Penn State University's Fayette Campus and the area surrounding the campus would only benefit from the presence of nearby student housing. Fay-Penn Economic Development Council hopes to have student apartments constructed at its University Technology Park, located off Route 119 adjacent to the campus. University officials object to those efforts. But while their concerns are valid, we have some valid concerns we feel can be addressed. The benefits of Fay-Penn's proposal far outweigh the negatives. The campus would benefit by being able to attract more students, many of whom may be dissuaded from enrolling there because of a lack of student housing. Fay-Penn Economic Development Council's Mike Krajovic, whose agency bought the land for the University Technology Park from Penn State University, estimates enrollment at the Fayette campus would increase by 30 percent once the two phases of construction were completed. Penn State officials are reluctant to give up the campus' status as a commuter school. Why• A commuter school is limited in the number of students it can attract and the range from which they come. It is not unrealistic to assume that some very good students would attend the school if not for its status as a commuter school. The campus could be enhanced by having a diverse student body, coming from all over Pennsylvania and even other states. That's more likely to happen if there is readily available housing dedicated solely to full-time college students. We feel Fayette County, as a whole, would benefit as well. The county's image could only be bolstered by the continued growth of Penn State-Fayette. Commerce in the area would be enhanced by the presence of full-time college students living in the area. Businesses located along Route 119 between Connellsville and Uniontown would reap the greatest rewards, and it would almost certain spur new development. Fay-Penn has requested a variance from the county Zoning Hearing Board in order to construct the student apartment buildings. University officials have objections to the plan. They want to maintain the university's status as a commuter school; worry about potential liability to the university if the apartments are construed as Penn State facilities; possible added expenses to the university (for security, i.e.) since the apartments would be located adjacent to the campus. Penn State officials maintain a stipulation of the sale of the property to Fay-Penn was that no student housing units would be constructed there. The Zoning Hearing Board tabled action on Fay-Penn's variance request, allowing Penn State three weeks to come up with proof of such an agreement. Is this really necessary• The benefits of building student housing are too great to ignore. The university would realize increased enrollment and greater appeal to a wider range of students. Students living in the apartments would patronize existing businesses, and the potential for new business development in the area would be increased. Our suggestion to Fay-Penn is to acknowledge Penn State's concerns and work with the university to address them. At the same time, we hope Penn State realizes the benefits (to the county and the campus) of having student housing developed near the Fayette campus.

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