Effective this fall, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has designated a liaison between its office and the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life. The liaison will handle prospective students' inquiries regarding the University's LGBT community and broader campus climate.
The LGBT liaison takes on new responsibilities at a time when the University's image as a homophobic campus is still shifting. Duke dropped off the list of 20 schools where "alternative lifestyles [are] not an alternative" in the Princeton Review's rankings published last month. Last year, Duke was eleventh in this category, and just four years ago it was first.
"Having an LGBT liaison in the admissions office sends a message to prospective students that at least some portions of Duke are paying attention to diversity on campus regarding LGBT students," said Karen Krahulik, director of the LGBT center. "This message is important, specifically because of the way Duke has been rated by the Princeton Review in past years. When we have that kind of reputation, every symbolic measure that the University can take to counter that reputation is helpful."
Jessica Rosario, president of Alliance of Queer Undergraduates at Duke, said that Duke's absence from the Princeton Review's list of homophobic schools may encourage more prospective students to call the admissions office to find out about the LGBT climate on campus.
"Despite Duke not being on that list, it doesn't subdue all concerns," she said. "Hopefully this liaison will be taken seriously by the University, and hopefully prospective students will know there's someone they can talk to in the admissions office about it."
Rosario also noted that information about LGBT life at Duke has been hard to come by in the past. She said having an admissions officer designated for LGBT affairs could help alleviate the problem. Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions, said the LGBT liaison, Bianca Briola, will serve as a contact person when students and their families call with questions regarding LGBT life. Briola will also ensure that other admissions officers are aware of LGBT activities and issues that arise throughout the year.
"The relationship between our office and the LGBT office has existed before," Guttentag said. "This just formalizes the connection a little more."
This is not the first admissions officer to take on responsibilities beyond regional recruitment. Currently, undergraduate admissions also has liaisons with offices such as the Services for Students with Disabilities office and the ROTC office. Other officers also cater to such groups as home-schooled applicants and Native American applicants.
Rosario said Briola, Trinity '02, is a particularly good choice for the position of LGBT liaison, as she has been in contact with the LGBT center and AQUADuke since she graduated two years ago.
"She knows us, so she can always speak about what's going on on campus," Rosario said. While a student at Duke, Briola was president of Duke Allies, an undergraduate student organization for people who are supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
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