Syracuse University is holding public forums this week in its search for a new director of the LGBT Resource Center, rightfully offering LGBTQ community members a seat at the table on a decision that will influence student life at SU.

Student support offices — especially those that back marginalized communities — must be properly staffed to cultivate an inclusive and safe campus environment. By giving candidates a public platform to present ideas for the future of the center, students can help secure a leader who is committed to them for the long term.

SU alum Khristian Kemp-Delisser, a candidate for the position and current director of Colgate University’s LGBT initiatives, delivered a presentation Tuesday that addressed the need for greater inclusivity of LGBTQ people of color on college campuses. Samuel Neil Byrd, another candidate, will present Thursday in the E.S. Bird Library.

Ultimately, the new director will step into a critical role for a student center that’s stretched thin after losing the leadership of Tiffany Gray, who served as associate director of the center from 2012-14 and as director since fall 2015.

The transparency of SU’s search process is an encouraging attempt to promote a stronger relationship between the center and the campus body it’ll serve. Because when it comes to representation, it’s important SU speaks alongside its LGBTQ students — not for them.

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