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A Bulldog with a Badge

Officer Robbie Craig’s work unites the campus community and reflects the strength of UNC Asheville before and after Helene

By UNC Asheville

November 25^th, 2024

In the days following Helene, UNC Asheville’s Student Affairs was conducting a wellness check on every one of the University’s over 3,000 students. After a week, the list of unaccounted for students was down to five or so, two of whom were local.

After multiple attempts to reach the local students by phone, University Master Police Officer Robbie Craig and another officer were dispatched.

“They literally had us drive out to the apartment complexes where they live and knock on the door,” Craig said.

When the student opened the door, they confirmed he was safe and learned he had just gotten a new phone with a different number. He thanked the officers for coming all the way out just to check on him, and Craig said the student’s gratitude was heartwarming.

“That's what I like about being here. To me, that's true caring. We're not leaving anybody behind,” Craig said. “And it was important from the Chancellor, from the top down, that we speak to everyone.”

Every single student, staff, and faculty member of the University community were accounted for.

“I know a lot of the housing staff and those types of folks that are behind the scenes really do care about the success of students,” Craig said. “My department, we genuinely care about the safety of students, that people succeed and become the best version of themselves.”

Officer Robbie Craig at his signature Bonfire and Badges event, making s'mores with UNC Asheville students.

For many, the work done in support of students during Helene is just an extension of the work already being done on campus. As UNC Asheville’s Community Engagement Officer, a role he jokingly says makes him the “CEO of University Police,” Craig has already been building community with students.

“Last year, he increased community engagement by an impressive 139 percent, arranging numerous events and becoming a familiar and beloved presence at nearly every student-related activity, regardless of the hour,” said Chief of Police Daran Dodd.

Craig regularly puts on events like Bonfire and Badges, where he sets up a couple metal fire rings in Reed Plaza for students to roast marshmallows for s'mores and chat with the officers.

“What I do is I try to put a friendly face on our department. I try to humanize the officers,” Craig said. “Ultimately, I want to be a resource for our students. I want people to know me by name.”

Officer Craig joins as many student events as he can, including a Students vs. Staff Pickleball Tournament.

In recognition of his work, Craig received an Honorable Mention for the Exceptional Service Award at the UNC System Police Chief Conference.

“His commitment to fostering a deeply engaged, community-focused police presence inspires his fellow officers to elevate their own levels of involvement during both community events and routine duties,” Dodd said. “MPO Craig’s contributions to the campus community reflect the very best of what it means to serve with distinction.”

Craig also puts on events for Domestic Violence Awareness, Breast Cancer Awareness, and connects with on- and off-campus community partners like the Health and Counseling Center and Brother Wolf to bring therapy dogs to campus for Paws and Police.

“No man is an island. Every event I do, there's someone behind the scenes that helps me,” Craig said. “I’m successful because they’re successful. It's nice to feel like someone has noticed your hard work, but it's not me alone.”

He’s even a regular attendee at Trivia Nights in the Grotto of Highsmith Student Union. At first he noticed the students had some trepidation about a cop hanging about, but after a few times, they were comfortable approaching him. One time, he even won Taylor Swift trivia thanks to many car rides with his Swifty daughter.

“You got to break down those barriers of there's a cop here and get people used to just being around when there's no negative things happening. I'm here to be a friend,” Craig said with a warm smile. “If you need to report something confidentially, you can do that. If you had a good day, you can tell me about it. If you had a bad day, you can tell me about it.”

Officer Craig (left) receiving an Honorable Mention for the Exceptional Service Award from UNC System President Peter Hans for his work as the Community Engagement Officer at UNC Asheville..

A Lifeline During the Storm

Public service, Craig said, is like a part of his DNA, something he shares with family.

“My dad's a veteran and he was a firefighter, and at one time he was a paramedic. And he’s a deacon at his church. He gave that example to me,” Craig said. “He's a selfless kind of guy, and in that I saw his strength.”

