000 for a three-day breast-cancer walk by collecting small change from students.

Moving out of campus housing will be a little less hectic this year, as students will have an extra five hours to pack up the wagon and head off from campus. After a survey last year showed widespread dissatisfaction with the quick turnaround between exam period and the move-out deadline, the Undergraduate Assembly and Housing and Conference Services teamed up to extend the deadline by five hours - a change that they estimate will give 98 percent of students at least 24 hours to pack before they have to be out of the dorms.

With the economy reeling, the cost of a Penn tuition next year before room, board and other expenses - $34,868 - may be hard to come by. Financial-aid experts are examining ways to make the lengthy application process easier. Sandy Baum, a member of the College Board's "Rethinking Student Aid" study group, said different amounts of information are needed from different types of aid applicants.

After watching junior Emma Spiro play, it's no surprise that she's tied for second on the Penn women's lacrosse team with 22 goals scored in 2009. What comes as a surprise is where Spiro plays - the midfield. How is it that a midfielder is outscoring most of the attackers on the team? According to her teammates, Spiro has versatile talents.

As we close in on the final days of the school year, Spring Fling and Hey Day begin to overshadow our scholarly duties once again. Fried Oreos and skimmer hats are just a lot more fun than exams, obviously. But unlike last year, when many juniors were uncertain about whether or not they could attend Hey Day because of its scheduling, this year we all find ourselves with a new twist on tradition.

During the past year's financial crisis, we have all certainly learned that years of gains can be wiped out in a matter of days if we are not careful. The office of College Houses and Academic Services (CHAS), though, is threatening years of gains in order to find an easier way to solve a long-term problem by deciding to temporarily stop admitting freshmen into Rodin College House.

Last month, Penn completed its second year in the RecycleMania competition. While the national competition will release results on Friday, by Business Services' calculations, the school did not reach event organizers' goals. Spanning a 10-week period, the competition works to increase recycling and reduce waste across college campuses nationwide.

With the support of various City organizations and elected officials, casino development is well on its way in Philadelphia, casino officials say. Foxwoods Resort Casino has begun exploring a relocation to the Gallery complex on 9th and Market streets, according to a recent press release.

For Penn softball, it feels good to be home. After yet another disappointing weekend, having dropped a pair of doubleheaders in Ithaca, N.Y., to Ivy League South Division-leading Cornell, the Quakers (9-24-1, 4-8 Ivy) will return to Warren Field this afternoon for their final nonconference matchup against Villanova (17-15).

Though many high-school seniors are still hopeful for waitlist acceptances, their chances of securing a place in Penn's class of 2013 may be diminishing. Though Dean of Admissions Eric Furda initially said he expects "a lot" of waitlist activity, he now says there will likely be fewer waitlist acceptances this year than for the class of 2012.

Last week, the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly elected its new executive board, which will take effect May 1. Nursing Ph.D. student Corbett Brown, the new chairman, has been an assembly member since last September. He sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to discuss his goals for next year.

Freshman pitcher Chris McNulty has come a long way since his first start against Delaware March 31. In that game, he surrendered eight earned runs in six innings of work. Saturday, however, McNulty led the Quakers to their first conference victory by pitching a complete game and allowing just three earned runs in the process.

Penn professors' involvement in the Obama administration didn't stop at the transition team, as evidenced by the announcement of several new appointments last week. Psychiatry professor Thomas McLellan will become the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, according to a press release from the White House.

For some potential Penn applicants, dropping the standardized testing requirement may result in the difference between an acceptance and a rejection. A new study conducted by Princeton University sociology professor Thomas Espenshade and statistical programmer Chang Chung suggests that if colleges entirely dropped SAT or ACT testing as application requirements, more Latino, black, working-class or socio-economically disadvantaged students would be admitted into selective universities.