UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorpe received a reminder this week that a taxpayer-funded university does not operate in a vacuum and that UNC’s list of constituents is more than the faculty, students and legislators who hand over the cash. The general public is keenly interested and aware as well.
To Thorp’s credit, he responded to complains about the silly decision of Sarah Michalak, associate provost for university libraries, to ban Christmas trees from the buildings. Thorp said the decision rests with each department and that other UNC departments/buildings have plenty of Christmas cheer.
So when will we hear more from the source of this political correctness? In the spirit of inclusiveness and intellectual rigor that UNC embraces, Ms. Michalak should release a detailed reasoning for her decision.
By the way, a check of the Wilson and Davis library Web sites shows that both will be closed over the Christmas holiday. Could it be that the library community will be celebrating Christmas?
