UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and staff will be able to create and manage a department under Heel Life. Here, they can host events for students and manage attendance. Departments will need to create a page under Heel Life and will be able to have access to multiple resources for creation. Some departments may already have a page set up. To check if you have a page, visit heellife.unc.edu/organizations and type your office name (or even a popular variant name) in the search box on the screen’s left.
If your department does not have a Heel Life page, please use this form to request one:
Heel Life Departmental Page Request Form
CLE Organizers Overview YouTube Video
CLE Event Qualifications
The following outlines CLE Event criteria. To be approved for CLE credit, the event should:
- Provide an opportunity to perceive and make meaning of people, culture, and ideas in new, unfamiliar or exceptional ways
- Enrich and broaden the college experience
- Engage in career, academic, or service exploration
The CLE team will approve or deny event submissions based on the criteria above, in addition to ensuring that the category selected by the event submitter aligns with the definition of the category.
Your event or program should align with one of the four CLE categories. Definitions for each category are below:
| Civic Engagement, Public Service, Academic Enhancement | Events that connect students with civic life, community needs, or academic inquiry beyond the classroom. This includes lectures, panels, and presentations that deepen intellectual engagement, as well as service-oriented events that foster a sense of civic responsibility and public purpose. |
| Films, Music, & Performing Arts | Events that expose students to artistic expression through film, music, theater, dance, or other performing arts. These experiences cultivate aesthetic appreciation and engagement with creative works as forms of knowledge and meaning-making. |
| Career Exploration & Leadership Development | Events that support students in exploring professional pathways, developing leadership skills, and building networks within their fields of interest. This includes career fairs, professional panels, networking events, and leadership workshops. |
| Campus Social and Cultural Life, and Personal Well-Being | Events that connect students with the diverse social and cultural communities of the university and support personal development and well-being. This includes cultural celebrations, campus community programming, wellness events, and social experiences that foster belonging and self-awareness. |
Navigating Heel Life
Resources for Building in and Navigating Heel Life
Student Life & Leadership has compiled a great resource list for building a page and presence in Heel Life as a University department. You can view example pages and check out some best practices also found here, including walk-throughs to figure out the tools step-by-step.
The link can be accessed here (scroll to the bottom of the web page for the University Department section):
We encourage you to explore Heel Life, other organization pages, and ideas to make your page unique to you and your mission!
FAQs
Below is a list of resources that will help departments navigate Heel Life.
Heel Life Departmental Page Request Form
Setting up HL Department Rosters
Download this Word Doc for more information on tracking with a QR code and a display flyer template for CLE events:
Any additional questions may be directed to CLE@unc.edu
What Is the Difference Between Making a Department Page Public or Hidden?
Hidden pages will only be accessible to students involved in this department. They will be able to access events, files, etc. Public pages will be accessible to all UNC students.
How Will Event Attendance Need To Be Tracked?
Departments are required to use the QR code provided on the event page to track student attendance. The QR code can be accessed by clicking manage event on the event’s home page. Under the tracking information will be the option to view the QR code. This QR code is automatically generated for this specific event and any student who accesses it will automatically be added to the roster. Events host must update attendance within 72 hours after the event ends.
*If you choose not to use a QR code to track attendance, you can manually upload attendance into the event’s attendees list. When uploading emails, PLEASE ENSURE YOU USE THE @EMAIL.UNC.EDU format for each student email. If not, the student will NOT receive credit.
How Do I Create a New Department Page in Heel Life?
To create a new department page, please access the Heel Life Departmental Page Request Form.
How Many CLEs Will Students Need and How Will They Be Tracked?
As of August 1, 2026 all students enrolled for the first time in Fall 2026 or after are required to complete eight (8) CLEs over the course of their undergraduate career, with at least one CLE completed in each of the four categories below. The remaining four CLEs may be completed in any category of the students’ choosing.
Students are required to complete at least one CLE in the following categories:
- Campus Life and Personal Well-Being
- Civic Engagement, Public Service, and Academic Enhancement
- Films, Music, & Visual and Performing Arts
- Career Exploration & Leadership Development
Confirming a Student’s Attendance After the Event
It is up to the department’s discretion how they would like to confirm a student’s attendance. A few examples they may use to confirm a student could be asking the student to summarize the event, having the student answer questions tailored to the event, showing proof of an activity or item they received at the event, etc. After a student has been confirmed, the department will need to add them to the event’s attendance list in Heel Life.
How to Add a Student’s Attendance After Confirming
After confirming a student’s attendance, the host may add the student by accessing these steps:
- Clicking Manage Event in the top right when viewing the event’s page
- Click Track Attendance
- In the top right click Add Attendance
- If adding a student by their email address, enter the information (@email.unc.edu format) in the text box while the E-mail Address is highlighted, or enter their PID under External ID and finish by clicking Add at the bottom.
If you need any assistance with adding a student, please contact us at CLE@unc.edu
Is There a Deadline for Uploading Attendance?
We request for the event’s attendance to be uploaded within 72 hours after the event ends. Using the QR code for tracking will automatically update a student’s attendance and will help streamline this deadline.
How to Have Your Event Listed for CLE Credit
All CLE events are processed and filtered through Heel Life. When a University department or unit is creating a new event, the submitter will need to click on ‘continue to custom fields’ after the event cover photo section. There will be a section asking if you would like the event to be listed for CLE credit. You will then need to agree to a few statements and include additional information. After doing so, you will then certify that your event meets all of the requirements to be eligible for CLE.
How Can a Registered Student Organization Host a CLE Event?
In order to host a CLE event, a registered student organization is required to partner with a University department or unit. The department representative will evaluate your event for CLE, submit the event form on your behalf, and certify that it meets all of the CLE-eligibility criteria.
Note: Registered student organizations cannot submit the event and add the University department as a co-host when hosting a CLE event. The event submission must come from the department or unit.