The mission statement on the university’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Equity Office website begins, “We provide a wide range of information, education and support services…” With the resignation of LGBT associate director Shiva Subbaraman, though, that statement no longer holds true.
Subbaraman’s departure from the university due to fear of funding cuts leaves the LGBT office solely in the hands of director Luke Jensen. Without Subbaraman, Jensen will need to shoulder the burden alone while searching for Subbaraman’s replacement – a situation that could have easily been avoided.
After learning Provost Nariman Farvardin would not guarantee her position permanent status, Subbaraman began a job hunt that eventually led her to Georgetown University and left this university with a vacancy in an office vital to the LGBT community. By not guaranteeing Subbaraman a permanent position until May – with her contract set to expire in June – the university essentially pushed a homegrown administrator out the door.
The worst part of the ordeal? Subbaraman wanted to stay. As reported by The Diamondback today, if Farvardin had given Subbaraman a guarantee back in December that he would ensure the permanence of her position, when the funding first came into question, Subbaraman would still be a Terp today.
Instead, the LGBT office finds itself left in the hands of just a single staff member – Jensen, who now finds himself with the unenviable task of serving the entire LGBT community on the campus on his own.
The saga of Subbaraman and the void she leaves will seriously hinder the office’s ability to cater to its LGBT students. And the way the university handled the situation raises serious questions about its commitment to diversity.
