This weekend's reported security breach in the Quadrangle has dismayed the parents of prospective students, but many visiting campus said that the single incident will not be enough to affect their decision on whether to send their children to Penn should they be accepted.
The attempted rape of a female student that happened when a man slipped past security came at a time when many prospective students and their parents are touring campus.
Many parents consider the assault an isolated incident, though they admit they have some reservations about the safety of the neighborhood surrounding Penn.
"It's certainly not the first thing I'd like to hear, but it's something you'd find anywhere," said Robert Lubarsky, who visited Penn yesterday with his son. "I'm not concerned about one isolated incident."
Other parents echoed Lubarsky, expressing their feelings that student safety is not an issue unique to Penn.
"I imagine that there are attacks and assaults at universities across the nation," said Ray Fink, who was visiting from San Diego, Ca. "One incident in and of itself would not deter me."
Some parents were more concerned, however.
Liz Haven, from Sacramento, Ca., thinks the security problem does reflect on Penn's safety.
"It's a concern to me, especially considering the other campuses we've visited, which aren't in the city," she said.
Susan Anderson of Denver, Co., was on a tour with her son yesterday when she heard about the incident.
"I'm glad I have a boy, but you'd like to think it's safe for anyone," she said.
"It would be important for an incoming freshman to know what precautions he might have to take," Anderson added.
Anderson's son, David, said that a security issue would not deter him from applying to Penn.
Safety "is not something I've had to think about," he said. "It will just be a new concern when I go to college."
For the tour guides who lead prospective students and parents around campus and answer a multitude of questions, safety is always a recurrent concern.
Penn tour guides undergo extensive training, with an entire day devoted to safety, according to tour guide Ned Chatelain, a College sophomore.
Senior tour guide Nadia Ebrahim echoed Chatelain. "The admissions office prepares us on what to say."
Both Ebrahim and Chatelain noted that they often field questions about safety, and that groups generally inquire about how safe students here actually feel.
"I tell them that I always feel safe on campus," Chatelain said.
Brian Eiss is candid with his tour groups, explaining that "safety is definitely a concern, especially because Philadelphia is a city."
