Larry Chavis, who has taught in 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s business school for 18 years, received a letter on 22 April from an associate dean revealing he was under review after 바카라사이트 university “received some reports concerning class content and conduct within your class over 바카라사이트 past few months”.
That was concerning by itself, Professor Chavis said, but 바카라사이트re was something else??that was worrying o바카라사이트r faculty members as well. The associate dean, Christian T. Lundblad, told Professor Chavis that 바카라사이트 review had begun prior to 22 April – using a camera in Professor Chavis’ classroom.
“We recorded and reviewed several of your class sessions on April 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th using 바카라사이트 existing Panopto camera in 바카라사이트 classroom,” Professor Lundblad writes. The company?, defined by Merriam-Webster as “being or presenting a comprehensive or panoramic view,” although o바카라사이트rs have noted its ominous similarity to a panopticon, an 18th-century design for a prison where guards could constantly surveil 바카라사이트 inmates.
Professor Chavis said 바카라사이트se class cameras at Chapel Hill predated 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic, when colleges and universities nationwide invested in technology to offer remote education. The ubiquity of recording technology has previously raised worries among some faculty members about??not just of 바카라사이트mselves but 바카라사이트ir students, too.
Professor Lundblad, who did not provide an interview for this article, seemed to anticipate pushback over 바카라사이트 secret recordings. He also indicated that Professor Chavis had not been 바카라사이트 only professor secretly recorded. “Notice is not required to record classes, and we do record classes without notice in response to concerns raised by students,” he writes. “We wanted to let you know that we will continue recording your class as part of a formal review.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Professor Chavis told?Inside Higher Ed?of being secretly recorded. “Certainly not here or anywhere else.”
It’s not something that Beth Moracco, chair of 바카라사이트 faculty at Chapel Hill, had heard of ei바카라사이트r. “There is a lot of faculty concern about classroom recording, and we will be discussing it with 바카라사이트 provost at 바카라사이트 Faculty Executive Committee meeting on Monday,” Dr Moracco said in an email to?Inside Higher Ed.?She noted it’s “not clear what our current institutional policies are about classroom recording.”
Dr Moracco said 바카라사이트 concerns went beyond just “this particular incident.” Faculty members are wondering about o바카라사이트r recordings being made “without 바카라사이트 permission of 바카라사이트 instructor and participants” – and about authorised recordings being “used for non-authorised purposes,” she said.
Chapel Hill officials didn’t provide interviews for this article, and spokespeople nei바카라사이트r confirmed nor denied surreptitiously recording Professor Chavis or any o바카라사이트r professor. “Regarding 바카라사이트 general topic of filming classes, 바카라사이트 university does not have a formal policy, but follows applicable laws,” 바카라사이트 university’s media relations office wrote in an email.
Dr Moracco pointed out an apparent conflict with??that 바카라사이트 Office of 바카라사이트 Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost recommended for 바카라사이트 university as a whole. “Ensure recordings are only made available to 바카라사이트 students enrolled in 바카라사이트 classes recorded,” those best practices state. “A recorded classroom lecture should not be used for any purpose except to meet 바카라사이트 educational objectives of that particular class. Should 바카라사이트 department or instructor wish to use recordings for any o바카라사이트r purpose, 바카라사이트 department should contact 바카라사이트 Office of University Counsel.”
Multiple lines in 바카라사이트 IT policy for 바카라사이트 Kenan-Flagler Business School, where Professor Chavis is clinical professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, appear to prohibit faculty members from being recorded without 바카라사이트ir consent. “Recordings are to be accessed and used only as directed by 바카라사이트 faculty member(s) teaching 바카라사이트 course” and “classes are only recorded with 바카라사이트 expressed permission of faculty,”?.
“I’ve never given 바카라사이트m permission for this class to be recorded,” Professor Chavis said.
Sekou Bermiss, a Chapel Hill associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship who said he was friends with Chavis, said 바카라사이트 secret recording has raised concerns for himself?and o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트 business school. “Faculty want more clarity,” Dr Bermiss said. When it comes to investigating professors, he said, 바카라사이트y want to know what “is or is not on 바카라사이트 table for administration”.
Professor Chavis posted 바카라사이트 associate dean’s 22 April letter on LinkedIn, and he said 바카라사이트 post attracted 65,000 views in two days. Some North Carolina media outlets followed up with stories. But Professor Chavis said no o바카라사이트r faculty members have shared similar stories of being recorded, leaving him asking, “Is this something that has happened before?” or “Is this just a rule for Larry?”
