When it comes to Poe Hall, Chancellor Woodson claims that “the University remains committed to doing the right things” but his actions say otherwise. Woodson’s words ring false when the  University Administration chooses to deal with Poe Hall by protecting itself instead of the NC State Campus Community. Read on to learn how Woodson is lawyering up, prepping to cover up a major crime scene, and continuing to ignore hundreds of people who have been harmed by decades of exposure to toxic chemicals in Poe Hall. 

NC State is Lawyered Up

Geosyntec, the firm that conducted the NC State Administration’s flawed Poe Hall report, was not engaged by the University itself but rather by corporate law firm Kilpatrick, Townsend, & Stockton LLP. The firm’s partners Todd Roessler and Joseph Dowdy also happen to be defending the University against Poe Hall-related litigation in Wake County Courts. NC State lawyers lined up the University’s official environmental tester while simultaneously blocking anyone else from accessing the building to conduct quality independent testing. NC State lawyers are working on two fronts: backing Geosyntec’s inadequate report and blocking independent testing that could provide answers to people harmed by Poe Hall toxins. 

Poe Hall Crime Scene Cover Up 

NC State Administration is readying to cover up vital evidence that victims could use to prove the harm caused to them by Poe Hall’s toxic environment. Using Geosyntec’s faulty findings to justify moving ahead, Chancellor Woodson recently announced remediation plans for Poe Hall that amount to a gut job of all the building materials that potentially contain harmful PCBs. Woodson contends that removal of Poe Hall’s entire HVAC system, walls, facade and windows is the right path forward but the “expeditious” timeline proposed by the Administration will also remove evidence of PCBs before proper independent testing can be conducted. Chancellor Woodson and NC State’s lawyers want to remove evidence of Poe Hall toxins before anyone else can collect and use it against them in court.

Hundreds of Victims Ignored

On the Poe Hall Updates page, Chancellor Woodson and the NC State administration claim that their investigation and discovery of PCBs first occurred in August and September of 2023, and that the university acted “proactively” in closing the building in December 2023. However, based on numerous reports in the Technician and WRAL, this is far from the truth. Employees expressed written concerns about Poe Hall to NC State’s Environmental Health Department as far back as 2012 and NC State’s own testing in 2018 confirmed PCB concentrations exceeding EPA limits in Poe Hall and D.H. Hill Jr. Library. For decades, NC State has refused to address the life-threatening impacts of working in Poe Hall. Countless individuals now face various forms of cancer, fertility issues, and a plethora of other health conditions. Under Chancellor Woodson’s administration, NC State has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of compassion, empathy, and transparency towards the hundreds of individuals impacted by the PCBs in Poe Hall. 

Admin Protects Itself, Not the Campus Community

Woodson’s June 20 statement explains NC State’s plans to gut Poe Hall but does not include any sort of apology or answers for victims. Instead, NC State continues to indicate on its “Poe Hall Updates” page that individuals are expected to pay out of pocket for medical testing and treatments linked to Poe Hall and PCB exposure. It is clear that Chancellor Woodson and the NC State Administration are more concerned with optics than with the health and well-being of their staff, students, and visitors. Additionally, this issue has the potential to impact the entire state as the university searches for a location to place the contaminated materials from Poe Hall. Will Raleigh and the surrounding cities be the next Warren County? If we act together and refuse to accept the university’s injustices just as the citizens of Warren County did, we can hold the university accountable for its crimes.

What can you do?

Sign on to our petition demanding that Chancellor Woodson and other University administrators are held accountable for PCBs and other toxins on our campus

Follow the Campus Community Alliance for Environmental Justice on Instagram

Become a CCAEJ Member Get  involved in the fight to ensure that the NC State Administration does right by the hundreds of people who are currently battling cancer and other life-altering health problems caused by the toxic environment of Poe Hall – and to ensure that no further harm is done to members of the NC State community. This July, we have multiple opportunities for virtual and on-campus volunteering. Submit your CCAEJ Member interest form as soon as possible to hear about these exciting opportunities to join the fight (and get some free CCAEJ swag!)