Students gather at the base of Silent Sam, a Confederate monument on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on Aug. 25, 2017.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Administrators have said Silent Sam will remain on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the foreseeable future, and students have vowed to remain at the Confederate monument until it is removed.

The 24/7 sit-in at the statue, which faces Franklin Street from McCorkle Place, stretched into the weekend Friday night as students remained at the foot of the pedestal through rainfall and made plans to spend the night on the quad.
Attempts earlier in the week to pitch tents were thwarted by police, but supporters brought umbrellas, chairs and food for those gathered.

The statue of a Confederate soldier was erected in 1913 to mark the 50th anniversary of the American Civil War through funding from alumni and the United Daughters of the Confederacy as a memorial to the students who died fighting for the South.

Silent Sam, so called because the soldier carries no ammunition, sits on a pedestal bearing carvings, although it was covered Friday by signs and banners.

Signs posted around the pedestal at Silent Sam on campus in Chapel Hill on Aug. 25, 2017.