The University at Albany’s 20^th president Havidan Rodriguez was interviewed in a press conference by a class of rising journalism students.

The class of 45 students sat at their desks with lists of questions to ask the new president. According to their professor, Thomas Bass, they had been preparing and reading copious amounts of material including or involving the university president over the course of 10 days.

Rodriguez saw this session as a great opportunity for students, and one he wished he had had for himself. He told the group of students that the university is looking at its largest applicant pool in history. This comes after the school reached a new student total of over 17,000 students in the past year. Aiding in this increase is the opening of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cyber Security and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The students came prepared, asking tough questions of Rodriguez who has only been president for three months. Questions regarding the outage of the emergency ‘blue lights,’ the Title XI suit against the university, and the lack of parking with the influx of students were all questions students asked.

President Rodriguez emphasized the fact that he has only been the official president since September 11^th, and was still adjusting to the different school system and the amounts of paperwork he has to review. He told the students that these were all ongoing conversations to work towards, saying, “the worst thing to do is make a decision before having all the information.”

One student lamented the fact there wasn’t fresh fruit available in the brand new campus center. He called his search for fruit a “witch hunt.” The president said that students need to make known how to make venues better fit their needs.

With the largest applicant pool in the school’s history, housing has become a talked about topic. This year, housing on campus reached 100.3 percent full. Forced triples, three people in a two-person room, have come into play to house everyone. Rodriguez believes this should be alleviated come spring, but it is an ongoing process and building additional housing residencies could take years.

President Rodriguez came to the university after being the founding provost and vice president of academic affairs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He was born in Puerto Rico and spent time living in the Bronx, where his mom was a taxi driver. He fondly recalls their visits to Coney Island with his sisters.

President Rodriguez spoke of “diversity, excellence, and inclusion” as words that belong together, and are a big influence in his new role as president as he looks to expand the universities strengths.