Minority student leaders leaders criticize ruling

The University may be celebrating the Mayor's Scholarship ruling, but many students are not. Minority student leaders said last night they are disappointed with the ruling which sides in favor of the University. "It's just another blow to inner-city education," Wharton senior Martin Dias said yesterday. "[The verdict] will bring the community-Penn relationship to lower levels." Dias, former Black Student League president, testified against the University during the trial, saying that the University distances itself too much from the surrounding Philadelphia community. "I wasn't really surprised [with the verdict]," he said. "But I assume there'll be an appeal process." Dias added that the University will have to work harder at community relations to balance the adverse effects of the ruling. "In terms of the University and the people of Philadelphia, relations efforts will have to be stepped up," he said."[The University] has to prove that they are a friendly and welcoming institution, despite their past [reputation] of exploiting the area." But Dias added he is "not discouraged" by the ruling because he said there are other things students can do to improve the chances that local high school students have of attending college. "I'm in a group called Positive Images [which is a] tutoring-mentoring program run by African-Americans for African-Americans," he said. "We take a very interactive approach with students to develop the minds of younger people so they themselves can be future leaders and participate in higher education." Wharton sophomore and current Mayor's Scholarship recepient Jerome Allen said he believes the trial will have negative effects on the University's relationship with the Philadelphia community. "For this thing to go to court in the first place wasn't a good sign for the University," he said. Allen added that he does not agree with the ruling and said that the University should have "honored" its contract with the city. "There are a lot of students who would do well at this University but for financial reasons they'll be unable to attend," he said. "But I don't think that [finances] should be the key factor in determining whether or not someone comes to the University." Allen added that the verdict effects him even though he has already recieved the scholarship. "It affects how many students follow me, whether it is my younger sister or someone else I know who is qualified to attend Penn but can't afford the tuition," he said. College junior Charity Guerra, president of the Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said yesterday she thinks the verdict is reasonable. "If that was the agreement made in the beginning, then [the ruling] is just and correct," she said. "That was our stand from the beginning. We just wanted the agreement kept." She added that she does not think there will be negative effects in the community as a result of the ruling. "Of course there is always more room for more scholarships," Guerra said. "But I don't think the verdict is negative. If that was the contract, then that's what it is."