TO THE EDITOR:
More than anything, some of the most divisive debates on this campus over the past few years have been about our school’s history — its buildings, people and monuments.
But as my time in Chapel Hill closes, and I finish one of my favorite classes at UNC, the History of North Carolina since 1865 (HIST 367), it is shocking to me how little we, as a community of students, seek to learn the broader history of this campus and state.
The history of North Carolina and UNC are tied hand in hand. It could be easy for the University to mandate new top-down educational measures as it updates the General Education Curriculum in 2019, or expand its history websites and offerings.
But we, as students and faculty, need to figure out ways to build student interest in this history beyond the most salient issues.
For a community that prides itself on being the oldest public university, we need to do more to learn about the people, issues and controversies of (the) past 228 years - both the good and the bad.
If we, as students, want to help advance this University and State, we need to spend more time learning and building interest in this University’s past.
David Vitek
Senior
