ASU President Michael Crow held a student forum on the Tempe campus to address key issues, such as the impact of the Trump administration on the University, concerns over rising tuition and free speech on campus.
The event was moderated by the USG-Tempe President Mason DoVico, and Alberto Plantillas, chief of staff to the Graduate Student Government.
Impact of the Trump administration on ASU
The forum began with President Crow sharing some University updates. He noted that one significant disruption has been the new White House administration. Crow said the federal government has canceled around 80 projects within ASU — some covering topics like vaccine education. He said these projects are mostly grants.
"The impact in the areas where these projects are operating is significant," he added.
Crow said almost all of the USAID projects, which focus on international development initiatives, constructing new partnerships among universities and promoting technological advancements abroad, were canceled.
"We're obviously working to find ways that we can be of higher rates of innovation and greater impact to the state, to the country, to others, to our students," Crow said.
Another concern raised by a student during the forum was the potential scenario of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entering campus, and overall the current administration's federal immigration policies.
Crow said he has asked all law enforcement agencies, including ICE, to coordinate with the University if they are investigating "individuals who are being pursued for criminal activity" on campus.
"Our students are legally present," Crow said. "Our international students are here on visas, our DACA students are here under the DACA legal presence clauses."
International student Roland Ndun, a master's student studying higher and postsecondary education, thought it was important how Crow emphasized student safety and the legal presence of international students.
"I got confirmation from the president that they are really emphasizing the safety of international students because we are coming here legally," Ndun said.
Tuition and financial aid
Tuition, specifically out-of-state tuition, was an issue voiced by two students during the forum.
Crow addressed the tuition policy, approved by the Arizona Board of Regents, which allows the University to increase out-of-state tuition in response to reductions in state appropriations by no more than 5%.
He said the University follows the average out-of-state tuition, comparing the fee to other national research universities such as the University of Southern California and the University of Chicago.
He also mentioned how with the tuition policy, the University has the ability to raise both out-of-state and in-state tuition by a certain amount. For the 2024-2025 academic year, out-of-state tuition saw a 3% increase, while in-state tuition saw a 1.5% price increase at the University.
READ MORE: ASU increases tuition for 2024-2025 academic year across the board
Crow said it is likely that students will see a hike in tuition for the next school year.
"It's likely that we'll have to do that again this year because of inflation and other kinds of costs," Crow said.
Free speech
Students also questioned what the University was doing to protect their constitutional right to free speech and their right to protest. Crow emphasized that the University supports free speech, even when what is being said is controversial.
The only type of speech not tolerated on campus by anyone, whether it is students, faculty, or staff, is speech that suggests violence.
In regard to demonstrations, Crow reiterated that students are free to protest, as long as they follow University policies.
"You have the right to have a speaker come to have a demonstration," he said. "If you don't follow those rules, you make yourself subject to University discipline."
A student attending via Zoom asked about the College Republicans United at ASU, which had hosted an event where they asked students to report their fellow classmates to ICE. The student specifically asked Crow to justify the group's "continued operation on campus."
READ MORE: Hundreds protest CRU at ASU event, in solidarity with immigrants and DACA students
Crow said the University will look at the group on an ongoing basis and stressed the organization's small presence.
"They held an event where they were saying things that other students found offensive," Crow said. "We looked at that very, very carefully. Our determination was that it was in some ways farcical."
María Blandón, a freshman studying political science, found this forum productive and thinks it's integral that students remain informed about the decisions being made by University administration.
"It was really interesting the part that he mentioned the College Republicans (United) and the balance between free speech and safety," Blandón said. "That is an issue that I care about and affects me directly, as an immigrant student here."
While she was interested in the conversation, she said she felt as if Crow often glossed over his answers.
"Give us the complex answer, the complete answer, because we as students are concerned about this," Blandón said.
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at croblesr@asu.edu and follow @rroblescristina on X.
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