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Featuring Lucas Thomae
On March 25, the results of UNC Charlotte’s Student Government Association (SGA) elections were announced, with Dick Beekman and Gabi Hitchcock winning the Student Body President and Vice President race, earning a 65 percent share of the vote out of nearly 1,500 votes cast.
Beekman, a member of UNCC’s class of 2022, has been active in SGA since he arrived on campus and currently serves as Pro Tempore of the Senate. Lucas Thomae, Co-founder and Copy Chief of NC College Beat, got a chance to catch up with Beekman after the results of the election were announced, discussing everything from Beekman’s prior experience in the United States Marine Corps to his 27-point presidential campaign platform. Listen to the full interview above or on our podcast feed. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Thomas Gessner
No men’s college basketball team from North Carolina was able to make it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament this year, a rarity considering the depth and history of teams in the Old North State.
Appalachian State, after making their first tournament in twenty years, fell to Norfolk State in their play-in game. Meanwhile, UNC Chapel Hill fell to the Wisconsin Badgers by 23 points, and while there is a tiny chance that the Tar Heels were honoring the great Michael Jordan with that number, it’s more likely that they were seeded artificially high because of some past pedigree. UNCG lost by a less embarrassing margin to Florida State, and they kept the game competitive through the defensive heroics of graduating guard Isaiah Miller, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Now that these programs’ chances at title for this season are over, there are some interesting developments and possibilities for the coming season that could have a great impact on all three schools. Appalachian State While App State’s showing in the NCAA tournament was disappointing and brief, very few people expected the Mountaineers to even have a chance at making March Madness. The team completely outperformed their seeding in the Sun Belt Tournament by upsetting Georgia State, which should be pride enough for any fan of the program. This recent success shouldn’t be surprising though, because it all correlates to the hiring of head coach Dustin Kerns in 2019. Kerns has helped turn the program into a winning team with true aspirations, doing so by coaching seasons that broke historic droughts, like his 18-win debut season, which was the most wins by a rookie head coach at App State since 1942. This statistic is even more impressive considering that the college has had 22 head coaches. Another impressive feat by Kerns has been the quick turnaround into multiple winning records in and out of the Sun Belt conference, anchored by a great defense. Besides the coaching changes, the Mountaineers have a talented, balanced roster, where no one player is carrying the offensive or defensive load. If that doesn’t sound good enough, they are a young team that is not overly-reliant on graduating seniors, meaning that this team looks like they will only improve next season. The team’s high steal total and top 50 NCAA defense will be enough to keep Appalachian State competitive, but improvements in scoring efficiency for the team would make them contenders to repeat on the Sun Belt title. UNC Greensboro Another great defensive team that lacks a well-rounded offense is UNCG’s Spartans, who have some bigger question marks than App State in the future. This lies mainly in versatile guard Isaiah Miller, who is graduating after winning SoCon player of the year and defensive player of the year for the second season in a row. This past season, Miller posted 19.2 points, 4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game, placing him 9th in the NCAA for steals. He anchored both the offense and defense with his skill and sheer athleticism, and UNCG will likely struggle to replace his contributions next season. Miller was a poor shooter, but he was not alone with the Spartans shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 30 percent from three, and going below 70 percent from the free throw line. This squad has been held together by their already mentioned great defense and almost 40 rebounds per game. One cannot forget the high-level coaching from Wes Miller, who has brought a winning standard to the school. However, that success has led to Miller, who played at UNC under Roy Williams, being in constant discussions about potentially replacing Williams when he retires, or just leaving UNCG for a more high-profile job at a bigger school. UNC Chapel Hill Speaking of Roy Williams, Chapel Hill was the one team from North Carolina in March Madness to lose their first-round matchup as the higher seed. Directly following their loss, the team’s promising duo of freshman bigs, Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe, announced they were leaving the program, Kessler through the transfer portal and Sharpe through the NBA draft. This is never a good sign for a basketball team, but at the same time, it is often overblown what these decisions mean in regards to the school. Either way, the loss of these two players is big for North Carolina, and in addition to that, senior Garrison Brooks will be graduating, assuming he doesn’t take the opportunity to take this past season as a redshirt and return for a fifth season. Aside from the players, Roy Williams is now 70 years old, and has been a head coach since 1988, spending the past 18 seasons at UNC, which is undeniably taxing. Despite whisperings of his retirement, there seems to be no credence to those rumors. The team also caught a big break when freshman point guard and former five star recruit Caleb Love announced he would be returning for a second season. As of now, UNC is in no position to return to their championship-contender status next season, but like the blue blood program they are, they could always land the next great recruit, which has happened for the Tar Heels time and time again. Unlike the other two teams mentioned, Chapel Hill is one of the most successful college sports teams of all time, and they have done six times what most teams will never accomplish. So even though Carolina has had two uncharacteristically mediocre seasons in a row, Carolina fans should not fret. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Thomas Gessner
In 2002, in a shocking upset, the Chris Webber-led Sacramento Kings defeated Kobe and Shaq’s Los Angeles Lakers dynasty to move forward to the NBA finals and capture an NBA title as a small market… wait, that didn’t happen, did it? If there is one person to name for why the well balanced Kings did not win the series against the tumultuous Lakers, it wouldn’t be a player, but by a scumbag: disgraced referee Tim Donaghy, who was revealed to have illegally placed bets on the those games and intentionally made calls to affect the outcome.
