High Noon

In the early 1970s small groups of Carolina students began gathering at the bell tower at noon to smoke marijuana —they called it High Noon. The location was likely selected because of its central location and also due to the tall hedges that used to surround the bell tower. Their meetings wer...

Halloween

Carolina students began celebrating Halloween with an informal gathering on Franklin Street in the 1980s. Town police closed off the main blocks of Franklin Street for an informal parade of costumed students. Within a decade it was the biggest party of the year. By the early 1990s attendance was gro...

Student Recreation Center

In 1989 students voted to increase fees in order to support construction of a new gym on campus. In contrast to Woollen and Fetzer Gyms, which were controlled by the athletic department, the Student Recreation Center would be managed by student-led organizations. The new facility, located adjacent t...

Toronto Exchange

One of the university's earliest exchange programs, the Toronto Exchange ran for more than thirty years. In the program, a group of Carolina students spent a week at the University of Toronto, and the Toronto students paid a return visit. The program began in 1959 and was organized and sponsored...