STAFF EDITORIAL: English Department repairs

The beleaguered department must focus on hiring new faculty members and making renovations to Bennett Hall. The mid-1990s were marred by a hiring freeze imposed by the School of Arts and Sciences that left the English Department stagnant. And last year, several two senior professors left for Duke and one accepted an offer from Harvard. Students, as a result, have simultaneously faced overcrowded classes and a diminished number of course offerings. But for the 500 undergraduate English majors, the 36 remaining faculty members and the rest of the University, things may finally be looking up. The SAS finally now appears serious about bolstering the department's depleted faculty ranks. The department has four offers out on the table, and is pursuing other candidates in such diverse and understaffed fields as African-American Literature and Film Studies. And after years of neglect -- resulting in much more than creaky floors and peeling paint -- much-needed renovations to Bennett Hall finally seem to be on the administration's radar. We know these repairs will not be made overnight, but we urge officials to move forward in the planning process as rapidly as possible. Truly, no one should have to teach or learn under the present conditions. SAS Dean Samuel Preston was correct to include English among a half-dozen priority departments in last year's strategic plan. Indeed, few disciplines are more fundamental to a liberal arts institution. Penn's reputation and the demand for courses in this area of study further mandate that our English Department be nothing less than top-notch. Two other departments highlighted in the strategic plan -- Economics and Political Science -- have failed thus far to increase the number of full-time professors on staff. We are pleased the English Department is making an effort to succeed where others have not, and will keep close watch on its progress.