Stop the Reckless Privatization Deal at Ohio State

At 4:30 today, the OSU Board of Trustees will decide whether to move forward on a risky plan to sell off all the University's parking structures to a private corporation for a one-time $483 million fee. Despite resounding opposition from the entire OSU community President Gee is trying to ram through his plan and the OSU Board of Trustees could vote on this tomorrow. This is the boldest step yet in OSU President Gee's quest to private the largest public school in the nation; it is dangerous for students and campus workers, who would be laid off and suffer because of this reckless deal.

Take action below to tell the OSU Trustees that privatizing OSU's parking lots is dangerous for the school, and they should stop signing risky deals that are bad for their own students and workers.

Subject:

Your Letter:

Dear OSU Trustees,

I am writing to ask you to reject the OSU administration’s risky, unethical and financially unsound plan to privatize campus parking lots.

LAZ Parking’s only motivation is to make money, and their track record managing public assets in other cities shows that they will do so at the public’s expense.  In Chicago, an investigation by the City’s Inspector General found that taxpayers will end up overpaying the company more than $1 billion in pure profit over the life of the lease. An independent analysis by OSU faculty shows that under the current proposed plan students, workers and other members of Buckeye Nation will end up paying more while the University receives less.

You do not have to accept this current proposal. Two years ago the Pittsburgh City Council voted to reject a similar $452 million offer from LAZ to privatize their parking meters that it called “irresponsible.” Privatization is deeply unpopular on campus - students and faculty have repeatedly voiced their opposition to this deal. The Faculty Council has voted against parking privatization, and a resounding 86% of faculty surveyed by the administration oppose the current plan.

The parking privatization plan is eerily reminiscent of another dangerous deal - the Request for Proposals process rigged by OSU's Trademarks and Licensing Director Rick Van Brimmer with the intention to sell off the school's entire apparel licensing program to the Dallas Cowboys, a proven serial abuser of human rights.

In the face of widespread criticism, President Gee and the OSU administration have failed to answer the hard questions about the risks of these dangerous deals. Protect the interests of the campus community by voting to keep this parking deal off the table, and ensure that the University does not move forward in signing an exclusive apparel licensing agreement with the Dallas Cowboys.

Stop the Reckless Privatization Deal at Ohio State

Jeffrey Wadsworth, OSU Trustee

Brian Hicks, OSU Trustee

Leslie Wexner, OSU Trustee

Alex Shumate, OSU Trustee

Dr Janet Reid, OSU Trustee

Ronald Ratner, OSU Trustee

Algenon Marbley, OSU Trustee

Gordon Gee

OSU Board of Trustees