When Science Doesn’t Add Up
May 1, 2017
Science faculty at UNC share stories of working through failure in experiments
Don’t Assume Campus is Safe for Everyone
On college campuses, women are more likely to be sexually assaulted than robbed
Looking forward to 2017-18
Dear readers, It’s difficult to say goodbye to you as our publication year comes to an end. Thank you, readers, for staying with us as we stretched beyond Chapel Hill to bring you stories about the growing art scene in Greensboro and Joe Parrish’s campaign journey in Person County as a controversial candidate. I’ve never […]
Solo Woman
March 30, 2017
Independent travel teaches a writer to embrace feminism
Thank You, Mrs. Morris
How one teacher inspired many students, including her own daughter
The Opposite of Jealousy
A reflection on coincidence and change in a friendship
Free of Time and Age
A fascination with Betty White created the mold for an unlikely friendship
The Great Gun Debate
March 2, 2017
In the South, gun culture often clashes with calls for gun regulation, but there’s one man who walks the line
A Skylight for Missy
A farm in Graham, North Carolina becomes home for a formerly incarcerated woman
One Husband and One Roommate
A UNC student maintains purpose and independence in her Army marriage
Millennials, Step Up
Column: Social movements depend on college students to take action
Love Letters to Greensboro
A photo story: a former thrift shop fuels Greensboro’s art scene
A Contradictory Candidate
December 1, 2016
A young Democrat in Person County sticks to his beliefs even at the cost of an election
The Wayfarer
A UNC alumnus covers more than half the distance of the equator by foot in less than four years
After the Trials
October 7, 2016
A UNC diver with Olympic hopes leans on her faith and looks to 2020
Their Number One Fan
Amid job and funding cuts for North Carolina teachers, one UNC graduate remains passionate
The Gymtimidation Factor
Women in the weight room break out of their comfort zones and find confidence
A Light in Our Backyards
Column: The killing of a black man in Charlotte was a wake-up call for some
Living by the Landfill
April 8, 2016
A photo story
A Winner from Birth
From family translator to first-generation college aspriations
Traversing the Wall
How rock climbing is growing in popularity at UNC-Chapel Hill
Unlocking 3D Printing
How students can use 3D printers on campus
Looking forward to 2016-17
Introducing Synapse’s new editor and platform
When Concussion Casts a Shadow
February 25, 2016
Some student-athletes recovering from head injuries fear stigma
From Ehringhaus to Cat’s Cradle
A student musician’s journey in Chapel Hill
Exploring Black Twitter
Social media communities catch the attention of researchers
Sounds in the Stratosphere
A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student researches whether civilization’s sounds heat the atmosphere
When Numbers Trigger
November 19, 2015
Calorie counts in dining halls may not consider student eating disorders
Tires and Tacos
The national movement of food trucks and Carrboro’s own particular breed
Personal Art, Public Activism
Where arts and activism intersect in Chapel Hill, offering healing spaces
Behind the Podcast
The history of podcasts and their popularity
College Football Crazy
UNC football didn’t always live in the shadow of basketball
He Never Told
October 22, 2015
A gay veteran who served during “don’t ask, don’t tell” still struggles with opening up
Still Seeking Answers
Column: One year after the Wainstein report, where is the University now?
A Tale of Two Colberts
October 21, 2015
Column: Watch “The Late Show” with Oreos
A Hand on Her Knee
Studying abroad increases students’ risk of sexual assault, leaving one UNC student with fallout at home
Roots of History
How a man protects UNC’s trees, guardians of the Carolina experience
Outdated Paper Waste
Graphic: Limited funds keep the N.C. Court System using outdated technology and wasting paper
Learning in Two Languages
April 27, 2015
An historic Chapel Hill elementary school explores what could represent the future of education in the U.S.
