UNC Names Campus Safety Commission Membership

UNC interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz has finalized the members for the campus safety commission that he commissioned earlier this year.

Guskiewicz named the commission in a message to the campus community on Monday.

The announcement came after Guskiewicz said in March that he would be forming the commission to examine “all aspects of community safety,” including relationships between UNC police and the campus community.

In mid-March, at least one member of a pro-Confederate group brought a firearm onto the UNC campus. He was not arrested by UNC Police but was instead asked to leave the campus grounds, and he complied. That instance drew criticism from some members of the campus community, and Guskiewicz has said that incident is under further review.

“Our University has a history of successfully navigating tough issues, and we will come together to foster an inclusive culture in which all members of our community feel safe, like they belong, and can flourish,” Guskiewicz wrote Monday.

The naming of the commission comes after a series of meetings with different community groups to gather input on the goal of the mission and what its makeup should be. Some in the community had asked that no law enforcement officers be included in the commission.

Former Capel Hill Police chief Brian Curran was the only member of the commission named Monday listed as having law enforcement experience.

“Through these meetings, I have received valuable feedback about how we can improve equity and inclusion on campus, while working to eradicate racism, extremism, and all forms of hate,” Guskiewicz wrote.

The interim chancellor said the commission “will take a broad look at all aspects of community safety, including the need to build stronger relationships and communication between our campus community and campus police, and a better understanding of the safety and security needs and concerns of the larger campus community.”

The commission will meet monthly during the academic year, Guskiewicz said, and once over the summer, with the first meeting scheduled for May.

In addition to the firearm on campus, UNC Police have been investigating after several events that the university administration categorized as racist were carried out on the campus. Two individuals were arrested in connection with defacing the Unsung Founders Memorial and an exhibit outside the Hanes Art Center. Anti-Semitic posters were then found in a campus library.

Guskiewicz said an outside consultant had been obtained to conduct a review of “several incidents” on the campus recently, “so we can better understand the facts and incorporate lessons learned to strengthen our processes for best policing and emergency management practices.”

The names and descriptions of the commission members, as provided by the university, is below:

Frank Baumgartner, Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political Science, College of Arts & Sciences

Emily Blackburn, undergraduate student and former student body vice president

Robert L. Campbell, minister and former president, Chapel Hill-Carrboro (Orange County) Chapter of the NAACP

Brian Curran, former chief, Chapel Hill Police Department

De’Ivyion Drew, undergraduate student

Manny Garcia, undergraduate student

Michael Gerhardt, Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor in Constitutional Law, School of Law

Lawrence Grossberg, interim director of graduate studies; co-director of the university program in cultural studies; distinguished adjunct professor of American studies; Morris Davis Professor of Communication Studies and Cultural Studies, College of Arts & Sciences

Manny Hernandez, Ph.D. candidate, department of geography, College of Arts & Sciences; outgoing president of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation

Jim Herrington, executive director of emerging partnerships and professor of the practice of health behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health

Mary Beth Koza, executive director, Office of Environment, Health and Safety

Richard Myers, Henry Brandis Distinguished Professor of Law, School of Law

DeVetta Holman Nash, resiliency and student support programs coordinator, Office of Student Wellness

Desirée Rieckenberg, dean of students, Office of the Dean of Students

Quinton Smith, doctoral student, School of Social Work

Charles Streeter, database analyst, Office of Student Affairs Information Technology, and former chair, Employee Forum

Kim Strom-Gottfried, director, Office of Ethics Education and Policy Management; Smith P. Theimann Distinguished Professor for Ethics and Professional Practice, School of Social Work

Charles Branson Vickory, attorney from Mount Olive, NC and former district attorney

Brandon Washington, director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office

Maya Weinstein, professional student, School of Law