After spending about $9 million on renovations to the White Building, the university is only using one-third of the additional space to hold exercise equipment.

Why, after investing a sizeable amount of money to improve the quality of the White Building, would the university cut down the area of space from 15,000 square feet to 5,000?

Once again, the answer is money and profit, and not surprisingly, the students' needs are the last priority.

The university, partly in response to pressure from off-campus gyms wary of the expanded fitness center, is going to gauge the students' demand for the building before opening up the rest of the space.

But the lack of exercise equipment and the growing demand for fitness areas is what has led the university to renovate the White Building in the first place.

Tim Curley, the university athletic director said in 1998 of the fitness facilities and programs, "We can't meet all the demand that's been asked of us."

If they couldn't meet the demand three years ago, they are certainly not meeting the demand today.

Another reason that the university cited was the limited amount of funds for the expanded fitness center.

We find it hard to believe that Penn State spent $9 million to build a 15,000-square-foot space only to use a third of it because they didn't have enough money.

No one adds another wing to a house only to use one room out of three.

We understand that local businesses are concerned about their livelihoods.

But they also need to realize that many off-campus gyms offer other services and conveniences that the White Building doesn't, like tanning beds and a wider variety of equipment.

If the off-campus gyms continue to offer quality services at a reasonable price, they won't lose customers who are willing to pay extra. Also, perhaps off-campus gyms should more aggressively target State College residents who aren't students but who want to get in better shape by using their facilities.

Although the economic health of the downtown area should be a concern for the university as it attempts to fulfill the symbiotic relationship between the two, it shouldn't be done at the expense of the students.