Hackney meeting pols on scholar suit

President Sheldon Hackney is scheduled to meet privately with City Council representatives and state legislators today to discuss the controversy surrounding the Mayor's Scholarship program. Hackney said last night that the he and the lawmakers will "discuss the whole range of issues" relating to the program, but declined to specify which lawmakers would be attending this afternoon's meeting. "It's rather straight forward -- PILCOP has been talking to [lawmakers] and giving their version, and we are simply seeking to set the record straight," Hackney said. PILCOP, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, filed suit in Common Pleas Court last month charging that the administration has not complied with a 1977 city ordinance which requires the University to provide scholarships to needy Philadelphia high school students. "We're there to answer their questions," Hackney added. "They have been given an erroneous view and misinformation." State Rep. James Roebuck (D-Phila.), who represents much of the area west of the University's campus, said last night that he had been invited to the meeting and planned to attend. Roebuck said that the meeting pertains to the Mayor's Scholarship program, but said he was not aware of the specific agenda. "I'm very interested, since it affects my district and my neighborhood," Roebuck said. "I suspect that we will get information about the scholarships." Hackney also said that lawmakers will be provided with "all the information they want" at the meeting. The University began the scholarship program to comply with a series of agreements with the city that date back to the 19th century. In exchange for the scholarships, the University received nearly 47 acres of land where the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Quadrangle now stand. PILCOP has alleged that the University is required to give out 125 new four-year scholarships annually, for a total of 500 at any given time. The University believes they should provide 125 scholarships total at one time.

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