U. replies to plaintiffs' suit

The University put forth its first concrete explanation of its position in the Mayor's Scholarship suit last week in a 68-page answer to the complaints filed against it last October. In the explanation, the University states that it has lived up to its obligations to provide the required number of scholarships for needy Philadelphia high school students. Responding to charges that it has fallen short of its financial obligations, the University states that it "provided over $11 million in undergraduate scholarships to Philadelphians from 1986 to 1990," and also states that "the number of scholarships never was and is not currently tied to the number of high school students." The suit against the University, filed by labor unions, student groups and several individuals, claims that a 1977 city ordinance requires the University to award Philadelphia high school graduates 125 new scholarships each year for a total of 500 at a time. The University, however, maintains that it is required by the disputed ordinance to provide a total of 125 scholarships at a time in return for rent-free city land the University has received. In the answer, the University responded to one plaintiff's charges that it does not provide need-based financial aid by stating that it is "inconceivable" that the student would not have been provided with information on financial aid upon request. "It's our first opportunity to respond to some of the specific allegations of the plaintiffs," University General Counsel Shelley Green said, adding that the complaint does contain some new factual information. The answer later cited specific efforts made by the University to distribute information about its need-based financial aid and need-blind admissions policies. The answer cited other specifics about plaintiffs involved in the case. One applicant to the University now a plaintiff in the suit, according to the answer, submitted an incomplete application to the University which failed to include essays, SAT scores, or a secondary school report. Another plaintiff in the suit, according to the answer, failed to receive a Mayor's Scholarship or admission to the University on the grounds that his SAT scores were 210 verbal and 290 math, and that his grade point average at West Philadelphia High School was 1.47. The answer also delineates the definition of the word "deserving" as it applies to the Mayor's Scholarships, claiming that the word does not solely mean deserving in terms of financial need, but also means deserving in terms of demonstrated academic merit. The University also claims in its answer that "it stands to reason that since the 1977 Ordinances merely consolidated and continued existing scholarship obligations, there would not be, and was not, any extended discussion or fanfare." In a section of the answer designated as "new matter," the University presents the history of Mayor's Scholarships from the first ordinance dealing with the scholarships in 1882 until the current litigation. In this section, the complaint states that "plaintiffs themselves caused, in whole or in part, their injuries, if any. The University cannot provide financial aid to students who choose not to apply or not to attend the University." The class-action lawsuit will go to trial in Common Pleas Court November 23.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.