Education
Under fire on his campus, UNC leader asks for more clarity about Silent Sam settlement
UNC-Chapel Hill interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is pleading with UNC System leaders to clear up questions about the settlement with the N.C. Sons of Confederate Veterans over the Silent Sam statue. His message comes amid growing heat from outraged faculty and students demanding that he take a stronger stance against UNC’s $2.5 million payout to the Confederate group.
Guskiewicz had sent a letter to the campus community last week trying to address concerns raised, but faculty didn’t think that was enough.
“I think [Guskiewicz] is in a situation of either having to represent us ... and speak clearly and loudly against this idea or potentially lose the good will of his own faculty and students,” UNC art professor Cary Levine said at a faculty meeting earlier this week.
The letter Guskiewicz sent Wednesday to UNC System President Bill Roper and UNC Board of Governors Chairman Randy Ramsey seems to be his response. Roper and Ramsey signed off on the Silent Sam deal.
Guskiewicz said his campus is struggling with the decision. And while he said he supports the work to ensure the Confederate monument does not return to the Chapel Hill campus, he’s concerned about how the money might be used by the SCV.
Addressing the SCV statement
He said the SCV’s comments after the settlement that include plans “to promote an unsupportable understanding of history that is at-odds with well-sourced, factual, and accurate accounts of responsible scholars” were particularly concerning.
“The SCV’s statement triggered false public accusations in the state and national media that the University is funding SCV ideologies rather than allowing for the preservation of the monument off campus in order to eliminate the ongoing safety, financial, and legal risks of returning the monument to campus,” Guskiewicz wrote.
He said those comments and the requirement that UNC-CH “reimburse the UNC System for the payment of the funds to the trust, have led to concerns and opposition from many corners of our campus.”
“I join with others on my campus in stating that the values expressed by the SCV are inconsistent with and antithetical to the values of the University,” Guskiewiecz wrote.
He said his understanding of the settlement is that the money can only be spent for “the preservation” of Silent Sam and that “none of the funds in the trust can be used for the benefit or the activities of the SCV unrelated to the monument’s preservation.”
“I urge the Board of Governors and the UNC System to take any appropriate steps that are available to ensure that the independent trustee administers the charitable trust in strict compliance with the court’s order and the terms of the trust,” Guskiewicz wrote. “I also request that the Board and the UNC System consider providing additional information to our University community about this matter.”
UNC law professor Eric Muller, who has pointed out legal issues with the settlement, thanked Guskiewicz for the statement on Twitter. And he pointed out that the agreement negotiated by the UNC System “doesn’t limit the Sons of Confed Vets in the way you say. It allows expenditures for “displaying” (not just “preserving”) the monument and for a facility to “support” it.”
Board of Governors meetings
Guskiewicz’s letter was sent out before two days of Board of Governors meetings, which are being held by conference call. Those meetings could result in Guskiewicz being named permanent chancellor of UNC-CH.
UNC activist groups planned a protest at the meeting Friday to confront board members about the “$2.5 million payout to white supremacy.” Even though board members won’t in Chapel Hill, a protest is still planned.
Students faculty and alumni have been protesting the decision with marches through campus, intense meetings and condemning the secrecy of the settlement. Some argue it poses a threat to campus safety, and lawyers have questioned the legality of the deal.
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