Our view: The N.C. State community must be presented with a plan before any decision can be made on the future of the LGBT center.

With the controversial Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender center pushed to the front burner, there needs to be more attention to planning. Last year there was a town-hall meeting to elicit feedback from the N.C. State community about establishing a LGBT center. At the meeting, tempers flared from both sides as to the merits of the center.

The problem with the town-hall meeting was the lack of a plan for implementation of the center. This allowed the discussion to be based only on ideological thought rather than the logistics of the plan.

The plan regarding the LGBT center and its implementation must be presented to students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

Last year’s town-hall meeting about establishing an LGBT center on our campus has created more questions than answers. People on this campus need to be educated on the issue at hand. Presenting a formal plan on the center will allow everyone involved to have clear answers to base their arguments on. Education is the key to having an open and rational dialogue within our community on this topic.

To properly educate the community, the plan should not just focus on recommended costs and expenses. The plan needs to be a vision for the center and the University’s vision of the center.

Additionally, the plan needs to look long-term and answer the question of funding 5, 10 and 20 years down the road as well as where the center will be located if established.

Once the plan addresses the many questions students, alumni, faculty and staff have been raised, it would be wise to once again have a town hall meeting to discuss the plan. Only after the University takes time to develop this plan should there be another discussion. Without a plan the discussion will wander and be pointless. It would provide the material necessary for creating arguments about the LBGT center, not the lifestyle.

This is a serious topic, and the University should treat it like one. By addressing the LGBT center in a plan the community will treat it in a respectful manner. To proceed to a decision on the center, it must start with a plan.