Like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster, Joseph Aoun is often discussed but rarely seen. He may as well be Northeastern’s own mythical creature. Few students can say that they’ve ever personally met him and with more than 20,000 students currently enrolled, it can be expected that not everyone will get the chance to meet him. Regardless, as the university’s president, Aoun should have a more active presence on campus.

Sightings of President Aoun on campus are few and far between. Unless a special event like convocation or his presidential speaker series is happening, it’s unlikely that students will see him on campus. The familiarity that students feel about seeing their professors and members of the administration on campus is not extended to Aoun. Often his presence on campus is so highly promoted and publicized that it becomes almost glorified.

This glorification has led to a president that is out of touch with his student body. The student’s relationship to Aoun is best exemplified by his frequent mentions in the NU Meme Collective, Northeastern’s student meme group on Facebook. Within the group, any mention of or information about Aoun is treated as an inside joke. If someone catches a glimpse of the president on campus, they can almost guarantee a surge of likes and comments.

At other campuses, university presidents and their students have more personal relationships. Last April, students at the University of Virginia wrote a letter inviting their university president Teresa Sullivan to dinner at their apartment. Not only did Sullivan accept the invitation, she brought brownies as a gift for the host.

When Aoun is most active on campus it feels like part of a press tour. Most recently the university hosted the Clinton Global Initiative and Aoun was front and center, taking the opportunity to promote his new book, “Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” in the presence of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea. Before that was the unveiling of the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex which made for great publicity and photo ops with the politicians who attended the event including Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III. In both instances, Aoun’s engagement with the student body was directly related to the event.

President Aoun and university administration have created an image of the president that is relatable and approachable. The university has shared many videos meant to show the president’s fun side, but none show any kind of conversation or meaningful dialogue with students. What Northeastern students hope for is to have the president interact with them more when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Not only is Aoun notoriously hard to find on campus, he is also very difficult to reach. There is no open communication between the student body and the president because students have not been given the proper channels to do so. The contact information on the president’s page lists no personal line of contact. Instead, contact information for two of his personal assistants appears. There is a phone number provided for the Office of President, but the chances of getting President Aoun on the phone with this number are slim to none.

The News attempted to reach Aoun through his office number and was referred to marketing and communications to book an appointment. When we requested an interview to discuss his new book, we were told by university spokesperson Matthew McDonald that the president’s schedule was likely too full to accommodate any interviews. This lack of accessibility and transparency from President Aoun is in part what led The News to become independent from the university two years after he joined Northeastern.

Aoun may be reluctant to speak to The News, but the student body deserves a better relationship with its president. Not every student should expect to have him as a dinner guest, but there is reason for a call for a greater level of familiarity.

Photo by Scotty Schenck