Dear Redbud Faculty Meeting Delegation:

Tom Eisner talked to Susan Murphy today and she agreed to relay to top administrators (which we take to include the president) the following proposals for a solution to the impasse over Redbud Woods:

1. The Administration would agree to a 10-day moratorium on tree cutting.

2. During this period, Redbud faculty would form a working group committed to serious work over the next year to find ways to save on the order of 250 parking spaces, and participate in larger discussions about alternatives to ever-increasing driving and paving of green spaces. Students would be a part of this discussion.

3. By the end of September, more or less, there should be concrete proposals for a plan of action to reduce the need for parking on campus. The solutions should include faculty willingness to make personal sacrifices in order to conserve natural areas (for example, to seriously consider giving up parking spaces, using car-pooling, etc.)in order that staff who cannot afford to live close to campus can secure better parking access.

4. The faculty and students involved in this dialog would report to their colleagues in the larger academic community about the needed commitments for limiting driving on campus.

5. During these discussions, there would be an indefinite moratorium on cutting Redbud Woods.

Tom and I also discussed the plausibility of asking the University to provide resources (and secure new seed money for an experimental year of driving/parking containment) to carry out the agreement. Abby has gotten information about Omni ride-- a service already in existence to provide transportation for those without parking spaces. It would seem reasonable to ask the University to offer this or some larger set of bus transportation alternatives to students who don't bring cars to campus.