LETTERS: Survey not only source of info

To the Editor: But I also agree that knowledge, especially foreknowledge, is truly a master key to making sure off-campus students' needs are met. What your article ("Student survey to rate landlords," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 11/18/98) does not mention is that the University has an Office of Off-Campus Living which assists students, faculty and staff at all stages of their off-campus living experience. Information about tenants' rights and responsibilities, leases and security deposits and steps in looking for off-campus housing are available in the office and online at http://www.upenn.edu/oclhousing. We also have an interactive database of apartments and houses available for rent in University City and other areas of the city. Opportunities for share, sublets and roommate searches are other available options through the OCL database. Our varied resources on off-campus living are available for the entire Penn community and for the community at large. In the past year alone, 4,378 people used our services in person and 20,752 accessed us through the Internet. We also mail out hundreds of packages of off-campus living information to schools and individuals and 765 people, most of them students, used our office for counseling in matters related to off-campus living. Yes, information is the key, and people should know about the resources that already exist at the University. We can do more and we can do better. The landlord survey and the involvement of students as educated consumers and advocates for tenants' rights are certainly ways to go about making the off-campus living experience a rewarding one. Mihaela Farcas Director, Office of Off-Campus Living Library accessibility To the Editor: As Michelle Weinberg notes in her letter to the DP ("Library not accessible," 11/16/98), Van Pelt Library has an entry gate that is designed according to the specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the Rosengarten entrance on the ground floor is an accessible entrance, some persons with disabilities are able and choose to use the front steps to enter the library via the main entrance. The gate there accommodates people who use a walking stick or who for other reasons would find the turnstiles difficult or impossible to use. When entering or exiting the library via the Rosengarten entrance, persons with disabilities use a wide path to the side of the turnstiles. The turnstiles are intended for other patrons using the library when the main entrance is closed. During the recent renovations to Van Pelt, the University reviewed the possibility of adding a ramp to the front entrance, but the cost was prohibitive. When money can be raised, we plan to redesign the Rosengarten entrance. In the meantime, we continue to look for ways to improve the accessibility of the library. Consequently, work is currently underway to improve the automatic door opening mechanisms in Rosengarten and to add a card swipe for persons who must routinely use the accessible entrance. Paul Mosher Vice Provost and Director of Libraries