Just one day before thousands of students would line up to take a sip from the Old Well on UNC’s campus, a smaller group gathered to celebrate its reopening with a new, inclusionary feature.

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC Trustee John Preyer, and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nathan Knuffman welcomed wheelchair users and others to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday for the famed landmark’s updated accessibility ramp. The Old Well closed in May to construct a granite ramp and lower the installation’s height, which led to it being fenced off to visitors through the summer. The feature replaces a temporary ramp that was in place for the prior academic year, but was longer and steeper.

“The Old Well is one of the most photographed icons in our state,” Guskiewicz said at the ceremony. “Yet for decades, it hasn’t been truly accessible to every member of our community. That changes today, and I am so grateful to the many people who worked together to make this possible. I want to thank our students for their advocacy on this critical issue for our campus. You, our students, are our top priority and our goal is to give you the best opportunity to learn and grow. Your dedication to being inclusive and welcoming to all our students is inspiring.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Old Well on August 20, 2023, to celebrate the completion of a new sloped pathway which improves accessibility for visitors. In this image, Kathryn Sorensen, an assistant clinical professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy within the School of Medicine and 2004 UNC graduate, makes us of the new sloped pathway. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

UNC said it ensured that the granite used to construct the ramp matched the stone that makes up the well’s base, which was installed in 1954 as a replacement to the 1897 rotunda built around the well. The landmark itself dates back to the university’s founding in 1795.

Reopening the well on Sunday was a key timeline for the university — as Monday was the first day of classes for the 2023-24 academic year and when students prepared for an annual tradition. Campus lore says a sip from the Old Well on the first day of class helps students’ maintain a 4.0 GPA, and the campus fountain saw many visitors drop by to use the new ramp and updated base.

To learn more about The Old Well, visit UNC’s webpage dedicated to its history.

 

Featured photo via Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill.

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