ASU President Michael Crow tackled subjects ranging from the 2004 presidential debate to binge drinking in an interview with a local National Public Radio affiliate Wednesday.
Terry Ward, host of KJZZ's "Here and Now," spoke with Crow about a variety of campus issues during the hour-long program.
One caller asked if the Oct. 13 presidential debate would inconvenience students.
Crow said that although few students would get to attend the event, the debate would put a spotlight on Arizona, Tempe and ASU.
"It illustrates the growing importance of the Arizona electorate," Crow said, citing the state's increase to 10 electoral votes, and possibly more in the future.
He also said it would benefit the University more than it would hurt it.
"I hope it will not be disruptive and if it is disruptive, that it lasts for only a short period of time," Crow said.
Ward asked Crow if he felt that Tuesday's Arizona primary election was a process by which conservative voters were trying to rid the legislature of politicians who voted to increase funding for ASU.
Crow said that he thought turnout at the primary election -- 18 percent in Maricopa County -- was too small to say what people really think. He added that he thought ASU would have to show conservative voters and legislators the value of a university if ASU was to get funding for a rising number of students.
Universities must work hard to get money for themselves, Crow said. Developing technologies, selling them to businesses and obtaining national research grants, are three ways ASU can rely less upon state funding, Crow said.
"There is a trend where support for public universities has leveled off from where it was at in the 1960s," Crow said. "What's happening is the support is spreading out; support for students has leveled."
Ongoing growth in the number of students at ASU has strained University parking facilities, Crow said.
ASU has about 22,000 parking spaces and finished building a parking structure near Wells Fargo Arena, Crow said. Another structure at the new ASU Foundation building is currently under construction.
Light rail development will be important for reducing the strain on campus parking spots.
"We're trying to balance out more distant commuters as well as more local commuters," Crow said.
Crow said adding a plus/minus grading system will allow professors to provide more distinction in the grades they give to their students.
When a caller said that he couldn't understand computer science professors with thick accents due to their foreign descent, Crow said he would be working hard to make sure that instructors were able to communicate effectively with students.
He also disagreed with the assumption that ASU is a party school, and said that ASU wants to discourage students from binge drinking by teaching them about the consequences of alcohol.
"Our approach is education and outreach and help," Crow said. "We have a number of programs designed to attack binge drinking as a problem."
The KJZZ interview can be heard by clicking here. Please note, you will be redirected to the KJZZ site.
Reach the reporter at nicole.saidi@asu.edu.
