Special Projects and Investigations -

NC communities work together to combat opioid epidemic

By Bailey Aldridge | January 29

In Hickory, there were four opioid-related fatal overdoses last year. With a population estimate of 40,274, this number seems small, especially considering ...

Photo illustration. Though opioid abuse rates are highest in people aged 18 to 25, colleges often do not have permanent funding to address it.

North Carolina colleges are trying to combat opioid misuse — but they lack needed funding

By Danielle Chemtob | January 22

When Alexander Smith peered through the plexiglass window of his jail cell into his father’s eyes, he saw the destruction he’d caused. Smith’s addiction ...

How will DeVos' new guidelines influence how UNC handles sexual assault?

By Danielle Chemtob | September 26

On Friday, The Dear Colleague Letter, which guided the enforcement of Title IX policies at universities across the country, came to an end — changing ...

Rev. Campbell poses for a portrait in front of the Rogers Road Community Center.

Civil Rights Center's fate in the hands of BOG's Friday vote

By Lauren Talley and Jared Weber | September 6

Though Mark Dorosin, managing attorney at the Center, might lose his job on Friday, he is more worried about what’s at stake if the center closes, and ...

A child killed in his home leaves Baity Hill community reeling

By Blake Richardson | August 29

There is light in the darkest of places. If she’d had a pen, 28-year-old Baity Hill resident Lauren Talmor would have left a note with ...

Student housing in Chapel Hill is often rundown and inadequately cared for. Tenant turnover and unresponsive landlords make repairs and renovations tough to nail down.

Leaks, loopholes and absent landlords: Chapel Hill housing leaves students vulnerable

By Kelly Jasiura , Felicia Bailey , Jenni Ciesielski and Erin Wygant | April 19

Junior Lilli Mercho made sure to lock the doors of her home on East Longview Street in Chapel Hill — but that didn’t stop burglars from breaking into ...

Underserve and overpromise: The complexities of online charter schools

By Rebecca Ayers | April 12

The conversation surrounding charter schools has piqued national attention in recent months with the confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos ...

OJ McGhee is the Instructional Media Services Manager in the Gillings School of Public Health.

'We still have more to do': UNC minority faculty tops peer group at 11 percent

By Cain Twyman | April 9

Though UNC ranks among the highest of its peer institutions in terms of diversity, many still see room for improvement in the percentage of faculty of ...

Anthony Sharp stands next to artwork at the CEF office - he is currently organizing an art show with the office to be featured in the Ackland and Campus Y in April.

'You're here now, let's move on': Relieving homelessness through community

By Eric Schwartz | March 22

The first thing Lisa Anthony does when someone new arrives at the Inter-Faith Council Community House is offer a tour of the place.

(DTH Photo Illustration/José Valle; original photos DTH file/Barron Northrup and courtesy of UNC Archives)

‘The conscience of the country’: Alumni reflect on activism, past and present, at UNC

By Jenni Ciesielski | February 22

The 2.9 million of January’s Women’s March were a part of the largest protest in history. This month’s HKonJ had its highest attendance ever.

A refugee from Thailand (left) speaks with organizer Flicka Bateman (right) about papers while a translator (center) looks on.

Advocates for sanctuary cities say refugees, families are afraid and confused

By Meghana Srikrishna , Becca Heilman and Rosie Loughran | February 8

Nearly two weeks have passed since President Donald Trump issued executive orders restricting immigration and the entry of refugees from seven majority-Muslim ...

Anonymous reporting and a culture of silence: Why so few hazing reports result in sanctions

By Kelly Jasiura | January 18

Few hazing reports against Greek organizations result in disciplinary action for the offending group, according to information collected by the University. ...

Decades of doctor-patient sexual assault raise questions of transparency

By Lauren Kent | January 12

Seven out of 10 sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN). A relative. ...

The cost of winning: UNC's growing athletic budget puts students on the hook

By Logan Ulrich | December 1

Tune into any TV broadcast of a UNC home football or basketball game, and you might recognize the curly-haired, oft-painted superfan spearheading the ...

Jennifer (left) and Kyle Czarnecki (right), respective graduate and undergraduate students at UNC, balance raising their son Tim (center) with course schedules.

Child care isn’t always easy to access for student parents at UNC

By Jenni Ciesielski | November 29

For many students, the first day of classes brings a rush of emotions — anticipation, excitement, uncertainty — for what the next few months will ...

UNC's affirmative action lawsuit moves forward with Supreme Court ruling

By Felicia Bailey | November 20

UNC has been fighting a lawsuit against its affirmative action practices for two years, but a precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling from June indicates ...

Pill bottles line the back shelves of Sutton's Drug Store on Franklin Street.

UNC tracks prescription drug use to try to keep students safe amid rising national abuse rates

By Cain Twyman | November 2

As prescription drug abuse among college-age students continues to increase nationwide, UNC has begun implementing safeguards to prevent abuse on campus. ...

UNC business student Elizabeth Crenshaw poses to illustrate how struggling with addiction interferes with academic performance.

Learning around addiction: Students dealing with addiction face classroom trouble

By Jenni Ciesielski | September 1

It was spring of 2013, and UNC student Elizabeth Crenshaw was ecstatic. At the time, she was a first-year at the University of Maryland, starting classes ...

Wainstein's report, NCAA notices and accrediting response paint different pictures

By Morgan Vickers , Samantha Sabin , Colleen Moir , Sara Salinas , Lauren Kent and Bradley Saacks | April 26

In October 2014, the public was given what was considered the end of UNC’s yearslong academic-athletic scandal: independent investigator Kenneth Wainstein’s ...

Middle income students miss family funds, school aid options

By Sara Salinas | April 25

For the typical college student, post-graduate salary means a lot of things: success, status, livelihood. But family income pre-enrollment could mean ...