EDITORIAL: An all-inclusive deal

For the Perelman QuadrangleFor the Perelman Quadranglestudent center to positivelyFor the Perelman Quadranglestudent center to positivelyimpact campus life, it mustFor the Perelman Quadranglestudent center to positivelyimpact campus life, it musthave more than meeting rooms,For the Perelman Quadranglestudent center to positivelyimpact campus life, it musthave more than meeting rooms,study lounges and office space.For the Perelman Quadranglestudent center to positivelyimpact campus life, it musthave more than meeting rooms,study lounges and office space._________________________________ Now that ground has finally been broken for the Perelman Quad, current retail tenants in Houston Hall, one of the center's key components, are getting worried -- and with good reason.The most current plans for Perelman Quad do not specify what retail space in the renovated building will look like, or how it will be allocated. Clearly, Houston Hall's current indoor space arrangements are less than ideal. Retailers are crammed into small, stall-like spaces on the ground floor, and there's barely enough room in the pedestrian corridor for more than four students to squeeze through at one time. Regardless of how the interior of the remodeled Houston Hall is laid out, however, we are concerned about which tenants will be welcomed within its walls. A centralized student services suite -- with staff members from departments like Student Financial Services and the Office of the Vice Provost for University Life -- would probably be an appreciated addition. The suggested study lounges, music practice rooms and office and meeting spaces also make sense. But students also need to pick up necessities like CDs and birthday cards, drop off dry cleaning and, of course, eat. Right now, we can accomplish any of these activities in Houston Hall. Who knows whether we will be able to when the Perelman Quad is completed? Houston Hall's Hall of Flags is always packed between noon and 3 p.m. during the week, with students catching up on reading between classes, grabbing a bite with friends, warming up in blustery winter weather and listening to cutting-edge new bands over lunch thanks to SPEC. The Perelman Quad was designed to build on the strengths of already-existing campus facilities. We would hate to see a misguided effort aimed at modernization and improvement destroy Houston Hall's ability to serve as a center for student life at Penn.