Daily Pennsylvanian

Penn’s former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer John Fry was named president of Drexel University Wednesday afternoon.

The Drexel Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of Fry, who will begin his tenure on Aug. 1, according to a Drexel press release.

Fry has been the president of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. since 2002 and previously served as EVP and COO at Penn from 1995 to 2002 under President Judith Rodin.

Fry said he hopes to explore more ways for Drexel and Penn to collaborate in the future.

"It just makes sense," he said, recognizing the two universities' "tradition of working closely and well" with each other.

He said he maintains friendships with the Penn administrators he worked with while EVP and keeps in touch with several, including current EVP Craig Carnaroli.

Fry, who just found out about his appointment Tuesday, said he will "miss Lancaster," but is excited to return to Philadelphia.

"Part of the attraction of this was to come home to Philadelphia," he said.

Over the past decade, Fry has been a finalist to become president of the University of Vermont and Temple University, but he withdrew on both occasions.

While at Penn, Fry implemented the “Agenda For Excellence” — the University’s strategic plan in the late nineties. He also initiated a facilities outsourcing arrangement with the Trammell Crow Company and brought new vendors to campus, including the movie theater and Fresh Grocer.

Fry was also instrumental in the creation of the University City District, which helped facilitate communication between the universities, retailers and residents in the area.

With his return to Philadelphia, Fry said he plans to continue building connections between the universities and West Philadelphia neighborhoods. He said the relationship is not just a "big project" that can be completed, but that it is "always evolving."

There is "never a moment when it won't be a priority," he said.

A native New Yorker, Fry studied American Civilization at Lafayette College and earned a master’s from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Drexel has been searching for a new president for almost a year after Constantine Papadakis, who served as president for 14 years, unexpectedly died of lung cancer in April 2009, according to the press release.

Fry said he looks forward to working with Drexel administrators and developing their plans for the university.

"A vision has to be crafted," he said, explaining that it will be a joint effort that will progress as he visits campus more often during the remainder of the spring semester.

Vandalism

Feb. 28 — At about 6:45 p.m., an unknown suspect reportedly broke a window at Strikes Bowling Lounge, located at 4040 Locust St.

Theft

March 2 — A female student, 20, reported at about 10:45 p.m. that someone took her personal items from an unsecured locker at Pottruck Gym.

March 1 — A female student, 21, reported at about 10 p.m. that someone removed her unattended laptop from the Stouffer Triangle.

March 1 — At about 8:30 a.m., cash was reported taken by an unknown suspect from the Science Center, located at 3701 Market St.

Feb. 28 — A man unaffiliated with the University reported at about 12 a.m. that someone removed his briefcase, left in plain view, from his secured vehicle at Penn Lot 1, on Walnut Street between 32nd and 33rd streets.

Feb. 27 — A female student, 29, reported at about 8:30 p.m. that an unknown suspect removed her unattended personal items from the Psychology Building.

Feb. 27 — A female University employee, 62, reported at about 12:15 p.m. that an unknown suspect removed her unattended wallet and personal items from the Jaffe Building, located at 3405 Woodland Walk.

Feb. 26 — A man unaffiliated with the University, 34, reported at about 9:45 p.m. that someone removed personal property from his secured vehicle on the 200 block of S. 33rd Street.

Feb. 26 — At about 8:30 p.m., an unknown suspect was reported to have removed merchandise from CVS, located at 3401 Walnut St., without paying.

Feb. 26 — At about 9:45 a.m., an unknown suspect was reported to have removed merchandise from the Penn Bookstore, located at 3601 Walnut St., without paying.

All information was provided by the Division of Public Safety.

The final game of the 2009-10 Ivy season brought a familiar story for the Penn men's basketball team.

A slow start that was capped by a 23-point Princeton run forced the Quakers to play catchup for the rest of the night.

And though Penn seemed poised for a second-half comeback, the Tigers' solid free-throw shooting kept them in the lead en route to a 68-56 victory Tuesday night at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.

It was Princeton's 100th victory in the rivalry between the two teams (though Penn still leads all-time, 122-100).

Led by sophomore Douglas Davis, who scored 21 points on the night, the Tigers (20-8, 11-3 Ivy) did not once trail their opponents. Princeton shot 56.5 percent shooting from the field in the first half--including 5-for-10 from behind the arc

Meanwhile, Princeton's strong defensive pressure held the Quakers (6-22, 5-9) to 23.8 percent on roughly the same number of attempts as their opponents. The Tigers would end the first stanza ahead 40-14.

