Staff Editorial: Wharton closes the door

It would seem that two of the University's major selling points have come into conflict of late.

In its efforts to protect their newest jewel, as well as its other substantial land holdings, from such corrosive elements as pizza boxes and crumbs, the Wharton School will no longer allow student groups to meet in its space.

It is fair to ask whether, having just more than doubled its space with the opening of Huntsman Hall, it is reasonable of Wharton to close its classrooms to the very students the new building purports to serve. The number and variety of student groups on campus always plays a major role in Penn's admissions literature and in the lives of a great many of its students. And groups, large or small, need places to meet.

In light of the importance of student activities on campus, Wharton's decision is truly an unfortunate one -- good space is already tight and eliminating three of the campus' largest and, frankly, best buildings from use will only exacerbate the problem.

As a part of the University community, Wharton's decision is irresponsible. In the interest of promoting a diverse array of student groups -- an interest that serves not only the University as a whole, but the Wharton School in particular in terms of attracting the kind of students it hopes to attract -- the school should reconsider its decision.

Still, it would be unfair to accuse Wharton of acting in bad faith without this caveat -- had student groups behaved in the first place, this would not be an issue. Students and student groups need to act more responsibly and to treat well the space they use, whether it be in a Wharton building or another campus building.

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