Penn is the most financially stable it's been since 1998, according to Moody's Investors Service. Moody's, which provides bond ratings for commercial and nonprofit enterprises, upgraded the University from an Aa3 rating up to an Aa2 one at the end of last month.

Students, faculty and staff are once again partaking in Black History Month, taking time out of their busy schedules to reflect on black heritage and achievements. Black History Month is observed across the country throughout February. With an undergraduate class made up of an average of 6-percent black students, the Penn community is participating in the celebration as it does every year.

When Penn Law professor David Rudovsky walked through a Philadelphia prison this summer, he was disgusted by what he saw - severe overcrowding, prisoners without access to showers and inadequate medical care, among other issues. So Rudovsky did what any lawyer does best - he filed a lawsuit.

The Quakers are in unfamiliar territory, having lost their first game of the season at Princeton last week. But that hasn't put women's squash coach Jack Wyant in panic mode. "That night just wasn't our night," he said. "We have some great opportunities coming up, though.

If you're not one of the Killer P's, its time to get serious. The Ivy League basketball season will be more than half over for every team but Penn and Princeton after this weekend. And since the Quakers have their two toughest road trips behind them, the challengers will look to build up a cushion of wins this weekend and then hope for help.

Harvard University will likely appoint former Penn professor Drew Faust as its next president this weekend, according to The Harvard Crimson. Citing three unidentified sources, the Crimson reported yesterday that Faust, currently the dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, will be named as the university's first female president Sunday.

Just because the technology exists - in this case, robots that find library books - doesn't mean it has to be used.

The GSC's mascot, a garden gnome, was well-represented Wednesday night at the opening of the Global Gnome art exhibit, which featured an array of photographs of gnomes from eight University graduate student photographers.

If President Bush's newest budget proposal passes, Biology professor Fevzi Daldal likely won't be getting a new microscope for Christmas. President Bush's announcement of a $2.9 trillion budget proposal includes a $500 million cut for the National Institute of Health, the organization that supplies over 70 percent of Penn's research funding.

If last weekend was a hurdle in their season, this weekend the Quakers tennis team will have a mountain to climb. After tough losses to Central Florida and Maryland, Penn will face an even tougher challenge in the coming days when it travels to North Carolina to face two top-40 teams in Duke (2-2) and North Carolina State (5-0).

130Ancient Egyptian artifacts in the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit. Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

While most people dread the idea of spending Valentine's Day alone, students and faculty in the English Department celebrated love gone awry last night in a student-faculty performance entitled Unrequited. The performance, sponsored by the English Undergraduate Advisory Board and the English Department, took place before a mixed crowd of students and faculty in the Annenberg Studio Theatre.

Abdi Farah is a College sophomore from Owings Mills, Md. His e-mail address is abdm@sas.upenn.edu.

There's a seven-foot hole in the Harvard frontcourt. Its name is Brian Cusworth, who used up his NCAA eligibility two games ago, after coming into the season with only one semester of play left. Cusworth was a two-time All-Ivy player who almost single-handedly took last season's game at the Palestra into overtime with 22 points and 16 rebounds.

The hysteria surrounding the 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' ads is proof that the culture of fear is alive and well.

The last time Penn visited Cambridge, Katarina Lackner didn't need to read the scouting reports to understand her defensive assignment. She was told to match up against Harvard senior Christiana Lackner, her older sister who is also a forward on the basketball team.

Last night, North Carolina and Duke started a new chapter in their age-old rivalry, with the visiting Tar Heels edging the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium 79-73.