Editorial | Men can use 898-WALK

The excuses, at first glance, seem ridiculous:

"I'm a guy, I can take care of myself."

"898-WALK is just for girls."

"Everyone will make fun of me."

But as irrational as these excuses might sound, most security guards and Penn safety officials acknowledge that far fewer men utilize the walking service at night. With the weather getting warmer, crime is likely to go up, making it necessary for students to take all of the safety precautions that they can.

Along with better lighting and increased police presence, the walking escort service is among the programs that have been proven most effective. Students can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week and ask for someone to make sure they get to where they're going safely.

The 898-WALK program is not just for female students. In fact, male students walking alone at night have often been the victims of face-to-face crime this year at Penn, proving that men who think they don't need to take extra steps to stay safe are misguided.

However, if the problem is purely perception, Penn's Division of Public Safety and other related student groups need to do a better job of getting the word out that staying safe has nothing to do with gender.

DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan said that they are aware of the stigma surrounding male use of the walking service, and added that DPS is reaching out to student groups for feedback on how to fix it.

If men continue to refuse to use the service, though, DPS may need to rethink the security options it offers to students. While it's unfortunate that outdated notions of masculinity are precluding the use of a great program, DPS should be realistic about the situation.

But we hope it doesn't come to that. Men of Penn, if you want to be part of the solution, instead of the problem, use 898-WALK.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.