• Security personnel will be on hand again this year to help avoid overcrowding on the first and second floors and to ensure a safe atmosphere for all students and staff.
• Looking for a place to study as a group? Try the first or second floor. Upper floors are quieter; the sixth floor is usually best for those seeking silent study space.
• Everyone will need their One Card to enter the building beginning at 10 p.m.

Please be respectful of your fellow students, shared spaces and our hard-working library staff. Good luck on finals, Tar Heels!

Dayna Durbin gets this question a lot.

As the undergraduate teaching and learning librarian at University Libraries, she works primarily with the first-year writing program (English 105). She teaches students basic research skills, introduces them to the campus library system and shows them how to use all the in-person and digital resources available to them.

“When ChatGPT came out, we started to get questions from students concerned with plagiarism, with making sure that they weren’t breaking the honor code or cheating by using generative AI tools. It became a kind of advising role for the libraries,” she says.

To help meet this need, Durbin collaborated with Dan Anderson, director of the Carolina Digital Humanities Initiative and the writing program in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ English and comparative literature department. Together, they created the Carolina AI Literacy Initiative to develop artificial intelligence literacy support materials for students and instructors.

The initiative, funded by a grant from the School of Data Science and Society, offers videos and modules that guide users through AI basics. Students can learn to compose effective prompts, recognize bias, fact-check AI output and avoid plagiarism. It also provides education about popular AI tools, curricular development support for instructors, and formal and informal opportunities to ask questions, learn more and experiment.

Anderson says the initiative shows how the humanities and libraries can lead this moment and be active participants.

“Libraries are great for a lot of these challenges associated with AI, because they’ve been paying attention to information literacy for decades,” he says.

With 120 sections of English 105, University Libraries has a chance to make an impact on each new student at Carolina. Durbin and Anderson want those students to feel empowered to ask whatever is on their minds so they can help them work through the pros and cons.

According to Durbin, one con is writing. Generative AI’s output is flat, and it’s easy for professors to identify. But it’s a useful tool to brainstorm keywords and search terms if you’re stuck or to summarize research that can give students familiarity with a topic. Anderson said it’s also useful for invention strategies and idea generation in writing.

(Submitted photo)

A recent workshop that Durbin led on generative AI and misinformation drew 90 students. It wasn’t required for a class or part of the work she does with the first-year writing program. But it was a topic on many minds.

“I think that if we ignore the spread of these tools, we would be doing students a disservice,” says Durbin. “Many students are using them in internships and jobs now. They anticipate using them in their careers. We need to provide resources that will help them build those skills that will let them use these tools effectively and ethically in the workforce.”

Some place a spotlight on historical firsts, like the University’s first three Black undergraduate students who enrolled in 1955, and others offer a slice of life from years past, like when canine Count Leapanrun became a four-legged campus celebrity.

Welcome to the UNC-Chapel Hill University Archives (@uncarchives) Instagram account, where Carolina history is delivered to your phone one photo and caption at a time.

This social media effort, primarily led by University archivist Nicholas Graham, is a fun way to repurpose existing research and historical materials and make them widely accessible to the Carolina community without needing to visit Wilson Library.

“Often I’ll run into people on campus, and they’ll tell me in person that they really enjoy it,” said Graham, who collaborates on this work with Lolita Rowe, assistant University archivist for outreach and engagement.

In November 2015, Graham created the account, which now has over 6,000 followers. Each post (there are nearly 900 now) serves multiple purposes.

“Some of it is, ‘Here’s this cool thing,’ but some of it is also, ‘Here’s this image representing an important moment in campus history, and here’s more about it,’” Graham said. “In our campus history work, the goal is to first educate and inform, but it’s especially exciting when we can encourage people to dig in and explore on their own.”

There’s no shortage of post ideas, and Graham and fellow University Libraries staff even come across surprises they’re eager to share.

Take for instance a 1921 telegram from University President Harry W. Chase to Dr. William de Berniere MacNider of the UNC School of Medicine. MacNider, who is credited with creating the pharmacology department, was considering leaving for a job at the University of Texas.

In response, Chase wrote, “Forget Texas, make up your mind to die a Tar Heel.” Chase’s plea worked. MacNider remained a Tar Heel and later had a hall named after him.

