Little's Honor Court Trial Begins
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ACC Media Day Read about the five most important things we learned from ACC Men’s Basketball Media Day on p. 8. 125 YEARS OF SERVING UNC STUDENTS AND THE UNIVERSITY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018 VOLUME 126, ISSUE 55 Little’s honor court trial begins Spellings to By Preston Lennon leave UNC Senior Writer Maya Little had her day in court -system, last week for the charge of defac - ing Silent Sam, but she has yet to receive a verdict from the Graduate sources say and Professional Honor Court, which met Thursday to begin the By Bailey Aldridge and Rachel Jones fact-finding process that will result Senior Writers in a verdict from the University on her actions. UNC-System President Margaret The proceedings were highlight- Spellings will be leaving her position, ed by a discovery made by the crowd according to the News & Observer. while the hearing was in a recess: The Board of Governors has called UNC law student Frank Pray, one of an emergency session “to consider an the five adjudicators that will decide executive personnel matter” at 10 a.m. Little’s fate, has made public com- on Friday, according to BOG Director ments on Silent Sam in a number of Media Relations Jason Tyson. of contexts. The News and Observer reported In 2015, he spoke to the Board that Spellings has been quietly nego- of Trustees on behalf of the UNC tiating her departure with the BOG, College Republicans, saying that “To and anonymous sources close to her change the monument in any sub- said she is leaving to return to her stantial way that would disrespect home state, Texas. that memory and disrespect our The Triangle Business Journal ancestors is quite frankly an insult confirmed reports that Spellings to us and their memories.” is resigning from her position with In the same year, he called Silent Doyle Parrish, a BOG member. Sam protestors “petulant children” in “I think it’s been a very turbulent a 2015 Twitter comment. To compli- experience for her to navigate through cate matters even further, he recipi- the state’s political system,” Parrish ent of his insult, Altha Cravey, is on told the Triangle Business Journal. Little’s witness list. “Though I think she has done a fabu- In a rush, the attendees of Little’s lous job, we have a divisive board and open hearing — comprised mostly of accomplishing her goals and agendas her supporters — shared the social has been difficult for her.” media comments among themselves The News and Observer report- DTH/HELENA GE and with Little. When the student ed that the timing is unclear, but adjudicators returned, Little was Maya Little pleaded not guilty at her honor court hearing at the Student Union on Thursday. UNC Graduate Student Spellings could be leaving early next ready with questions. Attorney Phil Pullen, charged Maya with violating the honor code by stealing, destroying, or misusing property. year. Spellings’ current contract does She, rather than her defense, not expire until 2021. She was the asked the Honor Court if she could another recess so the five adjudi - outspokenness in no way compro- off,” causing the two police officers first UNC-system president to have raise concerns over her right to a cators could internally decide the mised his ability to be impartial in attendance to rise from their seats incentive bonuses in her contract, fair trial. The presiding officer, best route forward. Back in the on the case. In fact, he said that and stand against the wall for the and was approved for a $95,000 Amelia Ahern, said that the time hearing room, Little’s supporters he didn’t even choose to be there, remainder of the hearing. bonus in March. for rooting out impartiality had became restless and agitated, not but accepted an invitation from the A brief but unproductive dialogue Spellings has served as president come and gone — there was a built shy in their insults directed at the Honor Court to serve on this par - continued between Little and Pray of the UNC-system, which includes in window for any potential con - passing adjudicators. ticular trial, as is standard. before a scheduling conflict required 17 higher education institutions, flicts to be identified at the begin - “It was a joke to begin with,” said “My opinion on the monument is the decision on Pray’s continued since March 2016. She took over ning of the hearing, and Ahern said someone in the crowd. “But now it completely irrelevant to an Honor involvement in the case to be post- after former system President Tom that since there was still a witness has a double punchline.” Court hearing,” he said. poned until Friday. Ross was forced to resign. on the stand, it wasn’t the right When the