In 2012, the number of students enrolled at Penn State Abington was 3,516 students. That number has risen to 3,951 students in 2016. These numbers are the combined totals for full-time and part-time students. It is an average growth number, but Abington isn’t as big of a campus compared to the Main Campus at University Park. For example, here’s an image of the Lares Cafeteria at lunchtime.

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Looks quite full, doesn’t it? This was back in early October. At the time, students could eat at one of the outdoor tables. But the recent cold fronts we’d normally see in Winter during the month of November might be a sign for them to be more common in the future, especially during the first half if not the majority of the Spring semester. As a result, more students would likely eat inside to stay warm and therefore cause more crowding in the cafeteria.

While there is a small cafe in the Woodland building, that place has closed down recently. Even so, unless students decide to go off-campus to get food, they’ll have to deal with all the crowding at Lares cafe while at Abington. This is especially true during the common break on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:20 to 1:10. But while no common break exists on Tuesdays or Thursdays, the cafeteria is susceptible of similar crowding issues around that time if not somewhat before or after that period.

It’s no surprise that the campus is starting to feel more crowded with each passing year, so Abington needs to find a way to combat these rising numbers.

One way Abington could try to fight this problem is building new academic buildings. The academic buildings can allow for more classrooms, a chance to incorporate new classes and allow for more learning space altogether. However, Penn State Abington was given a limited amount of space under the zoning laws of Abington Township.

Penn State Abington under the zoning laws of Abington Township

The blue area is all of the land Penn State Abington has under the zoning laws. If it tries to expand past those borders, they could get fined. As you can see, a small part of the landmass is not in blue. That tan piece of land is actually private property for Abington residents. We would not want to expand our campus at the cost of property loss to residents. However, there is a solution to this issue, but not many people are aware about this plan.

Academic Building Quad Entry

Voith and MacTavich Architects are helping Penn State Abington plan and construct a pair of new academic buildings on campus. They have a history with the campus as they were responsible for the Intersection Lounge in Lares.

New Student Union

Acacdemic Building Student Lounge

 

The Student Union Dining Hall

The proposed plan calls for the construction of two academic buildings. One of them will be a new academic building, while the other will be a new student union. The former building is to include new classrooms, a gallery, innovation lab, and a lounge, while the latter building will have a new student dining hall, various performance and event spaces, and much of the various student support offices scattered across campus.

The proposed zoning area for the new buildings

 

It is true that the proposed plan will remove the existing Rydal Building and Conference Center.

 

Rydal Building

Conference Center

But we can simply move the services inside of those buildings, including the campus police department, various classrooms, and offices, temporarily during construction. Once construction is complete, we can move those services into their new homes. Also, these buildings are likely to be out of code and would need to be replaced. The new renovations can not only replace these old buildings with new ones, they can give students new academic opportunities that the existing Woodland and Sutherland Buildings are unable to accomplish, including Penn State classes that had never been offered at Abington in the past. These classes are able to be transferred to any campus and can help Penn State Students take a step towards their career goals.

Most importantly, these new buildings are within the zoning laws set by Abington Township. The buildings are structurally placed within the borders of campus and do not invade the private property of citizens on Clovery Lane. By doing so, the college doesn’t have to worry about getting the local government involved with their plans of expansion.

 

Documentary Video

 

Podcast

 

Penn State Abington’s enrollment is growing with each passing year. And the campus needs to expand itself to accommodate this expanding rate. Whether students remain at Penn State Abington for their entire college career or transfer out in the middle of it, we want to make sure they enjoy the time they spend here. If the students become aware of the new proposed buildings, construction will likely be done much sooner. I hope for a day when we can have new academic buildings at Penn State Abington.