According to a story published by The Daily Tar Heel on Monday, student leadership unanimously voted to cut ties with Tanner Glenn, a Chancellor’s Fellow who served as the Institute of Politics' executive director, following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Yet Glenn is still involved with the organization even months later, backed by IoP’s stakeholders and members of its Senior Advisory Board, some of which also sit on the Board of Trustees and Board of Governors. Perhaps most egregious of all, he remains on the University’s payroll, earning an annual salary of $35,000 as a Chancellor’s Fellow.
Despite the clear intentions of the students who worked most closely with Glenn, it appears that some members of the IoP’s Senior Advisory Board still want him involved with the organization, whether in an official or unofficial role.
Lucy Russell, the former president of the IoP’s student advisory board, stepped down in protest of Glenn’s continued involvement with the IoP, stating that the decision made by student leadership was “not respected” by people within the University as well as IoP stakeholders.
If student leaders have no confidence in Glenn’s ability to lead, why does he continue to have a role within the IoP? Moreover, why does he remain on University payroll?
The answer is clear: those with money and power within the IoP and the University itself still want him there, regardless of what the student leadership thinks or what his accusers say.
The University has long been criticized for being a space where student voices are overlooked, silenced and disregarded. The IoP — the only student organization to receive funding directly from the College of Arts and Sciences — is no different.
Student leaders, who worked closely with Glenn and knew him well, made the decision to order his resignation unanimously, decisively and unquestionably – and we commend them for that. Senior stakeholders and the UNC administration, however, did not.
This is not the first time that the University’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations has been questioned, and it sure won’t be the last. UNC has been criticized many times for its inability to be supportive and responsive in situations like this one. Allowing Glenn, who faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, to continue to be involved with students is inexcusable. It’s an abuse of power.
