Students respond to Wainstein report in panel

Emotions ran high in Carroll Hall Thursday night as a student panel led more than 100 people in a discussion of Kenneth Wainstein’s report.

The panel consisted of eight UNC students from varied backgrounds: Student Body President Andrew Powell, four athletes representing four teams and three other students.

Powell opened the floor to students’ questions by recognizing the report’s impact on the campus.

“All of us are deeply disappointed in what has happened,” he said. “I’ve been encouraged by all of you and your resolve to move forward from this situation and be stronger.”

Early discussion centered on the racial implications of the Wainstein report perceived by groups like The Real Silent Sam Coalition.

Panelist Taylor Webber-Fields, a senior African, African American and diaspora studies major and Real Silent Sam organizer, said her interest in the report was motivated not only by her major but also by her experiences as a black person.

“I feel that this investigation was an attack on my scholarship and my race,” she said. “There are certain racial undertones that have not been addressed yet that need to be discussed.”

Charity Watkins, a graduate adviser for Student Wellness’ Diversity and Inclusiveness in Collegiate Environments initiative who attended the panel, asked about the focus on the former African and Afro-American studies department when fraternities and other departments have also been implicated.

“There’s a lot of power in what has been presented, as well as what remains invisible,” she said.

When attendees called into question the investigation’s potential biases, Powell defended Wainstein.

“He has an unbelievable record in terms of being an independent investigator and figuring out exactly what happens within organizations, while being as unbiased as a human can be,” he said.

UNC junior Jarrod James, a former football player who sat on the panel, said he began experiencing scrutiny in 2012, his redshirt season.

“Why are we being punished?” he said. “The people who were involved are not here anymore.”

Swimmer, panelist and Student-Athlete Advisory Council co-chairwoman Kelly Corish addressed questions on the problems that arise when athletics coexist with academics.

“I don’t think we’re the only school in the NCAA who has problems like these,” she said.

Corish also spoke about the discrimination she has experienced as an athlete at UNC. She said classmates have avoided working with her on projects because she is an athlete.

She feels students don’t see that athletes aren’t just here to play sports.

“I’m sick of people implying that athletes aren’t students,” she said.

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