By the Associated Press:

Washburn University officials have removed statues of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin from the school’s campus in Topeka.

School spokesman Patrick Early said Thursday that university officials were concerned the statues would be vandalized or become an embarrassment for their donors. He says the family of the statues’ donor asked for their return.

Statues of Jefferson and other historical figures have been targeted this year because they honor slaveholders. Early says students had questioned the propriety of the statues in the past but that their removal wasn’t in response to a protest or student request.