After months without confirmation on the proposed creation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual Center, Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, put an end to the speculation Monday.

“After a few more details are worked out, we will establish an LGBT Center,” Stafford said.

Those details include finalizing funding, putting the staff in place and finding a location for the Center in Talley Student Center.

According to Stafford, he has received a commitment from the Office of the Provost to match the amount Student Affairs will pay for the Center.

“It’s a very lengthy and complicated budget process, and it’s still underway,” Stafford said.

According to Jose Picart, vice provost for diversity and African-American affairs, as of now, Student Affairs and the Provost’s office will each give $30,000, and $40,000 has already been secured from the Student Organization Resource Center.

Stafford noted that Student Affairs will hire a full-time director and a part-time graduate student for the Center. The director will report to Deb Luckadoo, Talley’s director of activities.

“We’ll launch the search for the graduate position [today],” Luckadoo said.

The last detail to be addressed, Stafford said, is where in Talley the center will be housed.

“There are a couple possibilities we’re looking at, but each of those will have an administrative support center,” he said.

Though no date has been confirmed yet for the opening of the Center, Stafford said it will send a strong message to the N.C. State community.

“There will now be a visible place for that kind of support,” Stafford said. “The campus has a long way to go to create an attitude that welcomes and supports students, regardless of sexual orientation.”

Picart said he hopes this center will go a long way in knocking NCSU from the list of schools considered unfriendly to gays.

“It is a rocky road ahead, not just at N.C. State, but across the globe,” Picart said. “We all must continue to stand up and be courageous.”