The Million Dollar Sidewalk

By Victoria Razzi | Illustration by Erin Reeves | Jerk October 2016 Issue

Unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware of the incredibly underwhelming $225-million campus beautification project. The Division of Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) completed over 120 campus improvements over the summer—some of which are still being finished.

Shockingly, not everyone shares Pete Sala’s endless enthusiasm for these campus "improvements." The CPDC and higher administration were forced to take time off from turning summer into a verb to attempt to placate the hundreds of faculty, students, and community members who did not want many of these projects to take place.

"Beautification" to Chancellor Syverud and the crew means renovations like new flooring, finishes, bathroom updates, improvements to the exterior of the Center of Science and Technology, and the University Place Promenade. Basically, University Place is now a giant sidewalk and the Watson Hall bathrooms don’t look like they belong in a trucker rest stop.

While the physical construction and cost of the Promenade was problematic, the biggest issue was the communication surrounding it, or rather, lack thereof. While there was a discussion before the official go-ahead was given, many people feel that it was definitely lacking. In fact, 108 faculty members signed a petition voicing their concerns over the construction of the Promenade back in the beginning of May. Since nothing other than verbal comfort was offered to the concerned faculty, another petition, this time signed by 246 SU students, staff, and community members was submitted to Chancellor Syverud at the end of May.

These petitions voiced concerns about bus routes and traffic since University Place was such a major channel for University navigation. Waverly Avenue is busier now, since many bus paths have been rerouted there. Though the sidewalks of the Promenade are heated, the faculty was concerned that the majority of the expensive furniture and lighting will be rendered useless by the inevitable winter tundra-like conditions.

According to Syracuse.com, the Promenade cost the University an estimated $6 million dollars. The negativity surrounding this number stems from the fact that the glorious sidewalk was in no way a necessity. Despite that staggering number, the Promenade was not the most expensive project completed. But, since faculty and student concerns were dismissed like a freshmen boy from DKE, it got the most attention by far. Recent closures of the advocacy center and cuts to faculty and scholarship programs make it feel like the University doesn’t exactly have $6 million just lying around.

At the time the University stated that spending had been exceeding revenue and cuts had to be made somewhere. Since we have not heard otherwise, and are not privy to budget allocation details, it just really feels like the new red shiny bricks beneath our feet are coming straight out of our parents and our hard working pockets.

Another downfall of the Promenade is the fact that it was not even executed well. When we asked students what they thought about it, common descriptors included: "stupid, ugly, pointless, unfinished, annoying, and unnecessary."

Too long; didn't read: The Promenade does not have any true academic purpose or value. It is purely cosmetic. While the Chancellor is not solely responsible for the blatant disregard for communication surrounding the project, he has stated several times that the Promenade and additional projects are part of his plan to monetize the university, the Campus Framework. The Promenade should not have had higher priority than the concerns of the SU community. The administration now has the mandatory task of including students in discussions regarding future changes in infrastructure on campus before they've made a decision.