Editorial: U. Doth Protest Too Much

A few days ago, two pieces appeared in the Inquirer reporting on a lawsuit filed against the University by a conglomeration of city and campus groups. The stories contained allegations that the University has not fulfilled its stated and unstated obligations to the wider Philadelphia community. Specifically, the city residents quoted in the stories complained the University is short-changing city kids by not living up to what they believe is an obligation to provide 125 new fully-paid scholarships to Philadelphia high school students entering the University each year. Of course, The Daily Pennsylvanian had been reporting on the issue for weeks. But on Friday, soon after the stories ran in the Inquirer, full-page ads featuring the University's logo appeared in that newspaper and the Daily News offering congratulations to the new mayor and city council members. The ad also featured the names of dozens of University-sponsored or University-sanctioned community outreach groups, including the Mayor's Scholarship Program. While the University itself did not pay for the ads, the administration clearly supports the move. Through the years, the University has had its share of laudatory coverage from the Inquirer and The Daily News (forgetting about Chuck Stone for a second). So why such a big reaction to one little negative story? Could it be that the administration, somewhere in the back of its collective mind, believes that it has shortchanged Philadelphia kids?