“I thought that was really interesting. I hadn’t seen it before,” Graham said. “A lot of times, you’re looking for something else, and you see something and go, ‘This is really fun.’”

The chance to receive feedback and commentary from viewers is an example of social media for good. When the account shared photos from the inaugural Carolina field hockey season in 1972, no other than current Tar Heel head coach, former player and five-time national champion Erin Matson commented, “This is amazing!!!”

Graham also appreciated one comment on his post about Tar Heel trailblazers Leroy Frasier, Ralph Frasier and John Lewis Brandon. “That’s my daddy and my uncle,” Rochelle Frasier wrote.

“That’s really meaningful,” Graham said, adding that some posts show “history is not as ancient as it might seem.”

Graham makes a photo of an invitation to Carolina’s 1889 Commencement exercises. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

What other types of posts do people like?

Graham said images of the Old Well and its different looks through the years perform well. Tar Heels of course love to revisit moments of athletics glory, and memorable campus events (large snowfalls, for example) take alumni down memory lane.

“I think a lot of our followers are passionate alums,” he said. “There are definitely things we’ve posted, and someone responds, ‘I was there.’”

The next time you look at the account, think about what other pieces of Carolina history you’re interested in learning about.

“We’re always interested in hearing about what people are interested in and what they’d like to learn more about,” Graham said. “The benefit of social media is that you can be reactive pretty quickly and flexible.”

One of the more interesting stories related to Old East involves the original cornerstone and plaque laid ceremonially in 1793. That original cornerstone is missing. The cornerstone may have been accidentally covered or perhaps even stolen during an 1840s renovation that made several new additions to the architecture. What is known for sure is that by the time the University reopened after closing for several years in the 1870s, the bronze commemorative plaque created for the cornerstone had disappeared completely.

(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Roswell Huntington, a 29-year-old silversmith from Hillsborough, had engraved the plaque (13.3 cm by 19.2 cm) for the Old East cornerstone, with a Latin inscription on one side and this English translation on the reverse:

“The Right Worshipful William Richardson Davie, Grand Master of the most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Freemasons in the State of North Carolina, one of the trustees of the University of the said state, and a Commissioner of the same, assisted by the other commissioners and the Brethren of the Eagle and Independence Lodges, on the 12th day of October in the Year of Masonry 5793 and in the 18th year of the American Independence, laid the cornerstone of this edifice.”

Note that the date is listed as 5793 from the Masonic calendar.

In a strange twist of fate, the plate was eventually found over 40 years after its disappearance in Tennessee at the Clarksville Foundry and Machine Works, owned by Thomas Foust. A metalworker was about to melt the plaque down but first showed it to Foust. Foust, Carolina Class of 1903, recognized Davie’s name and knew it had to be significant to the University.

An article in the November 1916 issue of the Carolina Alumni Review gave a detailed look at how Foust came to find the plaque and how the University thanked him. The article quotes a letter written by Foust concerning the discovery of the plate, which he described as “so dirty and tarnished that it was almost illegible.”

Foust wrote, “I saw that it must be linked with the history of the dear old University and at once carried it to the laboratory of the Red River Furnace Co., where we cleaned it sufficiently to make it entirely legible.”

The plate and other scrap brass had been purchased from a local junk dealer to be melted down into brass castings, but Foust could not determine where the junk dealer had found the plate. After cleaning the plate, he showed it to professors at Southwestern Presbyterian University and enlisted the help of a Dr. Shaw, another Carolina alumnus, to confirm that the plaque had a connection to Carolina.

A.B. Andrews Jr., Class of 1893 and the Grand Master of Masons of North Carolina at the time, presented the plate to University President Edward Kidder Graham during the 1916 University Day celebration.

In recognition of his part in returning the plate to the University, Graham sent Foust a copy of Kemp Battle’s “History of the University” with the inscription: “To T.B. Foust, ’03: In grateful acknowledgement of his fine and thoughtful loyalty, that restored to his Alma Mater the plate commemorating the laying of the cornerstone on October twelfth, 1793. This October twelfth, 1916.”

Today the plaque is housed at Wilson Library.

Read the original 2016 post on the History on the Hill blog.

