EDITORIAL: "Truth in Advertising"

In the wake of the Mayor'sIn the wake of the Mayor'sScholarship lawsuit, theIn the wake of the Mayor'sScholarship lawsuit, theUniversity has sunk to newIn the wake of the Mayor'sScholarship lawsuit, theUniversity has sunk to newlows to promote activitiesIn the wake of the Mayor'sScholarship lawsuit, theUniversity has sunk to newlows to promote activitiesit had little involvement in.In the wake of the Mayor'sScholarship lawsuit, theUniversity has sunk to newlows to promote activitiesit had little involvement in.______________________________ In November 1991, two full page advertisements appeared in local newspapers touting the University's commitment to the city through its campus organizations. Funny -- less than one month earlier, the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia had filed suit against the University demanding more Mayor's Scholarships for local high school graduates. Critics said the proximity of the two events was "not a coincidence, it is not even a fishy coincidence." Late last month, the University announced a revised Mayor's Scholarship package that contained concessions to some of PILCOP's demands. Funny -- in less than one week, the long-awaited court proceedings will begin in the lawsuit. History repeats itself. And yesterday, University student groups sponsored Futures a new program to help area high school students complete college applications. Funny -- the program received more than the usual attention from top administrators. The president's office even offered to help the groups get public service announcements on local radio stations. The University is taking great pains to sell people on the fact that these incidents are absolutely, positively, completely unrelated to the lawsuit. We suspect the next thing they will try to sell us is a nice bridge in Brooklyn. At this rate, they may try selling us a "scholarship" that's all loans. In light of the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit, the University has strong motives for increasing the perception that it is actively involved in the local community. Latching on to student-created, student-sponsored and student-run outreach programs has given them an easy means to do so. But it's too easy. If the University's heart has always been in the right place, why did they only decide after the lawsuit was filed to promote student outreach efforts? The timing of their advertisements and assistance is clearly suspect. And if the University's heart is in the right place, it shouldn't need to advertise student efforts as a substitute for the administration's efforts. Instead, it should advertise efforts such as last week's appointment of alumnus Glenn Bryan as director of community relations. The University has picked Bryan to serve as a liaison between the University and the West Philadelphia area. We want to stress that we wholeheartedly support the innumerable programs that student groups and volunteers have pioneered. We believe they are making a positive, concrete difference in the University's relationship with Philadelphia. At the same time, we also support the University's involvement in assisting and promoting this student volunteerism, and in creating the community relations post. But given the timing of these efforts, we have to be skeptical this support will continue so strongly after the lawsuit has blown over. What if the University begins to scale back this support someday? Student volunteers may feel disillusioned and disappointed, and it could have a negative impact on their efforts. Sure, the University's tactics may sow the seeds for good press copy. But claiming they are unrelated to the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit? That makes for good fertilizer.