Elections are always competitive, but this year' presidential campaign has been exceptional. And as the battle intensifies, especially on the Democratic side, more and more celebrities, politicians and even companies are weighing in on the voters' decision.

For the Quakers, two heads worked better than one over the weekend. The women's tennis team split six singles matches against Maryland, relying on a 2-1 doubles victory for the overall win, 4-3. Fourteenth-ranked doubles partners Julia Koulbitskaya and Ekaterina Kosminskaya downed their Terrapins' counterparts, 8-4.

It wasn't pretty, but the women's lacrosse team got back to its winning ways of 2007. In the first game of the 2008 campaign yesterday, the No. 6 Quakers beat Drexel on its home turf, 6-5, in a back-and-forth affair. Aside from a one-minute stretch in the second half when Penn was up 6-4, neither team took a lead of more than one goal.

Scales, yogurt and music - just some of the tools Nursing graduate students are using to gather research and to prevent obesity and diabetes in children. The Nursing students will meet in four sessions over two weeks and assess up to 80 elementary-school-age children in the Sayre Beacon After School Program.

When the Quakers traveled to Dartmouth and Harvard earlier this season, they held second-half leads before losing in two encouraging performances. This time, there was no silver lining. Penn suffered ugly 62-47 and 76-54 losses to the Big Green and Crimson, respectively.

In an unusual ending to their season, the Quakers won a tough meet against Lehigh in front of a boisterous Palestra crowd before heading to Princeton for a dominating victory. In the first dual meet of the day, the Quakers and Mountain Hawks battled back and forth throughout the match.

The Philadelphia School District is evaluating the role of private-management companies, including Penn, in its schools. Although Penn's official management of local schools might be in jeopardy, the University says it is committed to staying involved. In 2002, Penn and five other private institutions, including Temple University, were hired to manage different public schools in the district.

HANOVER, N.H. I didn't see the Dartmouth scouting report, but I doubt Joe Gill's name was on it. The senior guard's participation is usually limited to a couple of dunks in warm-ups and the ritual "frisking" of the captain during the lineup introduction.

PRINCETON, N.J. - The women's squash team had been here before. Down 4-2 to Princeton, the Quakers were one loss away from losing to their rivals. This time, however, there was no comeback in store. In a match that proved again just how close the two teams are, the Tigers got the wins it needed to put Penn away.

Stanford has joined the ranks of many selective universities across the United States, including Penn, by announcing an increase in the levels of undergraduate financial aid. Under the university's new plan, students whose parents earn less than $100,000 a year will no longer be required to pay tuition.

The Quakers got robbed by their next door neighbors. For the majority of its season opener against No. 18 Drexel, the Penn men's lacrosse team maintained a two-goal lead. The Quakers were even up 8-5 midway through the fourth quarter before the Dragons turned it around to beat Penn 9-8 at Franklin Field.

Running late to class? Beginning next fall, Harnwell College House residents will no longer be able to blame the elevators. Renovations to the Harnwell elevators begin May 22 and will include installation of new elevator controls "with the latest microprocessor technology," new motors and new doors, Department of Design and Construction senior project manager David Dunn wrote in an e-mail.

Last Monday, Penn reached its single largest day of commingled recycling collection during the RecycleMania competition with 3,480 pounds of recycled material - or 1.74 tons. RecycleMania, a 10-week contest sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency, designed to promote waste reduction, began on Jan.

Last week the University announced that Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates will design Penn Park, the 24-acre park and athletic facility that will run along 31st Street between Walnut and South streets. The park is being partially built on the 14 acres of the postal lands the University purchased last year.

BOSTON - After two straight blowout victories, it finally looked like the Quakers were beginning to find their groove. Then, they went to Boston. Thanks to a first-half offensive outburst, Harvard stopped Penn 89-79 Saturday night. Coming in, the Quakers were still very much a factor in the Ivy League race.

When I first thought of transferring to Penn from Villanova, one of the reasons was Villanova's insane inferiority complex. Villanovans were obsessed with Georgetown and Boston College: the suburban Catholic schools they didn't get into. We acted out our jealousy by intensely mocking the kids from St.

When College freshman Clare Foran answers her geology professor's questions, it's not by raising her hand. She keys in the answer on a 'clicker' she brings to class. The electronic response pad, which all students in the class are required to purchase, transmits student answers to a computer which collates all the responses and displays them on a screen.