Cornell Student May Sue For Revoked Scholarship Funds

A Cornell freshman plans to take legal action against a housing scholarship program for discriminating against him on the basis of sexual preference.

William H. Andriette, a national spaces man for the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) was offered a fell under scholarship covering room and beard costs and later had the scholarship revoked.

The Telluride association offers scholarships to a select group of Cornell freshmen each year. The association which is financially independent from Cornell, refused to provide the funds for Andriette because of the association's opposition to NAMBLA.

Andriette tried to sue Telluride for violating a New York state law that forbids landlords from discriminating on the basis of sexual preference. I think this is a matter of discrimination on the basis of sexual preference because sexual preference is not limited to any particular form of sex, he said yesterday.

The local city prosecutor refused to pursue the cse on those grounds, however, and Andriette is now considering other legal actions including a breach of contract suit.

Andriette said that he is filing charges largely to bring attention to the issue Academia needs to be reminded that it's not as tolerant as it likes to think it is Here is a case where we see prejudices coming out."

Telluride's change of mind was due to Andricitte's NAMBLA connection, according to Cornell, professor and Telluride Association President Jeremy A Rapkin "Andriette didn't mention his association with NAMBLA in his scholarship applicatior." Rapkin said yesterday.

Rapkin said that when he learned of Andriette's affiliation with NAMBLA he brought it up at a June convention of Telluride trustees which then voted to revoke Andriette's scholarship. "We weren't objecting to the same sex aspect of NAMBLA, there are gay members of Telluride house (where the scholarship students live) We objected to the adult/child aspect of NAMBLA."