FOCUS: The boundaries of feeling safe

Students polled aboutStudents polled aboutsafety on and off campus At least one student is sure that he knows the best way to revamp campus security. Although most University students do not see the need to resort to such drastic measures, a vast majority seem to feel that the University could do more to improve campus security. In a recent telephone poll by The Daily Pennsylvanian, 85 percent of males and 89 percent of females of 110 students surveyed said they thought there was room for improvement. "We all agree that the University should be looking to improve security," Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush said, adding that under Public Safety Managing Director Tom Seamon's safety plan, "reorganization of both the security and police branches of the department will have a positive effect on University security." In the DP poll, 70 percent of males and 67 percent of females surveyed said they did not factor the safety issue into their decision to come to the University. And more people said the safety situation they confronted when they arrived at the University met the expectations they developed prior to matriculation, than those who reported better or worse conditions. Rush said these statistics show that University safety projections are accurate. "There is a theory that informing people on all sorts of crime issues will make them more paranoid," Rush said. "But the University thinks it is better for people to be informed than not to realize the safety limits." However, a few students said they were surprised about the safety situation they found around campus. "I didn't expect to hear about robberies and burglaries every day," a female freshman said. Another female graduate student agreed. "If I had considered safety as a factor, I wouldn't have come," she said. But most students said they feel fairly comfortable walking around campus, with the majority of students ranking their perceived safety at a seven or eight for males and six or seven for females on a 10-point scale. A female sophomore said that although she knows people who have been mugged and that she herself has been stalked, she would still rate safety on campus at an eight. "Maybe I have a misconstrued perception, but I know the University is making a big effort to make people feel safe," she said. And it seems some of these efforts are paying off. Forty-nine percent of males surveyed said they feel comfortable walking around campus alone until 3 a.m. and only 27 percent said they do not feel safe past midnight. But that perception of safety is not maintained beyond the boundary of campus. Twenty-five percent of males said they would not walk alone at night past 40th Street, and 86 percent will not walk past 42nd Street. For females, the numbers were much lower. Only eight percent said they would walk around campus past three, and 83 percent will not walk past midnight. Also, 69 percent would not leave campus alone at night and 96 percent would not go farther west than 42nd Street. Additionally, 50 percent of males and 44 percent of females have been harassed or have friends who have been harassed. Forty-seven percent of males and 53 percent of females have themselves been or know of people who have been robbed. And 28 percent of males and 72 percent of females know of people who have been burglarized. Services and preparation Students were also surveyed about the University's safety initiatives, from the most recent safety plan that instituted kiosks and Community Walks on campus to more standard safety efforts like Penn Escort Service and the blue light telephones. Eight percent of males and 25 percent of females report having used Penn Walk, while 55 percent of males and 71 percent of females have used the Penn Escort Service. Transportation Services Manager Ron Ward said the statistics regarding the use of Penn Walk and Escort vans reflect students' conceptions of safety. "People don't feel the need to be escorted from building to building on campus," he said. "It is transportation off campus where there is concern, and that is where we come in." Ward said Escort's 14 vans and 65 part-time drivers transport 12,000 students each night. "There are times when we are taxed," he added. "As soon as the weather gets inclement, people who don't usually use the service start calling in. We do our best, but the delays can be over 15-20 minutes and that is not in the time frame we want to be picking people up." Ward said there are several possible ways to make the service more efficient, but that no definite improvement plans will be made until the summer. Rush added that although the number of people using Penn Walk has gone up in the past few years, she would like to see the numbers increase even more. "Having more people out on the street adds to the perception of safety," she said. While several students surveyed reported that having the blue light phones spread around campus increased their perception of safety, only two and five percent of males and females respectively have used the phones. "I wouldn't stop to use a phone in an emergency," a male sophomore said. "It would be less of a hassle to just run." "Freshmen especially need more accessibility to information on how to use Penn Escort and where the blue light phones are," a male freshman said. And one male freshman noted that the phones are placed "in real random places." The DP poll also found a discrepancy in how students equip themselves for possible attack. Only four percent of males surveyed reported carrying a defense device such as Mace or an alarm, in comparison to 56 percent of females who carry such a device. On the other hand, 53 percent of males said they had participated in a self-defense program, while only 24 percent of females had taken a similar class. Of those who had not taken self-defense, however, females were more likely to consider a course. Self-defense courses are offered across campus throughout the year, according to Rush. One female freshman, however, said she has heard negative reports about self-defense classes. "I have been told by people who teach self-defense that only if you are willing to devote several years to learning the techniques,will it be worth it," she said. "They said a six-month course gives people a false sense of security." Room for improvement In the DP survey, students made a variety of suggestions on how the University can improve safety on and off campus. "A large part of security comes from how the student body handles itself," one male junior said. "In-house theft, for instance, would more often be prevented if students were more careful about who they sign in." Several other students expressed concerns about the need for a greater dispersion of security personnel throughout campus. "There are always guards walking around Locust Walk, but I never see any security by the kiosk at 36th and Sansom streets," a female freshman living in English House said. Another female freshman said that although she frequently sees police patrol cars at night, she thought that increasing the number of walking patrols would be more effective. But a male sophomore said he thought "walking guards without guns are useless." And some students said they felt the security problems were beyond the control of the University. "We have a lot resources on campus," a female freshman said. "But the problem lies not with the students, but with other people in the environment, which is not something the university can do anything about." "The University should try to work with the surrounding community to improve the lighting, which gets worse and worse as you go into West Philly," a female junior said, adding that "the lack of lighting adds to a feeling of danger, even if there isn't any." And a male graduate said he thinks more University faculty and employees living in West Philadelphia would strengthen the community. Such proposals are part of the University's long-term planning, according to Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman. "We are looking at how to promote the University community," Scheman said. "That means looking at how students, faculty and staff work, live, study and play together." She said that in addition to luring University community members to the West Philadelphia area by reevaluating mortgage policy, the University is working to partner the surrounding community in the areas of education, retail, entertainment and safety and security. "What is different about this plan in comparison with what the University has done in the past is that we are not looking at these issues as piece mail," she said. "The University can't save the world, but we can establish and maintain policies to help the surrounding community," Scheman added.