As gas prices continue to soar amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region, the University of South Florida Polytechnic development office today issued a remarkable appeal: "We want a gas-guzzler."

Recent news reports have been dominated by stories of commuters taking drastic steps to down-size their primary vehicles and of car dealerships being reluctant to accept once-popular SUV's as trade-ins. Some dealerships report that new and used SUV sales have come to a virtual halt.

Everyone is trying to get rid of their SUV's, but USF Polytechnic needs one.

And they need it now, according to a spokesperson.

The much-publicized site of the new USF Polytechnic campus, at the intersection of I-4 and the Polk Parkway between Lakeland and Auburndale, is currently an undeveloped piece of land, accessible only by rugged SUV. USF Polytechnic CEO Marshall Goodman has frequent occasion to take potential donors, public officials, and USFP constituents on tours of the property, but transportation is an issue. As planning and eventually construction progresses, those trips will become more frequent.

According to Maggie Mariucci, assistant director of development, "We are constantly borrowing SUV's, and we would really like to have one or more reliable vehicles on hand to use for those site tours as needed."

USFP officials hope that a local individual or organization that wants to downsize and receive a tax deduction at the same time will donate a good condition SUV to the university for this purpose.

According to Mariucci, "We don't need something worn-out, but we don't care what kind of gas mileage it gets, as long as it can handle the terrain and accommodate important passengers."

Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation of an SUV or supporting the university in other ways should contact Mariucci at 863.667.7759.