hearing resumed, it Pray was directly asked by Little There seems to be little agree - She previously served as U.S. time for Little’s concerns. became difficult to keep order in about activity on his social media ment concerning the importance of Secretary of Education under Once the hearing convened fol- the crowd. Ahern had to reiterate accounts. Content on his Facebook Pray’s previous remarks. President George W. Bush, during lowing the next recess, however, the policy against outbursts, but it was altered today, and posts were Pray argues that the case is about which time she implemented the Little’s student-appointed defense, was difficult to reign everyone in as deleted from Facebook. the crime rather than the statue. He No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Clare Kurdys, made a stronger push Pray began talking. “I think a lot of people get rid of is considering Little’s actions in a Her selection was met with protests: to reconsider the potential compro- Pray said there was a stark dif - old Facebook posts,” he said. vacuum, vowing that his feelings for more than 5,000 students protested mise of impartiality. The instru - ference between commenting on Pray was then encouraged to dis- the statue will not conflict with his across six UNC campuses on March ment of student judicial governance the monument and commenting cuss his past history of activism by duty to give Little a fair trial. 1, 2016, Spellings’ first day in office. ensures the accused a “fair, impartial on a particular situation, and in another adjudicator. When he men- Little’s defense, however, has Protesters cited her role in the and speedy hearing.” his case, it was solely the former. tioned his activist role as Chair of the intertwined the statue with the Bush administration, her tenure on This time, Ahern accepted the His record of support for the stat- UNC College Republicans, someone the board of the for-profit company motion and the hearing went into ue is clear, but he affirmed that his from the audience told him to “fuck SEE LITTLE, PAGE 7 Apollo Education Group, Inc., her comments on LGBTQ+ “lifestyles” after her selection as UNC-system president in 2015 and the BOG’s then-recent cuts in funding to histor- What to expect from honor court ically Black colleges and universities as the reasons for class walk-outs By Hannah McClellan ment on any specific cases due to resulted in charges. than the default of a closed case due and a rally at Wilson Library. Senior Writer privacy reasons. Browne said the Undergraduate to FERPA. Spellings came under fire later Undergraduate Honor Court Honor Court has a much larger “We have a really great set of that year for sending a memoran- UNC graduate student Maya Chairperson Mary Beth Browne case volume than the Graduate and procedures in the undergraduate dum to chancellors directing univer- Little’s Honor Court trial for her act also said she could not comment on Professional Honor Court. court we try to adhere to no matter sities on how to comply with House of civil disobedience against Silent Little’s case. Ph.D. student Lindsay Ayling said what the case is, and I think we do a Bill 2, a move that was criticized by Sam began Thursday afternoon and Browne said the goal of the Honor the Honor Court is racist in terms of pretty good job at making sure that the American Civil Liberties Union will likely conclude Friday. System is to determine sanctions how it tries cases, and cited a Daily every student that comes through of North Carolina, Lambda Legal Little is being tried by the that equitably address violations of Tar Heel article from 2016 which gets an equitable process,” she said. and Equality NC. Graduate and Professional Honor honor code, if one is found. reported that 56 percent of academic “We don’t privilege any case over “It is in no way an endorsement Court system. “It ranges from a written letter of cases in the University’s Honor Court another case in terms of how seri - of this law,” Spellings said in a con- The UNC Honor System consists warning to expulsion, but I promise concern students of color, while ously we take every single student or ference call with reporters five days of the Undergraduate Honor Court you, it is very rare in the undergrad- UNC’s campus is 63 percent white. organization that comes before the after the memo was released. “The and the Graduate and Professional uate court,” she said, noting that all “I think we should keep in mind Honor Court.” concerns (are) that this guidance has Honor Court. Each court has a chair- sanctions were on the table and that UNC violated the Civil Rights Act Campus Y Co-President Alli engendered a belief that we are driv- person, vice-chairperson and Honor she could not speculate on sanctions.