Penn came out strong after halftime, scoring 42 points on 14-for-26 shooting from the field. Zack Rosen, who went scoreless in the first half, racked up 18 points after halftime and was his team's leading scorer.

Princeton, meanwhile, put forth a sloppy second-half effort and converted only 25 percent of its shots from the field.

But with 16 fouls in the second stanza, the Red and Blue gave the Tigers ample opportunity to score at the line. Though the Quakers narrowed the gap to seven points with 2:16 left in play, an intentional foul by Mike Howlett gave Princeton the chance to pull the lead back into double digits for the remainder of the game.

The Quakers closed their home schedule on a high note, downing Dartmouth 78-68 last night.

On Senior Night, Penn (6-21, 5-8 Ivy) gave its two graduating players a night to remember, despite playing before a crowd of just 2,335 at the Palestra on the second night of spring break.

With the two senior honorees, Drew Godwin and Justin Reilly, in the starting lineup, Penn dashed to a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes and never looked back, handing Dartmouth (5-23, 1-13) a loss in its final game of the season.

Though the night was about Penn’s seniors, it was junior Jack Eggleston who stole the show, scoring a career-high 25 points while nabbing 11 boards.

Fellow junior Dan Monckton rained in 14 points on the night, while sophomore point guard Zack Rosen finished with 18. Rosen currently leads the Ivy League in points per game, with 17.8.

Though Penn never pulled out of the Big Green’s sight, the Quakers never fell behind Saturday, leading by as much as 13 points three minutes into the second half. The margin fell to six with less than a minute to go, but Penn closed the door in the final seconds.

Fittingly on senior night, forward Justin Reilly scored Penn’s final points, a slam-dunk, as the clock ran down.

The Quakers will make the short road trip to Princeton, N.J., Tuesday to close out their season against the rival Tigers. Penn has the chance to play spoiler, as a Princeton loss would set their Ivy record at 10-4, even with Harvard in a tie for second place in the Ancient Eight.

A win for Penn would boost their record to 6-8 in the League, which would tie them for fourth with Yale.

Overall crime in February rose by 17.4 percent as compared to last February, according to Division of Public Safety crime statistics.

The percentage is in line with a year-to-date increase in crime, which rose 13.2 percent as compared to the same period last year.

Like this past January, the number of thefts from buildings is on the rise, increasing by 250 percent from February 2009. This has brought the total number of thefts from buildings this year to 63, compared to 22 from the same period last year.

Retail thefts continued to decrease, with a 40 percent drop this February compared to last February.

Violent crime decreased from eight reports in February last year to seven last month, while year-to-date figures show 16 cases each for 2009 and 2010.

Of these, one robbery was reported, along with one aggravated assault and two simple assaults. Aggravated assault, as a category, involves more serious injury than simple assault.

Last February, three cases of robbery and three cases of aggravated assault were reported altogether, bringing the number for both of these types of crime last month marginally down.

Crimes against property have displayed a 23.7 percent increase, with a total of 47 reported incidents this February versus last February’s 38. This is, however, a drop from the 56 cases reported in January 2010.

Two cases of burglary were reported this February, compared to zero in February 2009. Both theft from auto and bike theft have also increased by one case, bringing the number of incidents to seven and two, respectively.

The number of walking escort requests submitted decreased by 15 percent compared to last February, reaching a total of 678 by the end of the month.

DPS spokeswoman Stef Cella explained that though walking escort numbers tend to fluctuate, last month's snow days may have decreased the need for requests since fewer people were on campus.

The Wharton School dropped to fourth place in BusinessWeek's 2010 Undergraduate Business School Rankings.

The school took third place last year after holding down the top spot for several years in a row.

Mendoza College of the University of Notre Dame is the highest ranked school for 2010, followed by McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in second place and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management in third place.

BusinessWeek’s ranking scheme takes into consideration job placement after graduation, student and recruiter surveys and average starting salaries, among other factors.

Wharton received an A-plus for both teaching quality and job placement and an A in facilities and services. Mendoza and McIntire received A-pluses in these categories.

Wharton spokespersons were not immediately available for comment.

With under five minutes remaining, the men's basketball team was poised to eliminate the Crimson's lingering hopes of grabbing a share of the Ivy title.

But Penn's seven-point lead quickly eroded when the Quakers threw the ball away – literally.

The Quakers committed five of their season-high 21 total turnovers in that five-minute span, ultimately falling to the Crimson Friday night, 67-66. Kyle Casey provided the winning margin on a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining.

