William Thorpe, a promoter for UNC Walk for Health, intends to sleep for one week next to the Old Well in order to raise awareness for sleep deprivation, which is linked to the leading causes of death in the United States.
“Originally, the idea was to sleep for seven days on McCorkle Place — you know, the whole quad there — and it would be symbolic because that’s the most hallowed ground,” Thorpe said. “I wanted to put it right there so all the attention of the University would be on it. All of this is part of an overall health and wellness program we put together.”
With no promise of personal safety and the persistence of rainy weather, UNC's administration prevented Thorpe from setting up his tent and sleeping bag on McCorkle Place.
“The thing was, (the University) couldn’t guarantee my safety. It would present some issues,” he said.
Thorpe said the possible safety concerns inherent in sleeping alone on McCorkle Place, along with the possibility of becoming sick after sleeping in the rain, would detract from the program’s mission.
Thorpe said the focus of Sleep Week, a component of the annual UNC Walk for Health, is to raise awareness for a chronic health condition — while following University rules and regulations. The goal of the program is to help students understand the dangers of sleep deprivation in an effective and safe manner.
“The whole idea is that lack of sleep makes us fat, makes us sick, and makes us stupid; it affects our memory, our reaction time and our coordination,” he said. “We want to raise awareness of that issue for the entire UNC community.”
After administration denied access to McCorkle Place, Thorpe opted to move the event to the Eddie Smith Field House — the site of last year’s Walk for Health.
Assistant Athletic Director for Facility Planning and Management Mike Bunting said using the field house as the location for Sleep Week also presented issues.
