Oregon State University's campus on a January day
Oregon State University named an interim Chief Diversity Officer this week, with the hope of fighting racial injustice on campus.
(Andrew Theen/The Oregonian)
Oregon State University is moving its Dean of Student Life into a new role as the campus's interim Chief Diversity Officer as the university tries to fight racial injustice and improve safety for its students.
Ed Ray, OSU's president, announced several staff changes Monday during the school's Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Breakfast. He sent a notice Tuesday to the student body and staff.
Angela Batista, an associate vice provost for student affairs who started at OSU last summer, will shift into the new role as interim Chief Diversity Officer. According to a release, the school will search for a full-time Chief Diversity Officer after Batista "leads a campus-wide effort" to determine how the job should be structured and what other resources are needed.
"Business as usual is not acceptable and we need to restructure some university-level responsibilities," Ray said in a statement. "We also need to listen to diverse perspectives and experiences throughout OSU while we define and implement our action plans."
The announcement comes after two months of campus-wide conversations.
Ray said in those discussions, students "courageously expressed their concerns of racial injustice occurring at our university."
"I committed to them that the university will act promptly, effectively and collaboratively to ensure that OSU is a safer, more just, caring and inclusive community," Ray said in a statement.
Angelo Gomez, the school's executive director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, will now report directly to Ray as a special assistant to the president for community diversity relations.
Clay Simmons, OSU's chief compliance officer, will supervise investigations regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination and issues involving access for students and people with disabilities.
Each of the three staffers will report directly to Ray. The new roles begin Feb. 1.
-- Andrew Theen
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