Lead by example

To the Editor:

Cezary Podkul's column ("Landlords ignore tenants' rights," DP, 3/29/06) brings to light the negligence of off-campus housing companies.

As a landlord for thousands of students, the University should lead by example -- but it does not. In my Penn-owned fraternity house, for instance, the stairwells are made entirely of wood and fail to meet fire-safety regulations. Rather than install new metal stairs to insure the safety of residents, the University has put the burden on our fraternity to come up with the funds for necessary improvements.

This scenario and others like it play out across campus; one often hears stories of students without heat or hot water in the high rises and elsewhere. When Penn becomes a responsible landlord on its own, local corporations may follow suit.

Scott Kahn

College sophomore

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