The Q&A was initially named “An Open Forum with President Crow.” The Council of Presidents, comprised of the four undergraduate student-body presidents and the graduate student-government president, thought the change would present a clearer meaning for students and possibly draw more attendees, USGD President Joseph Grossman said.
The forum began in 2009 to help students become more involved with ASU by asking direct questions to Crow. The next forum will be held Dec. 10.
The forum rotates among the campuses and Crow addresses the others via videoconferencing. Students on each campus can ask several questions. Past discussions have ranged from tuition costs and class sizes to ASU spirit and sports.
“There aren’t any other presidents that will do what President Crow does,” Grossman said.
When Crow is at the Downtown campus, about 40 students attend and about 15 students watch the videoconference, USGD Vice President of Policy David Bakardjiev said.
“President Crow does a phenomenal job answering students,” Bakardjiev said. “He will keep on answering till the students are satisfied with the answer.”
USGD Director of Public Relations Emily Antuna said that the forum is usually held at inconvenient times — in the middle of the week and during the afternoon when people are in class.
“It’s hard for people to get there,” Antuna said.
Journalism sophomore Kathleen Etzel had never heard of the event.
“If I had a question to ask him,” she said, “I would definitely plan on going.”
USGD hopes to promote the Q&A in the days leading up to the event by posting signs around the campus as well as sending senators to talk to students about what they want to ask Crow.
Instead of working in their offices, the senators will be completing “walking hours,” where they will walk the Downtown campus and attempt to get students talking about the upcoming Q&A, along with collecting questions from students and encouraging them to come, Antuna said.
Antuna said USGD will be trying out this method to see if it generates more responsiveness at the coming talk.
“If you went to these forums, you would have more of a say,” Antuna said.
Walter Cronkite School Sen. Malcolm Brinkley said students might not feel obligated to attend because there are elected leaders who do attend.
“They don’t care enough about the issues to come,” Brinkley said.
Most members of USGD said they feel students would benefit from attending the forums.
“I’m not aware of any other university that hosts an event that is equivalent to the President Crow forums at ASU,” College of Public Programs Sen. Joseph Amonett said. “I believe that the forums are not only a cool way to engage with the president of the university, but it’s also a great way to increase transparency between the administration and the students.”
Grossman believes that with Crow’s idea of being an inclusive university and not exclusive he is “changing the evolution of higher education.”
“Being civically engaged is important,” Grossman said.
Antuna said that students may email her questions directly at Emily.Antuna@asu.edu, or follow USGD on Facebook or Twitter to get updates on the next Q&A.
The upcoming forum is scheduled for Dec. 10 from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. at the Post Office in Conference Room 225.
Contact the reporter at michelle.rico@asu.edu