Because of Donaghy, there is a constant nagging fear that his illegal actions persisted into the modern league, and because of that, there will always be a belief that the NBA is rigged. Donaghy is not the only example of mistrust of the NBA. Many people claim that the 1985 draft was set up to guarantee the Knicks the first overall pick, and there’s evena whole podcast dedicated to the Donaghy scandal and a comprehensive history of alleged NBA rigging. At least we have the MLB, a league known for its good and honest stars like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. Okay, I’ll stop, but even without bringing up the rampant cheating and PED use in baseball, the league’s salary caps — the subject of the 2011 film Moneyball — is comparable to a rigged system, where the richest teams get the most advantages. Just last year the Tampa Bay Rays made headlines by reaching the World Series on a payroll of just 68 million dollars, but they ultimately lost to a Dodgers team that paid almost 108 million for their collection of superstars, which is unfair to an extreme level. The salary cap issue is present in just about every major sport too, with teams in larger markets like New York and Los Angeles having much more money to spend than teams in cities like Charlotte or the godforsaken Detroit. In addition to that, there is an undeniable vested interest in teams that generate the most TV revenue, with former NBA commissioner David Stern once stating that his dream finals match-up would be “Lakers versus Lakers”. It’s hard to care about a sport when it feels like the outcome is predetermined, and maybe that sentiment is partly why there has been a continuous decline in interest in sports over the past few years. The problem though, is that people who have vested interests in national sports are billionaires that like making obscene amounts of money, and the best way to do that is to have the teams that print greenbacks succeed. And yeah, there are other sports not affected by the problems associated with big-money sports franchises, but I will not settle for watching a sport like tennis, because it is painfully boring and nothing will change my mind about that. Regardless, this begs the question: is there a sport that is both completely fair and incredibly entertaining to watch on television? Well, the answer is yes. This sport is one that brings together physical, mental, and social elements to foster some of the greatest competitors of all time, and if you’ve spent any time around me in the past few months, you will already know that I’m talking about Survivor. For those who have never seen the show, here's the gist: 16 to 20 people from all walks of life are split into “tribes” and dropped off in a remote location where they have to make shelter, find food... i.e., survive. Every few days, those tribes compete in “immunity challenges” where the losing tribe must attend “tribal council”, essentially a big group therapy session, and vote one of their own out of the game. Midway through the season, those tribes merge into one and the remaining contestants compete for individual immunity and vote each other out until there are three people remaining. Those three advance to a final tribal council, where the "Sole Survivor", and winner of one million dollars, is chosen by a jury of contestants that have already been voted out. Now, I must address the unfair and unjust criticisms that Survivor is faked. I’m not going to waste a lot of energy discussing just how hard it would be to script a show like this, and how a lot of the editing and camera work allows for the series to display a clear narrative arc without compromising the legitimacy of the game. Instead, I am going to discuss the three aspects of Survivor and how they work together to reach a higher plane of sports entertainment: Outwit (Strategic), Outplay (Physical), and Outlast (Social). They are not weighted equally, but each one finds a way to make the game engaging on multiple levels. Outplay Outplay is the most simple of the three points, and it is the ability to succeed at the diverse array of challenges that Survivor has, varying from pure physical strength, brainteasers, balance, endurance, or in some cases, a combination of all four. Early on in the game when there are still multiple tribes, the challenges involve teamwork and communication, then later in the season they focus on just the individual. What makes these challenges so interesting is that there are a variety of skills that people must possess to propel them forward; giant, strong meatheads might suck at puzzles and balance challenges while a small yoga instructor could last for hours balancing on a small structure out in the middle of the ocean. There’s not much more to say about the Outplay category, so I’m just going to list two of the best challenges, both team and individual, ever seen on the show. Battle Dig: This is easily my favorite Survivor challenge, and it is quite simple: two members from each tribe race to a designated spot on a beach, where they dig for a heavy bag in the sand. The first team to get that bag back to their mat wins. What makes this challenge so much fun is its physicality; the contestants can do everything short of striking and choking to stop their opponents. Watching people fight in the sand is undeniably awesome, and it also allows for negative feelings between the tribes to ferment into something tangible. When It Rains, It Pours: This is an oft-used individual challenge, and its success lies in its simplicity. The contestants stand under a barrel filled with water, with one of their arms