Two College administrators are settling into their new roles as part-time advisers to gay, lesbian and bisexual students and to Latino and Hispanic students.
Assistant Career Services Director Abraham Hunter is advising Latino and Hispanic students, and Assistant Coordinator of Peer Education Programs Bart Bingenheimer '94 is advising the gay, lesbian and bisexual community.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton appointed Bingenheimer and Hunter to their respective positions last spring, after the two minority groups lobbied the administration extensively for additional support.
Pelton said the advisers were appointed to "ensure that a group of students succeed and achieve their maximum potential at the College."
While Pelton said there have been other groups that have been requesting advisors, he declined to name the groups.
Dartmouth Asian Organization President Kenji Uematsu '96 said DAO has been talking about requesting an adviser but this idea has not been "actively pursued yet." He said more things would get done and DAO would have a larger voice on campus with an adviser.
Bingenheimer's work
Bingenheimer said he spends 25 hours per week working for Health Services and devotes 15 hours a week to the role of "coordinator of gay, lesbian and bisexual programming."
Bingenheimer said he "coordinates gay, lesbian and bisexual programs, brings these programs into a coherent whole and makes sure that these programs get well publicized."
He said he spends most of his time "on the phone, providing advice and suggestions to [the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance] and answering questions about how things are done" -- basically taking care of the "practical details of things."
"There is a lot of energy around gay, lesbian, and bisexual concerns, and there have been problems with miscommunication between these different people," Bingenheimer said.
Bingenheimer said he feels as if he is helping students by acting as the "point person," where the different groups can voice their concerns.
He said his goal for the position is to "think critically about what kind of programming to do and for what purpose" and aims for "programs that are well thought out."
He said he is not interested in "drawing a crowd" but prefers "rational analysis to figure out what to devote the alliance's time and resources to."
Bingenheimer said he is working on developing a "vision for the program here" and after this first year is over he said he wants "to let my employers know what I've seen, where the program has gone, and the future directions for things."
Mario Martinus '98, co-chair of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance, said Bingenheimer has been doing a "really great job" and did "a lot of work for programming for the fall and for coming out week."
Bingenheimer said it would be "lovely to have a full time person as an advisor to DRA" but said he realistically knows that the College has limited resources.
Hunter on the job
Hunter said his job is "very challenging." Between advising students and working for Career Services, Hunter said he spends 60 to 70 hours a week working.
Hunter said there are five components to his job. He said he acts as an academic adviser, a mentor, a counselor, a consultant for the deans and administrators and as a programmer for Latino and Hispanic events.
Hunter said his job has "a strong emphasis on academic issues." He said he serves to "connect Latino students with existing resources" like the Academic Skills Center, the Composition Center and deans and administrators.
Although he said he advises students about their social lives, he said he thinks it is more "critical that the students do well at Dartmouth" and spends most of his energy helping the students with their academics.
"For the past four years, Latino students have worked hard to advocate for space, support, recognition and money from the College," Hunter said. "This has taken a lot of time and effort away from their academic pursuits."
Now, with Hunter as part-time adviser, he said students "can spend more time on their studies."
Hunter said the part-time position as Latino and Hispanic adviser is a "good start" for the College. At the end of the year, Hunter said he will meet with Pelton to discuss the "successes gained for Latino students during the year as well as the future needs of the group."
Ernesto Cuevas '98, the president of La Alianza Latina, said Hunter was "very much needed because it is essential to have one person to devote the time to help and discuss certain issues with Latino students."
