College Prowler Take
On campus, safety comes first and discipline comes much, much later. Students feel that campus police are not very strict and only enforce rules if you make your violation particularly obvious or create an infraction that puts students in danger. The situation with RAs tends to be the same. If you walk into your RA’s room with a bottle of alcohol in your hand, you will most likely get written up, but if you keep it in a room with the door closed, the chances of getting in trouble are very low. The official alcohol policy at Penn says that “in cases of intoxication and/or alcohol poisoning, the primary concern is the health and safety of the individual(s) involved . . . . No student seeking medical treatment for an alcohol or other drug-related overdose will be subject to University discipline . . . . This policy shall extend to another student seeking help for the intoxicated student.”
Fraternities and sororities probably get cited for alcohol violations more than any other group, but while the organization can be placed on probation, specific students are not usually held responsible. Spring Fling is the time when security is the most strict, and all guests are required to register for passes and stay with the person they are visiting at all times. However, even at this time, security tends to be spotty, and often security guards let people they recognize slip by because they are bombarded with more visitors than they can handle. Overall, the school is not strict about many things.
Students Speak Out
Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:
Anonymous says:  |
Penn’s still the party school of...
Penn’s still the party school of the Ivies! The police are pretty lenient about letting students have their parties, unless there are noise complaints or fighting. Then they just disperse the crowd and send everyone home. |
Anonymous says: |
They’re not strict at all about...
They’re not strict at all about drinking. They break up most big parties around 2 a.m., but if they see you drinking on the street, they’ll probably just ask you to pour it out. They’re getting a little stricter about fake IDs at bars. They sometimes scan them, but if you get rejected, 99 percent of the time they don’t actually take the ID away. |
Anonymous says: |
Campus police are not strict at...
Campus police are not strict at all. I guess it depends on your RA freshman year, but most of them are under 21 and in the same boat as you. As long as you don’t get foolishly inebriated on a Tuesday night and pass out and start barfing in the middle of the hall, I’d say that you can get away with just about anything. If you’re of the type who is especially unappreciative of booze and weed, then don’t apply for housing on the Quad or in Hill your freshman year. |
Anonymous says: |
A large percentage of drinking- or...
A large percentage of drinking- or drug-related offenses are handled within the housing system, rather than involving the police. In the end, it seems the policies tend to be a bit lax. |
Anonymous says: |
I’ve never had any problems with...
I’ve never had any problems with the police. I think they’re only really concerned about safety, so as long as you’re not an idiot, you’re fine. |
Facts
What Are You Most Likely to Get Caught Doing on Campus?
- Smoking pot or cigarettes in the dorms
- Trying to sneak into a dining hall without your Penn Card or taking food from a dining market without paying
- Leaving garbage in the hallway of your dorm
- Making too much noise during "Quiet Hours"
- Downloading copyrighted materials and plagiarism
- Running a red-light
- Parking violations
- Underage drinking
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