(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

I’m biased. I get to go to work in Wilson Library every day. But I truly do believe that the libraries are at the heart of the academic experience at Carolina. I love the range of experiences and activities possible in the libraries: Students can use centuries-old rare books and archives in Wilson Library, then go over to Davis Library and develop projects using the new AI studio. As a library user, I love the quiet study spaces and views from the top floors of Davis Library, the historic newspapers available through the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and especially the library’s terrific audiobook collection.

2. The History

When I walk past Old East, I often reflect upon how remarkable it is that the building, first opened in 1795, is still in use 230 years later. Carolina does a terrific job with the delicate balancing act of preserving aspects of the historic character of the campus while meeting the needs of a constantly changing modern research university. In Wilson Library, we have always been dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of UNC. We are working on expanding opportunities for students and the broader campus community to learn about and engage with the history of the University as a way of understanding how our past has shaped the Carolina we know today.

3. The Tar Heel Bus Tour

I’ve had the privilege of participating in the Tar Heel Bus Tour three times, once as a participant and twice in the role of commentator. Each time I’ve walked away with the feeling that it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had at Carolina. The Tar Heel Bus Tour provides a way for faculty and administrators to learn more about North Carolina by visiting sites around the state. It’s moving and inspiring to learn about the challenges many of our neighbors face and the ways that UNC faculty and students work with local communities to tackle these issues.

4. Women’s Basketball at Carmichael

I’ve been at Carolina for a long time, but not long enough to have seen men’s teams coached by Dean Smith play in Carmichael Auditorium. However, I love having the chance to see women’s basketball games at Carmichael Arena, as it’s now named. It’s a terrific venue for a game no matter where you sit. Watching the Tar Heels defeat No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in 2019 is one of the most memorable games I’ve seen in person at Carolina.

5. Rameses at Home

One of my favorite experiences in the community is when I drive past the Hogan family farm and I catch a glimpse of Carolina Blue out in the field. Rameses is a celebrity on campus, but when it’s not game day, he lives on a family farm alongside the other animals. It’s always a delight to spot him, with his Carolina Blue-painted horns, on those rare occasions when he’s out calmly grazing in the field while the cars pass by.

In the class, Luther and the Bible, von Bernuth teaches and fosters conversation on Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformation and related literature written in the period between the 15th and 17th centuries. During the spring 2025 semester, von Bernuth took students to Davis Library for a more hands-on experience with the University Libraries’ 19th-century printing press.

“The Reformation would have not happened without the printing press,” she said. “It’s such a crucial part of the Reformation, and Luther is one of the most printed authors of his time.”

Von Bernuth’s class was the first to use the 1884 Luigi Ghisi Albion press, which the Libraries acquired in 2023.

University Librarians worked with von Bernuth’s class to teach students the history of printing through hands-on learning. (University Libraries)

“We are in this transitional moment right now where a lot of books are only available online,” added von Bernuth. “I usually take students to Wilson Library to see an artifact from that time in history, and it really seems to draw an interest. When I saw the email from my department manager about the printing press, I thought it would be so cool to use.”

Von Bernuth divided the class into groups and tasked each with producing a broadsheet by the end of the semester. In Carolina’s MakerSpaces, students created an illustration to be transferred to paper. They then worked with the University Libraries staff to learn how to set type for their projects and experience printing an item on the press. The printing press process required patience: Within a 50-minute class, students were able to set about three or four words in total.

“It’s pretty difficult to do. We ended up printing about 30 times, and probably got only eight passable prints,” said River Watson ’26, from Wake Forest. “But working with these materials was really cool. I wasn’t raised in any formal religion, so coming into this class I wasn’t sure how I would navigate the material. But this project really made me feel valued and gave me a perspective I didn’t have before.”

River Watson ’26 and his team presented their final class project at BeAM MakerFest. “This was really cool to work on,” he said. “The library staff was so helpful and energetic throughout the entire process.” (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

For students like Lauryn Bailey ’25, a Lutheran, the project provided a deeply personal experience.

“We never grew up talking about the Reformation and how it happened,” she said. “I didn’t understand how important the printing press was to the movement. But this is how they made information more accessible to people. It made me not only gain a bigger picture of my faith but also realize how privileged we are to be students at UNC and have easy access to so much information.”

Von Bernuth said students gained a new appreciation of the printmaking process and found the fun in spotting mistakes printers made in 500-year-old books.

