Following hundreds of UNC community members gathering on Franklin Street Saturday night, university leadership said in-person instruction will continue beginning Monday if faculty choose it.

In a release Sunday night, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Bob Blouin said the university’s Student Affairs department received hundreds of complaints about community public health violations after people celebrated after UNC men’s basketball’s victory over Duke, 91-87. With in-person instruction set to begin on Monday, leadership decided to offer faculty flexibility in their modes of instruction.

“We will continue to start undergraduate in-person instruction tomorrow, as planned,” wrote Guskiewicz and Blouin. “However, as we have heard concern from some faculty, we will allow faculty the flexibility to stay with remote instruction this week, and begin in-person instruction on Feb. 17, following the wellness days on Feb. 15-16.”

While community members did not follow requests from leadership not to gather, leadership referenced required coronavirus tests twice a week and the lack of density in classrooms as key factors to maintaining campus public health amid the ongoing pandemic. University leaders said only 31 percent of undergraduate students will be taking either one or two courses in-person during this spring semester, with masks and physical distance required when on campus. Additionally, students living on campus are in single-occupancy rooms in residence halls.

The last in-person instruction held at UNC was to begin the fall 2020 semester. Following several clusters of positive COVID-19 cases in the first week, university leadership pivoted back to exclusively remote instruction for the rest of the semester.

Violations to the university’s community public health standards can result in students receiving written warnings, activity restrictions and probation. In the last week, UNC revealed nine students were removed from on-campus housing due to violations of safety protocols between November 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021.

As of Saturday, UNC reported 610 cumulative positive COVID-19 cases since January through its Carolina Together dashboard. There were 67 new cases reported in the last week from on-campus testing.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Related Stories
‹
Court OKs Dismissing UNC Student Suit Seeking Virus Refunds
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A trial judge was correct to dismiss a lawsuit filed by then-University of North Carolina students seeking tuition, housing and fee refunds when in-person instruction was canceled during the 2020 spring semester as the coronavirus pandemic began, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. Several students at UNC system campuses and […]
UNC Details COVID-19 Guidance for Fall Semester; No Re-Entry Testing Required
With the start of a new academic year just weeks away, UNC leadership shared the latest round of COVID-19 guidance for the campus community on Friday. A release from UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Provost Chris Clemens and Lead Physician Dr. Amir Barzin outlined suggestions and changes for students ahead of their return to campus in […]
Top Stories of 2021: The Return to In-Person Learning and its Mental Toll
To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2021. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region. After more than a year of virtual learning, students of all ages returned to the classroom this year. Orange […]
Orange County's Kizzmekia Corbett One of TIME's Heroes of the Year
Scientist Kizzmekia Corbett has received several accolades this year thanks to her part in COVID-19 vaccine research. On Monday, she earned yet another: one from TIME magazine. Corbett, who is a Hurdle Mills native, is one of four researchers TIME named its 2021 Heroes of The Year based on their accomplishments to advance vaccine development. […]
Art’s Angle: Unmasked Maze
The hype, which has been beneficial to recruiting in the long run, killed Carolina’s chances at Virginia Tech Friday night. It unified the orange-clad, near capacity crowd at Lane Stadium, a place where Justin Fuente had been booed and treated so inhospitably that his athletic director held a press conference to announce that Fuente was […]
UNC to Automatically Register Employees for the COVID-19 Vaccine
With the news that all frontline essential workers are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on Wednesday, March 3, UNC is communicating plans on how it will affect university employees. Group 3 includes “college and university instructors and support staff” as well as other front-line essential workers and researchers, as defined by the North Carolina Department of Health […]
Report: Charges Dismissed for 2 Accused of Helping Take Down Silent Sam
Two of the remaining people facing charges in the toppling of the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam saw their charges dismissed by the court system this week. According to a report from The News & Observer on Wednesday, the charges for Raul Arce Jimenez and Shawn Birchfield-Finn were dropped due to the local court system working to […]
UNC Announces Budget Plan, Will Reduce Personnel and Operating Funds
UNC released a two-year budget plan and guidelines Friday for its schools to balance their budgets in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan, which includes 18 months of reductions to personnel and operations funding, was shared in a message to the campus community by Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Executive Vice Chancellor Provost Bob Blouin and Interim […]
UNC Shares Details on Students' Required COVID-19 Test Ahead of Spring Semester
As the spring semester approaches in Chapel Hill, UNC is sharing information on what COVID-19 testing requirements students must meet before returning to campus. On its Carolina Together website, the university shared Prior to Arrival testing protocols for all undergraduate students enrolled for classes who will either live on campus, live in the surrounding towns, […]
Holiday Rituals: What Our Cooking Says About Us
For many people, cooking or baking is a staple of the fall and winter holiday season. Recipes passed down through generations are often followed or recreated to make meals specifically associated with this time of the year. But where do these habits and traditions come from? And what do they say about human culture? Joanna […]
›