Despite a recent announcement that confused student government leaders and financial aid officials, University President Joab Thomas said he fully intends to support growth of a tuition-based grant to help Penn State's neediest students.

But what happens in future years is up to the University's Board of Trustees, he said.

"I can't commit the next president of Penn State," said Thomas, who plans to resign in August. "He or she may differ greatly about recommendations to be made to the budget."

Thomas plans to ask the trustees to set aside 3 percent of any tuition increase for the 1995-96 school year for the Penn State Tuition Assistance Grant. The trustees have set a 4.5 percent increase in in-state tuition for next year, pending state approval.

Chris Saunders, who last year as Undergraduate Student Government president proposed setting aside some tuition money for financial aid, originally thought that the pool of money would increase proportionally with tuition costs.

But the status of the grant seemed in jeopardy last week after Executive Vice President and Provost John Brighton indicated that Thomas might not be in favor of adding to the grant every time tuition increased.

But Thomas, who was out of town last week, reaffirmed his commitment to the grant in an interview Wednesday. However, he explained that the allocation is not set in stone and must be approved annually by the trustees.

"Based on current situations, it's my intention and the intention of this administration to continue that policy, but it's not guaranteed forever," Thomas said. "Nothing is absolutely guaranteed forever."

Thomas' revelation that annual increases to the grant are not automatic surprised USG leaders, who had worked closely with administrators last year to develop the program that they thought would continue to build year after year.

Saunders and current USG President Mike King pledged to fight hard to turn verbal commitment for the grant into a permanent guarantee.

"I would imagine what we would need to do is to get it passed by the Board of Trustees as a standing bylaw, and that would be very difficult," King said.

Saunders and King agreed that another important method toward securing the grant would be to approach the next University president for support as soon as the position is announced.

Obtaining support for the tuition assistance grant from Penn State's next president could be difficult if other administrators are unsupportive, King said.

Brighton has already announced that he no longer likes the idea of automatically mandating a portion of tuition increases for financial aid, although he originally supported using more tuition money to help needy students.

Julie Gorbey (freshman-prelaw) said she supports the general idea of using money obtained from tuition hikes toward financial aid.

"If the money's there anyways, it should be given to needy students," she said. "I don't think necessarily the students who pay full price can afford it so easily, but I know others need it even more."

But Gorbey added that she would prefer grant increases not be mandated with tuition increases in case the University needed to put the money toward more pressing educational needs.

John Cahir, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education, also recognizes the need for more financial aid and has reservations about making increases for the tuition assistance grant automatic.

"I don't personally think I would want to see a rigid formula," Cahir said.

But Saunders argues that Penn State's responsibility as a land-grant institution requires the University provide an affordable education for more students.

In its first year, the grant netted about $360,000 that benefited nearly 400 students who were determined to be the University's neediest financial aid recipients. The amount of money available through the grant for 1995-96 would total about $720,000 if tuition increases at the same rate as in past years and if the board of trustees approves another 3 percent allocation to the grant.

Anna Griswold, assistant vice provost for student financial aid, strongly supports USG's renewed efforts to make the tuition assistance grant a University policy.

"I thought it was a great student effort," she said. "It's something I support, and I say that knowing the University is trying to support a lot of different things."