In a city in which 406 homicides took place last year, crime is shaping up to be the number-one issue in the Philadelphia mayoral race. Consequently, the election's four declared contenders - former Councilman Michael Nutter, state Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Phila.

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

The number of students planning to rush sororities this year has stayed about the same as last year, but is still substantially higher than two years ago. Approximately 500 women registered for rush this year, up from about 480 last year, said Stacy Kraus, associate director for programming at Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

He's using YouTube, he's taking Facebook by storm. This alumnus wants to fix the high rise elevators.

As college students, we Quakers love free stuff. Free Nalgene bottles at a career fair despite no interest in the company? We're there. Free 'A's in "Ideas in Math" or "Sociology of Media and Pop Culture?" Welcome to two of the most popular courses at Penn.

For the first time since 2001, The Daily Pennsylvanian will be led by a staffer from the business side of the newspaper.

Ibrahim Jaaber and Brian Grandieri paced the Quakers with 17 and 14 points, respectively, as Penn defeated Columbia 69-43 in New York last night. The Quakers held the Lions to a 27.9% clip from the field, effectively thwarting their one-two punch of John Baumann on the perimeter and Ben Nwachukwu inside.

Nearly two months after facing the top team in the nation, the Penn wrestling team will head to Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the opportunity to gauge how it has grown as a team and on an individual level this Saturday at the National Duals. The No. 14 Quakers (2-2) will make their first team appearance since wrestling toward a third-place finish in the Las Vegas Duals in early December.

Though students may be looking forward to using the weekend to relax at home or catch up on homework, the University is hoping that they will take some time this long weekend to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King - and it is offering several programs and activities for this purpose.

K.J. Matsui was only 14 years old, but he was already on his own. The only English he knew was from textbooks, but he was expected to take junior high classes just like the American kids. He had just left his family, friends and home 7,000 miles away in Japan, but there was one thing that was familiar - the very reason he had come to the states - and that was the game of basketball.

At this point last season, both the men and women's squash teams were holding down the status quo, doing nothing exceptional by beating lower-ranked teams and losing to higher-ranked ones. This time, it's a different story. Both teams have impressed early on, with the women's team currently ranked No.

Last time the Penn men's basketball team took the floor at Columbia's Levien Gymnasium, it was 7-0 in the Ivy League, having just completed a perfect run through the first half of the conference slate. Forty minutes later, the Quakers were 7-1 after a shocking 59-57 loss to the 1-7 Lions, in which Penn didn't score a point in the final 4:42 of the game.

At a University where "global" has become an administrative buzzword, a globetrotting crime specialist will soon join the faculty.

Penn has accepted 29 percent of early applicants for the Class of 2011, a group that will make up about 48 percent of the total class. Last year, the University accepted 28 percent of its early applicants, and this year's slight rise in the acceptance rate comes in conjunction with a 2.

Restaurant nights, themed culinary dinners and visits from Philadelphia chefs are all on the menu this month. Despite mixed student opinions about previous marketing initiatives, Penn Dining has revealed a new series of programs designed to generate student interest in meal plans.

As I roll out of bed this morning, it's time to embark upon the most dreaded part of my day, at one of the scariest places on campus. No, I'm not referring to making the long trek to my 9:30 a.m. class or even walking around West Philly with a screwdriver-wielding criminal on the loose.