UNC governors vote to close 3 university-based centers
Amid student protests and faculty dissent, the UNC Board of Governors voted to close three centers, including the The Center on Work, Poverty and Opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. The News & Observer reported on the vote and the opposition.
The Board, in an apparent effort to move away from outspoken opponents of the vote, moved the meeting from a large room to a small board room. The small room was not open to the public, but a live video feed was sent to a nearby viewing room for those that would not fit in the small room.
SMVT partner Amanda Martin was interviewed by the paper:
Amanda Martin, general counsel to the N.C. Press Association, said the board’s move from a large room to one that didn’t accommodate the public violated the state’s Open Meetings Law.
“What’s at play here is a public body going to great lengths to exclude members of the public, and that is not permitted under the law,” she said.
Providing a video feed at another location does not live up the legal standard for a public meeting – especially in a situation in which a meeting is held in a small room for the purposes of quelling dissent, she said.
“Attendance and observation are two different things,” Martin said. “The Open Meetings Law says any person is allowed to attend.”