UNC system chairman backs off 'Silent Sam' action by board

The chairman of the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors has walked back a statement he made last week about the board likely discussing the future of a controversial Confederate monument on the system's flagship Chapel Hill campus.

Posted 2:35 p.m. Jul 31, 2018 — Updated 2:35 p.m. Jul 31, 2018

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The chairman of the University of North Carolina's Board of Governors has walked back a statement he made last week about the board likely discussing the future of a controversial Confederate monument on the system's flagship Chapel Hill campus.

The "Silent Sam" statue has been the site of protests for the past year, with students, faculty and alumni calling it a racist image and begging for officials to remove it. A string of people repeated those arguments last Friday to the Board of Governors.

After the board meeting, Chairman Harry Smith said allowing public comment on the issue wasn't just for show and that he expected the board would "have the conversation" on whether to petition the North Carolina Historical Commission to move the statue from the campus.

Under state law, the Historical Commission has the final say on how such monuments are handled.

Smith said he doesn't have an opinion on whether the monument should stay or go, saying he's in "listen mode and learning mode."

Late Friday, however, Smith issued the following statement through UNC's media relations office:

"The UNC Board of Governors respects each of the varying opinions within the University community concerning this matter. However, after consulting with legal counsel, neither UNC-Chapel Hill nor the UNC System have the legal authority to unilaterally relocate the Silent Sam statue. Thus, the board has no plans to take any action regarding the monument at this time, and we will await any guidance that the North Carolina Historical Commission may offer."

Suggest A Correction