Theta Xi house to be open to all

Meeting and study spaces added The Penn Women's Center will share space in the former Theta Xi fraternity house with a study lounge and student meeting room, Acting Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum said last week. The third floor of the Locust Walk building will be developed into an area for "small meetings," and the remaining space will be used for the study lounge, she said. The Women's Center will occupy the rooms on the first floor, according to plans for the Center's relocation which were announced by McCoullum in March. Interim President Claire Fagin said she is "quite disappointed" that an academic program such as the Benjamin Franklin Scholars and University Scholars program will not be housed in Theta Xi. McCoullum said she originally tried to fit an "academic program" into the house, but the rooms were too small for such a program. She said the University decided to convert the remaining space into study and meeting rooms because "what the students needed was additional student meeting space and also opportunities for extended study hours in community meeting rooms." McCoullum added that a number of students have approached her this semester with requests that the amount of study space available to students be increased. "I think it is fabulous that we are able to welcome [study space] to the heart of the campus," she said. "[We wanted to] make sure Theta Xi is highly valued as a community resource for all Penn people." Fagin echoed McCoullum, saying that it is important that "something which brings students in from a variety of sectors" fill the space in the Theta Xi house. She added that she hopes the "building is seen as open and accessible to all community members." Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi said she thinks sharing the Theta Xi house with a community meeting area and studying space is "a fine idea." Students have reacted favorably to the University's plan to put study and meeting rooms in the former fraternity house. Engineering junior Noah Sferra said he believes students will benefit from the study space more than they will from the Women's Center. He said he thinks the Center's relocation to Theta Xi is a "symbolic...neo-feminist victory over fraternities" which is destroying "an incredible social organization at the University of Pennsylvania."