EDITORIAL: A Missed Opportunity

A University Hurting ItselfA University Hurting ItselfThe University has completelyA University Hurting ItselfThe University has completelymishandled the PILOT/SILOTA University Hurting ItselfThe University has completelymishandled the PILOT/SILOTcontroversy.A University Hurting ItselfThe University has completelymishandled the PILOT/SILOTcontroversy._______________________________ In doing so, the mayor was asking the University to pay for its share of municipal services such as fire, police and street cleaning. The University, unfortunately, has refused to comply with the program, fighting to retain its charitable status and is losing a perfect opportunity to improve community relations. Precedents exist that lead us to believe the University will ultimately have to pay the city at least a percentage of this tax. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology already are part of a similar program. And schools across the nation are starting to pay taxes to the cities where they are located. We wonder why the University wants to fight a battle, possibly a grueling legal battle, that it probably will not win. In this case, not only will the University suffer humiliation for being forced to cough up a large sum of money, but it will severely injure an already wounded community image and will have no control over where the money goes. The University has already upset the city over the Mayor Scholarships law suit. The Civic Center acquisition was handled poorly. And the University's overall image is that it does not care about its surrounding environment. Therefore, this new battle puzzles us. Certainly Carol Sheeman, the new vice president for Government and Community Relations, must know this is awful for public relations. Instead, the University should capitalize on the mayor's proposals. By paying the city, the University can drastically and quickly improve its tarnished image. Some payment or donation could be a goodwill gesture; a sign that our institution does, in fact, care about those who surround us. And by coming forward on its own, the University can lobby to have this money applied to West Philadelphia. Yale University, for instance, has recently pledged $50 million to redevelop crumbling downtown New Haven. And Temple University, in order to get a new super-arena, has offered North Philadelphia space in the new complex for stores, movie theaters and a jazz bar and restaurant. It has also agreed to give $5 million toward constructing hundreds of new homes. And the school has offered scholarships for 15 neighborhood children. It's time the University made community service a priority and adherence to the PILOT/SILOT program or offering a donation would be an excellent first step toward repairing relations between the University and the city. It's late in the game, but the University should pay the city and use it as a public relations spring board to really try to help repair West Philadelphia.