Opinion - The Daily Tar Heel

DTH Photo Illustration. A study conducted by UNC Ph.D. student Alex Kresovich revealed an increase in references to mental health in rap music over the past two decades.

Column: Yes, you should try ASMR to relax

By Ana Sofia Thomas | Mar. 17

"But if in the end, you find that nothing out there in ASMR is for you, at least don’t judge those who genuinely find it helpful."

DTH Photo Illustration. With the cost of tuition rising with each year, college students turn to loans for help. Along with the loans, students need a better understanding of how they work.

Column: No, we can't just print more money

By Vance Stiles | Mar. 17

What exactly is inflation? How do we measure it? What happens if it’s "too high” or "too low?” And does it actually matter, or is it just an imaginary topic that eggheads debate about until their tenure runs out?

The North Carolina General Assembly building in Raleigh, N.C. on Jan. 29, 2020.

Editorial: We can’t ignore the threat of the filibuster

By Editorial Board | Mar. 17

"Ensuring that every North Carolinian has an equal vote and dismantling voting laws that disproportionately harm people of color are major reforms that hang in the balance. The filibuster should not have control over their fate."

DTH Photo Illustration. With the rise of deepfakes, many people are at risk of having their identity stolen in fraudulent videos posted online.

Column: Deepfakes, deeper stakes

By Joseph Kargbo | Mar. 17

"Although humorous in their creation and occasionally in their application, deepfake generator models have the potential to destroy the lives of politicians, celebrities and even ordinary individuals like you and me."

DTH Photo Illustration. A recent study at UNC has shown that anxiety in first -year students has increased in the past year with the pandemic and distance-learning.

Editorial: The kids are not alright

By Editorial Board | Mar. 16

Forced to navigate college in a socially distanced world, first-year students are struggling to cope with a difficult transition without being able to establish roots on campus.

A volunteer fills a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccine at La Semilla's vaccination event, Feb. 20, 2021.

Column: Handling COVID-19 vaccine distribution the right way

By Liam Bendezu | Mar. 16

"While the vaccine has proved to be a sign of hope for some, its distribution has been littered with ethical problems."

UNC freshman Sara McClure poses for a portrait while studying on campus on Tuesday, Oct. 27th, 2020.

Editorial: Our declassified campus survival guide

By Editorial Board | Mar. 16

As the University plans to return to a “more typical” fall semester later this year, the Editorial Board wanted to impart some campus and Chapel Hill knowledge to our fellow students who haven’t been on campus or in the area before.

The recently remodeled section of Rams/Chase Dining Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2020.

Quiz: Which on-campus dining location are you?

By Editorial Board | Mar. 15

Which on-campus dining location are you? Take our quiz to find out!

DTH Photo Illustration. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, people have found creative ways to celebrate their birthdays from a distance.

Editorial: 5 ways you can still have a happy birthday

By Editorial Board | Mar. 15

The world has had an entire year to come up with some coronavirus-friendly ways to celebrate birthdays. Here are just a few.

DTH Photo Illustration. The UNC System Office has plans to establish an “internal bank” in which it would provide loans for certain capital projects, which would allow system schools to seek loans from the UNC System internal bank rather than borrowing money from private lenders.

Column: Where’s my stimmy?

By Vance Stiles | Mar. 15

"With the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, many college students may be asking, 'Where’s my stimmy check at?'”

Nine individuals charged with the murder of Gastonia police chief O.F. Aderholt during the Loray Mill Strike were acquitted, October 21, 1929. Photo courtesy of Gaston County Museum of Arts and History.

Old North State stories: The life of Ella May Wiggins and the 1929 mill strikes in Gastonia

By Michael Beauregard | Mar. 15

92 years after the Loray Mill strike, inadequate wages, poor working conditions and automation continue to harm workers and their ability to live their lives to the fullest extent possible.

In this file photo, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attends the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial at The Cenotaph on Nov. 10, 2019 in London, England. Markle's friends in Hollywood are coming to her defense after bullying rumors surfaced. Photo courtesy of Chris Jackson/Getty Images/TNS

Column: Why Meghan Markle's interview isn't surprising

By Aditi Kharod | Mar. 14

"Meghan is for us what Diana was for our mothers: an aspirational tale of someone who refused to take the unwarranted abuse she faced daily and instead decided to get out."

DTH Photo Illustration. This year's college application process has looked very different for current high school seniors, especially due to some schools waiving their standardized testing requirements.

Column: The pros and cons of standardized tests

By Raymond Pang | Mar. 14

Should admission tests like the SAT and ACT should be permanently ignored when considering future applicants? Here are the pros and cons of these tests.

DTH Editorial Board member Caitlyn Yaede poses for a virtual portrait from her home on March 13, 2021. Yaede writes about her struggles as a first-generation college student during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Column: First generation students deserve more from UNC

By Caitlyn Yaede | Mar. 14

"Perhaps now more than ever, UNC should take first-generation students into consideration: the emotional and academic barriers they face, and how virtual learning has fostered a disconnect between first generations and campus culture."

First-year student Lorena Negron does virtual work outside of Eringhaus Residence Hall on March 8, 2021. "While I am grateful to have the opportunity to be on campus, I know that it isn't everything it's supposed to be," said Negron.

Editorial: A disappointing first year at UNC

By Editorial Board | Mar. 10

While it is important to recognize that others have had it worse, losing jobs and loved ones, it does not invalidate the universal feeling of losing out on the college experience.

Students at UNC-Chapel Hill waiting in line at the CURRENT Art Space to get tested for COVID-19. Photo taken on Jan. 19, 2021.

Column: A cruel summer, spring and fall of covering COVID-19 at UNC

By Maeve Sheehey and Maddie Ellis | Mar. 10

Former University Editor Maeve Sheehey and current University Editor Maddie Ellis share their experiences covering the pandemic as student journalists.

UNC students stroll through McCorkle place on North Campus on Tuesday, Oct. 27th, 2020.

Viewpoints: What we're looking forward to following the pandemic

By Editorial Board | Mar. 9

With the Centers for Disease Control releasing guidelines that vaccinated individuals can congregate indoors without masks, the end of the pandemic seems closer than ever. Here are things the Editorial Board is looking forward to once that time comes.

Kyle McClintock, a junior chemical engineering major at NC State, poses for a portrait at a desk in a house in Chapel Hill on March 8, 2021. All of her classes have been online since lockdowns began a year prior in March of 2020.

Editorial: What a year of solitude has taught us

By Editorial Board | Mar. 9

The Editorial Board reflects on their time alone during the pandemic.

The Greene Tract is 164 acres of land in southeastern Orange County for which discussions over development  have been ongoing for more than three decades.

Column: American infrastructure is not doing well

By JC Leser | Mar. 9

"The U.S. needs to invest more in infrastructure nationally, and individual states need to put the money to good use, addressing the needs that their respective communities have."

A vaccine is administered at La Semilla's Raleigh vaccination event, Feb. 20, 2021.

Column: What COVID-19 taught us about science this year

By Rajee Ganesan | Mar. 9

COVID-19 has radically impacted and revealed things about science in many ways this year. Here are just a few things that we have learned over the course of the pandemic.