Despite a Penn State concession, the debate surrounding the sale of Circleville Farm continues, but we wonder if either side has adequately done its homework.

Penn State officials said last week that when the university puts the land up for sale again in March, it will require potential buyers to set aside 36 acres of the 155-acre land for conservation. But some who have protested the land's sale, such as biology professor Chris Uhl, want the university to allow alternative uses of the land.

Penn State decided to put the farm on the market after officials from the College of Agricultural Sciences said they no longer had use for it. Penn State's Board of Trustees ended its first request for proposals because of community complaints. The sale's controversy has been public since, thus there seems to be no excuse for the lack of proposals from both sides three months later.

Uhl has asked Penn State to allow him and other faculty to come up with alternative uses for the land, however we wonder why no options have been made public yet. If there are other ways the university could make use of this land, we urge the university to consider them before selling it to developers or others who might not use the land to benefit the Penn State community. Three months later, however, no such proposals have been offered.

Although we recognize that last week's snowstorm has delayed a scheduled meeting between faculty members and administrators, we don't understand why conservationists seem to be waiting to get an OK from the university to explore alternative plans before offering their own proposals. They must show Penn State administrators that there are viable, worthy alternatives.

At the same time, we don't understand why Penn State feels it must rush into this sale. The university plans to begin accepting buyers' proposals again on March 24. Although the university has not said for sure how long buyers will have to submit proposals, a 10-week period was mentioned last month. Penn State should wait to put the farm on the market until it is sure that the land cannot be of use to the university. Obviously, some Penn State community members think other options exist. As they work to prove this to university officials (and we hope the fruit of their labor will be publicized soon), the university should hold off on its sale.

We want what is best for Penn State. If there really is no possible university use for Circleville Farm, then the university has the right and duty to sell it. But if the property could benefit part of the Penn State community, the university has an obligation to use the land to benefit its own. The conservation of the 36 acres was a positive step, but more time and research is necessary before Circleville Farm hits the market.