Editor, Daily Nexus,

My name is Joel Wynton and I am a concerned alumnus of UCSB. It is important to consider how the proposed changes to Highway 217 could impact the school’s future donors. Along with many of my fellow graduated Gauchos, I hold a strong affinity for the calming and serene approach to my alma mater that Highway 217 provides. It is not only a speedy thoroughfare into campus, but also a trip down memory lane. Please don’t corrupt this portal to my past of being a UC Santa Barbara student, and please see how my plea is on behalf of thousands of alumni just like me.

My identity as a Gaucho and my love of the school is supported by how I can still relate to the college, the campus, the students and the faculty. With the numerous changes that are taking place at UCSB, it is crucial to still have the familiar ride into my school; the school where I toiled, grew, learned and labored through the right of passage that a Bachelor’s degree from UCSB provides. Please honor those memories by keeping intact the gateway to my yesteryears.

I realize that the drive to change the highway is from the economic interests of the stakeholders in the Goleta Old Town development. That alone is a complicated issue, however I will save that argument for another day.

JOEL WYNTON