{"id":220160,"date":"2023-02-23T15:30:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T20:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=220160"},"modified":"2023-02-23T17:05:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T22:05:05","slug":"ask-governor-murphy-broadcasts-live-from-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2023\/02\/23\/ask-governor-murphy-broadcasts-live-from-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Ask Governor Murphy\u2019 Broadcasts Live from Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and News 12 New Jersey broadcast the \u201cAsk Governor Murphy\u201d segment live from the School of Communication and Media\u2019s News Lab on Wednesday, Feb. 22, answering questions from students and viewers regarding important issues facing the state \u2013 from gun safety and mental health to public transportation, affordability and equity.<\/p>\n

While News 12 Anchor Eric Landskroner and Murphy took questions from viewers around the state, they also encouraged Montclair State University students, who made up the studio audience, to ask questions on air throughout the segment.<\/p>\n

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Beatriz Mundo asks the governor about resources for students making the transition to college.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the 12 students in the audience was Beatriz Mundo, a senior Child Advocacy and Policy major, who asked about the state\u2019s progress in creating accessible resources or programs for students making the transition from high school to college.<\/p>\n

Murphy praised President Jonathan Koppell and Montclair State University for doing \u201can outstanding job at providing mental health and student success services\u201d and went on to say that the state puts a lot of resources into addressing both mental health and the learning loss that has happened during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMental health stress among young people has been around forever. It\u2019s gotten worse lately \u2013 and if that weren\u2019t enough, the pandemic made it really hard for folks. It\u2019s made the transition even more difficult,\u201d the governor said. \u201cI’m going to say to everybody don’t ever hesitate to raise your hand to reach out and say \u2018I need some help.\u2019 All of us need help. \u2026My hope is, in our lifetime, mental health will be treated the same as physical health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Steiner-Otoo, Student Government Association president and a junior Environmental Studies major, asked the governor about the state’s gun safety initiatives, especially in the light of the recent shooting at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n

\u201cRichard, this could not be a more important topic. We’ve got some of, if not the strongest, gun safety laws in America, but 80 or 85% of the crime guns that are recovered in New Jersey come from out of state so there was some national action in Congress early last summer but we need more,\u201d Murphy responded. \u201cSecondly, we respect the Second Amendment, but we want to ensure that we’re doing right by concealed carry so that’s something that we’re continuing to work through the courts. We’re going to give places like Montclair State all the support we can get them in terms of security.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Governor Phil Murphy and News 12 New Jersey Anchor Eric Landskroner took photos with the student audience after the broadcast.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The governor met with the student audience after the broadcast and took pictures with them. Being a part of the segment was an interesting and meaningful college experience, the students all agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was honestly an amazing experience, and I’m very impressed and happy to know that he cares enough to hear questions from college students because that’s an experience that not a lot of people would be able to get,\u201d Steiner-Otoo said.<\/p>\n

AJ Ford, a senior Political Science major, was proud to attend the event and formally meet Governor Murphy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen else do you get the chance to go not only meet the governor but for him to come to campus and speak about issues that affect us in the state? With this, it was really great to have him on campus,\u201d Ford said afterward.<\/p>\n

Maddison Chin, a junior majoring in Communication and Media Studies, agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn’t have thought I would get this opportunity, and I just can’t believe I was able to ask him a question and just also be on the news. I just think that’s awesome,\u201d Chin said.<\/p>\n

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Junior Maddison Chin asked the governor what the state\u2019s biggest challenges are and he responded \u201caffordability and equity\u201d as anchor Eric Landskroner looks on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the segment, Murphy and News 12\u2019s Landskroner praised the University, its students and the SCM News Lab.<\/p>\n

Afterward, the governor went on to say, \u201cFirst of all, it’s not my first time here. I love this place. I’ve been here a lot over the years but the whole media lab is really unique. The students were awesome, their questions were great, and I love coming here and I can’t wait to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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President Jonathan Koppell takes a \u201cselfie\u201d with students, News 12 Anchor Eric Landskroner and Governor Phil Murphy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A bird\u2019s-eye view of the live broadcast from the SCM News Lab.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can watch the segment on News 12\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Story by Rosaria LoPresti. Photos by Aristide Economopoulos.<\/strong><\/p>\n