We’re getting an inside look at a campus dorm at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after residents told WRAL News they’ve dealt with several issues at the complex for months.
WRAL spoke to a group of freshmen who all said they have dealt with several issues living on the ninth floor of Granville Towers. Some of them showed photos of their dorms, which included buckets filled with leaking black fluid, missing tiles from the ceiling, a light fixture filled with a mysterious liquid and stained carpets.
“It’s probably a safety and health hazard, and a concern,” said Darden Cove, a student living in one of the dorms.
WRAL News first learned of the problem after a parent reached out and shared video their daughter recently recorded. Students said the leaks started in September. Months later, they said they’re still waiting for repairs despite filing complaints to management.
“We’re scared like it’s going to rain,” said Maggie Hu, a freshman living in the dorm. “I don’t know if it’s from the rain. We’re not sure, but it’s going to rain on Saturday, so we’re a little scared.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Granville Towers and Carolina Housing said they didn’t learn of the leaks until recently.
“After learning of the leaks at Granville Towers earlier this week, we brought in an outside contractor to make immediate repairs. We are actively working to resolve persistent small leaks as well as clean and sanitize the area,” The spokesperson said.
WRAL News asked Granville Towers why it took so long to fix the issues, but did not get an answer. The spokesperson, however, said the dorm will let residents know about their repair efforts.
For students, the response wasn’t enough.
“It’s a little sad,” Hu said. “It’s like I feel like I should be getting more and even more if I was paying less, like just some basic care.”
The annual cost for in-state undergraduate students for the 2025-26 school year is $27,766, according to UNC’s website. It includes the cost of tuition, fees, housing, food, books, supplies, travel loan fees and personal expenses.
“It feels like, maybe, we’re not being properly cared for,” Cone said. I don’t know if that’s the right words, but maybe maintenance could probably do a little more.”
Granville Towers, while an on-campus dorm, is not operated by the school.
The last time UNC has built dorms on its main campus was back in 2002, but the school is planning on building two dorms for 700 students near Jackson Hall on the north side of campus for $110 million, much of which will be funded by housing fees paid by students.
A board of trustees committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill refused Wednesday to give its approval to a proposed 3% increase on in-state undergraduate tuition for the incoming class, calling on the university to keep that tuition flat for another year.
The proposed increase on in-state undergrads, which came from the university’s administration, would have amounted to $211 per student per year and raised about $800,000 in the first year. Current in-state undergrad students wouldn’t have been impacted by the increase.
Schools in the UNC System, including UNC, haven’t raised tuition on in-state undergraduate students since the fall of 2017. The UNC Board of Governors, for the first time since that hike, is allowing the boards at UNC System schools to consider a tuition increase.
Chancellor Lee Roberts said during the meeting that he supported the proposal and called it “a very measured, reasonable increase, entirely consistent with our obligations to the North Carolina Constitution.”
But trustees on the budget committee weren’t swayed, citing constitutional concerns, university spending and the UNC System’s taking of money from the university through performance metrics.
Several trustees said they would support the tuition increase if the UNC System promised not to take money off the Chapel Hill campus to give to other schools in the system. Trustees contend the UNC System took $7 million from the campus under a new performance formula and repeatedly called it a “tax.”
However, a majority of the board said it was opposed to the in-state undergraduate tuition increase under any circumstance.
“I think the principle on in-state tuition is that you don’t raise it unless you absolutely have to,” said trustee Jim Blaine, one of the most vocal critics of the plan. “I don’t see in our budget that we absolutely have to.”
Blaine criticized the university for a $1-million contract with a D.C.-based public relations and communications firm, saying such spending feeds into the narrative that UNC is not careful with its money.
“I don’t see the point in an $800,000 increase on in-state students, given our constitutional obligations, and I would like to see the graduate stuff reworked to be where it’s not shifting more of the burden to in-state students,” Blaine said.
So the committee instructed the administration to bring back a proposal that includes no tuition increase on in-state undergrads and instead raised tuition on out-of-state graduate students to compensate for the lost revenue. The full Board of Trustees meets Thursday in Chapel Hill. The full board could consider the original proposal as well.
Trustee Ralph Meekins was the lone vote against the plan to ask for a new proposal. Meekins said the original tuition proposal went through a long vetting process with administrators, students and faculty. He said he would take the Board of Governors’ allowance of an increase “as a recommendation that we should.”
