Policy: Use of night bldgs. requires ID

Students will have to display their PennCards while in eight campus buildings during late-night hours. In the wake of concern following the assault of a female student in the basement of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall 2 1/2 months ago, the Division of Public Safety will now require students to wear their PennCards in many campus buildings late at night. The policy begins Monday and will be in effect nightly from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The eight buildings included in the policy are the Blauhaus, Meyerson Hall, Steinberg-Dietrich, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the McNeil Building, the Moore Building, the Towne Building and Logan Hall. The new policy is in line with an Undergraduate Assembly resolution passed after the assault, which called for increased late-night safety measures across campus. UA Vice Chairperson Michael Bassik said the prominently displayed PennCards will allow "students to recognize students and for security and police officers to also easily recognize students," cutting down on the possibility that strangers will be able to access the buildings. "The attacker was a teenager -- he blended in with the rest of the students in the building," the College sophomore said, referring to the 16-year-old boy who was charged with attempted murder and attempted rape after allegedly coming at the female student with a 10-inch kitchen knife on November 8. Maria O'Callaghan, Wharton's service manager for facilities services, said she has been handing out flyers and card holders to students using the buildings after hours for about a week. "It was important [for students] to find out how and why this policy was taking place," O'Callaghan explained. The policy also states that anyone in the buildings after hours without a PennCard will be asked to leave and that students should notify security officers immediately if they observe suspicious individuals without PennCards in the buildings. The policy also forbids anyone from propping open exterior doors and exiting through emergency exits. Bassik said the UA believes students will cooperate with the new policy. "Although it might at first seem a burden, in the long run it can only be helpful for improving security throughout the Penn community," he said. He added that the measures "are meant to also heighten the awareness of the fact that we are in a major city where there is going to be crime." Another full-time SpectaGuard has also been placed downstairs in Steinberg-Dietrich since November's assault. Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Bill Klotzbucher contributed to this article.