Students with the UO Truth Coalition and Vice President of Student Affairs Robin Holmes agreed in a meeting Friday afternoon to set up a student advisory board that would work with administration in the transition of OMAS to CMAE.
The UO Truth Coalition would like to see a board of 10 students from the group, as well as other representatives of other student groups. It would take part in the hiring process of potential CMAE advisors, as well as approve or disapprove of hiring advisors.
However, she did not agree to allow the student board to oversee the administration and its processes.
“To have oversight over an administrative function is not something I can agree to, nor do I think it would work,” she said.
Students also asked for included the retaining current OMAS services, hiring culturally competent advisors to fill advising positions that are currently empty, and creating more scholarships for in-state students of color. Holmes agreed to all of these.
Holmes said that job descriptions for new CMAE advisors have not been written, but she hopes they will be done before winter break so interviews can begin in January. She also said further structural changes are not likely to happen.
The meeting on Friday was one of the demands in the letter students read at the forum last Thursday. The other demand in the letter was that all processes of change of OMAS to CMAE be paused so that students could give input.
A website is expected to go live early next week. The website will have the documents with the organizational structure of CMAE and the chart detailing the responsibilities of each section under CMAE. Slides with more information about the center will also be available.