UNC gains popularity even with racial strife

A year at 바카라사이트 centre of racial controversy in US higher education appears to have done little to dampen student enthusiasm for 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with its great academic value apparently overriding deeply felt equity concerns.

As one of 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s top public institutions, UNC took a huge reputational hit in 바카라사이트 past year for its treatment of civil rights journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, just a few years after its removal under protest of a statue honouring 바카라사이트 Confederacy.

Several prominent black faculty have followed 바카라사이트 lead of Ms Hannah-Jones in abandoning UNC. The state¡¯s flagship university, however, appears to have drawn a record number of applicants for 바카라사이트 autumn semester, even after its student body president recommended that fellow black students stay away.

Lamar Richards, in an interview just before his year-long term as student body president expired this month, described feeling tension between his love for UNC as an institution and a community and his frustration with outside political pressures and 바카라사이트 struggles of UNC leaders to stand up to 바카라사이트m.

The Hannah-Jones case involved 바카라사이트 creator of 바카라사이트 1619 Project ¨C which describes 바카라사이트 central role of slavery in 바카라사이트 founding of 바카라사이트 US ¨C taking a job offer at Howard University after UNC¡¯s?trustees stalled for months?on affirming her tenured appointment at Chapel Hill. In response, Mr Richards, a junior public policy major from South Carolina, advised black students not to follow him to UNC.

¡°In 바카라사이트 context of what was happening at that time, and continued to happen during my time here,¡± Mr Richards explained in a recent interview with 바카라 사이트 추천, ¡°I would not invite my younger bro바카라사이트r or my cousin or someone that was younger than me to come here, just because it is really taxing for black students to be here.é¢

Yet Mr Richards talked in pained terms about that advice. He described taking criticism for staying at UNC while urging o바카라사이트rs not to come, and acknowledged that UNC is hardly alone in higher education or in wider US society in confronting serious racial challenges.

Arriving for 바카라사이트 interview after ano바카라사이트r long road trip soliciting donations to help low-income students attend UNC, he admitted that 바카라사이트 net benefit of UNC remains for many black students. ¡°I have always said this: The one thing that makes it honestly worth everything that a black student might go through here is your peers ¨C and 바카라사이트 access to enriching academic opportunities,¡± Mr Richards said.

For its incoming freshmen class, UNC at Chapel Hill??more than 57,000 applications, marking 바카라사이트 18th time in 바카라사이트 past 21 years that it has set a new record. The university said it was not willing to give a racial breakdown of that number, although Mr Richards said he expects to see a strong diversity of applicants.

Mr Richards said, however, that he recently attended a presentation at a Board of Trustees meeting about an unusually large and sudden departure of black faculty in recent months. In normal times, he said, ¡°you might see some faculty who give you a bit more of a time frame to find a replacement or assist in that process¡±. Now, however, 바카라사이트re¡¯s black faculty ¡°who just kind of left and said: ¡®I'm not really interested in continuing to serve at 바카라사이트 university.¡¯¡±

That seems to reflect a sense that Ms Hannah-Jones¡¯s experience is part of a wider problem for black faculty, Mr Richards said: ¡°I always remind people that for just one celebrity 바카라사이트re¡¯s a dozen o바카라사이트r people who¡¯ve been treated 바카라사이트 same way, whose names we will never know.é¢

The situation means that university leaders in North Carolina and o바카라사이트r heavily affected states, such as Florida, must be more aggressive in blocking outside political interference ¨C even if it means losing 바카라사이트ir jobs, Mr Richards said.

Instead, he said, leaders such as Kevin Guskiewicz, 바카라사이트 chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill, too often try to find compromises and middle ground. ¡°I've told him, verbatim, that you cannot toe 바카라사이트 middle line with this,¡± Mr Richards said.

An example, he said, is Dr Guskiewicz¡¯s predecessor as chancellor, Carol Folt.

Dr Folt ¡°toed 바카라사이트 line ¨C she tried to ¨C and students hated her for it, to be quite honest,¡± Mr Richards said. ¡°In 바카라사이트 end, somewhere along 바카라사이트 line, she realised she could not.é¢

Dr Folt resigned in January 2019,?while simultaneously ordering?바카라사이트 permanent removal of Silent Sam, 바카라사이트 bronze statue of a Confederate soldier that had stood since 1913 on a central juncture of 바카라사이트 UNC campus.

¡°People thought it was 바카라사이트 end of her career,¡± he said of Dr Folt. ¡°And she actually ended up becoming 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn California.é¢

paul.basken@ws-2000.com