Community Updates : Community Relations

Good Neighbor Initiative begins Monday (sent 8.13.21)

Elected officials and community partners:

Tar Heels are returning to our community and we are gearing up for the Good Neighbor Initiative! We’ll have three shifts of canvassing (see below), focusing on Northside first. See the door hanger we created for non-student residents and the newsletter I sent to my community list yesterday including this story on the Good Neighbor Initiative. Aaron Bachenheimer and I will be putting out some yard signs reminding folks to “Be kind. Be mindful. Be a good neighbor.” this afternoon if there are any key areas you’d like us to hit up.

Please let me know if you have any questions and THANK YOU to the Town of Chapel Hill and the Town of Carrboro as well as the Jackson Center and EmPOWERment, Inc. for making this happen year after year!

– Kristen Young, UNC-Chapel Hill Community Relations

Good Neighbor Initiative Door-to-Door Canvass

Monday, August 16 4-6 p.m.

Tuesday, August 17, 9-11 a.m.

Tuesday, August 17, 4-6 p.m.

Link to sign up: go.unc.edu/2021gni

UNC-Chapel Hill to test sirens Tuesday, July 20 between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Friends and neighbors:

Tomorrow on Tuesday, July 20, the University will TEST its emergency sirens between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The University tests the sirens regularly throughout the year to make sure the equipment works properly and to remind everyone what to do in a real emergency. During the test, anyone outdoors near campus or downtown will likely hear the sirens. You may also hear the emergency sirens that are located at the Friday Center and near the Giles Horney Building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. No action is required.

The sirens will sound an alert tone along with a brief pre-recorded voice message. When testing is complete, a different siren tone and voice message will signal an all clear.

The sirens are part of the Alert Carolina System, the University’s emergency notification system that uses multiple ways to reach students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors, local residents, parents and the public. The Alert Carolina System website, alertcarolina.unc.edu, is the best source of information during a campus emergency.

Would you like to receive emergency notifications from Carolina?

Many community residents have told us that they would like to receive University emergency alerts. If you do not have a unc.edu email account, there are two ways that you can receive the alerts. One way is using the Alert Carolina twitter account and the other is using the UNC Carolina Ready Safety app. Instructions for signing up for alerts can be found at the bottom of this email.

If you are the contact person for your neighborhood or community group, please forward this message to your members and others. Even if your neighborhood is not near campus, we want people who might hear the emergency sirens during the Alert Carolina test to know what is going on.

Best,

Kristen Young

UNC-Chapel Hill Community Relations

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via the UNC Carolina Ready Safety App:

The Carolina Ready Safety App turns your smartphone into a safety device that allows you to:

call or message 911 quickly,
report suspicious activity anonymously,
virtually watch a friend or family member walk via the GPS-based FriendWalk feature
receive Alert Carolina messages.

Download the app on your iPhone or Android.

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via Twitter:

If you already have a Twitter account, all you have to do is follow @AlertCarolina and turn on mobile notifications for this account (see below for detailed instructions). If you do not have a Twitter account, setting one up is free and just takes a few minutes.

Once you have a Twitter account on your mobile phone:

Log into Twitter
Search for the @AlertCarolina account
Click the “follow” button on the right side of the page
Click the “bell” icon to the left of the “follow” box
When the university tweets from @AlertCarolina, you will receive a text message on your phone.

When the university tweets from @AlertCarolina, you will receive a text message on your phone.

UNC-Chapel Hill to test sirens Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, between 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Dear friends and neighbors:

Later this week on Wednesday, Feb. 17, the University will TEST its emergency sirens between 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. The University tests the sirens regularly throughout the year to make sure the equipment works properly and to remind everyone what to do in a real emergency. During the test, anyone outdoors near campus or downtown will likely hear the sirens. You may also hear the emergency sirens that are located at the Friday Center and near the Giles Horney Building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. No action is required.

The sirens will sound an alert tone along with a brief pre-recorded voice message. When testing is complete, a different siren tone and voice message will signal an all clear.

Would you like to receive emergency notifications from Carolina?

Many community residents have told us that they would like to receive University emergency alerts. If you do not have a unc.edu email account, there are two ways that you can receive the alerts. One way is using the Alert Carolina twitter account and the other is using the UNC Carolina Ready Safety app (download on iPhone or Google Play). Instructions for signing up for alerts via Twitter can be found at the bottom of this email.

