The removal of benches on the Old Main lawn this week drew more attention than expected after student leaders suggested that the act was disrespectful.

University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) at-large representative Sean Meloy and UPUA Academic Affairs Chairman Matt Smith have both spoken out about the removal of the benches, which were gifts from the Class of 1900.

Jordan Ford, the assistant director of the Office of Annual Giving for the Office of Physical Plant, didn't expect anyone to notice the change, however, they should have let Penn State students in on the decision.

"Those benches are a respected part of campus, and now they're gone," Meloy said.

Well, not exactly. The 50 stone-and-wood benches found mostly on Old Main Lawn will be removed, but will be replaced by black iron benches that will still honor the intentions of the gift. Two piecemeal commemorative benches will also be created out of the remains of the old ones.

A few students may be up in arms about the treatment of the gift, but the university can't be faulted for the handling of the situation. The benches were gifts from a class that graduated more than a century ago and, as expected, have deteriorated with age.

By replacing them with new benches, Penn State is improving upon the functionality of the gift, continuing to honor the Class of 1900 and keeping a few of the original benches as a tribute. This way, everyone wins, as it is likely the Class of 1900 would have wanted students to have somewhere to sit, regardless of the material of the benches.

Despite its fair handling of the benches' removal, however, Penn State dropped the ball in communicating its intent. For the sake of student interest, the university should have at least notified UPUA and allowed them to have input in the decision. They are, after all, the student government at Penn State.

The current decision would have been the correct one to arrive at, but students should be afforded some say in a student gift.

"There was no way we could have ever known this was going to happen other than for us to be proactive and ask if they are going to remove class gifts," UPUA President Gavin Keirans said. "And that is not something that we do."

This is not the ideal relationship between a student body and the university. Informing UPUA about the changes would have been the proper way to go about the situation.

Maybe the end result would not have changed, but a disagreement about its handling could have been avoided.