More options, not fewer

We are beginning to think that the Penn administration just doesn't get it. Long lines attest to the fact that the student body approves of the new food court in Houston Hall. But the opening of Houston Market is in no way, shape or form a valid reason for the closing of the McClelland Marketplace and the Quadrangle commissary this summer. Peg Lacey, take note: All food establishments are not created equal. Houston Market is a place where students sit down and eat, and the commissary is a place from whence they take sundries like paper towels, bottles of soda and pints of ice cream back to their rooms. No matter how hard you try, you can't buy paper towels in Houston Market and you can't buy moderately priced Mexican food in a commissary. In short: The opening of one place that sells food does not obviate the need for another. They serve very different purposes. There are other reasons why it is unfortunate that McClelland and the commissary were closed. They were the closest source of nourishment for a quarter of the on-campus population. They were open later in the evening than Houston Market. McClelland's food service operations complemented the lounge's social functions well. By the University's rationale, then, the impending arrival of Freshgrocer.com means Chats and the high-rise commissaries should shut their doors; mass-market movie theater Cinemagic should close once indie-themed Sundance opens; and Vance Hall could be transformed into another high-priced bistro once Huntsman Hall takes its place. Absurd, yes. Beyond the realm of possibility given the University's track record, no. The fact is, redundancy has its place (even though in this case Houston Market and the Quad facilities are far from redundant). Different establishments fill different niches, serve different constituencies and meet different needs. Houston Market fills students' need for a moderately priced lunch option on campus. The Quad commissary fills students' need for paper towels and SEPTA tokens. Now do you get it?

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