Iowa State officials will be interviewing a sixth candidate on campus in May for the position of affirmative action officer.

One of the candidates will replace former affirmative action director, David Torres. Torres resigned from the position as affirmative action director in August of 1995 and negotiated a contract with ISU that included an eight-month assistant adjunct professor appointment in the Professional Studies Department.

Torres has since accepted an affirmative action director’s position at Mississippi State University. Jeanne Johnson, a Des Moines lawyer, has been serving as interim affirmative action director since August 1995.

An open forum will be held on May 6 at 3 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Memorial Union with the sixth candidate, Deborah Love. Love’s resume will be on reserve at Parks Library, said Faye Whitaker, chair of the search committee.

Love has served as director of equal opportunity and regulatory compliance for the University of Mississippi, assistant to the dean at the University Mississippi, a reference and research librarian at Mississippi College School of Law and a law clerk with Ellen Bonner, P.A.

Previously, five finalists came to campus for interviews and President Martin Jischke visited each of the candidates home towns.

Whitaker did not shed light on why an additional candidate is being considered or if any of the original five candidates had been made offers.

“We have discussed the position seriously with one candidate,” Whitaker said. “The position hasn’t been filled.”

Whitaker said she did not know the cost of the search, but said it is expensive.

“It’s an expensive proposition anytime you bring people to campus, but in the long run” it is worthwhile, Whitaker said.

The search committee hopes to have the affirmative action director position filled by the end of May, Whitaker said.