Hospital transports during NSO rose 50 percent from last year

This year’s New Student Orientation saw a 50 percent increase in hospital transports, according to the Division of Public Safety.

Of the 21 transports this year, 14 were freshmen.

There were 20 disorderly house complaints this year, down from 35 in 2015. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush attributed this decrease to proactive intervention in off-campus houses.

“We did some pre-meetings before things started heating up and worked with landlords as well,” she said. “We want to consistently keep those numbers down.”

To the dismay of unsuspecting tourists and to the likely horror of Penn students, a student was caught and cited for urinating on “Ben on the Bench” at 37th Street and Locust Walk. This tradition continues, despite attempts by the DPS to discourage it.

“This individual is being referred to the Office of Student Conduct for appropriate sanctions. We will not tolerate that type of behavior and in our opinion is a serious offense to the community,” Rush said.

During NSO in 2015, a student also got caught relieving themselves on the Ben Franklin statue. In recent years, multiple people have been caught with their pants down in sight of Ben’s bench; in the fall of 2014, at least six people were cited for peeing near the statue.

“We have a camera in the area of Ben on the bench and take it very seriously, as [do] the alumni who paid for it,” Rush noted. “Anyone doing this can expect sanctions and consequences.”

The number of hospital transports during NSO has fluctuated over the years, but the current five-year average is 24. In 2012, the number rose as high as 30 and sunk as low as 14 in 2015.

Also during this year’s NSO, one citation was issued for underage drinking, a number that has hovered below three in recent years.

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