University of North Carolina School of the Arts Faces Abuse Lawsuit 

As reported in the New York Times, a total of 56 former arts students have come forward with allegations of abuse from dozens of teachers and administrators at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) while they were studying there. 

Filed late last year, the lawsuit revealed that the abuse spanned over 40 years, and involved rape, assaults in classrooms, private homes off-campus, motel rooms, and on transport overseas. According to the Charlotte Observer, the allegations span most of the school’s history, from the 1960s to the 2010s.

UNCSA was the nation’s first public arts conservatory and opened in the 1960s just outside downtown Winston-Salem, NC. Court papers show that the residential high school and college enrolled students as young as 12. The arts school was incorporated into the University of North Carolina system in 1972.

Some faculty members who were outlined in the lawsuit are no longer alive and a few existing others are yet to respond to court papers. One of the defendants in the lawsuit is former UNCSA violin professor, Stephen Shipps.

Shipps was a known sexual predator at UNCSA and was allowed to quietly resign, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. The lawsuit revealed that UNCSA officials provided recommendations that helped Shipps to teach at the University of Michigan in 1989 — where he was later accused of sexual misconduct with students and has since left.

As reported by multiple sources, Shipps pleaded guilty late last year to transporting a girl under the age of 18 across state lines — on multiple occasions between February and July of 2002 — with the intention of having sexual relations with her.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Detroit said that upon sentencing, he will face up to 15 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for February 17, 2022.

According to the NY Times, in the current lawsuit, Shipps is also accused of abusing a 17-year-old student in his school office where he engaged in inappropriate sexual relations with her.

“We were children, and we were brave enough to come forward and not one single adult that represented the institution was as brave as we were,” said Melissa Cummings, one of the abuse victims at UNCSA from over 20 years ago.

Little changed at the time despite her reporting the abuse to UNCSA and police officials. “Your teenage years are so formative,” she continued. “It destroyed me.”

UNCSA is the lead defendant in the legal case and expressed concern regarding the gravity of the abuse allegations and have assured the public that it will not tolerate any misconduct.

“I was personally horrified when I was made aware of the allegations in the complaint,” said UNCSA’s chancellor, Brian Cole, in a statement. “I respect the tremendous courage it took for our alumni to come forward and share their experiences, and we are committed to responding with empathy and openness in listening to their stories…UNCSA today has systems in place for students to report abuse of any kind.”

Additionally, it was revealed that not only were past UNCSA staff, students, faculty, and administrators aware of the abusive exploitation of minors, but it was also known to artists nationwide, especially in the dance community. 

“Our lawsuit against U.N.C.S.A. is an important example of a national trend,” said Gloria Allred, one of the attorneys representing the victims. “We are very proud of our clients for speaking truth to power and finding their courage to hold accountable those whom they believe have betrayed them.”

A press conference from late last year between Allred and some of the plaintiffs can be watched below.