“I think they appreciated the time that goes into this, and they were really looking at things from a different perspective,” she said. “The project changed the energy of the class – the questions they would ask, how they engaged with each other. I would think, ‘Why haven’t I done this before?’”

Von Bernuth plans to incorporate the printing press into future Luther and the Bible classes and hopes to eventually develop a class on the history of printing.

Now open, “Parallel Visions: The Photographic Legacies of Burk Uzzle and Roland L. Freeman” showcases 80 photographs in three exhibition spaces throughout Wilson Library. While the exhibit features Uzzle’s and Freeman’s work separately in some spaces, curators Stephen Fletcher and Steve Weiss collaborated to weave the photographers’ shared passion for documenting significant moments in American history and culture within Black communities throughout the galleries.

“We’re trying to tell two people’s stories through their work and how their lives intersected,” said Fletcher, photographic archivist for the North Carolina Collection. The collection acquired Uzzle’s materials — ranging from photos featured in Life magazine to the cover of the official Woodstock album — through the Kohler Foundation in 2019, which also aided the acquisition of Freeman’s work in 2023 by the Southern Folklife Collection.

“A lot of Freeman’s field work was in the American South, particularly in Mississippi, and connected with a number of collections in the Southern Folklife Collection,” said Weiss, the collection’s curator. “He also did field work with a variety of folklorists, including professor Glenn Hinson here at UNC.”

Uzzle has local connections, too. Born in Raleigh, he began taking photos in middle school in Hickory, North Carolina. The News & Observer hired Uzzle as a staff photographer after he graduated from Dunn High School in 1956.

Freeman passed away in 2023, but both curators met with Freeman and Uzzle multiple times before Freeman’s death to talk about the photographers’ friendship and influences. As far as Fletcher and Weiss are aware, it’s the first time the photographers’ works have been exhibited together. In narrowing down the small selection for the exhibit, “we tried to find photographs that had a relationship, to visually give the feel of the connections that may have been there, even if they’re somewhat intangible,” said Fletcher.

Much of that comes together in the Saltarelli Room on the second floor of Wilson. In the center of the space, one of Freeman’s photographs that documented the Mule Train, a caravan of wagons pulled by mules from Mississippi to Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death in 1968, hangs next to Uzzle’s photograph that captured the same type of wagon used for King’s funeral.

Photographs of Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral and the Poor People’s Campaign Mule Train showcase common ties through the photographers’ relationship and work in the 1960s.

For both curators, working on the exhibit struck a personal chord. Fletcher studied photography in college, and Weiss discovered a connection to one of the pieces while looking through the inventory, taken at a memorial service for folklorist Ralph Rinzler at the National Mall in 1994.

“I used to live in Washington, D.C., and I when I came across this photograph, I realized I was at this event,” said Weiss. “I remembered seeing Roland there. I can even remember what he was wearing and watching him take this photo. At the time I didn’t even realize who it was.”

Weiss watched Freeman take this photograph in 1994, and later got to know all three men through his work in the Southern Folklife Collection. Left to right: Bill Monroe, Mike Seeger, and Guy Carawan. (Submitted photo)

The curators hope that the exhibit inspires people to dig deeper into history, culture and the photographers’ careers through the additional hundreds of thousands of items in both collections.

“We want to tell their stories through their work so that people can become familiar with the collections and come back to the libraries to use those for research and areas of study,” said Fletcher.

“It’s a treasure trove for the humanities,” added Weiss.

There are currently multiple projects in progress on campus and more planned for the years ahead.

Current projects

Steven D. Bell Hall

Bell Hall pictured in July. (Finance and Operations)

Construction started: spring 2023

Estimated completion: fall 2025

Bell Hall, named in honor of alumnus Steven D. Bell ’67, will allow Kenan-Flagler to double the size of its undergraduate business program and increase space for classrooms, student life and community interaction. Slated to open to students in January 2026, the building will feature a 40-seat outdoor tiered teaching space, a four-story inner atrium, dining and study areas and meeting and event spaces.

Watch a timelapse of the construction.

