UNC filed a petition for writ of certiorari on Sept. 28, which requests the ruling in the case of DTH Media Corp. vs. Folt be sent to the U.S. Supreme Court for review.
In December 2012, two UNC female victims of sexual assault spoke up about what they said was a deeply rooted problem with the University’s handling of sexual misconduct — one that they said was inappropriate, time-consuming and traumatic. Those allegations drove three current students, one former student and one former administrator to file a complaint against the University with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging that UNC facilitated a hostile environment for victims reporting sexual assault.
To help bring the University into compliance with the Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter, the University has also hired Ew Quimbaya-Winship to serve as UNC’s Deputy Title IX Officer, or student complaint coordinator, starting March 11, 2013.
The University's Sexual Assault Task Force convenes for the first time in May 2013 to address changing the University's misconduct policies related to sexual assault.
On Aug. 28, 2014, the University released its new policy on discrimination, harassment and related misconduct.
The Daily Tar Heel tags stories to make it easier for you to find our more about topics you care about. Consider it a Wikipedia for all things UNC.
The N.C. Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision in May that UNC would be required to release the disciplinary records for individuals found responsible of committing rape, sexual assault or other acts of sexual misconduct. Two months later, the University has yet to release 11 sexual assault records.
From senior leadership switch-ups to the Silent Sam saga, UNC has had its fair share of campus controversies in the past few years. Here’s what you need to know.
Both the North Carolina court system and UNC offer differing forms of no-contact orders — commonly called "restraining orders" — to victims of harassment, stalking, abuse or assault when they seek protection from their perpetrators. While each type of no-contact order varies by degree of enforcement and consequences, they all establish, on paper, measures prohibiting contact between involved individuals. But in reality, many victims have found that enforcement of these protective measures can fall on their shoulders alone, leaving them no more sense of protection than they felt before seeking official action.
"Words have consequences, and events like the IFC speaker impact our community in immeasurable ways. These words are reflective of a broader culture of violence and oppression — they normalize violent actions in our community. We are righteously outraged at this behavior by the IFC. The system must be held responsible and face consequences."
On Feb. 16, UNC’s Interfraternity Council hosted an event addressing personal development and mental health that has since been criticized by student leaders as offensive, misogynistic and otherwise problematic. Keynote speaker David Hagan described his speech as "intentionally blunt, graphic and filled with profanity," designed that way to resonate with young men. But Memorial Hall staff complained the speech made them uncomfortable, and some student leaders are still pressing for more public accountability from the IFC, asking the council to apologize for the event and commit to violence prevention training.
After a four-year fight for records of the University's sexual assault disciplinary proceedings, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled Friday that UNC will be required to release the names of individuals found responsible for rape, sexual assault or related acts of sexual misconduct. The DTH Media Corporation first filed the lawsuit against UNC in a coalition with three other N.C. media companies in the fall of 2016, claiming the University had violated North Carolina public records law by refusing to release the names, offenses and disciplinary actions for students or faculty found responsible for sexual misconduct.
UNC has faced major backlash over the way they handle sexual assault. While they have made many changes in the right direction, there is still work to be done in the next decade concerning the issue of sexual assault on campus.
Here's information about what the Clery Act means and how the Department of Education said UNC violated it.
Nearly seven years after its investigation began, the U.S. Department of Education stated in a final program review report that UNC acted in violation of federal laws on campus safety and crime information throughout the department's review period while demonstrating a lack of administrative capability that “remains a matter of serious concern for the department.” Clery Act expert S. Daniel Carter told The Daily Tar Heel that the University is "certainly looking at six figures" in federal fines, and he called the department's description of UNC's administrative issues “one of the most blistering I’ve read in many years."
Newly ratified Bill 199 adds measures to protect sexual assault victims.
Graig Meyer, the state representative for House District 50 covering portions of Orange and Durham counties, discusses campus sexual assault.
UNC released the results of the Association of American Universities’ 2019 Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct on Tuesday. Here's what the results said about the state of sexual assault at the University.
A lawsuit filed against Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools accused the school system of mishandling allegations of sexual abuse among students. The lawsuit, which started in the state court, has moved to federal court.
The term “knocktail” is well-known around campus to refer to the experience of going to a cocktail and experiencing a drug-facilitated sexual assault. The Daily Tar Heel spoke to several UNC students who had experiences with knocktails at distinct fraternities. The students said these experiences had definite impacts on their lives, including their schoolwork. Of the fraternities contacted by The Daily Tar Heel, The Sigma Nu Nationals Organization said it had no information regarding the incident, while another fraternity denied the accusations.
"I don’t want to always be thinking, 'What would I do if someone was following me down Franklin?'"
While sexual assault on campus has become part of public discourse in recent years, sexual assault while studying abroad has not. An issue that impacts the lives of UNC and other college students goes largely unreported and unacknowledged due to language barriers, lack of available resources and other isolating factors of the abroad experience.
Welcome to the 2020-21 edition of The Daily Tar Heel, now in our 128th year!
COVID-19 brings significant challenges to the UNC, Chapel Hill and Orange County communities and to the DTH, but our staff is committed to bringing you the news you can't get anywhere else, wherever you may be. We are printing a newspaper three times per week for now, with digital coverage every day.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
To support independent student journalism at this difficult time, make a tax-deductible donation that will help the DTH Start the Presses.
To get the latest and historical news about the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on UNC, check out this page.
To send a news tip, story idea or to ask a question you want our newsroom to answer, contact our editor.
Sign up to receive breaking news text alerts from The Daily Tar Heel.