attached to a rope connected to the barrel. The contestants must keep their arms held up in the air to prevent the barrel from being pulled down and pouring water on them. This challenge can go on for hours, and Jeff Probst, the host of the show, only makes things more difficult for the participants by offering food to contestants if they step down. Outwit The strategic aspect of Survivor has many levels to it, and in my opinion it’s the most crucial to winning it all. Strategy in Survivor is constant in all aspects of the game, but the nucleus for Outwit is tribal council. In most of the major sports, whatever team or player scores the most points wins the game, but in Survivor, being terrible at the challenges doesn’t matter as long as you can prevent yourself from being voted out by your tribe mates. It makes sense to first vote out the weakest players who contribute the least to the tribe, and then later to get rid of the players that are the biggest threats to win the game, but this doesn’t always happen, typically because of voting alliances. Having a numbers advantage for voting is quite important, because alliances will form among the players and they will vote as a group to get out players from the opposing alliance. When creating an alliance, strategy-minded players will often surround themselves with people that are not perceived as threats to get jury votes, giving them a better chance of becoming the Sole Survivor. People who watch the show for long enough will know that often there is a pretty defined pecking order in these alliances, and contestants who are on the bottom of their alliance often know when they are in danger of being voted out. Not all hope is lost for these players though, because there are multiple strategic moves that can be made to keep oneself in the game. One of these famous strategic plays is the blindside, which occurs when a player is voted out thinking that they were safe, often being betrayed by their own alliance. Blindsides not only make for excellent TV because of how stressful and exciting they are, they’re also a great strategy for people on the bottom of their alliances, hoping to make a big move to turn the tide of the game. If a player on the bottom is not able to flip the votes in their favor, there is another option in the strategic use of “hidden immunity idols”, small tokens hidden throughout the game that allow the player to be saved from the vote. The catch is, a player must declare that they are playing an idol before the votes are announced. If an idol is played, the person with the next most votes is voted out of the game. What makes idols so powerful — and dangerous — is that they are placed near the tribes on the island, and can be found through clues that are given to contestants for various reasons. The danger comes from the fact that players usually don’t know when another player has found an idol. Knowledge is power, and like before with the discussion of blindsides, idols create opportunity to cause absolute, unbridled chaos. Outlast Viewers of Survivor often have a very limited comprehension of Outlast, and that is completely reasonable, because it is the most abstract gameplay element in the show. Ironically, it also has the greatest influence on the final outcome of Survivor. The social game is comparable to what is referred to in other sports as “intangibles”, moves that don’t show up in a box score but have a great influence on the final outcome. Being likeable, making funny jokes, and being perceived as a good story are all part of the social game. It is very hard to win the game if you are not liked, and it is impossible to win the game if the jury does not think you are deserving of the victory. Both these aspects fall under Outlast, and it takes a lot of work to be likeable and show that you are deserving of one million dollars, something that fans of the show often overlook. One of the most famous players in the history of Survivor is Russell Hantz, a fan favorite that became popular for his incredible strategic plays and villainous style of play, was known to constantly lie and berate his fellow contestants, even bringing some to tears. He made it to the final tribal council twice, but never came close to winning the game because the jury simply hated him. Many fans think he was robbed of a million dollars, but that is an incomplete view of the game. Most Sole Survivors had to lie and blindside at some point to win the game, but there reaches a certain point when the Jury decides that they simply cannot vote for you. Unlike the sports I mentioned at the top of this post, Survivor always has a fair winner, and the best player always wins their season, because to make it to the end and get the most votes at final tribal council definitively makes you a winner; it is not about which player was the greater physical threat or who had the best strategic mind, the game hinges on who the jury thinks should win, and their opinions are going to differ from someone watching the show. Some jury votes might be illogical, or downright stupid, but it does not matter because that's the whole point of Survivor. And that’s why it’s the best sport to watch on television, because the human interactions in other popular sports do not translate to victory on the level they do in Survivor, and that human element makes the show so unpredictable, so exciting, and so original. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae
NC College Beat has consolidated the COVID-19 data from North Carolina’s many schools and put them here, where we will update the numbers each week throughout the semester.
