Greeks open up houses as havens

Students in troubleStudents in troublecan walk into houses,Students in troublecan walk into houses,immediately contact U. Police Outcry over Wednesday's shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy, a Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother, and the recent rash of armed robberies, has led Greeks to take an even more proactive role in increasing campus safety. In a move that was not directly related to Wednesday morning's shooting, the InterFraternity Council voted Wednesday night to pursue the beginning phases of the Greek Safe Houses plan, which would designate on- and off-campus fraternity houses as "safe houses" for students. Although preliminary discussions about the Safe Houses program began last year, the shooting "reiterates the fact that something must be done quickly," IFC President and College senior Josh Gottheimer said. "Greeks are not complacent in waiting for future University action," said the Alpha Epsilon Pi brother. "We are leading by example, but we cannot do this on our own." The plan converts fraternity houses into "proverbial blue light phones," Gottheimer added. According to the plan, each fraternity house will have a Safe House label in the window. Future plans for the Safe Houses initiative include providing blue light equipment and panic buttons to all campus fraternity houses. IFC Judicial Manager and College senior David Lewis said the Safe House plan "is all about deterrence." "We want to give all students another means by which they can feel safe," the Sigma Alpha Mu brother added. "We want fraternity houses to mark safe paths home for on- and off-campus students." At Wednesday's Inter-Greek Council meeting, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Director Scott Reikofski challenged the Greek system to protect itself by "pulling together as a community." "You are the most mobilized community at Penn," Reikofski said. "If you make a call for some action, people will listen." Many Greeks agreed that individual students can help to make the campus safety-conscious. BiCultural Inter-Greek Council President and Wharton senior George Holt said the Greeks should first "educate each other and monitor our behavior and awareness," before reaching out to others. But other members of the Greek community said the responsibility falls to the University to initiate safety changes. "The University hasn't dealt with the safety issue well," Alpha Chi Omega President and College junior Christina Wolf said. "We can't be the sole provider for change." IFC Treasurer and College senior Matt Veneri said this week's shooting was an "eye-opener" for the Greek community. "It's sad that it took something like this to make people realize that they're not immune," the Delta Kappa Epsilon brother said. Veneri noted that the DeKE house, where he lives, has been burglarized in three separate instances since the semester began. University Police investigators discussed suggestions for campus safety at the meeting, addressing both this week's shooting and the recent outbreak of armed robberies on campus. Investigator Peggy O'Malley noted that although "this is one of the most heavily-patrolled areas in the city," not every crime can be prevented. Citing recent burglaries at fraternity houses, O'Malley said crimes are "all about opportunity." "Call the police if you see something suspicious," she said. "But you have to take responsibility for your property also." Investigator John Peterson warned that individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs are often more reluctant to hand over their money during attempted robberies.