<p>O RLY?</p>
<p>I invite you to hand in an argumentative paper that is based wholly on your own cultural biases and stereotypes of appearances, without any facts or empirical evidence. Ask for a professor to grade it. Let us know what grade you get on it.</p>
<p>I suspect you’re a week-old freshman who hasn’t the slightest clue how college-level writing and argumentation work. You’ll learn :)</p>
<p>(Also, I’m not a TA.)</p>
<p>
That remains to be seen. ;)</p>
<p>Hey, I’m middle-aged, arguably huge, and often ridiculously dressed from the standpoint of an 18-year-old. And I am on the Penn campus pretty frequently. Why?</p>
<p>– To attend cultural events
– To go to restaurants like Distrito, Pod, White Dog Cafe
– Movies at the nice theater on 40th
– Research at Van Pelt or the law library
– My wife’s law school alumni events
– Stuff at HUP or CHOP
– Meeting friends on the faculty or administration</p>
<pre><code> . . . . all of whom are also middle aged, some of whom are overweight, and many of whom are ridiculously dressed by any standard. You may be right that the people you saw were not students, but are you certain they were not professors? Maintenance crew? Those people spend their lives at Penn, not 4 x 9 months, and believe me little looks funnier to them than a bunch of newbie freshmen.
</code></pre>
<p>I’ve never ran into anyone dangerous on Penn’s campus. There are homeless people sure, this is a very expensive school and probably their best bet for finding money in the city. There are people who work here just trying to feed themselves and their family. I’ve never been solicited drugs, weapons or anything of the sort. </p>
<p>I seriously don’t believe someone is this paranoid. There are hundreds of police/security here on campus, not to mention the thousands of students. You’ll be fine. I promise.</p>
<p>What I think is the most grievous thing you’ve said HafsaRox is that you seem to think they don’t belong on campus while you do. If these people aren’t affiliated with the campus, then they lived here before you stepped foot on campus and will live here long after you leave. Thinking that this is “your campus” and not theirs is such an entitled point of view. The best part of Penn is how it’s integrated with a city, and Penn prides itself on its dedication to civic engagement–not ostracizing those who TRULY live here. Why do you think we’re called Quakers? You’re wishing for a segregation that is despicable on so many levels. I’m sorry you lived such a sheltered life and think someone who doesn’t look like you is dangerous.</p>
<p>Yep, people are allowed to walk on Penn’s campus whenever they want. Even if they’ve never gone to Penn or (gasp!) even if they have never gone to college! In fact, these people are allowed to go to 1920 Commons and Houston Market too. They are more than welcome in the Penn library during the day, as well. Welcome to a school that prides itself on being part of a city, not apart from a city.</p>
<p>You’re fun to read, HafsaRox. It’s really entertaining since I am sure you don’t actually think the way you type. It is an excellent way to get people to defend Penn/Philly/whatever.</p>
<p>It ain’t being politically correct. I personally don’t buy into the politically correct nonsense, especially as a lifelong conservative Republican. But being politically correct has nothing to do with recognizing that someone who may not LOOK like he belongs on Penn’s campus could actually belong on campus. That’s primarily because ANYONE is welcome to Penn’s campus just as much as they are welcome to Penn Station in Manhattan.</p>
<p>If you are so concerned about your safety, why tell us here? What the hell can we do? Take it to the head of secruity or something but I doubt you will succeed. I have not heard anyone complain about these so called “shady” people. I give you a year before you transfer out.</p>
<p>And if you mean BLACK say it? No one knows who you are.</p>
<p>You know HafsaRox, a) something makes everyone doubt you actually go to Penn and b)If you do, youre sad person who needs HELP.
id perhaps stick with b) right now. Clearly, if your instantaneous reaction after a perhaps not-so-good experience is to come write it on CC means you’re sad. Im nt sure about stats, but id think the % of highschoolers > %freshman on this thread…which means that after people go to college…theyd visit this site less often. What to speak of you? Just waiting to start a new thread and start a bit of a fire. There are PLENTY of visitors on this site, and people like you…are probably infact worse than trollers. </p>
<p>Id say if you’re unhappy with the school- a) transfer out. b) live with it. If You talk of being a “quaker for life” then id think that being so passionate would overshadow the imperfections you see in the college. </p>
<p>If you want to know why “shady” people exist on the campus…go ask juniors in ur school than start a thread which non-Penn students are free to read.</p>
<p>How would you feel…if someone called you “shady”? (Your posts could justify that tbh)</p>
<p>Hafsarox, West Philly is not one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America. Ever heard of Englewood in Chicago? How about Camden, NJ? And I thought you were an international student, so how much time have you actually spent in the U.S. compared to the other posters who are refuting your blatantly false generalizations?</p>
<p>HafsaRox, you are going to be soooooo embarrassed to read some of your posts in a few years. Maybe even a few months. I don’t know where you come from, but you should wait until you have seen more of the world to make some of the pronouncements you like to make.</p>
<p>Very few urban campuses in America are closed at all. Columbia (your point of comparison) is a real exception, and even that isn’t actually closed, just constructed to be unwelcoming to outsiders and to make it possible to exclude them. Fordham in the Bronx is closed. Harvard, Yale, Brown, MIT, Chicago, USC, UCLA, Berkeley, Vanderbilt, Emory, Tulane . . . nope. Just as at Penn, anyone can and does walk around the campus next to students anytime they want.</p>
<p>Penn is a huge community of students, faculty, administrators, workers, and people who have business with them. In any community of that size, there is going to be some crime and some violence – even if you stuck it out in the middle of nowhere. And it’s not in the middle of nowhere; it’s in the middle of a city. Really, get used to it.</p>
<p>lol @ West Philly being extremely dangerous. First of all, saying “West Philly” is dangerous is like saying “the Bronx” is dangerous. West Philadelphia is a SECTION of the city, comprised of dozens of NEIGHBORHOODS. For example, Walnut Hill, Spruce Hill and Powelton Village are all part of West Philadelphia as defined by the city planning office, but they are significantly safer than most other neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Dunlap and Haddington are significantly more dangerous than most other neighborhoods.</p>
<p>If you want to know what dangerous looks like, go up near West Kensington or Olney, two places you really never have cause to visit. Those two neighborhoods are known for being extremely dangerous, much like Harlem of the 1990s.</p>
<p>Realistically, though, you are quite safe in any of the places frequented by students as well as Center City and most of South Philly.</p>
<p>But way to completely ignore most of my response. I am certain your one week of experience in Philadelphia far exceeds my own, so everyone should trust you completely and believe you when you suggest that Penn should be closed to non-students.</p>
<p>Plz stop feeding the ■■■■■.</p>
<p>I am sticking to my theory that the ■■■■■ is a Penn applicant, hoping to dissuade others from applying.</p>
<p>^lol agreed</p>
<p>UPENN ALERT: UPPD investigating report of black male, dark shirt-pants exhibiting lewd behavior-3900 Locust wlk. UPPD in area. </p>
<p>HafsaRox must be the person who reported him. kidding. lol. HafsaRox, I hope you are doing better at Penn and will come to like your new school real soon!</p>