More Mayor's Scholars try to join suit

Several Mayor's Scholarship recipients said last night they are petitioning to be added to the list of plaintiffs in the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit, which is currently under appeal. Last month, Common Pleas Court Judge Nelson Diaz ruled that only the mayor of Philadelphia and past or present Mayor's Scholars who have not recieved their full scholarship have legal grounds to sue for compensation. One Mayor's Scholar said he did not know that the scholarship was supposed to be a full tuition scholarship until he read about the verdict of the lawsuit in the paper. "When I first got the scholarship, the [University] said it wasn't a full scholarship," College freshman Gregory Schnee said last night. "Later, I found out there was a lawsuit and that it was supposed to be a full scholarship." Schnee added that he was supposed to receive $10,000 of the scholarship this year toward the his tuition, but that the University only gave him $5,000. "I got $5,000 last semester, but this semester I didn't get anything and [the University] keeps billing us for the rest [of the tuition]," he said. "I don't know what the deal is." Schnee said he decided to petition to be added to the list of plaintiffs in the Mayor's Scholarship lawsuit when his mother was contacted by other Mayor's Scholar parents who were already petitioning. Michael Churchill, an attorney at the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia which represents the plaintiffs in the suit, said yesterday that some of the nine scholars contacted him, and he contacted others. "The court said all Mayor's Scholars that received less than the full four-year scholarship are entitled to what they haven't got," he said. "[If added to the list], the scholars will represent all other people who didn't recieve what they should've and they also have the right to allege any other violations of the ordinance." Churchill added that the University has used the clause concerning the maintenance of 125 scholarships or the equivalent to take money away from many scholars. "The University position is that the 'or equivalent' language means they can offer less than the full scholarship and require people to take out loans to [pay the rest of the tuition]," he said. "Our view is that the 'or equivalent' language would be used to compensate [scholars with a greater need]." "It is not our view that the Unviersity could ever pay less or replace a scholarship with a loan," Churchill added. But the University claims that the 'or equivalent' means that the University must give the dollar amount of 125 scholarships, not necessarily 125 full-tuition scholarships per se. Mayor's Scholarship recipient Gina Gerace, a College junior, said she is petitioning to be added as a plaintiff because she has only received about $3,000 each year since she was a freshman. She added she has had to take out $10,000 in loans to pay the rest of the tuition. "If they gave me more money, I would definitely take it," she said. "I think it would be good if the [University] would make the scholarship more meaningful." The city, however, does not think the scholars should have grounds to sue and has filed a motion taking issue with Diaz's decision last month. According to the city's position, only the mayor has the power to enforce the terms of the ordinance.