Welcome, new Tar Heels!
If you’ve received this message, this means that you’ve been accepted and committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an exceptional African American student, we’re honored that you chose our illustrious PWI as your home for the next four years!
As you spend more time at Carolina, you’ll realize that UNC is a diverse campus with equal opportunities for all. We’ve prepared a Black Student Guide to help you navigate the ins and outs of college life.
Classes offer great opportunities to build camaraderie among your peers, especially if you’re one of two Black students in a class. Though you will likely not befriend or even talk to the other Black student much, you will share several glances and awkward smiles throughout the semester.
Most people on campus have liberal, open-minded views and don’t see color. Students here are so color blind that racism has become a trendy form of humor, something you should ABSOLUTELY NOT take offense to. If you express how racist a joke or satire article is, please consider how your criticism makes the other person feel. It’s only truly racist if white people are also offended. At Carolina, we value free speech and self-expression, as long as that speech doesn’t involve the words diversity, equity, inclusion, or that the entire campus was built by slaves.
Speaking of UNC history, our campus is full of Black History. We have the Sonja Hayes Stone Center, Upendo Lounge, McClinton resident hall, and our pride and joy, the Unsung Heroes monument, which you can spot if you look out and squint, standing at the Old Well.
Though we cannot explicitly talk about our history of slavery and segregation, we feel this three-foot-tall monument of tiny slaves holding up a table tells you all you need to know.
There are several opportunities for Black students to get active: student organizations, Greek Life, and our new mandatory work study position, spokesperson for the Black race. This position pays $10 an hour. As a spokesperson, you are required to answer any questions on behalf of the Black community when asked. For example, “How do Black people feel about X?” and “What do black people think about Y?”
You don’t need to consult any other black students to answer these questions. Your personal experience is enough to represent the whole race in these answers.
Again, we’re so glad you chose Carolina as your new home! Work hard, have fun, and whatever you do, don’t let culture shock or crippling imposter syndrome prevent you from enjoying your experience.
With Warm Wishes,
The Black Admitted Students Association
