Students object to University's lack of transparency in hiring new VPVA director

Students from multiple facets of the University have come together to draft a petition, urging administrators to acknowledge student input in the hiring of a new director of the Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance (VPVA).

Last April, a search committee was formed to interview candidates. Members of the committee included representatives from Student Affairs, the Center for Social Justice Education, the Rutgers University Police Department, Residence Life and the student body.

But after nine months of work and a near unanimous recommendation to select Interim Director Laura Luciano for the position, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Felicia McGinty and Dr. Melodee Lasky, executive director for Rutgers Health Services, inexplicably deemed the committee's search “failed,” said Maria Alba, a student representative on the search committee.

The University proceeded to disassemble the committee and omit student input entirely from the hiring process, Alba said.

“Now, there will be no search committee and instead Dr. Lasky will be the one finding a new director. This is concerning for numerous reasons – we are told that, as students, our voices matter and are heard. These events have indicated otherwise,” she said. “The director of VPVA will work closely with students so it doesn’t make sense to not include student input and feedback.”

In response to this sequence of events, students compiled a letter and attended McGinty’s office hours to ask why students’ voices were not accounted for, Alba said.

VPVA provides 24-hour assistance and counseling to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The office also oversees events like Denim Day and the Clothesline Project on campus and coordinate SCREAM theater.

The committee’s chosen candidate, Laura Luciano, attended Rutgers as an undergraduate student and worked with VPVA for 16 years as a coordinator, assistant director and later as the interim director, Alba said.

In 2011, Luciano received the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault Excellence in Advocacy Award for her work with sexual assault survivors.

“This issue is important for numerous reasons. Laura Luciano is overqualified for the position of VPVA Director and we believe that the decision to not hire her is a grave mistake. We also believe that administration is not being completely transparent with us students, and this is very concerning,” Alba said. “The leadership of the director of VPVA impacts survivors, students from all walks of life, faculty and staff, and communities beyond Rutgers at the state and national levels.”

Lasky told The Daily Targum that the University includes students in all of their search committees because the Office of the Vice Chancellor values the student perspective.

“We do not comment on individual candidates, nor is it appropriate for people who serve on search committees to share this information with the press,” Lasky said. “The job of the search committee is to provide the hiring authority with the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. At the end, it’s the job of the hiring authority to make the determination on the best fit at that point in time.”

On Feb. 17, Alba and a group of students congregated at the Vice Chancellor’s office hours to put forth their concerns.

They brought with them a letter with signatures from 36 members of the community. Among the signees were Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) president Justin Schulberg and Vice President Evan Covello, she said.

“We, the students, are asking for a clear explanation for your decision and to reconsider your choice,” they said in the letter, “We are also humbly requesting that you continue to keep students’ best interest in mind moving forward.”

The students outlined four goals for the meeting — to obtain a clear explanation as to why Luciano was not selected, urge McGinty and Lasky to reconsider their decision, find out how the job requirements have been modified and ask that students maintain a role in the search.

In response, McGinty told the group that she could not guarantee students would continue to have a voice in the hiring process moving forward, Alba said. She urged the students to stay engaged in the conversation.

“She said she isn’t prepared to make a comment about what's happening with the hiring process right now, and advised us to come back in one week. I boldly asked her ‘Will you have a new director by then?’ And she said ‘Maybe,’” Alba said.

McGinty did not respond to the Targum’s request for comment.

Vladimir Carrasco, a RUSA senator and School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, was one of the eight students that attended McGinty’s office hours. He said the sequence of events that unfolded with the selection of the new director is indicative of a much larger problem at Rutgers.

“There is a lack of effective communication between administrators and students in terms of the adherence to student opinion. Administrators make an effort to hear students and make themselves available, but just because they listen does not mean that anything will change,” Carrasco said. “This is where the disconnection occurs, where administrators disregard the student voice over bureaucratic priorities.”

Carrasco noted significant pushback from the student body following the announcement that Luciano would not receive the position. Students from SCREAM Theater, RUSA, Rutgers No More, Rutgers Athletics, Crisis Response Advocates and Residence Life all came together to show support for Luciano, he said.

“Students have been shocked on the news that Laura Luciano didn't get the position and are galvanized by administration's lack of communication about this matter,” Carrasco said.

Alba said there is a definitive shortage of transparency presently on behalf of the University. The students intend to continue standing together against the injustice.

“We are told constantly that students come first,” she said. “Why is it different in this situation?”

Kira Herzog is a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in political science and journalism and media studies. She is the news editor for The Daily Targum. Follow her on Twitter @kiraherzog1 for more.