Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Josh Vishnaw Lee Gill, Affirmative Action Officer candidate, explains how he would impact Central Michigan University if he is hired as the AAO during an open forum in the Bovee University Center Lake Huron room Monday afternoon. [Click to enlarge]

Standing in the Lake Huron Room and struggling to be heard above the cheering outside Lee Gill said he is committed to diversity.

The cheering was for a pep rally for the Central/Western football game and not for the affirmative action candidate forum.

Only two people attended the forum. One was a faculty member who rushed out to attend her psychology class and the other was the head of the search committee.

Gill is the first of three affirmative action officer candidates to come to campus; the others will be at CMU in the coming week.

Affirmative action and diversity are two things commonly confused, Gill said, and there is a lack of knowledge of what affirmative action really is.

"Diversity is not about counting heads, its about making heads count," Gill said, quoting a friend. "Affirmative action is not sneaking minorities or women in the backdoor."

Gill - the chief executive officer of a Stratus Group Consultants Inc, a workplace consultant firm - said affirmative action is about making sure universities and colleges are complying with laws and guidelines while diversity is about accepting everyone. Also included in the duties of an affirmative action officer is responding to complaints on the basis of discrimination.

"I will not legally stand by and let people be discriminated against," Gill said.

Shaun Holtgreive, associate director of Residence Life and chairperson of the six-person search committee, said there were 10 interviews before selecting the three finalists.

"We're looking for folks experienced in the college and university setting. Obviously someone who is knowledgeable in the affirmative action field," Holtgreive said.

Jeannie Jackson, the current interim director of Wane State University's office of equal opportunity, has a forum at 2:30 p.m. today, in the Bovee University Center's Lake Michigan Room.

L. Michael Woods is the senior associate of Integrity Search Association of Grand Rapids. His forum will be at 2 p.m. Monday in the UC's Lake St. Clair Room.

All forums are open to the public.

At Monday's forum, Gill said he did not know about the freshman orientation programs, but if selected, he would guide his office to participate in educating about affirmative action and Proposal 2, which was approved by Michigan voters last November.

Gill said the proposal had a chilling effect on Michigan's affirmative action programs.

Despite the chill, Gill said he wanted to come to CMU because he has seen the campus and feels there will be challenges he can tackle.


news@cm-life.com

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