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Jul 19, 2023

Chansky's Notebook: Life Interrupted

Posted by Art Chansky | Aug 29, 2023 | Sports, Sports Notebook Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35

Posted by Art Chansky | Aug 29, 2023 | Sports, Sports Notebook

Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.

Carolina suffered a shocking reminder on Monday.

The sudden and tragic shooting at UNC Monday, which resulted in the death of a faculty member and terrified some students, has caused classes to be canceled Tuesday and perhaps later in the week.

There will certainly be sentiment on campus not to play football Saturday.

If the football season opener against South Carolina was to be played in Chapel Hill and not Charlotte, there would be a hue and cry to postpone that game. As the campus mourns the attack and loss of a human life, bringing a capacity crowd into town and Kenan Stadium would seem inappropriate.

Until the pertinent questions of motive and manner of the shooting are answered, the home opener against Appalachian State on September 9 could be in jeopardy. The security of all who walk the grounds is paramount.

Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham said it was not the time to comment on plans for home athletic events in the days and weeks ahead but allowed that safety is everyone’s concern.

There have been horrific deaths of UNC students in the past, which occurred off campus but still left the entire town stunned and heartbroken. With the propensity of gun violence erupting in America over the last few years, concern for everyone who walks freely to school, work and play has a new dimension.

Each unexpected death is different, so Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and his administration will have to decide actions in response to the shooting.

When three football players were killed at Virginia last November, UVa called off the last game of the season, and it carried through to the ACC championship in Charlotte where their jersey numbers were painted on the field outside of the endzones at Bank of America Stadium.

Those of us who have made Chapel Hill home may believe that our community is among the safest in the nation, but Monday’s tragedy will make us all think about being extra careful, quicker responders and more active in elections that may help turn the nationwide trend around.

Athletics are an important and celebrated part of Carolina culture, but what happened in a science lab in the middle of a campus that has easy access from numerous directions should give us all pause to review safety measures.

Featured image via Associated Press/Hannah Schoenbaum

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