05/15/09 5:00am
And here I thought the last piece I'd write for this newspaper would be about meningitis - it's sort of scary how quickly I can spell "meningococcal" at this point.
But when I was asked to write a goodbye column, my mind immediately went to the first time I stepped foot inside the office that would basically become my home for the next four years.
04/09/09 5:00am
Elizabeth Grant, like many other Penn students, went to several Greek parties the first weekend in February.
And like other students who had connections to the Greek system, Grant, a College sophomore, went to get a prophylactic dose of Ciprofloxacin on Feb.
03/26/09 5:00am
The bacteria isolated from the campus' fourth reported case of meningitis is "genetically similar" to the bacteria that infected three students last month. All four cases are part of the same outbreak, a City health official said.
Despite this, Student Health Service director Evelyn Wiener said the fourth case, reported during spring break, is distinct from the first three and that there is no common source linking the two groups of incidents.
03/17/09 5:00am
At first glance, it's hard to see what all the fuss is about.
The empty white house on the northwest corner of 40th and Pine streets may seem disappointing in a neighborhood of 19th century Italianate mansions.
But Penn's plans to build a 10-story hotel on the site have been met with stiff community opposition that threatens Penn's relationship with its western neighbors.
03/06/09 5:00am
Two students were swept up in Penn's effort last month to halt the spread of meningococcal infection that sent shock waves through campus.
Between Feb. 12 and 13, three students were hospitalized with meningococcal infection, a bacterial infection within the bloodstream.
02/25/09 5:00am
Opponents of the proposed Campus Inn extended-stay hotel project at 40th and Pine streets will have to wait a little longer to make their case.
Their appeal of a Historical Commission decision allowing the project to move forward was scheduled to be heard yesterday before the Department of Licenses & Inspections Review Board.
02/19/09 5:00am
Penn announced yesterday that preventive antibiotics were no longer needed for meningococcal infection, signaling a shift in the University's response to the outbreak.
Three Penn students were hospitalized last week with meningococcal infection, and two others were hospitalized for flu-like symptoms.
02/16/09 5:00am
A fraternity and sorority event was interrupted last weekend, when students at a meeting of Greek chapter presidents in the Philadelphia suburbs received citations for charges relating to underage drinking and other alcohol-related offenses.
The meeting was held at the Fellowship Farm camp in New Hanover, a small township in Montgomery County about an hour outside of the city.
01/14/09 5:00am
At his funeral last month, Engineering sophomore Ryan Smith's father spoke of "the different Ryans" that Smith's family and friends knew.
He was a passionate computer enthusiast, a trombone-player in the Strath Haven High School band, a diving coach at the Rose Valley Pool pool, a member of his high school swim team and a neighbor in a small town where "everyone so much enjoyed talking and spending time with [him] because of the enjoyable, funny, brilliant and happy guy he was.
01/14/09 5:00am
Police are still looking for the man who sexually assaulted two Penn students in an armed home invasion Dec. 19.
Philadelphia Police say that the incident, which occurred in an apartment on the 4400 block of Spruce Street, is similar to two others that occurred in Center City in October and believe the same person is responsible for all three attacks.
12/09/08 5:00am
Two Penn students were victims of an armed home invasion and sexual assault Dec. 19.
Philadelphia police say that the incident is similar to two others that occurred in Center City in October and believe the same person is responsible for all three attacks.
12/09/08 5:00am
Friends and family gathered at St. Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church this afternoon to say a final good-bye to Engineering sophomore Ryan Smith.
Packing the parking lot of both the church and its nearby parish school, they clustered around the central isles of this newly constructed building, some crying quietly to themselves, others silent as if deep in thought.
12/09/08 5:00am
Police are still looking for the man who sexually assaulted two Penn students in an armed home invasion Dec. 19.
Philadelphia Police say that the incident, which occurred in an apartment on the 4400 block of Spruce Street, is similar to two others that occurred in Center City in October and believe the same person is responsible for all three attacks.
11/21/08 5:00am
The next battle over union rights is being fought on college campuses.
That fight extends to Penn, which appears to be invested in HEI Hotels and Resorts, a company that buys and manages hotels and is being accused of creating poor conditions for workers.
11/13/08 5:00am
The Division of Public Safety has begun providing the public with more information about sex crimes that occur in the Penn patrol zone.
The changes were made after The Daily Pennsylvanian raised concerns that the University was withholding information it was required to disclose under federal law.
08/28/08 5:00am
Penn President Amy Gutmann received a 41-percent pay increase last year - a jump in compensation that makes her one of only a handful of college presidents who take in more than $1 million annually.
Gutmann earned a total of $1,155,634 in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the latest year for which compensation figures are available.
07/31/08 5:00am
A rape was reported involving two 17-year-old high school students on Penn's campus, according to Philadelphia police.
The rape was reported to have occurred in a dorm on the 3700 block of Spruce Street at about 6:20 p.m. on July 23.
According to Capt. John Darby of the Special Vitims Unit, the two students knew each other and have both given statements to the police.
06/26/08 5:00am
A shot was fired in the McDonald's on 40th and Walnut streets the evening of June 28.
Though no one was injured, two men were arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
At about 5:30 p.m., police say that a male customer got into an argument with a McDonald's employee.
06/19/08 5:00am
Penn President Amy Gutmann received a 41-percent pay increase last year - a jump in compensation that makes her one of only a handful of college presidents who take in more than $1 million annually.
Gutmann earned a total of $1,155,634 in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the latest year for which compensation figures are available.
04/25/08 5:00am
Former Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson, whose 29-year tenure at Penn ended with an abrupt resignation last semester, is starting his own college consulting company, to the surprise of the admissions community.
The company - called Stetson College Advisory - will work with "colleges and universities in evaluating their admissions programs, advising selected high-school students regarding the college search process and conducting searches for secondary schools," according to the description posted on the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions's Web site, which lists Stetson as a faculty member.
