UNC community members write letters asking for accountability, protection
In three letters over the weekend, UNC community members asked campus leadership and fellow students for a better handling of COVID-19.
CAMPUS
Breaking down UNC's COVID-19 dashboard
UNC has seen 189 COVID-19 cases since February, as of Friday — the last time the dashboard was updated. The dashboard provides information on active Covid-19 cases, positive-case percentages, and additional data on UNC's isolation and quarantine dorms. Provost Bob Blouin said the UNC dashboard will guide University leadership in their off-ramp considerations in partnership with the UNC System Board of Governors, which ultimately makes the call on closing a campus. The Roadmap Implementation Team, led by Provost Bob Blouin, is responsible for making decisions about the UNC COVID-19 dashboard. The 11-member team meets daily.
'Trauma and ostracization': Students 'call in' Christian groups for discrimination
After Zach Ripberger shared his story of discrimination and homophobia on social media, dozens of other UNC students and graduates came forward to 'call in' campus ministry. "It got to the point that every time I was doing something with Young Life, I would just look around and I knew that my full identity, my whole identity was not accepted or even affirmed in that space," Ripberger said. Ripberger said he hopes these calls do not detract people from their faith, but rather make faith communities more inclusive.
First week in face masks: Students adapt to the new normal of campus life
Despite the ongoing set of changes the University has implemented in light of COVID-19 this fall semester, the active and vibrant nature of campus survives, both on and off campus. Students taking classes in Chapel Hill and beyond campus, share their experiences with the start of the semester.
COVID-19 case cluster confirmed at Sigma Nu fraternity house
The University confirmed a COVID-19 case cluster at the Sigma Nu fraternity house located on Fraternity Court in an Alert Carolina message Saturday.
UNC rolls out new Title IX policy to comply with federal regulations
The University adopted a new Title IX policy Friday to comply with new regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Education in May.
UNC students start support program during pandemic to destigmatize mental health
This group of UNC students created a new organization to bring awareness to and provide support for students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here's how a UNC student organization helped improve water accessibility abroad
UNC's Muslim Students Association annual SportsFest fundraiser partnered with the Paani Project to address the water issues in Pakistan last spring.
We talked to a social psychologist about why social distancing is so hard
The Daily Tar Heel talked with an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience to answer all your questions about the psychology of wearing a mask: Sometimes it can feel awkward and unnatural to wear masks and physically separate yourself from people. From a psychological standpoint, why is that? Does wearing a mask insinuate that other people are unhygienic? What's the dynamic surrounding people policing the behavior of others?
Students encounter transportation barriers as UNC moves classes off main campus
Days leading up to the first day of class, some UNC courses were moved to locations off of main campus — notably, the Friday Center. Students and professors weigh in with their thoughts regarding the last minute changes.
Orange County's health recommendations 'more of a personal communication,' Blouin says
At the Faculty Executive Council meeting on Monday, council members discussed the recommendation letter from the Orange County Health Department, student population updates and new technology to measure community standard compliance.
‘You don’t walk towards a red flag’: Students debate returning to campus
Amid a global pandemic, students wondered if returning to campus is worth the risk. Sophomore Madison Wommack considered the financial strain of returning as well as the potential risks of returning to campus, since a family works at a hospital. Sophomore Jolie Koonce decided to cancel her housing contract after learning that housing refunds were not guaranteed. Clay Morris considered the dangers returning to campus posed for the larger Chapel Hill community. First-year Savannah Pless had to weigh attempting to have as normal of a typical first-year experience as possible, with the financial costs.
Carolina Ready app brings new safety features — and new student concerns
On July 30, UNC announced the launch of the new Carolina Ready Safety App — replacing the LiveSafe app — developed in conjunction with UNC Police Chief David Perry and his team. The app includes features such as a mobile BlueLight system that connects students to emergency services through location-sharing and is only operational on campus. However, some UNC community members are concerned that software vulnerabilities could potentially leave users open to hackers and privacy breaches.
UNC Department of Music program provides novice instrument lessons
Faculty and staff of the UNC Department of Music reference the benefits of learning to play instruments as a contributing factor in their new initiative, which offers instrumental music lessons for inexperienced students.
First day at Zoom University: UNC students share their atypical FDOC experiences
With the start of the fall semester occurring amid a global pandemic, UNC students discuss what their experiences were like on the first day of class.
UNC students share highlights from their socially distant summer
With the fall semester getting started, some UNC students reflect on the summer experiences they had during the pandemic.
UNC students discuss advantages, challenges of social media activism
Social media can be a useful tool for communication and education, but when used for activism, some UNC students say it can lead to performative gestures and misinformation.
UNC released sexual assault records — what happens next?
The University released the records of students found responsible for violating UNC's sexual assault policy Thursday, four years after The Daily Tar Heel and other news organizations requested them in 2016. UNC provided a total of 15 records to fulfill the request. Clery Act data shows that since 2007, there have been over 200 reported cases of sex offenses at the University. Here is what the 15 records UNC released mean now that the lawsuit has concluded, what the data shows and what the DTH plans to do next to investigate sexual assault on campus.
'Uncharted territory’: Graduate workers express fears about teaching this semester
Graduate workers having to teach this semester have expressed concerns over the possibility of contracting COVID-19 and of the complexity of having to adjust instruction plans.
UNC employees sue the University system over workplace safety
Gary Shipman, a Wilmington-based lawyer, is representing UNC System faculty and staff in the midst of preparing a class-action lawsuit to delay in-person classes. In a response to Shipman, NCDOL General Counsel Jill F. Cramer and Deputy Commissioner of Labor Kevin Beauregard acknowledged the concerns of faculty and staff members. However, they stated it is the responsibility of the UNC System to develop policies and plans that reduce the risk of exposure of contracting COVID-19 — not the department.
