Kirk Ross posted some of his thoughts about the recent UNC system center closings. Here are some of his observations:
Although passed by consensus vote, during discussions Tuesday there was a split over the at least some recommendations including one tense exchange over the decision not to close Chapel Hill’s Center for Civil Rights, which is based at the law school.
BOG member Steven Long and Center for Civil Rights director Ted Shaw
BOG member Steven Long said the center was engaging in political activities and said the center’s engagement in school segregation cases in several North Carolina counties was wrong and damaging to the county budgets. Long said he did not think it was right for a part of the university to be engaged in legal actions against the state or local governments.
Although the meeting was not open to public comment Center for Civil Rights attorney Mark Dorosin, who has served as co-counsel on the center’s school segregation cases, objected to some of Long’s comments saying they inaccurately and unfairly characterized the work on the school segregation cases. Campus police moved to eject Dorosin, but were waved off by system officials. A small group of students present at the meeting and holding signs in protest also openly objected and were warned they would be removed.
The group’s report now moves to the BOG education subcommittee and will be considered by the full board in a meeting on February 27 at UNC-Charlotte.
