U. Police: Be cautious over Thanksgiving break

While thousands of students eagerly trek home for some turkey and mashed potatoes, students who are staying on campus should be more safety-conscious over Thanksgiving Break, officials said this week. University Police have issued several suggestions for students who are staying in their dormitories or off-campus houses this weekend, advising students to: ·Be alert, cautious, security conscious and responsible. ·Keep windows and doors secured, and check the peephole before answering doors. ·Carry only necessary credit cards and money. ·Avoid using outdoor automatic teller machines. ·If your purse is snatched, don't resist. ·Use the "buddy system." Walk home with a friend and call up a friend to make sure he or she is safe. ·Report any suspicious activity to the University Police Department. ·Close curtains or blinds after dark. Never dress in front of a window, because your silhouette may be visisble from the street. ·If you live on campus, don't let strangers into your dormitory building. Escort Service will operate from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. tonight, Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night, but the service will not operate on Thanksgiving. For Jewish students staying on campus, the Hillel Foundation will find an area Jewish family for the students to have dinner with Thanksgiving night. One family has already offered to take a student, a Hillel official said yesterday. But as of yesterday, no students have come to Hillel to take advantage of the service. Both the Christian Association and the Newman Center will be closed tomorrow. University students longing for a drink or just a place to hang out, will find Smokey Joe's "rocking and rolling all weekend long," including Thanksgiving Day, according to the bar's manager Pat Ryan. Some other campus bars such as Murphy's Tavern and the Palladium will both be closed on Turkey Day. Dining Services will be closed Thursday and Friday and will reopen on Monday. The 1920 Dining Commons and the Anvil Club will be the only dining halls offering dinner tonight. And for students craving turkey, Bassett's Original Turkey, along with the rest of the Food Court, will be closed tomorrow. While most businesses and groups will be closed on Thanksgiving, some will entertain students throughout the weekend, including: ·The Philadelphia Drama Guild will present Dog Lady and the Cuban Swimmer at 8 p.m on Friday and again at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket prices range from $19 and $29.50. ·Van Pelt Library will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday. Biddle Law Library will keep its doors open for the few who want to research while others are enjoying turkey and cranberry sauce. ·The University Museum will be closed tomorrow. The Museum will reopen Friday for normal hours. ·And for those students longing for a holiday movie, AMC Walnut Mall 3 Theater as well as Eric 3 on Campus theater will both be open over the weekend.

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