UNC-Chapel Hill students move into dorms amid COVID-19 concerns and campus protests
UNC-Chapel Hill students and their parents unloaded packed cars and carried boxes into residence halls in the rain Monday, on the first of seven move-in days for the fall semester.
But just outside the dorms, a small group of campus workers and union members set up an event protesting the reopening of campus, which they say puts the lives of housekeepers and other employees at risk.
The scene shows the mix of excitement and concern happening on many college campuses as students return to dorms and shared suites amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
Some students were eager to leave their hometowns and be on campus for the learning environment, even with nearly all of their classes online. Others say moving back to campus isn’t worth the risk right now.
Nicole Osborne, a UNC sophomore from Camden County, said she felt good about the precautions UNC was taking during move-in, with one-way entrances and scheduled appointments to reduce the amount of people in dorms. She said her biggest concern about living in a residence hall is how seriously people will take social distancing and wearing masks.
“You don’t know where other people have been,” Osborne said. “But you just have to trust the other people that they’re also following the rules and taking these precautions.”
Connor Watling, a freshman on UNC’s swim and dive team, said he’s not nervous and that living in a dorm was the best option.
“It’s obviously going to be different with coronavirus and stuff,” Watling said. “But it’s still my first time experiencing it, so I won’t know any better.”
Too risky to return to campus
Alyssa Rushing, a junior from Star, decided Sunday that she wanted to come back and live on campus. She said she knew she would learn better on campus, even though all but one class is completely online this semester.
But her roommate isn’t returning, and she’ll only have three suite mates instead of seven this year. She said her friends were nervous about living in a dorm and taking in-person classes so they opted to stay home. Rushing is also afraid of getting sick.
Nine UNC students have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week, according to UNC-CH’s COVID-19 dashboard that’s tracking cases on campus. There have been 139 cases among UNC students and 36 among employees since March.
UNC sophomore Greear Webb, from Raleigh, was going to live on campus in an apartment style suite, but he and his friends decided to move off campus because of how UNC is handling the situation.
UNC’s residence halls and shared common spaces are deemed “highest risk” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for on-campus housing.
Webb said the fact that UNC-Chapel Hill is sending college students to live in a high-risk environment is disheartening, confusing and unacceptable, particularly as more coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are being reported every day in North Carolina.
“I feel like we’re being used as guinea pigs,” he said.
Webb said the university shouldn’t wait until students get sick from COVID-19 to implement all-online classes and to limit campus housing.
UNC student leaders oppose campus reopening
Student leaders with UNC’s Commission on Campus Equality & Student Equity sent a letter to university administrators Friday calling out their poor response to COVID-19 and expressing their fears for students, particularly students of color.
“There is a consistent consensus from both our peers and residents of the town of Chapel Hill — they are scared, fearful, and distrustful,” the letter says. “All courses must be offered virtually and our campus must significantly reduce the amount of students living on-campus this upcoming semester.”
They’re asking the university to offer on-campus housing for some students, including international students, student-athletes and those in an unsafe home environment, but they want the greater student population to be remote.
“Presently, there are too many health and socioeconomic hurdles in place for both our students and the residents of Chapel Hill to confidently state that it is appropriate to bring students back to our campus,” the letter says.
The student leaders also say the university hasn’t acknowledged or taken action in response to the thousands of students, facilities workers and faculty members that have expressed “grave life-threatening concerns regarding an in-person return,” according to the letter.
They plan to continue to meet with other students across the UNC System and university administrators to push for remote learning and to get clarity on enforcement of policies like wearing face masks. The group published a list of recommendations for UNC’s fall re-opening plan.
Webb, co-chair of UNC’s Black Student Movement’s Political Action Committee and member of the commission, said UNC-CH student leaders will also continue to demand that students be involved in the university’s decision-making process regarding campus operations during the coronavirus pandemic this fall.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 4:20 PM with the headline "UNC-Chapel Hill students move into dorms amid COVID-19 concerns and campus protests."
