In contrast to the homicide and four major robberies that occurred over last year's winter break, University City experienced relatively few major crimes this vacation. Over the past month, three assaults and three robberies were reported in the Penn patrol zone.

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

Facing its biggest hurdle of the season so far, Penn fencing thrusted and parried its way to seven victories Sunday at the Philadelphia Invitational. The men thrashed both their competitors, Duke and North Carolina, en route to 20-7 and 17-10 victories, respectively.

After the men's basketball team struggled to find a groove through the first half of the season, winter break brought much of the same. Penn split its four games, 2-2. Here, The Daily Pennsylvanian recaps all of the hoops action from the last three weeks.

Meet Leo Charney: A Yale graduate with a masters in Film from New York University who is the public voice of Provost Ron Daniels. DP: Where are you from? Leo Charney: New York City. DP: Do you miss New York City now that you live in Philadelphia? LC: I'm happy not to live [in New York City.

Kurt Mitman, the Economics graduate student who took a leave of absence from Penn last January when his academic-release privileges from a Bucks County prison were revoked, has resumed classes after having been paroled in September.

Former University Chaplain William Gipson is making the leap from the chapel to College Hall. As the new Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access, a position created this semester within the Office of the Provost, Gipson is taking the lead in maintaining Penn's reputation for prioritizing diversity in higher education.

Ten straight losses. Nine by double digits. And to cap it all off, a stumble out of the gate in the Ancient Eight. Any way you slice it, Penn women's basketball has seen brighter days. "It hurts, but we need to move on," said coach Pat Knapp after his team's 69-57 loss at Princeton on Saturday.

Last Friday the family of College sophomore Anne Ryan, who died from meningitis at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 9, filed a lawsuit against HUP alleging misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

The word is out, and so are the papers. Free copies of The New York Times will be available to students every weekday, starting today and continuing through April 19.

A Nov. 19 jury verdict finding the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania guilty of medical malpractice and responsible for damages totaling $1.74 million will come under question on Feb. 5. Following the death of her husband in 2003, Donna Traina, represented by attorney Timothy Lawn, filed a lawsuit against HUP, Mercy Suburban Hospital in Norristown and several doctors and medical personnel from both hospitals.

Last night at the Palestra, Penn's offense generated open looks at the basket time and time again. But the Quakers' shots just wouldn't drop, especially when they needed them most.

Poverty is rising in Philadelphia - faster than in the nation as a whole. As of 2005, 24.2 percent of the city - about 340,000 people - was living in poverty, according to data released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. That number represents an increase from a poverty rate of 18.

Professor Sarah Tishkoff has spent nearly two decades traveling to and from Africa to study genetic variation and evolutionary adaptation. Now, she is traveling to Penn's campus to become the sixth Penn Integrates Knowledge professor - and the first woman to be appointed.

Three months ago, ten Wharton freshmen sat in a circle in the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall. Back then, they were little more than polite strangers. Yet now, after a semester of working together as a Management 100 team, this group has become closer on a more personal level.

For some students, Greek life starts before they reach college. Ninety years ago, 11 Jewish students at West Philadelphia High School founded what later would become an international organization that united Jewish high school boys from all over the Western hemisphere.

With a bit of luck, the Van Pelt night scene may get a whole lot livelier. After a push from members of the Undergraduate Assembly's Facilities Committee, Van Pelt administrators agreed to extend hours until 2 a.m. through reading days and finals. And to help students beyond finals period, the UA is currently in talks with the library administration about extending Van Pelt hours until 2 a.