When a celler-dwelling team undertakes a rebuilding effort after firing its old coach, the talk around the program is usually focused on the future, not the present.

Former Marketing professor Scott Ward was fired from Penn immediately following his arrest for importing child pornography in August - but if he had been teaching at another university, he might still be on the faculty. Penn made the decision to terminate Ward's employment immediately after his most recent arrest.

Poverty may seem non-existent at Penn, but billions of people lack water access and die from preventable diseases.

Columbia kicker Jon Rocholl was just a freshman when he launched a 47-yard field goal between the posts in a game against Penn last season. Despite his efforts, the Lions were blown out - their eighth loss in a row to the Quakers. But the kicker would continue to have his own success throughout his first season, making 11 of 15 field goals, including 5 of 7 from the 40-to-49-yard range.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said that a bill passed by Congress denies terror detainees their rights in an appearance on campus yesterday. The act, backed by President Bush, goes too far in depriving detainees habeas corpus, which is enshrined in 800 years of legal history, he said.

Make a TV show To the Editor: As a producer on UTV, I strongly disagree with Ali Jackson's sentiments on the supposedly bland content of UTV ("After a show crossed the line, UTV lost its edge," DP, 10/9/06). Penn's student-run television station simply provides an outlet for students to express their ideas.

This weekend, the Penn men's and women's golf get one last shot before the snow hits, and a victory would help the Quakers get through a cold winter. Penn's men host the Big 5 Invitational tomorrow and Sunday, while the ladies head to Rutgers for the final match of the fall season.

The School of Nursing is Penn's smallest undergraduate school, but it's looking to get a whole lot bigger. As the nation tries to cope with a projected shortage of 800,000 nurses by the year 2020, Nursing School administrators prepare for a different type of shortage - a lack of research space.

Proposed database to track student progress intrudes on privacy rights and serves no one but the government.

WILMINGTON, Del. - After seldom showing much emotion during her five weeks on trial, Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya cracked a smile yesterday when she learned that jurors had failed to agree - again.Judge John Babiarz declared a mistrial in the first-degree murder case at about 1:20 p.m. yesterday after jurors released a note stating their inability to reach a decision. They split 6-6 after 27 total hours of deliberating.The first mistrial, which occurred in February, resulted from a jury split 11-1 in favor of acquittal.

Social Security debates, aging baby boomers and potential health care crises have raised the question: Can the United States afford to grow old? According to Bill Novelli, CEO of the AARP, yes, it can. "We have a great need for change and that coincides with our power to create change," he said yesterday at the Penn Bookstore in a presentation of his new book, 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America.

Coach Rudy Fuller has had Oct. 15 circled on his calendar for a long time. At noon on that day, his Penn men's soccer team (7-2-1, 3-0 Ivy) will head up to Chase Field in Hanover, N.H., for a showdown against defending Ivy League champion Dartmouth (3-5-3, 1-1-1).

A former U.S. ambassador said yesterday that Iraq's constitution is a plan for splitting the country up - and that might not be the worst thing. Speaking at a special event at the Law School yesterday, former ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith said the constitution was a "roadmap for partition" of the country into more autonomous regions.

The Penn women's soccer team finally got its offense going with a 6-0 explosion against Robert Morris, just in time to face the toughest defense it will see all season. On Sunday, the Quakers (7-3-1, 1-2 Ivy) travel to Hanover, N.H., to meet Dartmouth, the only remaining undefeated team in the Ivy League.

The Penn football team shut out Columbia on Saturday to cruise to a 16-0 win. It was their first shutout since 2004 against Dartmouth. Penn picked up a field goal in the first quarter and a touchdown each in the second and third quarters. Four points were lost on the kicking game, however, with a missed extra point and a later missed touchdown.

A new way to tour Philadelphia involves more than just stops at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. SoundAboutPhilly.com, a site launched last month, allows users to listen to short segments that discuss the lesser-known and more unusual aspects of the city.

After a year of waiting, the Penn sprint football team is more than ready to put some dents into the Army Black Knights' seemingly indestructible armor. After a tough loss at Army last season, the Quakers get a shot at revenge in their home opener. In the pouring rain at West Point last season, the Quakers put on a strong defensive showing, but it was no match for Army's relentless offense.