Best,

Kristen Young

UNC-Chapel Hill Community Relations

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via Twitter:

Log into Twitter
Search for the @AlertCarolina account
Click the “follow” button on the right side of the page
Click the “bell” icon to the left of the “follow” box
When the university tweets from @AlertCarolina, you will receive a text message on your phone.

When the university tweets from @AlertCarolina, you will receive a text message on your phone.

Happy holidays from Community Relations and updates on UNC-Chapel Hill's spring semester (sent 12.21.20)

Friends and neighbors,

We know that this year has been a challenging one and that even though this week the UNC Medical Center received its first shipment of the vaccine, we are still in the midst of a pandemic. In addition to wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season, we wanted to compile and share recent updates about the spring semester.

Carolina has made changes for the spring semester that will better position us for success, including launching a robust testing program so we can more fully track cases to prevent the spread of the virus and offering only single-occupancy housing for on-campus residents. Students will begin moving into campus residence halls on Jan. 13, and classes will begin on Jan. 19. About 3,500 students will be living in single-occupancy on-campus residential housing, the University has tripled is space for quarantine and isolation and most classes will be taught remotely. Before undergraduate students return to the community, they will be required to participate in prior to arrival testing and provide proof of their results. Any undergraduate student who lives on campus and in Chapel Hill or Carrboro or regularly accessing campus will be required to participate in regular asymptomatic evaluation testing twice a week throughout the semester. As a condition of enrollment, all students must agree to know and follow the University’s updated COVID-19 Community Standards, which include compliance with county and state public health orders, including gathering limits.

We will continue to keep the broader community updated through our Carolina Together website, COVID-19 Dashboard, and quarterly student conduct summaries. We will support our students in their commitment to adhering to our community standards and will ensure there are consequences for those who do not. If you observe a violation of the COVID-19 Community Standards, please submit a referral form to the Office of Student Conduct with as much detailed information as possible. The Chapel Hill Police Department and Orange County Health Department remain essential partners in a consistent and equitable enforcement process and we’ve listed important contact information below:

Orange County Health Department

Hotline: 919-245-6111 (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday)

Chapel Hill Police Department

919-968-2760 (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday)

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911.

We are wishing you a safe and healthy holiday. We’d like to share both the county’s guidance for gathering safely as well as our wishes for a very happy holiday season. The University will be closed December 24, 2020, through January 1, 2021—see below for holiday hours for the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and The Carolina Inn as well as outdoor spaces—but we look forward to communicating with you in the new year.

***

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center: All visitors, including members, must have a reserved ticket. Make a reservation online in advance of your visit. Guests will have two hours to enjoy a planetarium show and explore exhibits. Open Fri. 1-7 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 1-5 p.m.

North Carolina Botanical Garden: The buildings are closed, but the display gardens are open Tues.-Sat. 9 a.m-5 p.m. and Sun. 1-5 p.m.

The five-acre Coker Arboreteum and 750-acre Carolina North Forest are open dawn to dusk year-round.

Plenty of holiday events, like afternoon tea and brunch with Santa, are happening at The Carolina Inn.

Join us for the virtual celebration of the installation of UNC-Chapel Hill's 12th chancellor (sent 10.6.20)

Friends and neighbors,

The University will celebrate its 227^th birthday on Monday, Oct. 12 and even though we won’t be hosting a traditional University Day celebration, we would like to invite you to two unique virtual events celebrating the installation of our 12^th chancellor.

Up Close with Kevin and Amy Guskiewicz

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and his wife, Amy, will share personal insights and preview Kevin’s vision for Carolina 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7. Register online for this live virtual conversation hosted by UNC School of Government faculty member Anita Brown-Graham.

Installation Virtual Watch Party

Kevin Guskiewicz will be installed as the 12^th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during an official ceremony 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 11. Register for the watch party or watch the livestream at installation.unc.edu.

We hope you can join us for both of these virtual events.

Update from UNC-Chapel Hill Community Relations (sent 8.7.20)

Dear friends and neighbors,

Hope you have stayed healthy and safe this summer. Everyone across the University is working to ensure that we have a healthy and safe semester. Carolina students have begun to move in (by appointment and with masks), and many of our 4,497 first years are preparing for a semester of online courses. Whether a student returns to Chapel Hill or remains home for remote instruction, all students must acknowledge our Community Standards as a condition of enrollment.

