With new classrooms and construction seemingly the hallmark of the last four years at Penn State, it seems curious that the university is tearing down one of its most valuable buildings.

Recently, the administration opted to demolish the Child Development Laboratory (CDL), which appears to leave professors and other employees without a viable source of daycare for their children.

Yet, as new business, chemistry, life sciences and IST buildings pop up around campus almost by the dozens, the College of Health and Human Development is working to renovate South Henderson building, in which the CDL is currently located, to make room for new classrooms of its own.

And that decision will, most likely, leave no reliable source of daycare for professors and employees, some of whom already have children on the 600-person-long waiting list.

Currently, Penn State is anticipating the results of a survey about the decision to demolish the building, which was distributed to parents Jan. 10 to 22 and is to be released on March 24. While it is admirable that the administration is attempting to gauge the usefulness of a childcare facility before haphazardly constructing it, the need is clearly evident.

As the waiting list grows to 600 children and Penn State continues to espouse its desire for students to gain real-world experience, there seems to be a perfect marriage of two interests. Let the thousands of undergraduates hoping to work in family services, childcare and elementary education assist the professional staff at the daycare.

And in trying to attract qualified young professors, childcare would also be a key drawing card because it would alleviate one key concern of those beginning a family. That would further accomplish Penn State's goal of providing a classroom environment comparable with that of the nation's private schools because it would couple the state-of-the-art classrooms with the nation's best faculty.

But it hardly makes sense, it seems, to invest $60 million in a law school whose future, currently, is shaky at best and leave the current faculty without childcare options.

And though we do agree with and applaud the university for trying to establish something that is more than just a storage unit for children, Penn State should at least commit to building a facility to alleviate the concerns of its employees.

There appears to be ample initiative for construction here, of which the last four years and many brand-new buildings are examples. Just don't leave the parents out in the cold.