ASU President Michael Crow met with The State Press staff on March 24 in an hour-long meeting, discussing the future of artificial intelligence, concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Greek life lawsuits and more.
AI at ASU
ASU has connected with multiple AI partners, introducing technologies like CreateAI and emphasizing integrating AI and new technologies into the learning experience.
"These tools are out there, and so how you use them and what you do with them, we're trying to make that then customized to you as the individual student," Crow said.
One thing Crow and the University have been working toward is AI agents. These "agentic selves" store everything a person has learned or created into one spot and express that information.
These agents would then be stored on a student's graphics processing unit, or GPU.
"Our vision, ultimately, is that every student will have an agentic assistant for whatever they need," Crow said.
Crow said he understands the apprehension some students voice regarding expanding AI use, but remained persistent that at least understanding how it works and can be used is important for students' education.
"If someone says to you, 'you're going to use AI in the class,' it's not because you're going to become an AI person," Crow said. "It's so you're going to understand, even if you hate it and loathe it in every possible way, what it is."
Advanced Technology fee
With the new technology being brought into the University, ASU also recently added an Advanced Technology fee to offset costs.
READ MORE: ASU adds a new student fee for 'Advanced Technology'
Crow made it clear that while AI technology is under this new fee, it also includes much more than just artificial intelligence.
"The advanced technology fee is for every tool that we can conceive of that can help a person to learn better, learn more, learn faster, learn more deeply," Crow said.
This includes technology used to help run MyASU, the homepage for learning at the University, and the "hundreds of programmers" on staff to ensure everything runs smoothly, according to Crow.
Crow said the expansion of personal AI tools for students will not lead to more student fees in the future.
USG Tempe ICE resolution
In February, the Undergraduate Student Government Tempe passed a resolution urging the University not to comply with ICE actions.
READ MORE: USG Tempe urges University to protect student safety, limit ICE presence
Crow said there has not been any ICE activity on campus, adding that the University has cooperative agreements with local police organizations and has a good relationship with law enforcement agencies, both federally and locally.
"The stated policy of the government of the United States is to pursue people here who are not documented, who are criminals," Crow said. "That's not here."
While the University would treat ICE the same as any law enforcement agency, Crow said "the people we have on campus are all legally present."
In the instance that a student would be deported, Crow said the University would work out a way to ensure that the student would be able to continue their degree.
"We would be supportive of every student that's here, and however we can help them to finish their degree," Crow said.
Campus Protests
In January the grass of the lawn outside Old Main was fenced off after the ASU Police Department posted to Instagram saying a protest was not authorized to be held on the lawn. The post said the space was not "reserved as required."
READ MORE: Hundreds in Tempe protest ICE despite ASU's closure of Alumni Lawn at Old Main
Crow said protests are welcome as long as they adhere to the University's guidelines.
"There are certain parts of the University that are set aside for public protests," Crow said. "It depends on the time, the place and the manner of the demonstration."
Crow also said the University's policies have not changed, and they are willing to work with organizations to provide a space that works for everyone.
"We're not trying to suppress anything, but we have to run the institution," Crow said.
Aramark Strikes
ASU's partner for campus dining, Aramark, has received backlash from workers regarding benefits, wages and long-term financial security.
READ MORE: ASU dining hall workers strike in Tempe, Phoenix amid Aramark contract negotiations
A major complaint Crow has heard from Aramark workers is the seasonal type of work that goes on within the on-campus establishments, stating there's concern about a lack of year-around jobs.
However, Crow said that Aramark's contract includes a high-wage scale, allowing employees to earn a "living wage."
"We're satisfied that our employees are fairly treated and fairly compensated within the model that we have," Crow said.
Additionally, he said no services have been interrupted during the Aramark strike.
Greek life lawsuits
Fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon was recently removed from the Greek Leadership Village and is under investigation by the University. This comes following lawsuits that allege numerous acts of hazing and other issues which Crow described as "terrible things for which you can lose your whole charter."
READ MORE: ASU SAE members removed from GLV, lawsuit alleges extensive hazing against pledges
While the investigation is ongoing, Crow was insistent that the alleged behavior is unacceptable.
"There's no mercy for misconduct," Crow said. "If you're involved in those instances, you're responsible."
Despite the active investigation, Crow is happy with the progress ASU has made in terms of fighting the misconduct formerly seen across Greek life.
"We had a complete run amok system in the past, and we fixed that, and now we have occasional misbehavior as opposed to steady misbehavior," Crow said. "We've broken the cycle of this constant misbehavior."
School of Medicine
The University's newest addition to the ASU Health initiative, the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, is accepting its first cohort in the fall of 2026.
This program will mark the third of its kind that combines medicine and engineering, joining the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Texas A&M on its Houston campus in creating "a new kind of doctor," according to Crow.
READ MORE: ASU medical school builds curriculum from 'ground up' to address health disparities
"What we want to produce are people who are capable of thinking in a way where, you know, not, 'How do I treat only one patient, but how might I treat 10,000 patients?'" Crow said.
In addition to the new medical school, ASU is developing a "virtual medical degree" that will allow active healthcare workers to pursue an advanced degree alongside their current jobs.
This program would use clinical, scientific and virtual reality trainings to achieve "a regular medical school outcome."
Crow also talked about a future program through Barrett, The Honors College, that would allow students to start medical school directly out of high school.
Cost of Attendance
Amid continued inflation and rise in the cost of living, Crow said the University offers ways for students to get through school via financial aid.
"If you have a financial crisis, we're going to help get you through the University," Crow said.
However, this comes at a stipulation. While the University has resources to help, there are still some compromises that need to be made.
Crow said he knows what it's like to be in that situation, as a first-generation college student himself, adding, "If you're going to get through college, it's not necessarily easy, particularly if you're on your own."
Crow said the University does what it can to help students, including deals with companies like Uber and Lyft, along with University buses to help with transportation.
"We want you to learn," Crow said. "We want you to get out of here with as low a cost as possible."
Kate Gore, Carsten Oyer, Natalia Rodriguez, Senna James and Sophia Braccio contributed to this reporting.
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Henry Smardo, Sophia Braccio and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at aldeutsc@asu.edu and follow @AlanDeutschend3 on X.
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Alan Deutschendorf is a sports editor in his fourth semester with State Press. He was previously a sports reporter, covering volleyball, softball and a variety of other sports. Alan also works as an Event Assistant in the Edson Events office and is on the Sun Devils Roundnet club team.
