Like explorers charting unknown territory, the Class of 2005 took to the streets of West Philadelphia last weekend for a guided tour of the neighborhoods surrounding the University.
The organizers of this two-year-old component of New Student Orientation hoped the tours would make West Philadelphia feel more like home for Penn's newest students.
"Very often students have heard different kinds of rumors that made them think that West Philadelphia and the people who live there are somehow foreign from them," said assistant deputy provost Anita Gelburd, one of the program's organizers. "We wanted to break down those barriers, so that the students understand that the people who live in West Philadelphia are people just like them."
Although participation in the tours -- which were led by resident and graduate assistants -- was not required, an estimated 1,900 students attended. In addition to the West Philadelphia route, students could also choose to tour parts of Center City.
Many said they found the event to be eye-opening.
"It's really neat to see a whole different side of Penn, a whole different side of West Philadelphia," College freshman Alexander Feldman said as he followed his tour group out of Clark Park. "It has such a bad reputation, but it really is beautiful."
One tour guide, medical student and doctoral candidate Daniel Moore, said he wanted to demystify West Philadelphia for the freshmen living on his floor.
"We just want them to see West Philadelphia, to see some stuff that they may want to come out to," Moore said. "And to see that it's not really as scary as they may have heard it was."
Neighborhood residents turned out to greet the new students. As the freshmen trudged past O'Donnell Real Estate on Baltimore Avenue, proprietor Grace O'Donnell called out, "Welcome to University City."
A short walk away, Amare Solomon, owner of Dahlak Ethiopian restaurant, gave a sidewalk sales pitch about his award-winning dishes. The tours, he said, helped to build understanding between a neighborhood and a university that historically have been at odds.
After being welcomed with such open arms, the students began to form positive impressions of the neighborhood that adjoins campus.
"I heard that West Philadelphia was kind of a harsh place, but right now it doesn't seem so bad," College freshman Meera Sivendran said. "I mean, we're in a group, but it's nice. I like it."
At the turnaround of the tour route at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, the students' timing coincided with the annual Neighborhood to Neighborhood Street Festival. Here, food, games and a number of drill teams and drum corps showcased the neighborhood's diversity.
"I'm from a pretty small town, so being here and seeing all the different cultures is exciting," Wharton freshman Linda Leibfarth said.
To help the students venture off-campus in the future, special maps had been printed up for each of the Philadelphia tours to give the students a "concrete orientation" to the city, according to David Brownlee, director of College Houses and Academic Services.
"On a beautiful weekend... there's nothing better on earth than to go out and take a stroll," Brownlee said.
