Concerts, choir, clubs, more drawing classes, a band and student performances are what ASU East officials want to see on their campus.
Dialogue has been set in motion to foster the possibilities of creating more arts related events and extracurricular activities at ASU East.
Glenn Irvin, dean of the East College, said the campus needs more arts events.
Irvin, who came to ASU East from the San Luis Obispo Polytechnic in California, was part of the committee that oversaw the creation of the Performing Arts Center building on that campus.
The process of bringing more of the arts to the east campus is still in the idea and brainstorming phase.
Jay Busch, a music humanities lecturer, said, "This has been wishful dialogue for about seven years now, but the dialogue is moving forward -- finally."
Busch, who started the first concert series at ASU East in the Student Union, is now in the first phase in the process of joining the visions of faculty, administrators and students.
He said several questions have arisen: "How do we develop the arts for credit [towards a degree]? Do we have enough interested students? What kinds of activities, concerts, clubs, etc. can we support with the current infrastructure and what do students and faculty want?"
Irvin said the theater that exists on campus needs a new air conditioner and is unusable for performing arts, but the new student union will be a central place to hold events.
"We're not interested in competing or repeating what is at Main," Busch said. He added that the process is a way of rounding the college experience for students enrolled at ASU East who either have a passion for the arts or who have to travel to ASU Main to fulfill degree requirements.
"This cannot happen without the student community involvement," Busch added.
Michael Mader, director of student activities, said the budget doesn't exist for putting on concerts, but hopefully in the fall a "Student Activities Board" will be created.
Students must lead any efforts to create a board, create the venue for performing arts at ASU East and find a budget, Mader added.
Mader and other faculty are proponents of developing partnerships with schools like the Pecos campus of the Chandler-Gilbert Community College to share resources and infrastructure to support arts programs and activities for students.
Jon Russell, president of ASU East's student government, said, "ASU East is oriented to the applied sciences, but it's important to build a college atmosphere."
Irvin said new positions for English, humanities and arts professors will be announced in the next few weeks.
David Schwalm, vice provost of academic programs, said the possibility of having co-curricular activities gives the students an opportunity to engage with others in their college life.
"There are enough people here now," he said.
He added that a student should be able to complete his or her undergraduate degree entirely at the east campus and have a good selection of electives to choose from to do so.
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
