Update 7:30 p.m.: Roy Cooper, the Governor of North Carolina, released a statement via email stating his support for Folt’s decision to remove the remainder of Silent Sam.
“I appreciate the Chancellor’s actions to keep students and the public safe,” Cooper said via email. “North Carolina is welcoming to all, and our public university should reflect that.”
Original Story:
Less than 24 hours after UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt announced she was going to step down in May 2019, the pedestal of the controversial confederate statue “Silent Sam” was removed early Tuesday morning.
When Folt announced her resignation from the position, she also authorized the removal of the base of the monument, saying that the remnants of the statue posed a threat to the campus environment.
“The presence of the remaining parts of the monument on campus poses a continuing threat both to the personal safety and well-being of our community and to our ability to provide a stable, productive educational environment,” Folt said in a statement. “No one learns at their best when they feel unsafe.”
According to an article by the Daily Tar Heel, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees was in support of Folt’s decision to remove the base of the statue.
“The chancellor has ultimate authority over campus public safety, and we agree Chancellor Folt is acting properly to preserve campus security,” the Board of Trustees statement said. “Nothing is more important than keeping our campus community and visitors as safe as possible.”
While the Board of Trustees offered support, the UNC Board of Governors chair, Harry Smith, said in a statement that they were unaware of Folt’s decision and expressed disappointment.
“We are incredibly disappointed at this intentional action,” Smith said. “It lacks transparency and it undermines and insults the Board’s goal to operate with class and dignity. We strive to ensure that the appropriate stakeholders are always involved and that we are always working in a healthy and professional manner.”
UNC media relations released a statement urging people to avoid McCorkle Place, the previous site of the Silent Sam monument, and notified students and faculty that the base and plaques have been removed.
UNC media relations had no further comment.
*Editor’s note: Statement from Roy Cooper has been added.