The turnovers “might have gotten swept under the rug had we pulled it out,” coach Jerome Allen said. “But you can’t win ballgames at the Division I level turning the ball over 21 times.”

Harvard’s full-court press decimated the Quakers (5-21, 4-8 Ivy) in the final minutes, allowing the Crimson (21-6, 10-3) to end the game on an 11-3 run. Penn managed only two field goal attempts in the final two minutes of regulation.

The loss was especially tough for the Red and Blue given the success they had shooting the ball. Penn shot a season-high 61-percent from the field – including 58-percent from long range – but mustered 13 fewer attempts than the Crimson due to turnovers.

The Quakers' turnovers had a major impact early, as Harvard raced out early to an eight point lead with five minutes to go in the first half. They went into the break holding onto a five point lead.

But Penn came out of the break fired up, tying the game at 41 less than five minutes into the second frame. The team held a small lead for most of the second half, until it faltered down the stretch.

Strong shooting from the guards allowed Penn to take that lead, as junior Dan Mockton and sophomores Zack Rosen and Rob Belcore combined for 46 of the team’s 66 points. Belcore's 17 points and 5 three-pointers were both career highs.

“I just think him making shots gave us a chance to win the game,” Allen said. “Overall offensively, we didn’t do a good job offensively, but a lot of guys were making big shots.”

But it was Harvard’s guards who ended up stealing the show. Highly touted senior Jeremy Lin finished with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, and freshman point guard Brandyn Curry tallied 10 points and nine assists on the night.

The win keeps the Crimson’s postseason hopes alive, as they still look to earn a bid to the National Invitational Tournament. Harvard’s season sweep of Penn is its first since 1942.

It was the second time in three games that the Quakers suffered a one-point loss after leading in the final minute . Last Friday, Columbia forward Brian Grimes scored the go-ahead bucket with 2.7 seconds left.

This contest, however, the Quakers had more time to set up a final shot. Having burned their final timeouts in press break situations, they immediately inbounded the ball to Rosen, who drove the length of the court before dishing it to sophomore Mike Howlett. Howlett’s jumper was off the mark, and Lin tipped the rebound away so the Quakers could not get off another shot.

So despite the signs of growth and success against a top-tier Ivy team, the 2010 Quakers added another loss to their record number.

“You lose by one or you lose by 20, it’s still a loss,” Allen said. “You really don’t start finding moral victories at this point, especially after 21 losses.”

The University endowment has shown a “strong rebound” from last year, but Penn is still faced with serious economic realities, according to a statement from Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli.

The Associated Investments Fund, which constitutes the majority of Penn's endowment investments, has returned 13.7 percent as of December 31, 2009 — the close of the second quarter in fiscal year 2010. This is “ahead of the benchmark,” according to Carnaroli.

Penn's total endowment is valued at approximately $5.8 billion, up from $5.17 billion at the close of FY 2009. Endowment goes toward purposes that tuition does not fully cover, including faculty support, financial aid and research.

The value of a dollar invested in the Associated Investments Fund is now within five percent of its June 2008 value, according to Carnaroli.

Penn President Amy Gutmann said this means that Penn's "planning is on track" for this year. As long as the market remains more or less in its current position, Penn will not have to cut into student services, she said.

Still, Gutmann remains "wise enough not to predict what the market will do” next year.

Peer institutions are also struggling with the economic climate.

Princeton University is projecting a 10-percent increase in its approximately $12.6 billion endowment during FY 2010, according to the Daily Princetonian.

Harvard University’s endowment is valued at $26 billion, making it the largest of any U.S. university. Harvard plans to sell around $500 million in assets out of a roughly $5 billion real estate portfolio, the Wall Street Journal reported in February.

This weekend, students from more than 100 colleges will travel to Penn for the 2010 East Coast Asian American Student Union conference.

Approximately 1,400 students from all over the East Coast and as far as Nevada and California are expected to attend. The turnout will make the conference the largest in ECAASU history, according to Associate Director and College senior Edith Chao.

Participants said they are looking forward to the conference.

“I think it’s going to be the perfect start to spring break,” volunteer and Engineering sophomore Brian Lee said.

“It’s going to be really crazy, but all the energy of the people and the atmosphere will be amazing,” Executive Director and Engineering senior Carlin Yuen said.

Organizers are excited to showcase Penn’s resources and support for the Asian American community, according to Associate Director and Wharton and College junior Rohan Grover, who is also the Asian Pacific Student Coalition chairman.

