Wharton depts. play musical buildings

When the long-awaited Huntsman Hall finally opened its doors this summer, several departments jumped at the opportunity to relocate to the brand-new building.

The $140 million building, located at 38th and Walnut streets, boasts nine stories but lacks enough space for the entire Wharton community.

And now, some of those departments which at the time preferred to stay put in their former homes are left with more space than before, but some may regret not taking advantage of Wharton's newest skyscraper.

The undergraduate and graduate divisions of Legal Studies, Statistics, Marketing and Operations and Information Management now make their home in Huntsman's spacious quarters.

OPIM Department Chairman Paul Kleindorfer said he believes his department was a logical choice for space in the new building, a decision he's quite happy about.

"It came down to what departments would fill up a floor, and we did," Kleindorfer said. "Everybody is just tickled pink."

Other departments were initially given the option of moving to Huntsman, but not all sought the chance to relocate.

"There's a certain amount of people who wish they were there now," Wharton Associate Dean Scott Douglass said.

Although it's impossible for Huntsman to house everyone, its completion does mean upgrades in location for all departments.

More space in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, formerly the Wharton centerpiece on campus, is not necessarily a bad consolation prize for those departments which were closed out of Huntsman.

With certain departments moving out, Steinberg-Dietrich now houses Management, Finance, Accounting and Business Public Policy.

Management Department Chairman Daniel Levinthal said he understands the process that left his department out of the new building.

"The school kept the larger departments in Huntsman Hall -- it was sensible rationale," he said.

Even with a new building, Wharton still plans on improving its original home. But dramatic changes are unlikely.

"We're trying to refurbish Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, but we're not going to spend a lot of money," Douglass said.

With Huntsman and Steinberg all filled up, three departments are left out of Wharton's exclusive buildings.

Insurance and Health Care reside at the Colonial Penn Building, while the Real Estate Department makes it home at the Lauter Fisher building.

The addition of Huntsman Hall also means that Wharton no longer needs some of its various off-campus properties.

"We're bringing a lot of administrative functions back to campus," Douglass said.

The Small Business Development Center and Depo Graphics buildings on Market Street and 3809 Walnut Street -- which are only rented, not owned, by the University -- are no longer needed by Wharton.

And according to Douglass, virtually all faculty have been moved out of Vance Hall, the building on Lehman Brothers Quadrangle that was formerly home to the Wharton graduate program.

If Wharton has all this space, it would stand to reason that there is ample opportunity for student groups to use rooms in Wharton buildings -- but not exactly.

In the past, groups have been allowed to use Wharton building space, but that policy has now changed.

Issues such as improper use of room technology and minute problems such as leaving pizza boxes and crumbs in rooms have nullified the former policy.

"Some of the social activity groups were a little rambunctious -- they didn't abide by the rules exactly," Douglass said.

Douglass claims that Wharton would like to find a way to resume the policy, but added that students should not hold their breath.

With all the moving around right now, the school has a lot on its plate.

"It's problematic right now to have random groups in the rooms," Douglass said. "We're in a shakedown period."

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