The safety, health and well-being of our campus and local communities is the top priority as the University implements its Roadmap for the fall semester. Students will have a compressed semester with classes beginning Monday, August 10, and final exams completed by November 24, with no fall break. Each student will receive a Carolina Together Care Kit that includes two reusable masks, hand sanitizer, a thermometer, and information about our Community Standards. More information about the Roadmap can be found at carolinatogether.unc.edu.

Though we are unable to do a door-to-door canvass of neighborhoods, we will continue to partner with the Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro, EmPOWERment, Inc., and the Jackson Center, to encourage our students to be good neighbors. This semester we are emphasizing the importance of wearing a mask and practicing physical distancing as absolutely essential to being a good neighbor. If you observe students off campus who are not abiding by the state order around gatherings, submit a referral to the Office of Student Conduct and see the Town of Chapel Hill’s website for more information on community safety.

I will continue to share updates throughout the fall semester, and I hope you will also stay connected by visiting the Community Relations website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

UNC-Chapel Hill to test sirens Wednesday, July 29 between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

Dear friends and neighbors,

Later this week on Wednesday, July 29, the University will TEST its emergency sirens between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. The University tests the sirens regularly throughout the year to make sure the equipment works properly and to remind everyone what to do in a real emergency. During the test, anyone outdoors near campus or downtown will likely hear the sirens. You may also hear the emergency sirens that are located at the Friday Center and near the Giles Horney Building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. No action is required.

The sirens will sound an alert tone along with a brief pre-recorded voice message. When testing is complete, a different siren tone and voice message will signal an all clear.

Would you like to receive emergency notifications from Carolina?

Many community residents have told us that they would like to receive University emergency alerts. If you do not have a unc.edu email account, there are two ways that you can receive the alerts. One way is using the Alert Carolina Twitter account and the other is using the UNC Carolina Ready Safety app that the University launched this summer. Instructions for signing up for alerts can be found at the bottom of this email.

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via Twitter:

Once you have a Twitter account on your mobile phone:

Log into Twitter
Search for the @AlertCarolina account
Click the “follow” button on the right side of the page
Click the “bell” icon to the left of the “follow” box

When the university tweets from @AlertCarolina, you will receive a text message on your phone.

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via the Carolina Ready Safety App:

The Carolina Ready Safety App turns your smartphone into a safety device that allows you to:

call or message 911 quickly,
report suspicious activity anonymously,
virtually watch a friend or family member walk via the GPS-based FriendWalk feature,
check in on you while you are working or studying alone, and automatically trigger a call to your emergency contact if you fail to check in at the allotted time utilizing the WorkSafe feature,
receive Alert Carolina messages,
and much more.

To download and set-up the UNC Carolina Ready Safety App:

Download the app on your iPhone or Google Play by searching for “UNC Carolina Ready”
You’re set!

This app will replace LiveSafe, which is no longer supported at UNC-Chapel Hill.

UNC-Chapel Hill featured on 60 Minutes and CNN on Sunday, June 14

Hope this finds you and your family safe and healthy. I wanted to let you know that Carolina will be featured on two major news networks tonight on Sunday, June 14. We hope you can tune in to hear more about the University’s leadership in these areas.

At 7 p.m., 60 Minutes on CBS is featuring a piece on university campuses reopening in the fall. John Dickerson interviewed Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, Dr. Myron Cohen and Student Body President Reeves Moseley about Carolina’s roadmap for fall 2020 and the safety measures being put in place. Here is a preview of the segment.

At 10 p.m. ET, CNN will air an hour-long special on the connection between bats and COVID-19. Hosted by Anderson Cooper, the special will feature interviews with several bat-borne-disease experts, including Dr. Ralph Baric, who has studied coronaviruses for more than 30 years and was recently named News & Observer’s Tar Heel of the Month for his contributions to help find a vaccine. Visit CNN’s website for details on how to watch live.

In the weeks ahead, I will send you updates about the phased re-opening of campus and encourage you to check out those details on our new website, carolinatogether.unc.edu.

