Board taking more time to decide on UNC Confederate statue

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The board governing North Carolina’s public universities is giving itself more time to decide the fate of a Confederate statue toppled by protesters.

The Board of Governors is now expected to receive recommendations for the statue in May, two months later than previously planned, according to an email by board Chairman Harry Smith.

Smith had previously asked five members to develop and submit a plan to the full board by March 15.

The email from Smith announcing the extension was released Tuesday. It says the team needs more time to do its work but doesn’t give further explanation.

The statue known as “Silent Sam” stood in a main quad for over a century before it was torn down last August by protesters who called it a racist symbol.