UNC's Campus Y celebrates 150 years of innovation

Generations of social activists will meet this weekend to celebrate 150 years of working for change.

More than 300 students and 150 faculty members, alumni and community members are expected to join the Campus Y this weekend at a combined reunion and conference.

The event, titled “Carolina Change-Makers: 150 years of Innovations in Social Justice,” begins today and ends Sunday.

Registration is required for events with food, but on-site tickets will be available at individual events.

“We wanted to throw a celebration of how the Campus Y has played a role on campus as a way for channeling student enthusiasm for social movements,” said Campus Y Director Richard Harrill.

“It will give contemporary students the opportunity to engage with people who walked these halls 20, 30, 40 years ago.”

He said many alumni were working with the same issues that are still fought today, such as racial injustice.

Events range from a student-created oral history multimedia presentation to facilitated discussions between students and alumni.

Swathi Sekar, director of student initiatives at the Campus Y, said the last alumni reunion event occurred 20 years ago, for the 130th anniversary.

Marjorie Betubiza, co-president of the Campus Y, said collaborating with alumni provides context to the social issues that are transgenerational.

“These aren’t issues we can solve in a day,” Betubiza said.

Collaborating with alumni will provide a strong sense of context about where initiatives came from and how they can be addressed in the future, she said.

Harrill said many of the committee chairmen will be able to meet the founders of their initiatives and create networks with them.

He added that the committees will be able to share their current projects.

“Alumni can see how their ideas have taken off and how students breathe new life into these ideas,” Harrill said.

Various Campus Y committees collaborated to plan the weekend, Sekar said.

She said alumni often differ from current students in that they claim affiliation with the Campus Y as a whole, as opposed to identifying with a particular committee.

“This is a push toward giving the Y a more cohesive unit image on campus,” Sekar said.

Social events such as barbecues and music concerts provide a place for students and alumni to interact outside of conference events.

“There will be lots of time for serious conversation, but also time for celebration and fun,” Harrill said.

Betubiza said the weekend celebration is also meant for people who aren’t involved in a particular committee of the Campus Y.

“This isn’t a Campus Y event,” Harrill said. “It’s a campuswide event.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.