LETTERS: Poor security allowed mugging

To the Editor: Last Saturday night, I was mugged directly outside of the Quadrangle on Spruce Street. Forgetting that the 36th Street gate closes at midnight, another student and I headed there at 1:20 a.m. When we realized our mistake, we headed along the sidewalk alongside the Quad towards the main entrance at 37th Street. Margetis wrote that "crime will worsen as soon as people begin to realize the lack of security on and around campus." I was robbed on the sidewalk in front of the Quad; there was no security in sight and the sidewalk was not particularly well-lit, with lights only on the side of the street opposite the Quad. I was not alone, nor was I returning home at an especially late hour. Had the 36th Street gate been open, or had even a single guard been stationed at that end of Spruce, the mugging most likely would not have occurred. Furthermore, while I was being mugged, my friend ran to the front gate of the Quad to notify a security guard. Despite the fact that a mugging was occurring outside, the guard at the desk said he could not leave because he had to monitor the entrance. Only after my friend pointed out that there were two guards there did the one swiping cards agree to come outside. Unfortunately, the thieves had fled by that time. Margetis asked whether the lax security so far this semester is a result of a cutback or of the University not caring "about the safety of their student body." Being mugged alone on the outskirts of campus is one thing; being held up directly in front of one's dorm when walking with a friend at night should not be tolerated. I would like to urge the University either to keep the 36th Street gate open until 2 a.m., when many students are still returning home, or to at least station a guard at 36th and Spruce streets at night. In the meantime, I advise students to avoid the sidewalk alongside the Quad when they return to their dormitories at night. Eric Moskowitz College '01 Responding to abortion To the Editor: While Marisa Katz may be a supporter of abortion rights, she makes herself sound like a supporter of abortion in her column, ("Abortion in a new generation," DP, 1/26/98). Since when is a declining number of abortions cause for alarm? The way I see it, it is a tremendous sign that maybe men and women are learning about the evils of abortion and are being more careful. I don't think there is "a lack of awareness." I think that people are realizing that abortion is the scar of our society much the way slavery was for our ancestors. Why anyone would be in support of a procedure which crushes a child's head and sucks out its brain is beyond me. Nevertheless, I see all these numbers as positive signs that people are coming to grips that abortion is merely a euphemism for murder. We can only hope that in the decades to come abortion goes the way of slavery. Alex Kernitsky College '98 u To the Editor: Now, I now I'm dipping into scalding waters when I try to comment on the abortion issue as a male, but I feel strongly enough about certain things that hopefully can be contributed in an objective view. So often abortion is perceived through the eyes of the woman whose rights are being taken away, whose body is treated not as her own. Perhaps, as a unified society, we can talk about the roots of the problem. Abortion is an ugly word, and it brings to mind ugly and sad pictures. But what about the artists? We are the artists. We all either tolerate or encourage behavior that leads us to sanction abortion. Why do we accept the ludicrous free speech argument for pornography, for example, which undoubtedly corrupts its audience's subconscious? Why do we make allowances for people engaging in other unacceptable behavior, making abortion a means of contraception? Society cannot take care of itself without the government. That's why driving drunk is illegal. But the inconsistencies that run throughout modern society's idealogies are the same that cause so much frustrations when applied to regulation. Why is it so hard to decide on punishments in this day and age? Because we have some serious problems in deciding as a community what are acceptable as actions. There's a serious element missing from women's plight. As trite as it may seem, I want to know where the love is. Show me who's acting from the heart and mind, not from pride and prejudice. And if we can't find that perfect unconditional love, it's because we're not looking in the right places. Perhaps, we can look upwards, because I know He's there. Marc Aneed College '99 Spoiling the movie To the Editor: 34th Street magazine is a great publication, and it brightens my every Thursday to read it. But last week's cover story ("One Local Survivor," 1/22/98) about a Titanic survivor who later came to Penn, while a great story, contained irresponsible writing. The author was especially mean by revealing the ending to James Cameron's epic and she should apologize to all the people she ruined the movie for. That just irks me. Paul Noble College '01