LETTERS: Vendors should stay on campus

To the Editor: This past summer, the University, with help from City Councilperson Jannie Blackwell, tried to pass an unethical ordinance that would have required the vendors to move from areas close to the heart of campus. This move would have forced the Penn community to patronize the newer and more expensive restaurants, instead of the cheaper food trucks, solely because of proximity. The vendors would have been too far away to pose a threat. Administrators and city officials tried to take advantage of the summer break, a time when only a minority of the students and faculty were able to voice their disapproval. Justice prevailed, as the vendors, faculty, students and concerned citizens in the area were able to stop the passage of the ordinance. In the wake of its embarrassment, the University tried to save face by communicating with the vendors directly, and devising an acceptable plan. They will construct areas that will allow for safer and cleaner eating environments. As long as Penn adheres to its proposed plans, all parties involved should benefit. The problem I have, though, is with the classist, ignorant and unsympathetic attitudes being spewed throughout our community by the administration and students alike. I understand why people have expressed a desire for a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing campus. Some say the food trucks are "eyesores." They are entitled to their opinions because they are just those -- opinions. Cleaner-looking trucks would surely be an asset to the vendors because consumers would in turn feel safer buying food under seemingly safer conditions. The sad truth, though, is that most of the vendors cannot afford better-looking trucks for your viewing pleasure. However, with the proposed plans, a few changes could help alleviate the "eyesore" concern. Gas-powered motors will be replaced with electrical lines, and a system for waste disposal will be provided. Hopefully, part of your reasoning for coming to Penn was because it is located in an urban center filled with culture, education, variety and excitement. Do you want a Cornell or Dartmouth in the middle of West Philadelphia? I am sorry if you came here looking for rolling hills only to find Billybob's. The most important point I'd like to make is that VENDORS ARE HUMAN BEINGS! The term, "food truck" is not even a proper noun. It does not imply the names of the vendors whose occupations and livelihoods depend on us. It is very easy to pass judgment on the vendors, with whom you feel no association, because you do not know them as mothers and fathers. Most of the food trucks are family -owned and -operated. Selling food to West Philadelphia and the Penn community in particular enables them to feed themselves and their children, pay their bills, afford shelter and take care of any other cost of living. When you think it is easy to move truck A into slot B, and cart C into slot D, keep in mind that only about 60 percent of the vendors will have guaranteed spots in the fresh air food plazas. If you fail to understand, or even to recognize, the plight of the vendors and their families, either you are in denial of being human or you are not human at all. Most of us are guests in Philadelphia, coming from around the country and the world. When guests stay with you, do you let them take control of your household and impose new rules? The vendors are residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. They are part of the community around us. To deny them their rights and our considerations is to deny Penn the city in which it lies. Paras Shah College '99 Pick up your litter! To the Editor: Hear, hear to Legal Studies Professor Leigh Bauer's comments regarding the litter on campus, particularly on College Green ("Don't leave litter on College Green," DP, 9/24/97). Several years ago my niece visited Penn on her pre-college tour. It was a beautiful spring day, and the campus could have looked very inviting. However, College Green was covered with so much litter it was hard to see the green grass. I was embarrassed. Worse, my sister and niece commented it had a negative impact on their impression of Penn. My niece chose to attend Brown instead. Penn is a moderately urban campus that has received unwanted publicity recently regarding campus crime. Litter emphasizes the urban environment and will be consistent with a high crime area in the minds of many visitors. It spoils the views for those of us who work here daily. Therefore, it is an issue that deserves our attention. The administration can help by adding more well-placed trash receptacles; I have walked long distances on campus with a candy wrapper in my pocket because there were no trash cans. But the ultimate responsibility belongs to the individual. I put the trash in my pocket rather than on the ground. Joan Mollman Neurology Professor