Members of the steering committee charged with making recommendations about the search for a new director position for the Chicano/a Studies program decided Wednesday to not recommend the position's lone candidate to the dean of University College.
"I'm going to have to go and speak with the provost of the University and speak to the steering committee of Chicano Studies about where to go from here and about what resources are available or about what resources we might secure," said Peter White, dean of University College.
After discussing the issue in a closed meeting for nearly an hour and a half, a majority of the committee's 11 members voted to not recommend Dorothy Baca, head of Design for Performance in the Theatre and Dance Department, to be director of the program.
"I think they were voting with their best interests at heart," Baca said.
The committee's members decided not to announce their decision to a coalition of Chicano students and community members until White and Baca had been notified Wednesday evening.
"It's just common courtesy," said Eduardo HernÖndez ChÖvez, chairman of the steering committee and current director of Chicano/a Studies.
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In previous interviews, White said that he would follow the recommendations of the steering committee because it represented the program's faculty.
"Our student voice was heard," said David Padilla, a member of the coalition and co-chairman of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl†n, a campus group also known as MEChA.
Prior to the committee's meeting, two representatives of the coalition of concerned students and community members were allowed to address the committee and discuss the coalition and students' opinion on the director search.
"Basically we reiterated to the committee the students' position of not being in favor of Dorothy Baca," said Ben Guevara, one of the two representatives who spoke to the committee before it entered its closed session. "She's not the best fit for the shoe."
He added that before Baca's Feb. 26 public presentation, the coalition was most concerned with the search process. But, after her presentation, the coalition was more concerned that Baca was not qualified for the position.
Guevara said that if there is going to be another committee formed to search for a permanent or interim director, then that committee needs to have community, alumni, undergraduate and graduate student representation.
The steering committee has one graduate student member and no undergraduate representative.
Padilla said proper student representation on any future committees is a goal of the coalition, as well as doing whatever is possible to help secure funds for its proposed national search.
"We are knowledgeable that there is money out there for a national search," Heredia said.
Baca said she plans to reapply for the position when administrators begin conducting a new director search, as long as she still qualifies for the position's criteria.
"It depends on how it is written up, but certainly I'm still interested," Baca said.
