Erin Fornoff

News

State of Mind Reflects Home In Mountains

By Erin Fornoff | December 5

Today I woke up to the beep, beep, beep of construction trucks, the roar of the highway, the hum of the air conditioner and the 180 decibel pounding bass the guys on my hall have as their morning alarm. I grew up hearing crickets every morning. There is not a student at this university who can say he or she has never missed home. Sure, some people miss it more than others, but anyone who completely denies homesickness is not to be trusted. It's a condition shared by everyone at some point -- those pangs that say "To hell with adulthood!

News

The Buck Stops Here -- Why Life Is So Deer

By Erin Fornoff | November 21

It was a day that changed the face of our area and altered the perceptions of those who live here. It was a day that made us re-evaluate everything we knew -- or thought we knew. I'm talking about Oct. 9, 2001-- a magnet to the hard drive of our complacency. And probably most of us heard nothing about it. Here's what happened: At about 1 p.m., an 8-point buck walked from Kenan Street, down Franklin Street and then choose to bypass the open door and leap through the plate glass store front of Paint the Earth, a make-your-own pottery place located on West Franklin Street.

News

As the World Turns, Drama Needs to Stop

By Erin Fornoff | November 14

There is a lot of drama going on round these parts. Now don't worry, Pauper Players. Hear me out, Ebony Readers Onyx Theater. Relax, Lab! and Company Carolina. Shakespeare is above reproach. Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Henrik Ibsen are all perfectly lovely. Y'all are not part of the problem.

News

Gary Birdsong: Preaching to The Converted

By Erin Fornoff | November 7

We've all seen him around -- or more likely heard him. He'll show up often in the fall, forehead veins a-bulging, then open his mouth, making Jerry Falwell look like a raging liberal hippie. Some think he gives religion a bad name. He is known for making Muslim students cry. Gary Birdsong, the Pit Preacher, has become a bit of an institution at UNC. Walking through the center of campus, soothed by the lulling cadences of screaming and derisive laughter, I wondered about the man behind the voice. So I called up old Mr.

News

Limiting Fun, Frolicking On Franklin Street

By Erin Fornoff | October 31

Now is the time of year to sit back and reflect, to give thanks for the cornucopia of blessings, time to sit around the table and think of Squanto and the Pilgrims as they ate their first feast. Oh, wait. As carols echo through halls decked in yuletide splendor with warm hearts and hearths, we snuggle in our beds, ready to celebrate the birthday of the once-begotten son. Oops. Wrong again.

News

Major Choices Require Major Input, Insight

By Erin Fornoff | October 24

I've got to do some shopping. I need orange juice, new blue jeans and some direction in life. It's about that time to get a major, and I'm getting worried. The years have crept up on me. I'm practically a junior which means it's about time to gulp back trepidation and stare down my destiny. It's time to decide my fate, future, and choose from more than a hundred options -- the majors list. I'm turning to you all for help.

News

Hale, Rockwell, Lincoln -- We Feel Connected

By Erin Fornoff | October 17

Patriotism. Certainly something we're not used to, is it? I'd say it's throwing our formerly ironic, cynical, Generation Y selves for a loop. We're not used to this. As a generation, we have little experience with this type of patriotism, and we are definitely not used to bipartisanship.

News

Making Dorms Feel More Like A Community

By Erin Fornoff | October 10

Recently, I've been trying hard to care about the Development Plan. It's been all over the newspapers for months, and yet it is remarkably easy to ignore it -- to skip those articles, to tune out of that conversation. Thing is, it's important that we care. Especially because it seems the plan is neglecting an inward focus that students need.

News

In a Daze -- Students Lead Tiresome Lives

By Erin Fornoff | October 3

I have some skills. I can build a fire, draw a picture and quote much of the dialogue from the "Back to the Future" trilogy from memory. I can read clocks: digital, analog and military. But I am terrible at time management. And I am not alone, I'd say the majority of this campus is with me. Just think about it. Overall, what is overwhelmingly the most common response to the endless "How are you doing?" question? That's right. "I'm tired." We are not a student body of insomniacs!

News

The Future -- Full of Logic, Electric Shorts

By Erin Fornoff | September 26

People are always discussing ways to better the University. Chancellor Moeser is a man with the Master Plan, committees are busy pretending they don't care about the U.S. News & World Report rankings and we have enough forums to make a Roman sick. The merits and shortcomings of our beloved institution are picked apart in conversation, graffiti and Daily Tar Heel columns. I figured it was about time for me to jump on that bandwagon, so I sat down and thought about the last time I felt truly overwhelmed with love for my school.