Even though the conference is scheduled for spring break weekend, there has been no shortage of Penn volunteers — 150 students have signed up to help, according to Yuen.

Planning the conference has been “almost a full-time job,” Chao said, but she added that the effort has been worthwhile because of its positive impact on Penn’s Asian American community and on freshmen in particular.

There are 130 workshops scheduled for this weekend.

Topics range from the perception of Asian Americans in mainstream media to breakdancing and a workshop entitled “Adventures in the World of Chinese Food,” according to the ECAASU website.

Multiple performances are also scheduled for this weekend, including one from Youtube star AJ Rafael.

The opening keynote address will be given by journalist Helen Zia, who has written about issues affecting Asian American communities.

After workshops, social and networking activities on Friday and Saturday, the closing keynote address will be given by California congressman Mike Honda.

The planning experience has been hectic, but after the conference is over, the directors expect to miss all of the activity.

“All we do now is think about the conference, and I feel like after, we’re going to feel a sense of nostalgia,” Yuen said.

Grover agreed. “ECAASU hasn’t just been a conference ­— it’s been a lifestyle.”

Documents in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas confirm that Fresh Grocer negotiated the terms of the 40th Street store’s closure prior to its temporary shutdown on Feb. 17. These terms were approved by a judge, and the store remained closed until the afternoon of Feb. 18.

A complaint from the city filed last October against “Walnut Supermarket, Inc.” cites health inspection reports from Jan. 23, 2008; Apr. 1, 2008; Sept. 11, 2008 and Jul. 9, 2009 as cause to close down the grocery store pending reinspection. Court documents also confirm that “Walnut Supermarket, Inc.” refers to the 4001 Walnut St. Fresh Grocer.

Divisional Deputy City Solicitor Ann Pasquariello said a health inspection on Feb. 16, one day before a scheduled court hearing for Fresh Grocer, revealed “critical violations of the health code.”

The inspection “didn’t bode well,” Pasquariello said, adding that health violations indicated to the Philadelphia Health Department that it should ask for the store’s closure in court.

However, Pasquariello said, Fresh Grocer chose the next day to close, rather than proceed with a full hearing.

“There was an agreement reached between the parties that [Fresh Grocer] would close for a minimum of 24 hours until they were certified to re-open by the health department,” she said. “The agreement was presented to the judge and was accepted by the court.”

Fresh Grocer store managers initially attributed the store’s closing to refrigeration problems that precipitated electrical malfunctions, but Philadelphia Public Health spokesman Jeff Moran said Feb. 21 that a court order shut down the store.

Carly Spross, corporate spokeswoman for Fresh Grocer, said Feb. 22 that the order to close down the store came from the CEO of Fresh Grocer, and claimed reports of a court order forcing the store’s closure were “entirely inaccurate.”

Pasquariello said that results of a future health inspection will steer actions taken at Fresh Grocer’s next scheduled hearing on March 30.

Spross did not return repeated calls seeking comment concerning the court documents.

“It’s a requirement that food establishments are in compliance with the health code at all times,” Pasquariello said.

As the landlord of Fresh Grocer, Penn Facilities and Real Estate Services is “in contact with the operators who have assured us that any previous issues with the City’s Department of Licenses and Inspection are being addressed appropriately,” FRES spokeswoman Jen Rizzi wrote in a statement.

While there is no ‘I’ in team, for men’s track this weekend it’s all about the individual.

On Saturday, several Quakers will begin competition in the 2010 IC4A Championships, the first meet of the postseason, in which only select athletes will compete.

The two-day event will be hosted by Boston University.

In order to qualify, the men had to reach specific benchmarks which vary based on the event.

The IC4A meet will serve as the last chance for athletes to make cutoffs for NCAA Championships, the culminating event of the season.

Freshman Tim Carey will be among the many Quakers competing this weekend.

The Sewell, N.J., native was recently named first-team All-Ivy, the only member of the Red and Blue to earn All-Ivy honors.

His time last Sunday in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2010 Heptagonal Indoor Championships, in which he set a personal collegiate best with his first place finish of 8.22, earned him the distinction.

In addition to the 60-meter hurdles, Carey will also be competing in the 400 and 500 meter races this weekend.

He will be joined by senior Jeremy Sinclair, who finished third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.25.

Last year, highlights for the Red and Blue at IC4As included a career best finish for current junior Luke Grau in the 5,000 meters, which was good for fourth on Penn’s all-time record list.

