The first major construction project of Syracuse University’s 20-year campus renovation plan, the University Place promenade, was completed on Aug. 22. But a few faculty members remain skeptical of the project — as well as future updates to the SU campus contained in the Campus Framework.

Frustration over where SU’s money is spent and a lack of transparency about the promenade were at the forefront of the initial complaints about the project. These particular concerns are still present among some faculty, even though the promenade has already been built.

“The issue is more than just informing us, which (the administration) didn’t do. It’s about letting us participate in decision making. Where is shared governance? Where is transparency?” said Deborah Pellow, an SU anthropology professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “It’s about where our priorities are as far as expenditure.”

The promenade is a pedestrian walkway in front of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and E.S. Bird Library. The project, which cost an estimated $6 million, was built over the summer, replacing the street originally there before it. But before construction crews broke ground at the end of May, two petitions against the promenade with more than 300 signatures were sent to Chancellor Kent Syverud. Soon after, a protest was held.

Despite the petitions and the protest, the university went forward with construction. The project was kept on schedule even though the administration initially delayed construction to hold open meetings with those skeptical of the promenade.

The core complaint about the promenade was that the university should not be spending money on SU’s appearance. Instead, critics say, that money should be put toward academics, which is a lasting concern with major renovations planned for the future of SU.

“Syracuse University, like all private universities, is competing to attract high tuition paying students. When prospective students visit Syracuse how it looks on the surface matters. So, the university prioritizes surface-level appearances over substantive improvements and investments in actual education,” said Matt Huber, a geography professor at SU, in an email.

In one of the open meetings held with critics of the promenade before construction started, Syverud himself admitted that communication about the promenade was “not as good as it should have been.” There is an official website where people can leave comment on the Campus Framework, but construction on the promenade started before the plan was released. This left no official channel for people to voice their concern about the promenade before construction started.

Pete Sala, vice president & chief campus facilities officer, said in an August email interview with The Daily Orange, that it was cheaper to start building the promenade earlier because the university was already going to replace the nearly 100-year-old water main beneath the University Place. It made “fiscal sense,” Sala said, to build the promenade over the summer instead of digging it back up at a later date.

Dating back to THE General Body sit-in in 2014, transparency has been a long standing issue between faculty and the administration. The promenade was just the latest, Huber said.

“The promenade was mentioned in meetings several months ahead of time, but no details about the cost or specifics were given until a few weeks before construction was set to start,” Huber said. “Lack of transparency is a longstanding issue at Syracuse and many universities, but the new administration has taken it to an unprecedented level — especially with regard to budgetary issues.”

The university has not released specifics on how much the Campus Framework will cost or where that money will come from. The $6 million estimate for the promenade was only disclosed to faculty in an open meeting in May, which would not have happened in the first place if the petitions weren’t sent to Syverud. As of Aug. 22, the final cost of the promenade has not been finalized, Sala said.

The lack of transparency about the budget specifically is not limited to the promenade, as faculty in the University Senate have complained about budget transparency before. Pellow said it will continue to be an issue as long as the administration makes important budgetary decisions without consulting the University Senate or the SU community.

“It’s opaque, the budget is opaque,” Pellow said.

Disclaimer: The Daily Orange leases a house on Ostrom Avenue owned by Syracuse University. As part of the Campus Framework, the university has proposed building student housing on Ostrom Avenue where The Daily Orange currently operates.

Published on August 23, 2016 at 7:08 pm

Contact Rachel: rsandler@syr.edu