A curfew is something that most Penn students haven't had to deal with in a long time - but for anyone still under 18, it's something to be aware of.
Local businesses like Fresh Grocer and Izzy and Zoe's have recently posted signs with information about Philadelphia's curfew, prompting surprised reactions from students who didn't know the city had a curfew.
The curfew in Philadelphia prohibits unaccompanied minors from being out between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and between midnight and 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday for those under age 18.
The curfew is enforced by both Penn and Philadelphia Police.
Minors cited by police officers for curfew violations can be fined up to $300 or taken to a curfew center to be picked up by a parent or guardian, who could also face fines.
Though most Penn students have no reason to worry about Philadelphia's curfew, the curfew still technically applies to freshmen who have not yet turned 18.
According to the Division of Public Safety, however, enforcement of the curfew isn't aimed at Penn students.
Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said the curfew is primarily intended to keep teenagers and children off the streets at night, rather than to punish Penn students.
If a Penn Police officer were to find a Penn student under 18 out after the curfew, Penn Police Chief Mark Dorsey said, the officer would explain the curfew and encourage the student to go home.
Police would be unlikely to issue a citation or take the student to a curfew center.
"We try to use a lot of common sense," he said about determining how to respond to curfew violations.
Dorsey added that Penn Police officers rarely have to reprimand Penn students, and did not think he had ever seen a student taken to one of the curfew centers.
"The real goal with Penn students is to keep them safe," Rush said.
Many Penn students are unaware there are curfew restrictions in the city.
"I had no idea there was a curfew," said Nursing sophomore Lauren Fikse, who did not turn 18 until last November.
Fikse added she had never been stopped by a police officer or informed of the curfew.
