The majority of seniors voting on their class' gift to Penn State, decided to leave their legacy with the donation of a new Willard Plaza.

Nearly 2,000 seniors voted, with more than 50 percent of them choosing the Willard Plaza over the obelisk garden or new park benches in the Pattee and Henderson mall areas. Willard Plaza is the area between Willard and Carnegie buildings that crosses Pollock Road.

Bob Fay, overall chair of the senior class gift committee, said the renovations will add an aesthetic touch to an area populated by students.

Janet Moccia, spokeswoman for the committee, said the plaza was her favorite of the three choices on the ballot.

"I personally think it has the most use for students and is the most practical," Moccia said.

Now that the decision has been made, the committee will work with the Office of Physical Plant (OPP) to design the renovations.

Fay said the committee is seeking input from the entire senior class for ideas on the layout of the plaza.

While plans aren't finalized on how to receive student input, Fay said the committee will be sending out an e-mail message sometime next week to thank students for voting and ask for any suggestions.

"It's really important to us that this isn't something we do without the input from the entire senior class," Fay said.

Robyn Ricketts, ballot selection and gift promotion chair for the com-mittee, said Willard Plaza was a great choice because it allows for the most options with the design.

She said benches are a nice gift but they are just benches and there isn't too much you can really do with them.

Moccia agreed with Ricketts and said this particular option allows a lot of freedom for the committee and senior class.

"The plan will fit in with renovations and the master plan of Pollock Road but at the same time we will be able to design it the way we want to," she said.

A specific timeline of when the project will be completed cannot be determined Fay said.

He said the committee is hopeful construction would begin in 2005, but the decision would be based on OPP's schedule as well as the rest of the renovations on Pollock Road.

Amber Krieg, senior class gift advisor, said it is her job to follow through with the realization of the gifts once the senior class leaves University Park campus.

By the time the spring semester ends, the foundation for the project and final design will be set, she said. Her job will be to work out any kinks with OPP as the construction progresses.

Fay said the committee expects to raise somewhere between $85,000 to $100,000 for the renovations. Fundraising efforts will increase now that a final project has been chosen.

If not enough money is raised, he said they would revisit the design and see if they can tighten things up to make it cheaper.

Ricketts said part of the $100,000 goal is put aside for the upkeep of the plaza. She is hopeful, because of this cushion, no changes will need to be made to the design of the plaza due to lack of funds.

Seniors can visit www.seniorclassgift.psu.edu to pledge money or make a contribution.