Word on the Street: Students reflect on Chancellor Folt's last day

Carol Folt completed her last day at UNC on Thursday, which elicited a mixed reaction from students. The Daily Tar Heel asked students in the Pit what they would want to say to Folt on her last day as chancellor.

Irene Velez 

Sophomore environmental studies major

“Thank you. I was actually in her little welcome video just because I feel like she doesn’t get enough credit as she should. I feel like there are a lot of extraneous circumstances that have made her reputation go down, but genuinely, at the end of the day, I think she was a great person.”

Austin Griggs 

Senior psychology major

“You made the best of a bad situation, I guess. I don’t know. The chancellor is kind of like the president. You can’t win. It’s always going to be your fault no matter what goes right or what goes wrong, so I think she did the best that she could, but definitely not great by any means.”

Danielle Mcclure

First-year public policy major

“As a first-year, I guess I haven’t gotten to know her as well as people who have been here way longer than me, but from what I’ve seen, she seems like she tried her best to stick up for Carolina’s values, especially with everything with Silent Sam and other things like that, but I guess I would say thank you for what you have done, and I hope she does well in whatever endeavors she takes on next.”

Conner Tate 

Junior computer science major

“I’d just say thank you. I feel like there’s been a lot of anger towards her lately, and obviously I’m not like super educated about everything going on, but I feel like she’s in a tough position between the students and the administration, so I’d just say thanks. I appreciate all her work.”

Owen Zook 

First-year computer science major

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I haven’t really been informed at all about the situation. All I’ve really known is what people have said to me. All I can really ask, I guess, is why? It seems that she’s caused a lot of conflict, and I’d like to know from her perspective. Again, I’m trying to answer the question the best I can with limited information.

Lauren Hawkins

First-year computer science major

“I kind of feel bad that the statue was the whole reason she got ousted because we shouldn’t have had the statue in the first place, so I feel bad that’s why she’s not going to be chancellor anymore.”

university@dailytarheel.com