“We’ve gone nine years without increases in our tuition,” he said. “We are the No. 1 university in the country for the money and we need to stay competitive in that area.”
The original proposal presented by the administration included a 10% increase on out-of-state undergraduate students and no increase on the base tuition for either in-state or out-of-state graduate students. The proposal also included increases for housing and meals. The trustees on the committee were OK with the out-of-state undergrad, housing and meal parts of the proposal.
NC State’s board of trustees will also consider a proposal to raise tuition by 3% at its meetings this week.
No matter what the university trustees ultimately decide to do regarding tuition, it might not be the last word. The Board of Governors oversees all the schools in the UNC System. And Republican lawmakers in the state House and Senate voted earlier this year on dueling budget proposals to hike tuition and force spending cuts at nearly every UNC System university, including Chapel Hill. Those plans are on hold as the legislature has failed to pass a new state budget.
In-state undergraduate tuition has remained at $7,019 per year since the 2017-18 school year. Fees at UNC were $2,076 for the current 2025-26 academic year. The proposal included a $53 increase in fees to help fund a new campus recreation and wellness center as the university has outgrown its current one. Construction on the new rec center isn’t expected to begin until at least 2027.
The university has been aggressively raising tuition for out-of-state undergraduate students. Tuition for those students was $26,575 in 2012-13 and is now $43,152, but demand in the form of applications continues to rise.
“You should be contemplating a world where we’re going to be likely in this range [of increases] for some time,” Nate Knuffman, the university’s chief financial officer told the committee.
Incoming undergraduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill could see a tuition and fee increase beginning next year, for the first time in nearly a decade.
North Carolina State University is also proposing tuition increases for all of its students as public universities deal with expected budget cuts from North Carolina lawmakers.
The UNC board of trustees will meet this week to consider a proposal to raise tuition for resident undergraduate students by 3%, the maximum allowable under state law. The change would go into effect for the class that matriculates in 2026. Current students wouldn’t see a tuition increase.
The 3% increase would raise tuition by $211 per year at UNC. Along with a proposed $53 fee increase for a new recreation and wellness center, UNC resident undergrads would pay $9,360 in tuition and fees per year.
Resident undergraduate tuition at UNC-Chapel Hill has been flat since the fall of 2017 as it has at other public schools in the UNC System. The university is routinely ranked among the best values among public universities in the nation.
“I’m opposed to the tuition increase on in-state students,” trustee Jim Blaine told WRAL.
The proposal includes a 10% increase for non-resident tuition. If approved, nonresident undergraduates would pay $49,601 in tuition and fees. UNC would still rank behind peer institutions such as the flagship public universities in Michigan, Virginia and California. But the Increase would put UNC higher than Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and others.
The proposal wouldn’t increase tuition for graduate students, but it seeks to include increases for students in the schools of government, law and pharmacy.
The proposal includes a 7% increase for fees for residential halls and an average 3.9% increase for meal plans.
The trustees will consider the increases at Wednesday’s budget, finance and infrastructure committee. The full board meets Thursday in Chapel Hill.
If approved by the trustees, the tuition and fee rates would be submitted to the UNC System Board of Governors for review and approval early next year. The Board of Governors oversee all of the state’s public universities. But tuition decisions are made on a campus-by-campus basis.
NC State University’s board of trustees also meets Thursday and Friday, and it will consider a 3% across-the-board tuition increase on all students — undergraduate and graduate, resident and nonresident. Current resident undergrads wouldn’t be impacted. Tuition would rise by $196 per year for the incoming cohort of resident undergraduates.
The tuition increases for all students would generate an additional $7.7 million with most of the money going toward improved quality and accessibility, according to the university.
None of the players are listed on the team’s online roster. UNC (2-4 overall, 0-2 in the ACC) hosts No. 16 Virginia on Saturday.
Boone, a transfer from Prairie View A&M, started the first three games of the season. His agent posted on social media that Boone “will be pursuing a medical redshirt in hopes of having 2 years of eligibility remaining. He should be 100% for spring practice.”
Yates, a transfer from UConn, played in just one game for the Tar Heels after dealing with an injury in the early part of the season. Smith, a freshman tight end, didn’t appear in a game for the Tar Heels.
“I don’t know what kind of perspective some of those people have that are saying that, but I think anybody that’s around it on a daily basis would see that,” Belichick said in an Oct. 13 press conference.
“I’m sure the players all see the improvement they’re making.”
