LGBT Campus Center to become Dean of Students unit

UW–Madison’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Campus Center will formally partner with the Dean of Students office in a new plan announced today by Dean Luoluo Hong and the campus center’s student staff.

Under the new arrangement, the LGBT Campus Center, currently a student organization located on the second floor of Memorial Union, will become an administrative unit of the dean’s office. The change, which was agreed to jointly by the dean’s office and center’s student staff, is expected to take effect by summer.

Students will continue to provide leadership in setting the center’s priorities and agenda and will help shape new services and programs that will now be possible with the addition of full-time professional staff support.

“It’s important that the university shares responsibility for providing services and advocacy on behalf of LGBT students and their allies,” Hong says. “Students should not have to do this alone. I’m very excited about this opportunity to provide improved support to both students and student organizations, as well as elevate our commitment to LGBT issues.”

Additional support from the university has been a long-time goal of the center’s student leadership, says Kris Johnson, LGBT Campus Center director, who adds that services to students will improve through greater continuity and efficiency.

“This is something that we, as a staff, have really been looking for,” Johnson says. “It’s a good decision and we’re excited to go forward with it and make it happen.”

The center will follow a model similar to the McBurney Disability Resource Center and the Multicultural Student Center, both of which receive segregated fee funding, but also have full-time professional staff and are units of the dean’s office.

The practical effect of the changes will redirect the LGBT issues coordinator position in the dean’s office to serve as the LGBT Campus Center director. The director will oversee the campus center student staff and operations.

The mission of the LGBT Campus Center is to help foster a safe campus learning environment that supports the academic, personal, and interpersonal growth and development of students.

Likewise, the dean’s office has been working on a parallel track, developing links between services and programs that support LGBT students. The dean’s office and the LGBT Campus Center have worked closely on numerous issues, so the transition is not expected to be difficult, Hong says.

The LGBT Campus Center will continue:

Acting as an information clearinghouse and referral center for relevant gender and sexual identity issues.
Engaging students in developing and delivering educational services both in and out of the classroom.
Maintaining a safe place for students to explore and discuss issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Providing essential resources and services necessary for student success at the university and beyond.
Serving as an open meeting place for all students and organizations

In the coming weeks, UW–Madison students will have the chance to ask questions or offer suggestions on how to make a smooth and effective transition and improve LGBT services. Discussion sessions are scheduled from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 at Memorial and from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, May 7 also at Memorial Union. Union. Check the posted Today in the Union (TITU) schedule for exact room locations.

Also, the campus center changes will be the topic of Hong’s Monday, April 21 radio show on WSUM-FM 91.7. The show airs from 5-6 p.m. and calls are encouraged. For more information about UW–Madison LGBT issues on the Internet: http://www.wisc.edu/students/lgbt.htm or the LGBT Campus Center at http://lgbtcc.studentorg.wisc.edu/