For every conflict the University has faced in 2021, faculty members on the Faculty Council and Faculty Executive Committee have weighed in on how UNC should navigate these challenges.
UNC is one of five testing partners for the national "On These Grounds" project, which aims to reconstruct the lived experiences of enslaved individuals at and around the University. Launched in 2020, the initiative is now led by a team of digital history experts, archivists and historians from various universities.
UNC doctoral student Kylie Broderick’s course “The Conflict Over Israel/Palestine" and her Twitter presence have brought conversations about academic freedom, social media, and professors’ rights and responsibilities into community conversation.
On Aug. 26, Yalitza Ramos was announced as the new director of the Campus Y after having served as interim director for 18 months. Ramos is a double Tar Heel with a background in social work. While serving as interim director, Ramos was also director of the Bonner Leaders Program. She has worked with multiple local nonprofits and organizations throughout her time at UNC, including Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, the Orange County Literacy Council, the Compass Center for Women and Families and Girls on the Run.
The Campus President's Council held an emergency meeting Friday. The agenda included discussion of a statement released by UNC Student Government executive board officers titled, "Enough is Enough," in response to the University's COVID-19 policies.
UNC and Duke are just two of many college campuses where students have called for a move toward abolishing Greek life on campus, due to issues of exclusivity and historic ties to white supremacy. Despite many calls for reform, students have faced roadblocks at almost every push for deactivation along the way.
The event created space for the UNC Asian American community and allies to grieve and reflect.
Mimi Chapman, chairperson of the faculty, said the broad distrust that has emerged in recent months is partially due to a series of past events, like the NCAA scandal, Silent Sam and Title IX concerns. The erosion of trust that resulted from these events was never fully regained, and new University leadership has assumed the responsibility of repairing past harm while confronting new challenges.
After the University suggested a pause in classes on Oct. 9 in observance of World Mental Health Day, students are continuing to advocate for accommodations on Election Day to increase voter turnout.
To encourage civic action, groups on campus are encouraging students to go out to the polls, and petitioned the University to pause classes on Election Day.
UNC community members hold a sign advocating for UE Local 150, the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union, at their protest on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.
