The Office of Student Affairs that took WKPS (90.7 FM, The Lion) under its wing in 2001 recently decided to cut all of the $25,000 the administration provides to the student-run radio station.

The station will be able to remain on the air because of money received through advertising and private donations, and will apply to the University Park Allocation Committee for student activity funds next semester. But, the latter is not guaranteed.

The only reason student affairs could give for the move was that The Lion was just like any other student organization and was subject to budget cuts similar to other clubs on campus.

The fact that the university just last year provided The Lion with space in the HUB-Robeson Center makes the move look abrupt.

Although the station will get to keep the space, the symbolic move of support last year does not mesh with a total funding cut this year.

And comments allegedly passed to the station's manager from Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey, regarding the administration's ability to regulate the station's content prior to the funding decision, make the cut look like censorship through the wallet.

Allegations that Triponey specifically mentioned that administration-critical "Radio Free Penn State" would be the first content to disappear paint an even starker picture.

The university as a corporate entity has the right to fund projects that it sees fit.

But as an institution of higher learning, it has a responsibility to support academic principles and real-world learning experiences.

By cutting its funding to The Lion, Penn State fails on both counts.

When students learn about First Amendment rights in classes covering the topics of journalism, religion and political science, and are then given this contradictory message, what kind of statement does that send to the student body of this campus?

Hypocrisy, maybe?