By OLIVIA JUNG Contributing Writer gamail@dailypennsylvanian.com One perk of being at Penn is that one often gets to see, meet and hear first-hand from world-renowned scholars and influential leaders - Anderson Cooper, the CEO of Coca Cola company, just to name a few.

The Undergraduate Assembly is teaming up with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships to make research more appealing and accessible to students. The UA's recent undergraduate research proposal, which set up that partnernship, is the latest step in efforts by student groups working with CURF to publicize its offerings and encourage extracurricular research.

Penn knows that against certain teams, being physically overmatched is all but guaranteed. With schools like North Carolina and Villanova on their schedule, the Quakers are certain to get pushed around from time to time. One time it is never supposed to happen, however, is against another Ivy League team.

The outlook was bleak for the men's squash team. After coming up short against Harvard Saturday, it faced a 4-3 deficit yesterday against Dartmouth. And Penn's Porter Drake and Mark Froot were each down, 2-0, in their respective matches. But the Quakers fought through, and at the end of the match it was Drake screaming triumphantly and Dartmouth's Tyler Young throwing his racket against the glass after a frustrating defeat.

Exceeding expectations has been a familiar theme for the seniors on the women's squash team. When they started as freshmen, they joined a team that was coming off a 5-7 season and was an afterthought in Ivy League competition. Over their four-year careers, the squad compiled a combined 44-10 record (20-9 Ivy) and emerged as one of the most formidable threats in the nation.

As the new semester began, many students encountered unfamiliar white signs at the dining halls and vending machines telling them that products prepared with peanut butter have been removed. Since January, nationwide recalls on peanut products have been made as the Food and Drug Administration alerted the public to a salmonella outbreak - and Penn is following suit.

The Greater Philadelphia Film Office's "problem-solver" shared her experience with students interested in the entertainment business on Friday. The Fox Leadership prorram hosted Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Film Office, at Leadership Hall.

Amid the current economic crisis, many public budgets are facing cuts. Pennsylvania's is no exception. In the proposed Pennsylvania budget for next year, Gov. Ed Rendell will reduce funding to Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine by 10 percent, or almost $4 million.

One small step for the Undergraduate Assembly has paved the way for greater campus beauty as the group passed its "Stair Beautification" proposal Sunday night. The project, which aims to tackle unattractive stairwells and promote physical activity in Claire Fagin Hall and the high-rise college houses, was passed unanimously.

The opportunities to meet and listen to people whose day-to-day work helps change the world are abundant at Penn. Last night was no exception, as New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof spoke in Huntsman's Ambani Auditorium. His lecture, which covered both journalistic and moral topics, was received by a crowd that filled the auditorium and overflowed into an auxiliary room in Huntsman where students watched via live video feed.

Last week, the Undergraduate Assembly passed its Bike Safety Proposal in hopes of establishing a more bike-friendly campus. This aim, however, reaches beyond just keeping bicyclists and pedestrians safe. The group hopes the initiative will increase the odds that a Philadelphia bike-sharing system comes to University City, a goal many students support - as evidenced by the "Just Ride Me" Facebook group, which had 740 members as of yesterday.

It's that time of the year again. I have the dubious honor of penning my second annual "Penn is rebuilding and will not compete for the league title" column. And this second rebuilding season has brought with it a unique challenge that needs to be addressed.

Wrestling absolutely demolished the Crimson and Bears, winning 35-12 and 34-6, respectively.

Penn fencer Zane Grodman accomplished an amazing feat yesterday. The freshman foil defeated Columbia's All-American Kurt Getz in 30 seconds by a score of 5-0. "He set an incredible tone for the match," coach Dave Micahnik said. "We went on to defeat Columbia for the first time in the last 10 years.

Over winter break, I spent hours and hours poring over the registrar's Web site to find that elusive double whammy: that course that fulfills multiple requirements and has an easy course rating and a high professor rating. I finally found the gem that is "Introduction to the Koran," which fills Cross Cultural Analysis and Sector IV, interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences - perfect.

The men's tennis team does not typically travel very far for its matches, but it made an exception to face a talented team in No. 23 Miami. "I know the coach there and they are a very good team," coach Nik DeVore said. "We just couldn't pass up an opportunity to play there.

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