Editor,
When I first came to this campus five years ago, I was delighted to see the little stalls set up outside Popejoy Hall and the SUB selling scarves, dresses, jewelry, incense, wind chimes and all sorts of novelties and trinkets. My favorite soon became the Sunglass Guy, who sold cheap sunglasses - 3 pairs for $10 - to us green Easterners who were unprepared for the high desert glare. Later in the season, he offered cheap hats, scarves and gloves to those of us learning how painful the dry cold could be.
When the vendors disappeared as the SUB renovation began, it was understandable - the construction tended to sprawl, and redirecting foot traffic would have been impossible with all those little tented stalls to negotiate. But long after the SUB reopened, I was disappointed that the vendors did not return as well. Something was definitely missing, and I think it was the sense of youthfulness, fun, and adventure those vendors provided, as opposed to the stodginess of the academic and administrative areas.
Corporate sponsors and business partnerships have their advantages to be sure - uniformity of product and safety, and lower costs for the University - but ultimately they are merely hawking their wares as well. Unfortunately, they have also homogenized the campus landscape and offered little in the way of real choice - only officially sanctioned options.
I urge the powers that be to reconsider the vendor issue. With strict enforcement of guidelines and paid permits, what harm could it bring to have these colorful stalls greet passersby as they enter the campus? If anything, they entice people to explore further, to stop and take a moment to consider their surroundings - and they might even direct traffic into the SUB and increase the profit there.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Glinda Wyndorf
UNM staff
