A discussion of the disputed Circleville Farm property up for sale grew tense Friday afternoon at the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting.

Gary Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business, started the session by giving a comprehensive presentation about Circleville Farm and the reasons why the College of Agricultural Sciences -- the department that uses the property -- no longer needs the land.

"It has been determined that the Circleville property is not of strategic value to the [College of Agricultural Sciences]," Schultz said, noting the difficulty in transporting farm equipment to the area from the east part of campus. "We decided Circleville's value is to sell it and acquire lands with greater strategic value to the college."

The board moved to delay a decision on the sale of Circleville Farm. It will take an additional six months to vote on proposals.

Afterward, the floor was opened for discussion and questions about the property.

Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Rubina Javeri asked trustees how they can continue to further Penn State's commitment to preserving environmental green space. Javeri brought up the rumored sale of Circleville Farm to S & A Homes, a residential housing developer, that has caused controversy in the surrounding community.

In response, Schultz and several board members took offense to what they said were the "false reports" of the rumored sale that appeared in a number of publications, including the Nov. 17 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Schultz staunchly denied any truth to the proposed sale to S & A Homes.

"First off, I don't know where you heard that, but it is absolutely false," Schultz said to Javeri. "We'll be moving forward in a very open and fair process, as we always do. I can assure you it will be fair."

Trustee William Weiss defended trustee emeritus William Schreyer -- a part-owner of S&A Homes -- who Weiss felt was being personally attacked by the swirling rumors.

"There have been many, many writings that have impugned the integrity of this Board of Trustees, and in particular impugns the integrity of Bill Schreyer," Weiss said. "It's a great sadness that we have let that happen."

Weiss added the board has not been afforded the chance to "rebut innuendoes."

"I'd like the record to stand that the board rejects that [rumored sale] absolutely," Weiss said.

That statement was seconded by trustee H. Jesse Arnelle and several other members.

Board President Ed Hintz said the trustees must ensure the reputations of all board members should not be soiled by the controversy.

"We have to understand that when one of our numbers is impugned we are all impugned," he said. "I believe the trustees and the administration are great servers to the university."

About 20 students and community members sat in on the presentation to show support for the Circleville property.