Location can be a significant deciding factor for college applications, and Penn being in Philadelphia is one of its selling points. Let’s be honest, Ithaca and New Haven don’t bring as much excitement as Philadelphia. But are we still grateful for our living situation, or are we beginning to see the world through privileged lenses?
Last semester, the 40th Street “gatherings” and Walnut Street shooting had Sidechat in a chokehold, with posts flooding in about Penn’s lack of security and how dangerous Philadelphia is. Students argued that they felt unsafe, that Penn didn’t care about the incidents, and that this was negatively impacting their education. In the end, panic had spread so far that instead of a shooting being reported correctly as an isolated conflict between two non-students, it was rumored that a sophomore was shot on campus. Many students were shocked by the few reports of crime around the University. But, in reality, what did we expect? That we would go to a university in West Philadelphia and never encounter or hear about events happening in West Philadelphia? To me, what was more shocking than the Penn safety alerts was students’ reactions to them.
Quickly, crime around Penn became an “us and them” idea, where Penn students were the harmless, fearful victims of the evil criminals on 40th Street. Really, it is more of an “us” problem, because Penn students are breaking the law just as much, if not more than, any Philadelphia residents. We don’t like to think of underage drinking and minor drug possession as crimes we should be afraid of — that’s just the college experience. We tolerate student crime when it becomes assault and sexual violence or theft and destruction of property. We then quite literally look down upon Philadelphia residents from our high rises and judge them based off of Sidechat rumors and Penn safety alerts, when crime is just as much in fraternity house basements and dorm rooms as it is on 40th and Walnut streets.
Students argue that the cases of crime around campus diminish Penn’s quality, but applying to Penn means applying to live here as well. And living in Philadelphia is one of the best parts of this school. We can’t accept all of the good things about Philadelphia — the job opportunities, the food, the entertainment, the internships — and then act like we had no idea about the natural consequences of living in a big city. Students from New York or Los Angeles will complain about crime around Philadelphia as though it’s some foreign, unimaginable concept. To argue that we should be able to reap all the benefits of living in Philadelphia but be completely oblivious to the actual city of Philadelphia is ridiculous. Just because we go to Penn and get to live in a privileged bubble for four years doesn’t mean everyone else does, and it doesn’t mean we get to ignore the communities we live in.
Often, it comes back to a complaint about our tuition. I hear students argue that $90,000 a year should ensure their safety. This is a completely logical argument. What’s illogical is to assume that Penn should gentrify West Philadelphia into becoming suburbia for our convenience. Penn has the largest private police force in the state, with a 24/7 police presence made up of security, Penn Police, and the Philadelphia Police Department. However, despite any amount of police presence, there will still be crime — in any school, in any city. It’s not a lack of safety resources; it’s a demand for a false sense of security that is leading to the dissatisfaction of so many students. We want to live on a safe campus, where the only crimes committed are by Penn students, and throw rocks from our glass houses.
I am in no way trying to undermine or diminish the experiences Penn students have had with crime. There is real trauma attached to being a victim of crime, no matter the circumstance. However, the stigmatization of West Philadelphia residents and communities has become abhorrent and undeniable. We cannot pretend we’re victims because we live in a big city, especially because the rest of Philadelphia doesn’t get the privilege of safety like we do. The racist, classist, and elitist complaints about criminal activity around the city do not exempt Penn students from the crimes they commit on campus, and it definitely doesn’t help the alienation of Penn students and the communities we live in.
CHARLOTTE PULICA is a College first year studying communications and public relations from Enoch, Utah. Her email is cpulica1@sas.upenn.edu.
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