Editorial: Give the Kids a Break

So why does it appear that the University is violating the spirit, and maybe the letter, of its agreement to provide Mayor's Scholarships for city kids? In essence, the city gave the University the land where the Quadrangle and the Medical School now stand. They did so with the understanding that the University in return would "establish and forever maintain at least 125 four-year full-tuition scholarships, or their equivalent in any of the departments of the University to be awarded annually by the mayor of Philadelphia to deserving students." Putting aside for a second the question of whether or not that means there should be 500 Mayor's Scholars at the University in any given year, the administration still isn't living up to its bargain. Currently, the University is supplying 162 scholarships, which on the average, equal only about 75 percent of full tuition. Furthermore, the University has awarded some of these scholarships to city residents who attended private boarding schools outside of Philadelphia, which seems to go against the spirit of the agreement since financial need is one of the factors the University says it uses in selecting the scholars. A collection of Philadelphia groups, including the Black Student League and the African American Association of Faculty, Staff and Administrators, is suing the University claiming it is not fulfilling the agreement. The University should not have let the issue come down to a suit. It's time for the University to negotiate with the groups involved and even offer to give in on some of their points. Philadelphia high school students deserve no less from the Ivy League university that makes its home in their city.

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