persuasive essay

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The University of Massachusetts Lowell began at the turn of the 20th century. The university was originally two separate schools known as the Lowell Normal School and the Lowell Textile School. Over many years the two schools evolved and in 1975 they merged into the University of Lowell. In 1991 the university became part of the University of Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts Lowell was born. The university has been expanding rapidly in the last five years. During the 2013-2014 school year, there were 16,969 students enrolled at the university. The year to year enrollment rate has increased in every department. The total enrollment has increased more than 10 percent every year since 2008. With the growing student body, accommodations must be made to ensure resources are available and students are safe. As part of Chancellor Marty Meehan's plan to expand the school, several additions have been made. The north campus has a new 80 million dollar research facility dedicated to cutting edge technology. The parking space has been expanded at the Riverside street lot. A large parking garage has been constructed to fit far more commuters in a tighter space.
Commuters driving in flood the area to get to class on time. This rapid influx of commuting students has put stress on the surrounding community's roads. Given the history of the university, it is apparent that these road ways were never designed to handle this sort of traffic. On most weekdays during the normal semester the traffic in the area peaks just before the hour from 8:00 to 11:00 AM. This coincides with the time that many classes get out and people have to walk to their next class. Many commuters are in a rush to get to class and are victims of the traffic ...

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...occludes the vision of cars from the other direction, making pedestrians more vulnerable.
Giving students is the ability to traverse the vast majority of north campus while being protected from inclement weather would help them deal with New England winters. Cold, wet, and snowy winters are not particularly friendly to pedestrian traffic. Slush and road salt cover everything while hidden patches of ice lie in wait for unsuspecting victims. If students are able to live comfortably and safe, the trend of increasing enrollment is likely to continue.
In the end, it comes down to the university administration's understanding of the problem. If decision makers realize that the expansion of enrollment requires responsible expansion of facilities then they will surely push this project. There are too many benefits to commuting and on campus students ignore this proposal.

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