‘A Clusterf*ck’: University of North Carolina Student Newspaper Runs Scorching Op-Ed Bashing School Leadership Over Campus Outbreak
University of North Carolina student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel blasted the school’s leadership over recent outbreaks of the coronavirus on campus — calling what’s going on “a complex and utterly disordered and mismanaged situation,” or in other words, a “clusterf*ck.
A “cluster” of cases has been defined by the university as a group of five or more people who have tested positive for coronavirus and who are within close proximity to one another. So far, coronavirus clusters have been reported at three residence halls throughout the university’s campus, along with another cluster that was reported on Saturday at the Sigma Nu fraternity house.
In an article entitled “We All Saw This Coming,” the Daily Tar Heel responded to the outbreak and called the university’s administration shameless for allowing students to return to the campus, adding that “the bar for basic decency keeps getting lower.”
The article claims that the school’s leadership ignored recommendations set by the Orange County Health Department and the CDC, which reportedly placed the university’s housing plan amid the pandemic in a high-risk category.
Tar Heel opinion writer Paige Masten took to Twitter to share the print headline, which reads: “UNC has a clusterf*ck on its hands.”
In today’s @dailytarheel: pic.twitter.com/XnszDD5aU5
— Paige Masten (@paigemasten) August 17, 2020
“University leadership should have expected students, many of whom are now living on their own for the first time, to be reckless,” read the Tar Heel article. “Reports of parties throughout the weekend come as no surprise. Though these students are not faultless, it was the University’s responsibility to disincentivize such gatherings by reconsidering its plans to operate in-person earlier on.”
It goes on to expose the school for failing to disclose the number of positive cases on campus and faulted the administration for endangering students and faculty for money. The article specifically called out Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Provost Bob Blouin and insisted that they have been too quick to place the blame on others — calling for them to recognize their power and responsibility.
“We’re angry — and we’re scared. We’re tired of the gaslighting, tired of the secrecy, tired of being treated like cash cows by a University with such blatant disregard for our lives,” wrote the Tar Heel Editorial Board.
“UNC is often recognized for the ambition demonstrated by its students and faculty, and the administration’s insistence to maintain an on-campus presence amid a pandemic can definitely fall under that. One thing’s for sure — this roadmap leads straight to hell.”
