N.C. A&T is known for keeping its campus well-maintained. However, on Friday, Sept. 8, students began to notice playing cards all across campus, in and outside academic buildings.
The scattered cards represent only half of the story. These playing cards that litter A&T’s campus have caused much confusion about its origins and the reasons behind this new scene.
“I was mad confused why there were cards everywhere when I walked to class,” said Kevin Rogers, a junior business administration student. “I thought maybe someone dropped them on accident, or there was a prank going on.”
Since then investigation results revealed that 25-year-old, third-year visual arts student, Frederick Taylor, is responsible.
“After the Aggie Eagle Classic, I saw the culprit who was littering my campus. I asked him kindly to pick up the cards, and he threw a card directly at me,” said Liyah Wilson, a junior chemical engineering student. “For him to directly throw a card at me was just straight-up disrespectful. I felt defeated.”
Unfortunately, Wilson’s experience is not unique. According to an Instagram post from @ncatsafe, Taylor continued to throw cards at other students in residence halls.
The Instagram account is a part of The S.A.F.E Project, an organization providing resources and a voice to students experiencing sexual assault and domestic violence crimes on A&T’s campus.
Taylor’s actions did not go unpunished. According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 12, Taylor was arrested by A&T police on five charges: stalking, assaulting a female, disorderly conduct, misuse of the 911 system and an attempt to break or enter.
This is not Taylor’s first experience with law enforcement. Previously, he was arrested while dancing at the reflection pool as students chanted “Aggie Pride.”
Adding to the policing discussion on campus, students began to question the grounds for his arrest that night.
“I did not realize the card culprit was the same man from that night,” Wilson said. “I’ve also heard he might be struggling with mental health, which could be the reason for all this.”
Taylor is in custody at Greensboro’s Detention Center with a bond set at $2,000.
In response to the incident, A&T’s University Police Department has declined to comment.
