By Jack Evans –
After the dean of students at the University of North Carolina Asheville exited her job earlier this month in the wake of an undercover video published by a right-wing activist organization, the school’s chancellor warned university employees that more attempted recordings could be coming.
UNCA announced on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 that Megan Pugh, who had been dean of students since 2021, was no longer employed by the school. The same day, Accuracy in Media—a decades-old conservative organization lately known for its attacks on public school officials and pro-Palestinian protesters—posted an edited version of a secret recording of Pugh, in which she appeared to support diversity, equity and inclusion policies discontinued by the UNC System and said she “(loved) breaking rules.”
UNCA spokesperson Brian Hart, citing a university policy against commenting on personnel matters, declined to say whether Pugh was fired or resigned. Pugh declined to comment for this story via an intermediary.
In an email to faculty and staff, Chancellor Kimberly van Noort said Accuracy in Media’s video “was secretly recorded by an individual who misrepresented their identity in order to gain access to university offices. We anticipate similar attempts may continue.”
Van Noort also directed faculty and staff to refer questions from media or other outside organizations to the school’s communications office.
The UNC System’s Board of Governors voted to repeal its DEI policy in May 2024. Such policies, meant to ensure that people from marginalized communities have fair opportunities at education and employment, have increasingly been under attack from the right before and since the second election of Donald Trump, who has sought to make their elimination a cornerstone of his presidency.
The UNC System ordered individual schools to reorient their policies toward “principled…
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