Security surrounding the Oct. 13 presidential debate at ASU will be tight, but the ASU Academic Senate is trying to keep it from interrupting campus life.
A security fence will surround Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, and ASU Main will be an area of increased security, said ASU spokeswoman Nancy Neff.
ASU President Michael Crow said that while the University is hoping to keep campus life as normal as possible, other security measures could be implemented by outside groups.
"We have no idea what the Secret Service or someone else is ultimately going to come in and ask us to do," he said.
At this point, non-University security is limited to Gammage Auditorium, Crow said.
"We're hopeful we can pull this off with minimal disruption," Crow said.
Students who live in Center Complex, the dorms closest to Gammage, will be allowed to enter and exit only through an east entrance. There are no plans to have security officers in the residence halls.
Buildings surrounding Gammage and Center Complex dorms will be most affected.
While some classes held inside Gammage will be relocated, none will be cancelled by the University.
Justice studies junior Jesus Martinez said he thinks it is going to be difficult for students' lives to be completely normal if security is tight.
"It will be really hard to be really secure without interrupting students in general," Martinez said.
Only one security checkpoint will allow access to the debate area where guards will check press and law enforcement credentials. The location of the entry point has not been decided.
Outside of the fenced-in perimeter, individuals will not be searched, however "suspicious behavior" may cause people to be stopped said ASU Academic Senate President Barbara Kerr.
Adjustments will be made to parking, including directing those who usually park in Lot 3 to other ASU parking lots, which have not yet been decided.
Some or all of Structure 1, which is west of Gammage, will be used for the event.
Parking in Lot 40, on the south side of campus near the Student Recreation Complex, may also be diverted to make room for a DPS staging area, including a mobile unit, additional police cars and other security teams' equipment. Traffic is expected to be slower than usual around Tempe the day of the debate, Neff said.
"We are advising people to carpool or not drive if they have any other means of transportation," Neff said. "That will be the best thing to do."
Lot 59 is expected to be more crowded due to a free live viewing of the debate at Wells Fargo Arena, Neff said.
The SRC also will serve as an overflow area for press who lack credentials to enter Gammage. ASU officials designated the SRC athletic fields as an area for speakers and protesters, where they can make use of a stage and microphones. Only one gym will be closed at the SRC.
Reach the reporter at katherine.ruark@asu.edu.
