East Carolina students furious at ‘BS’ suspension of interim chancellor

Students at East Carolina University are up in arms over the suspension of the school’s interim chancellor after he took selfies and drank with patrons at two off-campus bars.

“Chancellor has been put on leave. Total BS. He’s human,” tweeted one student, referring to the news that Dan Gerlach was placed on administrative leave Monday after visiting two Greenville, North Carolina, bars last Wednesday, according to WRAL News.

“He did nothing wrong, but go out into the community,” another student wrote on Twitter. “It will be pathetic if the chancellor everyone likes has to leave over something stupid.”

Numerous photos and videos emerged on social media of Gerlach, who assumed the interim role in May, taking photos and drinking beers with what appear to be college-aged customers, WITN reported.

Several of the photos show the school official standing closely to women with his arm placed around them, though it’s unclear if they are in fact ECU students.

By several accounts, this is normal behavior for Gerlach, who’s known in the community to frequently engage with students and staff.

In fact, in the last week alone, he’s shared four selfies to his Twitter account of him with students at various campus functions.

An ECU spokeswoman said in a statement to WRAL News that the footage in question shows “Gerlach interacting with college-aged young adults and taking selfies.”

The spokeswoman noted that “Gerlach is known for taking selfies with students, staff and faculty on and off-campus.”

Rob Waldron, the owner of one of the bars, defended Gerlach’s actions, telling WRAL News the school official “was too damn nice to just tell her ‘get off me.’ ”

The interim chancellor in a statement to WRAL News said that since taking the role he’s aimed to be “visible and supportive” to the campus community.

“Pirate Nation places a high premium on personal engagement,” said Gerlach.

“I will certainly be mindful of how I do so in the future, and regret that these pictures and videos distract from the progress the university is making in so many areas. I also regret that these pictures are being perceived by some as more than they are.”

Several Change.org petitions were established in support of Gerlach, including one that as of Tuesday afternoon had garnered over 10,000 signatures.