Students will not be the only ones out for long hours during Spring Fling this year.
Penn's Division of Public Safety has planned a number of additional security measures for the weekend.
The most noticeable difference will be an increased number of police officers both on and off campus, Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey said.
"You will see a stronger uniformed presence," Dorsey said.
He declined, however, to say how many more officers there will be because of what he called "police protocol." He maintained that there will be "a strong contingent."
There will also be additional Allied Spectaguards on duty at the gates of the Quadrangle and throughout campus.
For Penn Police, the heightened security measures began Wednesday at 5 p.m. They will end Sunday at 10 a.m.
Penn Police Captain Gerald Leddy said this year's measures do not differ from those instituted in past years.
He added that last year's Spring Fling saw fewer incidents than there were in any other year.
Police issued 30 citations for underage drinking, carrying open alcohol containers and disorderly conduct in 2004.
Former Penn Police Chief Tom Rambo said last year that around 25 students were hospitalized with drinking-related problems.
The police are not the only ones faced with the task of ensuring student safety.
The Social Planning and Events Committee hires police officers to patrol the Quad for the entire weekend.
Spring Fling Director Makeda Kefale said there will be SPEC-hired police officers stationed at the Quad gates and within the Quad area from Thursday until Sunday.
The College sophomore could not say exactly how many officers will be present, but she noted that it is the same number as last year.
"We sat down with Allied [Security] and the college houses and the UPPD," Kefale said. "We had a huge increase [in the number of police] last year from the year before that, and it seemed to work fine."
Police in the Quad will also serve to monitor the Spring Fling facilities.
"We have equipment that is staying there from Thursday daytime until Sunday," Kefale said. "So we have police watching out for that."
Dorsey, however, emphasized that the additional security will not be limited to the Quad.
"Our uniform officers are also covering the areas where, unfortunately, we've had some problems with crime," he said, referring to several armed robberies committed over the last month.
Dorsey said he is confident that the police presence during the weekend will be sufficient.
Yet he and Leddy agreed that the success of the weekend also depends on the amount of responsibility that students demonstrate.
"If someone is not drawing the attention of the police, chances are they are not going to be arrested," Leddy said. "It is the tendency to go overboard -- having house parties that you can't control -- that gets people in trouble."
