PennWatch shifts to education focus

to revive campus patrols PennWatch, a student-run cam - pus safety organization, will offer interactive presentations next & semester designed to increase stu - dent awareness of security issues, PennWatch directors said & yesterday. And directors said last night they hope to restore the nightly patrols, which were discontinued this & semester due to a lack of & volunteers. The group, which has been spon - sored largely by the Greek system, will begin the educational program next semester, Director Meredith Grabois said yesterday. The College senior said Pen - nWatch is working with the Univer - sity's Victim Support Services to de - sign a program which will inform students about crime at the & University. She said the program will teach students what they should do to & avoid falling victim to crime and what they must do once they have victimized. Director Doug Epstein said that "we are keeping the patrols, that hasn't changed, but what we did change was that we added on an education system to include all stu - dents campus-wide." "We hope that the seminars will publicize & safety concerns at Penn and there - fore will make this a safer campus," Grabois said. Grabois said that last year she took time to "think about where & PennWatch was heading" and con - cluded that, along with the patrols, the organization needed to "be - come more interactive with stu - dents in expressing concerns about safety." Grabois said that the program & will initially be presented to the In - terFraternity Council and the Pan - hellenic Council, as well as residen - tial advisors, who will then evaluate the program. She said she hopes that, after the initial presentation, PennWatch & will be able to hold presentations in University residences and in frater - nity and sorority houses. She added that, if next semester's program proves successful, she & hopes to have PennWatch give a large presentation during next & year's New Student Orientation & week. PennWatch is working with Vic - tim Support Services, the branch of the University Police Department which provides services to victims of crimes, to develop the program the group will present to students, Grabois said. "[Victim Support Services'] re - sponse has been extremely suppor - tive," Grabois said. "I think Penn Police have encouraged us to go out and reach students." Wharton junior Epstein, who & coordinates the patrol branch of & PennWatch, said the group has con - sidered a number of options to in - crease participation in patrols. He said some type of compensa - tion could be given to participants, although he refrained from saying that volunteers would be paid for their services. He suggested that PennWatch & could establish a contest between Greek houses, who comprise the core of PennWatch, and that the house with the best participation would receive a prize at the end of the year. "The idea of an incentive prog - ram, in my personal opinion, is the way to go," Epstein said. Grabois said she has not heard of similar programs at other schools. "Actually I have never heard of anything like this being tried out," Grabois said, adding that the group is still developing the seminar.

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