The Faculty Executive Committee (FEC) met on April 22, 2019.
One agenda item was a discussion of campus safety as it pertains to recent events at UNC-CH involving campus police treatment of both student activists and neo-Confederate activists as outlined in a memo on policing at UNC submitted by Professor Jay Smith. The memo, which was signed by nearly 100 faculty members within a short period of time, describes several troubling incidents that have taken place on campus this academic year. The committee heard from a student who endured harsh treatment at the hands of campus police who then filed false accusations against him that were later dropped. They also heard from Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Risk Management Derek Kemp.
Earlier in the day, Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced the creation of a Campus Safety Commission that will carefully examine community safety and the role of campus police. The announcement also mentions the retention “of an outside consultant to conduct a review of several incidents that have occurred on our campus over the past weeks and months so we can better understand the facts and incorporate lessons learned to strengthen our processes for best policing and emergency management practices.”
Not being in a position to adjudicate the situation, the committee passed the following resolution:
| The Faculty Executive Committee resolves:
Recognizing widespread concern about campus security issues, we support the chancellor’s action in appointing a Campus Safety Commission. We also strongly support the plan for the outside consultant mentioned in the chancellor’s communication of April 22, 2019 to conduct a transparent and independent public investigation of recent allegations of misconduct on the part of the campus police, and to update this committee on the progress of its work as requested by the chair of the faculty. |
