Last spring, Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez announced that he would hire a new part-time Special Assistant to the Vice President who would address the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. After months of discussion between the administration and the diversity working group about the creation of a resource center, both sides seemed to be content with the decision. A local search was conducted and one candidate was interviewed. Both students and faculty members on the search committee expressed concern that although the candidate has clinical expertise, she was not equipped to deal with the needs of LGBT students.
Last Wednesday, at a meeting of the diversity working group, Gozalez announced that the position he created last spring would no longer deal specifically with LGBT students but would instead focus on mediating conflict and alleviating tension between groups on campus. He asked permission to hire the person interviewed this summer for this position. In addition, Gonzalez stated that he would create a new position, likely to be titled Coordinator of LGBT resources, to deal with the needs of LGBT students.
By creating this new position, Gonzalez has shown that he is concerned with the needs of the LGBT community. However, in order to gain the trust of the students and prove his commitment, he needs a new approach to the hiring process.
Originally, the administration expressed concern that there was no room in the budget to hire another half-time position and no place to house that person. Now, however, there seems to be money and office space for two people. The Special Assistant to the Vice President will probably have an office on the fifth floor of Leavey, while the Coordinator for LGBT resources will have an office in the Office of Student Programs on the third floor.
Although the Special Assistant is likely to take office at the beginning of next semester, the search to fill the new position, which will be advertised nationally, has not even begun.
Despite the fact that the creation of the new position is a victory for the LGBT community, students should remain skeptical until someone is actually hired. The Special Assistant position was a cause for celebration last spring, although it actually ended up wasting four months and leaving students exactly where they began.