Normally, Colton the dog is a very good boy. The Sasser family from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was shocked after their very sweet boy managed to start a fire in their home last year. David Sasser with Chapel Hill Fire Rescue said they normally crate Colton, but on this particular day, they left the house to visit with family. The curious and playful dog was having the time of his life while playing in the family room and managed to pull a few items off the counter. That’s when Colton got hold of a lithium rechargeable backup battery. The battery then caught a rug on fire. “Thankfully, we have a monitored alarm system, so once Colton started the fire, our local department was called to respond,” Sasser said. He also said that everyone was safe; however, “Colton’s battery privileges have been revoked,” he said.What to know about lithium batteries:Stop using the battery if you notice these problems: • Odor • Change in color • Too much heat • Change in shape • Leaking • Odd noises Battery Disposal How to dispose of batteries: • Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash. • Recycling is always the best option. • Take batteries to a battery recycling location or contact your community for disposal instructions. • Do not put discarded batteries in piles. Find out more about fire safety here.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. —
Normally, Colton the dog is a very good boy.
The Sasser family from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was shocked after their very sweet boy managed to start a fire in their home last year. David Sasser with Chapel Hill Fire Rescue said they normally crate Colton, but on this particular day, they left the house to visit with family.
The curious and playful dog was having the time of his life while playing in the family room and managed to pull a few items off the counter. That’s when Colton got hold of a lithium rechargeable backup battery. The battery then caught a rug on fire.
“Thankfully, we have a monitored alarm system, so once Colton started the fire, our local department was called to respond,” Sasser said. He also said that everyone was safe; however, “Colton’s battery privileges have been revoked,” he said.
What to know about lithium batteries:
Stop using the battery if you notice these problems:
• Odor
• Change in color
• Too much heat
• Change in shape
• Leaking
• Odd noises Battery Disposal
How to dispose of batteries:
• Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the trash.
• Recycling is always the best option.
• Take batteries to a battery recycling location or contact your community for disposal instructions.
Last fall, a group of key UNC-Chapel Hill stakeholders gave interviews to an external public relations firm, hired by the university, and described their thoughts on the school and its reputation.
Part of the firm’s findings from those interviews: “Carolina has lost its ‘Way.’”
“Over the last 10 years, there’s been a degradation of what UNC stands for,” said one interviewee. The quote is not attributed, but the 21 stakeholders who were interviewed included a host of top university officials, deans, faculty and communications professionals.
The findings are detailed in a report by the Brunswick Group, which The News & Observer obtained through a public records request.
UNC has been working with the global PR company for more than a year, additional records obtained by The N&O show, with efforts largely aimed at revamping the university’s communications, marketing and branding. The firm is also tasked with providing “advice and counsel” to Chancellor Lee Roberts and other senior university leaders, and its work for the university remains ongoing.
All told, the university has paid Brunswick nearly $908,000 since first contracting with the firm in July 2024, according to invoices obtained and tallied by The N&O. The funds came from the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation,a pool of philanthropic donations to the university, and did not include taxpayer dollars, UNC spokesperson Kevin Best told The N&O.
“The University contracted the Brunswick Group to review the structure and operations of the communications and marketing functions of the University and to provide strategic communications counsel during a period of leadership transition starting in July 2024,” Best said in a statement. “The Brunswick Group supported a wide variety of topics and projects impacting the University’s messaging and brand reputation.”
Records show the firm also played a key role in the search for a new leader of the university’s communications operations, and that it briefly stepped in to help campus officials with monitoring the media coverage of Bill Belichick’s hiring as UNC’s football coach, among other work.
After a “decade of crisis and leadership changes,” as the October 2024 report described it, the records pertaining to Brunswick’s work for UNC peel back the curtain on the efforts, and money, the university is expending to bolster its reputation.
UNC System president Peter Hans (right) installs new UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts during a ceremony on campus Oct. 11, 2024. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Teresa Valerio Parrot, a higher education communications professional who runs her own consulting firm, said it’s not unusual for a university to bring in outside help for “additional hands” during a transitional period.
“They bring additional skill sets and can sometimes provide honest truth and constructive feedback to leaders in ways that those who are currently on staff may not feel comfortable, or may not be in positions to provide that kind of direct and, sometimes, blunt perspective,” Valerio Parrot said.
“In a transition,” she added, “that type of honest critique may be necessary to help refine how a new leader is presenting themselves and presenting the messaging for the institution, so that they better resonate, internally and externally, with key audiences.”
