Washington University’s resources for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) students and awareness on campus will now be centralized under the coordination of one man-Mike Brown.

“We’re excited to have him and excited to have the position,” said Brown’s supervisor Julia Macias Garcia, the coordinator of the Annika Rodriguez Scholars Program and an academic coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences. “We’re happy to have one person who will work on this issue-who will not necessarily replace advisors, but who will connect the entire community and work on a variety of issues.”

Classes have not yet begun, but Brown has already met with as many students as he can. Over the last few weeks he has trained Orientation Ambassadors and Residential Advisors (RAs) on the issues of sexual diversity and disclosure.

LGBT training has historically been coordinated by students. Brown said that the new training is “a little bit more from the institution.”

The original push for a LGBT Coordinator came from Student Union. Garcia said that a resolution was passed last fall stating that the University needed a coordinator to meet the needs of LGBT students and to raise awareness of the issue on campus.

As a result of the Student Union resolution, Jill Carnaghi, the assistant vice chancellor for students and the director of student life, convened a task force to address the prospect of a LGBT coordinator. This task force led to the hiring of Mike Brown as the campus’s first Coordinator of LGBT Student Involvement and Leadership.

Brown said that he is impressed by the University’s decision to create a LGBT coordinator position. “Something horrible didn’t happen here, and Wash. U. is hiring someone to heal the campus,” he said. “The University is taking a proactive approach, which in my experience is pretty exceptional. Wash. U. is setting the person in my position up for success because [the University] won’t be working against my efforts.”

Although Brown eagerly shared his enthusiasm for his new position, he was reluctant to offer many concrete ideas on what he specifically hopes to accomplish on campus. Rather, he said that he would like students to determine the direction of his efforts.

“I have only been at Wash. U. for a month,” he said. “The students know best about what they need and what this campus needs. I want it to come from the students.”

Brown plans to be available for students by attending campus events, leaving his office door open and by holding special office hours in the Pride Alliance office.

Brown did mention two things he would like to see on campus: the creation of an LGBT-ally group and the addition of more LGBT-identity groups.

“I wouldn’t say that Wash. U. has a lot of resources,” he said. “But the resources it does have work really well. Other universities have more specific identity groups. There is not an umbrella Pride Alliance group. There are groups for transsexuals. There are groups for bisexuals. I think that this is something that is happening organically at Wash. U. If students want these sorts of groups, then I think it will happen faster now that I am here.”

The President of Pride Alliance, sophomore Maryse Pearce, said that identity groups have already been forming on campus.

“We’ve been working on having identity groups for dealing with specific issues, such as coming out and gender-specific issues, since last semester,” she said. “It’s a process, but we’ve already begun working on it.”

According to Brown, his arrival has put students, faculty and staff at ease.

“People are very excited about getting started,” he said. “I think there is a sense of relief that there is someone with an extensive knowledge base about these issues.”

Brown said that there have already been a lot of requests for LGBT staff training. “I think people wanted to get trained but didn’t know where to go.”

Senior Shannon Petry, an RA in Lee, attested to this sense of relief. “As an RA, it makes me feel good knowing he’s there because I feel I have a point person who I can ask questions,” she said.

Students who have already met with Brown agree that he has a good personality for the job.

“I am really excited that he’s here,” said Pearce. “He seems really proactivel, and he has a lot of good ideas.”

“He seems really open, really friendly and genuinely ready to meet people and jump right in,” said Petry. “He’s the type of guy who is friendly enough that next time I’m in the Women’s Building I’ll probably stop by and say hi just because he’s a good resource.”

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