Concerns over safety prompt rally

Rally organizers presented a list of five demands to U. officials at the College Green event. Four campus women's rights and activist groups staged a rally yesterday demanding that the University pay more attention to women's safety. About 40 people attended the rally, during which the organizers -- the Penn Women's Alliance, the Penn chapter of the National Organization of Women, the Penn Women's Center and the Progressive Activist Network -- presented a list of five demands to the University. "We don't feel that the existing policies are sensitive enough to victim survivors who have had to deal with these types of sexual assault issues," said College junior and NOW co-chairperson Erin Healy. The demands included installing emergency alarms in every public bathroom; a "victim advocacy system" that stays in contact with the Women's Center; a statement of the University's crime-reporting procedures; a workshop to be held during New Student Orientation about victim resources; and a public response from Penn officials regarding the list of demands. While acknowledging that several of those demands are already somewhat in place, College junior and PWA co-chairperson Hema Sarangapani said that "a lot of them are inadequate right now." For instance, while the University does have a Special Services division to help crime victims, she argued that they are only meant to help "at the moment of crisis," rather than providing the "much longer-period counseling that needs to happen." Many at the rally said they were disappointed by what they perceived as Penn's failure to address women's safety issues. "The truth is the University has not paid enough attention to women's safety and safety in general," said college sophomore Angie Liou. The rally's speakers stressed that requiring students to wear ID badges at night -- which is one of seven recent recommendations by Division of Public Safety -- would not by itself resolve existing safety issues. Participants also urged students to concentrate on improving Penn security without blaming the surrounding community for aberrant incidents like last month's early-morning attack of a Penn sophomore in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, allegedly by a 16-year-old boy armed with a knife. "When an assault such as the recent incident at Steinberg-Dietrich occurred, it is very easy to turn that incident into a Penn versus community issue, a battle of us versus them, wealthy versus poor, white versus black," College senior Melissa Holsinger said. "The administration, local media, police and student body have all been guilty of this." The rally's speakers also focused on the issue of student awareness. In addition to demands made regarding more comprehensive publication of crime statistics and resources, the speakers stressed the need for students to know about safety measures, such as emergency "rape cords," being taken by the University. "It is not enough to say we know there is a system in place, people need to know about these measures and where they are located," said College freshman Lauren Bialystok. "We're all entitled to safety and that's why we have to make sure the University will continue to provide us with it." The speakers also focused on the importance of the Women's Center as a valuable resource for victims. "The Penn Women's Center needs to regain its role as the integral component of the victim advocacy system," Healy said. College junior Liz Caffrey applauded the efforts of the ralliers, saying that the Steinberg-Dietrich incident "provided fodder for a larger discussion that needed to take place for a long time and finally has." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Ben Geldon contributed to this article.

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