I propose that all the administrators and executives of UGA move into Creswell Hall.

Let the faculty and students actually occupy the “historic,” beautiful, and classic buildings.

If you want a nice office as a top dog at the school, then act like a leader and build a better campus.

Right now, there’s a literal caste system at UGA, and it’s absolutely disgusting. Why are all the best amenities—like the gym and dining—tucked away near the wealthier students in East Campus Village?

It wouldn’t be so bad if the campus had been planned for everyone. But if you look at a map, it’s obvious that after North Campus, some genius decided buildings could just sprout anywhere, as if land was unlimited. Now, UGA’s campus is less pedestrian-friendly than many no-name schools with way less money.

I’m sure the donor kids in East Campus Village are living large, but the university can do a lot more. Either run more buses from Tate to the East Campus gym (the extra dorm fees there can definitely cover it), or build more gyms on all the wasted space currently used for parking.

If parking is absolutely essential, make more parking garages in East Campus Village. Just keep the buses running more often. There’s no need for so much pointless parking in the heart of campus—it breaks up the flow for both buildings and people.

I want to be proud of UGA, but I’ve seen big-name and totally unknown campuses around the world. And without a doubt, UGA’s layout is one of the worst I’ve ever encountered. It has potential, though, and I believe the current campus designers are trying to build a walkable experience on the south side—kudos to them. Keep going, and remember: all those scattered patches of unusable green space and endless parking add 5-10 minutes to everyone’s walk, which isn’t even a pleasant stroll. It’s a mind-numbing trudge by the same uninspired building for ten minutes, all because past campus planners never imagined anyone would actually want to walk. (And those same planners probably now have knee issues from years of driving everywhere, but I digress.)

We can do better. Go Dawgs. I still have faith. Don’t sell out to donors at the expense of the rest of us.

There’s no reason that the tuition from less affluent students is used to subsidize the improvement of the already luxury lives of the privileged East Campus Villager - allowing the rich to enjoy leisurely 10-minute walk to the gym while the others (also paying top tuition costs) gets stuck with a 30+ minute trek.

Having a car or loads of cash shouldn’t be a prerequisite for attending the University of Georgia. This place was the first public university in the U.S.—let’s start acting like it. The founders envisioned a campus people could fall in love with. I doubt many at UGA these days are “in love” with its parking lots and empty fields. Though that one field by the journalism building is lovely on an autumn evening—so let’s keep up that vibe everywhere and spread some campus love.

It’s even more painful looking at UGA on a map. You can see that someone tried to create a grand walkable avenue from North Campus down to the engineering building, but it grinds to a halt where the stadium clogs everything up. I love cheering on UGA, and the stadium is great, so no, we shouldn’t tear it down. But it does feel like wasted space most of the year, and it could have been placed elsewhere—like southwest of campus with the other stadiums, or even over by East Campus Village where all the “royalty” resides. That way, it wouldn’t block day-to-day access for the rest of us.

Mistakes happen, and we can’t go back. So get creative. It’s a crying shame that previous administrations let the “first public university” become a pay-to-enjoy space. Go Dawgs, but remember you’re a school first, sports team second. Let's keep the Legacy strong.

Presidents and administrators: your charge is to guide the university so that the entire community may flourish. UGA's excellence lies in how it elevates those with the fewest resources.

Let's make S Lumpkin St a car free street, for the people.