After a disappointing team finish at Heps, the Quakers will have a golden opportunity this weekend to make a statement heading into the outdoor season.

Coming off a draining one-point loss to Columbia and a blowout at the hands of Cornell, some might say most of the Penn men’s basketball team’s significant contests are behind them.

But head coach Jerome Allen disagrees.

“This game [against Harvard] is the most important game of the season for us,” Allen said after a morning practice Wednesday. “I think these last three games will show a lot about who we are as a team.”

The Quakers will have three good chances to show just who they are when they host Harvard (20-6, 9-3 Ivy)Friday and Dartmouth Saturday before heading to Princeton Tuesday.

Penn (5-20, 4-7) has already lost its chance at the Ancient Eight crown, so these final match-ups will mark the end of a season that Allen has characterized mainly as a “learning opportunity.”

Despite the fact that many of the goals Allen and the Quakers had for this campaign are now moot, there is no denying the team’s strong desire to improve.

“These three games — we’re treating it like a championship,” sophomore point guard Zack Rosen said. “I love the game. You only get so many [games as a player].”

Now the Red and Blue has to suit up for two of the most dynamic scorers in the Ivy League.

First, the team will face Harvard guard Jeremy Lin, who is averaging 16.8 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game this season.

The senior from Palo Alto, Calif., posted 19 points along with 5 steals and 6 assists in the Crimson’s 80-66 victory over Penn in Cambridge, Mass., last month.

Lin also dropped 25 crucial points in the Crimson’s December win over cross-town rival and Atlantic Coast Conference member Boston College.

But as Allen has declared throughout his time at the helm of the Quakers hoops squad, he emphasized Wednesday the importance of the entire team, rather than one or two players, putting pressure on Lin.

“It’s gonna take a concerted effort from five guys on the defensive end to win a game,” Allen said. “Everybody has a role to play.”

And the players will likely take on similar roles when Penn heads to New Jersey on Tuesday to try to contain Princeton’s Douglas Davis.

A Philadelphia native, Davis is averaging 12.5 points per game for the Tigers (17-8, 8-3 Ivy) but played little part in Princeton’s 58-51 win at The Palestra, where he scored no points and recorded just three assists.

His presence will make team defense that much more important for the Quakers.

Sandwiched between these games is Saturday’s home contest against last-place Dartmouth (5-21, 1-11 Ivy).

But no matter how inconsequential any of these games seem, the Quakers are not taking them lightly.

When asked if he had any desire to just get the season over with and move on, Rosen had a simple, succinct reply:

“No.”

The last time the Penn men’s swimming team boasted a winning record, some of it’s freshmen had not yet been born.

But given the team’s rebirth this season, the Quakers expect results at the Ivy Championships.

The meet, which starts today at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J., is the culmination of what has been a successful season for the Quakers (6-3, 4-3 Ivy). They finished above .500 in league competition for the first time since 1991.

“If we swim the way we’re capable of, we can do some great things,” coach Mike Schnur said.

However, 1991 is also the last time that Princeton lost in its home pool. The No. 25 Tigers (7-0, 7-0 Ivy) are the returning champions and heavy favorites to win again this year.

Princeton’s toughest opponent should be Harvard (7-2, 6-1 Ivy), who was runner-up last season. Princeton and Harvard have historically dominated the Ivy League in swimming, combining to win the last 37 championships.

In order to contend with Harvard and Princeton, senior captain James Fee, sophomore Brendan McHugh and freshman Stephen Carroll — all seeded in the top five in multiple events — will have to meet their lofty expectations.

Even though the Red and Blue have not finished in the top five in the Ivy League Championships since 2003, the Quakers believe that their goal of third place in the Ivy League is still attainable.

“We might even be able to do better than that,” senior captain James Fee said.

What is clear, is that anything can happen given the parity in rest of the Ivy League this season. Penn beat Brown, Columbia and Yale but lost to Cornell, all by 30 points or fewer.

“We can get third; we can get seventh,” Schnur said. The Ivy League has never been this competitive.”

If the Penn baseball team needs time to shake off some winter cobwebs, it will certainly get the chance to do so over spring break.

The Quakers will travel to Winter Park, Fla., for an eight-game slate from March 6 to March 14 to open their 2010 season.

But despite the busy schedule, Penn will play just three teams as part of the a tournament hosted by Division II baseball power Rollins College. The team is slated for three games against Georgetown and two each against Maine and Rollins. All three of Penn’s opponents began their seasons earlier in February.