Brunswick Group partner Michael Schoenfeld, a former chief communications officer at Duke University, and senior partner Don Baer, a former White House communications director under President Bill Clinton, are among those leading the firm’s work at UNC.
Schoenfeld and Baer declined to comment on their work for the university when asked by The N&O.
Conducting a SWOT analysis
The university’s initial contract with Brunswick covered a two-month period and listed a total fee of $200,000 for the work. However, invoices obtained by The N&O show Brunswick’s work on “communications organizational assessment and strategic advisory services” continued for four months, through November, with the firm charging $125,000 for each month of the work.
The contract stated the firm would, among other tasks, “analyze media, social media and other measures in several key areas” of the university, including research, athletics, health care and fundraising, “to assess UNC’s current reputation and positioning.”
The firm also agreed to conduct SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — analyses of the university’s “public statements and positioning.” The findings of that exercise are listed in the October 2024 report.
This slide from an Oct. 16, 2024, report shows a SWOT analysis the Brunswick Group conducted about UNC-Chapel Hill. Screengrab; report obtained via public records request
“Carolina has [a] strong reputation, passionate supporters and internal and external challenges,” reads a top-line description of the analysis.
The university’s strengths, Brunswick found, are that it is a “transformational leader in education, research, technology, finance, athletics and healthcare” and that it has “growing demand, passionate stakeholders and high national rankings,” among others.
As both an opportunity and a threat, Brunswick found the university has an “ambitious agenda that will require both difficult decisions and close coordination among many units.” Also included as a threat is that the university is facing a “polarized” environment at the state and national levels.
The report also listed several weaknesses of the university:
“Decentralized organization with diffuse priorities and cumbersome decision-making;”
“Highly visible academic freedom issues;”
“Governance controversies and executive turnover has eroded confidence in the quality and effectiveness of central University communications;
and “erosion in identity of values, missions and impact.”
The top themes that emerged from Brunswick’s interviews with stakeholders are also included in the report. The findings included concerns about “ongoing controversies and leadership changes” at the university and a “weakened ability to project a positive image,” as well as how campus officials were equipped to handle and respond to those issues. Among other suggestions, interview subjects identified a need to highlight the benefits UNC offers to the state.
Ever since Republicans took control of the state legislature in 2011, and especially since they seized more appointment powers from the governor in 2016, faculty groups, Democrats and others have criticized what they see as political interference and conservative leanings on university boards. Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper blamed “meddling from legislative appointees” for the departure of Roberts’ predecessor last year to become president of Michigan State University. That chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, had told faculty at Michigan State that he would only take the job there if there was no “undue interference” from the university board.
To address its findings, Brunswick suggested revamping the university’s vice chancellor for communications role and enhancing communications to “amplify” the priorities of Roberts and the broader university.
This slide from an Oct. 16, 2024, report shows key themes from stakeholder interviews the Brunswick Group conducted about UNC-Chapel Hill. Screengrab; report obtained via public records request
Consulting on leadership communications
After the parties’ initial agreement expired, UNC signed a new contract with Brunswick beginning this January and running through June, records show. The monthly retainer fee was $60,000 per month during that period.
Under the new agreement, Brunswick was tasked with providing “guidance on strategic communications and media plans and inbound media inquiries” and “advice and counsel to the Chancellor and senior leadership.”
Brunswick in the October report suggested the university’s efforts to develop “leadership communications” should include — among other tactics — “building a state, national and global platform” and becoming a “leader in higher education policy and advocacy, with particular focus on the impact of flagship public research universities like Carolina.”
Valerio Parrot, who noted she didn’t know specific details about the relationship between Brunswick and UNC, said it’s common for firms to focus on such work for campus leaders.
“They focus on a portfolio that is much broader than just words on a page or talking points,” she said. “They really work on leadership topics, and they focus on the relationship and in the intersection of leadership and communications.”
In late February of this year, Brunswick associate Katie Dominick emailed Lucy Dunderdale Cate, Roberts’ deputy chief of staff, and Beth Keith, senior associate vice chancellor of communications, a list of nine “potential in-person events to consider for Chancellor Roberts to target in the coming years.” The events included the Forbes Global CEO Conference, SXSW EDU and the World Economic Forum.
“As we work with you to build out the Chancellor’s communications strategy, we can adjust as needed,” Dominick wrote.
“In addition to speaking or attending, we would be interested in hosting meet ups for Carolina alumni at some of these,” Keith wrote.
