UNC officials discuss Florence, Silent Sam during regular meeting

By Claudia Rupcich, WRAL reporter

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The UNC Board of Trustees held its first regularly-scheduled meeting Thursday since the toppling of Silent Sam.

More than 20 people have been arrested in several protests since the confederate statue came down in August.

The Silent Sam pedestal at the university’s McCorkle Place is still empty more than a month after the statue came down, and university leaders have until mid-November to figure out the future of the monument.

At Thursday’s meeting, the fate of the statue was discussed, but officials did not reach a final decision.

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt spoke extensively at the meeting, bringing up issues like Silent Sam, welcoming new students, campus involvement and more.

She also announced a new $2 million project the university is launching to help UNC students and families affected by Hurricane Florence.

At the meeting, students shared their own initiatives for the school, discussing issues like domestic violence.

The board will have one more regularly-scheduled meeting before the Nov. 15 deadline.