Long lines waiting for lunch in the HUB-Robeson Center, attempting to find a seat at the library and waiting in the cold only to be greeted by full CATA buses may not be as big of an issue next year thanks to the new waitlist planned for the fall.

Penn State admissions officials confirmed last week that they are using a waitlist this year for the first time.

Now "high-achieving students" who applied for the University Park campus will be asked to choose between being put on the waitlist and going to a commonwealth campus.

While this may be nerve-racking for applicants and their families who have to wait to find out if they have been accepted into Dear Old State, this is the right move for Pennsylvania State University.

Last year a record 8,302 freshmen accepted admission to the University Park campus.

The large freshman class put an extra crunch on a number of university services, including housing and general education classes, as well as increasing crowds in the gym facilities and HUB-Robeson Center.

President Graham Spanier said in December that he planned on capping enrollment at 42,000 by admitting around 7,000 students.

With applications up 12 percent as of December, a waitlist should help prevent another year of record enrollment and help to decrease crowding around campus.

Admissions officials will choose how many waitlist applicants to admit based on how many students have already accepted. Many schools already use waitlists to control enrollment, including other schools in the Big Ten.

For many students, admittance to University Park is a must in order for them to choose Penn State.

By implimenting a waitlist, this should help to make commonwealth campuses a more attractive option for incoming freshmen, forcing them to decide between University Park and guaranteed admission.

Waitlisting students will help to keep the expanding student body growing at a controlled, productive rate.

Penn State's admissions officials should be applauded for taking these steps to control enrollment at the University Park campus.