NAACP wants records from UNC president's hiring

CHAPEL HILL, NC (WTVD) -- The NAACP delivered a written public records request to the UNC Board of Governors Tuesday that asks for all information around the firing of former UNC President Tom Ross and the hiring of his replacement Margaret Spellings.

Ross, a Democrat, was forced out by the Republican-dominated board in a move that the NAACP said was not transparent enough and a potential violation of open records law.

The sharply worded records request calls Spellings "what appears to be a woefully unqualified Texas political operative."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LETTER (.pdf)

At a news conference Tuesday, the group questioned Spellings' motives.

"She wants to turn our education system into a for-profit system, and I came to UNC to get an education, a liberal arts degree. And I've grown because of my education at UNC and I believe any privatization of any education system is not going to allow other students to get the same opportunity," offered UNC Senior Kiera Campbell - part of the NAACP Youth and College Division.

"Margaret Spellings talks about students as customers. She does this repeatedly and this is indicative of the philosophy that she holds, that education is a private thing and not a public thing," offered UNC faculty member Altha Cravey.

Spellings' first day on the job as UNC's president is March 1. She will be officially sworn in March 4.