It’s been a little more than three months since Silent Sam was torn down on UNC Chapel Hill’s campus by an angry mob of protesters. After uncertainty and conflict over the future of the statue, it appears that the administration has finally determined a future for the Confederate monument.
The News & Observer reports that a proposal approved by the UNC Board of Trustees will see the statue returned to campus in a new, $5 million university history center. Two members of the board, including the student body president, voted against the proposal.
The building will be located in the Odum Village area of campus. The village is currently under construction, and is located on the southern side of campus.
The next step for the proposal is consideration from the UNC system’s Board of Governors at a Dec. 14 meeting. If approved, the plan will take until 2022 to complete.
The proposal has drawn quick condemnation on social media, with a protest planned for Monday evening.
UNC pays us graduate students $13,000 a year, but they will spend $5.3 million on protecting #silentsam, a SHRINE TO WHITE SUPREMACY on our damn campus https://t.co/IGZIKSeYd9
— Alyssa Bowen ❄️☃️ (@AlyssaAnnBowen) December 3, 2018
TONIGHT AT 7PM, JOIN US TO PROTEST AGAINST UNC CHAPEL HILL’S RECOMMENDATION TO BUILD A $5.3 MILLION ON-CAMPUS SHRINE TO HOUSE SILENT SAM! Peace & Justice Plaza (in front of the Franklin St. Post Office). #silentsam https://t.co/GzdLs14PR4 Invite everyone. This is not okay.
— Take Action Chapel Hill (@takeactionch) December 3, 2018
UNC Student Body President said she cannot support #SilentSam being placed on campus in any capacity
— WCHL & Chapelboro (@WCHLChapelboro) December 3, 2018
The statue’s location on campus is also not a sure thing, The News & Observer reports. UNC Chancellor Carol Folt said that several trustees supported the Odum Village location, but preferred that the monument be moved to an off-campus location. However, this would violate state law concerning the preservation of monuments.
The university’s legal counsel also expressed that there are safety and liability concerns to returning the statue to campus.
MORE: Silent Sam faces murky future
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