<p>Marite, one should not do Doctoral Research involving laboratory animals (the awful tragedy at Yale this fall.)
Or study abroad (all the students from Syracuse coming home after their semester in the UK who died over Lockerbie.)</p>
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<p>Unless you don’t mind getting your legs scratched. :rolleyes:</p>
<h1>119. I must say this strikes me as rather flip. While searching for “retirement cities” today, I noticed one of the criteria was “crime rate.” Certainly if the stats are grounded in reality enough to be considered for my H and me, they are good enough to be included in considering where my children will spend four years.</h1>
<p>Somebody lacks a humor gene.
I am mostly summarizing the information that’s been posted on this thread.</p>
<p>Blossom:</p>
<p>I could add:
one should not walk two blocks from my house. Two males have been mugged within the last couple of months (one was a Harvard prof). Houses in this area cost over $1million. :(</p>
<p>My kids were warned about how their campus is “too dangerous” and a close friend would only drive around the campus but NOT stop, even in broad daylight because of the “bad neighborhood.” Of course, both kids are now attending that school and to date, the worst things that have happened that I’m aware of are my S having wallet & phone stolen when left on the school gym bench and D having her bike collide with a car. Those things could easily have happened anywhere.</p>
<p>My kids ARE more aware of safety and their surroundings. If they plan to live in in an urban environment (which I believe they do) and/or travel (with both enjoy), they DO need to have skills to pay attention to their surroundings and “street smarts.”</p>
<p>Worrying about these things just make us crazy!</p>
<p>“Someone lacks a humor gene.”
Guess so when it comes to the safety of kids. I don’t see how the instances cited are remotely funny. I also don’t see that checking into crime stats in New Haven, Philadelphia, Chicago, or any place else for that matter, is worthy of poking fun at. These are individual family decisions, based on knowledge of one’s child’s own physical, psychological and emotional makeup. I haven’t a clue why those choices should be the object of fun/scorn.</p>
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One should not go within scope-site of a campus bell tower. (for those old timers)</p>
<p>BTW, mummom, humor is how many people deal with difficult/stressful situations.</p>
<p>I had a neighbor who I knew quite well who was Dr. Kevorkian’s #3 patient and yes I do make fun of Dr. Kevorkian.</p>
<p>Don’t need a lecture about my opinions, thanks anyway, goaliedad. !! In JMO, humor can possibly be how one deals with ones <em>personal</em> difficult/stressful situations, I am well aware. Humor at the expense of tragic events experienced by others is something else.</p>
<p>And I don’t need a lecture about my posts, mummom. You like to dish it out but can’t take it, I gather.</p>
<p>This thread was started about ONE specific incident. Not statistics. If you want to delve into crime statistics, no one is preventing you from doing so or even commenting on your decision. I don’t see what’s your beef. Did you happen to get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?</p>
<p>I am fully aware that violent crime can and does happen anywhere and that we can’t live our lives in fear. However, I think a lot of effort goes into minimizing the situation around Penn, and it does continue to be a concern. I think it is easy for people who aren’t particularly familiar with Penn to brush off these incidents. It is a wonderful school and there are good things about the city, but there are negatives.</p>
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<p>University of Texas - Austin… 1966 But I was only six years old then, so does that make me an old timer now?</p>
<p>MOWC - just curious, knowing what you know now (it may not be any different than what you knew before WildSon enrolled at Penn), what would you say if you had a daughter that wanted to enroll there, now?</p>
<p>I have no idea what the dishing out, taking it reference is about, marite. You are the one who referenced events other than the OP, and I thought you were “being funny,” not giving an opinion. I’m just grateful my kid was not a victim of the VA Tech shooter–imagine how that person might feel reading these “humorous” posts.</p>
<p>Mummom. You really don’t get it.</p>
<p>MOWC: My S lives just a few blocks from the Bridge cinema. I am not “brushing off this incident.” But then, if I were so concerned about safety, I would never step foot in another cinema; I would also be even more worried about muggings that occurred just two blocks from my house, along two streets that I walk on every single day of the week.
We need to be aware, sure. But should we vow never ever to step into a cinema or into bank, or into a convenience store or… ?</p>
<p>I would support the choice of Penn for a student, but I think it’s important to really understand just how un-glamorous that part of the city can be. I think a lot of kids go in thinking they know what they are getting into- and they don’t.<br>
I KNOW I don’t like that environment for myself, which is why I didn’t apply to Penn back in the day despite the fact that both my parents and a grandparent were Penn grads and I grew up in the Philadelphia area.</p>
<p>The point here with or without gallows humor is that most (if not every) school has it potential for great tragedy. You should be aware of the local hazards and history of issues no matter what school is selected, but shouldn’t let it paralyze you from a decision or taking advantage of a school once on campus (the point of the other school tragedy references).</p>
<p>“Mummom: You really don’t get it.”</p>
<p>I thoroughly get it; and I still think it’s in extremely bad taste.</p>
<p>Thank you for the lecture on what constitutes good taste, mummom.</p>