Forsyth County GOP chair is asking for the “immediate termination” of Winston-Salem State’s interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Michele Releford.
Nathan Tabor made this comment in response to an e-mail Oct. 18 sent to students, faculty and staff encouraging them to vote early. At the end of the message, which originated from Student Affairs, was a request to help the Democratic Party.
Tabor said he was forwarded the e-mail through an anonymous Yahoo account and contacted the University to complain about the message.
“WSSU’s administration was in violation of state law,” Tabor said.
The Administration called the situation “regrettable” and sought to rectify the mistake.
“We sent out a retraction and said to disregard the earlier e-mail,” said Nancy Young, WSSU’s public relations director.
Releford said that she sent the e-mail at the request of students. Student Affairs usually forwards e-mails sent to them by student organizations, faculty and staff, but Young said that Releford “just didn’t look at” the e-mail before she sent it.
In addition to disseminating a retraction, the Administration also sent an e-mail similar to the original.
That message contained information on how to contact the Forsyth County Republican Party.
According to articles in the Winston-Salem Journal and the News & Record [Oct. 20 issues], the University sent a second message, which Tabor referred to as an “equal time” e-mail.
Tabor said he was displeased by the response of Winston-Salem State, noting that although the University sent an e-mail with GOP contact information, the law had still been broken.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Tabor said.
In response to the incident, UNC School Systems President Erskine Bowles issued an e-mail to all chancellors Oct. 20.
“We certainly support campus efforts to encourage their faculty, staff, and students to exercise their right to vote,” Bowles said, “[but] I want to remind you that North Carolina law prohibits the use of state resources to support any political candidate or issue.”
According to N.C. General Assembly statutes, “No state employee may take any active part in managing a campaign, or engage in political activity.”
Because of its neutral stance in the voting process, the University was chosen by county officials as a voting site because it was a “fair and just location,” Tabor said.
Tabor sent a letter to the Forsyth County Board of Elections requesting they find an alternative site for early voting.
“Michele Releford has let the students down,” Tabor said.
“This whole situation has gone viral. This has made the University look like cheaters in front of the entire nation.”
Releford was contacted Nov. 1 about Tabor’s remarks and she replied “no comment.”