Home Cooked
April 26, 2015
How the story of a restaurant parallels the story of a life
Game Face
Student-athletes learn to care for every part of the body, but the mind is often overlooked
Closing the Achievement Gap
After a turbulent year, the UNC-system is wondering what’s next
Sister South, Principal
March 23, 2015
Navigating the halls of a Southern Catholic school as a non-Catholic student
Franklin Street: Then and Now
March 22, 2015
A look at how the landmark has changed over the years.
My Hometown is Famous for Coleslaw Wrestling
One writer’s journey to the heart of coleslaw wrestling, and how it taught him about where he grew up
Guardians of the Forest
February 17, 2015
How a tiny bug is destroying millions of acres of our forests
On Being One Community
February 16, 2015
I screamed with joy the day I found out I was accepted to the University of North Carolina. My family immigrated from the Middle East to the United States when I was four years old, and my parents always stressed that a college education could take me everywhere in life. Growing up, they would meticulously […]
Rewriting the Code
How the gender disparity in computer science represents a larger trend in a growing industry
An Overlooked History
African American studies was born from the struggles of black students and staff on campus in the 1960s
Board of Governors Breakdown
The Board of Governors and their donations during the 2014 election
‘Bustin’ the Envelope’
How Jay Smith, 65 and still running, defies time and age
Pushing the Limit
February 15, 2015
Some feel slighted by a tuition policy that encourages students to get a degree in eight semesters
The Story of a Startup
How UNC has become a launchpad for student innovators
In Transition
December 8, 2014
For many student veterans, a new battle begins after arriving on campus
Undocumented but Undaunted
December 7, 2014
In the college town where they grew up, young Hispanic immigrants come together to find opportunity and community.
The Advance of a Legend
A chronicle of the shifting fencing world through one man’s memory
RUN GIO 2012
An oral history of Giovani Bernard’s punt return against N.C. State
Homeless and Need Your Help Thank You
November 16, 2014
Lee Jones is 55, a wine connoisseur, a pot smoker, self-contradictory and homeless. It’s this last one that defines him.
The College Catch-22
November 10, 2014
When it comes to handling students whose behavior is self-threatening, universities are forced to make tough calls. How much intervention is too much?
The Chilling Effect
November 2, 2014
Why UNC can’t clear one of the last hurdles to campus sustainability
Teach for North Carolina
How UNC fuels the TFA pipeline and what that says about education
‘Distressed, but not in despair’
After two years of Faith Hedgepeth’s murder going unsolved, fresh grief lingers among her family and friends.
A Homeless Man with a Place to Live
A story of escaping homelessness but remaining trapped
The Little Church That Could
In the midst of student living, one Northside church fights to keep a separate, struggling community on its feet
A Basketball Player, the KKK and a Rally No One’s Ever Heard Of
October 3, 2014
The Strange Tale of Patrick Ewing’s Recruitment to UNC
In the Shadow of the Sealings
Information related to UNC student Faith Hedgepeth’s 2012 murder remains sealed by court order
His Own Hike
October 2, 2014
An 18-year-old puts school on hold to find education in a 2,000-mile wilderness.
Depression in the Southern Part of Heaven
Josephine Yurcaba is in freefall. The panic attacks are back. Her chest tightens; her breaths come in spasms. Her mind spirals: grief, loneliness, terror. She’s new to UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus, a junior transfer student from N.C. State University. She struggles with the difficulties of transitioning, from battles with academic advising to feeling like an outsider […]
A Tall Order
New to the University, Chancellor Carol Folt already has a lengthy to-do list
King of a Small Empire
George King’s empire isn’t much. It’s a handful of tow trucks, one employee, a dirt lot and a flimsy shed. A couple of impounded cars rest in the lot, waiting to be claimed. In the shed, the owner of George’s Towing & Recovery reclines in a huge office chair, weathered hands clasped, presiding over two […]
The Cost of a Scandal
Pressure was mounting on Holden Thorp to act. There were the students, the faculty, the alumni, the Board of Trustees, the Rams Club. Each was exhausted. For two years, they had defended their University that had been weakened by scandal, and they wanted answers. They pleaded for the then-48-year-old chancellor to help. Thorp wanted to […]