In the same tournament last year, the Quakers finished with a 5-4 record, highlighted by a dramatic 11-10 win over Rollins in which they came back from seven runs down.

This season will be a telling one for fifth-year head coach John Cole, whose first recruits at Penn have now grown into senior leaders.

“We will be as good as our … seniors play,” Cole told Penn Athletics.

This year’s team is headlined by 2009 second-team All-Ivy selection Tom Grandieri. The senior rightfielder, who transferred from Villanova, hit .357 with 32 runs batted in last season.

With an experienced group finally in tow, Cole will look to improve on the 64-103-1 record he has compiled in his Penn tenure.

More than anything, softball coach Leslie King and her team just want to get out on the field and play.

The Quakers will finally get that chance when they travel to Kissimmee, Fla., to play ten games from March 7-12 as part of the Rebel Spring Games.

“We haven’t even been able to practice on the usual dirt,” King said, referring to Warren Field. “We’ve just had to deal with Franklin Field as a practice field.”

The team’s spring break trip will bring Penn its first games of the season. The team is looking to get out to a quick start in Florida’s friendly weather after what King called “less than perfect” conditions in Philadelphia.

The Red and Blue hope to improve on last year’s performance, when the team went 10-10 in Ivy League play and finished 15-28-1 overall.

“There are reasons to like this team,” King said. “I believe we’ve improved defensively from last year. And we should remain solid on offense.”

Penn had the second-highest batting average in the Ivy League last year, hitting .274 as a team. However, the Quakers only managed a slugging percentage of .366, racking up just 73 extra-base hits in 44 games.

The defense finished in the middle of the Ivy pack last season, with a fielding percentage of .950. But they allowed 61 stolen bases, far more than any other Ivy team.

With 25 players on the roster, including eight freshmen, King expects that the team’s extra depth will help them boost their play in the field this season.

“There are probably about 15 individuals on this squad that would make suitable starters,” King said. “It will be hard to select only nine of them to start.”

Even with this extra strength in numbers, the Quakers’ pitching staff is one of King’s main concerns entering the season.

King expressed that one “key player” will not make the trip to Florida due to illness, but she would not share the player’s name.

“We hope she can join us soon afterward,” King said.

Another notable absence from the pitching roster is junior Jessie Lupardus, who left the team at the end of last season for personal reasons.

Lupardus led last year’s pitching staff with nine wins — more than the rest of the staff combined.

In her absence, Penn will look to sophomores Cailyn Hennessy Chelsea Ott. Ott’s .331 opponent batting average was second on the staff only to Lupardus.

Junior catcher/first baseman Kelsey Wolfe will try to be the defensive vaccuum for this year’s Quaker team that she was last year.

Wolfe led regular starters with a .995 fielding percentage, committing only a single error in 41 games played. She was second on the squad with 183 putouts, and was part of the only double play turned by the Quakers last season.

His bum may have been on the rail in 1999, but last night comedian and actor Tom Green’s bum was in Zellerbach Theater.

Green hosted the 12th Annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival, produced by Penn’s Mask and Wig Club and the Social Planning and Events Committee. Two hundred thirty-three students attended, according to the Annenberg Theater manager.

Green opened the show as he tried to “outrun the spotlight” on stage and joked about his marriage to Drew Barrymore. Some of the jokes he performed were “off the top of his head,” he had said in an interview before the show.

“I’m not all that prepared, but I had a lot of fun rehearsing with these guys today,” Green said. “And if the audience starts throwing vegetables at me, I brought my own to throw back.”

Princeton University’s Triangle Club, the University of Maryland’s Sketchup and Penn’s own Simply Chaos followed Green’s opening with a few sketches of their own.

Mask and Wig closed with several of its sketches, many of which included Green’s participation.

Mask and Wig Head Writer, College senior Ian Stringham said most of the sketches were recycled from past fall performances.

Writers scripted some customized sketches for Green, but Stringham said they “weren’t crazy about most of it” and instead decided to adapt older material.

“Tom obviously has his own shtick,” Stringham said. “But he came more prepared than most hosts have in the past with all of his lines from our scripts memorized.”

Members performed one sketch, titled, “The Penis Monologues,” as a spoof on the “Vagina Monologues” that are performed at Penn each February and on Green’s testicular surgery. The sketch required members to write new material for the comedian. Green said he enjoys making fun of himself, and audience members tend to enjoy it too.

