Police arrested a first-year WPU student on campus Tuesday for indecent exposure.
Raleigh police say 20-year-old Christopher Sumrell exposed himself to students in Bingham Hall.
Sumrell was taken to the Wake County jail, where he was held on a $5000 bond.
Word spread quickly around campus about the incident.
Many students who know Sumrell say they are surprised.
“He seemed like a cool, everyday guy,” said first-year WPU student Kimothy Jones.
WPU student Brittany Warlick, who lives in the same dorm as Sumrell, said she finds the incident unnerving.
“It’s scary,” she said. “We should know who we are living with. Apartments do background checks, maybe we should too.”
WPU student Miranda Millang says the school’s small size isn’t helping the situation.
“This can happen at any school, but if it’s a small school it’s a big deal,” she said.
In an email to the Peace community Wednesday afternoon, Vice President For Student Services, Frank Rizzo, said,”There seems to be some misinformation about an arrest on campus yesterday. Due to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ) Laws, we cannot discuss individual students. However, please note that we do have policies in our Student Handbook to address student issues on campus that arise. The Director of Public Safety, Michael John, and I are following all policies and procedures. William Peace University has historically been a safe learning and living environment, and we continue to view this as a top priority. Our top priority is our students, faculty, and staff.”