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts speaks at an event honoring university employees on Oct. 9, 2024, in Chapel Hill. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Brunswick associate Katie Dominick responded: “… we will work on building out these events and opportunities.”
In early March, Schoenfeld sent an email to Keith and Dunderdale Cate identifying a “potential high value target” for the chancellor to consider: an interview with a journalist — an “old friend” of Schoenfeld’s, he wrote — from the Financial Times.
“He’d be interested in talking with Lee at some point about leading a public university through the current national political turmoil,” Schoenfeld wrote.
Dunderdale Cate called the possibility “exciting” in her reply and said she’d like to discuss it more.
Finding a new communications leader
The university also paid Brunswick $70,000 to support the search for a new vice chancellor for communications. Among other tasks, the firm’s work on the search included advising campus officials on the job description before it was posted and leading some candidate interviews, email records on the topic show.
Kamrhan Farwell, who became vice chancellor in 2022, left UNC in April for a similar role at Boston University.
Previously, as detailed in the October report, Brunswick suggested a plan for “realigning” the position to be the university’s “principal communications, marketing and reputation officer.”
In late April, ahead of interviews for the revamped position, Dunderdale Cate provided this statement for campus human resources staff to send candidates: “The Brunswick Group has worked with UNC-Chapel Hill in supporting the chancellor’s communications and has been assisting the committee in this search. They will interview the candidate and also share their perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the university.”
The search resulted in the hiring of Dean Stoyer, a communications executive whose experience comes primarily from the athletic sector, having worked for Nike, the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and a NASCAR team.
Dean Stoyer, vice chancellor for communications and marketing at UNC-Chapel Hill. UNC
The university often uses external groups when conducting searches for new officials. To conduct the search that resulted in Roberts’ hiring as chancellor, for instance, the university hired Parker Executive Search of Atlanta for $250,000, according to records previously obtained by The N&O. NC State University later used the same firm to hire its new chancellor, Kevin Howell.
Asked about Brunswick’s work for UNC by The N&O last month, Roberts noted the university uses “a range of third-party firms whether it’s for legal services or consulting services or PR services.”
“We try to be judicious about that. We try and use internal resources wherever we can. But I think, like all of our peers, there are times when we feel the need to add third-party help,” he said.
Best said Brunswick will continue providing its services to UNC “at a 50% reduced monthly retainer” through 2025. By the end of the year, then, the university is likely to have paid more than $1 million for the firm’s work.
Reporters Shelby Swanson and Jadyn Watson-Fisher contributed.
Korie Dean covers higher education in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer, where she is also part of the state government and politics team. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and a lifelong North Carolinian.
The trustee board voted last week in a special meeting to approve two line-item amendments to the university’s budget: one change to divert the $2.3 million in annual DEI spending, and another to carve out the university’s athletics budget from the overall plan to allow for further review of that department’s financial standing.
Hans spoke to reporters following a UNC System Board of Governors meeting Thursday in which the board voted to repeal previous DEI requirements across all of the state’s public universities. Hans emphasized that the new policy will support “student success programs,” and money previously directed toward DEI programs and efforts will be re-prioritized to various success-oriented initiatives at the universities. Regarding what programs might benefit from the reallocated funds, Hans said he doesn’t think “the board necessarily has a specific program in mind,” though he said the efforts should help retain students and assist them as they work toward graduation.
“They’re going to trust the chancellor and their teams on campus to be able to reinvest those funds in something that is working on their campus,” Hans said. “Now, they’re all called different things on every campus and they may have slightly different points of emphasis, because there are different student populations. They’re just different campuses.”
Asked by The News & Observer whether campus safety and police would be considered part of such student-success efforts, Hans replied: “No.”
Hans said the UNC-Chapel Hill board’s action “was not in compliance with the Board of Governors’ policy” on university budgets, which tasks trustees with taking an “up or down vote” on the university chancellor’s recommended spending plan. Hans said that legal counsel for the UNC System advised UNC-Chapel Hill’s counsel that the board did not have the authority to “change line items” in the budget.
But the UNC trustees “chose to disregard that advice,” Hans said.
Board chair asked about compliance in meeting
UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer told The N&O Thursday that the board “always wants to follow system policy.”
“But it’s a shame that the system does not want to redirect the savings on DEI to public safety when our university police department has worked so tirelessly to protect our students,” Preyer said.
