Sample Proposal Letter

include errors in content or grammar. Please refer to the instructions to make sure you include the correct content and edit carefully.

September 22, 2003

To: Leslie Bickford

From: Diana Ferry Put your initials here!

RE: Proposal for Final Project

I request that you accept my topic for the Writing 465 final project. Hopefully, I will be able to use this project to help alleviate the current parking problem at Winthrop University. Jack Allen, from Campus Police, and Walter Hardin, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, have shown interest in my project.

BACKGROUND

Winthrop University is a small public school with an enrollment of 5,065 undergraduate students (Fall 2002). Although there is a wonderful parking system currently in place, there is still not enough parking for every student, and there is still a parking problem on campus. Students and faculty complain year after year about insufficient parking on campus.

Do Not Solve the Problem in the Background

Reserved parking would help alleviate this situation and would benefit both the users of the parking system and the university. Each reserved space will guarantee the user a specific parking space at all times. When the user drives to campus, they will not have to worry about whether or not they will find a space, because no one else will be able to

park in the space that they rent; their space will always be available. For the users of reserved parking, there will be no more searching for parking and no more excuses for tardiness blamed on parking. Though this will not help all students, it will facilitate parking for many. The university will benefit from reserved parking financially.

Currently, there are seven types of parking available at Winthrop University: Faculty/Staff, Student, Freshman, Courtyard, Student Apartments, Disabled, and Open. Faculty/Staff permits sold to the faculty and staff of the university for $25. Freshmen students may purchase their decals for $100. For the decals of Student, Courtyard, Student Apartments, and Disabled, the price is $50. Open parking is for all cars bearing any valid Winthrop permit.

For the 5,065 undergraduate students, 1,406 graduate students, and over 500 faculty and staff of Winthrop, there are only 3,200 parking spaces on campus. The number of students and faculty will steadily increase while the number of parking spaces will remain static, for the most part.

Currently, there are plans underway for the construction of a parking deck within the next three to five years. This deck will hold 400 cars, which will only minimally alleviate the current parking problem. The enrollment of students of Winthrop is rising every year. From fall 2000 to fall 2001, Winthrop gained 188 undergraduate students. From fall 2001 to fall 2002, Winthrop gained 218 undergraduate students. Even though the parking deck will help the current situation, it will not hold enough spaces for the growth in enrollment within two to three years.

The money gained from the reserved parking system can be put towards a fund to keep up with this growth in the school's population. Also, the profit can help pay for the deck they are currently planning for, as well as for any other additions or changing of the university's parking system. As stated before, the future parking deck will hold 400 cars. For every space in a parking deck, you can add $12,000. This totals to $4.8 million. The parking will pay for itself over time, but it can take a very long time for the university to break even. The money gained from the reserved parking system will not pay for this parking deck, but it will definitely help put a dent in this huge financial burden. Still, both the parking deck and reserved parking seem to be a helpful solution to our parking problem.

Arkansas State University seems to be going in the same direction as Winthrop University, only a couple years ahead. Arkansas State, with an enrollment of around 9,000 students, had complaints from students and faculty about the parking system on their campus. To help the situation, they set up 369 reserved parking spaces at a basic cost of $200, plus the cost of the standard decal. After years more of complaining, they decided to add a parking garage to their campus. Although this garage eliminated 200 spaces, it added 613. The price of this garage was $5.5 million. Arkansas State used the parking deck, as well as the reserved parking system to help alleviate their situation. Many other campuses utilize the same systems, such as: University of Cincinnati, University of Iowa, University of Louisville, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Florida, University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin, and many more.

There are currently only a handful of reserved spaces on campus, and the ground has yet to be broken for the construction of the parking deck. In fact, Winthrop University does not even have all the funds needed to build this parking deck. When I approached Jack Allen, of Campus Police, with my idea of reserved parking spaces, he told me that he thought it was a good idea. Walter Hardin, when given the same idea, seemed to think that the reserved parking system would not realistically work out but was open to the proposal.

PROPOSED PROJECT

I am planning to find the funding needed to establish reserved parking at Winthrop University through Campus Police and the current traffic and parking system. Hopefully, Winthrop University and Campus Police will recognize the need and responsibility to fund these reserved parking spaces.

My report will show Chief Zebedis, of Campus Police, the feasibility of reserved parking and the necessary funding. Also detailed will be the general structure of the system and different possible profit margins. My report will allow Chief Zebedis to choose the best number of reserved spaces and cost per reserved space to generate the best profit, while persuading both he and Winthrop University that the system is necessary and helpful.

I want my report to result in the establishment of a reserved parking system on campus, at Winthrop University. I want the option of reserved parking to be available to all students, faculty, and staff of