Dear Chancellor Kent Syverud,

I have been writing to you for several years about an exciting and extremely easy initiative that you could execute, really low-hanging fruit.

Namely, get rid of the hideous Syracuse University parking lot on Waverly Avenue in the front yard of the Schine Student Center and install a few attractive planters. All those university cars and trucks can easily go somewhere else. The white truck sits there 24/7. Many of your prospective students and parents will explore the university on Google Street View, where this image is taken and maybe they decide not to attend such a seemingly uncaring institution.

I have been told by folks that you can’t do this because of some distant future project that would be built here and this project would have to wait until then. With all due respect, that makes no sense whatsoever. This project is essentially free and could be accomplished by one of your assistants in a day with a few phone calls and an email.

Waverly Avenue is Syracuse University’s front yard to the community, and the adjacent buildings on Waverly already treat the avenue as a front yard. So the parking lot is the only obstacle to a major step toward a more beautiful campus.

It seems like such an easy decision. Who would be against it other than a few very privileged individuals who now get such prime free parking? I would imagine that the SU Board of Trustees would be thrilled.

Respectfully,
David C. Ashley, Class of 1955