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By Lucas Thomae
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist best known for The 1619 Project, was set to be given a tenured position at UNC this summer. Instead, the school has opted to give her a five-year fixed contract, as reported by NC Policy Watch.
The decision has drawn heavy criticism from many prominent members of the UNC Student Body who say that the school caved to political pressure from conservatives. On May 20, a group of “UNC student leaders and advocates” published a letter under the website of the UNC Undergraduate Executive Branch, directly addressing Hannah-Jones. “We are frustrated and disappointed that our University, the flagship institution of the UNC System, has failed not only you, an outstanding alumna, but its students, its faculty, its community as a whole—and yes, the spirit upon which Carolina was founded: Lux Libertas—light and liberty,” the letter reads. The letter goes on to state, “Walking into this University, unfortunately, you are walking into a place where respect is minimal, criticism is high, and quantity is all too few for academics of color—especially Black women. Knowing this and recognizing the critical importance of upholding the integrity and impact of your work, we cannot ask you to come here. We respect your work and your contribution to this country’s history too much for you or your scholarship to be the constant target of disrespect here at Carolina, be it from our leaders in South Building, the Board of Trustees, or Board of Governors.” The letter had 31 signatures, among them Neel Swamy, the President of the Graduate and Professional Student Government, and Collyn Smith, the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government. The same day, Hannah-Jones tweeted, “I have been overwhelmed by all the support you all have shown me. It has truly fortified my spirit and my resolve.” The UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media had sought out Hannah-Jones for its Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism. Susan King, dean of the school, supported tenureship for Hannah-Jones, and faculty also published a letter expressing their support of Hannah-Jones and displeasure with the university’s decision. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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NCCB2021 Advanced Topics in College Podcast, Episode 1: Social Media, University Tuition and Fees4/27/2021 Featuring Owen Sizemore and Rory Klink
NC College Beat Co-founder and Webmaster Owen Sizemore joins Staff Writer Rory Klink to kick of the NCCB2021 Advanced Topics in College Podcast, investigating philosophy, research, technology and politics and its effect on college students.
This episode takes a deep dive into the role that social media plays in college applications, social media's privacy and security concerns, and its role in creating social change. Additionally, this episode discusses the rising cost of tuition and fees across colleges and universities and compares how public and private universities seek to draw in students through academics, amenities and research opportunities. Topics Covered: - In 2016 it was reported that about one-third of colleges checked applicants’ social media as part of their application process (ConsumerReports). - The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics - Laura Tierney and The Social Institute - Privacy concerns with TikTok: "“Its U.S. privacy policy also says it gathers your country location, Internet address and the type of device you’re using. If you give it permission, it will also grab your exact location, your phone’s contacts and other social network connections, as well as your age and phone number" (The Washington Post). - TikTok formerly had the capability to monitor your phone’s clipboard and copy that information every few seconds, but this was removed after it was discovered by app developers at a company called Mysk (Mysk). - Opinion piece from a student at Brigham Young University says social media can help create future collective action and social justice habits in the long-term (The Daily Universe). - Rising costs of college are not keeping up with wages or inflation (CNBC). - NC Promise Tuition Plan - UNC Charlotte's University Recreation Center - UNC Charlotte opens Mariott Hotel and Conference Center (Inside UNCC) ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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By Lucas Thomae
Catch up on NC College Beat’s latest Student Perspective feature, where Lucas Thomae interviews Nuria Shin, a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
Transcript On March 16, a series of shootings at spas and massage parlors in Atlanta killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. The killings happened amid an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence and across the U.S.. Following the tragedy, one UNC sophomore channeled her emotions into the only way she knew how: music. I’m Lucas Thomae, and this is NC College Beat’s Student Spotlight. My name’s Nuria Shin, I’m a sophomore here at UNC Chapel Hill, double majoring in Ad-PR and voice performance, and I’m a second-generation Korean American. The day after the Atlanta shooting, Nuria picked up a journal and started writing what would eventually become a song, with poignant lyrics focused on anti-Asian sentiment. It was truly just me putting all my thoughts into just a few words, and the first thoughts that came to mind, the first words, “I’m speaking right at you but you don’t seem to care. Your only concern is the color of my skin and my hair.” It’s made me reflect on all of the microaggressions and the racism that I have endured but never really decided to confront just so I could get by easier, and just make it easier on me and my conscience. I’m not really good with words, but it felt a lot easier when I could express my thoughts and feelings into music. When I wrote Integrity it truly was me not knowing how else to express my thoughts, my emotions, the amount of just pain I felt. I never felt that much weight on my heart, if that makes sense. This was one of the times when songwriting just came naturally to me. It had never come naturally, like I don’t write songs. I think this was the first time I had actually sat down and written anything. Nuria recorded the song and posted it to Instagram, where it circulated among the campus community and was met with warmth and appreciation. I know the people who know me and who follow me, I’m not one who’s super active in sharing my opinions or sharing my thoughts but I knew this was something that I had to share and this is something that I wanted my followers – I say my followers, but the people who follow me – to just take the time to listen and hear what I had to say. [Lucas]: And when you shared that post and put that song out into the world what was the community response like and what was your reaction to that? I was really happy that I posted that, because it took this moment of isolation and this moment of fear and turned it into something that was really warm and very supportive, and it felt like my opinions and my thoughts truly mattered to those around me and it felt… It wasn’t lonely anymore. Which was very nice. ● The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Five WCU students who were seen in racist social media videos over the weekend are no longer enrolled in the university and will not return, according to a statement made by Chancellor Kelli Brown on the WCU Facebook page Tuesday evening. On Saturday, August 22nd, a Snapchat video surfaced of three white, female WCU students saying the n-word. Outrage ensued among the student body, and that evening Chancellor Brown released a video statement condemning the racist behavior and ensured that university officials were investigating the students involved. The next day, a separate video of two white, male students saying the n-word was posted on social media. “Alright, first of all n******, hold the f*** up and listen to this,” one of them says. The second student then holds up an “OK” hand signal, which has been associated with white supremacy, and says, “Just because you throw up this like an ‘OK’, does not mean that it’s white power.” A Trump 2020 flag can be seen hanging in the background of the video. In response Chancellor Brown released another statement, emphasizing her disappointment in the students and once again condemning bigotry on campus. “These past 24 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions for me and many others on this campus,” she said. “We must rise above the negativity and prejudice. I ask all members of the Catamount family to live up to the community creed.” In response to the videos, fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha held an event on campus to rally together against racism, while the Black Student Union called for action against the students featured in the videos. Brown spoke at the event hosted by Alpha Phi Alpha, stating that diversity and inclusive excellence is one of her top priorities as chancellor. This isn’t the first time WCU has dealt with incidents of racism on campus. Students staged a silent protest in 2016 after racist comments were made on a social media app associated with the school. In 2018, students held a rally against intolerance after multiple incidents of white students shouting racial slurs at African American students. ● Some information in this story was gathered with the help of reporting by Joel Vélez Rodríguez of the Western Carolina Journalist. The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
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5/21/2021
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