Carolina Union

How Students Can Get Involved at Carolina This Spring

March 8, 2021 | |

Sophomore students have shared that they were getting their bearings the first semester of their first year and were just starting to explore Carolina student life more in-depth when the pandemic began last March. First-year students did not get the typical opportunities for exploring involvement at Carolina in the fall. The good news for students is that Spring 2021 still has promise for those who have a desire for connection and involvement.

Student Life & Leadership

We asked our friends and colleagues at Student Life & Leadership, Carolina Union Activities Board, and Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, all part of the Carolina Union, to share ideas with families on how they can support, encourage, and inform their students on how to get involved in this transitional time. Here’s what they shared:

What’s the best approach for students looking to get connected and involved at Carolina while away or remote? How about this semester as more students are on-campus? 

Use Heel Life (heellife.unc.edu) to search student organizations, events, and campus news based on interest or browse through the ‘events’ tab to find upcoming engagement opportunities.

Following student organizations on social media that they discover through Heel Life is a great way to stay current with the happenings of that organization. Social media is interactive for programming, social media contests, information regarding events, and interaction.

What are student organizations doing differently to make sure students feel like they are getting an impactful experience where they can feel connected and contributing at Carolina?  

Student organizations are still operating and looking for new members to join their organizations throughout the spring semester since we are in this new virtual format. Organizations are still holding interest meetings, general body meetings, and virtual programming for students to get connected to or just participate in to explore new interests.

Some organizations are hosting TikTok challenges, virtual speaker panels, social media competitions, and creative ways to still bring the Carolina experience to all students. There is a small number of organizations that have hosted, outside, socially distant watch-parties, following COVID-19 safety guidelines, for Carolina athletic games and movies.

We encourage you to connect with all student organizations through the Heel Life website and be sure to follow the social media pages as a lot of the organization updates are highlighted there! More information can be found at carolinaunion.unc.edu/departments/student-life-leadership/student-organizations/find-organization

What programs are you excited about offering this semester to provide students leadership educations, and more?

Heritage Month & Identity Awareness Book Giveaways

On-Demand Leadership Workshops to student orgs or any group of students who would like to engage in leadership development: sign up for a workshop here , graphic can be found here.

Carolina United: Carolina United is a program run through the Office of Student Life and Leadership that provides a safe and accepting environment for UNC students to explore diversity and multiculturalism within and between themselves. This environment is intended to foster collaborative dialogue that unites participants across their differences. Carolina United hopes to serve as a catalyst for greater recognition and celebration of this unity on UNC’s campus and in humanity.

  • Application opens January 27 on Heel Life. Search “Carolina United 2021” in Forms
  • Dates:
    • Week of March 15
    • Week of April 5
    • April 23

Leading Authentically: Self-paced Leadership Modules. (Modules will be posted on Heel Life )

  • What will students learn from these?
    • Develop a personal understanding of their individual leadership qualities and abilities through self-exploration, reflection, and personal inventories.
    • Understand strategies, frameworks, and practices for engaging in effective leadership
    • Evaluate one’s current abilities to better identify strengths and gaps within their own leadership
    • Explicitly connect one’s major and/or career interest to who you are as a leader
  • What do workshops look like?
    • 8-10 minutes of recorded material
    • Outline of mini learning outcomes to start the presentation
    • Connections to an individual’s career and professional interests.
    • Post-presentation reflection questions

What can students do to learn more about Fraternity & Sorority Life? How can families learn what organizations are doing to make sure students are practicing pandemic appropriate guidance?

Students can find more information about the fifty-four organizations that work with our office through our website! We also maintain our Instagram with upcoming events and chapter programming. Students and families can also follow the social media accounts of individual organizations to learn more about all the virtual activities being done during the pandemic.

Parents, family members, and students interested in learning more about sororities housed under our Panhellenic Council can visit their website. Organizations housed under our Interfraternity Council will be hosting individual virtual recruitment events. Registration information can be found on our Instagram - @ifcunc

Are there events that the Carolina Union Activities Board (CUAB) is offering to help students find a connection to campus, their peers, and student organizations?

Yes! All events can be found on Heel Life through the events tab. Following us on social media channels) will provide access to participate in social media competitions, interactive posts, and to find links to register for events. CUAB also has a weekly newsletter that students can sign up for in the Linktree on our Instagram account.

What links (websites, calendars, social media channels, etc.) would you share with students as a bank of resources to guide them in this search for involvement?

Office of Student Life & Leadership (SLL)

Carolina Union Activities Board (CUAB)

Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life

--written by Justin Inscoe, New Student and Family Programs

Sharing and printing options: