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Pedestrian mall is unnecessary

TO THE DAILY:

After reading the article in the Feb. 26 edition of the Daily, 'East U. to become pedestrian mall', a chill ran through my spine. On a campus where students seldom encounter areas free of construction workers' trailers, multifarious temporary fencing and the sounds of drilling and falling debris, I cannot resist greeting this next'beautification' project with disdain. The University's ongoing efforts to upgrade the campus have reduced the Diag and other parts of campus to eye sores, amplified by the recently melted snow.

Yet the ugliness of our campus is not the sole reason I am writing this letter. Instead, I would like to comment on the possible effects the state of our campus has on members of the University community. I believe that the continuous construction, which overpowers the little natural beauty that exists on the Diag, sets a bad example for the University community. The path between the West Engineering tunnel and the entrance of the UGLi is littered with cigarette butts and other trash. The melting of the snow has revealed tire tracks over what used to be grass. Granted, the campus usually does not look as bad in the warmer months as it does these days, but shouldn't we always try to respect the environment in which we live?

University planner Fred Mayer, commenting in the article, shows that in the planning of the East U. mall ecological concerns did not affect the decision-making process. Obviously Mayer is not concerned with efficiency or ecological soundness, but aesthetics. My personal worry is that if the administration chooses to set this kind of example, I fear the rest of the University community, to a lesser degree, may follow suit.

PATRICK OH

LSA SOPHOMORE