Letter: We must support the Center for Civil Rights

TO THE EDITOR:

The proposal under consideration by The Board of Governors’ Educational Policy committee to stop the Center for Civil Rights from litigating against state and other entities defies the mission of UNC-Chapel Hill — to “extend knowledge-based services and other resources of the University to the citizens of North Carolina and their institutions to enhance the quality of life for all people in the State.”

Through litigation, the Center for Civil Rights has fought for school desegregation, environmental justice, fair housing practices and compensation for survivors of involuntary sterilization by the state.

Doing so, it has worked with clients who lack the means to find representation elsewhere. The Center has also provided UNC students with invaluable education and experience in practical, hands-on litigation. It has just won a well-deserved Diversity Award from UNC, to be presented on April 4 at 3 p.m., in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of Wilson Library.

Moreover, the Center has done all this without state funds. The Chancellor has been asked by the BOG’s Committee to write a report about the center.

Given the Center’s contributions to the research, teaching and public service requirements of centers and institutes by the UNC system, we, as faculty, urge Chancellor Folt, as well as the Board of Governors, to support the Center and continue to allow it to do the work that has made life better, fairer and safer for all North Carolinians.

-Sherryl Kleinman

Professor of Sociology

UNC, Chapel Hill

-Maxine Eichner

Professor of Law

UNC, Chapel Hill

Endorsements by other faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill:

1) Karen Booth

Women's and Gender Studies

2) elin o'hara slavick

Art and Art History

3) Lawrence Grossberg

Communication

4) Elyse Crystall

English and Comparative Literature

5) John McGowan

English and Comparative Literature

6) Karen Hagemann

History

7) Arturo Escobar

Anthropology

8) Trude Bennett

Global School of Public Health

9) Beth Grabowski

Art and Art history

10) Glenn Hinson

Anthropology

11) Michael Corrado

School of Law

12) Kathleen Thomas

School of Law

12) Maria DeGuzman

English and Comparative Literature

13) Mark Driscoll

Asian Studies

14) Michal Osterweil

Global Studies

15) Victor Marshall

Sociology

16) Patricia Sawin

American Studies

17) Della Pollock

Communication

18) Dennis Mumby

Communication

19) Laurie McNeil

Physics and Astronomy

20) Susan Bickford

Political Science

21) Neal Caren

Sociology

22) Emily Baragwanath

Classics

23) Sharon James

Classics

24) Janine Zanin

School of Law

25) Emma Flatt

History

26) Patricia Bryan

School of Law

27) Jonathan Hess

German

28) Jon D.C. Powell

History

29) Frank Baumgartner

Political Science

30) Kenneth Janken

African, African-American and Diaspora Studies

31) Ariana Vigil

Women's and Gender Studies

32) Al Duncan

Classics

33) David Richardson

Global School of Public Health

34) Mary-Rose Papandrea

School of Law

35) Leslie Street

School of Law

36) Anne Klinefelter

School of Law

37) Thomas Kelley

School of Law

38) Maria Savasta-Kennedy

School of Law

39) Marisa Domino

School of Public Global Health

40) Kaci Bishop

School of Law

41) Lauren Leve

Religious Studies

42) Joseph Glatthaar

History

43) Richard Saver

School of Law

44) O.J. Salinas

School of Law

45) Jeff Sebo

Philosophy

46) Michael Palm

Communication

47) Yong Cai

Sociology

48) Sherrick Hughes

School of Education

49) Laila Elsherif

Biochemistry and Biophysics

50) James Trier

School of Education

51) Douglas MacLean

Philosophy

52) Charles Kurzman

Sociology

53) Marc Lange

Philosophy

54) Gillian Russell

Philosophy

55) Robert Hummer

Sociology

56) Barbara Fedders

School of Law

57) Brett Whalen

History

58) Deborah Eaker-Rich

School of Education

59) Holning Lau

School of Law

60) Melissa Jacoby

School of Law

61) Jacqueline Hagan

Sociology

62) Donald Raleigh

History

63) Russ Shafer-Landau

Philosophy

64) Rebecca Walker

Social Medicine

65) C.D.C. Reever

Philosophy

66) Rob Hamilton

Communication

67) Arthur Benavie

Economics

68) J.H. Lesher

Philosophy

69) Tanya Shields

Women's and Gender Studies

70) Renee Alexander Craft

Communication

71) Thomas Otten

Music

72) Valerie Lambert

Anthropology

73) Steve May

Communication

74) Rich Cante

Communication

75) Malinda Maynor Lowery

History

76) Lisa Pearce

Sociology

77) Michelle Robinson

American Studies

78) Stuart Macdonald

Political Science

79) Lisa Lindsay

History

80) Sharon Holland

American Studies

81) Robert Mosteller

School of Law

82) Allison Schlobohm

School of Business

83) Pat Pukkila

Biology

84) Joseph Jordan

African, African American & Diaspora Studies

85) Sara Smith

Geography

86) Todd Ramon Ochoa

Religious Studies

87) Carl Ernst

Religious Studies

88) Juliane Hammer

Religious Studies

89) Jennifer Ho

English and Comparative Literature

90) Kenneth Andrews

Sociology

91) Deborah Gerhardt

School of Law

92) Karolyn Tyson

Sociology

93) William Race

Classics

94) John Boger

School of Law

95) Joseph Kennedy

School of Law

96) Hassan Melehy

Romance Studies

97) Milada Anna Vachudova

Political Science

98) Jane Thrailkill

English and Comparative Literature

99) Jeff Summerlin-Long

Public Policy

100) Catherine Zimmer

Sociology

101) Mai Thi Nguyen

City & Regional Planning

102) Rahsaan Maxwell

Political Science

103) Michael Lienesch

Political Science

104) Philip Berke

City & Regional Planning

105) Altha Cravey

Geography

106) Elizabeth Havice

Geography

107) Laura Gassoway

School of Law

108) Elizabeth Olson

Geography

109) Louise McReynolds

History

110) Deborah Weissman

School of Law

111) Gene Nichol

School of Law

112) Kathryn Sabbath

School of Law

113) Dorothy Heitsch

Romance Studies

114) Michael Dominguez

School of Education

115) James Leloudis

History

116) Stanley W. Black

Economics

117) Thomas Hill

Philosophy

118) Scott Kirsch

Geography

119) Chad Bryant

History

120) Luke Honeycutt Everett

School of Law

121) Jesse White

City & Regional Planning

122) Helen Orr

Religious Studies

123) Thurston Domina

School of Education

124) Minrose Gwin

English and Comparative Literature

125) Daniel Kreiss

School of Media and Journalism

126) Sarah Shields

History

127) Ruth Salvaggio

English and Comparative Literature

128) Arne Kalleberg

Sociology

129) Elaine Sanford-Sawyer

Medical School

130) Dana Thompson Dorsey

School of Education

131) Cheryl Jackson

Medical School

132) Diane Rowley

School of Public Health

133) Cheryl Wood Giscombe

Nursing

134) Claude Clegg

African American Studies and History

135) Hong-An Truong

Art

136) Deborah Stroman

Business School