The board’s vote last week came weeks after tensions escalated on campus over a pro-Palestinian encampment, resulting in police using force to disband protesters on at least two separate occasions. Trustee Marty Kotis cited the protests as a reason for diverting the DEI funds to police, though fellow board member Dave Boliek told The N&O the policy was under consideration before the protests began.
At the Board of Trustees’ special meeting, Preyer seemed to anticipate that the trustees’ vote might raise questions, asking UNC-Chapel Hill General Counsel Charles Marshall prior to the action: “Is someone going to come back and say, ‘Sorry, you couldn’t have done that’?” Preyer appeared to be referencing the board’s decision to decouple the university’s athletics budget from the rest of the budget, not the decision to divert DEI funding.
Marshall replied to Preyer’s question: “Very possibly.”
“We had conversations last year about whether this is an up or down vote. My understanding is it was,” Marshall said.
Marshall noted that the university system in recent years has adopted a new budget-approval process. The “all-funds budget process,” which considers the entirety of a university’s spending instead of department-level plans, is used to “improve financial efficiency and to make targeted investments in institutional and system strategic goals,” per a system description.
“This is a new process, alright? I don’t think any campus has ever tried to line-item,” Marshall said. “I don’t think that’s what the Board of Governors is looking for, but I did not call them before I came in here.”
Still, Marshall said he was “comfortable” with the board’s action, given that any issues would “get resolved” at the UNC System level.
UNC System policy states that trustees “shall advise the chancellor with respect to the development, execution, and administration of the budget of the constituent institution, consistent with actions by the General Assembly and the Board of Governors” and approve the plans on an annual basis.
With the trustees’ actions being out of compliance with system budget policies, Hans said the committee subsequently considered interim Chancellor Lee Roberts’ original budget proposal in the committee meeting. Meeting materials contained a spending plan labeled as the chancellor’s budget. However, an accompanying letter from UNC-Chapel Hill Chief Financial Officer Nate Knuffman noted the two amendments approved by the trustees.
UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts addresses the media prior to a closed session portion of a meeting of the board of trustees in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Kaitlin McKeown kmckeown@newsobserver.com
Trustee voiced opposition to diverting funds
While the trustees’ vote to divert DEI funding originally appeared unanimous, trustee Ralph Meekins later clarified at the board’s May 16 meeting that he did not vote and that he did not support the board’s action. Meekins said he was not informed of the motion to divert the funds until the meeting, and noted that the vote to approve the “meticulously crafted” budget is generally taken as an up or down vote.
Meekins said he remained confident in Roberts’ actions on the budget and any potential changes to DEI efforts at the university.
“Fortunately, in spite of the actions this board has taken, the issue of how UNC-Chapel Hill handles its efforts on diversity will ultimately be determined by our interim chancellor. I trust that he will await clarification from the BOG regarding its DEI policy and will adhere to its directives while thoroughly examining the matter, listening to all perspectives, and ultimately making an informed decision,” Meekins said. “It’s undoubtedly a challenging task, but I pray he approaches the changes to our DEI program with precision, using a scalpel, not a machete. Given his track record so far, I am optimistic that this will indeed be the approach that he takes.”
Roberts told reporters at the board’s May 16 meeting that he would wait for the Board of Governors’ new policy to become finalized to determine how the university’s DEI spending and programming would change.
“We’re going to have to wait for the implementation guidelines to understand exactly how to how to redirect our funding,” Roberts said.
UNC System legal staff is expected to issue guidance to campuses on how they should comply with the policy “in the coming weeks,” per a printed handout provided to media Thursday. The changes, which could result in DEI-related jobs being changed or eliminated, are expected to be in-place by the beginning of the upcoming academic year.
In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observer’s focus on accountability reporting.
This story was originally published May 23, 2024, 4:45 PM.
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Korie Dean covers higher education in the Triangle and North Carolina for The News & Observer. She was previously part of the paper’s service journalism team. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and a lifelong North Carolinian.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Protests over Israel’s war in Gaza are spreading at college campuses across the country.
This includes one right here in the Triangle.
Last week, students rallied on UNC’s campus. They gathered on the quad outside the South Building, where the Chancellor’s office is located.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Students for Justice in Palestine (UNC SJP) — who organized the rally — said it was a response to the rally at Columbia University where more than 100 people were arrested last week.
WATCH | UNC students hold pro-Palestine rally in response to arrests at Columbia University
Students at the University of North Carolina held a rally on campus Friday.
