'It was not a good look': UNC committee discusses interim chancellor's actions during pro-Palestinian protests

Police detained dozens of people Tuesday morning on UNC's campus while trying to break up an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters. Protests continued throughout Tuesday despite police efforts.

During Wednesday's meeting, faculty members said they want better communication from the administration when similar events happen in the future, as well as flexibility for students who are entering exams and may not feel safe on campus.

"I do think that it's worthwhile to at least get some kind of communication saying, 'Hey, we're thinking about these issues, and we will be communicating with you about them,'" FEC member Andy Hessick said.

UNC protesters and police clash after American flag replaced with Palestinian flag during protests Tuesday

The already tense situation at UNC-Chapel Hill escalated Tuesday afternoon after the American flag was lowered and replaced with a Palestinian flag on the main quad. Dozens of police officers intervened to restore order.

Members of the FEC also wanted Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts to come to the table to explain his decision making.

"All we heard was that he was forced to deploy law enforcement," FEC member Suchi Mohanty said. "What was it that pushed the interim chancellor to make these decisions?"

"I think a lot of people want to know, if he believes that this is a violation of some UNC policy by students, faculty or anything, then they should bring that to the table, so he can say this is what I did why I did," FEC member Anthony Charles said.

Some committee members at the meeting were concerned by the optics of Roberts' march through campus after officers cleared out protesters.

"It was not a good look for the interim chancellor to be standing on the steps of the south building with armed guards next to him, right?" Charles said. "It kind of made the situation a lot worse."

While the committee questioned how Roberts handled the situation at Polk Place, several Republican leaders, including North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, said his actions should warrant him being made the chancellor on a full-time basis.

"Lee Roberts should be really praised for the rapidity with which he and and the administration took action," he said.

Committee member Claudia Yaghoobi and other committee members said they're now trying to identify shared values on how to move forward, and acknowledged they may have different values on protests and the use of law enforcement.

Yaghoobi shared her concern that students associated with the protests will face retaliation. She said she heard that some UNC students suffered concussions after police moved in while others had bags with necessary medication inside confiscated.

"Protecting our students is our first job, and for faculty and administration," she said. "No matter where they stand politically."

Meg Zomorodi said parents have questioned what graduation is going to look like and if it will be safe.

"All of these things would be really important, in some way, to reassure or communicate," she said. "It goes back to proactive peace, so folks can plan."