As part of an ongoing project of campus beautification, some sidewalks around campus will be demolished and replaced with green space this semester and in the future, according to the Office of the Physical Plant (OPP).

The effort, which officials say may be complete in about a year, includes a proposed boulevard of trees down the middle of Shortlidge Road near Pollock Road, which would cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars" Tom Flynn, OPP senior landscape architect, said.

In addition, the study will evaluate the size of sidewalks and the amount and placement of pavement on campus.

This effort, on the surface, seems praiseworthy, but also a bit perplexing, because of the questions it raises.

First, the question of whether we can plant trees around the sidewalks and pavement is an important query.

If we could, then we would not need to remove the sidewalks.

Further questions include where the money will come from for the project, and how will the funds be supplied?

For example, if such construction was funded by a grant directed specifically at beautification, it would be quite narrowly focused funding.

However, if the money was not specifically earmarked for an overhaul of the campus landscape, one would hope there were other uses that the money could be put toward, such as preventing layoffs or presenting further opportunities for education.

The monetary and logistical considerations of such a project, with its broad scope reaching across campus, are not inconsiderable and should be regarded as crucial.

However, in the case that one regards the money as specifically directed toward these campus landscape considerations, the project can be seen as a noble undertaking, as it bids to make beautiful the landscape of the Penn State campus. A beautiful campus can attract many students, and indeed, lighten the moods of students who are already enrolled.

On a temperate spring day, a verdant copse of trees would boost the spirits of the student body by providing a location steeped in beauty.

In the course of education here at Penn State, there are many expenses toward which students will put their money, and with this in mind, it seems reasonable to suggest that money should be spent on the transformation of campus into a location which appeals to our aesthetic sensibilities.