U. back in talks with Stalag 2000 promoters

Hundreds supported the new night club; officials denied talks ever stopped. Days after several sources said that negotiations had broken down between the University and music promoters seeking to open a late-night club near campus, officials on both sides say talks are on. Stalag 2000 co-owner Sean Agnew said last night that the University has contacted him about returning to the bargaining table to find a suitable location, after several days of intense student outcry over the issue. But several top Penn administrators -- including University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi -- insisted yesterday that negotiations were never cut off, contradicting Agnew and previous statements made by Penn officials. "We were the most surprised to read in the DP that negotiations had broken down," Rodin said. "It was very much in process and that's why we were so surprised to see the assertion that it had reached a conclusion." Agnew attributed what he called Penn's apparent change of heart to the strong efforts of Penn students, student leaders and indie rock music fans who wrote more than 1,400 e-mail testimonials in support of the club, organized a petition on Locust Walk today and plastered the campus with signs in support of Stalag 2000. "All those factors, at least I think, helped [administrators] to reconsider," Agnew said. And despite comments by Penn officials yesterday, Agnew insisted he was told that negotiations had indeed fallen through. He said he was initially involved in discussions this summer with Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official, and that they had settled on a facility at 18 N. 40th Street, currently leased by the University for storage. The University was at first willing to allow Stalag 2000 to open by the end of this month for a five-month trial period, at the end of which the University would turn over its lease on the building, Agnew said. But early last week, the University suddenly ended negotiations, Agnew said. "The agreement was actually sent to my house? and then all of a sudden they just said 'sorry,'" he explained. He also said that the reason behind the University's decision to halt the Stalag 2000 project was a concern that it might bring rowdy crowds and criminals to the edge of campus and become a liability for the University. "It was just that they were scared it was going to bring a criminal element," Agnew said. But Lussenhop said the actual reasons behind the breakdown in negotiations was the poor quality of the 40th Street storage facility. Lussenhop cited proximity to student residences, concerns with the structure and issues with the neighborhood surrounding the storage facility as the reasons behind the halt in talks. "Nightclubs next to single-family houses may not be the greatest thing in the world," Lussenhop said. According to Lussenhop, several new locations are currently under consideration. "I think we'll find a home for Stalag 2000 in University City," he said. "There are a handful of sites we're now considering, some controlled by Penn, some not." Lussenhop said the nightclub could open in a matter of weeks. On Tuesday, both the Undergraduate Assembly and the Social Planning and Events Committee officially threw their support toward the would-be owners of Stalag 2000 in written statements citing the need for non-alcoholic late-night programming. Students rallied behind the promoters of Stalag 2000 yesterday and circulated petitions sponsored by the UA and SPEC on Locust Walk. "[I'm signing the petition] because I think more social options is always important," College sophomore Nolan Townsend said. "There aren't really that many options I think." Daily Pennsylvanian staff writer Eric Tucker contributed to this article.