AU officials are asking students to get involved in the Campus Plan process.
With the release of the draft plan, the AU community can now see what development the University proposes for the next 10 years.
Sam Hagedorn, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, is one of a few students who have been involved in the Campus Plan for a few months.
“I’ve spoken up a few times,” he said. “I like to think it helps move the conversation at least a little bit. Certainly having students who know what’s going on is going to be really important moving forward.”
Hagedorn said he believes the best part of the draft plan moves the students who currently live on the Tenley Campus onto either Main Campus or the proposed East Campus, bringing them “closer to the AU community.”
AU has worked hard to communicate with its neighbors during the process, Hagedorn said, resulting in several changes to the proposed East Campus.
“I think that shows a real openness on AU’s part,” he said.
Hagedorn and Penny Pagano, AU’s director of Community and Local Government Relations, said they hope students will participate at the Zoning Commission hearings, write letters and interact with neighbors to show the community that AU needs new housing.
“If students are a part of that conversation, things are going to turn out better for us,” Hagedorn said.
School of Communication Professor Pallavi Kumar and her students are working on projects to increase student engagement with the plan.
Kumar’s Public Relations Case Studies class is working with Pagano and Ravi Raman, AU’s director of Finance Communications, to help “mobilize student support” for the plan with individual public relations campaigns that will be carried out later in the semester, Kumar said.
Kumar’s Media Strategies and Tactics class is also planning to purchase a Facebook ad to alert students to the need for their support.
Kumar said a real challenge of mobilizing student support is that most will not be at AU to use the new facilities.
“Since AU students are motivated by their ability to effect real change, this is an opportunity to really have a role in leaving a lasting legacy to their school,” Kumar said.
mzoglo@theeagleonline.com
