News brief: Nursing Ed. Building gets ex-dean's name

The Nursing Education Building will be officially renamed for Dean Emerita Claire Fagin at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Nov. 30.

News Brief: Penn prof named to Pa. crime commission

Gov. Ed Rendell, a Penn graduate, has named Criminology professor Lawrence Sherman to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Sherman is the director of the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology and serves as president of the International Society of Criminology in Paris.

News brief: Grandmothers set to protest trespass trial

Eleven members of the Granny Peace Brigade/Philadelphia are set to go on trial on Dec. 1.

News Brief: Wharton students are competition finalists

Wharton MBA students Himanshu Agarwal and Pranjal Shah are members of a team selected as a finalist for JPMorgan's Good Venture competition. The Good Venture competition asks participating undergraduate and graduate teams of up to four members to choose an existing philanthropic non-profit organization to champion.

News Brief: Researchers say trauma disorder more common in women

Penn researchers have established that while men are subjected to more traumatic events, women are more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. David Tolin of the Institute of Living and Psychiatry professor Edna Foa reviewed 290 studies conducted between 1980 and 2005 to determine whether men or women were more likely to experience potentially traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder.

News Brief: Penn community big donors in election

Affiliates of the University gave more money than all but four other groups within the education industry during the 2006 election cycle at $196,395, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Ninety-four percent of donations were to Democrats. The University of California, Harvard University and the Apollo Group were the only organizations whose members and employees gave more than Penn.

News brief: Penn ranks 2nd for international scholars

Penn ranked second last year among universities for hosting international scholars, according to an Institute for International Education report released Nov. 13.

News Brief: Safety officials issue alert after robbery

The Division of Public Safety has issued a crime alert in response to a robbery several weeks ago. Officials say a robbery occurred at about 11:20 p.m. Oct. 31 outside of Brownie's Bar on South 38th Street. The victim was then forced to withdraw $400 from his ATM account, officials say.

News Brief: Barbaro recovering after removal of cast

Kentucky Derby-winner Barbaro is resting comfortably in the intensive-care unit of Penn's New Bolton Center after having the cast removed from his right leg on Nov. 6. Barbaro - a thoroughbred racehorse who fractured his leg severely during the Preakness in May - has defied the odds over the courses of his arduous recovery.

News Brief: Penn InTouch will say if permits are required

Students will now be informed by Penn InTouch if the course in which they are attempting to enroll requires a permit. This is a minor change that will address a long-standing complaint, according to University Registrar Ron Sanders. Previously, no notification was given and students' requests were occasionally deleted at the end of Advance Registration because they had not known to provide the required permit.

News Brief: A virtual Phila. tour, courtesy of Ball State

Almost 20 million students from schools in 49 states and 3 countries are signed up to take a virtual field trip to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, courtesy of Ball State University and the National Park Foundation. On Oct. 17, Ball State will broadcast the Electronic Field Trip, including live tours, in-class activities and an online panel of experts.

News Brief: Former Dupont lab bought for Med School

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania have purchased a former Dupont lab in nearby Delaware County on behalf of Penn's School of Medicine. The 124,000 square-foot facility, located on 17.4 acres of land, will cost the University $8.25 million, according to CB Richard Ellis, which is representing Dupont.

Gutmann defends stance on early apps

Penn President Amy Gutmann wrote an op-ed that appeared in yesterday's Washington Post defending the use of early decision policies. Gutmann argued that moving to a single application deadline is an ineffective method of increasing a school's accessibility compared to other methods, such as increasing outreach efforts and need-based financial aid.

News Brief: Med professor wins prestigious award

Psychiatry professor emeritus Aaron Beck has been selected to receive the 2006 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research. The Lasker Awards are the nation's most distinguished honor for basic and medical research and are sometimes called "America's Nobels," in reference to the prestigious Nobel Prizes that are given in Stockholm, Sweden, every year.

News brief: Penn named 2nd best neighbor

Penn has been ranked second in the nation among 25 "Best Neighbor" urban schools recognized for their contributions to their local communities. Created by New England Board of Higher Education president Evan Dobelle, the rankings take into account the length of involvement with the community, the amount of money invested, faculty and students in community service, K-12 school partnerships and resources donated by alumni, among other categories.

Keeping Penn staff on their medications

One hundred University employees are about to become eligible to get a pillbox they won't have to worry about misplacing. Employees with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol will receive access to a Med-eMonitor System that will alert them when it is time to take medications and tell them how to follow their health care plans.

News brief: Penn called 9th-best for black students

Penn has been ranked the 9th best university in the nation for black students by Black Enterprise magazine. This ranking puts the University is among the top-rated non-historically black schools. The number one school on the list was Florida A&M; University.

News brief: Penn ranked 5th-best for Latino students

Hispanic Magazine has rated the University fifth in the nation for Hispanic students. The magazine measured selectivity, graduation rates, student-to-faculty ratios, Hispanic enrollment, cultural programs and organizations, the percentage of Hispanic faculty and the percentage of students receiving financial aid.

News brief: Facebook set to open its gates

Ready to have your mom surf your photo galleries or be 'poked' by someone who is not a college student? Facebook.com is set to become accessible to anyone with a valid e-mail address, company executives say. The change will come within a month, but no specific date has been announced yet.

News brief: Rain postpones some of yesterday's events

Pouring rain put a damper on some events that were scheduled to occur yesterday. The Student Organization Fair that was scheduled to take place on Locust Walk has been postponed, with no decision yet as to if and when a make-up will be held. Wharton senior Corey Hulse, a New Student Orientation coordinator, said students interested in learning about clubs and organizations that are available at Penn should visit the NSO Web site, which has a listing of groups that would have been present at the fair.