UNC Students Saw Failure of Live Classes Before School Did
- The school was one of the biggest to try in-person learning
- Students, faculty and county leaders had asked not to reopen
A student studies outside the closed Wilson Library on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 18.
Photographer: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
When the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Monday afternoon that it would pivot to remote classes just a week after school began, many students said it was no surprise.
UNC, with more than 19,000 undergraduates, was one of the biggest colleges to attempt in-person learning, and it did so without requiring students be tested when they arrived. The on-campus health center tested students free, but only on weekdays. Masks and social distancing were encouraged, and dorms were held to 60% capacity and classroom seats to 30%.