As an employee of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and also the parent of a Penn State University student, I was concerned to read the comments attributed to Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon ("Spanier will still lobby for funds," Feb. 11).

Mr. Mahon apparently took exception to a remark made by College Republican Chairman Andy Banducci regarding the proposed 2005-06 University Budget. In response to Pennsylvania State not receiving the full financial package sought after from the Governor by President Graham Spanier, Mr. Banducci stated, "...the administration may need to tighten their belts and cut spending to help combat the rising cost of tuition."

Sounds reasonable to me.

Tighten your belts and cut spending, wherever possible. What's wrong with that?

Sounds like a good practice.

A way to save taxpayer dollars and also minimize the economic effect on parents of rising tuition costs.

Instead, Mr. Mahon related that, "I don't think Mr. Banducci has any idea how the university budget operates."

I think he does.

Just because " ... Penn State has done more with less state funding for many, many years" does not mean the battle is won and you can sit back and rest on past cost-savings accomplishments.

Being fiscally prudent is an ongoing responsibility for all government employees.

To suggest that university officials may need to tighten their belts is a good business practice. It's also a good policy for anyone on a budget, especially during these tough economic times.

For you, Mr. Mahon, to suggest otherwise is both foolish and arrogant.