To ensure the fair treatment of customers who frequent local businesses, the University this week released a draft set of guidelines on vendor behavior.
The Statement of Principles for University Community Retailers -- currently released for comment from the Penn community -- was drafted in response to an incident at Campus Copy Center last spring where a graduate student alleged that he was the victim of a racially motivated assault by the store's employees. Some students boycotted the store following reports of the incident.
The Statement of Principles, released by the Division of Business Services, calls for vendors to "exhibit responsible behavior, to be responsible for their actions and to respect the rights of others."
The new guidelines for retailers include ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all customers, respecting the health and safety of others and respecting the rights of University community members to express opinions without being threatened.
Vice President for Business Services Leroy Nunery said the statement was triggered by the reactions of Penn students and faculty to last spring's Campus Copy incident.
"There was keen interest on how Penn interacts with vendors and what the rules of engagement are," Nunery said. "The best we can do is keep an eye on how those interactions go and set the tone for future interactions."
In April, Graduate School of Education student Gregory Seaton alleged that he was denied service at the 3907 Walnut St. retailer, and beaten by four Copy Center employees. The store denied his account of the incident, claiming instead that Seaton initiated the skirmish.
University Police, after investigating the incident, concluded there was no basis for criminal charges against the store. Campus Copy officials signed an agreement saying that they would provide sensitivity training for all employees and will ensure fair treatment of customers in the future.
Student groups including UMOJA and the Black Student League staged protests outside Campus Copy Center after the incident and attempted to launch a University-wide boycott of the retailer.
Seaton filed a discrimination lawsuit against Penn and Campus Copy Center two weeks after the incident occurred, claiming that he was a victim of civil rights violations as well as assault and battery.
Although Campus Copy Center does not rent space from Penn, University President Judith Rodin said that she believes the guidelines should apply to all local retailers.
"We very much felt in response to the community's concern that there ought to be a more articulated set of policies and recommendations, not only for those who rent space from us but for those who serve our community," Rodin said.
"Articulating expectations is a much better way of avoiding confrontation than to leave expectations unspoken," she added.
Nunery said that the University is not attempting to enforce regulations on vendor responsibility, but rather to set the framework for further discussion on the subject.
"You can't legislate individual action," Nunery said. "What we can do is make it clear that we expect that there will be the highest level of respect."
While the guidelines are mainly aimed at vendors, Nunery expressed concern about the way that students and faculty treat retailers.
"Sometimes, there is a greater expectation of the vendors than there is of us," Nunery said. "I'm more concerned about the way consumers are dealing with businesses here locally."
The statement of principles says that in addition to holding local vendors to high expectations, the University expects all community members to "treat Penn's businesses and retail partners with similar respect and courtesy."
The statement, developed in collaboration with the offices of the president and the provost, will be distributed to all community retailers. The University is accepting comments on the statement until Oct. 31, at which point it will be reviewed and then finalized.
