UNC Board To Study What Do With "Silent Sam" Statue

The board that oversees North Carolina's public university system will take more time to study what to do with a toppled confederate monument known as "Silent Sam."

Board of Governors chairman Harry Smith said Friday that the board couldn't approve a proposal to build a $5 million structure to house the statue on campus.

Instead, the Board passed a resolution to have several of its members work with the flagship campus on a new plan. That revised plan is due in March.

Smith cited safety and costs as concerns with the plan proposed earlier this month by the chapel hill campus trustees to build the new $5 million history center on the outskirts of campus.

Outgoing university system president Margaret Spellings said at the beginning of the meeting that dealing with the statue known as "Silent Sam" was a serious issue and that campus safety was a foremost concern. 

The statue was torn down during a demonstration earlier this year.