Food for thought - and charity

For charitable - and hungry - Law students, the idea is simple: Round up as many friends as possible and go out to eat. The more friends you bring and the more food you eat, the better. These steps are the basic requirements for Dining for Change, a group launched earlier this month by two first-year Law students, Madhu Muthukumar and Dimitri Islam.

Official or not, frats extend pledge periods

The deadline for initiating new members into fraternities is today, but some fraternities will be running into overtime - with or without official permission. Under Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs regulations, pledging for both fraternities and sororities is supposed to last six weeks, after which pledges must be officially initiated.

Chi Omega under investigation

Chi Omega has been under an internal investigation since last week regarding events that took place during pledging. "Chi Omega did experience some small issues and inappropriate behavior during their new-member education process by a couple of individuals," Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs director Scott Reikofski said.

For sisters, studying just part of the package

From attending crush parties to throwing charity events, participating in Greek life can certainly take up a chunk of time. But that's not stopping many participants from maintaining high grade-point averages - some even higher than non-Greek members. More than half of the Greek organizations on campus maintain GPAs higher than the undergraduate average, said Scott Reikofski, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

With murals and concerts, frat sets itself apart

The doorbell was set to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner. As it rang through the whole house, the fraternity brothers stopped for a moment, grinning. "Listen to that!" Engineering sophomore Alex Numann said. "We're hearing America," College junior Matt Fiedler exclaimed.

Seeking sisterhood? For some, not too late

Signs welcoming girls who are "too hot to handle" are popping up on dorm-room doors. But these signs, accompanied by streamers and balloons, are showing up a little late, posted for women who did not join a sorority during formal recruitment, which officially ended with Bid Night on Jan.

Fewer male frosh invited to go Greek

Forty-seven fewer students have been invited to join fraternities, compared to last year. Since Bid Night earlier this week, 362 men have decided to join one of the many campus brotherhoods, and more may be on the way. Of the 514 bids that were offered earlier this week, 57 were declined, and 95 students have until noon on Friday to make a decision.

Frats to spend semester paying price for rush

Fraternity rush may have ended last week, but several chapter houses will continue to pay for their grand-scale events for the rest of the semester. Some chapter heads have blown up to a third of their semester budget on making sure they lure in prospective brothers during this year's rush.

University to revamp hospital by July 2008

Pretty soon, the time you whittle away on computer games could help you whittle your way into a career. University of Wisconsin professor David Shaffer is working on computer games that he says will teach players to succeed in today's job world by simulating real-life careers in urban development, political campaigning and journalism.

Walking the long path to sisterhood

Who knew that hanging out with girls could be so stressful? College freshman "Jane," for one, did not. Jane has spent the last two weeks walking around in heels - for four hours straight, at times - bedecked in black pants and fancy dress shirts in order to impress the sisters of the sororities that she is rushing.

Amid rush, did SAM parties cross the line?

Wild fraternity parties may be commonplace on most weekends, but, during rush, they can spell nasty consequences. On Thursday, Sigma Alpha Mu threw a rush party during which attendants say alcohol was served, and, on Saturday, another SAM rush party was broken up due to noise complaints.

Sorority rush numbers hold steady

The number of students planning to rush sororities this year has stayed about the same as last year, but is still substantially higher than two years ago. Approximately 500 women registered for rush this year, up from about 480 last year, said Stacy Kraus, associate director for programming at Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs.

Belly dancers, hoagies bring crowds to frats

A roasted pig's head decorated with pineapples and ripe strawberries rested in the center of the room. Girls in grass skirts and bikini tops distributed leis. "We like to get leied," one tropical-looking girl, Wharton freshman Paula Aranda, said as she placed a flower necklace around one guy's neck.

Cheesesteaks in hand, frats begin spring rush

For the next week, Penn guys will have the chance to stuff their faces with wings, ice cream and barbecued burgers - and maybe join a fraternity as well. Many frats across campus are relying on food to lure in prospective brothers throughout the next two weeks of rush, which began last night.

Saving the life of 'Mr. Right'

As a criminal-malpractice lawyer, Penn alumna Joan Saltzman has seen everything that might go wrong in an operation. Presenting her book, Mr. Right and My Left Kidney, at the Penn Bookstore last night, Saltzman described overcoming her doubts about donating a kidney to her husband.

Lawyer: Food industry is hungry only for profit

Americans can't count on the profit-driven food industry to address the U.S. obesity epidemic, Michele Simon, a public-health lawyer, said last night. Major food companies are pretending to be "part of the solution," when they actually lobby against sound nutrition policies, she said.

Nobel Prize winner plants trees to sow peace

For Wangari Maathai, trees and peace go hand in hand, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner told an audience that filled Irvine Auditorium Monday night. "Peace is not an abstract concept," Maathai said. "It is impossible to enjoy peace in a world where limited resources on our planet are not managed responsibly and shared equitably.

Ex-ambassador: Iraq faces split

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.

A Cuban American writer on her identity

Both Cuban and American, Achy Obejas says she still has a firm sense of identity. And countries, as well as people, need to reconcile contradicting images of themselves, she says. The writer spoke yesterday afternoon at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center in the Carriage House about identity and its implications in society.

Ex-N.J. governor: Don't live life in the closet

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.