The president of the University of North Carolina System and the chancellor of North Carolina State University have called on Mary Easley, wife of the former governor, to resign from a position at North Carolina State that has come to be seen as political patronage, The Raleigh News & Observer reported. Easley was hired to direct a speakers series, but was given additional duties and a five-year, $850,000 contract during a period of budget constraints at the university. The controversy has already led to the resignation of the university's provost and of the a university trustee. Easley has not indicated if she will quit.