By Jessica Cuevas, Apr. 19 2022
On April 12, ASI President Prabhat Jammalamadaka hosted in-person meet and greet “P.I.E.S with Prabhat” at the University Park, where students could ask questions about ASI student government, the election and what it means to be an ASI president.
“P.I.E.S with Prabhat” was an IGTV segment starring Jammalamadaka. The acronym stands for policy, inclusivity, engagement and service, and he created this to engage with the campus community and provide a forum where students can meet him and ask questions.
“I wanted to be where the students can come and be more accessible without the online aspect and do something different,” said Jammalamadaka.
Jammalamadaka first introduced this series in September and was encouraged by the ASI team to continue it once a month. Each segment would give updates, answer questions and let the students get to know their ASI president.
Leading up to the ASI elections, Jammalamadaka hoped to give answers to students regarding any concerns and remind them to get involved with the election process. He stated, “I want them to vote and be active and want to decide who the next leaders are.”
This past year, Jammalamadaka and his team strived to make ASI more efficient and give a better understanding on how the organization works. He mentioned that once COVID-19 hit, it left so many cracks in the foundation and now was the perfect time to fix it.
Jammalamadaka expressed that he is proud of all the student leaders and the amount of work they have done this year.
During the event, a substantial number of students sat down with Jammalamadaka and asked any question or concerns they had about who he is as a person, what he gained from this experience and what can be improved for students.
Christopher Carrillo, an archaeology student, asked him, “What is something you can do to change Greek life?” Carrillo stated that the reason being was because he is in Greek life and wanted to know what he had to say and what changes could be made.
“A lot of people do not know much about ASI and what he does. I liked that he sat down and took the time to answer questions; it is important what they do and spread awareness. To me, it was the best part about the event,” said Carrillo.
Carrillo expressed that the event was informative and intimate. He felt that not many people get a chance to sit down and learn about their college while also getting a behind the scenes of what student government is like.
Ana Jurado, a mechanical engineering student, shared what her concerns were. Jurado stated she would ask him, “How are they catering to those students who are not on campus this semester? How are they influencing students who belong here for those who are not on campus as much?”
“I wanted to hear what he had to say after being online for so long, and now being able to see how he is, is a pretty cool experience,” said Jurado.
With Jammalamadaka’s term ending, he shared a piece of advice for the next ASI president, “Just be involved, make sure your students are your first priority. We need to be transparent, helpful and acceptable. We are an elective student body.”
For more information students can visit ASI.
Feature image by Jessica Cuevas.