There is no more blatant confirmation of Penn being entrenched in stereotypical Ivy League behavior than the calls by select administrators for the McDonald’s restaurant at 40th and Walnut streets to be relocated (“Last store standing,” 2/28/2011).
While these administrators are desperate to convince you that McDonald’s and the encompassing corner are a hotbed for crime, a thorough examination of the 2010-2011 weekly crime logs — easily accessible online by the Penn Almanac — tells quite a different story. Crimes associated with the 4000 block of Walnut Street or the restaurant itself are not overrepresented among the list of total crimes reported. Not to mention that a good number of the crimes reported are merely citations for drivers using their cell phones.
I knew the atmosphere here would be different than at Rutgers University — my publicly funded undergraduate university. But since I’m stuck with my fellow poor graduate students at the School of Medicine, I guess I need reminders. At least until spring, when Locust Walk will once again turn into a modeling runway for male and female students alike showing off their new designer clothes.
-- Michael Convente The author is a graduate student in the School of Medicine.
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