October 1, 2018
A decisive majority of the faculty in the department of political science support the statement of the Council of Chairs in the College of Arts and Sciences adopted on August 27, 2018 and strongly oppose the return of the Confederate memorial known as Silent Sam to its original or prominent location in McCorkle Place. In addition, some of the faculty oppose the return of the statue to any location on campus.
Council of Chairs Statement, August 27, 2018:
We, the undersigned department chairs of the College of Arts and Sciences of UNC Chapel Hill, strongly oppose the return of the Confederate memorial known as Silent Sam to its original location in McCorkle Place.
Returning the statue to any prominent location would reaffirm the values of white supremacy that motivated its original installation. Moreover, to do so would undermine the moral and physical security of all members of our community.
The values that the statue represents are inherently opposed to the principles of light and liberty that guide the educational mission of UNC Chapel Hill.