Dear President Gonzalez: I know the fall semester is still a long way off, and I know you’re going to be busy over the summer, but I have a short grocery list of things that I think we students would all like to see when we return in August. We’re not asking for much, just a few things to brighten up our experience on campus.

The first thing I’m sure you’re sick and tired of hearing about this whole parking fiasco and quite frankly so am I. But with the incredibly slow progress being made on the concrete kingdom that is Parking Structure III, you may have noticed that reaction to the temporary loss of spots has gone over none to well with the large number of commuter students. As a suggestion for next semester and as a compensatory good faith gesture, why not cut the price of a parking pass in half? There are thousands of students who pay $112 to fight morning traffic only to have to trudge through the muck in the overflow parking lot just to get on campus. In a time of continuous fee hikes and escalating book prices, have some compassion for our already shallow pockets.

Secondly, let’s talk about campus expansion. If it doesn’t involve getting more parking spots, don’t build it. Instead of erecting an $8 million space center, let’s fix up some of the facilities that will actually benefit us normal students. The air conditioning has been running in my criminal justice class since January. The elevators in Amador Hall are about the size of my fist. The bookstore can turn into the Borders overnight, but the dorms look like they were imported from Alcatraz. There are currently a total of four astronomy classes being offered in the fall and we want to start pumping out astronauts. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Let’s hold off on building mission control until we make sure all the thermostats on campus work.

Next issue on the docket is athletics. I’d like to get some sort of resolution to this dismal football program. Since you’ve been president our record has been 7-26. If I were you this would be near the top of my “to-do list” this summer. The annual Causeway Massacre is only about seven months away, so you’ve got plenty of time to dwell on it. Remember, nothing says school spirit like getting creamed by 40. And because this year the game is at Davis, there will actually be people attending the game to witness it.

And finally, let’s talk about classes. What’s the point of admitting so many people if they can’t get into classes? I know you’ve got to work with the finances you’re given, but let’s make it a little easier for existing students to actually enroll in classes they need. About nine minutes after CasperWeb opens, classes are full. So why are we paying professors to teach classes like “Predicting the Future,” when students can’t get into English 1A?

So there you have it. I thank you for your time and hope you have a relaxing, but productive, summer. I don’t expect any of these suggestions to be regarded too seriously, but I think we can agree that the needs and preferences of Sacramento State students should be regarded before the administration sets its agenda.

Your buddy, Josh.

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Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]