lizzy, you should really write a little more about your perspective. the daily pennsylvanian might not publish articles about race and class, but I garuntee young philly politics will.

also, i am offering rewards for anyone who snaps pictures of dan while he is walking around campus.

---
E-mail: Ben4YPP@gmail.com
AIM: TenOutsTwice

Why wouldn't you expect that the President of Penn would evidence concern about her students being robbed at gun point? Are most of the crimes non-Penn on Penn? Probably...are there a lot of Penn students robbing other Penn students at gunpoint? I think your perspective about all this would change dramatically if you or a friend were robbed. Did you know that a fellow blogger -www.poundforpound.blogspot.com - was robbed at gun point? An finally, what the heck is racist and classist about this? Have the perps been of a different race than the victims? Why would it matter to the school, regardless, a gun is being stuck in somebody's face.

When a parent, especially the parent of a 17 year old woman, takes a tour of Penn, Temple, or any other urban campus, what is likely to be their first question? Probably something along the lines of "well, I see all these blue phones, and, I am just wondering, how much crime is there here?" When I was in college there were multiple people I know who specifically mentioned the blue phones, and the overarching concerns about safety as reasons they did not go to Penn. Now, if you ask me whether I would be scared, I would answer of course not, I grew up in a city, understand that higher levels of crime in a city are facts of life, etc. But, the reality is that Penn is looking to attract students from all over, the majority of which likely never grew up in a city. Call it damage control, call it whatever, but, I don't think it is unreasonable that she will address it. Do I understand that when you unpack that fear of urban life, many race issues eventually come out? Of course. And, are there racism issues, as middle class to upper middle class to all out rich kids are plopped down into the middle of a working class, largely African-American neighborhood? Damn skippy.

You mention the racist and classist underpinnings, and I guess I want to hear more about why: There is simply a difference between robbery, assault, battery or whatever, and non violent, self-choosing drug use. I assume we agree on that? I mean, my bike got stolen on the fourth day of class here, but, it was not violent, I just didn't lock it very well. So, it was sort of understood as a fact of life. But violence, or the potential for violence is different than rich kids snorting away their trust funds. There is an issue of control. If I hear that there has been a huge rise in coke use on campus, I would immediately say, "well, I don't use it, and neither do my friends." If I hear that there has been an uptick in armed robberies, I am more concerned, because I lose that control... And, there are basic ways you can avoid some crime, as anyone who grew up in a City knows. I knew, in high school, that if I took the subway to broad and erie, then the bus home, I was less likely to be mugged than if I took the bus to green and chelten at 3.30PM instead. Did taking that precaution mean I was totally safe? No. But, it was certainly better, and I had made myself, and my parents much happier when doing so.

So then, we are left with the on-campus act you mentioned that is violent: rape. Rape is, without a doubt, the dirty secret of college campuses, and bizarrely prevalent. But, would you say that it is not talked about as a symbol of racism/classism against other criminals (the purse snatcher, the robber, etc who generally are stealing for economic gain), or whether it is instead deep seeded, old boy sexism towards the victim, who many in society assume has "asked for it" in some sort of way?