Social Connection
We’re especially thankful for the hard work of our social committee for putting together fun events that keep us feeling connected! Big thank you to Haydée Marchese for sharing the secrets of how to make delicious spanish rice! Several staff got together on Zoom for a cooking demonstration led by Haydée. If you missed the program, no worries! We’ve got her recipe for ya right here: Spanish Rice! Bon appétite!
Baby Pics
As we all gathered together virtually at the recent staff meeting, Haydée and Marissa Rosales also worked hard to organize an employee baby photo guessing game. We were really a bunch of cute babies! Look for more announcements from the social committee about future events!
COVideo Series
Shoutout to Jared Ward and Darian Abernathy for organizing and hosting the COVideo series! Nyla Ruiz and Danielle Caster served as panelists, and the series also featured Union student employee alums! The sessions brought in experts to cover topics such as public and personal health considerations, job/internship and grad school searches, and also featured a yoga and mindfulness session.
Carolina In Her Mind
The writing of CCS senior Meg O’Shaughnessy has been featured on UNC’s website as part of a series celebrating Carolina seniors. As always, Meg brings her witty and poignant style to her observations about marking her graduation under such strange circumstances. Meg’s been busy, too. She has been writing an ongoing blog called Carolina From Home that is up right now on the Union’s website!
Special Message from Alexandra
In case you missed it, please have a look at the encouraging words of our director, Alexandra Marchesano, who wrote an open message to students. We’re grateful for Alexandra’s heartening words and are wishing everyone a safe and successful conclusion to the semester!
Chancellor’s Awards Reimagined
Cheers to the hard work of the Chancellor’s Awards committee for adjusting on the fly to honor recipients. In lieu of the in-person ceremony, award-winners were featured in a gallery on the Union’s Instagram and on the Chancellor’s Awards Website. Recipients will also be mailed a package with a certificate signed by Chancellor Guskiewicz. Big thanks to the committee and all the folks involved for all the production and logistics that made this adjusted program possible!
FSL Groups Find Ways to Give
Even though houses are closed, Fraternity & Sorority Life groups have been busy finding ways to support the community. There are three big stories we’ve been following:
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- The brothers of Delta Kappa Epsilon donated $17,600 to TABLE, a local nonprofit, to help feed children in Orange County who normally depend on the breakfast and lunch offered at school for regular meals. The money came from unused dues from the house meal plan.
- The Interfraternity Council has used leftover funds to send meals to UNC Hospital workers.
- And the Panhellenic Council also has purchased meals from local restaurants to be sent to UNC hospital staff. Their donation totalled $5,000.
Union Partners Continue to Serve
We love seeing our building partners continuing to serve students through the campus shutdown. We previously mentioned Carolina For The Kids successfully moving their fundraiser to a virtual space, and we have two more success stories to share.
- The UNC student radio station, WXYC, has kept the music playing remotely! Their dedication to keeping their programming going has delivered a familiar soundtrack to so many of their listeners.
- Student Legal Services, meanwhile, has been able to transition their offerings to continue to support students. They’ve been live chatting with students from their website and holding remote appointments and more! Students should check out their website for help!
Forum Representation!
Congratulations to Haydée Marchese and Keith Hines for their appointments to UNC’s Employee Forum! Thank you for your service to your fellow UNC employees!
Farewell and Welcome!
Our student-led board of directors held its final meeting of the academic year via Zoom. Outgoing Board Chair Jaylen Evans led the group wearing a graduation cap and even turned the tassel! New chair Darian Abernathy also delivered a speech to the board. Please read it in full below!
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First, I would like to congratulate you all on all of the hard work that you have accomplished this year. I realize that this is not the way anyone expected the academic year to end, but you all have shown me that even when things do not go according to plan, success is always possible. I want to also thank Jaylen and Alexandra for their guidance and support. They have gotten the opportunity to get to know me a little better these past few weeks, and they have consistently made me feel confident in my own abilities to step into this leadership role. Jaylen will be leaving behind a legacy that I will honor and strive to uphold for the next year and instill in the Chairs to come.
As for next year, I have 3 specific goals in mind for how the Board of Directors will continue to support the mission of the Carolina Union:
I am excited to continue to build relationships with GPSF, especially when thinking of graduate and undergraduate relationships. Student Government, GPSF, and the Carolina Union have always been the centers for student led activism. My goal is to unify these efforts so that we can create synergy and give space for students in the Carolina Union. I also what to engage other student groups that the Union has not engaged with in the past, particularly voices that have been silenced by the university, and work on building a future with them as well.
Next, I hope to use student voices and surveys to advocate for the expansion of the current space. As the UNC population continues to grow, so must the services dedicated to serving them. I realize that this will be difficult and will not be accomplished without backlash. 1. Because coronavirus has altered plans with revenue and the functionality of the physical Union space. 2. We have been using the current space well and some may not see a need for change. However, I challenge those ideas by considering the evolution of the university itself. As the campus community grows, so does the physical campus space. The survival of the university depends on it, and so do we.
Finally, I want to find innovative ways to build partnerships across campus and throughout the organizations we serve. However, I don’t want to stop there. I want to build relationships with other student unions at our sister universities so that we can network and find creative ways to serve our students and share ideas that would help to support theirs. Surprisingly, with the current situation the world is in, I think that this is a beneficial time to start making these connections. We are treading new territory, and should choose to lean on each other. This could have a tremendous impact with supporting the previous goals. Allowing our network to grow will in turn create opportunity for the Carolina Community.
As COVID-19 continues to change the way we interact, I want to reassure you all of my commitment to the Carolina Union. To be honest, I am scared and nervous however, I do not see these as weaknesses. They speak to the caution, care, and humility that I will bring into this position. I am honored to be selected to lead this group of passionate leaders, and I know that we each are dedicated to seeing our constituents thrive. I am looking forward to working with many of you next year as we transition with next year’s BOD. Be on the look for updates and action items for our summer retreat and Fall Planning.
Thank you.