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NEWS
| October 7, 2003
Police
Unauthorized vendors forced off campus
The incident involves 2 men claiming
to represent Citibank, and who were not properly authorized to conduct
business on campus.
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| The Shorthorn: Brandon Wade |
| UTA police officers Shahab Lawrence,
left, and Clay Cox ask Justin Kaiser to leave the campus
Friday afternoon on the University Center mall after he
and a friend were found soliciting Citibank credit card
applications. |
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By Christian
Ragunton
The Shorthorn staff
An unauthorized credit card vendor was asked to leave campus Friday
afternoon after university officials were informed of the solicitation.
Cody Hall and Justin Kaiser, the two men running the tables, told
officials they were subcontractors working for Citibank. The two
said they received permission from the university to set up their
tables on campus.
The vendors, set up in front of Carlisle Hall on the University
Center mall, were giving phone cards, FM radios, electronic organizers
and T-shirts to students who filled out credit card applications.
“We’re just out here to promote Citibank,” Hall
said. “We’ll be out here until it dies down with the
kids.”
But about an hour later, officials — accompanied by two university
police officers — approached the unlicensed vendors after
witnesses notified police.
The men were asked to leave after they could not provide authorization
to conduct business on campus. Carter Bedford, Student Governance
assistant director, said the vendors had papers indicating they
represented Citibank but lacked campus approval forms.
A Citibank spokesperson hasn’t returned repeated telephone
calls since last Thursday.
The incident happened the same week a student reported receiving
a bill for a credit card from the company that he says he did not
authorize or activate. The student said he had filled out an application
distributed by a Citibank representative earlier this semester but
did not receive a card.
Reports to campus police indicate other incidents of suspected identity
theft related to credit cards.
According to UT System Board of Regents regulations, vendors are
allowed on campus twice a year. Bedford said registered vendors
are permitted to come on campus during the Activities Fair each
semester.
“In any other instance, vendors have to get permission from
Student Governance,” he said. “We most likely turn them
down.”
Officials said Citibank vendors have been caught on campus twice
in the past week — Thursday and Friday afternoons —
but officials are unsure if the individuals operating as company
vendors were the same in both instances.
When a vendor is caught soliciting on campus more than once, police
officers issue a criminal trespassing warrant, Bedford said.
Because the campus is accessible to the public, university officials
aren’t able to efficiently monitor the area for unauthorized
vendors, said Jamie Williams, Student Governance associate director.
“There aren’t any fences on campus,” she said.
“We just have to rely on students and faculty to notify the
department of any solicitation on campus.”
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