Have you written on the UL's whiteboard?

The Undergraduate Library in the heart of campus offers a great way for you to exercise your First Amendment rights.

Though it's often unnoticed by students, the whiteboard close to the entrance offers a new controversial topic every few days for library patrons to share their opinions on.

I briefly observed incoming students Tuesday. Every student I witnessed just walked by, and it seemed as if they weren’t even cognizant of the whiteboard's presence, with the exception of one student who looked up and smirked at the futility of the question posted.

There are several great questions to be debated in today’s society. How will we combat climate change? Should we implement a free Uber policy to reduce drunk driving in Chapel Hill? Who was calling Drake on his cell phone, late night when they needed his love? 

The question posted on the board read:

“Star Wars or Star Trek?” 

This is considered by some to be the greatest debate of all time in the science fiction community, so one would expect elaborate answers from all science fiction enthusiasts who study at the library.

However, the responses were about as dull as the question. The answers ranged from picking from the choices available to other fantasy series such as "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings." Responses even veered into the nonsensical with “don’t listen to this toaster.” 

Jennie Goforth, a research and design services librarian, said the board is a community building effort. 

“The whiteboard is there just as a way for us to build community with students. We want students to feel comfortable and at home at the Undergraduate Library. It’s a place people come to hang out,” she said.

Goforth said the board fluctuates in popularity based on the question.

“Over the years we have written more scholarly things and sometimes those are not as popular questions,” Goforth said. “But you stick ‘what’s your favorite movie?’ up there and people love to put their opinion up.”

I think there is a reason for these brief responses — the whiteboard is quite small, and kind of an eyesore with all of the illegible handwriting and insults scribbled on there. It does not leave much room for discussion.

I propose the library invest in a whiteboard larger in size, so there is more room for effective catharsis from stressed students clocking endless hours in the library. If our University has money for the t-shirt cannon at football games, I think we can afford a medium sized whiteboard.  

With a larger whiteboard, the student body could express their beliefs with more elaboration, and we could answer some of the most salient issues of our time. Because, really, who was calling Drake on his cell phone, late night when they needed his love?

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