BUZZ
Soon-to-be-former director says trans students and staff ‘will lose a central advocate for scholarship, visibility, and institutional support’
As part of a “wider restructuring effort,” the University of North Carolina Wilmington will eliminate the position of director for its Gender Studies and Research Center.
The center itself will cease to be an “independent” entity and become part of the university’s Interdisciplinary Studies “umbrella” as of July 1, according to a News & Observer report.
Dana Stachowiak, the center’s current director who uses the plural pronoun “they,” lamented the change, telling the Observer the “loss of independent leadership” will jeopardize many of the center’s programs, such as the “wildly successful” UPLfT: Unleashing Powerful Leaders for Tomorrow.
According to the Gender Studies and Research Center’s website, UPLfT “provides student participants with intensive leadership training, an affinity support group and unparalleled engagement with experienced leaders at UNCW and in the Wilmington area.”
It is “geared toward” students “who identify as women, non-binary and transgender.”
Stachowiak (pictured), whose expertise lies in the realm of “inclusive and equitable curriculum, social justice in education, trans/gender topics in education, and healing-centered engagement,” said “even if some programs continue to exist, they may not be able to operate at the same scope, consistency, or impact without a dedicated leader.”
Stachowiak added that transgender students and faculty “will lose a central advocate for scholarship, visibility, and institutional support” due to the restructuring.
According to Stachowiak, the university said it “couldn’t justify” having directors for both the Gender Studies and Research Center and Interdisciplinary Studies. “They” said “they” felt “locked out” of UNCW’s restructuring decisions.
“I understand and respect that university leaders are often required to make difficult decisions, and that there may be considerations of which I’m not aware and do not necessarily need to be aware of in my role,” Stachowiak said. “My primary concern throughout this process of restructuring of the GSRC has been that lack of transparency and collaborative engagement. … It reflects for us a longstanding pattern in which women and trans communities are excluded from conversations and decisions that directly affect their well-being.”
Stachowiak said they’ve heard similar concerns about transparency from other faculty, staff, and students in the wake of this decision.Todd Berliner, professor of film studies at UNCW and president of the school’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the removal of the director of the Gender Studies and Research Center raises several concerns. He says the top-down nature of the decision – a change he said is both managerial and academic – violates shared governance, the principle that ensures faculty a voice in the management of the university.
UNCW Spokesperson Sydney Bouchelle told the Observer that “decisions regarding program structure and staffing are based on institutional needs, strategic priorities and operational effectiveness.”
In 2023, the UNC system banned mandatory DEI statements for students and employees, and a year later banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices on its campuses.
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