Juan Gonzalez, candidate for vice president of student affairs, says if he's known for anything, it is his "tremendous involvement with students."
Student leaders who worked with Gonzalez at Arizona State University and Georgetown University criticized him for supporting policies that angered students.
The former editor in chief of the ASU State Press said Gonzalez threatened to remove the student paper from campus because of controversial content. A UT Law student who is a Georgetown graduate said Gonzalez was a "bad candidate" who created controversy by preventing students from holding a traditional off-campus fund-raiser, adding that his loyalty lies with administrators rather than students.
Marilyn Kameen, chair of the search committee that recommended Gonzalez, recalled that students at a UT forum "asked [Gonzalez], what if we asked you to support something, say with the Legislature, that might go against the position of the University. His response was, 'I have to remember I'm an employee of the institution first, and I have to represent the goals and the philosophies and the wishes of the institution.'"
The 53-year-old Gonzalez, an Amarillo native, said in an interview Tuesday he is known for his active relationship with students. He said he tries to eat lunch with students at the ASU Student Union on a daily basis and that during his three years as vice president of student affairs at Georgetown, he lived in a student residence hall.
"There's no better way to get to know students than to live with them," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez is one of three candidates to replace outgoing vice president James Vick. UT President Larry Faulkner is finished with interviews and reference checks, and an announcement on the position is expected some time this month, said Nancy McCowan, executive assistant to the president.
Recalling last fall's State Press conflict, Gonzalez said many people had written letters of concern about controversial content to State Press editors and ASU President Michael Crow. He said he could not remember if he told editors they would be offered an "exit strategy," as former editor in chief Cameron Eickmeyer said.
"We did speak frankly about if they continued down this course, the relationship with the university would probably be redefined," Gonzalez said.
When asked what "redefined" meant, he said, "Who knows. No one had an answer to that."
He said the administration wanted to help the newspaper staff because they lacked a well-established set of editorial policies.
"If they continued down this road, any number of individuals would be starting to question our relationship as an institution to an independent newspaper," Gonzalez said.
During fall 2000, Gonzalez attracted the ire of some Georgetown students after only three weeks on the job when he argued against the issuance of a liquor license for an off-campus festival and fund-raiser called the Block Party. Gonzalez said he was more than happy to sponsor the party on campus "in a more controlled atmosphere," but could not support it being held off-campus once he took into account student safety concerns and complaints from neighbors.
Student organizers ultimately turned down his offer, and the block party was cancelled.
"He definitely had a lot of students that didn't like him," said Georgetown senior Octavio Gonzalez, who is not related to Juan. "He definitely got a lot of bad publicity in the student papers."
Octavio Gonzalez, a former Georgetown student government representative, said Juan Gonzalez left a favorable impression on him when they worked together on campus issues. The vice president often hosted students at his residence hall apartment for dinner and informal discussions.
"I thought it was amazing that he actually wanted to live with the students and was more than willing to open up his door and share a meal," Octavio said.
Octavio said Juan Gonzalez dealt with students candidly. His actions were controversial at Georgetown, Octavio said.
"If there was something a member of the administration wouldn't subscribe to, he was very clear about the university's policy, but he wouldn't hesitate to bring student's opinions to the university president if he had to," he said.
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