Chancellor Gene Block launched his Facebook fan page yesterday, allowing UCLA students and community members to ask him questions and comment on policies through a more informal setting.
“He’s very interested in reaching out to students and particularly to understanding their interests and concerns, and feeling a sense of community with them in a big university,” said Lawrence Lokman, the assistant vice chancellor of university communications.
Lokman said the chancellor understands the growing importance of social media and its popularity among college students.
He said a fan page was considered the best alternative, as students might feel intimidated by adding Block as a normal Facebook friend.
The Web site includes a Facebook “wall,” discussion board, photo albums and links to several of Block’s YouTube videos.
As of press time, the page has 21 fans.
Block’s first discussion topic is titled “UCLA Student Experience.”
He asks students to post their experiences at the university, including whether or not they get the classes they need and if they are comfortable, according to the Web site.
The question still remains, however, whether Block will have time to personally respond to students with questions via the site.
Block was out of town on business and unavailable for comment.
Lokman said Block is busy and may not be able to personally respond to each and every post.
But he added that Block is an administrator of the site, and if there are several comments regarding one particular topic, Block would certainly respond.
Lokman said the site has been in development for a couple of months, and university officials are hoping to add to Block’s fan base by appealing to students through the already existing UCLA fan page and through MyUCLA.