In the past couple of days, The Seahawk has reached out and received many emails and statements from UNCW students and alumni in regard to sociology and criminology professor Dr. Mike Adams and the inappropriate ways he conducts himself online. Given the multitude of statements, we received many that could not make it into our stories. We decided to release them as apart of our SeaSquaks column which features student’s voices on various topics. We will update this article as more people come forward.

The Seahawk would like to thank all those who have reached out.

“Mike Adams’ views and statements are not just controversial, they are specifically harmful and violent. I signed the petition to advocate for him to be fired, but what I also want to know is why UNCW does nothing to account for his violence? Why is he allowed to share others’ private information publicly without incident? And, why does someone so hateful and biased teach criminal justice? Where is the justice in allowing Mike Adams to continue teaching and inciting violence at UNCW? As a female, I feel unsafe and less welcome on a campus where professors are allowed to behave this way. Mike Adams should be held accountable to his violent and unprofessional behavior, and I feel the only appropriate action at this point is to remove him from the UNCW community, whatever may be the cost to remove a tenured professor.

Mike Adams’ violent statements and actions violate every tenet of the Seahawk Respect Compact. He clearly does not affirm the dignity of the student body, especially those he deems inferior; he clings to his own right to participate in the free exchange of thoughts and opinions while completely disregarding civility and speaks from a place of abhorrent disrespect; he undermines the openness and mutual understanding of the student body to learn from the differences in people, ideas, and opinions by making harmful and disrespectful statements and by sharing others’ private information while inciting violence toward them from the Wilmington community and beyond; and he tarnishes all efforts of fostering an environment of respect for each individual, even where differences exist, by promoting prejudice and discrimination through education and interaction with others. Mike Adams is a disgrace to the supposed values of the UNCW community and his statements and actions directly threaten the safety and freedom of all students, faculty, staff, and broader community members.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                             — Sadie, UNCW student

“I have very high standards when it comes to the well-being and safety of ALL students. Recently, I came across some of Mike S. Adam’s Tweets via Twitter and was [appalled] by what he was openly expressing about people of color, different religions, sexuality, and women. These tweets discriminated and targeted people who identify themselves as such things I [listed] above. What shocked me, even more, was that he was employed at UNCW.  I did my research about him and learned that he basically guaranteed his spot as a criminal justice professor due to suing UNCW over the school “discriminating his freedom of speech” and winning the case. I thought about what I should do because attending a college that allows a person like that on their campus is not something I will stand by. I signed petitions to remove and fire Mike Adams, but do not feel like that is enough. I was going to write the Chancellor an email (and I did but never sent) but due to concerns from my family about my safety being this will be my first year on campus.”                                                                                                                              — Taylor, UNCW student 

“There is a petition with almost 20,000 signatures to get him fired from UNCW. He has said and done some horrible things in the past, so it would be a great story. The University needs as much pressure as possible so they can no longer brush him under the rug. Here is the link to the petition: https://www.change.org/p/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington-fire-professor-mike-adams.”                                                                                                                                                         — Madeline, UNCW student 

“In 2003, I was a student in a class taught by Dr. Lisa Pollard. I still remember this day the rage and fear I and my entire class felt as our beloved professor, terrified and distraught, told us that she had received a death threat that described personal details that would only be available if they had been following her around campus and the town. These death threats were the result of a coordinated attack on Dr. Pollard led by a fellow professor, Dr. Mike Adams. In the years since I have looked on with shame at my alma mater and former employer as I watched Adams harass students and other members of the UNCW community. I know from my personal experience that his actions do lead to threats of violence from his right-wing audience against those UNCW is pledged to protect as an institution.”                                                                                                                                                                       William Davis, UNCW Class of 2008

“[I] will be not only seeking to have Mike Adams removed, but also the complicit chancellor, who is enabling this abhorrent behavior around impressionable minds. My Dad was a trustee, AP Carlton, and if he were still here today he would have insisted this guy be removed, and he would have had the ass of anyone else that was willing to stand up for this trash. I’ve emailed the chancellor my FB post verbatim, calling for Adams to be fired, and possibly petition to have him removed as well if he fails to act…and then I emailed all of the trustees the same post letting them know, additionally, that we will then find out who is next.” — Troy Carlton, UNCW alumni