Now that Oakland has found a president, it’s time for the home of the Golden Grizzlies to find a vice president of student affairs.

Oakland has been considering candidates for some time now and has finally chosen three top picks: Eric M. Norman, Glenn McIntosh and Franklin D. Chambers. These three men will be spending the next few weeks proving their worth to faculty, students and staff.

“We were given a list of 10 or 11 people and we looked for those who matched the criteria we want and who meet the expectations we have,” Dr. Graeme Harper, chair of the committee for the search and dean of the Honors College, said. “These three are the strongest candidates we’ve seen from the semi-finalist interviews.”

Good leadership is always key to success. The new vice president will have to work closely with students and staff on campus in order to ensure this is a place people want to be.

Since this person will have to work with students, the students will need to know about him and be comfortable approaching him. Surprisingly, students that were asked about this new VP that OU will soon have didn’t know much about the position, or even what the VP does.

“No, I don’t know what the VP does,” freshman Ryan Fox said. “I don’t know if this is part of their job, but I would love to see cheaper textbook and tuition prices.”

Essentially, the VP would be in charge of making sure that OU continues to grow and is a healthy environment for students of all ages and backgrounds to be a part of.

“The best way to describe it would be that the new vice president of student affairs will focus on student experience and student success,” Harper said. “That includes housing, the auxiliary services, the recreation center, Graham Health Center, first year advising and all those other things.”

In other words, the new vice president of student affairs will be the person that works very closely with the students to make sure that OU is treating students well. They will be the voice of the student body in the President’s cabinet.

Eric Norman spoke with students and faculty on April 13 in the Oakland Center. Franklin Chambers will be speaking with students and faculty on April 21 and Glenn McIntosh will follow on April 23. The Oakland Post will provide updates as these open forums pass.