UNC Chapel Hill Hosts Preparedness Festival

Source: Melissa Sue Gerrits / Getty

UNC-Chapel Hill is continuing its efforts to provide a safer on-campus experience with its TARRR Heel Preparedness Festival on Thursday (Sept. 19).

Scheduled from 11 am to 2 pm at The Pit, the festival plans to help students prepare for unforeseen emergencies. Campus departments, student groups, and local partners will be on the campus to provide information and resources on emergency preparedness.

In addition, students will be able to participate in hands-on demonstrations, including proper use of a fire extinguisher, CPR techniques, and a demo from the Stop The Bleed program about the basics of bleeding control.

RELATED: UNC Shooting: Doctoral Student Charged With Murder; Victim Identified

As reported by ABC11, the festival comes after a deadly shooting on campus last summer. In August 2023, Associate Professor Dr. Zijie Yan was gunned down by a graduate student on campus. The suspect, Tailei Qi, was charged with the murder.

Weeks later, a second lockdown took place after a Durham man was spotted with a gun inside the Student Union.

RELATED: Durham Man Arrested In Connection To UNC-Chapel Hill Gun Scare

The university sent out Alert Carolina messages immediately. However, they were criticized by students for a lack of updates.

During the festival, the university will update the campus community on improvements to its emergency response plan, including more door locks, more cameras on campus, and online training guides for faculty and teaching assistants.