Dear Chancellor Howell,

We write to you, again, to ask for justice for Mr. Jae Edwards. Mr. Edwards was unjustly removed from his position as Assistant Director of the LGBTQ Pride Center following the release of a secretly recorded, heavily edited video which, despite its claims, offered no evidence that he has violated any UNC System or University policies and regulations.

In fact, Jae Edwards was a respected and dedicated staffer who, just months before that video was made, received a 2025 “Pride of the Wolfpack” award in recognition of his outstanding service to our community. As Mr. Edwards himself said in the video, his goal has been to help students feel welcome and thrive at NC State. And as coverage in The Technician and The Nubian Message shows, his dismissal has resulted in an outpouring of sadness, anger, and disappointment among our students.

Staffers like Jae Edwards are critical to the well-being of our students, but they are also extremely vulnerable to bad-faith attacks. These attacks violate the values of our Wolfpack community, and make our students, staff, and faculty all feel less safe and unable to focus on our shared mission, the pursuit of knowledge and truth.

As Chancellor, you have the opportunity to set things right.

As leaders of the NC State chapter of the American Association of University Professors, the North Carolina Conference of the AAUP, NCSU Graduate Workers Organizing Committee UE Local 150, and student government, we ask that you reaffirm our shared values by providing a just resolution to the dismissal of Jae Edwards.

Sincerely,
David Ambaras, President, AAUP NC State Chapter
Belle Boggs, President, AAUP NC
Madhusudan Katti, Vice President, AAUP NC State Chapter
Walter Robinson, Chair of the Faculty
NCSU Graduate Workers Organizing Committee, UE Local 150
Student Senate Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Brian Carss, Student Senator, Graduate Delegation Head
Judson Avery, Student Senator, Vice Chair of the DEI Committee
Katie Stennette, Student Senator and Member of UE150
Frankie Frink, Student Senator
Mordecai Mengesteab, Student Senator
Evie Shackles, Student Senator
Morgan Steiner, Student Senator
Everett Jensen, Student Senator