The first day of classes at UNC looked a little different this year — with students wearing face masks and abiding by social distancing guidelines.

There was no line of students taking a sip from the Old Well for good luck and no crowd in the library getting an early start on studying. Instead, volunteers passed out safety kits and signs plastered around campus reminded students to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monday marked the first day of in-person classes for the fall semester and the first time that the general student body population has been on campus since March.

UNC’s decision to reopen campus for in-person classes has been met with criticism from students and faculty alike. Last week, a group of students held a “die-in” protest outside the South Building and called for classes to operate online due to the pandemic.

Orange County’s health department also sent a letter to campus leadership calling for classes to be held online for at least the first five weeks of the semester. This sentiment was also shared by local elected officials from surrounding towns, who asked that UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz listen to recommendations made by the health department.

Dave Mayberry, a worker stationed outside a classroom building, estimated that “99.99 percent” of students he saw on Monday were wearing masks. He and dozens of others around campus on Monday helped students navigate between classes, ensuring everyone was wearing a face covering and answering any questions students had about new policies.

Class sizes have also been condensed this year. Whereas some courses were previously held in crowded auditoriums, dozens of seats have now been taped off to make sure students are socially distanced while seated.

Every building on UNC’s campus is plastered with signs telling people not to enter if they had COVID-19 symptoms. Symptoms of coronavirus include coughing, shortness of breath, fever, and chills among others.

Recently, UNC launched its own COVID-19 dashboard which tracks the number of cases on campus. The university is reporting 175 total cases on campus, 139 of which are from students. Orange County is reporting 1,353 coronavirus cases and 47 deaths from the virus.

UNC’s plan to reopen and the decision to have students live in residence halls at full capacity was deemed the “highest risk” for coronavirus spread by the Center for Disease Control. The university, however, has reported its housing numbers are decreasing. Students who elect to take a completely online course load, either by their own choice or from their professors, can cancel their housing contracts with the university for no additional fee.

Still, on Monday, for a brief period, some sense of normal returned to UNC as yet another academic year began.

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