Life has changed drastically at UNC since the first University Day 133 years ago — yet the day is more important now than ever before.
Every year, students look forward to University Day because of canceled classes and free food, but the true meaning extends far beyond these incentives.
217 years ago today was when the cornerstone was laid for Old East, the oldest public university building in the nation. Today, Oct. 12 signifies much more.
Today is Erskine Bowles’ last University Day greeting. Bowles announced in February that he would step down and retire from his role as UNC-system president at the end of 2010. Since then, Thomas Ross, president of Davidson College, has been named Bowles’ successor, and we are excited to see what new perspectives Ross will bring to the UNC system.
Today, we are trying to reconcile steep budget cuts while the ominous news of more budget cuts loom. Bowles revealed last Thursday that UNC should prepare to cut next year’s budget by at least 10 percent.
Today, we are in the midst of a major athletic scandal. One assistant coach and three players have been the casualties so far. Chancellor Holden Thorp and Athletic Director Dick Baddour have both recently said that the investigation is far from over and there’s more bad news to come.
Because we are faced with multiple forms of uncertainty this University Day, we should — now more than ever — celebrate the values UNC holds highly.
Former N. C. Gov. Terry Sanford put it best when he said they are values of “freedom and liberty and tolerance, the search for truth, the defense of dignity, courage to arrive freely at convictions and the personal courage to stand for those hopes and truths.”
These are uniquely challenging times for UNC. And today, we recommit to the values that have served us well all these years.
