COLUMN: Penn's main responsibility

From Steve Schorr's, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Late," Fall '98 From Steve Schorr's, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Late," Fall '98One dead, four wounded.From Steve Schorr's, "Shoot First, Ask Questions Late," Fall '98One dead, four wounded.A casualty list of American soldiers after a Baghdad bombing? Unfortunately, as a result of four shootings and one stabbing almost three weeks ago, those numbers are the result of just one weekend at Penn. The first two things Penn must do is stop hosting the Philadelphia Public School boys' basketball championship and finally get rid of the panhandlers in the area. It is disturbing that even after shots rang out two consecutive years outside the basketball championship, some people still advocate that Penn continue to host the game in the future. Those who think the University should still be proud to host such a game, and the administrators who have power over the decision, must ask themselves if another shooting is likely next year. Keep in mind that security was already beefed up this year, and metal detectors were used in the Palestra. If another shooting next year is considered doubtful, how about within the next five years? Ten years? Twenty? Even if people think another shooting is likely only if Penn hosts the game every year for the next hundred years, that still means they believe there is a 1 percent chance each year that someone will get shot. Who could think that such a risk is acceptable? Would you be willing to take a 1 percent chance that you will be shot so that Penn can continue to host a basketball game? A somewhat overshadowed incident the same weekend points to the urgency of tackling the issue of panhandlers Homeless people in the area have been bothering and harassing students for years. Although aggressive panhandling is illegal, the police have done nothing to stop it. After an early morning stabbing of a Physical Plant worker at the Wawa on 38th and Spruce streets, it is clearer than ever that panhandling must be stopped. Subjecting students to harassment is one thing, risking their safety is quite another. Whenever University Police officers see a panhandler (Wawa is a good place to start looking), they should arrest them -- even if they can't hold them for long. Panhandlers are here for a reason: they can make a lot of money from Penn students without much threat of punishment. If they knew they would be arrested once they set foot on Penn's campus, they would be forced to harass people somewhere else. Many people have argued that the University must weigh its actions in regard to these and other issues in light of its responsibility to the community. But Penn already makes a tremendous contribution to the city. As the largest private employer in Philadelphia, the University brings thousands of jobs to the area. Additionally, it consistently makes large charitable contributions. Its 20,000 students create an attractive market for businesses. And the millions of dollars Penn spends on Public Safety is used to apprehend criminals that would otherwise be terrorizing surrounding neighborhoods. If the University weren't here, not only would thousands of jobs be gone, but so most likely would many restaurants and stores. With Penn already giving so much to the community, is allowing the University to take measures to ensure the safety of students too much to ask in return? For some reason, many people blame the University for the current state of West Philadelphia, and because Penn supposedly has the resources to help the area, they believe it must do so. It is true that before the University arrived, West Philadelphia was a vibrant, thriving community. But so were many other cities in the 1800s. The introduction of the University of Pennsylvania isn't the only variable that has changed in that time. Do people blame Columbia University for the state of New York City? Maybe the University of Detroit is why that city has such a high crime rate. And who knows what horrors the University of Houston has inflicted upon its community. It seems we now know what has the caused the decline of the modern city -- universities. Penn may decide that instead of just protecting its students, it will work to rebuild West Philadelphia. But it is doubtful that any amount of resources could significantly help the area. Even if some amount could, Penn doesn't have it. Campus currently has no adequate recreation facility and no real student center, and many buildings are badly in need of repairs. Only by declaring that some of those repairs are actually the creation of a new student center -- Perelman Quad -- has the University been able to keep many buildings up to code. The University has to scrounge for every last dollar when it wants to undertake a project. Thus, millions of dollars are not just sitting around waiting to be spent in West Philadelphia. Administrators, however, cannot just watch the area sink into oblivion without worrying that the University will be affected. So what can they do? Tackling all of the problems that have created the current situation in West Philadelphia is just about as difficult as moving back to our original Center City location. More realistically, the University can take small steps to improve the surrounding area, which the administration already is doing. Currently, the University offers incentive programs to encourage faculty and staff members to live in West Philadelphia. Most importantly, the executive vice president's office is working to bring in numerous businesses through Sansom Common and other projects. When such restaurants and stores arrive, some people may actually start to want to live in West Philly. As more people come, more businesses will want to locate here, attracting more people still. Gradually, these measures should have about as much of an impact on our community as Penn is capable of making. Meanwhile, the University's top priority must be the safety of its students. By refusing to host next year's basketball championship, Penn will significantly lower the probability that a student will be shot and killed that day. Potentially offending some area residents is surely a small enough price to pay. And there is no benefit of letting panhandlers continue to harass students.