SENATE

From the Senate Chairs, A Review of Safety Issues

To: Members of the Faculty Senate
October 6, 1996

Dear Colleagues:

President Rodin and Provost Chodorow met with the Senate Executive Committee to discuss the very serious safety situation at the University. They informed SEC that they have taken the following steps in an effort to reduce, hopefully to eliminate, the recent "crime wave."

1. Public Safety Interventions--Short-term
   
   • Redeploying officers to peak crime periods
   • Expand existing police force with addition of 10 new officers
   • Expand network of blue-light phones by establishing 66 new locations (30 in area West of campus)
   • Secure commitment from Philadelphia Police Department to provide an additional 3 foot patrols, 1 additional 24-hour patrol unit and 2 additional patrol units (midnight - 4 a.m.)
   • Place 10 security guards on city streets
   • Secure commitment from SEPTA to provide one mobile unit and 6 officers to patrol subway system
   • Going after businesses that are breaking the law
   • Support expansion of Penn Watch

2. Public Safety Interventions--Long-term
   
   • Implement technology plan to secure on-campus properties First year includes installing headquarters computer receiving equipment, intelligent panels for 40 buildings, preliminary work for CCTV.
   • Consolidate security contracts with one vendor and develop partnership arrangement with vendor to leverage their expertise
   • Relocate Public Safety to 40th Street
   • Escort Services
   • Reorganize route system and Escort Service accountability structure to ensure more frequent, regularized services
   • Initiate full review of entire Escort Services program
   • Quality of Life Initiatives
   • Special Services District
   • Crackdown on establishments which sell alcoholic beverages
   • Vending plan
   • Revitalization of 40 Street retail

Furthermore, the President and Provost announced that they intend to continue to work with the community on the related issues of housing, schools, graffitti, and new business development.

Students, too, have moved beyond the frightened and angry stage. They are counselling one another to "be careful," to walk in groups, and to make sure their doors and windows are closed. They are giving out whistles, establishing "safe houses" within the fraternity structure, enlarging the numbers who participate in "Penn Watch," and are moving on initiatives like "Safety Week."

The Office of Public Safety is working steadily on the problems and the Office of University Life has been working overtime to respond to the concerns of both parents and students, answering each inquiry they receive--there have been hundreds!

We believe these community efforts can be enriched by supportive faculty efforts. Briefly, let us make suggestions in three areas of activity. Some might take a bit of extra time and effort; others very little, but can nevertheless be very meaningful. For example:

A. Students

1. Take some class time to focus on safety issues.
2. Invite concerned students to make appointments.
3. Most important, where appropriate teach about the causes and responses to crime.

B. Outreach

1. Make contacts with influential individuals in the criminal justice system (lawyers, judges, the mayor, city council persons, agency heads) to let them know the community demands more protection.
2. Call on friends who have contact with such individuals and enlist their help for a lobbying effort.
3. Write opinion pieces"op-eds"--bringing scholarly attention to the causes and cures of crime.

C. Institutional

Encourage action-oriented discourse through informal, ongoing forums to increase ongoing awareness of safety issues.

Often, we Faculty Senate Chairs are approached by faculty requesting that we ask for administrative support for a variety of faculty initiatives. At this critical time, the administration, students and staff need our support to help them in whatever way we can. As faculty we need to do more than applaud their swift actions and their long-term efforts to involve Penn in the West Philadelphia community. We can be a resource and a model to students. We can lobby and pressure representatives of the criminal justice system for rapid action against the perpetrators of crime. We can invite discourse in our classes and support students after class. We urge you to assist in meeting the emergency.

Thank you for what we hope will be an impressive show of support from faculty members for the University community's efforts to attack, not just respond to, this crisis that threatens Penn's continued well being.

--Peter J. Kuriloff, Chair

--William L. Kissick, Past Chair

--Vivian Seltzer, Chair-elect

Almanac

Volume 43 Number 7
October 8, 1996

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