Letters to the editor:
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Bridge to Nowhere

I read with interest Jack Neely's "An Open Letter to J. Wade Gilley" (Vol. 9, No. 35). This is my 25th year on the faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 13 as a department head, and my 32nd as a university professor. I realized years ago that universities are not democracies and, in my opinion, they should not be. Those European and Latin American universities that have gone that route often end up in chaos as students and/or the faculty strike, shutting down the institutions and denying an education to the students and employment to the faculty and staff. Nevertheless, one would hope that the administration and governing board of a major university in this country would give serious consideration to the concerns of its students, faculty, and staff. This seems not to be the case with respect to the proposed four-lane bridge connecting the Ag Campus with the main campus at UTK. No one outside of the UT administration seems to favor such a bridge. Even those based on the Ag campus, who tend in my experience to be closer to the conservative end of the political spectrum than the liberal, are opposed.

A few months ago, I was aghast to hear the (former) President of the University justify construction of a four-lane bridge at least partly because UTK expects to have 9,000 more cars on campus at some time in the future. I know this is Tennessee, but I don't think that there is anything in the state constitution, much less the U. S. Constitution, that gives citizens the right to drive anywhere they wish. NASCAR has not yet claimed for drivers the same constitutional rights that the NRA seems to think are implicit in Article 2 of the Bill of Rights with respect to the ownership of assault rifles. Forward thinking universities, with forward thinking administrators (e.g., University of Florida; Arizona State University, where some streets were long ago turned into pedestrian walkways), have limited vehicle traffic on campus by providing peripheral parking and ample shuttlebus service. I agree that a bridge would be a useful link between the two semi-isolated parts of campus, but why can't we have a two-lane bridge with walking and bicycle lanes and with vehicular traffic restricted to security and maintenance traffic, and shuttlebuses?

A bridge will be built and probably built in record time. It remains to be seen whether it will be a four-lane "interstate" costing an incredible amount of money at a time when the state has yet to recognize the value of higher education in its budget planning and is facing huge deficits, or something more environmentally and fiscally responsible. Regardless, at some time in the near future, members of the UTK and System administrations, together with various local and state politicians eager to demonstrate their commitment to higher education, will probably gather to dedicate the bridge and congratulate themselves for a job well-done. And, I predict that they will name the bridge after either a former University President, or a former or soon-to-be-former State Governor, or both. If the bridge includes a four-lane road and proves to be a safety hazard, leading to greater traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and a general reduction in the quality of life on the UTK campus, it will be forever possible to identify those who were most responsible. If, on the other hand, the bridge is built according to a more responsible design and serves to link the two campuses without the aforementioned hazards, it will stand as a monument to the forethought of those who facilitated its construction.

Students may have no vote in the decision about the bridge, but they do have a way of being heard, if not now, then later. At your commencement, you are likely to hear a plea (softened with a few jokes at Auburn's expense and about campus parking problems) for your financial support of the University. Students do get a good education at UTK, and for a relative bargain price despite the lack of adequate support from the state, and UTK does deserve your contributions. But write those checks specifically to "The University of Tennessee, Knoxville." If you make them out to "The University of Tennessee," your money will go to the UT System, the same System that seems at this time to be deaf to the concerns of an apparent majority of the UTK students, faculty, and staff on issues such as the bridge between the two campuses. Unless you specify that your contribution is for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, there is no guarantee that it will be used to improve this campus.

A. C. Echternacht
Knoxville

Special Bonus Letter!

Gosh darn it, we do love getting mail from our readers but we just can't print it all. Sometimes the missives are unsigned, run too long, don't relate to any of the issues we usually cover, or verge on the loopy. Rather than let these bits of personal expression go unread, we will now start posting them here. Enjoy!

This is a Call for the Return to Downtown (Knoxville): A Letter for the Masses

12:00 p.m. (lunch hour)
Friday, January 22, 1999
Sunny and 72 degrees

I step outside my office and downtown Knoxville is, in my mind, at once city. The urban fabric is working. The grid is alive and true. I am filled with an immense sense of comfort. At once, I step onto the sidewalk to take my place with the unusually large amount of human beings all moving, at their own pace, to their desired locations within this machination of boxes. It is a wonderful feeling, to be in a city. There is an inexplicable understanding between all people. It's one of those things that makes you realize you are part of something bigger than yourself. Which, we all need sometimes. A city makes sense: its buildings side by side creating those oh so important "walls" that help in forming that understanding. A city is one of the basic elements of human life that all people should experience at least once. And, whether you agree with city or not, you cannot ignore it. It's one of those things that just won't go away.

Have you ever been scared, alone, lost, broke, hungry, or panicked in a city? Have you ever felt that positive energy created by the city? Have you ever swam in a city fountain, ate food from a street vendor, given money to a bum? If not, you should try these notions when you get the chance. You see, these are some of the things a city can provide. It's part of its job.

A city has a life. But, it is only alive when it is occupied. That is the key, right there. There is no other answer or solution to a problematic city. A city must be occupied. Otherwise, it will get lonely, poor, and fall into disrepair. Much like the homeless who seem to feel comforted by the silence and ghostlike images appearing when no one else is around.A city needs all kinds to survive. A city needs artists, street musicians, and noise; man does it need noise. It needs business people and little old couples who run that corner store with the coffee you like so much. It needs shops with apartments above them. A city needs so much...to survive.I have this depressing vision of future downtown Knoxville. I see this area one day becoming "Downtown Business Park Inc." where you pay to enter, park, work, eat, and at the end of the day, leave. The city becomes one idea, a company, and a product. Sprawl has won the game and "Downtown Business Park Inc." has no more importance than the Malls that blanket west Knoxville. I do not want this to happen. This is a call for the return to Downtown Knoxville. We need to educate the masses about downtown, by all means. We need to push our ideas to the limits. We need to instigate change. There are many obstacles ahead and many powerful, stubborn people creating huge hurdles. But, there are many that want to be involved in creating positive solutions. We need educated people who know the answers. We need hard working committed people who have vision for today and the future. We have to look beyond the now and make sure the moves we make today will have valid impact for the next century. This is a call to the masses for the return to Downtown (Knoxville, Tennessee).

Travis Smith, architect intern
Knoxville