In reference to Penn State President Graham Spanier's trip to Harrisburg and the subsequent article, "PSU planes catch committee's eye," March 2, I am appalled and very disappointed in Spanier.

I have always tried my best to respect the actions and conduct our president has done in the past: He does try his best to represent and defend the university. He has lobbied for more funding from our state representatives time after time and spent countless hours preparing for such presentations. But when I see that Spanier traveled to Harrisburg, the closest metropolitan area to State College, by private jet, I start to wonder who is at the top of his list of priorities. Is it the student body (which, by the way, pays for his salary, housing, etc.) or his personal comfort?

I recently gave a monetary gift to Penn State, but now I wonder for what the university will use the money. Did it go to the educational system and facilities with which I am proud to be affiliated? I can now say that some portion has probably been wasted on travel arrangements so Spanier can save an hour of his "precious" time.

Look at it this way -- would Spanier give a homeless man money if he saw him purchase drugs with the money he had previously given him? The university should not throw away money and then wonder why the commonwealth doesn't give it more.