Uncle Sam will soon have to find his way off many college campuses. A ruling last week by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allows for colleges and universities to restrict military recruiters from their campuses. Harvard Law School is the first school in the country to invoke the ruling and ban recruiters, but more schools may soon follow suit.

Many undergraduates who have witnessed older friends or family members compete in the job market after graduation may have found the results of their efforts discouraging. But recent findings suggest this year may be the most prosperous for college grads seeking careers since that of the dot-com boom.

For Angel Raich and Diane Monson, smoking weed is the only thing they feel keeps them alive. Under California’s Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, state law enforcement officials cannot prosecute these two Northern California women who filed a lawsuit to protect their medical use of the plant.

A proposed change in the collection of data from higher education facilities could mean an invasion of privacy for college students. The National Center for Education Statistics has suggested a revision of its Integ Postsecondary Education Data System. IPEDS is a system the government uses to collect data about institutions that offer postsecondary education, such as student enrollment, tuition, race and gender, according to www.

Best newcomer: “The new kid in town” While he didn’t garner much attention during the season, Aztec men’s soccer defender Freddy McDonald sure did make an impression on some people. TopDrawerSoccer.com named McDonald an honorable mention freshman All-American.

Most kids try to emulate their older brothers and sisters. Alexis Solovij started playing soccer at age 5, simply following in her older brother’s footsteps. Now after completing her junior season on the San Diego State women’s soccer team, Solovij is the one people tend to look up to – and she’s The Daily Aztec’s Female Athlete of the Semester.

Down 51-50 with 1:44 left in the San Diego State women’s basketball team’s game against Washington State Saturday night, guard Veronica Shaw jumped for a loose rebound and landed awkwardly. The junior pounded the floor with her fist, biting her shirt to keep from screaming because of the pain she felt in her bothersome left knee.

Leaving behind and saying goodbye to the place that arguably makes up the most memorable years of your life is never an easy thing to do. Fortunately for San Diego State senior linebacker and The Daily Aztec’s Male Athlete of the Semester, Kirk Morrison, that’s not on his list of things to worry about … yet.

Students are embracing the holiday spirit and donating to the needy through Sigma Alpha Mu’s “Christmahanukwanzakah” Toy Drive. New, unwrapped toys are being collected for San Diego State’s toy drive, which began two weeks ago. Collection receptacles and drop-off points are at all Panhellenic sororities and residence halls.

An Australia-based cell phone company now offers a service to customers that prevents them from waking up the next morning to the realization they have made agonizing drunk calls. Since Dec. 1, Australia’s Virgin Moblie customers were given the option to avoid dialing under the influence during the holiday season.