On Monday night, the Associated Students of Colorado State University showcased its annual roundtable event with the Fort Collins City Council.

The event was designed to teach students how City Council operates, help students get to know council members and what they are working on and allow students to express their priorities as constituents, said Evan Welch, ASCSU director of governmental affairs.

Welch said he anticipated the topic of the Fort Collins U+2 housing ordinance to come up during the roundtable event because of the issue’s recent prominence but iterated that the event was not designed to discuss the topic specifically.

The roundtable event was facilitated by the Center for Public Deliberation, a CSU organization designed to facilitate conversations between groups and individuals of differing perspectives at the local community and government level.

ASCSU Director of Marketing and Senior Associate for the Center for Public Deliberation Grace Crangle said the role of the facilitators is to step back as much as possible during the event to allow for organic conversations between students and city council members, only stepping in to act as peacekeepers if necessary.

Most Fort Collins City Council members showed up to the event, and fewer students than anticipated attended, creating a more personal and engaging experience for the students who did participate.

“I’m just thrilled when the students show interest in civic government and take time out of their day because I know how busy it is (for them). I have long thought that we should have more interaction, and I just welcome it.” –Jeni Arndt, Fort Collins mayor

Several students who attended the event said they came to discuss U+2 with council members, but it was not the only topic discussed.

The conversations ranged from topics like what students felt were the most pressing issues at the local governmental level and the specific roles and procedures that go into the development of new city ordinances, to the details involved in what it would take to bring back concerts to Canvas Stadium.

Organizers of the event expressed satisfaction with how the event ran but did say they would like to see more student engagement in the future.

“I was with (Councilmember) Kelly Ohlson, who is quite the talk of the town when it comes to U+2, and I think a lot of students don’t have the best vision or idea of him, so sitting next to him and (hearing) him talking about his background and what he loves about Fort Collins … (and) some of the civil rights movements he has spearheaded while he has been in office, I got to know a side of him I didn’t really think existed,” Crangle said after the event. “This is exactly what we want to do in the CPD, and I think it went really well. I hope this is something we continue to do annually. I would love to see more and more students attend.”

The success and utility of the event were also praised by council members who attended.

“I’m just thrilled when the students show interest in civic government and take time out of their day because I know how busy it is (for them),” Mayor Jeni Arndt said. “I have long thought that we should have more interaction, and I just welcome it.”

Arndt placed the success of recent interactions between the City Council and students at the feet of ASCSU President-elect Nick DeSalvo, who she said has been the key liaison between the CSU student body and Fort Collins City Council.

Reach Grant Coursey at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @GrantCoursey.