Panel, U. Police discuss safety

Alpha Phi sorority President Joanne Pasternack pointed around an ill-lit corner near 40th and Walnut streets, indicating the spot where a man had mugged her sorority's vice president. The College senior then continued down the block on Walnut to the front yard of the Alpha Phi house and pointed to where she had been mugged while walking with two friends. In a continuing effort by the Greek system to alert the University about specific security needs, representatives of the Panhellenic Council led members of the University police on a walking tour of the streets west of campus Monday night. They identified issues which must be addressed in order to make students feel safer. "Security on campus has been improved greatly," Panhel President Lissette Calderon said. "But as more and more students move off campus, the focus needs to be redirected." The Wharton senior added that among Panhel's main concerns is the need for increased lighting and police presence. "It's one thing when you're walking during the day or in a large group, but when you're alone at night it can be really frightening," Calderon said. "Just seeing security people with orange vests can provide a sense of security." But University Police is limited in the action they are permitted to take west of campus. This area is officially under the jurisdiction of Philadelphia's 18th Police District and many of the properties are privately owned, explained Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon. Pasternack pointed to the need for the University to work with large off-campus owners and realtors to increase the safety of these private properties. Seamon agreed, but argued that "the city [also] has to be a player here. We're not an island -- there is not a wall around Penn." Student involvement is also necessary, according to Pasternack. "The only way we can have a long-term change is by involving the students and making them aware," she said. A further issue raised during the tour was the inefficient use of the kiosks on campus. "The kiosks were a big joke during the recent Parents' Weekend," Pasternack said. "They were originally put in to appease concerned parents and students, but people pointed to the useless structures and laughed, saying 'Hey, look at what they gave us for protection.'" Calderon said she agreed. "We might as well get rid of the kiosks and sell them to people as gazebos for their backyards," she said. Among the changes to the security system under consideration is increased investment in electronic surveillance, according to Seamon. "Electronically ordinating all the residence halls would allow us to move more of the security personnel outside the buildings," he explained. There are also plans to update the blue-light phone system. "About seven percent of the lights are not in working condition," Seamon said. "We are looking to invest in self-checking replacements." But some of the changes suggested are fairly simple. "A lot of what we need to do is just add more lighting on the streets and trim back shrubbery," Director of the Security Division of Public Safety Chris Algard said. Calderon said that while the University has been receptive and has listened to student off-campus security issues, little action has been taken in response. "What we need now is simply to get through the red tape and [start] the ball rolling," she added. Panhel will be holding an open forum with members of Penn Police tonight at 9:15 p.m. in Vance Hall room B-2.