LETTERS: Treated unfairly at Penn Tower

To the Editor: However, the staff seemed to experience this event as an entertaining spectacle and proceeded to gawk and stare the entire evening, behaving most unprofessionally. They seemed to have adopted a "hands-off" approach to customer service, spending most of their time in the kitchen away from the guests. In spite of the rude treatment, the youth enjoyed themselves. But we then experienced further conflict when we attempted to leave the Penn Tower garage. The night manager would not honor our previous agreement for discounted parking, nor would he phone his colleague with whom we had initially contracted. We pleaded with the manager to understand that these were teens with limited income and that we had made this arrangement prior to the event (this was confirmed the following business day). The manager treated the youths and adults in a de-humanizing, condescending manner and refused to assist us. I was embarrassed to be associated with Penn at that moment and could not believe the kind of treatment that our multiracial, multigenerational group experienced. When one of our members challenged the staff member on his homophobia, another staff member came to his assistance and basically told us that "you people always say that." Come on! I was not the only alumnus at the event and the high school students in attendance did not come away with a favorable image of my alma mater. I ask that you print this so that others will be aware that the Penn Tower has a lot of work to do and that the University will only suffer if this type of maltreatment is allowed to continue. Daren Wade College '88 Social Work '94 An illegal 'tradition' To the Editor: I know that it must be hard to gather enough material for The Summer Pennsylvanian, but Randi Rothberg's column ("Party-financing plan hurts tradition," SP, 6/5/97) was stooping pretty low, even for the DP. Way to say nothing at all, Randi. Next time try including some correct information in what you write, like the fact that there is no "law forbidding fraternity brothers from charging admission to their parties." They are called zoning laws and they exist everywhere. There is a difference between residential and commercial zoning: you can't conduct commercial activities in a residential zone. Those parties are essentially re-selling beer (against the University's "bring-your-own beer" policy and the state drinking age) as any bar does, but the bar has to be in a commercial zone (and must have permits to sell it). So, why exactly should the University continue to condone such flouting of laws? To uphold tradition? Forget it. Alex Kuhner College '98