Lauren Rhodes is a 2023-2024 assistant university editor at The Daily Tar Heel. She has previously served as a senior writer for the university desk. Lauren is a sophomore pursuing a double major in media and journalism and political science with a minor in politics, philosophy and economics.
Co-hosted by UNC Young Democrats and the University chapters of March for Our Lives and Students Demand Action, a rally following UNC's campus shooting was held outside South Building on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
As law enforcement officers responded to a shooting at Caudill Laboratories on Monday, many UNC students hid in dark classrooms and closets. They were told to shelter in place — texting loved ones, searching social media for updates — until Chapel Hill police apprehended the suspect and Alert Carolina issued the "all clear" at 4:15 p.m.
Despite the 90-degree heat, 15,000 students and 40 sponsors attended FallFest on campus on Sunday. This tradition builds a sense of community at the University, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said.
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was on UNC's campus Wednesday evening, speaking at an event titled “Saving America from the Woke Left." The event was shadowed by a counter-protest by the UNC Young Democrats in the Pit. “I came here tonight to say that I believe we're on the verge of a great comeback for freedom, and I believe we will save America from the woke left, and this freedom generation will lead the way,” Pence said. “When we think of UNC, we think of progress and opportunity. We don't think of Mike Pence,” said Anderson Clayton, chairperson of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
UNC senior Mikayah Locklear's recent project, started under the larger Land Back/Abolition project at UNC, focuses on preserving the Carolina Indian Circle's history at the University and UNC's relationship to Indigenous land.
UNC student-led drag troupe "Chapel Heelz" works to feature their art while also making a difference in the UNC community and beyond. At an event at Cats Cradle, the troupe raised money for those affected by recent anti-drag legislation in Tennessee. “I think that drag is fundamentally revolutionary and fundamentally a form of activism," Logan Dosher, a member of the group, said I think the very act of engaging in drag and engaging in radical gender expression and rejecting the norms that we are fed has activism at its core."
Dressed in black and Carolina Blue uniforms, the Marching Tar Heels perform arrangements from tedious formations on the football field to rallying cheers next to the basketball court. “You're part of something bigger than yourself in that moment,” Sophie Hazuka, a first-year band member, said.
Delta Sigma Pi, a co-ed business fraternity at UNC, is no longer affiliated with the University’s Undergraduate Business Program until at least fall 2024. In an email to potential new members, Associate Dean of the UBP Shimul Melwani and Assistant Dean of the UBP Jordan Hale said they received “very concerning complaints'’ from students about the recruitment process. Melwani and Hale also said they made a formal incident report to the Title IX office of UNC’s Equal Opportunities and Compliance Office, which will conduct its own investigation into the organization, according to the email.
Imani Rankins and Karina Vasudeva have been elected as the new co-presidents of the Campus Y. The organization is a community that welcomes students, staff and the greater UNC community to talk about social justice matters. Rankins and Vasudeva plan to focus their efforts on the housekeeper movement, mutual aid and disability justice on campus.
The new Committee for Academic Freedom and Free Speech was formally charged by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz on Monday, Jan. 30. “This committee will advise the chancellor on ways to advance academic freedom and articulate free speech norms and best practices for the Carolina community,” a University spokesperson said in a statement. “The committee will determine the frequency with which they meet.”
A participant of the rally in front of South Building on Polk Place lifts a sign in the air on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Students hug during a rally in front of South Building on Polk Place on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The event was hosted by March for Our Lives UNC, Students Demand Action and the UNC Young Democrats.
Students hold signs during a rally in front of South Building on Polk Place on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The event was hosted by March for Our Lives UNC, Students Demand Action and the UNC Young Democrats.
A participant of the rally in front of South Building on Polk Place holds a sign as they listen to speakers on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Students hold signs during a rally protesting gun violence in front of South Building on Polk Place on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Students holding signs during a walkout in front of the South Building on Polk Place on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. The event was hosted by March for Our Lives UNC, Students Demand Action, and the UNC Young Democrats.
UNC students hold up lit candles and cell phone flashlights in honor of Dr. Zijie Yan during the candlelight vigil in the Dean Smith Center on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2023.
The Clef Hangers and the Loreleis sing Hark the Sound in honor of Zijie Yan during the candlelight vigil in the Dean E. Smith Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
UNC students hold up lit candles and cell phone flashlights in honor of Zijie Yan during the candlelight vigil in the Dean E. Smith Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
UNC's chief diversity officer Leah Cox speaks to over 5,000 attendees at the candlelight vigil for Zijie Yan in the Dean E. Smith Center on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