“[SPEC] really enjoyed working with them because both of our organizations are really invested in the projects we put on,” SPEC Chairwoman and College senior Dasha Barannik said of the collaboration with Mask and Wig.

Green is currently on a world stand-up comedy tour. He said he began in Canada and will continue across the United States. “I had to get out of my house after three years of filming my show in my living room,” Green added.

ComFest Co-Director and Wharton junior Josh Oynick said he was especially excited to work with Green. “I’ve been a fan all my life,” he added. “Tom’s hilarious.”

The show was originally scheduled for February but was canceled due to the snow storm. “It was a nightmare, but it all came together in the end,” Wynn said. “What a great end to a week.”

After two contests, men’s lacrosse coach Mike Murphy is still looking for his first victory with the Quakers.

Last night, Penn fell behind early and wasn’t quite able to recover, ultimately losing 14-9 to Lafayette in Easton, Pa.

“We just weren’t sharp,” Murphy said. “We did the things we talked about not doing in terms of fundamental execution and when we did those things they made us pay for it.”

The Leopards (3-0) took a 5-1 lead two minutes into the second quarter. The Quakers (0-2) fought back, closing the gap to 6-5 at halftime, but by the time the third quarter concluded, Lafayette was up 11-6 and finished the game with strong defense.

Lafayette junior attack Tom Perini accounted for three of the Leopards’ five goals in the third quarter and seven total. His classmate Stefan Bauer tallied five assists. The Quakers had a more balanced attack, with midfielders Al Kohart and Dan Savage and attack Rob McMullen each notching two goals.

The startling statistic of the night may have been Lafayette’s 54-33 shot advantage, but the Leopards’ advantage in man-up possessions and percentage proved to be a telling number as well.

The Quakers racked up nine penalties for eight minutes and paid for them, as Lafayette converted five of their nine man-up chances. The Quakers could not capitalize on any of their three man-up opportunities.

“On offense we did pretty well at times but other times we just had unforced errors, turnovers,” said Murphy. “It’s hard to put your finger on why that happens sometimes; could be a concentration issue or a confidence issue or whatever else.

“We hurt ourselves in a number of areas. Lafayette hurt us in some ways too and the combination of those two … ended up in a five-goal deficit.”

Now, Penn can turn its attention to its four-game spring-break slate.

This weekend, the Quakers will head to Denver to participate in the annual Face-off Classic. Their contests will be against Denver (1-2) on Saturday and Air Force (0-1) Sunday.

Interestingly, Denver was the catalyst of this offseason’s coaching carousel — one which ultimately led to Murphy’s hiring at Penn.

Pioneers coach Jamie Munro resigned this summer, and Denver unexpectedly hired legendary Princeton coach Bill Tierney as his replacement. In turn, the Tigers hired away Drexel coach Chris Bates and the Dragons tabbed former Penn coach Brian Voelker as his replacement. Voelker’s departure opened the door for Murphy’s hiring.

After opening the season ranked No. 18, the Pioneers lost 15-9 to No.1 Syracuse and then to unranked Jacksonville in triple overtime.

Penn can’t get too comfortable in the Rocky Mountain air, however, as they return to action with a pair of home contests against local rivals. Wednesday, the Quakers will take on Saint Joseph’s (0-4) and on Mar. 13 they will welcome Villanova to Franklin Field.

The Hawks have struggled early in the season, losing all four of their games including a 19-5 thumping at the hands of Drexel Tuesday.

The Wildcats could be more of a challenge, especially considering their 14-7 victory over the Quakers last year. They had failed to top Penn in their three prior contests.

So with two Mile High contests and two in the friendly confines of Franklin Field, Murphy will have ample opportunities to pick up his first win at the helm of the Penn program.

While the No. 3 Penn women’s lacrosse team has established a reputation for strong defensive play and a less prolific offense, senior Ali DeLuca is doing her part to make opponents fear the Quakers’ attack.

DeLuca lit up the scoreboard with six goals in Penn’s opener against Drexel and didn’t let up last night. In a 15-3 pounding of Temple Wednesday, she added another four — all coming in the first 23 minutes of the game.

“Opposing coaches think of Penn for our defense but we’ve been focusing on attack a lot,” DeLuca said. “We want to be able to work the ball around, take risks and be more of a threat.”

But DeLuca wasn’t the only major offensive presence for the Quakers (2-0).

Senior attack Courtney Lubbe demonstrated a strong eye for finding open cutters, racking up six assists while sophomore Erin Brennan dished out another four in her season debut, after she sat out against Drexel due to illness.