The interior of Bell Hall, as seen in July. (Finance and Operations)

Carrington Hall renewal

Carrington Hall’s original west wing was destructed in 2024. (Finance and Operations)

Construction started: spring 2024

Estimated completion: December 2026

A new 110,000-square-foot building will replace the original west wing of Carrington Hall, built in 1969. The state-of-the art facility will enable the UNC School of Nursing to increase class sizes and expand simulation and clinical learning spaces.

Work continues on the construction of the Nursing Education Building. (Aug. 27 screenshot from construction livestream.)

South Building roof replacement

Seen above on Aug. 5, the replacement of South Building’s roof is expected to be completed this fall. (Rob Holliday/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Construction started: summer 2025

Estimated completion: fall 2025

In addition to a roof replacement with new copper panels to help prevent additional water damage and deterioration to the building’s infrastructure, the project will also repair and modify the roof deck and repair the cupola, historic wood, gutters and paint on the 200-plus-year-old South Building. The entire roof footprint is approximately 7,500 square feet.

Completed projects

Bingham Hall renovation

A student walks by Bingham Hall on Aug. 26. (Andrew Lam/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Construction started: summer 2024

Completed: August 2025

The nearly 100-year-old building has undergone a comprehensive renovation designed to balance preservation with modernization. While the building’s exterior brick, windows and roof remain largely original, the interior has been completely reworked to allow for a new floor plan, widened hallways and improved accessibility. All major building systems, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection, were replaced, and the building now has central heat and air conditioning. A variety of classroom configurations will provide updated, flexible learning spaces.

Avery Residence Hall renovation

Avery Residence Hall on Aug. 12, days before students moved into the building. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Construction started: fall 2024

Completed: August 2025

Built in 1958, Avery Residence Hall’s renovations include HVAC improvements, window replacement and roof repairs. A new elevator tower addition, lounge and community kitchen spaces on each floor will improve accessibility, and two new accessible suites have been added on each of the first through fourth floors. A new outdoor social space has also been added to the back of the building.

Future projects

Odom Village demolition

Project start: fall 2025

Estimated completion: winter 2025

Odum Village was constructed in the early 1960s to provide apartment-style graduate student and family housing. It was not cost-effective to renovate the existing structures to meet current UNC System fire safety standards, and the buildings were closed to students following the 2015-16 academic year. In 2019-20, 19 units were demolished. Demolition of the remaining 23 units will allow for future development in this area of campus.

Robert B. House Undergraduate Library renovation

(Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Construction start: December 2025

Estimated completion: fall 2026

To accommodate the move of the Center for Student Success from South Campus to the upper level of the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library, the library will close after final exams in December 2025 to begin construction. Renovations will include improvements and updates to the main and lower levels of the library, expansion of the Media & Design Center and the creation of additional study rooms. During construction, most services and staff of the Undergraduate Library will move temporarily to Davis Library.

New Residence Hall 1

Construction start: summer 2026

Estimated completion: fall 2028

Carolina Housing is in the final stages of developing a comprehensive housing master plan that will include renovations to many of its current residence halls as well as the addition of new buildings. The New Residence Hall 1 will be the first project in a decade-long plan to expand and renew Carolina’s undergraduate and graduate student housing portfolio and enhance student living conditions, with students providing input on features such as improved lighting, larger windows and enhanced bathroom spaces.

The new residence hall will be constructed on the current site of Jackson Hall, which currently houses undergraduate admissions.

To get you started, here are some of the best hidden study spots on campus.

Corner study lounges in Davis Library

The corner study lounges in Davis Library provide comfortable sofas, chairs, tables and — on floor 5 — treadmill desks. The lounges are in the southwest corner (overlooking The Pit) of floors 3-8 and in the northwest corner (overlooking the Edible Campus garden) of floors 7 and 8.

Fearrington Reading Room in Wilson Library

The Fearrington Reading Room on the second floor of the Wilson Special Collections Library is one of the most beautiful spaces at Carolina. Chandeliers, marble floors and dark wooden desks create a very aesthetic study space. This room is best for those who prefer a silent study space. Since Fearrington also houses rare books, food and drink are off limits.

Second floor of the Art Library

The second floor of the Sloane Art Library offers carrel seating, lounge chairs and large windows that overlook the courtyard between the Hanes Art Center and the Ackland Art Museum. For those who like to eat at Sutton’s or Cosmic Cantina, Sloane Art Library is the closest library to Franklin Street.

