However, Penn State President Graham Spanier requested $15 million from the state last week for the project, which was to be originally funded by the lease of new skyboxes, ticket sales for new seats and private funding.

Penn State has requested that the $15 million come from $650 million the state designated for community projects. About half of the money will help build new major league football and baseball stadiums. The other half will fund community projects, such as the Beaver Stadium expansion, which is intended to boost local economies.

But state appropriations for Beaver Stadium are not needed. Because of the high demand for tickets, the university can easily collect money for the skyboxes and the other additional seats. The money needed to complete this project is available, and Penn State does not need the state's help to ensure its construction.

According to university officials, it should never have been requested in the first place.

Plus, the state can find much better uses for this money.

Although Spanier said the stadium request is separate from the university request, the $15 million could be better spent helping university students. Their money was never going to pay for the expansion, and an extra $15 million should not be sacrificed from the university budget to fund an expansion that can fund itself.

In addition, inner-city schools and homeless shelters could be improved with the entire $650 million, instead of wasted on sports stadiums. Children should not go to school needing to share books or huddle for warmth at home so that new arenas can be built. Millions of these dollars could be pored into scholarships for teen-agers and adults to go to college and find better jobs.