Jessica F. Simmons

In wake of the student protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Campus Y, a social justice hub within UNC for 164 years, has been closed indefinitely, according to an Instagram post on Wednesday night.

The post, published by the Campus Y, announced that several resources and facilities have been affected by UNC’s administration’s decision such as Mutual Aid Pantry, a pantry for food and reproductive products, Meantime Coffee Co., a student-run coffee shop, financial autonomy for committees and wheelchair-accessible and gender-neutral restrooms.

Sari Ghirmay-Morgan, a 2024-25 co-president of the Campus Y, said she found the news disheartening.

“I was disgusted,” Ghirmay-Morgan said. “I was shocked. I was in the middle of trying to deal with fallout from the administration’s use of police brutality against students. And so I couldn’t really fully process what was happening. But the outrage of the community has made it very apparent to me that these actions are so much more egregious than closing down a building.” 

Ghirmay-Morgan said she believes the closure happened because of the Campus Y’s proximity to the demonstrations on campus and the university’s political agenda. 

“I do think that these had political motivations,” Ghirmay-Morgan said. “I think that with the voting on DEI with the board of governors – it makes it very simple and easy for the administration to see us as a threat, especially as students often are known to organize and be politically active and on the left side of the Y.”

Before the closure, the Campus Y building had served as a recuperating place for demonstrators to refill water bottles and use the restrooms, according to a statement from the Campus Y’s 2024-25 executive board and cabinet of committee leaders.

In an email, UNC Media Relations said the Campus Y building, along with other nearby buildings and parking lots, were closed on April 30 for safety reasons.

“Campus Y building hours were not observed and the doors were repeatedly propped open when the building was closed, despite multiple requests to ensure the doors were closed and locked, which posed a serious safety concern,” the email said.

Media relations added that the university recognizes that the closure impacts student employees and university events and that they are working directly with the affected individuals and groups. However, there is no timetable to reopen the building at this time.  

The Campus Y has been a home to many student-run organizations. The 22 committees that will be affected by the shutdown include Disability Advocates for Carolina, Sexuality & Gender Alliance, Community Empowerment Fund, Community Justice, Abolition & Antiracism and Helping Youth by Providing Enrichment.

The news also came two days after the joint “I have no confidence in Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts” petition effort between several student organizations like the Campus Y for the administrations’ response to the pro-Palenstian encampment that stayed on Polk Place for five days, leading to several student arrests. The petition currently stands at 4,724 signatures.

Like Annissa Clarke, UNC alumna and former instructor, many students and alumni have expressed their outrage about the closure on social media. In a comment on the Campus Y’s post, Clarke said she is mortified by what the administration is doing to the university.

“(The chancellor) needs to respect the traditions of protest and activism UNC is known for,” Clarke said. “The Campus Y is a *vital* part of the university community.”

In a Daily Tar Heel article, Beth Keith, UNC’s associate vice chancellor of communications, said that “the building’s closure does not prohibit the groups that were housed in the Campus Y from participating or holding activities on campus and these groups should contact Student Affairs for more information.” 

Ghirmay-Morgan said Keith is “f*****g hilarious” for the statement, considering Ghirmay-Morgan’s committee that she leads can not access their materials that are locked in the building. 

“So how can we go and teach students about art in Durham at Shepard (Magnet) Middle School when we don’t have our materials?” Ghirmay-Morgan said. “It’s really ironic and hilarious that they would say something like that considering the Disability Advocates Committee can not even meet in a space that allows multiple wheelchair holders because this campus isn’t accessible.”

A top priority for the Campus Y right now, Ghirmay-Morgan said, is making sure students who are food insecure have their needs met through the pantry, despite a lack of access. 

“I think that it’s honestly very difficult to entertain a reality in which we are not able to have control over the space that we have a right to,” Ghirmay-Morgan said. “This is the student union. The students will unionize. The students are outraged and we will make sure that we are able to reclaim what we have rights to.”

This was a developing story that was originally published on May 3 at 12:58 a.m. Updates include the statement made from UNC Media Relations at 10:05 a.m. and Annissa Clarke’s quote at 1:00 p.m.