Tensions remained high the following Monday at Columbia, where the campus gates were locked to anyone without a school ID and where protests broke out both on campus and outside.
On the same day, dozens of students at New York University were arrested during pro-Palestinian protests.
An encampment set up by students swelled to hundreds of protesters throughout the day Monday. NYU said it warned the crowd to leave, then called in the police after the scene became disorderly.
The university said it learned of reports of “intimidating chants and several antisemitic incidents.” Shortly after 8:30 p.m., officers began making arrests.
WATCH | Over 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at Columbia University in New York
Some 108 people were arrested on Columbia University’s campus for trespass without incident, officials said.
“It’s a really outrageous crackdown by the university to allow the police to arrest students on our own campus,” NYU law student Byul Yoon said.
“Antisemitism is never ok. That’s absolutely not what we stand for and that’s why there are so many Jewish comrades that are here with us today,” Yoon said.
These protests are happening at Ivy Leagues across the country. Groups are demanding universities to divest from companies tied to Israel.
Some Jewish students, meanwhile, say much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe, and they point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group’s Oct. 7 invasion.
President Biden, in response to these protests, said:
“I condemn the antisemitic protests. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”
A tour group of parents, future students and family members learn the history of UNC’s Old Well on the Chapel Hill campus in 2016.
News & Observer file photo
The job opening to become the 13th chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill will undoubtedly attract high-profile applicants who are eager to take the helm of the nation’s first public university. But there could be risks that keep some candidates away, or at least make them think twice about applying.
That was part of the message delivered Tuesday to members of the search committee by Laurie Wilder, president of Parker Executive Search, which was awarded the contract to lead the search.
Asked by Board of Trustees vice chair and search committee member Malcolm Turner whether she foresees “any particular challenges” impacting the search, Wilder replied that “there are challenges no matter what you do,” including some that apply to searches across the higher education field, and some that will be unique to UNC.
There is currently a “war for talent” in higher education, Wilder said, channeling the term coined by a McKinsey & Co. partner in 1997. That means universities are making concerted efforts to keep “the best of the best” at their institutions and not lose them to other jobs, she said.
“They are increasing compensation. They’re adding years to contracts. The retention bonuses are huge,” Wilder said.
That means money and salary could play a role in the university’s ability to attract candidates for the chancellor’s job — both because the institution where a candidate is currently employed may seek to retain them by offering them more money, and because UNC may not be able to offer as much money as some candidates want.
Previous chancellor’s salary
When former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz left UNC in January, his annual base salary was about $684,000. That was up from $620,000 when he entered the role in 2019.
In 2022, Guskiewicz ranked 73rd for total compensation out of 195 public university chancellors and presidents across the country whose pay was included in a database compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The highest paid leader of a single institution, as opposed to an entire university system, listed in the database received more than $2 million in total compensation that year, with a base salary of more than $873,000.
Wilder said compensation in higher education “has been driven at a very, very high level over the last five to six years.” At some universities, she said, lower-level positions, like deans of professional schools, could already be making a higher salary than what Guskiewicz and other previous UNC leaders made as chancellor.
The historical level of compensation for the UNC chancellor, in tandem with the pressures and responsibilities of the job, could make the position more attractive to candidates who already work for the university, Wilder said.
“You all have been in a position where you’ve had a number of leaders that have come [from] within, right?” Wilder said. “So, when you come from within, you tend to take less … than if you’re coming from outside.”
Wilder cautioned committee members not to “fall in love” with candidates who make it clear they want more money than the university can provide them.
“If you love that person all the way to the end, that person’s probably not taking this because of compensation, right?” she said. “And that runs the risk of ruining your search.”
Guskiewicz is now the president of Michigan State University, where his annual base salary is $975,000. With additional forms of compensation, he makes well over $1 million per year in the role.
UNC interim Chancellor Lee Roberts currently makes about $684,000, the same amount Guskiewicz was making when he left the university. Roberts has not said publicly whether he will apply for the chancellorship permanently.
Other potential challenges for search
Beyond salary and compensation, Wilder said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, candidates may be “a little more risk-averse than they have been in the past.”
That means potential candidates, particularly those who are sitting chancellors or presidents at other universities, will have to seriously weigh “the upside” of even applying to the job at UNC. Though the search will be conducted confidentially — with search committee members signing nondisclosure agreements and not revealing candidates’ identities or the details of committee discussions — Wilder said breaches are still possible, which could negatively impact the candidate’s current job.
