Dear students, faculty and staff,
With the confederate monument relocated to the cemetery on campus, I want to share a brief update on the project and what remains to be done.
First, to reiterate and clarify a point from my July 14 message, we will not add headstones to the cemetery. The graves are too shallow to add headstones without the possibility of disturbing the remains, which would be inappropriate and I am not willing to do that.
Work that remains to be completed at the site includes the addition of a sidewalk to make the site compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, safety lighting affixed to the sidewalk, and landscaping. In addition, I anticipate that the next meeting of the Work Group on the Cemetery Project will be its last meeting, and I will update you on any recommendations brought forth.
From the outset of my involvement in this project, my goal has been to relocate the monument from the Circle in the heart of our campus to a more suitable location on campus in accordance with state law. We have done that. At the same time, I must acknowledge that some aspects of the execution of this project have not been handled as well as I would have liked. I take seriously the concerns expressed by various student and faculty groups pertaining to certain elements of the project, and I have met over the last two weeks with faculty members, elected leaders of undergraduate and graduate student groups and the leadership of the Faculty Senate to discuss those concerns directly. I take responsibility and apologize for the concerns that resulted.
As I stated to our elected student and faculty leaders this week, I am committed to working more collaboratively on significant matters facing our university. As we approach the fall semester, I remain available to any student who calls my office to schedule a time simply to visit or discuss any opportunity at our university.
Sincerely,
Glenn F. Boyce
Chancellor
