LETTERS: Trained to help the homeless

To the Editor: In fact, each of our Safety Ambassadors receives extensive training in homeless and panhandling issues. The training, both in the classroom and on the street, addressses the causes of homelessness, the nature and location of services and shelter available to assist this population, how to deal with persons who are homeless, the need for compassion and other important aspects of this troublesome and tragic reality. The training is provided by My Brother's House, the Center City District and University City-based Horizon House. Since the Safety Ambassadors were first deployed last fall, they have had dozens of significant interactions with homeless persons. In many cases, homeless individuals have been connected successfully to appropriate services and shelter. We have enjoyed close cooperation on this and many other issues with both Philadelphia and Penn police. We recognize that more needs to be done, and will continue to look for more and better ways to improve our capacity to deal with the homeless situation in University City. Paul Steinke UCD Executive Director Filling 3401 Walnut To the Editor: As indicated in the March 6 editorial "Fill retail space at 3401 Walnut," there are several vacant stores at 3401 Walnut Street. While the editorial gives the impression that Penn was caught unaware of this, I would like to point out that all these vacancies were expected, and they will be filled shortly. In some cases of recent vacancies, tenants had leases which they chose not to renew for internal business reasons. For the remainder, the tenants' terms expired, leaving us with the option to re-lease the space to new tenants offering a fresh mix of food options in our community. Retailing is a constantly changing and volatile business. University City Associates, as property manager, is accordingly in the market constantly for new concepts and new tenants and has several options for all the vacancies. In the food court, the leading concepts at this point are a new cajun food outlet, as well as a fresh salad bar. The Walnut Street vacancies offer opportunities for us to accommodate displaced retailers from the shops at 38th and Walnut. With the new set of tenants settled into 3401 Walnut, this will continue to be a vibrant gathering place for our students, faculty and staff. Tom Lussenhop Managing Director for Institutional Real Estate New phones operational To the Editor: I would like the university community to be aware of the inaccuracies reported in the March 6 article about the newly-installed cellular blue-light phones. The phones are being tested as part of the normal installation process. The "glitches" the article refers to do not apply to these phones and never have. The phones referred to in the article are all operational, are functioning as they should and are ready for use. Regarding the comment about neighborhood approval of the phones targeted for off-campus locations, it implies that such support presently exists. While it is the University's desire that agreement on the relevant issues can and will be reached, such approval does not yet exist. So, as discussions with community representatives continue, the planned installations of the new cellular emergency phones will continue at selected on-campus locations. On behalf of Public Safety, I would like to assure all members of our community that our continuing commitment to their safety extends to all aspects of our service, including safety technology. Stratis Skoufalos Director of Security Services The need for regulation To the Editor: Matthew Ruben stated in his guest column ("Statements on vending misleading," DP, 3/6/98) that "members of the University Community deserve accurate information on the vending issue." I couldn't agree more. This, however, is one of the few issues about which the Penn Consumers Alliance and the University are in agreement. While the PCA alleges to present the true implications of the vending ordinance, they have once again provided the community with little more than misinformation which is both incendiary and irresponsible. In light of this, I would like to again stress the key facts of the ordinance which Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has introduced and the University fully supports. The University's position on vending is relatively simple. We believe that vending needs to be regulated to the same safety and health standards as any other businesses operating in the city of Philadelphia. Furthermore, vending is a form of commerce which needs to be managed so that it is consistent with development plans for improving the overall quality of life in University City. While this means that some vendors may be displaced to alternative locations, vending will remain available in convenient locations, such as the proposed food plaza at 34th and Spruce streets; at sidewalk vending locations along the 3700 block of Spruce; and from food trucks sited at 38th and Locust streets, 37th and Walnut streets and 40th and Locust streets. While Ruben disregards the locations of the food plazas in his column, it is precisely these plazas -- to be financed by the University and built on University property -- that have made it possible to maintain vending in convenient locations, while at the same time achieving the public goals of enhanced traffic safety; higher health standards; and improved urban aesthetics. When Center City regulated vending, no such vendor plazas were constructed and a significant amount of the displaced vendors had no where to turn (but to cross the Schuylkill River into University City, thereby creating the unmanaged situation we have today). When you get beyond the rhetoric and zero in on the facts behind this debate, it quickly becomes clear the PCA is resistant to any meaningful regulation of vending in University City. Fundamentally, the University, and many area merchants, disagree with the PCA and University City Vendors Alliance on many issues related to vending. It is now our hope that after hours of conversations, many moderated by Councilwoman Blackwell, City Council will pass the ordinance. Jack Shannon Managing Director of Economic Development Ban tobacco ads To the Editor: As faculty members in the School of Medicine, we enjoy reading the DP to keep current with the rest of the University community. We were shocked to see the January 27 issue in which there was an insert advertising smokeless tobacco This .included a solicitation for free samples and for sweepstakes entry. Since about 80,000 of adult smokers started prior to the age of 21, we are concerned about the primary target for this advertisement. There are many ill-effects of tobacco use. Cigarette smoking causes more than 425,000 U.S. deaths per year. Smoking more than triples the risk of dying from heart and lung disease. Cigarette smoking causes a variety of cancers. Smokeless tobacco increases many of the same risks. For example, there were more than 150,000 deaths from lung cancer alone in this country in 1995. More than 85,000 of lung cancers are tobacco-associated. Lung cancer is one of the easiest cancers to prevent, but one of the most difficult to cure. The tobacco industry acknowledges in the recent historic tobacco accord that tobacco is, in fact, harmful to the health of smokers. Secondhand smoke also harms innocent people. Asthmatic children of smokers and non-smoking spouses of smokers often suffer the consequences of the smoking by worsening of their disease or the development of a smoking related cancer. There are many uncertainties in life. We cannot alter our genetics or many of the environmental factors which cause poor health. It is clear, however, that the personal choice of a lifestyle eliminating known high-risk exposures can minimize the risk for certain high-consequence events. We have the social responsibility not to endorse participation in probably the highest health risk-factor of tobacco use. We strongly encourage the DP and the University of Pennsylvania to ban the advertisement, promotion and glorification of tobacco use. David Rosenthal Radiation Oncology, Randal Weber Otorhinolaryngology; Head and Neck Surgery, Larry Kaiser General Thoracic Surgery