Carolina Blood Drive to take place 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2

Friends and neighbors,

I hope this email finds you continuing to stay healthy and safe. Many community members may wonder how they can help during this challenging time. As the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and other state and local entities have communicated, donating blood is one very important way you can help others as blood donations are critical to sustaining public health.

The annual Carolina Blood Drive will take place 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 2 at the Dean Smith Center. Individuals who are able and are healthy and feeling well are invited to schedule a donation appointment at the drive. You can make your appointment by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), using the sponsor code UNC. Walk-ins will be accepted the day of the drive, but appointments are encouraged. Donors will receive a commemorative Carolina Blood Drive T-shirt and free food.

Red Cross employees follow thorough safety protocols to reduce the spread of infection, as outlined by the FDA. The Red Cross has also implemented CDC-recommended sanitary measures to ensure the health of staff, volunteers and donors. Additional precautions include the following:

Checking staff, volunteer and donor temperatures before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.
Providing hand sanitizer for use before entering the drives, and throughout the donation process.
Following social distancing between donors including entry, donation and refreshment areas.
Ensuring staff, volunteers and donors wear face masks or coverings and providing masks to those who need them.
Routinely disinfecting surfaces, equipment and donor touched areas.
Wearing gloves and changing gloves often.
Using sterile collection sets and an aseptic scrub for every donation.

To volunteer, or for more details, visit carolinablooddrive.unc.edu. If you are unable to join us at the Carolina Blood Drive on June 2, you can visit the American Red Cross website to make an appointment or visit the UNC Blood Donation Center website to learn more about donating platelets. If you have fully recovered from COVID-19, you may also be able to donate plasma as a lifesaving treatment through the American Red Cross or the UNC School of Medicine.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. If you are the head of an organization or the manager of a neighborhood listserv, please forward where appropriate.

Flyover on Thursday, virtual celebration Sunday (sent 5.6.20)

Friends and neighbors,

Hope you are continuing to stay safe and healthy. I wanted to reach out to let you know that tomorrow the 145th Airlift Wing will be conducting a one aircraft C-17 flyover of various cities, hospitals, and food banks as part of Operation: American Resolve.

Sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 12 noon the C-17 will fly over the UNC Medical Center located at 101 Manning Drive in Chapel Hill. Please see this map for the route of the flight.

As stated by the North Carolina Air National Guard, “The flyover is to demonstrate the Department of the Air Force’s continued readiness during the national COVID-19 response, while saluting the American heroes at the forefront in our fight against COVID-19. These flyovers will incur no additional cost to taxpayers and are being conducted as part of regularly scheduled training.”

This week I would normally be communicating details about getting to Kenan Stadium or listening to our commencement speaker. A very resilient class of 2020 will be celebrated on campus at a later date and on Sunday, the University will hold a watch party of special videos the University created for our seniors on Facebook and YouTube so graduates and their families can celebrate together this weekend. Feel free to join us Sunday at 10 a.m. or enjoy a very special a capella rendition of the Alma Mater and enjoy campus scenes and reflections in this video.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. If you are the head of an organization or the manager of a neighborhood listserv, please forward where appropriate.

Stay safe and be well.

Kristen

Update from Community Relations, including new website (sent 4.27.20)

Friends and neighbors,

First and foremost, we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. We recognize this is a challenging time for everyone.

Carolina students and faculty completed remote instruction last week are now in the exam period. We have developed new resources for our students and faculty to find the information they need and stay in touch with us. We miss their presence on campus and look forward to their return as soon as safely possible. For the latest information regarding the University’s operations, please visit unc.edu/coronavirus.

Meanwhile, we are grateful to the researchers and medical professionals at the forefront of this emergency and those who are donating equipment to assist. We thank everyone who is contributing to the fight against COVID-19. We’re celebrating these Carolina Heroes tomorrow by wearing Carolina Blue. We’d love it if you’d join us and share your support!

And now, more than ever, we want to stay connected with you—our friends and neighbors. To that end, we are excited to launch a new website, communityrelations.unc.edu.

Through this website, we want to:

Provide a space to view communication from University leadership—see Community Updates
Link to key event calendars including Athletics and the General Alumni Association—see Calendars
Help you navigate to and around campus (once it’s safe to do so)—see Getting Around
Help answer questions on how to do things, like volunteer, be outside, and learn at UNC-Chapel Hill—see I Want To

While our connections are limited to a virtual space for now, we hope you find this information especially helpful when we return to normal operations. Please take some time to explore the website, and we welcome your feedback if there’s additional information you’d like us to provide.

