Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Organization co-Chair Earl Plante '94 said yesterday that the College is tentatively planning to hire two part-time administrators to advise minority groups on campus.
Although Plante said the specific details have not yet been worked out, he said one administrator would advise the gay, lesbian and bisexual community and one would advise the Latino community.
But Dean of the College Lee Pelton, who said he ultimately would make the decision whether to hire an administrator, refused to comment on specific details on any potential positions last night.
"The College will provide the appropriate support for the gay, lesbian and bisexual community, but to say specifics at this point would be getting out in front of the person who makes the decision," Pelton said.
But Pelton added, "Philosophically, as we look at the needs of the diverse groups [on campus], we will look at our existing sources to provide support."
Pelton said he has brought up many ideas to address the needs of the Latino and homosexual communities, but he said "the conversations I had in staff meetings were not supposed to be for public consumption."
Plante said he is pleased with the progress. "Everything is going to be moving fast," he said. "There will be a search committee formed in the spring and the College will conduct a nationwide search."
Plante added because the fiscal budget begins on July 1, the person selected to address gay, lesbian and bisexual concerns could technically start by that time. He said the position will definitely be filled by the start of the Fall term, he said.
"There are four main aspects of this person's task: outreach, education, advocacy and programming," Plante said. "The big emphasis will be on advocacy and outreach."
La Alianza Latina President Ana Henderson '94 said "the need for an adviser comes from the fact a good number of Latino students have a problem adjusting to the Dartmouth community."
The decision to create an adviser dealing with the concerns of Latino community has also been an ongoing process.
Henderson said there have been many people who have been interested in doing work related to Latino issues, but their was no one to help them. The new adviser would fulfill the role of an academic adviser as well, she said.
"I think you need to look at the need of students and if there are students whose academic needs are not being met you have to help them," Henderson added.
Student Assembly President Rukmini Sichitiu '95, who said she is overjoyed about the decision, lauded Pelton's decision to create the two positions.
Sichitiu said this decision is separate from prior proposals put forth by the administration, because money has already been allocated for the new positions.
Last week, at a community forum designed to discuss the implications of a anti-homosexual flier sent to DaGLO, a hostile situation developed when a group of students began to debate with the panelists.
"I think the events of the last couple of weeks underline and punctuate the problem, but [are] not emblematic of it," Sichitiu said "There is a very specific type of neurosis at Dartmouth."
Susan Ackerman, co-convenor of the Coalition for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Concerns, said this past fall that the issue of creating an administrator had recently received serious attention from the Dean of the College Office.
The attention came after the Board of Trustees voted to continue the College's Reserve Officers' Training Program last April, over objections that the program discriminated against homosexuals, she said.
Last summer, Pelton told The Dartmouth the College was looking into finding an adviser for La Alianza. "Frankly we haven't found any money," he said. "We're completely in a discussion stage. Even if we were to be able to locate or identify the funds, it is unclear what this person would actually do."
