I’d like to vociferate my response to April 28 letter by associate professor Phil Locke who reproaches mere-student Ed Emmons for thinking “outside the box” in the operation of the University of Maine from a fiscally responsible business perspective. Emmons’ commentary (BDN, April 23) did a fantastic job of citing almost every one of the university’s foremost problems, and coming up with logical ways for the school’s president to fix them.

Speaking from a student’s point of view, I can attest to the fact that the downfalls to which Emmons refers are all poignantly prevalant and painfully perpetual. It must be easy to trivialize Emmons’ proposals from the perspective of “the establishment.” It doesn’t sound as if Locke has ever had to waste his time in the eternal quest for a space in the nearly nonexistent student parking lots, or suffer the financial burden of having to pay (from already empty pockets) the egregious fine imposed by the campus Public Safety Department upon failing in that quest.

Nor, I’d wager, does Locke relish the logical concept illustrated by Emmons’ commentary (a concept seemingly forgotten by the university) that UMaine is a business; it’s students the customers and, to quote a time proven American principle, “the customer is always right.”

Emmons quixotic? I think not. When’s the next election? Abel P. Gleason II Orono