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.

The departure of former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson has shown how much power Penn President Amy Gutmann wields, raising questions about the role of the Board of Trustees in checking the president's power.

BALA CYNWYD, Pa. Don't let anyone ever tell you 6:30 a.m. is too early for pierogies. They aren't your typical breakfast fare, but Matt Viereck and John McGinnis had likely put away more of the Polish potato dumplings before dawn than the entire city of Warsaw does in a day.

The number of minority graduate students is up - but the social and academic support for those students isn't keeping pace. Minorities, women and international students made up most of the two-percent growth in graduate students this past year, according to a recent report issued by the Council of Graduate Schools.

When College freshman Ben Epstein is asked what he would like to do after graduation, he says he wants to write. But on a campus where career paths like business and pre-med take center stage, such interests are often dismissed as dead-end hobbies. "People say 'that's nice, but impractical,'" Epstein said.

College freshman Michael Tomback ran outside as soon as he saw it. He spun in circles. He took photos. It was finally snowing. For Tomback and many other freshmen from warm climates, last week's snowfall was not only the first of the season - but the first of their lives.

The Penn men's basketball team didn't know which Elon squad would show up on Thursday, but it certainly wasn't the one that lost to Division II Tusculum. The Phoenix, which nearly beat Virginia Tech this season, hung tough for the majority of the game, but in the end Tyler Bernardini's 23 points (12 in the final five minutes) and tight defense on the final possession put Penn over the top, 67-64.

The University announced a new financial aid policy Dec. 17, launching an initiative that will eliminate loans from all undergraduate financial aid packages within two years. Beginning in September 2008, undergraduate students with family incomes under $100,000 will receive loan-free packages, according to a University press release.

When it comes to athletic achievements at Penn, few can top Mark DeRosa. In just two years at starting quarterback he became the fourth-leading passer in Quakers history. And when this Wharton student and Sigma Chi fraternity member hit the baseball diamond in the spring season, he attracted attention from Major League scouts with his superior hitting and fielding skills.

CHEERS • To the city of Philadelphia, for rejecting pay-to-play party politics by electing policy wonk and reformer Michael Nutter. • To Huntsman senior Joyce Meng and Penn alum Stephen Danley for winning the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships. • To athletic director Steve Bilsky, for ensuring that the eastward expansion plan improves Penn's athletic facilities through additional construction and building upgrades.

The "Making History" campaign is living up to its name, Penn administrators say. With $1.69 billion in the bank, the five-year fundraising effort is already at over 48 percent of its $3.5 billion goal after being launched publicly this past October.

Slavery. Not somewhere else. Right here. Earlier this semester I went to a presentation of the Not For Sale Campaign, a movement launched in February with the aim of abolishing worldwide slavery within our lifetime. Going in, I felt that while this was probably a worthy cause, it was more a global issue than a national one.