The giant inflatable Sparky bouncing against the Phoenix skyline Saturday evening near the Downtown campus could have been viewed as a symbol for how ASU is becoming a strong presence in downtown Phoenix.
Student Activity Advisor AJ Montes, organizer of the Saturday event Sparky’s Carnival, said the inflatable ASU mascot was ordered to show that the Downtown campus is holding its own, and is as much a part of Sun Devil culture as the Tempe campus.
“We really want to show the community, this is ASU,” Montes said.
The carnival, held in Civic Space Park near the campus, was one of many Fall Welcome events organized to meet the growth of the student population at the Downtown campus.
Montes, who graduated in 2006 from ASU, said he expected around 1,300 students to attend the second annual Sparky’s Carnival.
“Students down here are extremely engaged in promoting ASU and getting engaged in the community,” Montes said.
The event featured carnival food, including funnel cakes and cotton candy along with games and student club booths.
Social work junior Mathew Nevarez said the event had grown exponentially from last year.
Nevarez, the president of the Downtown chapter of the Programming and Activities Board, said the campus has emerged as the focal point of the downtown Phoenix area.
“I feel the Downtown Phoenix campus has grown every year tremendously,” Nevarez said. “Not just because of the environment, but also because it is the heart of downtown and the heart of all four campuses.”
Criminal justice freshman Gabriel Radley said the event helped foster student interaction and relationship building.
“I think it’s cool; the more they try to get us involved, the better it is for everybody,” Radley said. “Bad things happen on campus when people aren’t communicating, but this (Sparky’s Carnival) has got people communicating and people together.”
Reach the reporter at brennan.j.smith@asu.edu
