Mritika Senthil | We are to blame for Penn’s security concerns

“Shut the f**k up. You are so pick-me, complaining and screaming racism at every corner possible. Even your name is horrid.”  

“If you’re ever a victim of a crime, I don’t want to hear about it.”  

My use of profanity in this column’s opening isn’t to elicit clicks from potential readers. To be frank, I’m sure that my introduction actually rings a bell for at least some of you. After all, at the time of writing this piece, almost 700 Penn students had approved of these words.  

These words, almost verbatim, are highly upvoted Sidechat comments critiquing a Daily Pennsylvanian opinion column that argues at face value, “you didn’t ‘earn’ your safety.” The piece addresses student reactions to a PennAlert warning of “SHOTS FIRED” (allegations of gunfire were later denied and the noise was attributed to a vehicle driving over lane delineators). Sidechat’s critiques of the DP, or any Penn-related class, organization, and event for that matter, are not new nor particularly unwarranted. But when have we decided to cross the line from memes about Computer and Information Science and the Penn Marriage Pact to counterproductive, hostile arguments?  

For those unfamiliar with the latest developments in communication, Sidechat is an anonymous messaging platform that most often localizes chats to college campuses. It is almost an escrow account for students, functioning as a safe intermediary to facilitate their uncensored thoughts and concerns. In an institution as stratified as Penn, Sidechat is perhaps the only platform on which we can be heard for our ideas alone. In contrast, more mainstream sites like Reddit offer some level of anonymity. But behind each throwaway username, there exist traces of the account holder in the form of their publicly available posts and comments. And this void is the "raison d'être" for Sidechat’s popularity on Penn’s campus. 

Nonetheless, the software has certainly not deflected from bad press. Just a few years ago, Yik Yak — a similar anonymous messaging app that was acquired by Sidechat in 2023 — was shut down after posts featured threats of gun violence, sexual harassment, and discriminatory language. 

This isn’t to say that hostile discourse doesn’t occur on more mainstream sites. On any of the DP’s social media platforms, you’re bound to find students, in addition to their parents and alumni, who regularly rail ad hominem attacks against reporters in the comments section. However, Sidechat is considered top-shelf for Penn’s most notorious gossips. 

Of course, the concerns of Penn’s Sidechat users are not unfounded; We have a vested interest in preventing violence. Far too often, Philadelphia has consistently ranked among the country’s most crime-ridden cities, with West Philadelphia frequently making headlines for cases of aggravated assault, burglary, and rape. Yet, many of our official, offline discussions address the dangers past 40th Street when the more urgent concern is what happens within our own campus boundaries. And under the guise of fearing that their safety is compromised, Penn students encourage incendiary attacks that are in direct opposition to ensuring a sense of security.  

Most nonfatal violent crimes, including those that are politically motivated, involve a perpetrator known to or at least acquainted with the victim. Therefore, when you anonymously display your unfiltered aggression against fellow students, we cannot help but view each other as potential perpetrators. 

I realize that by attending an urban institution, we are quite literally a part of the Philadelphia community. Public streets and transit lines run through campus while even our foliage is part of a broader initiative to reduce stormwater runoff. Can we really fear one another when outsiders also populate student spaces? 

Third-party individuals are fundamental to our integration with the broader Philadelphia community. This integration is, in part, driven by the fact that Locust Walk as well as various campus facilities are open to the public. Yet, most academic spaces are privatized. Even non-student staff members of Penn’s integrated research centers are sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. To put it simply, nearly everyone on campus — whether a student or a salaried employee — is eligible for a Penn-affiliated Sidechat profile. The possibility of bad actors lurking amidst our lecture halls and dorms is very real. These possible offenders are not Philadelphia’s homeless and addicts, but our classmates, hallmates, and teaching assistants.  

I realize that for now, Sidechat is here to stay, and anonymous users are beyond public reproach. However, one injustice cannot be resolved by perpetuating another. Please do not threaten our collective security for the sake of earning karma points and signaling virtue.

MRITIKA SENTHIL is a sophomore from Columbia, S.C. Her email is mritikas@upenn.edu.