“We did a good job on winning draws and keeping balls on the offensive end,” coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “We took it to them right up front.”

The attack appears to be hitting its stride at just the right time, as the Quakers have a tough spring break schedule that could set the tone for the rest of their season.

Penn kicks off the break with a Saturday showdown against No. 4 North Carolina (5-0) in Chapel Hill, N.C., and finishes with a home match with conference-rival Harvard (1-0) the following Sunday.

In between, the Quakers will take on a Hofstra (2-1)team whose only loss this season came at the hands of No. 8 Notre Dame.

“It’s really important to come out and play a full sixty minutes, especially against teams that we are not used to playing,” said junior Giulia Giordano, who recorded a hat trick against Temple (1-2).

Against the Tar Heels, the Quakers will need a balanced effort in order to counter UNC’s speed and depth.

Although Penn recorded an 11-2 victory over the Tar Heels last year, UNC improved throughout the season and reached the final round of the NCAA tournament. This year’s team is picking up right where it left off, scoring 59 goals in the past three games.

“It’s a big game, no question; they are extremely fast,” Corbett said. “Although they graduated a great defender [Amber Falcone], they return their entire midfield and attack. There is a reason they are ranked where they are.”

While the contest with UNC will affect the Quakers’ national ranking, Penn must wait until the next weekend to make a statement in the Ivy League.

On March 13, the Quakers will take on a Crimson opponent that has made strides under the leadership of third-year coach Lisa Miller.

“With our first League game we definitely want to show the Ivy League that we are back and that we want to get back to the Final Four,” Giordano said. “Especially attack-wise, we definitely want to make a statement.”

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania may have committed an error in the treatment of a prostate cancer patient, according to a report the hospital filed Feb. 25 with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The report, posted to the NRC website Wednesday, states that the radioactive seeds used in the patient’s brachytherapy treatment were implanted “outside the intended target.”

Brachytherapy involves the implantation of small radioactive seeds near the site of the cancerous tissue.

According to the report, the patient underwent the procedure on Jan. 21, and a scan on Feb. 23 revealed the error.

The error may have been due the use of a malfunctioning ultrasound unit to place the seeds, the report said.

HUP spokeswoman Susan Phillips wrote in a statement that the case was identified by HUP’s Department of Radiation Oncology as part of “quality assurance activities.” She added that an on-site review is being scheduled and that the hospital is cooperating fully.

“It doesn’t mean anything is wrong,” Phillips said. “It’s just a report.”

Brachytherapy was at the center of controversy after School of Medicine radiation oncologist Gary Kao reportedly misplaced seeds in 92 of 116 procedures at the Philadelphia Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, which had a brachytherapy program from 2002 and 2008. After initially denying wrongdoing, the VA admitted violating federal codes in January.

The report is unrelated to the federal lawsuit filed against HUP earlier this week.

The race for Undergraduate Assembly President is underway, with UA Vice Chair for External Affairs and College junior Matt Amalfitano launching his campaign at a town hall meeting Wednesday night.

At the event, Amalfitano outlined his platform, including both future plans and what he has already accomplished.

Using his campaign motto “Bringing Penn Together, Getting Things Done,” Amalfitano explained what he hopes to accomplish if elected, including increasing student support at athletic events and the number of common spaces available for students on campus.

“Things at Penn are really decentralized,” he said. “Everyone feels a sense of belonging to their fraternity or sorority or club, but they’re not passionate about belonging to Penn. That needs to change.”

College junior and current UA Associate Member Grant Dubler, who announced his candidacy a week ago, addressed some of the same issues as Amalfitano, including late night dining and school spirit.

Dubler’s platform is based on the “pursuit of policies fair to all students, to have them treated as partners in the University, which is what they are,” he said last week.

Amalfitano stressed that what he is planning to implement are tangible initiatives.

“The important difference is why someone would be a good president and why someone should be president,” he said. “I have experience on campus and tangible plans. These two things combined are what make me the best candidate.”

Wharton junior Michael Feliu, one of Amalfitano’s closest friends, agrees.

“I’ve seen his dedication first-hand,” Feliu said. “I would complain about stuff at Penn to him, and the next week he would bring it up at the UA.”

College freshman Stuart Goldberg, who has Amalfitano as his residential advisor, said this was what set Amalfitano apart.

“He’s been an unbelievable role model,” Goldberg said. “Being an RA has exposed him to freshmen and the issues they face, so he’s aware of our needs as well as those of upperclassmen.”