UNC Business School professor upset over secret recordings in class

A teaching professor at UNC's business school is calling out leadership there for the way they're investigating his class conduct.

A letter from the associate dean said that Professor Larry Chavis's classes had been recorded using the classroom's Panopto camera without his prior knowledge.

The letter stated, "We recorded and reviewed several of your class sessions..."

He says this letter had a chilling effect on him because he is concerned for the students who will wonder if the things they say in class are being tracked and monitored by people outside the classroom.

According to the letter, Chavis is under investigation after the Kenan-Flagler Business School received reports about his conduct within his class over the past few months.

He thinks it's because he read an email exchange between him and the dean aloud to his class.

Chavis is concerned about the recordings because he thinks this will impact the trust students have in a classroom.

"We had a young person talking about the relationship with their parents during that time. I was so amazed at what she shared, but neither of us, none of us in the room, had any idea it was being recorded. That's—yeah—it would change the nature of the conversation for sure," Larry Chavis, a UNC Kenan-Flagler professor, said.

In a statement, UNC says they're aware of the situation, and "Regarding the general topic of filming classes, the University does not have a formal policy, but we follow applicable laws."