STATEMENT

Moeser issues statement on budget amendment                                                                                            

Following is a statement from James Moeser, Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in response to the N.C. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee amendment entitled "No Funding for Required Courses on One Religion."

"I am disheartened by this action because it reveals a misunderstanding of Carolina's Summer Reading Program, which was designed to create a meaningful intellectual experience with a relevant topic during new students' orientation to campus life. It's unfortunate that people have misinterpreted this reading assignment as a form of indoctrination. We are offering the summer reading program this year in the spirit of seeking understanding -- not in advocacy of Islam over Christianity or Judaism or any other religion. We simply aim to give new students a chance to read a book, ask questions and discuss their views.

"The proposed amendment, in its broadest sense, would cut at the very core of academic freedom and the First Amendment. We remain committed to the Summer Reading Program, to the merits of the book assigned, and to a vigorous defense of academic freedom at Carolina."

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