Campus Text hopes to stay in current spot

and Ian Rosenblum Until the University says otherwise, Campus Text Inc. is staying put --Eeven though Penn will soon have the legal right to force the company's trucks to leave the area. Campus Text co-owner Michael Saewitz said the discount textbook company will "in all probability" ask the University for permission to continue operating under the 38th Street footbridge after completing its January sales, at which time Penn will be able to make the trucks leave the location. "I don't see a need to aggressively pursue this at this point," he said. "I imagine our lawyers will send a letter to the University after the January sales period." The University gained the right to determine whether the company can remain at its current location in June as part of an agreement settling a legal battle between the two sides. In a lawsuit filed in September 1996, Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Campus Text accused the University and University Police officers of harassing its employees while they were distributing promotional material on Locust Walk. The two sides reached an agreement nine months later -- after Campus Text's owners had spent $25,000 in legal fees. Although many aspects of the settlement have not been disclosed, Campus Text officials said earlier in the semester that the agreement gives the University the right to decide if the company will remain at its current location near The Book Store and specifies where on Locust Walk Campus Text employees can distribute flyers. Associate General Counsel Robert Terrell said the University hasn't decided yet if it will allow Campus Text to remain at its current location. He added that officials will only make the decision "if and when we get a request" from the company requesting that it be allowed to remain at its current spot. Another factor in determining Campus Text's future location will be the outcome of the recently proposed vending ordinance. If passed by the Philadelphia City Council, the bill would limit the number of on-campus vendors and specify where exactly they can operate. The Book Store is operated by Barnes and Noble College Bookstores Inc. under an agreement with the University and is scheduled to move next fall to a site under construction in Sansom Common at 36th and Walnut streets.

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