UA criticizes U. over vending ordinance

Numerous groups have accused Penn officials of reneging on agreements. The Undergraduate Assembly added its voice of protest Sunday night to an already-robust chorus of dissatisfaction aimed at the University's actions in trying to curb vending on and around campus. A variety of constituencies representing students, faculty members and vendors have sharply criticized both the vending ordinance submitted to City Council Thursday by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and the University's role in developing that proposal. The controversy over the vending ordinance began last May when Penn sent Blackwell its initial ordinance proposal. The two other groups involved in the conflict, the Penn Consumer Alliance and the University City Vendors Alliance, have sought to make the ordinance less restrictive. Although the groups have been talking with Penn and Blackwell since last spring, members of the PCA and the UCVA say the final version of the ordinance still reflected a failure on the part of the administration to consult both vendors and their patrons. The UA decided to take action after last Monday's meeting between Blackwell, University administrators and members of the PCA and the UCVA. Members of the two groups claim that compromises reached at that meeting were not included in the final ordinance. Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official, declined to comment on the UA's resolution, saying he had not yet seen it. Last week, Shannon stressed that the University made "significant compromises" in its ordinance proposal, adding that "the revised bill reflects movement on both sides to a middle ground." Also, Blackwell said last week that the interests of the various parties were equally represented in the ordinance. Yesterday, PCA member Jason Eisner said a number of issues were tabled at last Monday's meeting after Blackwell insisted that the administration consult and negotiate these unresolved issues with their constituents before drafting a new ordinance. Eisner added that the issues were not resolved before the University sent its final proposal for the ordinance to Blackwell Wednesday. In response to what the body labeled another example of the administration's "long history of ignoring student input," the UA passed a resolution by a vote of 16-2 Sunday night encouraging Blackwell to withdraw the ordinance. One member abstained from the vote. "The UA opposes the ordinance that has been submitted to City Council and strongly encourages the Councilwoman to withdraw the ordinance from consideration immediately," the resolution states. The assembly debated whether to include a clause insisting that the administration publically apologize to the UA, but eventually voted against it. The body did, however, "insist that the University Administration publically apologize to the Councilwoman for its failure to keep its promises." The UA also asked Penn to enter into "good faith, public negotiations with all legitimate stakeholders to create vending regulation that is reasonable and meets the needs of all concerned constituencies." "Consultation was mandated by Jannie Blackwell," UA Chairperson Noah Bilenker said. "But they just lied about it." According to Eisner, an Engineering graduate student, the administration avoided repeated phone calls from the PCA and UCVA. "It really does feel like dirty tricks to me," Eisner said. "Blackwell said they had to negotiate. Instead, they made a few changes, stalled for a few days and then sent the ordinance to [Blackwell] without allowing us to see it first." Bilenker said he was disappointed with the ordinance presented to City Council, as it provided few vending spots on Walnut and Spruce streets, which, he said, all the constituency groups had favored. UA member Alan Danzig, the UA's delegate to Monday's meeting at City Hall, said he was disappointed with the outcome of the negotiations but he felt the UA's request for a public apology to Blackwell was a bit overboard. "I think it's a bit strong to ask for an apology, but [the administration] was just not fair about the whole situation," said Danzig, a Wharton senior. UCVA spokesperson Scott Goldstein, however, lauded the UA's proactive stance on the issue. "Bravo for the students fighting for their rights," Goldstein said.