Finally, many of you have asked when Spring Commencement will be rescheduled. University leaders have not decided, but I will share the date with you as soon as it’s available.

Stay safe and be well.

UNC Visitors Center opens at 134 East Franklin Street (sent 3.6.20)

Friends and neighbors,

We are thrilled to share with you that the new UNC Visitors Center, located at 134 East Franklin Street, is now officially open to the public. This is a gateway to Carolina where you can bring your visiting friends and family to begin their exploration of the nation’s first public university.

The UNC Visitors Center features seven interactive elements designed for guests to learn more about Carolina and enhance their experience on campus, including having walking directions texted directly to their phone and an opportunity to take a selfie with Rameses!

The center is also the gathering spot for the Sense of Place tour, an informative hour-long walking tour led at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays by Visitors Center staff, starting at McCorkle Place and ending at Kenan Football Stadium. About 4,000 people take these tours annually.

You can read more about the different elements of the Visitors Center at The Well, but we hope that you will come see the space for yourself. The Visitors Center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday and you can sign up for a tour online.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and hope you’ll join us at the Visitors Center soon!

ESPN College GameDay to broadcast from Smith Center (sent 2.6.20)

Friends and neighbors,

Hope you are staying dry in this wet weather. This Saturday, ESPN College GameDay will be broadcasting live from the Dean E. Smith Center, where the Tar Heels will take on the Blue Devils at 6 p.m. that night.

Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. and the broadcast will air at 11 a.m. on ESPN. The general public is invited to use Entrance D and encouraged to leave all bags at home as the Smith Center’s clear bag policy will be in effect. Concessions will be available and early birds will have a chance at some great door prizes. Signs are encouraged!

Additionally, the Carolina Basketball Museum will be open from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Public parking for GameDay will be available in the non-reserved sections of the Manning (middle and bottom tiers) and Bowles Lots adjacent to the Smith Center. Disability parking will be available in the Williamson Lot off of Skipper Bowles Drive. All lots must be cleared by 1 p.m. for game preparations.

Follow @GoHeelsGameDay on Twitter for key gameday information, promotions and features.

Winter Commencement to be held Dec. 15, 2019

Friends and neighbors,

Another academic semester is drawing to a close and as students finish their finals and many make preparations for the holidays, we also get ready to host Winter Commencement, 2 p.m., Sunday, December 15 at the Dean E. Smith Center. More than 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students will turn their tassel at the end of this weekend.

Grammy Award-winning professor and senior director emeritus of the Center of the Study of the American South Bill Ferris will deliver the University’s 2019 Winter Commencement address. In February, Ferris won two Grammy Awards for the multimedia set “Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris” released by Atlanta-based record label Dust-to-Digital. Ferris was honored by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, as well as recognized as a Hometown Hero.

You can join commencement in person as parking is available in the Skipper Bowles lot or watch the ceremony online at UNC.edu or on our social channels YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

It’ll be a busy weekend as UNC Men’s Basketball will take on Wofford at 4 p.m., playing in Carmichael Arena. The last regular-season men’s game in Carmichael (then known as Carmichael Auditorium) was a 90-79 victory over NC State on Jan. 4, 1986. Carolina has played one game in Carmichael Arena since the Smith Center defeating William and Mary, 80-72, in the first round of the 2010 NIT.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and wishing you a warm and relaxing holiday season. Go Heels!

Updates on Halloween and early voting (sent 10.30.19)

Friends and neighbors,

We’re almost at the end of October, which means it’s time for Chapel Hill’s annual Halloween celebration and the close of early voting. The University, Town of Chapel Hill and many others are working together on these events, and we want to be sure you have the latest information.

Halloween

Starting at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, parking meter stations on the 100 block of East Franklin Street and West Franklin Street, Henderson and North Columbia streets will be bagged for No Parking. Beginning at 6 p.m., vehicles parked on the 100 block of East Franklin Street and West Franklin Street, Henderson and North Columbia streets will be towed. Franklin Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Here is information we shared with the campus community, and the Town and the University are working to ensure it’s a safe celebration. Watch this message from Chancellor Guskiewicz and Mayor Hemminger and this message from Chief Perry and Chief Blue.

