AU President Ben Ladner held an informal town hall meeting yesterday evening in the University Club for students. Ladner answered questions from students who attended the meeting, which was moderated by Student Confederation President Polson Kanneth. University officials such as Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson and Executive Director of Housing and Dining Julie Weber were also present.
About 80 students attended the town hall event, according to Kanneth, who organized the meeting.
Kanneth said he considers it a success.
"The folks that went to the thing ... really got a good idea about who he is, his family, how he operates on a day-to-day basis," Kanneth said. "I expected people to just ask why are you here, a typical question that people ask like, 'Where's Dr. Ladner?' [But] they asked questions about tuition, diversity, landscaping [and] quality of education."
Ladner began by speaking about the "remarkable upsurge of students who come to AU."
AU has made enormous strides among competitor universities, according to Ladner.
"It is hard for us since we are such a young university," Ladner said. "The wealth and prominence of the Ivys is partly because they have such a long history and a much larger alumni base."
Ladner said he is working to get more students to come to AU by expanding the amount of scholarship money the University can give students. It would make the most immediate impact for quality enrollment at AU, Ladner said.
Diversity at AU was a popular topic among students who attended the meeting. "Sometimes when you go to lunch, you see the Arab students sitting together, the Spanish students sitting together ... I don't want to turn all the dorms into Leonard Hall, I'd just like to make students more aware of the diversity on our campus," Ladner said. According to Ladner, he hopes to make AU a more visible, financial commitment to domestic minorities.
Ladner also touched on the recent rumors on campus that he is taking legal action against the benladner.com Web site for name rights. "I am not taking legal action against them, I am just simply filing a claim," Ladner said. "A lot of confusion has resulted from my name being the web address ... some people think they are reading the President's Web page."
Ladner later admitted that he has never visited benladner.com.
"Even if I was criticized by the site, I have been criticized by the Washington Post, foreign leaders ... benladner.com, get in line."
Kanneth said Ladner used the forum to "squash" rumors.
"All the people I spoke to said they have a completely different impression of him [now]," Kanneth said.
A member of AU's General Assembly, the student body legislature, asked Ladner if AU would participate in the U.S. presidential debates.
"There are usually three presidential debates," Ladner said. "The Bush campaign recently announced that they will only be doing two debates, which are already scheduled, so we have no chance of holding a debate here on campus." In the past, six U.S. presidents have served on AU's Board of Trustees, Ladner said.
Ladner also focused on construction around campus. "This campus really was an armpit when I got here 11 years ago," Ladner said. "One major problem with this campus is that it is one of the worst arranged campuses I have ever seen."
Ladner said he hopes to create a more humane, generous space for students. Gail Hanson also spoke saying that in the future the University hopes to turn the Letts formal lounge into an alternative late night hang out with music, food, and games.
Ladner also gave insight into his house, which is located near AU's campus. "My house has been the site where I entertain heads of state, Hollywood figures and alumni," Ladner said. He also mentioned that he would probably not open up his house for student events.
Speaking about the fact that one can't plan their entire life, he said that things in his life, such as the fact that he has an autistic child, are aspects of his life that he didn't expect would happen.
"Life is a series of unexpected events that all seem coincidental," he said.
Kanneth said he was "happy" student attendance.
"I was hoping for a little more [attendance], but the crowd was good and I really had a great time." Kanneth said. "I think it was really thoughtful and I guess intimate too. We laughed a lot, which a lot of people wouldn't expect." Kanneth speculated that other events might have kept students away. For instance, Eagle Nights took place in the Tavern last night, and there were meetings in Ward, such as the College Republicans and Students for Kerry meetings during the evening.
A similar event may take place next semester, according to Kanneth.
"I hope to do something like this at least one more time," he said. "He's busy and ... we're busy too, so finding a time when we can get together is so hard right now."
In previous years Ladner and other administrators spoke to students in their lounges and to the General Assembly, Kanneth remembered.
"[The administrators] went to the lobbies and stuff, but there wasn't a lot of discussion then, so I thought having a very informal sit down type event was really great"