Below, we have cumulative cases, positive test rates, and more from all of the UNC System schools plus the five largest private schools in the state. Schools are ordered from largest to smallest, based on enrollment. Notes:
UNC System North Carolina State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 4 (↓7) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 1,409 (↑28) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 3 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 21 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 33 (↑28) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.9% (↑0.3%) * 2,098 (↑48) total positive cases since July 1, 2020 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 15 (↑14) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 858 (↑32) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.3% (↑0.2%) East Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 11 (↑5) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 640 (↑21) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 7 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1% Appalachian State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 485 (↑23) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 8 (↑4) Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.9% (↑0.3%) * 22 active student cases on March 2 (↓20) University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 10 (↑1) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 201 (↑11) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 21 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 2 (↓6) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 388 (↑24) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.8% (↑0.1%) North Carolina A&T University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 333 (↑24) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 1 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 7% (↑4.3%) Western Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 13 (↑8) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 255 (↑42) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 4.9% (↑3.4%) University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 64 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown** * 0 current active student cases (↓2) ** 2.3% in latest surveillance testing period North Carolina Central University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 17 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 124 (↑9) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Fayetteville State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 87 (↑8) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown * 13 active student cases (↑1) Winston-Salem State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 63 (↑6) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Asheville (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 0 (↓1) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 54 (↑1) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0% Elizabeth City State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 0 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 33 (↑1) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown (for students considered high-activity) University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 0 (↓5) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 65 (↑2) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0% (↓0.5%) North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 20 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 9 (↑1) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Private Schools Duke University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 3: 789 (↑78) Clusters Reported since Jan. 3: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.3% (↓0.8%) * 61 students in isolation (↓157) and 149 students in quarantine (↓222) over the past week Wake Forest University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 22 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 934 (↑7) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown** * 5 active cases on March 22 (↑1) ** 0.0% COVID-19 prevalence based on stratified random testing (↓0.1%) Elon University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 5 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.2% (↑0.1%) * 101 total students in quarantine/isolation (↑38) Campbell University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 23 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown * 30 current positive on-campus student cases (↑24) High Point University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: not reported/unknown On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown * 27 active student cases (↑11) The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae
On Saturday, March 13, Duke University took one of its most drastic measures yet during the pandemic and issued a stay-in-place order for all of its undergraduate students.
