Admins. irked by stand

A newsstand in front of Bennett Hall remains, even without a license. Although city officials -- responding to a University request -- revoked the licenses for a newsstand at the corner of 34th and Walnut streets earlier this month, the boarded-up stand remains in front of Bennett Hall. Officials from the Philadelphia Bureau of Licenses and Inspections suspended Jatendra Dalwadi's newsstand permits because he had failed to receive an ordinance from City Council to use electricity in the stand, L & I spokesperson Thomas McNally said yesterday. University administrators have requested that city officials remove the newsstand, according to Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman. "There were some mistakes made when the city granted the permits," Scheman said. "We're asking that it be removed, given that it's unsafe and an eyesore." Last month, University officials decided to tow another newsstand owned by Dalwadi from the southwest corner of 34th and Walnut streets. University Police removed the stand -- the sixth such vendor station in a two-block area -- at the University's request. Scheman said University administrators would allow a "reasonable amount of time" before taking action to remove the stand in front of Bennett Hall. "We're counting on the city doing the right thing," she added. But McNally said he does not expect that the city will take action to remove the stand. "It's Mr. Dalwadi's newsstand," he said. "The city is not in the business of seizing property." The newsstand's continued presence poses legal questions as well, according to Associate General Counsel Roman Petyk. "If the city has withdrawn its permit, then the city should require that [Dalwadi] remove the newsstand," Petyk said. "He obviously doesn't have a right to be there." Dalwadi refused to comment on the status of his newsstand. University officials are also appealing the city's Streets Department to revoke the permit issued for the towed newsstand. Administrators will continue to pursue approval of a vending ordinance to regulate vending in the University City area, Scheman said. She added that newsstands are a "separate issue" from the vending ordinance that University administrators and City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell have been discussing. The ordinance will aim to regulate and control vending in the area. "The vending situation isn't getting any better," Scheman said. "The question is, do the members of City Council have an appetite for dealing with this many issues from us at one time?" And she added that efforts to remove the stand in front of Bennett Hall represent "uncharted territory." "The University has not aggressively dealt with these issues before," she said. "This is not a test case because this was such an irrational situation." Administrators explained that the newsstand presents a safety hazard to students and pedestrians crossing to the west side of 34th Street, and Executive Vice President John Fry called area newsstands "trashy" last month. The issue involves whether the University or the city retains the right to determine who may use campus streets and sidewalks. McNally explained that the process for securing permits to set up stands is "very easy." "We try to make it as simple or as quick a process as our workload will allow," he said.