With the announcement that L.A. rock band Jack's Mannequin will perform on campus Oct. 11, Penn State students and faculty are getting more than just a concert; they're getting a new music venue.

Though, to be honest, using Rec Hall as a music venue isn't a new venture by any means. Rec Hall hosted rapper Busta Rhymes in 1999, Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1991 and even the Grateful Dead in 1979 and 1980.

Penn State alumni from years past can obviously attest to the venue's ability to handle concerts, but for us present-day Penn Staters, we've yet to see a recreational use for the venue besides providing a forum for sports events and speeches.

But the Student Programming Association (SPA) has decided to utilize a resource that, for some unknown reason, no other student groups involved with putting on concerts have decided to utilize.

Putting to use a perfectly capable and recently underused resource is an action that more music-minded student groups like Students Organizing the Multiple Arts and the Asylum -- and maybe even promoters in town, if possible -- should start to emulate.

While the HUB-Robeson Center does provide some spacious rooms that are capable of holding concerts, these rooms are better suited for presentations, speeches or events like the Student Involvement Fair. We can't forget about the mayhem that ensued in the HUB lobby when the Girl Talk concert filled its capacity.

Had that show been hosted in Rec Hall, it probably would have held a lot more attendees and would have been a much more suitable environment for that type of entertainment.

And, hey, five bucks for a concert? SPA Executive Director Stephanie Sottung described the $5 price tag for the concert as "reasonable." That's an understatement if there's ever been one. Five dollars is a much more than reasonable price for a concert, especially when it features a band that should resonate with a strong contingent of students on campus.

Hopefully, the Jack's Mannequin concert will go off without any complications. The potential of any new (or revitalized, in this case) music venue in town can prove to be very exciting for music enthusiasts. Let's hope more groups and promoters that

book concerts will remember to keep Rec Hall in mind.