Summer is finally here, and that means everyone is going to start catching up with us, asking how our school year was. And if you're a freshman like me, chances are the adult figures in your life are going to be wondering how you felt about your first year of college. Well, you don't have to think too hard — here's a list I've made of the wackiest things that happened at UNC-Chapel Hill this past academic year, in no particular order.
1. Two hurricanes, a snowstorm, pollen-calypse, tornado-level winds, and an actual tornado. And a water crisis.
Us trying to walk in the middle of a tornado because they won't cancel class.
GiphyMother nature (and OWASA) really did us dirty this year. I'm a native North Carolinian and I was surprised. Hurricane Florence was projected to take down the entire state (fortunately, she turned, but we got so many- too many- days off). Michael actually did take down some trees. And, it never snows in December- but somehow it HAD to snow during finals week? And why did it rain EVERY weekend in April? We wanted to enjoy the weather before it got too hot!
2. The Silent Sam fiasco (and related events)
No matter your opinion on Silent Sam, we can all agree that his presence has brought chaos to UNC. I remember August 20th like it was yesterday… I was walking out of Memorial Hall after the Sunset Serenade when I heard that he had been pulled down. That was the day before FDOC.
3. Carol Folt, in general.
carolfolt.com
Now I'm a freshman so I can't speak for anyone who went to Carolina before this year, but all I know about Carol is that she was the first female Chancellor of UNC. She was the subject of many memes this year, most notably when she would send out school-wide emails regarding *certain events* on campus. Then one day, she announced she had taken down Silent Sam and was leaving. And now she's the president of USC (University of Scandals in California).
4. The KKK & other horrifying groups.
This gif but unironic.
GiphyOn the same day, Kevin Guskiewicz became our interim chancellor, some pictures from a 1979 UNC yearbook surfaced of students wearing blackface and KKK hoods. It was quickly condemned, but as the Silent Sam controversy was going on, this was just another thing to add to the mix. Additionally, in March a gun-carrying group was loitering on campus, and no one was arrested. We didn't find out until Kevin sent us an email a few days later.
I'm sure there's more, but these events truly encapsulated 2018-2019. All in all, it was a wild year, and who knows — next year might be even crazier.
Sheetal Tadiparty
Flickr Creative Commons
