LETTERS: Wednesday, November 3, 1999

Stores for studentsStores for studentsTo the Editor: While it may be nice to have a bunch of five-star restaurants on campus, many students cannot afford to eat in them. And although Steve Madden shoes might be great, how essential is a brand-name shoe store on a college campus? What this university really needs are retail establishments that cater to the entire student population, like a CD store, a cheap grocery store or a new Burger King. While attracting outsiders to campus from West Philadelphia is important, attending to students needs to be Penn's top priority. Judd Flesch College '01 Safety, then awareness To the Editor: Andrew Exum contends that Penn students need a "dose of reality." I challenge Exum to spend an evening on my Baltimore Avenue front porch, to walk with me to 49th Street, to bike to Thriftway and then to tell me that we need more reality. I am confronted with prostitutes and homeless men begging for change on a regular basis. I recently bought a new bike and had to spend $50 on locks to prevent its theft on the crime-heavy Penn campus. Does Andrew Exum really believe that bringing more West Philadelphia residents to campus will remedy and not exacerbate these problems? The same day Exum's column appeared, a front-page story reported three armed robberies west of campus. Student fear of West Philly can only be ended by increasing safety and allowing students to explore what this community has to offer without the fear of robbery and assault. West Philadelphia shows us how the other half lives, for better or for worse. But we need not bring their problems upon ourselves to learn from them and to help them. Michael Hartman College '02