Essentially, the campus went on lockdown; in-person classes went remote, common areas were closed, and on-campus students were only permitted to leave their dorm rooms for essential activities such as picking up food. The order went into effect Saturday at midnight and was lifted at 9 a.m. Sunday. The move was in response to an explosion of COVID-19 that rocked the university this past week, with 241 new positive cases from March 8 to March 14 according to the school’s COVID-19 dashboard. In its messaging, Duke put much of the blame on off-campus gatherings, citing “recent off-campus fraternity-related events” in an email sent to faculty and staff on March 13. Isaiah Hamilton, a freshman at Duke, was not surprised when he first learned of the stay-in-place order. “My first initial thought was ‘gee, this isn’t really a shocker to me,’ especially since our numbers have been ticking up over the past few weeks,” he said. Hamilton has a dorm in one of Duke’s residence halls, but he’s spent the past week at his older brother’s off-campus apartment in Durham, opting to avoid campus altogether. “I got the message, and rather than stay on campus I just chose to be off campus here,” Hamilton said. Another influencing factor in Hamilton’s decision was that he had already gotten his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of North Carolina’s 3B vaccination group, offering an added layer of protection from the virus. As the state’s vaccination campaign progresses, more and more college students, including those at Duke, have become eligible to receive the vaccine. Vaccination appointments were included in Duke’s list of essential activities for which students were allowed to leave their dorms during the stay-in-place order. Hamilton believes the key to containing COVID-19 at Duke is getting enough students vaccinated quickly. “I think it's a real question of time, right? Can students get vaccinated quicker than the numbers re-tick back up, or is it going to be one of those things where as soon as we go off of lockdown people just go back to doing what they were doing, then we’re going to be right back in lockdown?” One thing Hamilton noticed about the stay-in-place order was how divided the student population was in their reactions. He said there was — and has been for some time — a clear separation between students who took COVID-19 guidelines very seriously and those who didn’t. “I feel like if you are one of those people who are definitely partaking in a lot of the bigger gatherings or larger events… then you knew the risks going into the situation,” he said. “If you’re one of the students who, you know, have stayed inside your room a lot of the semester, or have kept to yourself and haven’t had a lot of contact with people then I could imagine it has been a lot more frustration.” Hamilton wondered how the student population would interact with one another after the worst of the pandemic is over and campus life becomes more normal. “Duke is one of those schools that prides itself on a sense of community since it’s a smaller school, so I’m very interested to see if that's going to cause any contingencies or shifts in what they had claimed to be a great sense of community previously,” he said. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Owen Sizemore
On Thursday afternoon, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber sent an email to the Forty-Niner community outlining the university's plans for on-campus operations for the fall.
The short message began with Chancellor Gaber outlining the success of the UNC Charlotte community on keeping COVID-19 cases low on campus throughout the spring semester, as well as noting that vaccine distribution across the state of North Carolina is happening quicker than anticipated. Gaber articulated that "This is very good news, and it means UNC Charlotte is in a position to plan for a return to full operations in fall 2021". Gaber outlined several goals and expectations for what campus life will look like at the start of the Fall 2021 semester. These expectations include:
UNC Charlotte's expectations for the fall are a swift turnaround from current university operations, where just a small fraction of students live on campus with even fewer in-person courses. Dining halls, sporting events, and many facilities are also at a highly limited capacity. UNC Charlotte administrators are optimistic that the fall 2021 semester will see a return to pre-COVID-19 standards of living and learning, betting on the ability of students, faculty and staff to become vaccinated well before the start of the term. In a similar spirit of transitioning back to full-capacity campus life, the university also recently released a statement committing to an in-person commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021 from May 13-15. Exact details regarding the number of ceremonies and their times are to be announced on April 7. In-person academic courses are also planned to be offered for UNC Charlotte's Summer term, albeit at a limited capacity similar to current spring operations. NC College Beat has not found any guidance released by the university regarding their goals for Summer term courses or campus living. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Featuring Thomas Gessner, Lucas Thomae, and Owen Sizemore
NC College Beat has revamped the weekly roundup from the fall, providing regular updates on happenings within the universities and colleges of North Carolina through our new podcast hosted by Staff Writer Thomas Gessner. Listen to our episode using the audio player above or check out the episode notes below.
