Officials contribute to political causes

If in politics, money speaks louder than words, then the University is shouting. University employees have contributed $35,912 to political campaigns during the 1993-1994 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records obtained last week. Just under 95 percent of this money went to support Democrats, indicating strong liberal tendencies among the University community. Only $1,950 was donated to Republicans. And while anti-incumbent sentiments may be running rampant across the country, contributions from University employees do not support this trend. Only 12 percent of the donations went to challengers of either party. Several top University administrators gave thousands of dollars in personal contributions to area political contenders, the records indicate. William Kelley, director of the University Medical Center, gave $500 to Senator Harris Wofford's (D-Pa.) re-election campaign. John Gould, vice president and director of University planning, contributed $250 to Congressman Thomas Foglietta's (D-Pa.) re-election campaign. University Secretary Barbara Stevens also contributed $250 to Wofford. She said yesterday that this money was donated for personal reasons having nothing to do with the University. David Morse, assistant vice president for policy planning, gave $250 to the re-election efforts of Congressman Robert Borski (D-Pa.) and Foglietta. He also contributed $250 to Senator Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) 1998 campaign. Thomas Gerrity, dean of the Wharton School, donated $250 last April to Republican Ellen Harley's now-defunct campaign for Congress. Gerrity has been a long-time supporter of Republican causes. Between September 1991 to April 1992, he contributed a total of $8,000 to political causes, including $5,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a group which dispenses money and resources to Republicans running for Senate. Notably absent from the records were University President Judith Rodin and University Provost Stanley Chodorow. Rodin's husband, Paul Verkuil, donated $500 each to Congressman James Oberstar's (D-Minn.) re-election campaign, and Bob Carr, a Michigan Democrat who is running for Senate this year. Carr and Oberstar hold key positions on House transportation committees important to Verkuil in his job as president of the American Automobile Association. During the 1992 election cycle, former University President Sheldon Hackney gave over $3,500 to national and local campaigns. And former Interim President Claire Fagin donated $500 to support Wofford this year, along with another $200 to the Democratic National Committee. Alumni and Trustees -- often big givers to the University -- were also heavy hitters in the political arena. Alvin Shoemaker, chairperson of the University Board of Trustees, gave $4,750 to Republican efforts. His donations included $1,750 to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's (D-Tex.) re-election bid and $2,000 to the Republican National Committee. Susan Catherwood, vice chairperson of the Trustees, also gave $1,000 to Harley's campaign. She also gave $1,000 to Specter and $500 to Wofford. The man who gave the seed money for the Revlon Center, University alumnus Ronald Perelman, gave $45,620 -- more than all those working for the University combined -- to both Democrats and Republicans campaigns around the country. Moguls Walter Annenberg and Saul Steinberg gave $6,750 and $5,250 respectively to a variety of political causes. Under Federal law the most an individual can contribute to a single campaign is $1,000 during the primary and $1,000 during the general election phase of the race. The most an individual can donate to a national party committee is $5,000. All contributions over $100 must be reported to the Elections Commission. The University -- as a non-profit organization -- is restricted from giving money to any political cause. But, the University does not place any restrictions on employee donations.