“Universities have the discretion under state law to relocate statues on their campuses”, Susswein told the DMN.
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The University of Texas said on Thursday it would move a statute of Confederate president Jefferson Davis from the campus to an educational exhibit in response to protests over the public display of symbols of the Confederacy.
The statue had been targeted by vandals and had come under increasing criticism as a symbol of racism.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans filed a restraining order Friday to delay the moving the statue through the weekend, at least, as a judge has yet to return a decision, The Associated Press reported.
A statue of Jefferson Davis is seen on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.
Rather than remove the Davis statue, UT said it would move it to an indoor location, a move the school is still confident in.
The campus has several monuments to the Confederacy and its leaders due in large part to a wealthy benefactor named George Washington Littlefield, who fought in the Civil War with “Terry’s Texas Rangers”.
“While every historical figure leaves a mixed legacy, I believe Jefferson Davis is in a separate category, and that it is not in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating him”, he said.
The Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans filed the request in Travis County state district court, the group confirmed Friday, claiming that the university’s decision to move the statue so quickly after hearing other possible recommendations violated the will of the donor.
“As a public university, it is vital that we preserve and understand our history and help our students and the public learn from it in meaningful ways”, University of Texas President Gregory Fenves said. The statue’s move had been scheduled for Saturday.
The university said in a statement it has agreed to wait until a court has a chance to review the issue next week.
The panel suggested relocating the statue to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
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“The statue has stood in place for 82 years and we feel if it stands for a little longer, that’d be just fine”, Davis said.
