As this semester draws to a close, it's evident that Penn's administrators are trying hard to get through the "perfect storm" of crime. And while the semester did include the glamorous launch of an ambitious capital campaign, along with an exciting eastward expansion effort, those successes haven't been able to gloss over the disturbing assortment of incidents that have dented Penn's reputation and campus life.

The Quakers surpassed their previous game's point total by halftime last night against Lafayette, but they were hardly in the mood to celebrate. In their first contest since the 26-point showing at Villanova on Saturday, the Quakers fell to the Leopards 71-56 at the Palestra, dropping to 3-5 as the team begins its two-week hiatus for finals.

With eight minutes remaining and his team trailing by 31 points to the No.1-ranked team in the country, freshman Remy Cofield finally got the call from coach Glen Miller to enter the game. Cofield was the tenth man off the bench on Tuesday. He got a quick steal for his only crooked number on the score sheet, but was taken out two minutes later.

Parents looking for lodging in University City while visiting their children could soon have a more affordable option if the proposal for a new off-campus hotel is approved by local organizations and the University's Board of Trustees. A coalition made up of Campus Apartments, private developer Tom Lussenhop and the real-estate company Hersha Hospitality are in the process of developing and approving a plan to lease a site from the University on the corner of 40th and Pine streets.

The only two wins for the men's basketball team so far this season have been against military academies - The Citadel and Navy. That's just so un-American. If it hasn't already, the NSA should hurry up and get a wiretap in Glen Miller's house. In all seriousness, though, Penn's two lone victories highlight a jarring truth: This non-conference schedule is beating up on the Quakers.

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering junior from Houston, TX. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Twice in the past seven months, a Penn Police officer has used deadly force against a perpetrator - the only two such occasions in Penn Police history. The situations that led to these incidents - a shooting at Club Wizzards in late November and an April carjacking - reflect a trend of growing violence against police officers, both in Philadelphia and nationwide.

Penn's sophomores have had a tough time establishing themselves this season. Forwards Andreas Schreiber and Justin Reilly have looked very good at some times, while at others they seem to be lost. And let's not forget about Darren Smith, who broke his kneecap in the season opener versus Drexel.

It was the best chicken sandwich I'd had in a long time. I got it at a little cafe nestled along a nondescript block of Fairmount Avenue, kind of a hike for an ordinary weekday lunch after class this week. But what made this one chicken sandwich so good was the people who made it.

Alum accused of ID theft turns self in Edward Anderton, a 2005 College alumnus, and Drexel University student Jocelyn Kirsch turned themselves in at Philadelphia Police headquarters yesterday to face new charges. The couple, accused of a massive identity-theft scheme, have now been charged with burglary and theft.

One Psychology class has students peering deep into their minds. No, it's not divination. It's Psychology assistant professor Amishi Jha's study about how the brain perceives reality. It's not your average science class, though. Instead of reading about psychological studies in textbooks, students design experiments on their own and head to the functional magnetic resonance imaging lab to conduct them.

Welcome to University City, land of the $4 Starbucks latte and home of the $48 American Apparel sweatshirt. The 300 acres of land that Penn owns in University City rise above the desolate, crime-ridden lands of West Philadelphia like the Emerald City over Oz.

The past couple of months have been busy for 2005 College alumnus Edward Anderton and his girlfriend Jocelyn Kirsch. To support their lavish lifestyle, the two committed fraud on a massive scale, taking in thousands of dollars in forged credit- card transactions, according to Philadelphia Police.

'The best defense is a spirited offense," the saying goes. And our generation has been forced to go on the defense. We're under constant assault from politicians, pundits and ex-hippies, explaining away our cohort's failure to stir up mass resistance and apologizing for our supposed apathy.

Glen Miller's Quakers have always tried to play faster than their opponents, but against North Carolina, it was Penn who seemed to have its feet stuck in the tar. Every time Penn got a big basket, the Tar Heels were bolting down the court for a quick answer.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has cleared the way for casino construction to begin in Philadelphia. In a ruling Monday, the court found "deliberate inaction" in City Council's failure to vote on zoning and land-use requests from the SugarHouse casino, set to be built in Fishtown and Northern Liberties, and issued the go-ahead itself.

Theft Nov. 25 - A male student reported that at about 1 p.m., an unknown suspect removed a painting from the a building on the 3600 block of Locust Walk. Nov. 25 - A female student reported that at about 5:05 p.m., an unknown suspect removed a computer from a secured room within the Clinical Research Building, located at 415 Curie Blvd.