Students find University history a bore

On Jan. 15, 1795, a delegation led by Gov. Richard Dobbs Spaight struggled through a severe downpour and treacherous paths to reach a place called New Hope Chapel Hill.

There they held a brief opening ceremony in North Wing (now known as Old East), officially opening the doors of the recently chartered University of North Carolina.

Not a single student was in attendance.

More than two centuries later, the journey to the ceremony is no longer rigorous.

But if Wednesday's University Day event follows recent trends, student turnout at Memorial Hall will be dismal.

"I'm not sure there has ever been an intense interest on the part of the students," says John Sanders, former director of the Institute of Government.

"They don't feel a personal connection with it," he says about University history. "But I don't know how you can redeem that."

Even though classes are cancelled Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., some expect that most students will spend the three hours catching up on work or sleep, not commemorating their institution.

Senior Erin Crabb says she's never been to any University Day event during her time at UNC.

"I always thought it was a time where I could sleep in," Crabb says. "It kind of seems like one of those things you were made to go to in high school. It's like a big assembly, and I don't know what I would get out of it."

Some students, however, do make a point of participating in University Day.

Sophomore Nick Neptune says he's looking forward to the event.

"I think by attending University Day you are almost partaking in that (history)," says Neptune, whose interest sparked him to enroll in a class that examines the role of the University in American life.

"We are all a part of the university history in a sense," he says.

University Day events have changed over the years, says Sanders, who was student body president from 1950 to 1951.

"- When I was a student here, there was a proceeding on the South Building's steps, a mock laying of the cornerstone and that sort of thing," he says. "It's now a much more formal and dignified occasion - ."

Sanders says there are now more speeches and processions.

This year, Student Body President Seth Dearmin will be the first-ever student to deliver an address at the festivities.

"It's the one occasion of the year in which those who observe the day may have their attention focused on where the University has come from - and how it has gotten from earlier years to today - and where it might go in the future -," Sanders says.

Sanders says he always has had an appreciation for the relevance of history and is not sure how to convince students who don't already have an interest in the University.

Some say the format of the celebration should be altered to attract more students.

"I would say that most UNC students don't know hardly anything (about University history)," says Yonni Chapman, graduate student and leader of the Campaign for Historical Accuracy and Truth. "But they are interested in it when you present them the information."

He says that the day's events have disappointed him in the past, with too much of an emphasis on State of the Union-type speeches.

"One way we could start informing people about University history is to use University Day as a day-long teaching opportunity," says Chapman, who has attended the ceremony only once, to support a housekeepers' protest.

Students are on the verge of entering the real world and becoming leaders - leaders that need to know how to get things done, Chapman says.

"History tells us how things came to be, how things got done."

Donald Shaw, a journalism professor and 1959 UNC graduate, says that University Day was created to foster a sense of togetherness.

"It's like joining a great historical party for a minute and recognizing that you are a part of it," he says. "After you are gone, the University will still be there."

 

Features Editor Torrye Jones contributed to this report.

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.