This was no more evident than when Helene hit. Craig was near home in the Garren Creek community of Fairview, about 30 minutes out from UNC Asheville, when all roads became impassable.

The valley had been overwhelmed by relentless torrents of storm water that set off multiple landslides and felled hundreds of trees. Thirteen lives were lost in this area alone, many of them members of Craig’s own family.

“Where I was from, it was bad. There wasn't a whole lot to do but hope and help. We were cut off from the world for maybe two days. We didn't have internet. Phone was real spotty,” Craig said.

“When I realized that we were trapped and there was no getting out anytime soon, I thought, well, what would Dad do if he was here?”

He made his way to the nearest fire station, Garren Creek Fire Station 23, and sprang into action.

“There's people that think bigger than themselves, people that you can lean on: cops, firemen, paramedics, nurses. I like to feel like I step up and join the ranks of people greater than me,” Craig said.

“Nobody can be strong all the time. But if you're not standing there by yourself, like that day, I was not alone. That's why I went to the fire station.”

Working alongside the firefighters, Craig helped to rescue residents from their submerged homes, pulled people out of swept away vehicles, and saved individuals trapped beneath fallen trees.

“I linked up with heroes. That's what those people are to me,” Craig said. “I feed off their strength and together we can accomplish things you won't be able to by yourself.”

At one point, the Fire Department’s communication went down, whether transmissions were going through becoming hit or miss. They knew, given how rural the area is, that it was imperative to communicate the level of devastation and get help into the valley. Craig’s UNC Asheville Viper radio became their sole means of communication.

First he radioed Chief Dodd, then later was able to connect with the UNC Asheville Emergency Operations Center. It was a lifeline, Craig said, that provided hope in a moment of despair.

Knowing that someone at UNC Asheville knew their situation gave him the courage to rally again.

Officer Craig hands out skewers to roast marshmallows at one of his community engagement events, Bonfires and Badges.

Dodd said his work was nothing short of remarkable.

“His bravery and unwavering commitment to saving lives made a significant difference; countless individuals owe their survival to his heroic actions during that catastrophic event,” Dodd said.

A few days after the storm, Craig was evacuated to another fire station where Dodd and his fellow officers could pick him up. Going into the fire station, he said, felt like coming home.

“There's a bunch of firefighters and they're doing work, and people's coming in and people's going. Somebody got a smoker out back and it was like a picnic,” Craig said. “It was just the best barbecue I've ever had because I hadn't eaten in like 14 hours. I didn't know a soul there, but it was people like me.”

Chancellor Kimberly van Noort (left) stands with Officer Robbie Craig as he is given his award by UNC System President Peter Hans (right).

Strength in Service

Once he returned to campus, there was still work to be done. Around 1,300 students were still on campus, needing to be cared for while they made plans to leave. Craig’s days were filled with resource runs, bringing trucks of supplies back to Brown Dining Hall and coordinating three meals a day.

At the end of the day, university staff would collapse onto cots set up in their offices, not even going home to sleep and too tired to mind the buzz of generators.

Craig laughs as he recounts the tight quarters in the campus offices, “There was no personal space at University Police.”

“If you found a spot on the floor in the hallway and you could fit your sleeping bag there, that was your place for the night. But,” Craig said, with a shrug that indicates the ease with which he decides to do what is necessary, “What else are we going to do, right?”

For Craig, and many others, the experience of being on the ground during the height and aftermath of the storm will linger for a long time. Not just the destruction, but the memory of how the community rallied for one another.

Students, faculty, and staff from all departments were on campus, showing up when work needed to be done.

“Every day I was here, I saw the Chancellor, I saw the Vice Chancellors, I saw people from housing. Everybody showed up. I saw directors, I saw people from the student union,” Craig said. “We have the support of our peers and the people that oversee us.”

Officer Craig seeks to be a familiar face on campus, and hops into a friendly Students vs. Staff pickleball game.

“When it counted, when it mattered, people saw us doing what we should be doing. It’s one thing to say you care. But in those actions, people see that you care. That’s why we will be strong again.”

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