A group of students at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte are calling for their newly appointed head of campus security to be fired because he spent time stationed at Guantanamo Bay during his long and decorated military career.
According to Campus Reform, Retired U.S. Army Colonel John Bogdan was hired as the university’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Safety and Security less than a year ago. Now, some students are calling he be ousted over his time as a commander at Gitmo, saying they feel “unsafe” with Bogdan on campus.
No, really. They’re “unsafe” having a retired Army colonel with a 34-year military career who literally helped shield Americans from violent terrorists at the helm of their campus security team -- so much so, in fact, that they’ve formed the “Coalition to Remove John Bogdan” on social media.
“We do not feel safe with an accused human rights violator on our campus! We do not feel safe with the warden of Guantanamo on our campus! We are concerned, we are scared, we do not feel safe!” the group posted on Twitter.
"It is evident that John Bogdan and, by extension of his hire, the University and the Board of Governors have a blatant disregard for Human Rights and People of Color on our Campus," the group also alleged in a statement.
On behalf of the UNC Charlotte community, this coalition calls for the immediate termination or resignation of John Bogdan from his employment within the UNC School System.
— Coalition to Remove John Bogdan (@RemoveBogdan) November 13, 2019
We do not feel safe.#FireJohnBogdan @unccharlotte @UNC_System pic.twitter.com/tydK7TPd1V
Thankfully, not all UNC-Charlotte students are so dim-witted. Camden Winstead told Campus Reform, “I honestly feel much safer knowing he’s working for us.”
“What are they accusing him of? He seems to be knowledgeable about protecting large areas from terrorists, and that’s always a plus if you ask me!” UNC-Charlotte student Marybeth Keller echoed.
As for Bogdan’s opinion on students calling for his firing, he let his own record speak for itself.
“I have many awards and decorations, among those that are most meaningful to me, are two Bronze Stars, Legion of Merit, and the Combat Action Badge,” he said. “However, the greatest honor the Army gives you is the opportunity to lead, to be a commander, entrusted with our most precious National treasure - America's sons and daughters -- and the opportunity to defend your fellow U.S. citizens.”