As students and community members voted at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History on Tuesday, UNC continued to hold classes in the building and across campus.
Election Day, which always falls on a Tuesday, is not a national holiday. Neighboring states acknowledge the day, including Virginia, which recognizes it as a state holiday, and South Carolina, where it is legally required to close all state-supported colleges and universities on election days.
Though UNC did not allocate Tuesday as a day off, some UNC professors still decided to cancel classes, while others kept their regularly-scheduled meetings.
“I would just say, in my personal capacity, that the University should be doing more to promote students as civic leaders,” Sam Hiner, a UNC senior and executive director of the student advocacy nonprofit Young People's Alliance, said.
In 2022, Hiner and other students organized a petition and rally in support of establishing a Democracy Day during early voting. Their proposed plan would move one of two Well-Being Days in the fall to align with early voting, allowing time for community members to cast their ballot and attend non-mandatory programming.
Hiner said he worked with the Registrar's Office two years ago to propose a version of the academic calendar with this change to former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and current Provost Chris Clemens. He said the former chancellor and provost did not accept the calendar and never provided a reason.
“Creating the academic calendar is a complex process with many considerations and the Academic Calendar Committee determined a stand-alone holiday would not be designated this year on [Election Day],” Media Relations wrote in an email statement to The Daily Tar Heel. “The committee is always happy to hear input from students and student groups and consider various options for future years.”
Hiner said that although YPA has continued its voter advocacy efforts, the organization now also focuses on mental health and technology.
“The funny thing I found is that for an equivalent amount of work, I could get state level legislation introduced and get the majority of state representatives to co-sponsor it,” he said. “Meanwhile, you know, [I] couldn't even move a needle at my own university.”