A North Carolina Superior Court judge has dismissed a portion of the DTH Media Corporation's complaint against the UNC System and Board of Governors. The complaint accused the groups of violating North Carolina Open Meetings Law to negotiate its $2.5 million settlement with the Sons of Confederate Veterans in November 2019 and pay the group $74,999 in a separate agreement.
In the weeks following the killing of George Floyd, several student groups, including UNC Black Congress and the Black Student Movement, have been involved in organizing protests against police brutality and systemic racism across the Triangle. However, given UNC’s safety guidelines for the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, questions remain as to how protesting efforts will be carried out on the University’s campus during the upcoming semester.
Over $80,000 of the short-lived “Monument Trust” will be paid to non-UNC attorneys who played a role in the creation of a lawsuit settlement that temporarily gave Silent Sam to the North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. on Nov. 27.
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.
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.
Demonstrators gathered in the Peace and Justice Plaza on Saturday for an "anti racist bake sale" in opposition to a planned gathering of Confederate supporters.
Student activism has continued after Judge Allen Baddour dismissed the Silent Sam lawsuit between the UNC Board of Governors and North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc.
Though the future of Silent Sam remains in limbo, the Town of Chapel Hill doubles down in their position that the statue does not belong on the campus of UNC or anywhere else in Chapel Hill.
UNC System Board of Governors Chairperson Randy Ramsey said Silent Sam will be secured away from UNC's campus at a meeting Friday.
The recent news about Silent Sam, free expression on campus and other issues were discussed at Friday's Faculty Council meeting.
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.
Judge Allen Baddour ruled Wednesday morning to dismiss the $2.5 million Silent Sam settlement between the UNC System Board of Governors and The North Carolina Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Inc. — and the future of Silent Sam is unclear once again.
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.
The newly formed Commission on History, Race and a Way Forward offers an opportunity for UNC to reconcile with its racialized footprint.
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.
A group of alumni plans to submit an amicus brief to the Orange County court system by Wednesday. Some of those involved would like to see the money from the settlement returned to the University in full, and the monument destroyed as a public safety hazard.
The St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal and First Baptist churches released a joint statement condemning the UNC System's $2.5 million settlement with the Sons of Confederate Veterans over Silent Sam.
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.
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.
In a flurry of signatures and stamps, the Silent Sam deal was pushed through the system, going from a lawsuit to a signed judgement in under 10 minutes. The judge that signed off on it has been overruled at least twice in the past on decisions he made in favor of the University.
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