Art Library outdoor patio

Sloane Art Library also has a patio space. There’s outdoor furniture, a grassy area and lots of shade from the surrounding buildings. And the best part: you can still access campus Wi-Fi.

Fourth floor of the Health Sciences Library

The Health Sciences Library is the only library on South Campus. The library has five floors of study space, group study rooms, standing desks, carrels and more. HSL is also home to the Friends Café coffee shop.

SILS Library

The UNC School of Information and Library Science Library, located on the first floor of Manning Hall, is the home of our graphic novels, young adult fiction titles and children’s books. The library has desktop computers, big tables and some very comfortable couches.

Stone Center Library

The Stone Center Library is located on the third floor of the Sonja Hanes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History. The space has big open tables, natural light, carrels and two study rooms that are first come, first served.

Park Library

The Park Library, located on the second floor of Carroll Hall, is the go-to library for journalism students. It’s part of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, but the space and all the resources are open to all Tar Heels. The library features big open tables, desktop computers and a Bloomberg terminal for students who need real-time financial market data for their coursework.

Note: The Writing and Learning Center is moving to the Undergraduate Library in 2026. For the renovations, the Undergraduate Library will close for construction after final exams in December 2025 and reopen in fall 2026. More information can be found on the University Libraries website.

The tower was offered to Carolina on March 10, 1930, by John Motley Morehead, an 1891 Carolina graduate, and Rufus Lenoir Patterson, who graduated in 1893. The two agreed to split the costs and fully fund the tower in honor of their family members, whose names are on plaques within the archways.

McKim, Mead and White, who were also heavily involved in planning the area around Polk Place, designed the tower, and Atwood and Weeks were its architects.

Construction began in January 1931, and the tower was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day that year. The tower, standing at 172 feet tall, is built of North Carolina brick, in the same style as the buildings around Polk Place, and the trim is made of Indiana limestone.

The most distinctive feature is the tower’s arcade, which features Guastavino tiles that are reminiscent of Carolina Blue. Developed by Spanish architect Raphael Guastavino, the tile arch system is known for its beauty but also for being structurally sound and fireproof. Guastavino tile was used in many New York City buildings, as part of Grand Central Terminal and in the Boston Public Library, another McKim, Mead and White project.

“I don’t think there’s anything quite like that tile anywhere else on campus,” said University archivist Nicholas Graham.

Carolina Alumni, along with the Order of the Bell Tower, will illuminate the tower in blue and white on Aug. 17, the night before the first day of classes. The Carolina Blue lighting also makes an appearance to celebrate football wins, national championships and Commencement. (Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill)

The lights and sounds of the tower

Morehead wanted a tower with playable bells on Carolina’s campus. He suggested several locations before the current site beside Kenan Memorial Stadium, including Memorial Hall, Wilson Library and South Building, which already has a single bell.

The tower originally had 12 bells, for a total weight of 14,350 pounds. Two new bells were added in 1998. The chimes that ring at the quarter hour are programmed, but initially the bells were rung manually.

“Students in the music department would ring the bells with levers at the bottom,” said Graham. “Apparently it was quite a workout. You had to pull hard on the levers to make the bell sound loudly enough.”

The first songs played were favorite hymns of the Morehead family, the Carolina alma mater “Hark the Sound” and other songs related to the University. The system became automated in 1967.

In 2019, the University removed the boxwood hedges surrounding the tower to create an open space for visitors and events like tailgating before home football games.

Lights alongside the perimeter of the tower illuminate it each night. Former Carolina Chancellor James Moeser was the first chancellor to light the tower at night, and privately funded lights have illuminated the tower since 2004. More recently, Carolina Blue lighting has been integrated to celebrate football wins, national championship wins and Commencement.

Bell Tower traditions

The Bell Tower Climb started in 1997 as part of Senior Week festivities. The tradition, hosted by Carolina Alumni since 2003, allows seniors to climb the 128 steps to the top of the tower. Only 300 seniors participated in the first few climbs, but now thousands line up to climb to the top and sign their names in a book there.

That tradition is for seniors, but another one open to all is the lighting of the tower on the night before the first day of classes. Carolina Alumni, along with the Order of the Bell Tower, will illuminate the tower in blue and white on Aug. 17 to celebrate the start of the 2025-26 academic year.