Opinion

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Getting involved in a historic election To the Editor: No matter one's party affiliation or political convictions, the excitement of this election season has been undeniable. Amid a fierce debate of ideas among individuals who feel passionately about this country, history has been made.

Mordechai Treiger | Keeping quarters out of the picture

Business Services executive director Doug Berger would not fare well in the current election. He spent his entire summer working against change. "In the day-to-day life of being a student, [change] shouldn't be one of the things you're really worrying about," he declared.

Opinion Art | Alex Jacobson

Alex Jacobson is a College junior from Los Angeles. His e-mail address is jacobson@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Wilson Tong and Zac Byer | Looking ahead, a new UA

This year, the Undergraduate Assembly (UA), Penn's University-wide, elected branch of student government, will be more present on campus than ever before. If you don't know what the UA is, we will strive to change that - and not for ourselves, but for you.

Stephen Krewson | Clearing the smoke around hookah

Awareness. It's being raised all around you, all the time, and seldom with your consent. Studies have shown that even simple acts such as waking up in the morning or walking down Locust may increase your awareness to near-toxic levels. So it's with a sincere apology that I attempt to raise awareness about everyone's favorite substance that is processed using a combination of heat and water and is subsequently smoked.

Lisa Zhu | Bang for your buck

As many of you already know, Fall Restaurant Week arrived in full force on Sunday. Over 100 restaurants in Philadelphia, including some of the city's hottest and most expensive establishments, have put out $35 fixed-price, multi-course dinner menus. Although I definitely wouldn't call myself a "foodie"- it's hard to eat foie gras and veal when you're a vegetarian - I do enjoy partaking in dining options a step up from 1920 Commons.

Editorial | Casinos in Center City

With the new proposed location for the Foxwoods Casino, city officials might have just hit the jackpot. Foxwoods and government officials recently announced that the casino group would consider building its multi-million dollar venue in the Gallery Mall near 9th and Market streets, instead of on the Delaware River.

Opinion Art | Jennifer Lesser

Jennifer Lesser is a College junior from Minneapolis, Minn. Her e-mail address is lesser@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Christina Domenico | If I only had a job

Wanted: an on-campus job for a self-starting, motivated undergraduate with attention to detail and the ability to work independently. Minimum wage, 10-15 hours per week. Please? Is that so much to ask for? Apparently it is, since I don't possess the coveted status of a Federal Work-Study student.

Editorial | The more, the merrier

In any emergency, fast communication between officials and the public proves absolutely crucial. The University's Department of Public Safety worked last year to instate UPennAlert, designed to alert students and faculty of any crisis situation through e-mail and text messages.

Opinion Art | Janice Dow

Janice Dow is a College sophomore from Rowland Heights, CA. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

David Kanter | In teaching, experience matters

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last two weeks, you've probably seen the Teach for America advertisements around campus. TFA is certainly doing a good job getting its message out, and it's paying dividends: 27 College graduates from the class of 2007 reported to Career Services that they signed on with the program, making it the College's top employer.

Meredith Aska McBride | DuBois: What I learned

Like most people, I don't think I'm a racist. And until recently, I believed that the racism our country struggles with came from somewhere else - where, I didn't know, but certainly not from my own actions. I was wrong. Just under a year ago, I wrote a column about DuBois College House and what I then termed its false diversity: a column that was written essentially from the perspective of the dumb white Penn student, a perspective that too many of us white kids share.

Opinion Art | Amira Fawcett

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering senior from Houston, Texas. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

David Lei | Feeling the pinch

Two weeks ago, The Daily Californian, the independent student newspaper at UC Berkeley, announced that it would suspend its Wednesday print edition. The Daily Orange, the paper at Syracuse, announced days later it would do the same for its Friday edition. Many in college journalism - myself included - hoped that student papers would remain largely unaffected by the turmoil in news media.

Emerson Brooking | Public-school pride

Recently, I had a conversation with a current high-school senior about chances and strategies for applying to Penn. She was from my alma mater - a rural public school of 1,600 - and if admitted, would be only the second graduate to break into the Ivy League in more than 10 years.

Editorial | Wave of the future

Last May, President Amy Gutmann talked to FastCompany Magazine about Penn's efforts in fields that "are not just life enhancing but also life saving." We're glad this isn't just talk. In June, Penn received a $50 million donation for a translational research center to help facilitate interactions between clinical and academic medical staff, and the $232-million Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine opened its doors.

Jacob Schutz | Proud to be an intellectual

'A pragmatic love of knowledge." In case you haven't seen any of Penn's recent advertising material, this phrase is now linked to our University with such other buzzwords as "entrepreneurship," "invention" and "outreach." The phrase represents a nervousness about appearing too intellectual, too smart for our own good.

Opinion Art | Alicia Puglionesi

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

Sarah Cantin | What's your excuse?

I've never been particularly drawn to activism. I always thought of it as unproductive: too extreme, too angry. So when I met the women of the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia, I was surprised on two fronts: first, that they were pragmatic and pleasant, and second, that they were old and liberal.