Greeks petition U. for better security

Sororities target 41st and Walnut Alpha Phi sorority President Joanne Pasternack's commitment to improving safety along Walnut Street began her sophomore year, when she was mugged in front of her house at 41st and Walnut streets. Since last semester, the College senior has been busy lobbying the administration to improve lighting, install more blue-light phones and sponsor a greater police presence. The University has "been very receptive by listening but they haven't mobilized to action," she said. "I keep poking them [so] maybe they'll get annoyed." Victim Support Director Maureen Rush applauded Pasternack's efforts to improve the security on her block. "Everyone needs to get concerned about safety," she said. "The more interest in public safety swells up, the more aware people will be of safety issues, and the more safe we will be." Rush also said the University is currently examining the placement of blue-light phones across campus -- although she cautioned that installing more blue-light phones "won't solve everything." "We can't have a blue-light phone in every corner of campus," Rush said. "At $5,000 a pop, the key is strategic placement." Pasternack said another safety hazard on her block is that the streetlights are aimed in the direction of the road, leaving much of the sidewalk in shadows. "There's no way for the 117 sisters in my house to get to the house safely," she said. Besides the Alpha Phi house, the area near 41st and Walnut streets also is home to the Phi Sigma Sigma and Kappa Alpha Theta sororities and the Delta Upsilon, Pi Kappa Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities. Pasternack said she hopes that safety improvements will be made before rush begins in the spring, when large groups of women will be walking to the various houses. Rush noted that the Victim Support department offers many safety awareness and self-defense training programs that may be of interest to the sisters. "We go out of our way to do programs for fraternities and sororities," she added. Pasternack's campaign began last February when she contacted University President Judith Rodin with a petition signed by 250 members of sororities. Pasternack said she was told that improvements would be made over the summer, but that she had yet to see any of them. Rush said that the 4100 block of Walnut Street is not an exceptionally dangerous area, and that University Police patrols it regularly. "When you're west of campus, there are precautions you need to take," she said. Pasternack said she has also worked with both the University and Philadelphia Police departments to obtain information on the issue. But she said much of the impetus for improvements has to come from students themselves. "It's not just up to the administration," she said. "People like us who live off-campus have to make it an issue in their houses." The issue of safety along Walnut Street has also drawn the attention of the Panhellenic Council. "We have a lot of members walking there at night," said Panhel President Lissette Calderon, a Wharton senior. "We want to do everything in our power to ensure their safety." She added that Panhel is hoping to use its influence as the largest women's organization on campus to bring about improvements. "We want to use our strength in numbers to voice our concerns and hope that the University acts on it," she said. According to Acting Director of Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Scott Reikofski, it is important to keep chapter members aware of safety issues and to maintain the physical integrity of their buildings. "One of the chronic problems is they don't think about locking the front door or reporting lights that are out," he said, encouraging chapters to hold workshops on safety awareness issues. He added that OFSA also makes an effort to inspect the buildings for defects at least once a semester.

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