President Gregory L. Fenves is around four months into his time as president of the University of Texas, and this week, the Texan Forum page has set out to give him a platform to address students about his goals, achievements and ambitions for the months and years ahead. It is safe to say that Fenves has had a busy start to his presidency — dealing with issues ranging from the Jefferson Davis Statue and other Confederate iconography on campus, to campus carry legislation, to continuing his predecessor’s fight to prevent the Supreme Court from striking down the use of race in college admissions. And the issues do not stop there — Fenves will continue to grapple with issues of race on our campus, from offensive party themes, sexual assault, remaining Confederate imagery and iconography, and rates of minority enrollment which continue to lag behind state averages, meaning his term will continue to be fraught with tough judgments which will require bridge-building and patience. 

While the specifics of the implementation of campus carry are still to come, pending the recommendations of the campus carry working group, and the Supreme Court is months away from ruling on Fisher v. University of Texas, President Fenves’ priorities are starting to fall into place. This week, we give Fenves an opportunity to discuss some of his key initiatives to make this campus a more welcoming, safe and equitable place; and this afternoon, Editor-in-Chief Claire Smith will sit down with Fenves to discuss these issues in person, at 4 p.m. in the Texas Union Theater. Hope to see you there.

Fountain is a government senior from Pelham, New York.