Dr. Janet Levy, UNC Charlotte professor emeritus and founding chair of the Department of Anthropology discusses her role and experiences as a member of the Niner Nation Remembrance Memorial Jury and Advisory Group that met in 2020 and 2021 to help select the winning design for the April 30th memorial. [All times approximate]. [00:00] Introductions. [01:33] Dr. Levy describes how she was approached by Chancellor Dubois to serve on the Memorial Advisory Group and how the COVID 19 pandemic delayed the process. [03:00] She briefly describes her background, her route to becoming a professor at UNC Charlotte, and circumstances that led to her staying in Charlotte to finish her career. [07:49] She describes the reasons why the Department of Sociology and Anthropology were divided into two departments and why she was drawn to the discipline of archaeology. {10:27] Dr. Levy relates her personal experience in relation to the events of the April 30th campus shooting, how she heard about the event and her realization that she had a personal connection to lecturer Adam Johnson who was the professor in the classroom where the shooting occurred. She also describes how she had a connection to the room itself through a colleague who had worked to establish appropriate classes suited to the innovative space. She reflects on her reactions to the event. [21:14] She discusses the dilemma of what to do with the Kennedy building where the shooting took place. She describes the delay in proceeding with the Memorial Jury and Advisory Group, which did not begin to meet until November 2020. [27:45] She reflects on the nature of the two groups and how they worked together but in different capacities, with the jury consisting of people with artistic and architectural backgrounds and the advisory board representing the university and the community. She reflects on how the groups always met together and how the virtual zoom platform facilitated the meetings. [31:35] She describes the process of reviewing the submitted designs, noting that a second revised call for proposals was sent out after the first round had insufficient response. She describes how the committees assessed thirty six proposals to establish a shortlist of four designs. [49:24] She relates her thoughts about the winning design by TEN x TEN and she notes that reactions to the memorial will change with time. She reflects on her role on the advisory board as mostly representing the longer view and understanding of campus history and culture. [57:01] She addresses the shifting time frame of the construction of the memorial. She speculates that over time the memorial might be moved as campus changes and the core of the campus shifts. [1:02:50] She concludes the interview reflecting on the purpose of memorials and their limited ability to cause change. She reflects again on the impact of the pandemic and the benefit of being able to meet virtually.
