On Friday, more than 30 demonstrators petitioned in front of the Joseph Wood Krutch Cactus Garden pounding in and hanging up "Save the cacti" signs. Although the cactus garden only occupies a small area of the Mall surrounded by an encroaching cement roadway, its existence is becoming a stinging needle in the sides of the Alumni Association.

The alumni and the Hargreaves Associates are ready to push forward with their agenda to construct an Alumni Plaza in the area in front of the Administration building. Three out of the four project designs plan to relocate or remove the cactus garden. The fourth design, which involves retaining and expanding the garden, is not the popular pick among members of the Alumni Association.

It does not take an arid plant scientist from the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum to understand the reasoning behind the fourth design. While the alumni claim the plaza is their way to "give back to the campus community," it is obvious there exists a clash of visions between what the alumni want and how many others think our campus should look.

And it is not a far-fetched idea that a simple compromise - an agreement that would result in a win-win situation - is possible.

Mary Jones, the president of the Hargreaves Associates, argues that by removing the cactus garden "there would be a clear view from Campbell (Avenue) to Old Main." She also describes the area as nothing but an "eyesore." The cactus garden is a sore thumb to three of the project designs because it breaks up their improvement ideas. The garden would not aesthetically fit into an area filled by shady green trees, tables, a new stage and glorious water fountains.

On the other hand, many in the UA community would rather see the Alumni Association incorporate the cactus garden into the final project design for essentially three reasons:

First, the cactus garden is recognized as an integral part of the campus history. Professor James W. Toumey planned and sprouted the garden in 1891. At its peak, the garden incorporated more than 600 native and rare species. In 1929, it was relocated from the fountain side to the east side of Old Main. In the 1960s, part of the lawn to the Mall was expanded, shrinking the garden. In the 1980s, the unique cactus patch was reduced to the size it is now and renamed the Joseph Wood Krutch cactus garden after one of the most influential Southwestern nature writers of our time.

The second, and quite possibly the most important reason, is that many of the cactus species would likely not survive transplantation - in particular the three boojum trees. Individuals from the UA Campus Arboretum and UA Herbarium conclude that, due to the large size of the trees and the tightly intertwined root system of the plants, the chances of all three living through a relocation are practically nil. The trees, brought up from Baja more than 100 years ago, are unreplaceable if killed. It is no longer legal to import the species.

The final argument for keeping the cactus garden in place is not based on scientific or historical fact. But, the reasoning makes the most sense. Since UA's founding, it has been committed to being a desert university. We do not pretend that our campus lies anywhere but smack in the unique Sonoran Desert. And we like it that way.

If the Alumni Association cannot get over the notion that the Krutch cactus garden is not an "eyesore," then perhaps it needs to look beyond the boundaries of campus into the surrounding desert.

The UA campus should represent the environment that it is in. If the Alumni Plaza is to be a true gift to the student body, then the project designs need to include the cactus garden. If a compromise is not acceptable, then we should not be surprised to witness the shift of UA from a unique desert community to a cookie-cutter university.