Amid chaos, an adult took charge at UNC

Take away all of the drama at UNC-Chapel Hill this week — the chants and counter-chants, encampments built and torn down, flags raised and lowered — and we’re left with this: There is an adult in charge, and what a refreshing reality that is.

“This university does not belong to a small group of protesters. It belongs to every citizen of North Carolina,” interim Chancellor Lee Roberts said Tuesday during an impromptu press conference on the steps of UNC’s South Building.

A small group of protesters had claimed the university quad for themselves. They put up structures, yelled at passersby, and caused general mayhem, all without a permit.

One might suggest that these are kids being kids: Sure, they violated some technicalities of university policy, but just let them blow off some steam.

First, it’s not clear they’re just kids. According to the university, 20 of the 30 people arrested on Tuesday were not UNC students. In a statement Tuesday, Chancellor Roberts and Provost Chris Clemens referenced involvement from “outside activists.”

Second, and this gets to the heart of the matter, violating university policies must carry consequences. Order rests on a clearly established set of rules. Break those rules, and consequences must follow. It’s the most basic maxim of relationships, from employer-employee and parent-child dynamics to foreign affairs.

For those who think that UNC’s decision to enforce university policies came too soon or too forcefully, we thankfully have a nearidentical example of what happens when a university leader chooses an alternate route.

Instead of enforcing the rules, Columbia University Chancellor Minouche Shafik spent two weeks “negotiating” with students who were violating university policies. Chaos has now consumed the university.

The behavior of UNC protesters suggests its encampment would have devolved into something similar without action. The students, or whoever they were, threw objects and hurled insults at police and at Chancellor Roberts himself.

And who does this chaos harm? The rest of the student body trying to celebrate the final days of classes, for starters, particularly graduating seniors. Remember, as high school seniors the UNC Class of 2024 was denied nearly all the rites of passage that define adolescence and early adulthood.

And this week a small group of protesters threatened to derail the UNC Class of 2024’s celebrations, despite all they’ve endured. So yes, rules exist and they must be enforced.

Which brings us back to the refreshing realization that an adult is running UNC. When protesters first occupied the quad in violation of university policy, they were told to take down their tents. They complied.

By Sunday, though, protesters had reoccupied the quad, and this time they did not abide by the warnings. In response, a coalition of university police cleared them out Tuesday. They enforced the rules the protesters knew existed but decided to violate anyway.

During the ruckus, some protesters removed the American flag that flies in the center of campus and replaced it with a Palestinian flag. Chancellor Roberts marched onto the quad amid a phalanx of officers to help re-hoist it.

Afterward, UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer told me: “I think all of us that have served on the Board for several years now have been hoping for this type of leadership. We’re delighted to see Chancellor Roberts out there leading by example.” An adult is in charge. Thank God.

Contributing columnist Pat Ryan is a former spokesperson for Republican N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger.