UNC Governors Will Not Discuss Silent Sam at May Meeting

Continuing a series of delays, the UNC System Board of Governors will not discuss the future of the Confederate monument on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam at the board’s May meeting.

Board chair Harry Smith made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

“In early March, we set the May meeting of the UNC Board of Governors as a tentative reporting date to consider possible solutions for the confederate monument at UNC-Chapel Hill, commonly known as Silent Sam. A small group of Board members is prepared to review and discuss options at an appropriate time. However, our Board and the universities have also been focused on a number of other issues, including the legislative session, and there is nothing to report at this time. Therefore, the monument issue will not be on our agenda for the May meeting.”

This is another in a series of delays to discuss the future of the monument since it was toppled by protesters last August. An initial November deadline was pushed back to December. The UNC – Chapel Hill administration then presented its proposal for a new facility to be built to house the monument and offer teaching and exhibit space. The System Board of Governors then rejected that plan and set a deadline for a new plan for mid-March.

Then-chancellor Carol Folt instead ordered the removal of the statue’s remaining base in mid-January while also announcing her intention to resign at the end of the academic year. The Board of Governors then moved that resignation date up to January 31.

As the March deadline approached, the governors once again pushed the deadline back. There is now no firm timeline on when a decision could be made on the monument’s future.

Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz has repeatedly said he does not believe the statue should be returned to the campus.

“There’s a more appropriate place for that monument than on our campus,” Guskiewicz said in a recent interview.

Five members of the Board of Governors were assigned to work with the campus in developing a solution for the future of the monument.

“I’m glad that we’ve been able to engage our faculty and students in the conversations with the five-member Board of Governors committee,” Guskiewicz said. “So, I think they know where everybody stands from this end.”

‹

Carol Folt 'At Peace' as She Leaves UNC Chancellor Role

Chancellor Carol Folt’s last day leading UNC – Chapel Hill was Thursday, when the Board of Trustees happened to have a regular meeting scheduled. During her remarks at the meeting, Folt quoted Dr. Seuss when reflecting on her time in Chapel Hill. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Folt announced in mid-January […]

Q&A with UNC Chancellor Carol Folt

WCHL news director Blake Hodge spoke with UNC Chancellor Carol Folt on Tuesday about her decision to step down, the current state of campus security and the impact that she made on the community during her time in Chapel Hill. Q: You made the announcement, two announcements, on Monday that you would be stepping down […]

Chapel Hill to UNC: Relocate Silent Sam Away from the Town

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and members of the Town Council sent a letter to UNC following the voided lawsuit between the university and a pro-Confederate group. Last week, Judge Allen Baddour ruled that the Sons of Confederate Veterans lacked evidence to prove the group had legal standing to bring action against the UNC System and dismissed […]

Search Committee Invites Public Comment in Search for Next UNC Chancellor

The committee searching for the 12th UNC – Chapel Hill chancellor will hold two public forums to allow for input on what qualities the university should be looking for in a new leader. The 20-member search committee was announced at the Board of Trustees meeting in August and began work on identifying candidates earlier this […]

Groups Celebrate Anniversary of Silent Sam Toppling at UNC

Singing and chanting started a rally Tuesday night celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Confederate monument on the UNC campus known as Silent Sam being toppled by protesters. A coalition of groups organized Tuesday’s event, including a land acknowledgment from a member of the Carolina Indian Circle and remarks from Barbara Sostaita with UndocuCarolina – […]

Silent Sam Decision Clouding Start of UNC Academic Year

Protesters pulled the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam down from its pedestal on McCorkle Place on the UNC campus one year ago. But the monument’s future – whether on or off campus – is still undecided. That event on August 20, 2018, was the culmination of protests calling for the university administration to remove […]

Silent Sam Decision Looms Over UNC, Search for Police Chief

Jeff McCracken’s retirement as UNC Police chief, which was announced earlier this year, is effective Monday, and the university has named Thomas Younce as his interim replacement. UNC – Chapel Hill Board of Trustees chair Haywood Cochrane said after a special meeting of the board last Thursday that the national search for a permanent police […]

UNC System Reportedly Approves Process to Find Next President

It appears the search for the next UNC System president will follow a similar confidential process that brought about the hire of Margaret Spellings in 2015 to now find her replacement. Spellings, the former United States secretary of education under George W. Bush, resigned from the position at UNC halfway through the recently concluded academic […]

After Tumultuous Academic Year, UNC Board Still Divided on Silent Sam

While the Confederate monument known as Silent Sam wasn’t officially on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting of the UNC System Board of Governors, it was still on the minds of many at the meeting. The initial mid-March deadline for a new plan for the statue that stood on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus for […]

UNC Governors Will Not Discuss Silent Sam at May Meeting

Continuing a series of delays, the UNC System Board of Governors will not discuss the future of the Confederate monument on the UNC – Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam at the board’s May meeting. Board chair Harry Smith made the announcement Tuesday afternoon. “In early March, we set the May meeting of the […]

›