Penn State changes its plans: Nittany Lion Inn to be used as classroom space this fall
Penn State changed its plans for the Nittany Lion Inn this fall, the university announced Thursday.
The nearly 90-year-old building with 233 guest rooms is set to be used for additional classroom space and single-occupancy housing for on-campus students, who are scheduled to return Aug. 21.
The university as of June planned for the hotel to be used as an isolation space for students who may have contracted the new coronavirus. Eastview Terrace is now expected to serve as an isolation space.
The residence hall’s seven buildings, which provide each resident with a single room and a private bathroom, typically house more than 800 students.
The change is not expected to bring relief to housing and food services employees.
About 79 hotel employees are set to be laid off, though the university is looking for alternative work for affected employees, spokesperson Wyatt DuBois wrote in an email.
Employees are scheduled to receive 50% of their salary and benefits through July 31.
The pandemic is projected to cost the university more than $260 million over the next year in losses and additional costs, the university said in June.