Jason Karsh Steps Up on Safety Concerns

Earlier tonight, the chair of the Undergraduate Assembly, Jason Karsh sent an email alert regarding the recent public safety issues that have arisen at the University of Pennsylvania.

After hearing about the disturbing events last night, Karsh did what any good UA chair would do and had a meeting with Maureen Rush to clarify the facts and make sure that students had the correct information. I applaud him and any other members who were involved in this effort.

This is a clear example of Penn's student government working hard on behalf of their constituents. The email is clear, clarifies all the facts and makes suggestions for students. Jason also goes further and reassures us based on the briefings he received today. Having previously been "in the room" per se, I know the feeling and I trust Jason's judgment.

Here is the email in its entirety, judge for yourself:

Sent: November-13-07 8:00 PM

Subject: ***Public Safety- Update from the Undergraduate Assembly***

Please forward this message on to your constituencies:

Fellow Penn Undergraduates,

Last night, I was deeply disturbed, as many of you were, to receive the university-wide e-mail from the Division of Public Safety regarding the Monday morning stranger-rape that occurred on the 4000 block of Spruce Street. Shortly thereafter, I was taken aback by another widely-circulated e-mail that depicted an account of an Allied Barton security guard/walking escort who walked a female undergraduate student home and later exposed himself to her.

After a productive meeting this afternoon attended by Maureen Rush, Vice President of the Division of Public Safety, other DPS officials, Allied Barton representatives, and Penn students, the Undergraduate Assembly (UA) wants to make certain that the record is set straight and that we indeed remain a safe and secure community at Penn.

The findings from this meeting give me complete confidence that the issues are being addressed properly and that there is no reason to distrust Penn's men and women in uniform .

Here are the facts:

4000 Block of Spruce Incident:
-Yesterday morning at about 5AM a female student was sexually assaulted in her apartment
-the victim was not physically injured
-this was reported in the DP and was the 3rd incident of stranger rape that has occurred at Penn since 1994
-they are highly unusual but naturally have a deep impact on the psyche of those within our community

What should we do now?:

-Make sure you LOCK YOUR DOORS !

-There is currently an increased overt and covert patrolling by law enforcement (Penn Police and Philadelphia Police) in Penn's vicinity.

-If you wish to seek counseling or have any concerns, please call DPS Special Services at 215-898-6600, as they are on-call 24/7.

-Report any suspicious activity to DPS and Penn Police at 215-573-3333.

Security Guard Incident:
The facts:

-A Penn student was offered to be escorted by an Allied Barton security officer, which is normal procedure if an escort sees someone walking home alone and is not currently on a call.

-The Allied Barton security officer, who has worked at Penn for nine months with no prior criminal background, exposed himself.

-He was quickly identified after the incident was reported and was taken into custody.

-He is no longer employed by Allied Barton.

- NO UNIFORMS HAVE BEEN STOLEN. Any reports of stolen uniforms are false.

What's being done to address this situation as of tonight?
-All security guards/escorts will have photo IDs on them that they will be wearing visibly around their neck or on their jackets.

-All security guards/escorts will have courtesy cards to give to you, stating their name, and what to do to give feedback. (Additionally, you can cross-reference their courtesy card to their ID.)

-All security guards/escorts will introduce themselves, present their ID, and provide you with a courtesy card.

As someone who is deeply troubled by these incidents, after being presented with the facts and follow-up, I feel absolutely confident in my safety and security on campus. I believe that with our increased vigilance and the efforts made by the Division of Public Safety and the folks at Allied Barton, we are taking steps towards a restored faith in the safety and security of Penn's campus.

My thoughts are with the victims of the egregious acts of crime that occurred within our community, and we must show resolve by demonstrating that it will take more than highly unusual crimes perpetrated within a 24-hour period to break the spirit of the Penn community.

Sincerely,

Jason Karsh

--
Jason Adam Karsh
Chairman, Undergraduate Assembly
University of Pennsylvania
uachair@dolphin.upenn.edu

~BT