‘Ask Governor Murphy’ Broadcasts Live from Campus

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and News 12 New Jersey broadcast the “Ask Governor Murphy” segment live from the School of Communication and Media’s News Lab on Wednesday, Feb. 22, answering questions from students and viewers regarding important issues facing the state – from gun safety and mental health to public transportation, affordability and equity.

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.

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

Murphy praised President Jonathan Koppell and Montclair State University for doing “an outstanding job at providing mental health and student success services” 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.

“Mental health stress among young people has been around forever. It’s gotten worse lately – and if that weren’t enough, the pandemic made it really hard for folks. It’s made the transition even more difficult,” the governor said. “I’m going to say to everybody don’t ever hesitate to raise your hand to reach out and say ‘I need some help.’ All of us need help. …My hope is, in our lifetime, mental health will be treated the same as physical health.”

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.

“Richard, 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,” Murphy responded. “Secondly, 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.”

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.

“It 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,” Steiner-Otoo said.

AJ Ford, a senior Political Science major, was proud to attend the event and formally meet Governor Murphy.

“When 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,” Ford said afterward.

Maddison Chin, a junior majoring in Communication and Media Studies, agreed.

“I 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,” Chin said.

Throughout the segment, Murphy and News 12’s Landskroner praised the University, its students and the SCM News Lab.

Afterward, the governor went on to say, “First 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.”

You can watch the segment on News 12’s website.

Story by Rosaria LoPresti. Photos by Aristide Economopoulos.