Last Friday, Sept. 20, marked the first Breakfast with the President of the new school year, where SFU President Andrew Petter offered faculty, staff and students, the opportunity to share perspectives about university issues over coffee and a muffin.

The first Breakfast with the President was held in October, 2011, with the intent “to hear first-hand from members of the university community about issues and ideas on their minds,” wrote Petter in Petter’s Perspective: Notes from the President.

This year’s breakfast was held at SFU’s Surrey Campus, attracting a mix of students and staff alike who were eager for the opportunity to connect with SFU’s higher administration and share ideas in an informal setting. The group of 20 discussed issues that included concerns over inter-disciplinary cooperation, how to better engage students, and a lack of resources for different programs and student initiatives.

I want to try to stay as connected as I can to [our] community while being out there representing it,”

 Andrew Petter, SFU President

For chemistry graduate student Austin Lee, the session offered an otherwise unattainable opportunity to speak with Petter in an intimate environment. “I thought it was a really nice opportunity to actually meet the President and know what’s going on in the community in general,” said Lee. “Right now I’m a graduate student at SFU Surrey; it’s very isolated . . . I think I lack the chance of meeting people and knowing what’s going on.”

Lee continued, “As a Surrey resident I’d like to get the chance to meet with the President, who’s interested in talking about how SFU is trying to grow and what sort of programs they’re trying to [implement].”

Carlie Nishi, a 3rd-year communications student, echoed Lee’s sentiments. “This is kind of a rare opportunity for a student if you’re not employed at SFU or go to campus often, so I really wanted to leverage the fact that I am a student, a current athlete, and a very prominent club member as well as just a regular student wanting to know more.”

SFU President Andrew Petter feels that the breakfast sessions have servced to not only engage the SFU population, but assist in solving the issues presented.

“I want to try to stay as connected as I can to [our] community while being out there representing it,” said Petter. “This seemed to me one of the number of ways that I could both gain feedback from what’s on peoples minds, encourage some conversation amongst the students, faculty, and staff, which doesn’t always take place by itself, and also be able to answer people’s concerns and questions.”

“I must say, from my point of view, [the events have] been really really helpful,” concluded Petter.