Maydha Devarajan

Articles

A small group stands near the Old Well behind South Building on Sunday, Sept. 12, 2020.

Here's what you missed in the first week of UNC's race-conscious admissions trial

SFFA claims that UNC’s admissions policies violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and are intentionally discriminatory against white and Asian American applicants.

Screen Shot 2020-10-08 at 6.54.00 PM.png

Educators and community members discuss history of lynchings in Orange County

By Maydha Devarajan

Panelists at the event included UNC professor Seth Kotch, educator and member of the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition Paris Miller and more.

Mauricio Salazar-Saenz, Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at UNC-Chapel Hill, sits at his desk for a virtual portrait on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 from Medellin, Colombia. He is on a leave of absence for the Fall 2020 semester due to financial issues caused by the university's handling of international graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic and is using the time to conduct research from Colombia.

International graduate assistants abroad face unemployment under new policy

By Maydha Devarajan

A new University policy this semester mandated that graduate students needed to be physically present in the U.S. by Aug. 10 to serve as teaching or research assistants. In an email statement, UNC Media Relations said over the past few months, the unprecedented suspension of visa services indicated that many graduate students wouldn’t be able to get visas in time for the start of the semester. Patricia A. McAnany, chairperson of the anthropology department, said her department does not have a large endowment, and determined that it was infeasible to support students outside of the country with a TA position.

Screenshot from the virtually-held Asian American Center kickoff event, "I'm Not Racist...Am I"?: A Discussion on Antiracism presented by the Asian American Center and Carolina Asia Center on Thursday, Sept. 10.

'Making history': UNC's Asian American Center officially opens after 25 years of work

By Maydha Devarajan

Almost 25 years in the making, the Asian American Center marked its official reopening with a kickoff event and looks ahead to future fundraising and planning.

Gov. Roy Cooper stands before members of the media following a press conference introducing Well Dot Inc. to the Chapel Hill area on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019.

UNC System employees carry on lawsuit following campus closures

By Maydha Devarajan

In early August, employees and campus workers filed a lawsuit against the UNC System and Gov. Roy Cooper for workplace safety. And as campuses go remote, workers are continuing this fight.

Peter Hans gives his election speech at the May 14 BOG meeting.

Newly-elected UNC System president attempted to defund LGBTQ+ group as a UNC undergrad

By Maydha Devarajan and Sasha Schroeder

Peter Hans tried to defund the Carolina Gay and Lesbian Association as an undergraduate at UNC. On Aug. 1, Hans began his term serving as the UNC System president.

Items from a student's dorm sits in a pile outside Hinton James Residence Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Students began to move out of various residence halls on campus after the announcement that all undergraduate classes would be moving online for the Fall 2020 semester.

Checking in with the UNC System's reopening plans

By Maydha Devarajan

Here's how other schools in the UNC System are handling reopening.

Signs promoting social distancing and safety at the Die-In Protest on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 as Jennifer Standish, a UNC graduate student in the Department of History, speaks outside of South Building on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. The protest called for UNC to transition to fully remote classes for the Fall 2020 semester after a letter of caution sent to Chancellor Guskiewicz by the Orange County Health Director Quintana Stewart.

UNC employees sue the University system over workplace safety

By Maydha Devarajan

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.

Screenshot from the virtually Faculty Committee Meeting on Friday, June 19, 2020 to discuss the Carolina Roadmap.

'This road leads to a disaster': Faculty express reopening concerns in letters

By Maydha Devarajan and Preston Fore

UNC faculty have expressed concerns about the University's reopening, along with student leaders and campus workers. Through a public letter published in The Charlotte Observer and a letter from Chairperson of the Faculty Mimi Chapman, faculty have expressed their fears of returning to campus and of community spread of COVID-19. “We are willing to do our part,” Chapman wrote. “But at this point, I believe that our University and perhaps the entire UNC System is being asked to turn straw into gold.”

CORRECTION: A former version of this photo caption incorrectly identified the university that most recently changed a name of a campus building. The university was UNC-Greensboro.
In February, UNC-Greensboro became the third university in the state to remove Charles Brantley Aycock’s name from a campus building.

These four names need to be removed from campus buildings, Commission resolves

By Maydha Devarajan

The Commission on History, Race and a Way Forward unanimously approved a recommendation to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz for the removal of names with ties to white supremacy of four on-campus buildings at their meeting Friday.