SILENT SAM MONUMENT

3/26/2020 1:06am

Judge Allen Baddour looks on as SCV lawyer Boyd Sturges speaks during the hearing on Wednesday. Feb. 12, 2020. Judge Baddour ruled to vacate the consent order and dismiss the lawsuit regarding Silent Sam.

UNC's $2.5 million Confederate payout won't be fully repaid despite backdoor deal reversal

By Charlie McGee

The UNC System's now-infamous settlement with the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. was struck down last month after a swarm of public scrutiny and legal challenges. The reversal by Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour returned possession of Silent Sam to the state's higher-education authority, but a $2.5 million trust of UNC's money that the System forfeited in that deal may not be coming back in full. More than $80,000 of those funds in total are set to pay the Confederate group's lawyer and the attorneys involved in operating the trust after its creation. However, a new legal challenge by UNC students and faculty seeks to change that.

3/13/2020 4:02pm

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz makes opening remarks ahead of the awards at the 39th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Lecture and Award Ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. "We must continue to confront our history so we can learn from that history, fuel from the learnings and move forward together," he said.

We sat down with Chancellor Guskiewicz to talk coronavirus, the Clery Act and more

By Maeve Sheehey

This academic year has brought a report detailing Clery Act violations by the University, the reversal of the Silent Sam settlement between the UNC System Board of Governors and the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc., a global pandemic and more. Kevin Guskiewicz began as interim chancellor in February 2019 and took on the position permanently in December 2019.  The Daily Tar Heel sat down with Guskiewicz to talk about the challenges to the University during his time as chancellor so far, as well as his plans for the future. 

Editors Picks

2/13/2020 11:33pm

Silent Sam in McCorkle Place

Unraveling the story behind the Silent Sam lawsuit

By Maeve Sheehey

On Wednesday, Judge Allen Baddour dismissed the Sons of Confederate Veterans lawsuit against the UNC System. Now, the fate of Silent Sam is once again uncertain. Here's what happened between the Board of Governors and the SCV since they settled for $2.5 million on Nov. 27, 2019.  It was later disclosed that they had already settled for $74,999, which sources said was used by the SCV to purchase Silent Sam  and enable the lawsuit. Baddour's dismissal of the lawsuit followed UNC students, faculty and alumni lending voices to the case and asking for the settlement to be reversed. 

2/12/2020 12:03pm

Silent Sam in McCorkle Place

Judge in Silent Sam case ruled to dismiss Sons of Confederate Veterans suit

By Hannah Lang and Maeve Sheehey

Judge Allen Baddour ruled that the Sons of Confederate Veterans did not have standing to sue in the Silent Sam case and vacated the consent judgment on Wednesday. The decision comes after months of controversy following a November 2019 agreement between the UNC System and the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. to give the statue to the Confederate group along with access to a $2.5 million trust for "the preservation and benefit" of the Confederate Monument. It is not currently known what will happen with Silent Sam or the $2.5 million.

1/30/2020 11:30pm

UPDATE unc system money transfer-01.png

Behind closed doors: UNC System concealed $74,999 deal's role in Confederate payoff

By Charlie McGee

A secretive $74,999 payment has remained a standout question in a pair of backdoor deals between the UNC System and the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. two months ago. The settlement agreement was announced nearly a month after its Nov. 21 signing as a commitment by the SCV to limit its practices and displays on UNC System property. The Daily Tar Heel has obtained new details from sources with first-hand knowledge of the deal, revealing that the $74,999 served as a crucial payoff in a larger courtroom collusion effort between the state’s higher-education authority and a politically-active, pro-Confederate group. 

1/16/2020 11:03pm

A plaque to honor William Alexander Graham, Confederate States Senator among many other titles, is pictured on display in Memorial Hall on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. After the UNC System's decision to give funding and perpetual rights to Silent Sam to the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans, Carolina Performing Arts released a statement on how surprised they were about the decision. Though CPA's statement recognized the plaques as a reminder of Southern history, their future is unknown.

'Distorted and false version of history': CPA responds to Silent Sam settlement

By Gaby Iori

On Dec. 20, Carolina Performing Arts released a statement in response to the Sons of Confederate Veterans settlement. Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser said CPA is "appalled at the agreement entered into on our behalf by the UNC System Board of Governors."  However, CPA is also dealing with its own place in history. Its primary venue, Memorial Hall, prominently displays plaques in remembrance of founders of the University and memorializing Confederate alumni. Now, CPA recognizes its role in addressing these difficult issues through art.

1/7/2020 9:33pm

Silent Sam in McCorkle Place

UNC faculty express opposition to Silent Sam deal through department statements

By Allie Kelly

Various community members share their thoughts concerning the UNC Board of Governors' decision to pay $2.5 million to the North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans for the Silent Sam statue. These thoughts follow the release of several statements by several academic centers on campus suggesting their opposition to the statue settlement. 

12/14/2019 3:55pm

Kevin Stone, commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans' North Carolina chapter, poses next to Silent Sam after suing and immediately settling with the UNC System and Board of Governors, a deal that gave the group possession of the Confederate monument and $2.5 million in UNC System money for its "preservation and benefit." Photo courtesy of SCV members. 

Sons of Confederate Veterans members oppose $2.5 million Silent Sam reward

By Charlie McGee

Multiple current member of the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. spoke to The Daily Tar Heel in the aftermath of the Confederate group's secretive settlement with the UNC System, which accrued it ownership of Silent Sam and $2.5 million in UNC System money. The members expressed desires to squash the deal and give the money back. They alleged financial impropriety and extortion among SCV leadership, referenced intermingling with gangs and hate groups, and described threats and slurs that have been issued toward members who raise questions.