Keep up interest

The Undergraduate Assembly recently completed its campus-wide survey regarding what should be constructed on the soon to be acquired postal lands. The more than 2,900 undergraduate and graduate responses mark a significant achievement in efforts to gather opinions from students about the development's future.

With more than 10 percent of all students responding, the UA should be able to get a decent idea of what Penn students would like to see fill the postal lands.

Yet there is still much to done.

In order to best reflect student interests, the UA and the University administration must maintain the momentum provided by the survey.

The development of the postal lands is one of the most important issues facing the University in the coming decade, and all Penn students should, on their own initiative, take an interest in their school's future.

However, not all students are going to care. It is up to the UA and the administration to go beyond the survey and keep them interested.

While the number of survey respondents is encouraging, the town hall meetings have seen low turnout.

Minus hockey players, less than 10 students attended the town hall held on Nov. 14, 2005. Even Provost Ron Daniels, co-chairman of the Campus Planning Development Committee, missed two of the town hall meetings last semester.

The University can not expect the meetings to be successful if committee leaders do not show up. The administration must demonstrate that it cares about student opinion.

Showing up would be a start.

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