Some UNC students find new EVERFI training modules ineffective

Many students’ inboxes were flooded with multiple, nearly identical emails last Friday, prompting the completion of EVERFI online courses assigned by UNC to cover topics like prescription drug abuse, mental well-being, sexual assault and alcohol education. 

Although the modules are designed to address and discuss important topics, some students feel like the online trainings are not effective and create an added stressor.

This year, the roll-out of the modules was delayed due to the pandemic, as well as a policy change from the U.S. Department of Education on federal Title IX rules and regulations that required EVERFI to update its course material before distributing, Director of Student Wellness Dean Blackburn said in a statement via UNC Media Relations.

Completion of specific EVERFI courses is required for all enrolled students, including both new and returning undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the email said. The email sets an Oct. 19 due date for the mandatory first portion of training, but does not state the consequence for failing to complete it. 

“Traditionally, we have attached a registration hold for any students who do not complete the course,”  Blackburn said in the statement. “This year, due to the pandemic and the stress we know students are under, we are relaxing that registration hold process. However, we still sincerely hope that each student will approach all the modules with an open ‘growth mindset’ and be willing to complete each one.” 

“Bothered,” is how senior Katie Horn said she felt when she saw the four email notifications asking her to do more work. She said she does not think modules are the best way to learn about these issues and to her, it feels like the University assigned trainings to check off boxes and not to mindfully solve problems. 

“We’re all burnt out,” Horn said. “We should not be looking at a screen anymore. We’re already looking at them all the time. We do not need this on our plate.”  

Some students, like first-year Julius King, are struggling to find time and motivation to complete the lengthy training sessions. Last week, King said he was assigned a new module to complete, in addition to ones he was sent at the beginning of the year. 

“I was looking at it and I was thinking, ‘I don’t want to do this,’” King said. “I’ve been up to my neck in work for two weeks and I’ve been doing work constantly pretty much every day.”

King said he worked on the module for an hour, but only got halfway through it. He said if the modules were more concise, he thinks he would be more motivated to finish them. He said he knows friends who click through the modules just to complete them and to avoid any potential consequences.

“I think it’s a good attempt by the University to make sure we all are being safe and making good decisions, but at the same time, I don’t know how effective it will be,” King said. “It is important to know the information, but it just takes too long to do.” 

The University hopes students will complete the courses to learn more information, consider alternative perspectives, develop new skills and practices and learn how to navigate issues more safely, Blackburn said in the statement. 

"We do understand that some students will see this as just one additional assignment to do, and perhaps not relevant or helpful," Blackburn said. "However, based on student feedback... the University has selected four primary educational modules for students that speak to those needs and address those concerns."

Junior Rajeev Dutta completed his four training modules immediately, as he said he did not want to keep getting notifications.

Dutta said he believes the situations reflected in the trainings do not provide adequate support. He said he would rather learn about specific steps the University is taking to support struggling students and combat prevalent issues on and around campus, than to watch what he feels like a generic module. 

“It takes these really complicated issues that require systemic change and boils them down to, ‘You can refer your friend to CAPS and everything will be fine,’” Dutta said. “It places responsibility on the students for issues that are caused by, if not heavily facilitated by, the structure of the University itself.” 

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