LETTER: Where Were You?

We were there! Where were you? The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly's leadership has consistently told us that graduate and professional students are concerned about their personal safety and security, but that seminars concerning safety that are not held at a student's own school are unlikely to be attended. The University of Pennsylvania Police Department and the Office of Off Campus Living have organized Safer Living Seminars for each of the 12 graduate and professional schools to be held at each site. The purpose of the seminars is twofold: Off Campus Living and campus police want to provide you with useful information concerning personal safety and safety in your homes. Secondly, and equally important, we want to learn about the unique concerns that students in a particular school have. The first one was held at the Medical School on Monday, February 3, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.. The time and location were determined by our contact person at the school, who knew the best time and place for students in the school. Guess how many students attended? None! The only person who was present (in addition to the two OCL staffers, three police deparment staffers and one professor from the Medical School) was a local property owner who wanted to tell you some of the good news about West Philadelphia! Given that notices appeared in The Daily Pennsylvanian and on bulletin boards throughout the Medical School, we know you knew about it. Medical students -- where were you? We really want to know. Clearly, this particular forum is not meeting your needs as stated to us by GAPSA. Tell us -- what would work better for you? The second seminar was held at the Wharton School on Tuesday, February 4, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Again, publicity was good. In addition to the presenters (two OCL staffers and two campus police officers), only three people showed up, one of whom was a student. Another was the wife of a student and the third was a Wharton staffperson (who happens to be the OCL director's mother). Wharton students, where were you? Please feel free to call us at the Office of Off Campus Living or Victim Support Services to let us know your views on this. RUTH WELLS Director Victim Support and Special Services ELENI ZATZ Director Office of Off Campus Living

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