Entire Programs

As UNC prepares to face Duke in the Final Four, Carolina Connection’s Daniel Myrick talks with fans at the team hotel in New Orleans. Franklin Street businesses prepare for record-breaking crowds for the big game. More people died in traffic accidents last year than any other year in two decades, due in large part to distracted driving. An accident that killed an electric cyclist on Franklin Street has sparked a debate around bike safety. Homeschooling is on the rise since the pandemic. Who do you root for if you take classes at UNC and Duke? That’s the dilemma facing duel-enrolled Robertson Scholars.

Students protest against the UNC System for its use of fossil fuels to power its campuses. Student organizations address food insecurity on campus. UNC faculty and staff document their pandemic experiences by decorating postcards. A student-run art gallery takes a dive into the metaverse. Pickleball becomes one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.

UNC students and faculty react to their first week on campus without an indoor mask mandate. The Town of Chapel Hill hopes a new safety initiative will keep bikers and pedestrians safer. Experts say North Carolina is “the epicenter” of gerrymandering disputes, and a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision isn’t likely to change that. Women’s collegiate sports are starting to get more airtime on national television. A popular Franklin Street bar tries to revitalize Chapel Hill’s comedy scene.

For the first time in two years, UNC students will be able to go to class without masks. The university is dropping its indoor mask mandate effective Monday. Some students are pushing for UNC to create more gender-neutral restrooms. As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, the UNC community showed its support for the Ukrainian people. The 24-hour recycling center at University Place will close at the end of May because the owners plan to redevelop the property. “Creek Week” organizers hope to teach residents about the importance of local waterways.

A photographer says he’s being censored after UNC leaders abruptly canceled an exhibition that documented Black life and Black activism in Chapel Hill. The UNC System is lifting its mask mandate, but UNC-Chapel Hill won’t follow suit until Orange County also drops its mask rule. As Russia attacks Ukraine, a Ukrainian professor at UNC is both trying to keep up with relatives at home and educate students about the invasion. Some UNC students say the recognition of Black culture should go beyond the month of February. The Carolina Beekeeping Club is buzzing with participants in its second annual “Bee School.”

Though Orange County says its mask mandate will remain in place for now, some students aren’t complying with the campus mask requirement. After several recent accidents, Chapel Hill police are stepping up their pedestrian safety efforts. 2020 saw cigarette sales increase for the first time in 20 years, with anecdotal evidence suggesting young adults may be among those smoking more. In Carrboro, a trans woman tattoo artist is proudly working in a white-male dominated industry. A UNC program is engaging undergraduates in discussions of race, racism, and racial equity.

Orange County has implemented a new bail policy to prevent people from spending days in jail because they can’t afford to post bond. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that challenges UNC’s admissions policy, which could change how colleges consider race in admissions. A Black History Month exhibit in the student union displays student art that celebrates activism. Three UNC students have opened a coffee shop on Franklin St. Dean Dome “hypeman” B Daht hopes to bring energy and positivity to basketball games.

UNC classes that started the semester remotely are starting to transition back to in person instruction. Unlike in previous semesters during the pandemic, UNC is not offering readily accessible isolation dorms for students affected by or exposed to COVID-19. Library officials have reduced hours because COVID infections have increased staff absences. Four of UNC’s community engagement centers have formed a partnership. A Duke student has designed a free archive of previous Wordle games. The end of an era brings an opportunity to shape the storied Duke-UNC rivalry, as Coach K visits Chapel Hill one last time.

UNC renames two campus buildings to honor underrepresented alumni. It’s exam season and some students say they’re feeling more stressed than ever before. UNC will add a wellness day to the spring 2022 calendar and make them a permanent part of future semesters. A shortage of the medication Naloxone could make it harder to save people from drug overdoses. Students show off their skills at a new high-tech gaming arena on campus. A UNC student writes a musical about his OCD. 

UNC holds a daylong summit to address campus mental health, and speakers pressure the university to put more resources into keeping students healthy. Student volunteers keep UNC’s COVID-19 testing center running. Using tests they developed, Duke researchers found elevated levels of lead contamination in the soil in Durham. While more women are serving as judges in North Carolina, they still face barriers to entry. Esteemed UNC professor Bland Simpson’s latest work, North Carolina: Land of Water, Land of Sky, shares stories of places and people. It’s mid-November; is it too early to start decorating for the holiday season?