UA plans petitions, Safety Week

Members of the Undergraduate Assembly Safety Committee met with administrators and representatives of other student groups last night to discuss possible responses to the recent crime wave. As a result of the meeting, the UA plans to circulate a petition and present it to Mayor Ed Rendell. Suggestions for the petition include asking the city for more Philadelphia Police near campus, better street lighting, improved trimming of foliage around street lights and more receptacles to improve the off-campus trash situation. In addition to the petition, Safety Committee Chairperson and College sophomore Courtney Fine and Senior Class Treasurer Rebecca Waranch, a College senior, are planning Safety Awareness Days for next week. Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon, Chief of Police Operations Maureen Rush, Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum and Assistant VPUL Barbara Cassel attended the meeting. "It's great to know the administration is so eager to interact with students," Fine said. Seamon said he has been pleased with the city's response, especially since the shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. "The Philadelphia Police and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority have given us extra help," Seamon said. "We have to make sure that they won't just be here for a few days or weeks but indefinitely." Seamon reported that 19 additional police officers and 10 more uniformed guards have patrolled the area since last week's shooting. He said the police are going to pursue a more aggressive strategy to prevent crime by concentrating more resources in areas which are prone to crime, particularly west of campus. For safety week, the UA and other organizations plan to line Locust Walk with banners signed by members of different student groups to show the enormity of student concern for safety. The groups hope to target the University Trustees, who will be on campus October 9. Fine said she would like to see information distributed on Locust Walk about safety tips, where blue light phones and indoor MAC machines are located and Penn Escort schedules. UA member and College sophomore Hillary Aisenstein is planning a Safety Week seminar on student involvement in the community to "start a dialogue about Penn and the community and how they fit together." Other suggestions for safety awareness activities next week include barbecue block parties to show pride in off-campus neighborhoods and self-defense seminars. UA member and Engineering junior Roman Krislav also discussed the danger of outdoor MAC machines, like the one at 40th and Locust streets, and MAC machines such as in the WaWa Food Mart at 38th and Spruce streets, where people outside can see patrons withdrawing money through the windows. Krislav suggested that there should be more MAC machines like the one in High Rise East where no one outside the building can see who is taking out money.