LGBTQIA2+ Advisory Council

Oakton's LGBTQIA2+ Advisory Council was formed to improve LGBTQIA2+ campus life and climate and ultimately shape its members' educational and working experience. The group's mission is to help build a campus that is inclusive, welcoming, and respectful of LGBTQIA2+ people and their allies.

The working group is a collaboration of multiple areas of the college, including Oakton's Diversity Council and the Women's and Gender Studies Steering Committee.

Members

  • Mel Battistoni (they/them), co-chair - Counselor, Counseling Services
  • Cameron Carrara (he/him) - Academic Advisor, Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success
  • Lisa Cherivtch (she/her) - Professor, Business
  • Steve Fix (he/him) - Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of Cannabis Studies
  • Lindsey Hewitt (she/her), Professor, Anthropology and Humanities and Coordinator of the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program
  • Rondell Merrill (she/her), co-chair - Lecturer, Sociology
  • Christine Paciero (she/her) - Senior Manager of Athletics
  • Ruth Williams (she/her) - AVP for Academic Affairs, Dean of Curriculum and Instruction

Projects include SafeZone training and inclusion statement for generic syllabi, a plan to implement gender-inclusive restrooms at the Des Plaines and Skokie campuses, and a comprehensive review of Title IX compliance for Trans* students.

Oakton College does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, socioeconomic status, sex or gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation in admission to and participation in its educational programs, college activities, and services, or in its employment practices.

Inquiries regarding compliance with nondiscrimination policies and regulations should be directed to the Vice President for Student Affairs or Chief Human Resources Officer, Oakton College, 1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016, 847.635.1600.

*Refers to all of the identities within the gender identity spectrum.