Gigi Secuban, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Ohio University, announced Monday she will be leaving OU in June to serve as Texas State University’s vice president of institutional inclusive excellence.
Salome Nnoromele will serve as the interim vice president for diversity and inclusion moving forward. For the past five years, Nnoromele served as associate dean of campus operations at OU’s Southern campus. She also helped found the African/African American studies program at Eastern Kentucky University.
Secuban’s announcement comes days after she and OU President Hugh Sherman announced six action items to combat racism at OU and foster a more inclusive environment following the racist hate crimes that occurred at the university in March.
In May 2018, Secuban was hired as OU’s first vice president for diversity and inclusion. During her time at the university, Secuban worked to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at OU and its branch campuses by implementing the annual Diversity Leadership Institute and Diversity Advocate Program, according to a university news release.
delfin bautista, former director of the LGBT center who uses they/them pronouns and does not capitalize their name, was removed from their position in January 2019. In 2020, bautista filed two lawsuits alleging OU discriminated against them because of their gender identity and sexual identity, according to a previous Post report.
In the first lawsuit, bautista alleged OU and Secuban created a hostile work environment, violating Title IX. The suit claimed Secuban only visited the LGBT Center three times over a two-month period. According to the previous Post report and the suit, Secuban “ignored” bautista except when there was an opportunity to discriminate against bautista.
The second suit alleges OU broke U.S. labor laws and other Ohio laws.
Those lawsuits are currently ongoing.
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