First Generation Tar Heels Feel Isolated
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 127 YEARS OF SERVING UNC STUDENTS AND THE UNIVERSITY VOLUME 128, ISSUE 36 UNC revises spring calendar Chancellor By Maddie Ellis Classes will end on May 5, with The new calendar does not include a wellness days are intended as full Guskiewicz University Desk Editor exams between May 7 and May 14. Spring Break to limit travel and the breaks from the semester. Registration for the spring semester potential spread of COVID-19. This decision comes after students UNC’s spring semester will will now open on Nov. 30, but the Instead, the spring calendar will have petitioned for various breaks have a delayed start on Jan. 19, deadline to register has not been set. include five built-in “wellness days.” throughout the semester, and one talks spring Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz The original spring calendar set the These days will be incorporated into was ultimately granted for Friday. and Provost Bob Blouin said in a last of day of class for April 23, with the spring calendar as either individual campus wide email Thursday. exams between April 26 and May 4. days off or in “combined clusters.” The [email protected] planning By Maddie Ellis University Desk Editor Just a few First generation Tar Heels feel isolated hours before UNC announced its revised spring semester schedule, University desk Editor Maddie Ellis talked with Chancellor Kevin Kevin Guskiewicz Guskiewicz, who will be installed as UNC’s 12th chancellor on Sunday. Guskiewicz discussed the spring planning process, semester breaks and what decisions still have to be made. This interview has been edited for content and clarity. The Daily Tar Heel: How are you feeling going into your formal installation Monday? DTH/ANGELICA EDWARDS DTH/ANGELICA EDWARDS Kevin Guskiewicz: It’s exciting. I have First-year and first generation student Nayeli Gomez in her home in Wilson, N.C. Doctoral geography student Montana Eck poses for a virtual portrait on Oct. 8 been proud to lead Carolina. I think we’re right at about 20 months since I became interim chancellor, Students say they lack resources, guidance while online and then December was announced as the chancellor — and so I’ve be proud to lead Carolina during these By Heidi Perez-Moreno me,” Gomez said. are the first in their family to go to the semester. challenging times. Staff Writer But that bond was threatened college, according to a UNC report. Addison Powers, a first generation, after UNC announced residence More than 800 of those students are first-year student, said still he feels DTH: Has the UNC System issued any Sociology first-year Nayeli Gomez halls would be de-densified. transfers, the report reads. isolated taking classes at home guidance about planning for the spring? hoped to navigate her first semester Although they continue to hold The pandemic has forced college because he only interacts with other at UNC alongside her six suitemates, weekly virtual hangouts over Zoom wide events catered toward first students from his computer screen. KG: They’ve given every campus the all of whom were Hispanic and the and text, Gomez said she and the rest generation students to be held “One of the main reasons I chose to ability to set their spring calendar first in their families to go to college. of the group were forced to adjust virtually — a challenge for those who come to Carolina was to make all those ... We’ve been consulting with our They made pancakes, studied and to their first semesters at college want to form connections among connections, and just the sheer size of faculty experts, public health and completed their homework together from home, and help their parents peers but feel isolated at home, senior Carolina appealed to me,” Powers said. infectious disease experts to get during their first two weeks living at understand the process as well. Melanie Krug, president of the First their input. We’ve been talking Craige Residence Hall. It resulted in “How do I explain this new Generation Student Association, said. First steps to the deans and various faculty them bonding over their Hispanic experience, that’s new to me, to The group, composed of more groups, and so I’m really proud backgrounds, the sexism they’ve faced somebody else that’s also new for than 700 first generation students, For sophomore journalism of the way that we collectively within their families and concerns them?” Gomez said. “You just wish has noticed dwindling involvement student Camila Moreno-Lizarazo, are coming to, I think the right going into their first semester at college. your parents could just see how it works and participation from students