The number of burglaries and sex offenses during New Student Orientation rose this year, while police reported a precipitous drop in the number of thefts.
Overall, crime during NSO was down from the same period last year, but officials from Penn's Division of Public Safety say the drop is insignificant.
From Aug. 27 to Sept. 4 this year, police reported 19 crimes, compared to 21 last year.
The sex offenses, police said, involved minor harassment and were not serious cases.
Police reported one retail robbery at the Fresh Grocer at 40th and Walnut streets Aug. 31, when a man unaffiliated with the University was detained for shoplifting and arrested after police discovered that he had two outstanding arrest warrants.
Officials from Penn's Department of Public Safety said that 19 crimes overall is about average for this time period, and that the drop isn't indicative of any larger trends.
"Statistically the difference between 19 and 21 is just noise," Criminology professor Larry Sherman said. "When those numbers are that small, there's nothing going on . and what you've got is a stable situation."
Police said that the slight drop may have been triggered by heavy rain, which kept many students indoors.
Freshmen agreed that the rain put a damper on some NSO festivities.
College freshman Abby Schwartz said she left campus and headed home for several nights to avoid the poor weather.
"The rain sucked. I stepped into this huge puddle and got sick," Schwartz said. "I just wanted to go home and get in my pajamas instead."
The area under Penn Police jurisdiction ranges from the Schuylkill River to 43rd Street across Market Street through Baltimore Avenues.
