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Inns & outs

In print | October 5, 2006

Given the news of the last few weeks, it would be hard for the college’s future to look brighter. President Al Bloom announced that the college met its $230 million goal for the Meaning of Swarthmore campaign and the Board of Managers approved a plan to build a second dorm next to Alice Paul. By the end of the month, the Swarthmore Borough Zoning and Planning Committee may recommend new zoning rules to make it possible for a college-proposed inn to be built.

STAFF EDITORIAL

Maurice Eldridge ’61 is excited about the proposed inn because he believes it “represents a melding of college and community interests.” It is easy to understand the ways in which the inn will be good for the community, although it will probably be the only business with a liquor license in a dry town. Visitors to the inn, who might otherwise have dined in Media or Philadelphia, might frequent local restaurants and merchants. This increased traffic might eventually attract more businesses to the ville. This change might have some benefits for the college — a more vibrant ville with restaurants that stayed open later would certainly enhance student life.

The more immediate benefits to the college are hard to see. Parents and honors examiners might choose to stay in the inn so that they are closer to campus, but there are only a few times a year there are enough visitors to fill the 30 – 40 proposed rooms: Welcome Weekend, Parents’ Weekend, honors week, graduation and Alumni Weekend. During the rest of the year, there is little in Swarthmore to bring visitors to the ville. While Swarthmore has many guest speakers who may have to stay in the area overnight, a few visitors a month will not be enough to keep the inn in business. Does the college plan to subsidize the inn to keep it open for busy weekends in the event of low traffic?

Although the proposed inn would increase business in the ville and provide stressed-out parents with a place to stay during graduation weekend, these benefits are too slight to justify the inn as a college spending priority. We should take advantage of the revenue raised in the Meaning of Swarthmore campaign to improve student life, financial aid and recruitment. We should focus on improving the dorms students live in year-round before we build an inn that will only be full for a few weekends each year.

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