Early Voting

This week is the last week of early voting for Orange County municipal elections. Four sites, including the Chapel of the Cross located next to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, are open through Friday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except all sites will close at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31. Here is information we shared with the campus community, and you can check your registration and download your sample ballot at the N.C. State Board of Elections.

As a reminder, we have launched new social media accounts focused on community relations to keep you informed about University happenings. Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and I hope to connect with you soon!

Join us at University Day October 12, 2019

Friends and neighbors,

Please see the invitation from Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz to join us for University Day celebrating the 226^th birthday of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This free, public event will begin at 11 a.m. in Memorial Hall. In addition to faculty and staff who will discuss the University’s service to the state, we’re honored to recognize 200 years of town government with Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger.

After the celebration, we hope you’ll stay downtown to enjoy Festifall, an arts festival on Franklin Street. Some parking lots on West Franklin will be closed for Festifall vendors and staff, but thanks to the Town of Chapel Hill and the Downtown Partnership, all public parking is open and free all day on Saturday. For more information on parking on campus and parking downtown, visit move.unc.edu/parking and parkonthehill.com.

We hope you’ll join us tomorrow or watch the livestream on Facebook or YouTube. As always, we hope to see you on campus soon. Visit unc.edu/events for the latest opportunities.

Chancellor search forum and Good Neighbor Initiative Community Cookout this week (sent 9.17.19)

Here’s to fall and hoping cooler weather is on its way. We have a few updates to share and hope you’ll consider connecting with us on social media too:

Chancellor Search

Recently, a committee has formed for the search for the next chancellor. The Chancellor Search Committee will hold two forums for individuals to share their opinions about what they hope to see in the next chancellor. The forums are designed to provide an opportunity for the campus community as well as community members to share ideas about the qualities the University’s next chancellor should have. You can join us Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Wilson Library or if you are unable to attend in person, you may also share your thoughts at https://chancellorsearch.unc.edu/feedback or by emailing chancellorsearch@unc.edu.

Good Neighbor Initiative Community Cookout

The Good Neighbor Initiative, sponsored by Off-Campus Student Life, will host their community cookout (formerly called the Good Neighbor Initiative Block Party) this Thursday, September 19, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. We’ll have free food from Buns and Ben & Jerry’s, a DJ, a bounce house, a photo booth, t-shirts, and some great giveaways and YOU and your NEIGHBORS are invited. The Good Neighbor Initiative is a collaboration between the University and community partners the Town of Chapel Hill and the Jackson Center. For more information, visit go.unc.edu/goodneighbor.

Community Relations on Social Media

We have launched new social media accounts focused on community relations to keep you informed about University happenings. Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

UNC-Chapel Hill to test sirens Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019

Dear friends and neighbors:

Later this week on Thursday, September 12, the University will TEST its emergency sirens between 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. The University tests the sirens regularly throughout the year to make sure the equipment works properly and to remind everyone what to do in a real emergency. During the test, anyone outdoors near campus or downtown will likely hear the sirens. You may also hear the emergency sirens that are located at the Friday Center and near the Giles Horney Building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. No action is required.

The sirens will sound an alert tone along with a brief pre-recorded voice message. When testing is complete, a different siren tone and voice message will signal an all clear.

Would you like to receive emergency notifications from Carolina?

Many community residents have told us that they would like to receive University emergency alerts. If you do not have a unc.edu email account, there are two ways that you can receive the alerts. One way is using the Alert Carolina Twitter account and the other is using the LiveSafe app that the University launched in fall 2016. Instructions for signing up for alerts can be found below.

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via Twitter:

If you already have a Twitter account, all you have to do is follow @AlertCarolina and turn on mobile notifications for this account by clicking the bell icon on the profile page. See this help page for more detailed instructions to enable push notifications delivered through the app on your mobile phone or through SMS text messages.

How to receive Alert Carolina notifications via LiveSafe app:

The LiveSafe app turns your smartphone into a safety device that allows you to:

call or message 911 quickly,
report suspicious activity anonymously,
virtually watch a friend or family member walk via the GPS-based SafeWalk feature and
receive Alert Carolina messages.

To download and set-up LiveSafe

Download the app on your iPhone or Android.
Select “University of North Carolina Chapel Hill” as your affiliation.
Fill in your user profile.
You’re set!

