College chancellor in hot water for boozing at campus hot spot
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A North Carolina school chancellor is under fire after images surfaced showing the official drinking and dancing at campus watering holes that are frequented by students, according to reports.
East Carolina University Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach was placed on administrative leave Monday, five days after he was allegedly photographed chugging a beer and embracing young-looking females at area school hotspots, according to multiple local news outlets.
On Wednesday, Gerlach was seen at Sup Dog’s and Club 519, which are frequented by ECU students, according to WRAL.com and The Daily Reflector.
WRAL.com later posted a 26-second video of Gerlach chugging drinks with a bar patron, and another with his arm briefly around a young-looking woman, who appears to be talking into her cell phone.
“In light of reports from this past weekend, ECU Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation,” University of North Carolina System Interim President Bill Roper told the news site.
The Daily Reflector tweeted a screenshot of the video, showing Gerlach’s arm around the girl, and another image that shows his arm around a different woman.
Gerlach later released his own statement through an ECU spokesperson, saying he had been working hard "to show up," noting: "Students are the reason the university exists."
"When I first started here, and even before, one constant concern that I heard was that our students needed a leader of the university to be present and approachable, someone who can speak to them in their language," Gerlach said Sunday. "That’s what I’ve set out to do at ECU. I regret that these photos are being perceived as anything more than what they are."
Several former and current students, and even a representative for one of the bars, have come forward in Gerlach’s defense.
Local news reporter Matthew Prensky also posted a message from someone whom he identified as Club 519’s owner, which read, in part: “I wasn’t there, but two of the staff told me that several people were kind of excited to see the chancellor out and in the bar…It really is a damn shame. The guy came in with some off duty cops to have some beer. Just wrong place, wrong time.”
When asked if Gerlach made any “unwanted advances,” the owner responded: “None. Unequivocally.”