One month after being informed of policy violations caught on video, UNC Charlotte departs with an administrator

After undercover video exposed a now-former UNC Charlotte administer detailing how she works to circumvent the UNC Board of Governor’s DEI ban, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte announced that the employee departed from the institution after a review, and planned to conduct training to ensure staff was in full compliance.  

Background on the incident

In an interview with the Blue Ridge Times, Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette explained that his organization conducted its investigation into UNC Charlotte over a month and half ago and that is when it collected the video footage. The showed how UNC Charlotte’s Assistant Director of Leadership and Community, Janique Sanders “finessed” language to avoid the DEI ban. About a month ago, Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette confronted UNC-Charlotte leadership about the violations of policy, and they declined to engage.

Accuracy in Media released the video online, generating massive amounts of attention, including from Senate Leader Berger who said, “DEI, no matter what name or acronym you use, doesn’t belong in education. The NC Senate has already taken concrete steps to address this by passing SB558, a bill I filed to eliminate DEI from UNC System schools and community colleges.”

Only after the video was released and widely viewed did UNC Charlotte take action and let the employee go. Accuracy in Media says this is only the beginning of their investigative reporting in North Carolina. During the interview, Guillette hinted that his organization completed investigations at several campuses across the UNC System. When The Blue Ridge Times reached out for further comment on the timeline regarding UNC Charlotte’s decision, they declined to comment further beyond the statement they released.

Republican leaders were swift to commend UNC Charlotte’s leadership:

• In an interview, N.C. Senator Brad Overcash (R-Gaston) said, “He was proud of UNC Charlotte for taking decisive action. The decision shows that the UNC system will not tolerate employees who break the law or the Board of Governors’ policy.”

• Speaker Destin Hall said, “Chancellor Gaber has my full support. Her decisive leadership reflects a firm commitment to student rights and to upholding university policy and the law. DEI has no place in our universities. Their focus should be on academic not pushing agendas.”

• Rep. Richard Hudson said, “Chancellor Gaber is a strong leader who has my admiration and full support. I applaud her swift action to address this issue. Under Chancellor Gaber’s leadership, the university has maintained a strong commitment to upholding the rights of every student and strict adherence to system policy and state and federal law.”

• Notably no prominent North Carolina Democrat, including Gov. Stein, Minority Leader Reives, or Sen. Sydney Batch issued a statement on the situation at UNC Charlotte.

The General Assembly is taking action to combat DEI in North Carolina K-12 and public universities

In an interview with the Blue Ridge Times, Sen. Brad Overcash (R-Gaston), a leader on education issues, said the undercover video provided a prime example of the challenge the General Assembly faces in banning DEI in North Carolina.

This session, the North Carolina General Assembly has filed numerous bills to combat DEI in state government and North Carolina’s public schools and universities. In the N.C. Senate, the chamber passed SB 558 “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Higher Ed.” and SB 227 “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Education.”

In the interview, Sen. Brad Overcash (R- Gaston), a leader on education issues, explained that the legislation works to eliminate DEI by prohibiting schools from engaging in discriminatory practices that favor one race over another, or compelling students, teacher, and other employees from affirming or expressing believes in divisive concepts.

Additionally, the legislation prohibits institutions of higher education from endorsing divisive concepts. Here are some examples of the concepts prohibited in the legislation:

• One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.

• An individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex.

• The United States was created by members of a particular race or sex for the purpose of oppressing members of another race or sex.

• All Americans are not created equal and are not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

When the North Carolina legislature reconvenes next week to consider legislation, including the bills passed on banning DEI, this incident will likely provide a prime example of the challenge legislators face in ensuring the policy is properly implemented.