Trustees strike DEI funding from UNC-CH budget, funds to go to public safety
UNC-CH Board of Trustees met in person and via Zoom on Monday, May 13. Photos: UNC stream
Days after the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s graduation, the university’s Board of Trustees held a special meeting Monday to vote to remove $2.3 million in next year’s budget allocated for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Trustee Dave Boliek, a Republican currently running for state Auditor, said he wanted to see those funds reallocated for public safety.
Trustee Marty Kotis said in the minds of many people DEI represents divisiveness, exclusion, and indoctrination.
“We need more unity and togetherness, more dialogue, more diversity of thought, ” he said.
Kotis said last Saturday rather than attend Carolina’s commencement, he walked around the campus to assess the safety after days of pro-Palestinian demonstrations both on and near the campus.
“When you have warring groups or dividing groups, they can hurt each other. They can damage property like they did here in the South Building, red paint everywhere, stickers everywhere, things torn up. Law enforcement is then forced to react to that,” Kotis said.
He said officers don’t have the tools they need right now to keep the campus safe from a larger threat.
“So, it’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations.”
Kotis said when the U.S. flag was taken down and a Palestinian flag briefly raised on April 30th, demonstrators crossed a line. Thirty protesters were cited for trespassing during that ordeal including 10 current UNC-Chapel Hill students. Police erected a temporary fence to protect the American flag, which was later removed ahead of graduation weekend. All of that had a financial cost, said Kotis.
“North Carolinians are watching all of this and they are not happy. And I think it’s imperative that we have the proper resources for our law enforcement to protect the campus.”
Kotis suggested that the trustees might also consider relocating some of the “activist centers” and require them to fund themselves.
Boliek said it was a shame that the town of Chapel Hill and the governor’s office refused to aid local university police when called upon to aid in maintaining order.
“I think the $2.3 million dollars would be an added help to what is probably a budget issue with respect to how much we’re having to spend on law enforcement right now,” said Boliek.
Interim UNC-CH Chancellor Lee Roberts attended Monday’s meeting but did not weigh in.
The $2.3 million in DEI funding is a very small fraction in the university’s $4.2 billion operating budget.
Monday’s vote by the trustees comes on the heels of a UNC Board of Governor’s Governance Committee decision in mid-April to repeal and replace the current DEI policy. The full Board of Governors, which meets again next week, will have the final say on DEI funding and future equity initiatives for the entire system.
The post Trustees strike DEI funding from UNC-CH budget, funds to go to public safety appeared first on NC Newsline.
