Hackney, lawmakers discuss scholar suit

President Sheldon Hackney and other administrators told several state legislators and City Council members the University's position on the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit in a private meeting Friday, participants said yesterday. "Basically we just talked about the issue of the lawsuit and the University's position," State Representative Jim Roebuck (D-Phila.) said. John Gould, executive director of the President's Office, said last night that he felt the meeting was a good beginning to set the record straight on what the University has done for the community. "Bad allegations travel faster than good news," Gould said. "Our meeting on Friday was the beginning of sitting down with people and saying this is what we've done, here is the record." Gould added that the lawmakers had seen the complaint and heard the plaintiff's side of the story, adding that Hackney wanted to meet with them to explain the University's side. "I think we made a good beginning," he said. "There is a good amount of misinformation out there and we were pleased with the way the meeting went." 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. 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 any one time. Roebuck said that the major focus of the meeting was to explain the University's position on the controversial lawsuit, but after the meeting he said he believes the PILCOP is correct. He added that he is interested in discussing the lawsuit further with the University. "From what I can see, the University is obligated to provide 125 scholarships a year to needy Philadelphians -- for a total of 500," Roebuck added last night. "That would seem to be what the resolution states." State Representative Vincent Hughes (D-Phila.) said last night that he could not attend the meeting as scheduled due to an emergency, but that his initial belief is that if PILCOP's allegations are correct the University will have to "work hard to fix this problem." "If PILCOP's assertions are the way they laid it out, the University is going to have a lot to do," Hughes said. "The University is going to have . . . to correct their failure to implement the program correctly." Hughes said he hoped to receive a full report of the meeting from other lawmakers today. Neither University administrators or local lawmakers would say which goverment officials attended 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.

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