To Berquam or not to Berquam? That is the question.

After hearing from the last of three finalists for the vacant University of Wisconsin dean of students position, the time has come for Chancellor John Wiley and Provost Patrick Farrell to make their final decision.

But I would argue that for the student body, this decision has already been made.

As you may or may not know, the candidates are as follows: Brian Rose, administrator at Rutgers University; Tim Gordon from Northwestern University; and Lori Berquam, who took over as interim dean of students at UW in July 2005.

Now, if you've almost never heard these names, aside from maybe a "Berquam" here or a "Berquam" there, then unfortunately you are part of the majority of students who neither knows nor cares very much about this pending decision. Yet believe it or not, there is significance in the fact most students have only heard the name Berquam before, and that's because Berquam just so happens to be our dean of students already. And indeed, it is the most indispensable reason why she should remain as such.

After all, nothing is more important to the role of dean of students than the ability to be a bridge of communication and understanding from student to administrator, and nothing breeds understanding like experience.

Unfortunately, this most basic fact has eluded some of our most prominent voices on campus. As quoted in The Badger Herald, UW senior Jennifer Knox said she would be "disappointed" if Berquam were appointed because she believes she is not as equipped to handle the "cultural (in)competency" issues of the university. As a stronger supporter of Tim Gordon, who is black, Ms. Knox has rightfully raised the very pressing concern of diversity on our campus — yet with a very confusing rationale.

Choosing a candidate to address the issues of minority students on campus simply because he is a minority himself is a misunderstanding of the situation. The fact is that students neither come nor leave because of the dean of students. They come and they stay because of other students who they make a connection with during their time here. Programs like the POSSE scholars program and the various UW Housing diversity initiatives represent the action UW can take to increase minority retention rates.

Likewise, while Gordon may have a better personal understanding of the situation of minority students on campus, it is the ability to administer institutional access to minority students that best measures a candidate's ability to enhance the campus diversity climate. Yet Gordon comes from a private institution with lower diversity rates than even that of fellow candidate Rose.

On the other hand, as former assistant dean of University Housing, Berquam has had firsthand experience with the most difficult part of the college transition for every student: first-year housing. We have to realize that progressive change comes from a real understanding of where the student body is and where it needs to go. Berquam has this experience, and she has this understanding.

In addition, there have been a number of other concerns addressed during the discussion, namely student safety, student retention rates and student government issues. Also, the extreme difference in monetary resource availability from Gordon and Rose's previous universities in comparison to UW is of concern to many. Of course these are issues inherent in every university, yet they are issues that have become so nuanced to the UW climate that only an individual with 12 years of administrative experience, like Ms. Berquam, could properly understand and address them.

In reality, the decision to choose the next dean of students for the University of Wisconsin was already made in 2005, and it was the right one. Hopefully, within the next few days, the right decision will be made again.

Andy Granias ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.