University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has come under controversy for a freshman seminar, Literature of 9/11. Based on the reading material, the course will be taught from the perspective of the terrorists.
And now the university is making news again over Sept. 11.
Campus Reform reported that UNC College Republican Chairman Frank Pray wrote to the university expressing displeasure with the course and requested a 9/11 memorial exhibit.
UNC Chancellor Carol Folt then gave the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation permission to bring its mobile “9/11 Never Forget Exhibit” to campus. The display will be open on Tuesday, Sept. 22 for students and the public to tour. The foundation is in honor of a firefighter who responded to the World Trade Center attacks and died for his efforts.
Pray addressed the controversial course in his letter:
Frank Siller, Stephen’s brother and chairman and CEO of Tunnel to Towers, also mentioned the course:
He also acknowledged the opportunity for the exhibit to counteract the course when he pointed out:
Jim Gregory, Director of Media Relations at UNC, however, claimed that the decision to approve the exhibit was not based on the course. “I think it would be inaccurate to say that this was weighed against the recent news about the ‘Literature of 9/11’ course,” he said.
He also called the request “a worthwhile endeavor” and explained it came from a student organization and a decision was made. “This is a request made by one of our student organizations … and when a student organization makes a request, we tend to make decisions based on the merits,” he explained.