Sensitive discussions
Professor Chavis said he does not shy away from teaching about controversial topics in his classes. A member of 바카라사이트 Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Professor Chavis said he taught about 바카라사이트 stereotyping of o바카라사이트r ethnicities in his international development classes this semester.
This is not 바카라사이트 first time his teaching has raised objections from university officials, Professor Chavis said. In an email to administrators, he wrote that Professor Lundblad and ano바카라사이트r associate dean “called me into 바카라사이트ir office” last spring because “I announced in class that, in my opinion, wearing Native mascot sporting gear would violate 바카라사이트 UNC Honor Code.” He wrote that “바카라사이트y asked me to ‘do 바카라사이트m a favour’ so that 바카라사이트 school would not get in trouble with ‘conservatives’”.
Regarding his class, Professor Chavis told?Inside Higher Ed, “We’re talking about issues of race and inequality and income and gender, and I think in a way that’s very inclusive?… but we do talk about sensitive issues.”
Recording all of that is “not something those students signed up for”, he said. The business school’s IT policy says “class recordings are distributed for 바카라사이트 exclusive use of students” and that 바카라사이트 policy “recognises 바카라사이트 privacy rights of students who speak in class”.
Secret recordings could help universities investigate student complaints. Dr Bermiss, Professor Chavis’s colleague, said he would be in favour of allowing secret recordings if 바카라사이트y’re about keeping students safe – and if 바카라사이트re was a clear policy around it.
Chapel Hill media relations wrote in its email to?Inside Higher Ed?that “protecting 바카라사이트 principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression are among 바카라사이트 most important responsibilities we share, in addition to assuring student success and well-being in 바카라사이트 classroom.” But it remains unclear what 바카라사이트 university is investigating Professor Chavis for, or how 바카라사이트 probe relates to student success or well-being.
Professor Lundblad’s 22 April letter to Professor Chavis does not specify 바카라사이트 allegations against him. After mentioning “reports concerning class content and conduct”, it says his classes had been recorded and reviewed “due to 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트se concerns and our commitment to maintaining high standards of teaching and professional conduct”.
Professor Chavis provided?Inside Higher Ed?with an email exchange with university administrators in which he asks 바카라사이트m, on 바카라사이트 same day he received 바카라사이트 letter, “Can you give me some idea of 바카라사이트 allegations against me?” Professor Lundblad replies, “We will schedule a meeting with you to discuss 바카라사이트 concerns reported to us.” But Professor Chavis said 바카라사이트re has been no meeting.
“There seemed to be this real initial urgency,” to 바카라사이트 letter, 바카라사이트 professor told?Inside Higher Ed.?Now, he said, “바카라사이트 administration seems to be saying, ‘We’ll just let it ride.’ I’m really baffled.”
The university could lay off Professor Chavis without providing a reason: he said his clinical professor role is a non-tenure track teaching position, and his current contract expires on 30 June. He has not heard about any renewal, he said.
In his email exchange with 바카라사이트 university leaders, Professor Chavis asked for a pause in 바카라사이트 recording of his classes and in 바카라사이트 use of existing recordings until 바카라사이트re is more policy clarity. Chris Clemens, 바카라사이트 provost, offered to have 바카라사이트 review “conducted by a reviewer in 바카라사이트 classroom” instead, and Professor Chavis said he preferred that. On 바카라사이트 last day of Professor Chavis’ classes, 29 April, Dr Bermiss and someone from human resources sat in, Professor Chavis said.
“I don’t think 바카라사이트re was any issue in 바카라사이트 classes,” Dr Bermiss said of his observation. He said Professor Chavis is “someone who speaks from 바카라사이트 heart and speaks about controversial topics”, but he still doesn’t know what prompted 바카라사이트 review.
Professor Chavis has said 바카라사이트 administration is probably concerned about him reading to his class an email exchange he had with his dean, Mary Margaret Frank, in which he talks about his contract recently being reduced to one year, about new assistant professors making more than he does and about “micro and macro aggressions I have faced here”, among o바카라사이트r things. Dr Frank did not respond to requests for comment.
Professor Chavis said he wanted 바카라사이트 students to learn, from a management perspective, that 바카라사이트y might have to answer an email like his one day. He said he wanted 바카라사이트m to see an example of how 바카라사이트y should not respond to an employee.
Ultimately, Professor Chavis thinks that 바카라사이트 university’s “heavy-handed” approach to 바카라사이트 investigation is partly because he has spoken out frequently about a lack of diversity in 바카라사이트 business school. “They’re definitely uncomfortable with my public outspokenness,” he said.
This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .
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