As more students turn to energy drinks to help pull all-nighters, health concerns about the beverages are also on the rise. The energy drink industry raked in $477 million in 2006-07, a 34-percent leap from the previous year, according to an Information Resources report.

Though hundreds of companies come to campus to recruit interns and employees each year, many are narrowing their search to reach a more diverse group of students. Four of these companies - Google, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and PepsiCo. - did just that with a recruiting event in Irvine Auditorium hosted by Lime Connect, a company that helps companies recruit students with disabilities.

Election officials shouldn't be fashion police. Thanks to vaguely defined state laws banning "passive electioneering" in the polling booth, some counties in Pennsylvania plan to prevent voters from wearing campaign buttons or t-shirts when they cast their vote.

The year was 1896. Gas cost four cents a gallon, Grover Cleveland ruled the Oval Office, "separate but equal" was all the rage and Dartmouth's football team visited Penn's newly erected home stadium for the first time - falling 16-0 to the two-time defending national-champion Quakers.

The Student Activities Council is looking for ways to support student performing arts groups that have been shut out of funding due to shortage of rehearsal and performance space in recent years. Groups that wished to be recognized by SAC - which provides funding and other support for groups on campus - traditionally needed to recognized by the Performing Arts Council first.

Citywide, assaults on officers for the first half of 2008 are up 19 percent compared to last year. The death of Philadelphia Police Sgt. Patrick McDonald - who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 23 and whose funeral was held Tuesday - is the most recent incident of the overall trend of violence against police in the city.

Everybody loves a freebie, especially these days. For Penn's Institute of Contemporary Art, offering free admission has more than doubled its number of visitors. The museum, located on 36th and Sansom streets, has always been free for the Penn community but charged $6 for outside visitors.

For many of Penn's out-of-state students, the question is not if, but where, to vote during this year's presidential election. Students hailing from states like Colorado, Virginia, Florida and Ohio, where polls still indicate close races between Democratic presidential nominee Sen.

The Penn Project for Civic Engagement (PPCE) is built on this premise: "We dream about what we value, then work to turn those dreams into reality." Put another way, the work of citizens in a democracy is to define the public interest and to build common ground for actions that will further the public interest.

Cell phone text messages may not be an effective way of getting information out in an emergency, according to a recent report by a Georgia Institute of Technology professor. But Penn's Division of Public Safety officials say they are confident the UPennAlert emergency system - which sends notifications through text, e-mail and voice messages - will work if it is needed.

As the starting quarterback for Dartmouth, junior Alex Jenny often surprises people when he reveals his field of study. "Sometimes I get funny looks when I tell people I'm a Math major," he said. "But I like it more than History or English." So when the Big Green visit Franklin Field on Saturday, Penn better watch out for this "cerebral quarterback who knows the offense cold and makes very good decisions with the football," as the Dartmouth Web site describes him.

Transparency in politics and public policy isn't just figurative anymore. When construction is completed for the Annenberg Public Policy Center next summer, students will be able to see more clearly into what's going on inside - literally. That's because the structure, located on 36th and Locust streets, is being built entirely out of glass.

Sophomore midfielder Sarah Friedman - who hails from nearby Villanova, Pa. - knows all about Big 5 rivalries. After helping the Quakers grind out a 4-2 victory over Saint Joseph's last night with one goal and two assists, she said there was "definitely" a pride factor in defeating a local school.

Franklin Field, the oldest operating football stadium in the nation, will reach a tremendous milestone when Dartmouth visits this weekend. Saturday will be the 800th Penn football game played there since the facility opened in 1895. "I tell the kids all the time, we're just caretakers," said coach Al Bagnoli, who has led the Quakers to a 62-15 home record during his tenure.

Five Wharton students are proving that not even a failing financial market can curb the desire to donate. Givology.org, a new nonprofit Web site developed by a group of 2008 Wharton alumni, gives users a more participatory role in making donations to improve worldwide education.

Questionable funding To the Editor: The plan to help businesses along Baltimore Avenue improve their facades ("Residents weigh in on Baltimore Ave. makeover," 9/22/08) has a laudable goal but has been poorly executed. It is eye opening that only one-third of the funding is going to the improvements themselves, with two-thirds to the University City District's (UCD) overhead costs.

Hypothetical scenario: You wake up after a night of partying, naked in a stranger's bed. You gaze around the room with horror when you're hit with a flash of recollection - vaguely, you remember taking multiple shots, staggering away from the party, making out, struggling to say no, feeling too drunk to fight back.