News: Online exclusive
UW-Stevens Point chancellor denies being drunk during car accident [ONLINE EXCLUSIVE]
Bunnell addresses UWSP faculty senate, denies allegations of drunkenness
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University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Chancellor Linda Bunnell admitted Wednesday to having a couple of drinks at a dinner party the night she was involved in a car accident that occurred in February.
The chancellor hit a parked vehicle and left the scene without reporting the accident. The UW System, however, said the chancellor turned in all paper work and alcohol had not been an issue.
According to UW-Stevens Point spokesperson Stephen Ward, the chancellor had a drink before dinner and a glass of wine with dinner, which she said she did not finish.
“The issue related to the incident was resolved two months ago and alcohol was not a factor,” Ward said.
According to UW System spokesperson David Giroux, the system has already looked into the matter.
“In fact, we first looked into this matter when Chancellor Bunnell first brought the traffic accident to our attention,” Giroux said. “She provided all the relevant paperwork to our office, including a copy of the Madison Police Report, the traffic citation and a cover letter from MPD.”
Giroux added the police report issued after the car accident said neither alcohol nor drugs were present, making no mention of any violation other than leaving the scene.
According to Ward, Bunnell addressed this issue among others at a faculty staff meeting Monday, during the period of time where the chancellor usually comments on university issues.
Ward said faculty and staff were pleased to see the chancellor address issues pertaining to herself, many of which were discussed during routine lunches with faculty members the chancellor attends several times a month.
According to Ward, while several state lawmakers questioned the chancellor about the accident at Monday’s meeting, they also expressed concern about the Stevens Point Student Council that voted “no confidence” in Bunnell several weeks ago.
“The student senate and student government meetings have put out some pretty risky statements about the chancellor,” Ward said. “Some said they were potentially libel statements.”
Ward added the faculty and staff were very receptive of the chancellor’s speech.
“She wanted to address specific concerns brought up by students or faculty members and there certainly was room to look forward to working more effectively with the university,” Ward said. “[The chancellor’s presentation] was constructively received and after the faculty senate meeting there is certainly a wish to get whatever issues there may be resolved.”
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Students rightfully have important concerns in about the chancellor at Stevens Point. Anyone who hits a car and then leaves the scene of the accident should receive a vote of no confidence. This is the person who has been chosen to lead one of our state institutions of higher education. If they cannot display honesty and integrity, why should students have confidence in the Chancellors ability to lead? Honesty and integrity are qualities admired in good leaders and Stevens Point chancellor does not display those characteristics. This is not a risky statement, it’s a reasonable statement about the chancellor.
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To the commenter above: what the article does not address, or perhaps what was not known at the time of the writing, was whether the vote of no confidence was related to the accident as a single event or the chancellor’s actions over time beyond leaving the scene of the crash. We should be careful not to make assumptions with limited information.