Student attempt to cope with killing

Many students and faculty members are having a difficult time coping with the murder of a fifth-year Mathematics graduate student last Monday and what they see as the continuing pattern of in-your-face violence. Al-Moez Alimohamed, 27, was shot and killed after five men robbed him of a small amount of money near 48th and Pine streets. In an unrelated incident three weeks earlier, Wharton senior Samir Shah was shot in the stomach during an attempted robbery near 39th and Pine streets. Some students have responded to the influx of violent crime with outrage, others with helplessness -- a few said they are even considering transferring to another university set in a less crime-ridden environment. First-year Electrical Engineering graduate student Ufuk Tureli said that although he did not know Alimohamed personally, he was very strongly affected by his killing. Now, Tureli is afraid to leave his on-campus dormitory apartment at night. "Your life is always in danger here," he said. "I won't walk by myself [now] -- I don't even go out after nine o'clock. "I don't really trust anybody after this experience," Tureli added. "Maybe I did the wrong thing in coming to Penn -- I can see this is going to be a major problem. I'm thinking of transferring." Mathematics graduate student Jeff Achter, who worked with Alimohamed, said he and other math graduate students are very upset about the loss of their colleague. "Are we surprised? Yes. Are we saddened? Yes. Are we outraged? Yes," Achter said. "Is there anything we can do about it? No." Achter and other members of the Mathematics Department will have a memorial service for Alimohamed early this semester. While Alimohamed's death has left some feeling bitter and helpless, others at the University are reacting to the murder by demanding community improvements. A neighborhood group of University employees and faculty -- the Penn Faculty and Staff for Neighborhood Issues -- is taking steps to prevent future University City slayings from occurring. PFSNI members will conduct a candlelight march and vigil in protest of Alimohamed's death and to "mobilize government, community and institutional resources to improve the quality of life in West Philadelphia" next Monday night at 8 p.m., according to a statement issued by PFSNI. Marchers will proceed from College Green down Locust Walk to 38th Street. From there, the vigil will continue to the residence of University President Judith Rodin at Eisenlohr Hall, and vigil participants will ask Rodin to join the march. Rodin is not currently living in Eisenlohr, as it is under renovation. From there, the march will proceed to Spruce street, and then to the site of Alimohamed's killing at 48th and Pine streets. History Professor Lynn Lees, who is a member of the PFSNI steering committee, said the march is a "call to action" intended to "draw attention to the problems." "This is our society," Lees said. "Our toleration of violence [and] our toleration of guns permits this to occur. "A march can't stop murders," she added. "But it can motivate people to pressure the 18th Police District for more patrols [and] draw people's attention to the need to maximize their own safety in the area." But some students said they are particularly concerned that Alimohamed's attempts to maximize his safety prior to his murder -- by purposefully wearing shabby clothing, not carrying a lot of money and often using campus transportation services -- were rendered fruitless. "It just makes me scared that they took his life for five bucks," said College freshman Michelle Caruso. "[And] you don't have to look flashy to get mugged -- it could be anybody." College senior Cristobel Von Walstrom, whose off-campus apartment was burglarized twice this summer, said she was upset by the slaying, but not shocked. "It should shock you but it doesn't," she said. "Penn does its best to keep it under control." Penn Women's Basketball team member and Engineering senior Shelly Bowers, who lives off-campus near 44th street, said she is also satisfied with the way the University is dealing with the killing. "I feel a little more secure that they put a blue light phone across the street," she said. "I was definitely scared [about the killing], but they're definitely cracking down on off-campus crime."