Column: Students let their voices be heard this academic year

This year was not easy. 

But we got through it, day by day.

We began the year with a fatal school shooting on Aug. 28. Students mourned the loss of Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the UNC Department of Applied Physical Sciences, in community and University-led vigils.

Students processed the trauma of being in lockdown for 190 minutes. Some students rallied against gun violence, and others fell into the arms of their community on campus.  

Just 16 days later, on the afternoon of Sept. 13, a man brandished a gun in the Student Union, sending students into a second lockdown. The back-to-back incidents set the tone for a tumultuous year of tension between students and the University. 

On Oct. 7, Hamas attacked Israel and an Israeli military campaign following, with thousands of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip. On campus, UNC's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine partnered with students, faculty and community members to hold vigils for victims of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as well as several demonstrations calling for the University to divest from Israeli and Israel-supporting companies. 

Kevin Guskiewicz stepped down as UNC's 12th chancellor days after the start of winter break. After working at the University for 28 years, the chancellor, informally known to students as "Kevin G," officially ended his tenure at the University in early January. 

As the end of the winter break rolled near, the Franklin Street staple Linda's Bar and Grill closed its doors after 47 years of service. Hundreds of students, alumni and members of the community flooded to the restaurant to get one last bite of cheesy loaded tots. The restaurant's founder, Linda Williams, and her daughter, Kim Scott, are searching for a new owner to reopen the bar.

The spring semester started with the instatement of Lee Roberts as UNC's interim chancellor. 

Roberts, a former member of the UNC Board of Governors and the previous budget director for former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, had no previous administrative experience in higher education before his tenure began.

Students and faculty expressed concerns that Roberts was not qualified for the job, and new University clubs like the Southern Student Action Coalition and TransparUNCy advocated against Roberts on social media and through on-campus teach-ins — at least one of which Roberts attended. 

UNC junior Jaleah Taylor was elected in February to serve as the 2024-2025 student body president. The campaign platform of the Taylor administration centered around increasing student accessibility, prioritizing student mental health, addressing food insecurity on campus and increasing UNC's sustainability efforts.

Taylor previously co-founded the Black Pre-Law Student Association at UNC in the fall of this year, alongside UNC students Taylah Smith and Joann Obioma.

Other changes to University leadership occurred this year. The inaugural faculty of the School of Civic Life and Leadership was announced in the fall, and Jed Atkins was announced as the school's inaugural dean in the spring. 

UNC System President Peter Hans also announced the 13-member search committee responsible for selecting candidates for the University's next chancellor. Chaired by Executive Dean of the UNC School of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer of UNC Health Cristy Page, the committee includes faculty and staff representation, members of the UNC Boards of Trustees and Governors, alumni representation and only one student representative.

Because only two members of the search committee were present at either the undergraduate or graduate listening forums in April, TransparUNCy and the Affirmative Action Coalition at UNC co-hosted a public forum on April 24 for students to voice their demands. No members of the search committee attended. 

People across the UNC System expressed their outrage when the BOG passed a motion to repeal and replace diversity and inclusion policies across all 17 institutions this month. If passed by the full board in May, the proposed policy could cut 35 jobs related to diversity and inclusion across the System.

While we must hold space for the pain students on campus have experienced this year, it is equally as important to recognize the good.

The installment of a permanent ramp on the Old Well symbolized a larger step toward accessibility on campus. Guskiewicz returned for this year's Last Lecture. Students banded together time and time again to fight for the things they believe in.

Nowhere has that been clearer than in the final few days of this year. Hundreds of students, faculty and community members from across the state banded together to create the "Triangle Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on UNC's campus, echoing national protests calling for divestment of Israeli and Israel-supporting companies. Demonstrators and the community surrounding them clearly showed that they would not be silenced. 

Throughout this year — the good, the bad and the ugly — one thing has become clear.

Students at the University always have been, and always will be, a force. It is our nature to push through and to lead our University to a brighter, better tomorrow.

We will not be silenced. We will not be forgotten.

@l_rhodsie

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com 

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