Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis has a history of never taking no for an answer. Meleis began her career after finishing high school in the Middle East when she was just 15. She was one of the top candidates to enter Alexandria University in Egypt, but because the minimum age of acceptance was 16, she was told that she was too young to attend.

The Division of Public Safety responded to 24 Spring Fling related incidents this year - down from 28 last year. The incidents included 19 hospitalizations, two arrests and three investigations, according to DPS officials. There were no loud party disturbances this year.

All Penn's Taylor Tieman needed was a little extra motivation. And, unknowingly, the Villanova softball team might have handed her just that in the fifth inning of game two. "I looked over and they had already started packing up all their stuff, and I got kinda pissed," Tieman said.

While Penn students bemoan the latest yearly round of tuition increases, they may be surprised to learn that the University actually ends up shouldering much of the cost of teaching its students. Tuition and other fees made up 72 percent of the total cost of educating Penn's undergraduate and graduate populations last fiscal year, according to the University's financial statements.

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama aren't the only ones debating major issues facing America - the Penn Democrats and College Republicans came together for a debate of their own last night at the Penn Bookstore. The event, an annual tradition among the two groups, served as a forum for members of both parties to debate a variety of issues.

Assault April 7- Charles Gines, 40, unaffiliated with the University and of the 3900 block of Ludlow Street, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 46-year-old female unaffiliated with the University, while involved in a dispute at 10:25 a.m. Burglary April 8 - Two male complainants, 20, unaffiliated with the University, reported that an unknown suspect removed two laptops from their residence on the 4000 block of Baltimore Avenue at 8:30 p.

I started off Fling with a bunch of relative strangers. I had only met most of them the week before, but there we were last Wednesday, crammed into a house on Baltimore. I only knew a handful of their names, but I wouldn't have begun my last Spring Fling any other way.

Just like last year, the women's lacrosse team finds itself in a position to take the Ivy League title as the season draws to a close. No. 6 Penn (10-1, 5-0 Ivy), the reigning Ivy champion, is in first place and has only two conference games left: today at No.

Lawyers for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania are pushing to go to trial rather than settle a lawsuit filed by the estate of Tony Grier - the man who died after a lung transplant at HUP two years ago - according to the attorney for Grier's estate.

Many students across the country may scramble to get funding for the next academic year, but for now Penn administrators say students should not be worried. In response to the national credit crisis, banks and private lenders across the country have been cutting or eliminating student loan programs, creating a shortage of available funds.

In a battle of Rocky-sized proportions, the underdog No. 6 Quakers' hopes for a second consecutive Ivy title hinge on the outcome of today's game at No. 2 Princeton. The team has had the date circled since the start of the season. "We started seriously practicing and working hard [for the Princeton game] the first day we got to school," senior goalie Sarah Waxman said.

The Recording Industry Association of America sent another round of pre-litigation settlement letters to 18 Penn students last week. The RIAA - the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry - sent 569 letters to 26 institutions in total, making this the largest wave of letters since its campaign targeting college students launched in February 2007.

Caffeine, long notorious for its mass consumption despite presumed negative health effects, may be slowly redeeming itself on the health scene - news welcomed by coffee-addicted college students. A recent study at the University of North Dakota found that daily caffeine intake in rabbits may help block the same processes that have been linked to Alzheimer's, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases.

This time of year, there's more than just spring in the air. During these last few weeks of school, Locust Walk is jam-packed with performance groups yelling, dancing and blasting music - all for the sake of advertising their spring shows. Just walking to recitation involves having at least fifteen different fliers shoved in your face.

Alicia Puglionesi is a College junior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

One of the most rewarding parts of running for president is meeting the young, smart and passionate people across this country. You are standing up and taking part in our nation's history. We all saw your activism on display after September 11. President Bush called on Americans to draw on our wallets and go shopping.

Like all professions, engineering is becoming increasingly global. Luckily, more and more Engineering students are finding time in their education here at Penn to study abroad. But despite increased participation rates, many students still feel that studying abroad is too much of a hassle or just isn't worth it.