Christopher Blake

At first glance, Rami Rabayah and Yaniv Sasson appear to have been friends for a lifetime. But the men have not been friends for long. They come from a conflict zone. One is Palestinian and the other Israeli. The people have been in dispute for decades. "We've been dealing with the same issues for 60 years and we have gotten nowhere.

Ring, ring, ring! "Good evening. Cabrini College Public Safety speaking," the officer said over the phone. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Jill is on the floor unconscious! Come quick," screamed the girl's roommate. Three years ago public safety officers, resident assistants and the area coordinator of Cabrini College sprinted up the stairs of Woodcrest dorm, as the then freshman, Jillian Smith, laid on the floor suffering a panic attack.

Over the last year Cabrini has seen more and more students leave the college after freshmen and sophomore years. "Persistence and retention is my highest priority but not that it's my work, it's all of our work," President Marie Angelella George, said. Last spring, student development ran focus groups with freshmen in hopes of learning student expectations for their first year, which ones were met and where students felt their experience fell short.

As many freshmen kiss their parents goodbye, for more than a few, visions of uninterrupted keg parties, unlimited liquor shots and games of beer pong come to mind. "I expected more drinking. I'm not going to lie. I was a little disappointed," Melissa Szymborski, freshman special education major, said about her orientation at Cabrini.

The atmosphere inside Villanova University's Pavilion Tuesday had all the exuberance of a Wildcats' basketball game. The cheering, sold-out crowd waved blue and red boom sticks. Cheerleaders and the Wildcats mascot were on hand to amp up the fans. But the Wildcats would have to wait until next season to pack the arena.

One in five college students ages 18 to 23 did not have health insurance in 2006, despite the fact that many colleges now offer insurance plans for students. This is according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability office. Cabrini College is not part of this trend, however.