Faculty members opposing the sale of Circleville Farm will present their case at the Faculty Senate meeting tomorrow with hopes of raising public awareness about the controversial land sale.

The university's decision to sell the 155-acre farmland in Ferguson Township sparked a great deal of controversy last fall when faculty and community members expressed opposition.

As a result, the university delayed voting on a buyer and extended the proposal deadline so non-traditional developers, such as community members who might create an organic farm, had time to raise money to bid on the land. The final deadline was July 25, and a decision on the property is expected at the Nov. 14 Board of Trustees meeting.

Chris Uhl, professor of biology, said several faculty members will be handing out information to senators as they walk into the meeting to remind them about the issue.

Although the Circleville issue is not on the agenda, some faculty members will be using the period at the end of the meeting to voice their concerns, he said.

Uhl said the fate of Circleville should not be considered a business decision.

"Those of us who have been working on this issue think that this is a decision that [Penn State President Graham Spanier] should make," Uhl said. "To see this as an exchange of dollars would be to significantly misunderstand the significance of this property given its close proximity to campus."

Faculty Senate member Paul Clark said this is an appropriate issue for faculty members to raise during Spanier's question-and-answer period, during which people can speak out about issues concerning the university.

"This is an issue that we've talked about before, but it's kind of gone quiet for a while," Clark said. "It's perfectly reasonable to raise the issue at this point and let the university community know that the decision on Circleville is imminent."

Clark said the university might be underestimating the community's support for Circleville because there has not been a forum for people to express their concerns.

"The university needs to factor in that its relationship with the community is very important and this is an issue that a lot of people are watching," he said.

Peter Arnett, associate professor of psychology, said members of Friends of Circleville, a group formed last fall to encourage the university to keep the property, have been meeting regularly to discuss ways to further show support of Circleville.

He said they plan to organize a public gathering, discuss ways to get students more involved and contact local newspapers about this issue.

"It's important to let people know what's going on, that it's coming down to the wire, and a decision is likely to be made," Arnett said.

Several faculty members submitted a proposal to the university suggesting alternative uses of the property.

"Ideally, [Circleville] would be largely preserved and it would be a model for sustainability," Arnett said.