As its last official act, the 1998-1999 Undergraduate Assembly released the results of its security survey in late April, finding that while the large majority of students are satisfied with the level of security on campus, a smaller number of students are satisfied with off-campus security. The survey -- which was developed prior to the November 8 attack on a female sophomore in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall -- asked students to rate their personal safety both on- and off-campus and to evaluate the performance of SpectaGuard security guards, Penn Shuttle and PennWalk. The survey indicated that 82 percent of students are satisfied with the level of security on campus. Over 70 percent of students polled live on campus and gave their on-campus personal safety a rating of 4.04, with 5 being the highest rating possible. Off-campus areas received a rating of 3.09 for personal safety and 49 percent of students said they were satisfied with the security level off-campus. The survey -- which was conducted jointly by the UA and SpectaGuard -- had a 71 percent response rate, which UA Chairperson Michael Silver attributes to student reaction to the November 8 attack. Silver called the survey -- which was conducted while the UA passed its two resolutions urging the University to install extra lighting on-campus, display PennCards in University buildings after 10 p.m. and keep the first floor of Van Pelt Library open 24 hours -- "proactive." "Our input can help [SpectaGuard] when they assess their performance," Silver said. "It makes sense to do [a survey] like this every year to evaluate them." The survey and the UA's safety resolutions are only part of the UA's safety initiatives -- the group is considering distributing "safety cards" with emergency phone numbers to freshmen in the fall as well as conducting safety presentations in the University's 12 college houses. Students suggested several areas where they would like to see additional security provisions, including 40th Street, Baltimore Avenue and Spruce Street. Students also evaluated Penn Shuttle and PennWalk. While 63 percent of students surveyed use Penn Shuttle, students complained that drivers were rude and unprofessional and asked for a quicker response time. "I'm not surprised by the Penn Shuttle results, [such as students] saying that the drivers are rude," Silver said. "We've been hearing that for a long time." Only 17 percent of surveyed students said they used PennWalk. Most students said they were unaware that any outside security officer could be asked to provide an escort. While PennWalk received a favorable rating -- 3.45 out of a possible 5 -- students suggested that the service advertise more, extend hours, add more officers and quicken its response time.
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