Browser alert: The Penn Web site is about to get a major makeover—the first top-to-bottom redesign of the site since 1997, an eternity in Internet time. The site’s look, feel, organization and content are being thoroughly revamped as you read this; keep an eye out for the results in September.

Support the staff who support you: The A-3 Assembly, the official campus representative body for weekly-paid staff, will have its first meeting of the new academic year on Wednesday, July 24, at 12:30 p.m. in the Bishop White Room, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce St. The new officers—Chair Omar Mitchell, Vice-Chair Emily Damanskis, Secretary Carol Stablinski and Treasurer Ingrid Jackson—will all be on hand, and they are looking for staff interested in serving on committees and helping organize assembly activities, including the annual Employee Resource Fair. For more information about the A-3 Assembly, visit www.upenn.edu/A-3 on the Web.

Hoop dreams: Over 50 and still got game? If you’re African-American, the Abramson Cancer Center would love to have you play for them on July 27 and 28. That’s when “50 Hoops,” a national basketball tournament aimed at increasing awareness of prostate cancer, especially among African-American men, comes to Philadelphia for the first time. If that doesn’t describe you, you can still participate in the free-throw contest for 30- to 49-year-old men or serve as a volunteer at Penn’s booth in Temple’s McGonigle Gymnasium, where the event will take place. Interested? Call Charnita Zeigler-Johnson at 215-573-5264.

A painful learning experience: Rudra Sil, assistant professor of political science and holder of the Janice and Julian Bers Chair in the Social Sciences, has returned from his research trip to Moscow. Make that MoscOW!, for Sil found himself in the middle of a riot that left two people dead and scores injured after Japan defeated Russia in the first round of World Cup play June 9. Sil was among those injured, with a gash to his head, a blow to the ribcage and foot injuries that left him hobbling. “I am fighting hard not to let this experience completely undo the memories of what was otherwise a very fruitful and informative trip,” he wrote in an e-mail to colleagues post-trip. “At the same time,” he continued, “this riot may have actually brought to light what has been a growing, but unaddressed, problem in Moscow, and both the police [and] some of my contacts said that they hope the riots will force [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to acknowledge and address the growth of racism and anti-foreigner violence.”

Hail to the chief: Jeff Cromarty, special assistant to President Judith Rodin, is off to weave himself into the fabric of life at Philadelphia University, the former Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, where he will serve as chief of staff and secretary. Best wishes and good luck in your new job, Jeff.