Moeser Strives To Regain Trust

On Monday, Moeser said his decision to pay Ehringhaus $320,000 for eight months of unrelated work and a year of teaching at

UNC's School of Law was an "error in judgement."

Campus leaders applauded Moeser's decision to recognize his mistake but said that now he must make a concerted effort to repair the damage to the University's image.

"It's certainly not the end but the beginning of the process to do some rebuilding," said Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff.

Moeser began reconciling with the campus community Wednesday morning at the Employee Forum meeting, where he apologized to the staff. "This has been a very, very difficult week, or couple of weeks, for me personally," Moeser said. "It's hard to admit a mistake."

Moeser emphasized that his statement was not just an attempt at improving public relations as he quickly moved onto other subjects such as his priority to raise employee salaries.

"I shall remain ... a very strong advocate for you with the state," said Moeser, who also plans to address the Faculty Council on Friday.

Staff members' reaction to Moeser's decision were varied. One forum member, who wished to remain anonymous, said the employees "got shafted."

"I don't see why anyone would feel the need to do that, to pay someone a salary for not working," she said.

Employee Forum Chairman Tommy Griffin was more forgiving. "I don't agree with his decision to pay the money, and I told him I don't agree," he said. "But I will support him."

Estroff said that she has talked to many faculty members about the Ehringhaus agreement but that there was no consensus. "There is everything from hot indignation to resigned indifference," she said. "The question now is how we recover and rebuild."

Estroff offered a few suggestions for restoring trust but emphasized that it should be a campuswide initiative also involving alumni and state legislators.

Moeser declined to outline specific steps he plans to take but said his presence will be felt across campus and the state. "Right now I'm listening and doing a lot of consulting and just thinking about what needs to be done," he said.

In addition to addressing faculty, Moeser said he has talked to a couple of students and will address the issue when he goes on a previously scheduled tour of North Carolina in the coming weeks.

Moeser said the people he has talked to so far have been supportive. "I think there's a sense that it's time for the University to move on," he said.

Meanwhile, an anonymous flier distributed around campus Tuesday night called for a chant of "Fire Moeser" during Saturday's nationally televised home basketball game.

Moeser said he's seen the flier but refused to comment on it directly or its possible effect on the University's image.

Campus leaders were miffed by its harsh tone. "It's completely over-the-top," Estroff said. "It's creative ... but I think it would be a disaster."

Student Body President Jen Daum said that she hasn't seen the flier but that the issue needs to be kept in proportion.

She said that few students have approached her about the flier and that she doesn't think people are taking it seriously. "No one seems to think it will happen on Saturday," Daum said.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.