LETTER: Paying the Tab

Most Penn students have been vocal in denouncing Governor Robert Casey's decision to deny the University state funding. They argue that, as a result, tuition will skyrocket, need-blind admissions will be scrapped, the Vet School will perish and the University will lose many of its services. Maybe these claims are true and maybe they're not. But none of that matters, because they overlook one small, unpleasant detail: we've been getting this stuff for free, and this shouldn't be. You want low tuition? So do I. But why should a coal miner in Western Pennsylvania subsidize our education? You think Penn should fund a varsity fencing team? That would be nice. As a matter of fact, lots of things would be nice. Myself, I'd sure like an underground tunnel between 38th and 40th streets. Sometimes I forget to bundle up before walking through Superblock, and I get sort of chilly. Maybe Pennsylvania should pay for my tunnel, too. If the things that we're in danger of losing are important -- and most of them are -- then we should find a way to pay for them ourselves. Let's not forget that for every dollar the state grants us, it is at the same time taking away an equal amount from taxpayers who don't go to Penn, don't care about Penn and probably don't even know the difference between us and Penn State. They'd probably all rather spend their hard-earned money on braces for their kid, and I can't say that I blame them. Stop whining about all the stuff we're going to lose if Casey's proposal passes. I'm offended by those students who demand that the taxpayers -- many of whom probably never even dreamed of attending college -- pick up the tab for their elite Ivy League education. LEE KESSLER College '92

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