Lee Roberts should be made UNC chancellor permanently, GOP legislative leaders say
Republican legislative leaders praised UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts for his handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests that grew chaotic on Tuesday, and said he should fill the position at the helm of the university permanently.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday evening, House Speaker Tim Moore said Roberts showed “incredible leadership,” “a lot of backbone,” “patriotism,” and a commitment to “doing the right thing,” as he directed the removal of protesters from an encampment that violated university policy and later oversaw the rehanging of an American flag on the main quad after protesters took it down and replaced it with a Palestinian flag.
Moore said “100%” when asked if he supported Roberts filling the position of chancellor permanently. He said he told UNC System President Peter Hans and Board of Governors Chair Randall Ramsey that they “ought to take that interim title off and name Lee Roberts the chancellor today.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Senate leader Phil Berger also expressed his support for Roberts, who was tapped to serve as interim chancellor in December after chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced he was leaving UNC to lead Michigan State University.
Berger told reporters Wednesday that he thought Roberts “did exactly what needed to be done” and that he was “as proud as I can be of him.” Berger said there was “no question” that Roberts should continue to serve as chancellor, permanently.
The praise comes as police on the UNC campus face scrutiny for how they handled the arrests of protesters at a pro-Palestinian rally early Tuesday on campus.
The legislature does not have authority over the ongoing chancellor search at the university. But lawmakers appoint all members of the UNC System Board of Governors and some members of the campus-level Board of Trustees. Members of each board are serving on the search committee to find the next chancellor, and the full boards will each weigh in, to varying degrees, on the final selection, which will ultimately be approved by Hans.
Roberts, a former state budget director under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2021. He hasn’t said publicly if he will seek a permanent appointment as chancellor.
Police face criticism
Several Chapel Hill and Carrboro elected officials, among others, shared a statement that condemned “aggressive police tactics” used to detain the protesters.
Images of struggles on campus between protesters and law enforcement — both during the arrests and later at a flagpole — made national news. Video showed officers holding some protesters to the ground when they were detained.
UNC Police cited 10 students and 20 people not affiliated with the university with trespassing on Tuesday. Another six protesters were arrested and charged at the Orange County jail with trespassing.
Protesters have called on UNC to disclose investments related to Israel in its endowment and, if they exist, to divest from them. They also demanded the university end study-abroad programs to Israel and “acknowledge the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”
Later Tuesday afternoon, tensions escalated again at the flagpole. When Roberts arrived to raise the U.S. flag, protesters threw water on him and officers.
Moore, who is a UNC alumnus, said those protesters who threw water at Roberts and police officers were assaulting them and should be prosecuted. If they were students, they should be expelled, he said.
“Assault is not right, and what’s happening is improper, and it’s creating a hostile environment for Jewish students,” Moore said. “It’s creating just a hostile environment all the way around.”
Tammy Grubb contributed to this report.
