Going into the 2006 football season, there were concerns about what would happen when an entirely new secondary took the field. The team's worst fears about the possibilities were realized during Saturday's 27-20 loss to Villanova. In the season opener against Lafayette, the secondary allowed quarterback Brad Maurer to accrue nearly 300 yards but didn't allow a touchdown in the air.

For months now, the future of one of the University's most enjoyable traditions has been in danger.

Concerns about the decisions of Harvard and Princeton universities to discontinue their respective early-admissions policies extend beyond the academic world - the recent changes have raised questions on the athletic scene as well.

Abdi Farah is a College sophomore from Owings Mills, Md. His e-mail address is farah@dailypennsylvanian.com.

If corporate ethics start in business school, the industry landscape of the future could be even more scandal-ridden than it is today. A recent study found that business students are more likely to cheat than any other graduate students, though some at Wharton doubt that the data apply to Penn's MBA students, saying that the school's emphasis on its Code of Academic Integrity tends to discourage cheaters.

After beating No. 22 Lafayette on the road in their season opener, the Quakers were satisfied - and understandably so. A victory over a ranked team could have signaled an end to the problems that plagued them during their season-ending slump the year before.

Bowing to pressure from student critics, student-government leaders will halt work on a program intended to track voter demographics in student elections. The program would have gathered such information as gender, race, college house, international student status and major.

Truthfully, I was not too excited about this year's football season. I understand that the circumstances of last year, on and off the field, were unique and should not really be an indictment of the team and players, but it was more of a personnel issue that led me to my beliefs before this season.

Peter Fielding's roommate is spending the semester in Ireland, and he's keeping his pals back at Penn up-to-date on his escapades. He sends out periodic e-mails highlighting his adventures, addressed to a few of his closest friends. Except Fielding.

Jim McGreevey was a successful politician who became the governor of New Jersey, but he says he wouldn't want anyone else to follow his path. "I am the anti-model: Basically, I am what not to do," McGreevey said yesterday at the Penn Bookstore. At the event, McGreevey answered questions and spoke about his new book, The Confession.

The Cornell football team only dresses two captains on game day, but anyone associated with the team will tell you that it has three. The late Jaime McManamon would have been a senior for the Big Red, but he passed away after a car crash following his freshman season in May 2004.

For people who participate in on-campus recruiting, September and October stand out as one of the most stressful months of their undergraduate education. It's that time of year when dinner means stuffing your face with hors d'oeuvres at company presentations, when you can't go out on a Friday night because you're stuck in the library writing cover letters until midnight, when the only reading you have time for is Vault and interview prep guides.

Jannie Blackwell never thought she'd end up in city government. "I always wanted to be a schoolteacher," said Blackwell, who quit teaching in 1976 and has represented Penn's district on City Council for the past 15 years. "Had I not met my husband, I would never have gone into politics.

The number of rapes reported on or near campus went way up last year, and some officials are pleased about it.

This summer, while talking to some musician friends about their struggle to get noticed, Andrew Kortina thought he might have a way to help them. Kortina's online music company, PhilaFunk, has now been in business for two months. It has about 400 registered users from 37 states and 14 countries around the world.

Earlier this week, after Mayor John Street signed the long-awaited smoking ban, The Daily Pennsylvanian expressed worry because "the bill will have no teeth until the administration begins enforcing it." Well, worry no longer. The Philadelphia Daily News reported this weekend that the city will begin to enforce the ban immediately.

Unlike his counterpart in Philadelphia, Jack Siedlecki may not have had many tough decisions to make before his Yale squad kicked off the 2006 season. Matt Polhemus came in as the clear starter at quarterback, Mike McLeod returned as a proven threat at running back, and the entire offensive line emerged from graduation unscathed.