Penn students’ parents have varying levels of involvement in the college application process. Some make a long list and drag their offspring to each school; some, like mine, glance over a list of the student’s making, nod, and remark upon a few choices. My parents looked at the schools I was considering and immediately approved of most, but hesitated over Penn and Columbia.
“Philadelphia and New York are big cities — are you sure you’d feel comfortable and safe there?” they asked.
“Of course,” I answered. “I know I’m used to Oklahoma City’s general friendliness and safety, but no one would go to those schools if they were that dangerous, right?”
Apparently, I was covering my ears and humming to not hear what I knew — the crime rate in big cities is high, and the sexual assault rate in American colleges is a statistic often cited but seldom really contemplated.
One in four … and it happened again last night. Twice. The sexual assault at 40th and Spruce, believed to be stranger rape, and the almost-simultaneous incident in which a man wearing an Allied-Barton uniform exposed himself to a student both followed this year’s trend of escalating violence on campus.
Maybe Penn girls are sheltered, fussy and paranoid, but we certainly have reasons for our fear, and better safe than sorry, right?
I thoroughly agreed with Cassandra Tognoni when she wrote about Penn males needing to grow some chivalry and escort their female counterparts home, and the message resonates even more now. I hope these events serve as a warning — it’s not overly dramatic to call 898-WALK or 898-RIDE when leaving Van Pelt after midnight, and fear is not always irrational paranoia.
As for the problem of the security guards themselves, well, that’s another issue. If it was a Penn guard who harassed the Penn student, then Allied-Barton seriously needs to reconsider its hiring and screening practices. If someone stole the uniform (and uniforms have been reported missing)*, then I don’t think it would be extreme to steal an idea from J.K. Rowling. Having certain words and questions to identify actual guards could help to distinguish impostors; maybe that would be a good use of the PENN Alert text messaging feature.
I didn’t make a mistake by choosing to go to Penn and live in West Philly. The advantages far outweigh the risks. But I think that we often imagine that the “Penn bubble” extends much farther than it does. We do live in a dangerous area, but it’s surely one that can be experienced and explored with just a little bit of caution. Great things (like FuWah’s tofu hoagies) exist west of 40th and even 45th, and the same basic precautions one would take in venturing away from campus should be taken here at home as well.
In short: Buy some pepper spray, use Penn resources, exercise a bit of everyday caution, and keep enjoying West Philly. To borrow again from J.K. Rowling — “Constant vigilance!”
*Update: While the roommate who wrote the letter printed at IvyGate said that she was told that some uniforms had been stolen, DPS and Allied-Barton deny that any uniforms are missing.
An RSS feed of The Spin is available
November 16th, 2007 at 10:07 am
Protect your children when you are not there.
http://www.personalprotectionzone.com
June 9th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I think pepperspray is a great tool and responsibility is the key but yes I think chivalry needs to be ressurected. http://Www.buypepperspray.ws
January 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Chivalry would help. Too many people are afraid to get involved. They meke it too easy for these thugs to get away with all of this crap. Be Safe, Be prepared, Don’t be a victim.
Until the end of January, we’re giving away a 25% off coupon, and a pepperspray with each order of any order over $75. See our site for details. These products are very effective for self defense and a real good alternative to carrying a handgun.