Incidents of sexual assault and calls of administrative inaction are not complaints raised by Dimensions protesters and others at Dartmouth alone. Many students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where Interim President Carol Folt will assume the chancellorship in July, have similar concerns. UNC students took notice of the College's class cancellation last week, and many expressed hope that the decision signaled Folt's willingness to take action against UNC's student life issues.
Folt will replace chancellor Holden Thorp, who resigned after two years of scandals regarding academic fraud, special treatment for athletes and sexual assault. Folt will step down from the College on June 9.
UNC currently faces three federal complaints from students who allege that the administration mishandled sexual assault cases. Their claims of a lack of university action to combat sexual assault echo those voiced by the Dimensions protesters two weeks ago.
"The types of issues that the protesters are bringing to light are the kinds we certainly have at Carolina as well," said senior Will Leimenstoll, former UNC student body president.
Sarah-Kathryn Bryan, a sophomore and co-chair of Feminist Students United, a progressive feminist student group, said her main hope is that Folt revises sexual assault policies to comply with Title IX.
"I hope that she increases accountability among administrators for complying with Title IX at all levels of the university, making sure that the University of North Carolina is less of a little boys' club and more of an egalitarian place," Bryan said.
Students responded well to Folt's decision to cancel classes last Wednesday, sophomore Jasmine Ruddy said.
"I think that people are pretty happy with the way that she handled it, mostly in comparison to the way that our administration has been handling things, which is essentially nothing," Ruddy said.
In a letter to the editor in The Daily Tar Heel, the campus newspaper, senior Alanna Davis applauded the class cancellation.
"I commend Folt for her audacity to sign off on today's cancellation," wrote Davis, a member of the Students for a Democratic Society and the North Carolina Student Power Union, which she described as radical activist groups. "Students at Dartmouth made their voices heard and, under Folt's direction, the school's leadership took a strong first step of action. I implore Folt to continue to foster a strong sense of community and make bold moves when she joins us in the South."
Davis said in an interview that she looks to Folt to bring increased dialogue on racism, sexism, homophobia and sexual assault awareness to UNC's campus.
The Daily Tar Heel's editorial board urged Folt to be open about university policies on these issues.
"Folt must place a premium on transparency," students wrote. "So many of the issues that marred Thorp's time in office were exacerbated by closed doors and waiting until it was too late to be open and clear."
Folt will be the first female chancellor at the university of 29,000 undergraduates. A poll of 294 students, conducted by The Daily Tar Heel, found that 56 percent have positive feelings about Folt, 27 percent of students are neutral and 17 percent have negative feelings.
In a separate poll that asked students how they believed Folt would compare to Thorp, The Daily Tar Heel found that, of the 125 surveyed, 45 percent responded that Folt will be more effective, 39 percent said she will be as effective as Thorp and 16 percent said that she will be less effective.
Leimenstoll noted that the announcement of Folt's position at the end of the term came at a "strange time," and students were focused on studying rather than her appointment.
"I think a lot of students don't know a lot about her because she is from a different university and a different part of the country," Leimenstoll said. "But I've heard only positive statements and there's a lot of excitement to get to know her next year."
Students are already making efforts to engage Folt in campus issues. In honor of Earth Day, the Environmental Affairs Committee asked students to submit recommendations for improved sustainability, and many asked for divestment from coal and increased use of local foods, farmers' markets and renewable energy, Ruddy said. The group hopes to hang this letter in Folt's office.
Students interviewed said they look forward to having a woman lead the university. Trey Mangum, secretary of the Black Student Movement, also hoped that Folt will increase the black male graduation rate and strengthen UNC's diversity through minority recruitment programs.
Freshman Katie Hjerpe added that students want a university leader who will "become integrated into the Carolina family."
"Perhaps a new face who has no former alliances to UNC will be able to spearhead the school's problems with innovation and a fresh perspective," Hjerpe said.
