News
UNC settles complaint over open meetings tied to board discussions on sports finances
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill must pay $25,000 and its trustees must affirm a commitment to follow state open meetings laws as part of a settlement that dismissed a lawsuit over the board’s handling of athletics discussions.
David McKenzie, a Wake County attorney, filed a complaint in May in Orange County Superior Court accusing the trustees of violating open meetings laws. in previous private discussions related to athletics budgets. It came as UNC trustees weighed in on athletics to highlight rising national tensions with schools jumping from league to league in search of more money tied to TV deals in a football-driven market.
McKenzie told WRAL from Raleigh that he was “pleased” with the settlement, which saw him agree to dismiss the lawsuit and the university pay $25,000 to cover McKenzie’s legal fees and expenses.
“If they’re going to take money from the public, they have to do things in public,” McKenzie told The News & Observer of Raleigh. “And then when they don’t, they may have to pay legal fees.”
McKenzie’s original complaint came as trustees indicated they would discuss UNC’s athletics budget in closed session at an upcoming meeting, as well as referencing private session discussions on athletics matters in November. This came amid comments questioning the financial picture under athletics director Bubba Cunningham, though UNC interim chancellor Lee Roberts publicly supported Cunningham in a public backlash against the trustees.
A judge has granted several temporary restraining orders against UNC trustees who would go into closed session for financial discussions about athletics, which could include future alignment with conferences.
Featured photo via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.
Related stories
‹
Several UNC graduate programs ranked among top 10 in the nation
Several UNC graduate programs were ranked among the top 10 in their respective categories by U.S. News & World Report this week. The rankings are based on a survey of peers at accredited institutions across the country. “Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional, and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly,” said interim […]
UPDATE: On Friday, August 13, the Orange County Health Department confirmed to 97.9 The Hill that this cluster of COVID-19 cases is linked to an outdoor event. UNC announced its first COVID-19 cluster for the 2021-22 academic year exactly one week before classes start on August 18. According to a Carolina Together […]
UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy held a celebration Tuesday to welcome its new dean to the role, as Angela Kashuba became the school’s 11th dean. Kashuba was selected in May to take over as leader of the nation’s top pharmacy school. The permanent role had been vacant since Bob Blouin was hired as […]
Last Friday marked the start of fall, which means cooler weather and flu season starting in October. Researchers at UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, led by Associate Professor Sachiko Ozawa, released a study last year showing that influenza is the most costly preventable disease, costing $5.8 billion in health care costs and losses […]
There are more than 6,800 rare diseases. These diseases are usually genetic and include conditions like muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis. Doctors are learning more about how to identify rare or orphan diseases in the United States, but not as much about how to treat them. That’s why UNC created UNC Catalyst […]
Fred Eshelman donated $100 million in December 2014 to the pharmacy school that bears his name. Nearly a year later, the first round of funding from the largest gift in UNC history is being given to pharmacy school faculty and staff with innovative ideas. “For us, this is a wonderful opportunity for our faculty, staff, […]
Two men now face charges in the death of a UNC professor.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow at 4 p.m. at UNC Memorial Hall in memory of UNC professor and cancer researcher Feng Liu, who was robbed and fatally beaten near Ransom Street and West University Drive last Wednesday.
Both UNC and the broader Chapel Hill community were devastated by the murder of Dr. Feng Liu of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
UNC administrators must affirm a commitment to follow open meetings laws as part of an agreement on how they handle discussions about athletics.
›