Associated Students Inc. (ASI) hosted a series of focus groups in the University Student Union Tuesday.
Two sessions were held, one at 2 p.m. and one at 4 p.m.

Tara Powers-Mead, director of university affairs for ASI, was responsible for organizing the focus group.

“My job is to get the data in the students’ hands so they can make recommendations on behalf of the students,â€Â Powers-Mead said.

As an incentive for students to attend, ASI offered refreshments and Shell Gasoline Cards worth $10.
The primary issues the focus group addressed were the amphitheater and its restoration as well as the budget crisis and how it is impacting students.

When asked about the intent of the focus group, Vice President of Finance Lauren Johnson said that “the goal was to get feedback about these two issues.â€Â

ASI will use the information gathered in these groups to help support the recommendations they make to various administrations on campus.

Students express concern about budget

The meeting at 2 p.m. had five participants, including Aditi Prashar and Aman Mehra, both graduate students studying biotechnology.

Mehra said they were approached about the focus group while sitting downstairs in the student union having lunch.

“I brought her,â€Â Mehra joked, pointing to Prashar.

While both cited the gas cards as an incentive for participating, Prashar, an international student from India, elaborated about her reason for coming.

“I didn’t really know what ASI does. I wanted to see what it was all about.â€Â

Prashar and Mehra agreed that of the two issues discussed, the budget crisis was most important to them.

Both said they will be employees at the Starbucks that will be opening in the library and expressed disappointment at the lack of furniture that will populate the library when it reopens on Feb. 20.

“It’s such a nice structure and in the end they don’t have enough money to furnish it? I would really like to see it furnished, â€Â Mehra said.

When asked what recommendations they would make to President Welty with respect to the more than $10.9 million worth of budget cuts the university has absorbed in the last year, Johnson, as well as Executive Vice President Jessica Sweeten, gave their proposals.

“I would make sure academic programs don’t get cut,â€Â Johnson said. “The easiest things to cut are overhead costs, like electricity.â€Â

Sweeten had another suggestion. “For me, it’s hard to see $2 million go to student outreach. Since we’re cutting enrollment, we don’t need to spend as much on recruiting as we have in the past,â€Â Sweeten said.

Amphitheater revitalization sought

Both Johnson and Sweeten said that one of the major goals for the current ASI administration is to bring events back to the amphitheater.

The amphitheater, which is located between the Music and Speech Arts buildings, was built in the 1970s and can hold more than 7,000 people, but has been used with very little frequency in recent years.

“In my tenure at Fresno State, I’ve never seen it used except for yoga practice,â€Â Johnson said.

Johnson stressed that making Fresno State an art community is one of this administration̢۪s aims, particularly as the Campus Pointe project takes shape.

“We want to take advantage of a new community coming in,â€Â Johnson said.