“The reality of it is, there’s a risk, right? At any moment a breach of confidentiality can occur,” Wilder said. “And so that’s a challenge as we go forward through this.”
Wilder said candidates are likely to have “lots of questions” about the university, given its high profile and national media attention over the past several years. UNC has seen its share of time in the spotlight, for controversies including its handling of students’ return to campus amid the pandemic, the fallout over whether journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones would be offered tenure to teach at the university and the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the university’s race-conscious admissions policy, among other issues.
Wilder also said she thinks “politics plays a large role in the search as we go forward.”
Cristy Page, executive dean of the UNC School of Medicine and chair of the chancellor search committee, told reporters after the committee’s meeting Tuesday that she doesn’t see any of the challenges Wilder presented as “hurdles that we can’t overcome.”
“I feel very confident that we’re going to have a lot of people interested in this very high-visibility position, and that we’re going to find some great candidates to pass forward to the Board of Trustees,” Page said.
The search could also move faster than originally anticipated, with Wilder saying that she anticipated the search being done prior to the end of the year — the timeline by which UNC System President Peter Hans previously said he would like to name the university’s next leader.
“I think that’s the worst case from a timing perspective,” Wilder said, answering a question from Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer about the timeline of the search.
The committee is holding listening sessions with campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, this month.
An online survey is also available for such stakeholders to give input on the qualities they would like to see in the next chancellor. The committee, along with Parker Executive Search, will use the information collected in the survey to craft a leadership profile for the job.
The committee’s next meeting has not been announced, but Page indicated it would take place sometime after the survey closes on May 10.
Korie Dean covers higher education in the Triangle and North Carolina for The News & Observer. She was previously part of the paper’s service journalism team. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and a lifelong North Carolinian.
CHAPEL-HILL, N.C. (WTVD) — UNC-Chapel Hill is taking an “aggressive approach,” to address the detectable levels of lead found in water fixtures in buildings on campus.
The campus-wide water testing is proceeding in a phased approach that is expected to last multiple weeks, according to the university, which is now in its “Phase Two” of testing water fixtures in buildings that were built in or prior to 1930.
On Tuesday, the university said detectable levels of lead were found in 57 out of 84 in-room sinks throughout Spencer Residence Hall which is part of phase two testing.
“Additional water coolers have been added to this building, and we are meeting with residents” the university said. “Blood lead level testing continues to be available at Campus Health for all students in affected buildings.”
George Battle, Vice Chancellor for institutional integrity and risk management, said although the lead levels are under the EPA threshold for action, they’re testing all water fixtures and buildings because “it’s the right thing to do.”
“Even if we find lead levels below 15 parts per billion, even if it’s point two parts per billion, we are taking action and taking that fixture out of service and replacing it, remediating it in some way,” Battle said. “The vast majority of fixtures that we find have no detectable lead overall, but that’s not stopping us from just making sure that we have an inventory here.”
At Stacy Residence Hall less than half a mile away from Spencer, the only level of lead detected was 1.1 PPB.
“In my floor, our drinking fountain has been found contaminated with lead,” freshman Heidy Garcia said. “So thankfully whenever there was concerns brought out about lead, they quickly got to testing it and blocked off any potential things that were infected by lead.”
Garcia said although testing was kind of inconvenient at times, the university was quick to address it. However, she’s hesitant to drink from some water fountains on campus.
“I’m only drinking from places that I know had been tested, and have come up with results that they’re okay to drink from,” Garcia said. “Any place else, I won’t drink, I’ll bring a water bottle with me or something like that.”
For freshman Serena Sherwood, Everett Residence Hall was tested for lead during Hurricane Ian, which she called a “unique experience.”
“We couldn’t use the kitchen in our dorm, we couldn’t use any of the water bottle fillers, or water fountains in our dorm,” Sherwood said. “Our dorm didn’t end up with lead, but it was concerning because I was coming into college thinking that my dorm would be safe, that I would be able to drink the water in there, and I had been drinking water in there for about two and a half months now, so to hear that it could’ve had lead in it this whole time was just not something I wanted to hear.”
In addition to communication, the university said they’re making health testing for lead available to all UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, staff and students who work, study or live in the affected buildings.
“Our situation, unfortunately, is not unique,” Battle said. “You’ve seen school districts, other places where you have older buildings, older facilities that have undergone this over the years. But I think where we are unique is, in terms of the aggressiveness which we tackled this and the speed with which we are trying to get this done.”
