Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, said the BOG committee acted appropriately in standing up for academic freedom and that lawmakers would expect nothing less.
"The legislature would expect them to do so," he said.
The BOG Education Planning and Policies Committee unanimously approved a resolution Thursday that reaffirmed members' support of the intellectual autonomy of system universities.
The resolution will go before the full board for approval at its Sept. 13 meeting.
The full BOG failed to pass a similar resolution Aug. 9, with some members claiming that the proper channels for proposing a resolution were not used.
The resolutions were prompted by a provision added to the N.C. House budget proposal aimed at preventing state funds from being used to fund religious classes or reading programs that do not give equal play to all known religions.
The provision primarily targeted the UNC-Chapel Hill freshman summer reading of "Approaching the Qur'
