Recent events at the University of Missouri have sparked conversations about race relations on college campuses around the county.

UNC is no exception.

A hunger strike from a University of Missouri student, coupled with a threat to boycott athletic events by the football team and other student protests, brought the resignation of the University of Missouri System President and UM Columbia Chancellor.

Those students were protesting after racial tensions were heightened by derogatory language allegedly being used on the UM campus and what the protestors felt was a lack of a response from administration.

Ripples of the conversation have sparked protests on other university campuses.

In Chapel Hill, a message to the campus community from Chancellor Carol Folt, Provost Jim Dean, Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement Felicia Washington and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Winston Crisp was sent on Thursday saying the university community has been “deeply moved by what has been another historic week on college campuses across the nation.”

The statement adds, “From events on our own campus, to those recently taking place in Missouri and New Haven, students, faculty and staff across America are making their voices heard.”

The events on UNC’s campus the letter is presumably referring to include recent protests of Silent Sam and the renaming of Saunders Hall.

Officials announced the university would host a town hall meeting on campus next Thursday to “engage with students, faculty and staff on issues that continue to hamper” the university’s ability to be as inclusive, inspiring and safe as they aspire.

In addition, Chancellor Carol Folt has appointed Dr. G. Rumay Alexander as her Special Assistant to the Chancellor, effective January 1, according to the release.

The situation in Missouri accelerated quickly once the football team got involved.

That impact student-athletes can have on larger issues is not lost on members of Carolina athletic programs, including the men’s basketball team, which enters the season as the number one team in the country.

UNC senior point guard Marcus Paige says, from NBA players joining together in protest of Donald Sterling’s ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers to the situation in Missouri, there are plenty of scenarios that show the influence athletes can have.

“Athletics, especially in football and basketball, have been so huge economically and socially,” Paige says, “the school is almost, in ways, defined by their athletic departments. If you Google, or look on UNC’s Wikipedia page there’s a ‘Men’s Basketball’ section.

“The influence that we have is probably rivaled by just the Chancellor and a couple of other really important people.”

Paige says he believes it’s important for student-athletes to take a stand for what they believe in.

“It’s not always the easy thing to do, to stand up for something like that,” Paige says. “We, as players, we get here and we listen to what we’re supposed to do – we play the games, we go to class and do everything.”

He says in that day-to-day slog it can be easy to underestimate the student-athlete influence.

“You lose sight that there’s a whole bunch of ‘5’ jerseys, UNC jerseys, on campus. A whole bunch of North Carolina basketball this and that and posters everywhere and you’re signing autographs.

“And you realize that you can really impact people and you are really a voice for the university.”

While that number one team in the country prepares for its season opener Friday night, the university statement said administrators “truly want Carolina to be a place where we can come together to address the most pressing challenges of our day.”

Students have planned a rally for 11 o’clock Friday morning in front of South Building at UNC to show solidarity with the students at Missouri.