First home game tomorrow, Tar Heel Downtown tonight (sent 9.6.19)

Friends and neighbors,

It’s September and football season is here. The North Carolina Tar Heels will play their first home game tomorrow at 8 p.m. versus the Miami Hurricanes. The game is sold out, but there are two pre-game events that you and your family can participate in:

Tar Heel Downtown (Tonight): As a partnership between Carolina Athletics, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, and Chapel Hill Community Arts and Culture, you’re invited to a pop-up pep rally! Join UNC cheerleaders, the Marching Tar Heels, and Rameses for food and fun at Tar Heel Downtown, 6-8 p.m., tonight at Carolina Square on Franklin Street. For more information, visit tarheeldowntown.com and for information on parking downtown, visit parkonthehill.com.

Tar Heel Town (Tomorrow): On game days—even if you can’t make the game—you’re invited to join Carolina Athletics at Tar Heel Town, opening at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Located at Polk Place, Tar Heel Town has something for every Tar Heel fan: music, food, giveaways, and family activities including face painting, inflatable games and more. Rameses will sign autographs and take photos starting at 5 p.m. and the Marching Tar Heels will be at the Pit at 6:30 p.m., in front of Wilson Library at 7 p.m. and will proceed to the Bell Tower. For information about game day parking, visit move.unc.edu/events/football.

Thanks to our partner Chapel Hill Transit (who is celebrating its 45^th anniversary this year), the Tar Heel Express will be providing shuttle service to campus before and after the game. Shuttles will begin at 5 p.m. from the Friday Center and Airport Drive (103 Airport Drive, Chapel Hill) park and rides, and 6:30 p.m. from the Southern Village and Jones Ferry Road park and rides. For more information, visit the Town’s website.

This year, Carolina is starting a new tradition and lighting the Bell Tower after every win. Here’s hoping that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the Bell Tower bathed in blue!

Visit carolinagameday.com/gameday for all the details you need to know.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions and go Heels!

Updates from interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz (sent 8.19.19)

It’s hard to believe that we’re starting another academic year here at UNC-Chapel Hill. I just got back from the annual Good Neighbor Initiative neighborhood canvass—it was great to see many of you there—and have some updates from interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz that we wanted to be sure that you receive:

Chancellor Guskiewicz welcomes back students and the campus community in this short video.

Yesterday, Chancellor Guskiewicz shared additional updates around efforts to foster equity and inclusion at Carolina, ensuring that Carolina is a welcoming home for all.

Today, Chancellor Guskiewicz welcomed our new chief of police David Perry. Chief Perry joins us from Florida State University and will oversee all law enforcement services at the University, bringing a distinguished 25-year career in law enforcement and campus safety.

We also wanted to ensure that you saw that Carolina has launched a 24/7 hotline to support student mental health, an effort recommended by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Mental Health Task Force.

I know I will be continuing the communicate with you throughout the semester, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Weeknight parking changes begin Aug. 15, 2019

Hope all have had a good summer! We look forward to welcoming 7,000 new students to campus this weekend, but we don’t want the number of new neighbors or new parking regulations to deter you from coming to campus.

Starting today, the University is implementing some changes in weeknight parking at campus lots. We hope to see you on campus soon, but here are some easy ways to ensure your parking experience is a smooth one.

After 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, you will need to pay $1/night for parking in campus lots. The easiest way to do this is to download Parkmobile to your smart phone—this is the same app that Town of Chapel Hill lots use—and enter 4500 and pay $1 for the whole evening.

Don’t have a smart phone? You can pay for the $1 pass through the following ways:

You can use the Parkmobile website ahead of time, using the 4500 code.
You can call 877-727-5301.
Or there will be designated pay stations/kiosks at specific lots (see the attached flyer for the pay station locations).

Rams Head Parking Deck, Dogwood Parking Deck, and metered parking will continue to have hourly rates during the evening.

For more information about weeknight parking for visitors, please see the attached flyer or visit this website, clicking on the “Weeknights” tab. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or find more information at go.unc.edu/weeknight.

