President Ross invites students to dinner in residence halls, four this semester
University President George Ross is giving students an opportunity to ask him questions one-on-one while having dinner in residential restaurants.
“It was completely the president’s idea,” said Joan Schmidt, associate vice president of Residence Life. “He contacted us to see if we could set up dates and times and spread the word.”
The first of four dinners this semester was held Oct. 3 in the Towers Residence Hall's' Real Food on Campus. The next dinner will be at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in Merrill Residential Restaurant. There will also be dinners at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Fresh Food Co. and 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at Robinson Residential Restaurant.
There is no official registration required to attend one of the dinners, Schmidt said.
“At the Oct. 3 dinner in the Towers, there were about 20 students and they rotated seats every so often so each student got an opportunity to speak to the president," she said.
Illinois freshman Ophelia Swanson sees the dinners as Ross’s attempt to communicate with students and prove he truly cares.
“It’s a good idea that he’s trying to get more involved with students,” she said. “He’s probably trying to give himself a better reputation and get in a better light with the students and show that he really does care despite what’s been going on with the faculty.”
Some students are weary of attending the dinners because of the ongoing contract dispute between the university and the Faculty Association.
“I don’t particularly like the situation that’s going on between the teachers and the president, and I think going to eat with him might end up in a bad discussion,” said Capac freshman Shannon Draper. “I probably wouldn’t make an effort to be involved in the conversation at all.”
