S tudents were reminded once again last week of the dangers of sexual assault. Last Thursday, at a Chi Omega crush party downtown, a student was sexually assaulted. And earlier this year, in January, someone else was sexually assaulted near the corner of 36th Street and Locust Walk.
While the assaults surely don't represent an overwhelming trend, they do serve as a reminder to Penn students. With Spring Fling beginning this weekend and the weather finally getting warmer, students will be going out in large numbers -- and alcohol consumption will quickly follow for many.
And there's no problem with that. But while we by no means wish to inspire fear in students, we hope to avoid future incidents by encouraging students to stick by a simple motto this weekend: Be careful.
With these incidents fresh in students' memories, simple vigilance can avoid trouble. More importantly, students shouldn't just be watching out for themselves -- they should be looking out for the well-being of their friends as well.
The victim of last Thursday's assault was lucky enough to escape; others may not be so lucky. Keeping tabs on your friends can go a long way toward preventing harm.
So when you're Flinging it up this weekend, keep tabs on your buddies -- and don't let drunk friends wander off by themselves. If you really need help, grab one of the FlingSafe volunteers because that's what they're there for.
Don't let your Fling get ruined. Just be careful.
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