Heel Talk

Guillermo and Will are joined by the first ever members of The Daily Tar Heel Audio Staff to discuss Hispanic Heritage Month, a new survey program being used by the Chapel Hill and the Tracks Music Series.

Guillermo and Liv hear from Sarah Choi about traffic safety, Assistant University Editor Preston Fore about UNC's maintenance backlog and its effects on campus and Sofia Casini about a proposed social host ordinance that has stirred controversy.

University Editor Liv Reilly and Audio Editor Will Christensen talk about staff shortages in the local public school and transit systems, and Liv interviews the new Dean of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media: Raul Reis.

Editor-in-Chief Guillermo Molero and Audio Editor Will Christensen talk to Liv Reilly, Emmy Martin, and Sarah Choi about UNC's settlement with Nikole Hannah-Jones, a court ruling that restricts abortions after 20 weeks in North Carolina, and a surge in Monkeypox cases nationwide.

May 5th officially marks the last day of class for the spring 2021 semester. And it's no surprise that the weight of the pandemic, coupled with the stress of upcoming final exams and overall fatigue is weighing down on many UNC students at this time of year — especially many students living on-campus who are experiencing social isolation. On the 45th episode of Heel Talk, and the final one of the semester, DTH reporter Emily Shih talks with Host Evely Forte about the toll some students are facing in their mental health as the semester comes to a close. DTH reporter Chelsea Ramsey also talks about what the Carolina Union is doing to commemorate the last day of classes and bring a sense of normalcy to students this time of year. Episode hosted by Evely Forte and produced by Praveena Somasundaram. Supervising producers are University Desk Editor Maddie Ellis, Digital Managing Editor Will Melfi and Editor-in-Chief Anna Pogarcic.

UNC's deferred maintenance backlog has grown to over $900 million and counting. The facilities condition index suggests that the average of all UNC Buildings is 0.19 — falling in the poor condition category. DTH reporter Preston Fore talks about what deferred maintenance means and what implications the status of the deferred maintenance backlog has for the University moving forward. Host Evely Forte also chats with Ananya Mallik — a UNC sophomore in the middle of the pre-sale process for her debut novel, "Endless: A Villain's Love Story." Episode hosted by Evely Forte and produced by Praveena Somasundaram. Supervising producers are University Desk Editor Maddie Ellis, Digital Managing Editor Will Melfi and Editor-in-Chief Anna Pogarcic.

You can pre-order "Endless: A Villain's Love Story" and support Mallik here.

In July 2020, the Board of Trustees voted to remove the names of four buildings with racist ties on campus. And now, almost a year later, the University is one step closer to making that happen. DTH Reporter Lauren McCarthy talks to Host Evely Forte about this and the implications for the campus community moving forward. DTH Reporter Rachel Crumpler also talks about the new members appointed to the UNC Board of Governors last month and how the new hires increased diversity of the board, overall. Episode hosted by Evely Forte and produced by Praveena Somasundaram. Supervising producers are University Desk Editor Maddie Ellis, Digital Managing Editor Will Melfi and Editor-in-Chief Anna Pogarcic.

As the state and Town of Chapel of Hill have slowly lifted restrictions and the campus community approaches a more normal summer term and fall semester, the University's jurisdiction over holding students found in violation of University and/or state guidelines may change. Recently, the University has requested that the town extend the joint jurisdiction of UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill Police to include off-campus Greek Life housing. University Desk Editor Maddie Ellis spoke to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz about this and shared what she learned from that conversation with Host Evely Forte. Episode hosted by Evely Forte and produced by Praveena Somasundaram. Supervising producers are University Desk Editor Maddie Ellis, Digital Managing Editor Will Melfi and Editor-in-Chief Anna Pogarcic.