UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety speaks about student safety during difficult week on campus
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — All on-campus events at UNCW have been cancelled through Sunday, following a tumultuous week on campus.
A week that began with a peaceful vigil for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, ended with an evening of fear at UNCW, following unconfirmed reports of a person with a gun on campus Thursday night.
UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety said he is grateful it was a hoax.
And while some may have concerns, and improvements can be made in the future, he was also appreciative of how well so many law enforcement agencies worked together Thursday evening.
“We take the safety of every student, every faculty and every staff seriously, every single day,” Volety said. “For the record, yesterday the process worked as it should. As evidenced by how quickly multiple law enforcement organizations came together.”
While Thursday’s alert was sent out to students and members of the university due to a false report, Volety hopes every alert is taken as seriously as possible.
“Whether it is a false alarm, whether it is a hoax call, whether it is intentional, whether it is unintentional and well-meaning, the end result is we have to make sure that the safety is paramount in protecting every member on our college campus. So for that reason, I implore every member on this campus to take any of these threats seriously just like the law enforcement officers do.”
And for those students who may feel unsafe on campus, Volety spoke about the support the unversity has from so many organizations.
“What you saw yesterday is proof that I am very confident about the safety on our campus. Think about how many law enforcement officers were mobilized in a heartbeat. I want people to know that we’re not working alone and we have fantastic support from throughout the state and the federal government.”
Tensions rose on campus following the painting over of artwork of Kirk on a spirit rock Tuesday morning, with several students later having their personal information doxxed, or posted online on Wednesday.
A university spokesperson says students are asked not to repaint new artwork on the rock for at least 24 hours out of courtesy, but no policy requires this.
Volety said the university will look at possibly putting policies in place for the rock moving forward.
“We certainly will look at some of the policies and see, is it a reservation, is it 24 hours from 10 o’clock to 10 o’clock or should we keep the rock? Because there are other ways of free expression on campus.”
He added that this week does not define what UNCW stands for.
“We have vigorous debates about various policy issues, but we do it with respect and kindness and compassion, right? That is what we do as Seahawks.”
Our full interview with UNCW Chancellor Aswani Volety can be found below:
