MENOMONIE, Wis. – The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stout has decided to put two historic portraits – one depicting French fur traders with Native Americans in canoes on a river, and one of a frontier fort with Native Americans nearby – under lock and key, after a “diversity team” objected to their public display.

Chancellor Bob Meyer insisted his decision was not due to political correctness, but then was quoted as saying the paintings “stood in the way of an effort to create an inclusive and comfortable environment for everyone,” according to Madison.com.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

He also said his decision was not akin to censorship, but then was quoted as saying, “I simply wanted to get them into situations where we had some control over who would view them,” according to Madison.com.

To the naked eye, the paintings would probably not seem harmful, insensitive or historically inaccurate to anyone.

“Commissioned by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, the paintings – made by Wisconsin-born artist Cal Peters – depict a French fort and fur traders with Native Americans canoeing the Red Cedar River,” WPR.org reported.

The paintings do not depict warfare or acts of cruelty. On the contrary, they seem to depict mutually-beneficial cooperation between Native Americans and French visitors.

But Meyer decided they should be taken off the wall of the university’s Harvey Hall. One will be moved into the Harvey Hall Library, and the other to the dean’s conference room in the hall, according to WPR.com. People will reportedly have to make appointments to view them.

Meyer says he understands how Native American students might be offended by the works of art.

MORE NEWS: How to prepare for face-to-face classes

“There’s a segment of Native American students, that when they look at the art, to them it symbolizes an era of their history where land and possessions were taken away from them, and they feel bad when they look at them,” Meyer said, according to WPR.org.

Interestingly, the portraits were recently cleaned and restored as part of a Harvey Hall renovation project. The university hired a firm to do the work, and several UW art students assisted, according to UWStout.edu.

But then the paintings caught the watchful eye of the University’s Diversity Leadership team, which “expressed concern that the depiction of First Nations people would reinforce racial stereotypes,” according to NCAC.org.

Many people have reportedly come forward to oppose the decision to remove the paintings – including some who disapprove of them.

For instance, the National Coalition Against Censorship opposes Meyer’s decision, apparently because the group feels the paintings represent something negative about American history that should be displayed and openly discussed.

“Putting Cal Peters’ 1930s paintings in a closet ends the conversation prematurely and to the detriment of current and future students and faculty,” wrote Svetlana Mintcheva, the group’s director, according to Madison.com. “Removing representations of historically oppressed groups from view will not change the facts of history.”

Timothy Shiell, a UW-Stout professor, takes a similar view of the art, but also objects to censorship.

“American history and representations of that history can be ugly and offensive,” he wrote, according to Madison.com. “But hiding them doesn’t change the past or the future.”