Pitt stays mum on calls for tuition aid

University officials say they’re working to ensure that Pitt students don’t get cut out of an… University officials say they’re working to ensure that Pitt students don’t get cut out of an act that provides additional financial aid to Pennsylvania college students. But they won’t say exactly what they’re doing. Gov. Ed Rendell’s Tuition Relief Act, proposed earlier this month, would give qualifying students up to $7,600 to use for tuition, fees, room and board if they attend one of the state’s 28 community colleges or state schools. The act would exclude students who attend state-related schools, such as Pitt and Penn State. Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said Pitt officials have begun to speak with state officials, but he did not specify which legislators the University approached or whether it had contacted the governor. ‘If legislation were to move forward, we’d have to make sure that our students and their families are among the beneficiaries of this act,’ said Nordenberg. ‘Pitt is the university-of-choice for many of Pennsylvania’s most qualified and talented students, the types of students the commonwealth wants to keep in the state.’ Pitt spokesman John Fedele echoed Nordenberg’s message. ‘I wouldn’t mistake a lack of being noisy with a lack of effort on the University’s part,’ he said. ‘We have a lot of … groups ‘mdash; administrators, alumni and friends ‘mdash; working behind the scenes.’ State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Pittsburgh, acknowledged that the Tuition Relief Act pressures Pitt to make cuts to spending or to raise tuition. But he said that it was too early to predict how the talks between University officials and legislators will go. ‘We’ve got the economic stimulus coming, so how that will play into it will be considered,’ he said. Fontana declined to say whether Pitt had contacted him about the act. Legislators must approve the state budget by June 30.