Chancellor Carol Folt said the presidents of the universities in the ACC agree on diversity, inclusivity and welcoming environments that are safe — which is why Folt said she understood the ACC’s decision.
She said each president of an ACC university was allowed to vote on the decision beforehand, but she could not disclose how she voted.
“I think that everyone appreciates that universities have not been at the center of this controversy, but in a way, we’ve become at the center because of how it plays out,” Folt said.
Ezra Baeli-Wang, a Student Athlete Advisory Council representative, said the ACC’s decision was largely dependent on the NCAA’s recent decision to also move championships from the state because of HB2.
“We were left with very few options, as a conference, in terms of how to respond,” he said. “The precedent had been very clearly set by the overall governing body of collegiate athletics.”
Folt said the NCAA’s decision came as a surprise even to her.
“One of the things that we all objected to was the speed with which this happened,” she said.
“I didn’t know about the NCAA until it showed up. Everybody was very upset by that. The NCAA didn’t allow us to have our normal level of consultation.”