this the possibility of moving into an decision on the spring calendar ... “It just felt so good to be able to instead of having to explain it to them.” semester, Krug said. They’ve hosted connect with people who look like Gomez is one of 5,303 students several cover letter, resume and me and who had experiences like that entered UNC this year who networking workshops throughout SEE FIRST GENERATION, PAGE 4 SEE Q&A, PAGE 2 Your guide to celebrating spooky season safely These haunted attractions in to life in the different scenes as you be scary but safe, as vehicles will be pass through.” required to drive at 3 miles per hour the Triangle are offering safe Blackwell said he decided to try and actors are required to not touch Halloween fun. something new to give people the anyone’s vehicle. spook that they desire despite COVID- She said this attraction will give By Charity Cohen 19 restrictions. the effect of driving through a Staff Writer The drive-through will take haunted house and will be suitable about 15 to 20 minutes, and the for families. The pandemic has caused required speed limit will be 3 to 5 “We likened it to a PG-13 kind temporary closures for many haunted miles per hour to keep the actors of movie,” she said. “We hope houses in the Triangle area, so some and patrons safe and to avoid it’s something that will create a haunted house operators have found a vehicle collisions. memory for families during a year way to protect the spirit of Halloween that has been extremely challenging and provide safe — yet haunted — Haunted Hills Terror Drive – for everyone.” attractions at the same time. Pittsboro, N.C. Phillips Haunted Farms – Cary, N.C. Granville Haunt Farm — Oxford, N.C. While journeying through the woods at the Shakori Hills Community Phillips Haunted Farms offers a This haunted attraction will bring Arts Center, thrill-seekers can expect variety of haunted, COVID-19-safe popular horror films to life with its 15 minutes of terror with multiple fun with their Halloween and fall DTH//AUSTIN WANG haunted drive-in movie theme. Grey scene sets and special effects at the theme attractions. Dennis DeFrancesco places a sign at the Haunted Hills Terror Drive on Oct. 7, Blackwell, owner of Granville Haunt Haunted Hills Terror Drive. Michael Phillips, manager 2020. He and his wife, Christie Cook, are hosting the Haunted Hills Terror Drive. Farm, said this attraction is doing Christie Cook, owner of Art of Phillips Farms, said haunted a cross-promotion with Raleigh of Motion Events, said this attractions have been offered in a the “Rebellion Trail” wagon ride and “We want people to be able to come Road Outdoor Theatre to make this partnership with the community greater quantity in the past, but the “Field of Lost Souls” haunted corn out and escape the stress and panic of experience possible. arts center was done to give the COVID-19 placed restrictions on maze walkthrough. The wagon ride will what’s been going on to just have fun,” “We’ve got a big screen set up community a way to join in the their typical operations. take visitors on a 15-minute haunted Phillips said. showing trailers of old horror movies,” Halloween fun while being safe. Phillips Haunted Farms offers journey around the farm, through the Blackwell said. “Then the movies come Cook said this drive-through will visitors two safe haunted attractions: corn maze and by haunted cabins. [email protected] I think there’s a ballerina inside me. ROBERT PATTINSON 2 Friday, October 9, 2020 News The Daily Tar Heel from Wake Forest that’s doing the moving forward. But ultimately, we entail. Does that mean everybody has The Daily Tar Heel Q&A saliva-based testing, because we are making the decision, with the to get tested right before they come Established 1893 FROM PAGE 1 heard from a lot of students that input of these various groups ... It’s a back? Does it mean students have to 127 years of editorial freedom I’m certainly keeping (the UNC- the nasal-based testing was — that process, and I realize that our runway quarantine for some period of time? System Office) apprised of what our they weren’t interested in getting isn’t that long. We have probably four to And we just don’t know what the path ANNA POGARCIC plans are, and so they’ve been very in those lines for that testing. And six weeks to make some of these really of the virus is going to look like in early EDITOR!IN!CHIEF supportive. so, we’re finding that we’re having important decisions about how we to mid-March. In fact, we don’t know EDITOR"DAILYTARHEEL.COM more success with the saliva-based move forward for the spring semester. what it’s going to look like in early to BRANDON STANDLEY DTH: What guidance has changed testing.