1. Duke University Students enter COVID-19 lockdown. Students have been instructed to shelter in place in their residence halls until at least March 21. This decision by university leadership comes after cumulative case numbers at Duke increased by more than 200 over the past week. (Further reading from Forbes) 2. North Carolina basketball programs kick off March postseason tournaments this week. UNC Chapel Hill will be appearing in the NCAA Men's Tournament as a No. 8 seed and NC State is a top contender for the women's tournament as a No. 1 seed. (Further reading from NC College Beat) 3. UNC Charlotte's Student Government Association Elections are in full swing. Voting will begin next Tuesday for Student Body President and Vice President, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Class Presidents, and all college-based Senators. Student Body President candidates Dick Beekman and Jeremiah Williams took part in a livestreamed debate in McKnight Hall yesterday afternoon. (Further reading from NC College Beat) 4. The state of North Carolina enters a new phase for COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines. While masking and social distancing mandates still remain in place, capacity limits have been increased for concerts, sporting events, movie theaters, salons and more. Additionally, the 10:00pm-5:00am curfew has now been lifted, and restaurants may now stay open as well as serve alcohol later into the night. (Further reading from WRAL) 5. The Snyder cut and the impact of streaming services on college students. Streaming Services such as Disney+ and HBO Max are continuing to make new ground with a greater influence on college students and the filmmaking market, most notably seen in the rise in new platforms and the introduction of major studios releasing their films through these services. 6. COVID-19 Dashboard updates. As discussed earlier, Duke is leading North Carolina in terms of week-by-week cumulative COVID-19 case growth, a trend that has also been spotted at other private institutions such as Wake Forest and Elon. Alternatively, the rate at which new cases are identified at public universities like UNC Chapel Hill and NC State has been steadying in recent weeks. (Further reading from NC College Beat) ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Thomas Gessner
After a nearly two year hiatus, March Madness is back.
Among North Carolina's Division I basketball programs, five men's teams and six women's teams will be participating in national postseason tournaments. Here is the full list of all the teams looking for a shot at gold this March: Men’s NCAA Tournament Bids UNC Chapel Hill, No. 8 seed After a strong showing in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels earned an at-large bid and will be facing the No. 9 seed Wisconsin Badgers on Friday, March 19, at 7:10 p.m. The winner of that matchup that will face No. 1 seed Baylor in what seems like an unlucky draw for UNC. UNC Greensboro, No. 13 seed Coming off a close SoCon Tournament victory, the Spartans will be facing the ACC Tournament runner-ups, the No. 4 seed Florida State Seminoles, on Saturday, March 20, 12:45 p.m. This has compelling upset potential as a 4-13 matchup, but UNCG fans should look out for what could very well be the last college game of standout senior guard Isaiah Miller’s college career. Appalachian State, No. 16 seed After winning the Sun Belt Tournament as a dark horse team, the Mountaineers are gunning for a shot against what might be the best Gonzaga team ever. Standing in their way is a play-in game with fellow No. 16 seed Norfolk State, which will take place Thursday, March 18, at 8:40 p.m. Women’s NCAA Tournament Bids North Carolina State, No. 1 seed & NC A&T, No. 16 seed After a great season ending in the ACC Tournament title, the Wolfpack will be facing another North Carolina college, the No. 16 seed A&T Aggies, who won the MEAC Tournament. The inter-state game will be played on Sunday, March 21, at 4:00 p.m. Wake Forest, No. 9 seed Wake Forest will be facing the No. 8 seed Oklahoma State University, with both teams just doing enough to earn at-large bids. OSU had a much better record in a much weaker conference, and on Sunday, March 21 at 1:00 p.m., there will be a clear idea of what matters more. UNC Chapel Hill, No. 10 seed Right behind the team they lost to in the first round of the ACC tournament, the Tar Heels will be facing No. 7 seed Alabama out of the very competitive SEC conference. The Tar Heels just made it into the tournament as one of the “last four in” and they will have a chance to prove themselves on Monday, March 22, at 12:00 p.m. High Point, No. 16 seed After earning an automatic bid as the winners of the Big South Tournament, High Point will be going up against the greatest program in collegiate women’s sports, that of course being the UConn Huskies, who had yet another spectacular season. The game will be live on Sunday, March 21, at 8:00 p.m. Men’s NIT Tournament Bids Davidson, No. 2 seed & North Carolina State, No. 3 seed Unfortunately for Davidson, the strong first half of their season was not enough to earn themselves a spot in March Madness, but they are in good position against the struggling Wolfpack, who likely lost a chance in the NCAA tournament after a terrible loss to the lower-seeded Syracuse Orange, making for another matchup of North Carolina which will be played on Thursday, March 17th, at 7:00 p.m. Women’s NIT Tournament Bids UNC Charlotte The Charlotte 49ers will be facing the Florida Gators in their WNIT matchup on Friday, March 19, 5:00 p.m. in Charlotte. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae
NC College Beat has decided to consolidate the COVID-19 data from North Carolina’s many schools and put them here, where we will update the numbers each week throughout the semester.
