Rodin opts not to see President

When the President of the United States calls, most private citizens clear their calendars. But University President Judith Rodin is no ordinary private citizen. Despite a personal invitation from President Clinton, conflicts with a previously scheduled afternoon meeting and the complications of last-minute transportation arrangements have prevented Rodin from going to Washington today. Vice President for Community and Government Affairs Carol Scheman said Clinton asked Rodin to come to Washington to talk with him, Education Secretary Richard Riley and other university presidents about Clinton's "Middle Class Bill of Rights." Approximately nine presidents are expected to attend today's meeting, where Clinton and his advisors hope to gain a perspective on what the proposed legislation will mean for students looking to finance higher education, Scheman said. University spokesperson Barbara Beck said the presidents of Tulane University and the University of Chicago are among the officials invited to this morning's meeting. "It certainly is absolutely true that student aid is one of the most important issues for this University," Scheman said, alluding to the University's need-blind admissions policy. "We recognize the problems of access, indebtedness and the burden of high tuition on families," she said, adding that Rodin will not be missing a negotiating meeting but an information session about what some have called Clinton's tuition tax break. Scheman said she will be in Washington on Friday for a meeting about possible changes in the federal government's policy of reimbursing universities for the indirect costs of basic research.

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