Community Relations August Update (sent 8.5.19)

Friends and Neighbors,

It’s hard to believe that it’s already August and class will be back in session come August 20. Hope you’ve been able to find respite and relaxation this summer. Here are a few updates we wanted to share before the beginning of the academic year:

Students Move-In: Most students who live on campus will be moving into residence halls on either Friday, August 16, or Saturday, August 17. Many of the students and their families will be in Chapel Hill for the first time. We hope you’ll share some southern hospitality as these new neighbors settle into their new homes. Faculty and staff are working to welcome these students to campus life—you can view the Week of Welcome schedule online.

Good Neighbor Initiative: On August 19, nearly 100 volunteers will be canvassing neighborhoods close to campus, welcoming students to their new surroundings and reminding them about being a good neighbor. To learn more about the Good Neighbor Initiative, visit go.unc.edu/goodneighbor and if you’d like to join us on the canvass, you can sign up to volunteer here.

Weeknight Parking: On August 15, the University will begin implementing some changes in weeknight parking at campus lots. We hope to see you on campus soon, but here are some easy ways to ensure your parking experience is a smooth one. Download Parkmobile to your smart phone—this is the same app that Town of Chapel Hill lots use. If you park at a campus lot, Monday through Thursday after 5 p.m., just enter 4500 and pay a $1 fee for the whole evening. If you have any questions at all, please see these FAQs, but also feel free to reach out to me directly.

Community Relations Summer Update (sent 6.12.19)

Hope your summer is off to a great start! We have a few updates to share and hope you’ll consider connecting with us on social media too:

Campus Master Plan

At their May meeting, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees approved the campus master plan, which will guide how the University meets its strategic goals within the existing campus footprint. Read the five things you should know about the plan at UNC.edu and find a more in-depth report at the University Gazette.

Movies Under the Stars

The Town of Chapel Hill’s Division of Community Arts & Culture, the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, and the Carolina Union Activities Board are partnering to bring you three summer movies under the stars at McCorkle Place. Join fun activities planned at 7:30 p.m. with the movie (June 20: Frozen, July 18: School of Rock, August 8: Coco) to begin at 8 p.m. More information is at the Town’s website.

Community Relations on Social Media

We have launched new social media accounts focused on community relations to keep you informed about University happenings. Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and I hope to connect with you soon!

Commencement is Sunday, May 12, 2019

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Hope this email finds you doing well and enjoying the spring season. UNC’s spring commencement will be held at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 12 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. I’m excited that Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford ’84, who calls Chapel Hill his hometown, will be the commencement speaker. Learn more about his career and listen to him talk about growing up in Chapel Hill.

Rebecca Hatcher Buckley, Nelson Schwab III, John L. Sanders, and T Bone Burnett will receive honorary degrees. No tickets are required, and you are invited to attend or watch the ceremony online using this link. Chapel Hill Transit will provide Tar Heel Express shuttle service from the Friday Center park and ride lot to Kenan Stadium.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed for sunshine, but if severe weather is expected Commencement morning, the University may postpone the ceremony to allow the threat to pass. Check unc.edu, University social media channels and/or local tv and radio stations. If there are weather-related delays, the latest possible start time for Commencement would be 11 a.m.

Learn more about the class of 2019, which includes 3,946 undergraduates turning their tassels in addition to 1,233 master’s degree candidates, 243 doctoral candidates, and 647 professional students. Of the 6,059 total graduates, 739 are first-generation students. Just this month, Carolina received national recognition for supporting first-generation students.

You may have family or friends coming into town for commencement weekend or for a summer visit. The UNC Visitors Center is moving to a new location and is currently in a temporary location at the Rotunda at Hill Hall (145 East Cameron Ave.). The Visitors Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday with tours at 11 a.m. Interested visitors can reserve a spot on a tour at UNC.edu/visitors or drop by for resources and information to all the attractions on campus.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Congratulations to Class of 2019 and happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in our community.

Fireworks at the Bosh tonight (sent 4.26.19)

Hope you’ve had a great week and happy Friday! Carolina’s baseball team, the Diamond Heels, are playing one of their last two ACC home series this weekend against the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Games are 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

At the end of the game tonight—approximately 9-9:30pm unless the weather forces the game to start later than 6pm—you can expect to hear fireworks lasting approximately 8-10 minutes.

You can find all Carolina Athletics events online and add game schedules to your calendar, though the semester is quickly drawing to a close as today is the last day of classes for our students.

Hope you have a safe and relaxing weekend. Go Heels!