UNC expects to disenroll no students for failing to acknowledge COVID-19 standards

Updated Feb. 2, 7:45 p.m.: University Registrar Lauren DiGrazia said the UNC anticipates no one will be disenrolled from their spring courses. 

UNC is working individually with less than 20 students to ensure they are in compliance with COVID-19 requirements, DiGrazia said. 

"We’re thankful that as the University's individual contact with students progressed, students have stepped up to demonstrate the importance of upholding our community standards to keep students, faculty, staff and neighbors safe," DiGrazia said in an email. 

The University began disenrolling students who had not agreed to the COVID-19 community standards and updated their address and phone number in ConnectCarolina from their spring courses on Wednesday. 

As of Friday morning, 20 students had yet to complete these requirements, UNC Media Relations Manager Carly Miller said.

The registrar’s office will do its best to reinstate students' course schedules if they complete the requirements, Assistant Provost and University Registrar Lauren DiGrazia said in an email statement.

The Office of the University Registrar sent an email to each student being disenrolled to notify them that they have been removed from their courses, and to give instructions on how to complete the requirements.

Miller said the University also reminded students to complete these requirements through text and phone call reminders, social media posts and videos on various campus webpages.

J’sha Gift, a first-year student majoring in media and journalism and communications, said she felt disenrolling students was an appropriate response by the University.

“I feel like it was pretty clear what we were supposed to do,” Gift said. “I think you can disenroll them because there’s a health crisis.”

The email from the Registrar's Office said students can access the student requirements dashboard in ConnectCarolina, click on the remaining red icons and complete the steps listed. Students can also contact the ITS service desk for assistance.

Next, students should reply to the registrar’s email saying they have completed the requirements.

The University has previously disenrolled students for other serious offenses, such as not meeting immunization requirements, DiGrazia said in a statement.

“We don’t take disenrollment lightly,” Amy Johnson, vice chancellor for student affairs, said in an email.

The original deadline to complete the requirements was Jan. 6, but it was extended to Jan. 13. Miller said between Dec. 17 and Jan. 13, students were warned of a hold being placed on their account in ConnectCarolina if they didn’t complete the requirements.

Miller said most of the student body — more than 27,000 students — had fulfilled the campus community requirements by the deadline. 

university@dailytarheel.com