( CNN ) -- Washington and Lee University cited slavery 's `` regrettable '' role in the Virginia school 's history and announced that it will remove Confederate battle flags from a chapel that serves as a major meeting place . The decision was announced in a message Tuesday from university President Kenneth Ruscio following discussions of concerns raised by black students about the campus environment . In 1826 the University -- then Washington College -- owned between 70 to 80 slaves and benefited from their labor , wrote Ruscio . `` Acknowledging that historical record -- and acknowledging the contributions of those individuals -- will require coming to terms with a part of our past that we wish had been different but that we can not ignore , '' Ruscio said . Ruscio also said that the regimental flags are going to be removed from Lee Chapel . The flags are replicas of original and historic battle flags that were once at the site . The university in Lexington is named for President George Washington and Robert E. Lee , the Confederate general who later served as school president until his death in 1870 . He is buried in a crypt beneath the landmark chapel . The original flags will be placed on rotating display at Lee Chapel Museum in a more `` appropriate location '' where the stories behind them can be properly told , wrote Ruscio . A group of black law students , referred to as `` The Committee , '' has been communicating with the administration about its concerns , leader Brandon Hicks said Wednesday . Their letter began a dialogue between the students and the administration . `` It 's about creating a climate on campus that everyone feels welcome , '' Hicks told CNN on why he sought the changes . He said some students felt uncomfortable with the flags at Lee Chapel . `` These are huge steps . We are ecstatic , '' Hicks said of Ruscio 's announcement . Black students comprise 2 % of the undergraduate student body at Washington and Lee . `` It 's commendable that the university and the administration took into consideration the feelings of all students , '' Hernandez Stroud , former president of the Black Law Students Association , told CNN . `` I think these are age-old issues that are as challenging as they are controversial and I think there are people all across the spectrum that understand no solution will please everyone . But I do think what was incredibly encouraging was the care the administration used with these issues , '' Stroud said . `` Schools are more than just their history , '' Stroud said . In April , Ruscio said questions raised by law students were legitimate . `` Washington and Lee seeks to establish a climate of learning in which we treat all individuals with respect and trust . If even one person thinks that we have not met our aspiration in that regard , we must listen to them and examine why . We are doing so , and we will continue to do so , '' he wrote . In his letter Tuesday , the administrator said the purpose of the historic flags in a campus setting is to educate . `` They are not to be displayed for decoration , which would diminish their significance , or for glorification , or to make a statement about past conflicts , '' he wrote . `` The reproductions are not genuinely historic ; nor are they displayed with any information or background about what they are . The absence of such explanation allows those who either 'oppose ' or 'support ' them to assert their own subjective and frequently incorrect interpretations . '' Stroud says he does not hold a grudge against Washington and Lee , because no institution is void of racism . `` I think going to school here knowing Lee and his history is like asking why you would n't boycott the American dollar bill when George Washington was a slave owner . '' Opinion : Why we need to talk about reparations . 'Why I 'm tired of hearing about 'that ' civil rights movement ' Opinion : History Lost : Mississippi burning again . Opinion : Confederate flag was the the flag of traitors . CNN 's Marisa Marcellino and David Shortell contributed to this report .
Students raised questions about environment at Washington and Lee . The school has been under fire for its handling of the incident, which occurred in a hallway outside an office building on campus. School calls its link to slavery `` regrettable '' ` ` These are huge steps . We are ecstatic , '' says one student .