The nearly yearlong search for a Hispanic Student Affairs director under the Multicultural Student Affairs office is still underway as MSA seeks to reorganize. Leaders of the center are taking action to create a more inclusive and diverse environment for all of the students and in order to do so, they need to reform the requirements of departmental leaders, according to Jennifer Brown, interim director for MSA.
Once MSA creates a new structure, a suitable director will be able to be hired, Brown said.
“These changes are a response to ongoing conversations. We want to meet student concerns and to do so, we will change the center’s form.”
Brown was unable to comment on when exactly MSA will see a new Hispanics affairs director, though.
“I do not want to seem mysterious, but official changes need to be deprived for the moment,” Brown said. “We created a new job, but I am estimated that we will know in a month, more or less.”
Jackie Gonzalez, a junior studying political science, said she believes a Hispanic affairs director should be found as soon as possible.
“We need this position filled to ensure that these communities aren’t forgotten,” Gonzalez said. “Currently we’re lucky because we have phenomenal student leaders who have symbolically taken on this role because they care about their community and heritage. But we can’t continue to expect students to take on a role that is supposed to be someone’s full-time job.”
Melissa Betancur was the most recent Hispanic affairs director, leaving in February 2016. She replaced Nelson Santiago, who now works in competitive sports with University Recreation. When Betancur left MSA, the center did not have a candidate to assume the role.
Although Santiago is not involved with the hiring process, he was able to comment that Reggie Barnes, senior director of campus community centers, is ensuring there is improvement within MSA and support for Latinx students.
“He is very involved with the Latino community on campus,” he said. “Right now, he wants to assess what all the centers are doing before a position for a job opening is posted.”
Santiago still meets with the president of Mi Familia regularly.
“I just want to know that the Latino students at NC State have full support from pro staff on campus.”
MSA consists of three units: African-American, Hispanic and Native American affairs. With the absence of a director for Hispanic affairs, leaders of the two other departments, Leah Young of African American affairs and Brittany Hunt of Native American affairs, with the support of Brown, have worked together to meet the responsibilities of the Hispanic affairs position.
The absence of a Hispanic affairs director has not affected the department, according to Brown. They all teamed up to bring Hispanic Heritage Month to campus, and they are going to help with “Somos,” the annual program that promotes Hispanic presence and spirit on campus. “Somos” will be held April 22 from 7-9 p.m. in the Mountains Ballroom at Talley Student Union.
