University offers $10,000 reward for murder information

Some criticized the administration for treating the stabbingSome criticized the administration for treating the stabbinglast week to lightly because the victim was not a student. The University is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest in last Thursday's off-campus murder, University President Judith Rodin announced yesterday. "We are determined to use our resources to find the assailants," Rodin said. "We are anything but not reacting to this." The stabbing of University research associate Vladimir Sled at 43rd Street and Larchwood Avenue last week has forced administrators and students to confront a wide range of reactions to the tragedy. "This is just a tragic, violent, random event," Rodin said. "It jolts us all and -- of course -- forces us to reexamine what more could be done." Associate Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel noted that the Penn Transportation Task Force, which held its first meeting yesterday, will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of Penn Transit Services, including Penn Escort. But this initiative is not a direct reaction to the murder, according to Vice President for Business Services Steve Murray. "The incident underscores the fact that this is a worthwhile effort to improve the services we have," he said. Cassel emphasized that the University administration and Philadelphia Police are continuing to address issues of safety and security, as they have since the September 25 shooting of College senior Patrick Leroy. Despite these efforts, College junior Juan Becdach said the University "can't do much" to improve off-campus safety. "It's the neighborhood," he said. "The only way to make the school safe is to put a fence around the campus." Cassel said members of the campus community are as "shocked and concerned" about last week's murder as they were about the shooting earlier this semester. But some students said the University administration's response to the murder pales in comparison to the outrage that followed Leroy's shooting. They attributed the lack of reaction on campus to the murder's location and said they felt removed from the tragedy because the victim was not a student. Nursing freshman Lindsay Steele said she thinks the University would have reacted more forcefully if the victim had been a Penn student. "It hits closer to home when it's a student -- it's more shocking," she said. "When it's not a student, it doesn't seem as important." Other students said University officials did not have to react because so few students expressed anger or concern. "If the students don't complain, the University won't make as many changes," Wharton junior Jason Late said. But Rodin said the University is still dedicated to improving safety around campus. "We are thinking of what more can be done, if anything," Rodin said. "We feel anything but out of ideas." Late said the recent rash of on- and off-campus violence has numbed students and administrators to such tragedies. "We've developed a thicker skin," he said.