Students angry over Escort changes

As the sun spills light down on Locust Walk, students relax on College Green, soaking up the last days of summer and leaving tension behind closed doors. How they feel on the streets of West Philadelphia in the darkness of night, however, is an entirely different story. While Penn Transit Services officials say that they have not received much feedback on the new walking and vehicular escort systems, student words on the Walk are ones of discontent and dissatisfaction with the changes. Many students said they felt that the new system is too complicated as a result of the switch from door-to-door service to transit stops, and that they would rather brave the dark streets alone than try the new system. "People are going to be more apt to take a risk than to go out on a whole adventure to get home," College senior Rachel Greenberg said. "I think it's very unsafe." "I'm too confused by it to use it," College senior Elana Hordon added. Some students said that they were pleased with certain aspects of the new system, but that the inconvenience caused by the system's complexity would ultimately override its safety value. "I think it's good that they have the Loop [the new shuttle route around campus], but with all the A, B, C and X buses, it's just far too confusing," College junior Julie Nawara said. "I had to read the brochure over and over again." "Most girls I've talked to say that for the time they would spend figuring it out, they'd just as soon walk by themselves," she added. And many students who have used the new system said that they had bad experiences with it, and have heard bad feedback from others. "The new system just seems ridiculous. Even the drivers think it's ridiculous, so how is the rest of the University supposed to accept it?" said Wharton senior Chris Gidden. "I've sat outside the High Rises for hours at one o'clock in the morning, which I don't really enjoy, waiting for a van," College sophomore Elisa Greenwood said. Greenwood and other students also expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of service to Hamilton Court housing. Other students said that they were unhappy with the transit stop system because many students would not want to wait for a walking escort to get to the stops. "What's the point of having an escort service if at some point you still might have to walk alone?" College junior David Shaine said. "I never used the old system because I hated waiting," Engineering senior Elissa Laitin said. "Once the weather gets cold, the wait will be long again." "I haven't tried [the new system] yet, and I'm apprehensive about it," College junior Tamar Aniv said. Some students said they found the fact that the new system costs more than the old one very disconcerting. "This university spends an inordinate amount of money on things of aesthetic importance, and is now failing to fulfill its basic obligation to students," College senior Ethan Einwohner said. "Safety is the primary responsibility of any university." "Even if they do change the system back to the old one, they can't recoup the money they'll have lost," Gidden said. Overall, the response seemed to be a greater appreciation for the past system than the current one. "They shouldn't have changed it. It just seems like it was better beforehand," Wharton sophomore Jason Shrednick said.