Published October 14, 2026 at 1:19 PM EDT

UNC-Chapel Hill is updating its emergency alert system after pressure from students, faculty, and other campus community members. The change comes nearly two months after a potentially dangerous incident on Carolina's campus.

On Aug. 31, a man who appeared to be in the midst of a mental health episode interrupted a late-night watch party organized by Black student organizations on campus. Students say the man shouted hateful slurs and threatened them with an "incendiary device."

Administrators didn't send out a campus-wide alert — instead choosing to make a temporary Instagram "story" that disappeared within 24 hours. Members of UNC-Chapel Hill's Black Student Organization Coalition, along with other students, faculty, parents, and alumni, have criticized the university for that decision, saying it showed a severe disregard for campus community members' safety.

UNC Police Instagram

Administrators originally chose to make a 'story' on the UNC Police's Instagram - a temporary post that disappears within 24 hours - instead of sending a campuswide email about the incidents. Chancellor Lee Roberts said social media is how the university communicates with students.

"The lack of issuing an Alert Carolina once there was an immediate and loose threat to student safety is jarring," BSOC members Grace Bailey and Addison Truzy told WUNC earlier this month. "We get Alert Carolina’s for petty car thefts and weather alerts. Yet, when there is an active threat to campus security and safety, an Alert Carolina is unissued. It begs the question of, what counts as an active threat to student safety?"

Senior administrators in communications and campus safety announced an update to Alert Carolina Wednesday. They said it will now include a "Campus Safety Update" feature to alert community members to "serious or highly visible incidents" with "no immediate or ongoing threat requiring our community to take protective action."

This could include when police have apprehended a person with a weapon, temporarily evacuated a building because of a safety-related incident, or to provide clarification on inaccurate "safety-related" rumors.

"The safety of our campus community is a top priority, and providing timely, accurate incident details is an important part of helping everyone stay informed," Dean Stoyer and Derek Kemp said in a press release.

"The racial harassment and intimidation on Aug. 31 in Greenlaw Hall directly impacted students who had gathered to enjoy time together," the administrators continued. "Word of the incident quickly spread across campus by word of mouth, email and social media. The moment amplified a gap in our emergency communications strategy."

Ahead of the university's announcement, WUNC asked members of UNC-Chapel Hill's Black Student Organization Coalition if the addition of an informational system alongside Alert Carolina was enough to resolve their concerns. The students noted that they were still waiting for administrators to address a list of demands, including holding continuous conversations about how executive leadership plans to ensure Black student safety and a sense of belonging at UNC.

"The addition of another informational system is a welcome aid towards informing students, staff, faculty, and the great Chapel Hill/Carrboro community of important happenings within the university," representatives Bailey and Truzy said. "However, it cannot be looked at as a ‘solution,’ because the extent to which Alert Carolina can produce information was not exhausted during Aug. 31."

Administrators say they will send Campus Safety Updates through email with a unique banner. It falls last on the university's hierarchy of safety communications.

WUNC partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.