To the Editor:
UMaine’s infrastructure is inexcusably awful
The University of Maine at Orono’s parking lots and roads are, in a word, horrific. Admittedly, they’re not the worst terrain I’ve had the misfortune of driving on, but being slightly more tolerable than a dirt road littered with potholes and rocks is not high praise.
Undoubtedly, UMaine’s infrastructure would be far better off if it were repaired (perhaps in the evening) as damage and wear occurred. Instead, the university opts to leave gaping holes unfettered for months, only to quickly fill them in with a cheap material before some important event is conducted. After all, it would be simply terrible if someone unfamiliar with the university came to the campus and got the impression that UMaine didn’t take care of their roads.
While the squalor of UMaine’s infrastructure cannot be understated, the issue of its size shouldn’t be ignored. Each parking lot is woefully undersized given the number of students who attend the college each semester and many lots are a considerable distance from the halls students frequent. The roads aren’t free of this ailment either, as their narrow nature makes traversal difficult for any vehicle larger than an SUV.
Even with all of the complaints I’ve levied against UMaine, I don’t think it would take much effort on their part to improve this situation. It’s true that not much can be done regarding the size issues plaguing the campus, but there’s no reason why potholes can’t be fixed as they appear. It would seriously improve how enjoyable it is to drive on campus; it may even make me feel like my money wasn’t being wasted so thoroughly.
Kyle Barry