Below, we have cumulative cases, positive test rates, and more from all of the UNC System schools plus the five largest private schools in the state. Schools are ordered from largest to smallest, based on enrollment. Notes:
UNC System North Carolina State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 11 (↑4) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 1,381 (↑45) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 3 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 14 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 5 (↑2) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown* Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.6% (↑0.2%) * 2,050 (↑26) total positive cases since July 1, 2020 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 1 (↓2) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 826 (↑12) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.1% East Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 14 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 6 (↓7) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 619 (↑17) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 7 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1% Appalachian State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 462 (↑42) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 4 (↑2) Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.3% (↓1.0%) * 42 active student cases on March 2 (↓9) University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 9 (↑5) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 190 (↑6) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 8 (↑2) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 364 (↑28) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.7% North Carolina A&T University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 309 (↑18) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 1 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 2.7% (↑1.4%) Western Carolina University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 5 (↓12) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 213 (↑7) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.5% (↓2.4%) University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 64 (↑2) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown** * 2 current active student cases (↓1) ** 2.3% in latest surveillance testing period North Carolina Central University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 10 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 115 (↑7) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Fayetteville State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 4: 79 (↑7) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown * 12 active student cases (↑5) Winston-Salem State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 57 (↑7) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown University of North Carolina at Asheville (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 1 Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 53 (↑1) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Elizabeth City State University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 0 (↓1) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 32 (↑1) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown (for students considered high-activity) University of North Carolina School of the Arts (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 5 (↓3) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 63 (↑2) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.5% (↓6.2%) North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 13 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 8 Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 0 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown Private Schools Duke University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 14 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 3: 711 (↑231) Clusters Reported since Jan. 3: 2 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 1.1% (↑0.8%) * 218 students in isolation (↑165) and 371 students in quarantine (↑229) over the past week Wake Forest University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 15 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: 927 (↑4) Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown** * 4 active cases on March 8 (↓10) ** 0.1% COVID-19 prevalence based on stratified random testing Elon University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 16 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: 5 Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: 0.1% (↓0.1%) * 63 total students in quarantine/isolation (↓41) Campbell University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: March 16 On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: 6 (↑6) Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown High Point University (Dashboard) Dashboard last updated: not reported/unknown On-Campus Students in Isolation/Quarantine: not reported/unknown* Cumulative Cases since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Clusters Reported since Jan. 1: not reported/unknown Past-Seven-Days Positive Test Rate: not reported/unknown * 16 active student cases (↑6) The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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UNC Charlotte's Student Government Association Elections in Full Swing, Voting Beginning Next Week3/16/2021 By Owen Sizemore
The Student Government Association of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has entered its Spring election cycle for new officers, with online voting starting on March 23 at 8 a.m.
The seats up for reelection include:
All UNC Charlotte students will have the ability to vote for Student Body President and Vice President, as well as their respective Class President and college-based Senate seats. Voting will take place from March 23 at 8 a.m. to March 24 at 5 p.m. at vote.uncc.edu. Many races for this election cycle are uncontested; both the Sophomore and Junior Class President races have only one candidate, and the races for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, William States Lee College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Services, Belk College of Business, University College, College of Arts + Architecture, and Cato College of Education Senators have fewer or exactly the number of candidates for the available number of seats. Regardless, the race Student Body President and Student Body Vice President still remains competitive, with current Senate President Pro Tempore Dick Beekman and Senator Gabi Hitchcock running against current Senator Jeremiah Williams and Junior Class President Idalis Perez.
When asked about their campaign vision and goals, here is what Senator Jeremiah Williams had to say:
The Williams/Perez campaign joined the Student Body President race hoping to take our passion for community organizing and communication and put it to use for YOU.
More information on the Williams-Perez campaign can be found on their Instagram page or website.
When asked about their campaign vision and goals, here is what Senate President Pro Tempore Dick Beekman had to say:
Gabi and I are thrilled for the opportunity to serve UNC Charlotte as President and Vice President. Throughout our time in Student Government, we have seen first hand the extensive issues that our students face, and feel confident we have the expertise and experience to confront these issues head on.
More information on the Beekman-Hitchcock campaign can be found on their Instagram page or website.
Information on all Spring election candidates is available at sga.uncc.edu/elections. Additionally, a live debate is scheduled to take place between the two Student Body President and Vice President tickets on March 17 in UNC Charlotte's McKnight hall from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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