At a town hall meeting Monday, students called for the university to appoint a vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion who is culturally competent, creative and direct in addressing diversity issues.
A search committee for the new vice chancellor held the town hall meeting to solicit opinions and concerns about the future appointment. Fifteen faculty, administrators and students sit on the search committee. Carole Goldberg, vice chancellor for academic personnel, led the town hall and chairs the search committee.
The position, announced by Chancellor Gene Block in early December, will lead and coordinate efforts to create a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment for UCLA community members.
Students who attended the meeting were generally supportive of the search committee’s efforts to include student feedback in the selection process.
“We’re excited to see the committee solicit information and feedback from the community surrounding this appointment,” said Devin Murphy, president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, at the town hall.
Goldberg encouraged attendees to bring up their views about how the vice chancellor should address diversity issues and about the qualities the candidate should have, such as courage and experience.
Students said they think the candidate should be able to navigate through bureaucratic systems and be creative in his or her approach. They added that search committee members should consider all aspects of diversity when appointing the vice chancellor, such as the person’s ability to address the inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Kareem Elzein, a graduate student in education and information studies, said he thinks the vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion must be direct when addressing diversity issues. Elzein said he thinks the appointment should not be afraid to use honest language when speaking about diversity at UCLA.
“I feel like there are a lot of people in these positions that don’t speak that language because they’re … bureaucrats,” he said.
Janina Montero, vice chancellor for student affairs and a member of the search committee, said she thinks the vice chancellor should have previous experience with equity issues.
“It seems pretty clear that for whoever takes this position, this can’t be the first time this person has engaged in this issue or gotten their hands dirty in the process,” she said.
Noor Al-Alusi, a fourth-year biology student and a member of the Muslim Students Association, called for a candidate who is culturally competent, so that he or she may be able to better relate to cultural groups on campus. She added that she thinks the vice chancellor should be brave enough to speak out against discrimination and injustice, even if taking a stance would be controversial.
Some students also voiced concerns at the town hall about the committee’s preference for a person with an academic background.
Goldberg said she thinks a professor would be most suitable for the position because he or she would be able to work well with faculty members to address diversity issues and to support research on the subject.
“Having a faculty (member) in this position will underscore the fact that there is an academic component to understanding issues (of diversity)” she said. “It has to be someone who can support research in that realm.”
The search committee may hold another town hall to solicit opinions about the position from graduate students, said Ivy Onyeador, a graduate student in social psychology and a member of the search committee.