Incoming Student Resources webpage is now LIVE!

We are excited to announce that the Study Center's brand new Incoming Student Resources webpage is now live! Our team has worked with several upperclassmen student leaders this summer to design this extensive set of resources specifically with incoming students and their parents in mind.  

You'll find everything here ranging from a roommate search hub, to student pro-tips on classes, majors, professors, and the Greek system, to a student-led podcast called 'Talk of the Hill.' Parents, you'll find a page with specific resources and wisdom for you as well.

We realize that COVID-19 poses some unique challenges in making the transition to college and we are here to assist you in whatever way we can. We hope that this collection of resources, as well as Carolina Way Camp (CWC), go a long way toward setting you on a trajectory for a wonderful four years. This year’s group of counselors is so excited to get to know you, and you can learn more about each of them on the camp Counselors page here. 

If you're an incoming student and you haven't registered for CWC yet, we encourage you to do so soon and reserve your spot here as space is limited! Already registered but still need to pay the $175 fee? Please complete this payment form. We do have limited scholarship funds available. If you have financial need, please fill out a scholarship application.

Carolina Way Camp COVID-19 Update:

Registration for Carolina Way Camp 2020 is open! As you all know, UNC will now begin classes on Monday, August 10th. In light of this, Carolina Way Camp will now take place from Thursday, August 6th - Saturday, August 8th

This year’s Carolina Way Camp is designed with three priorities in mind:

1. To provide an incredible camp experience for incoming first-year students, giving them opportunities to connect with one another and with the extended Christian community at UNC.

2. To mitigate COVID-19 related risks.

3. To be thoughtful neighbors to the university faculty, administrators and other students.

We have made several significant adjustments to camp in acting on these three priorities:

• Location: CWC will now be held on-and-around campus, thus mitigating COVID-19 risks associated with remote travel.

• Transportation: CWC will now involve a minimal amount of local small-vehicle transport, thus mitigating COVID-19 risks associated with group bus travel.

• Format: CWC will be held in day-camp format this year. Students will return to their own dorm rooms to sleep each evening, thus mitigating COVID-19 risks associated with group bunking.

• Risk Mitigation: Our staff is closely monitoring CDC guidelines as well as State of North Carolina and UNC-Chapel Hill COVID-19 policies in ensuring that CWC is designed to be a safe, minimal-risk environment. UNC continues to regularly update the ‘Community Standards’ which will govern campus life this fall and which will be most determinative for CWC policies. For the latest, please visit this update page. We will continue to keep registered campers and parents updated this summer as we have more specific details on camp COVID-19 policies.

Since we’ve decided to change the format to a day camp, we’re excited to offer Carolina Way Camp for the reduced rate of $175. If you would like to attend, we strongly encourage you to register now to claim your spot as space is limited (last year spots filled up and we had to form a waiting list). 

If you are in need of financial assistance in order to attend camp, please fill out this scholarship application.  We have limited financial aid available and will do our best to enable you to attend camp.

If you are one of the small number of students who already paid your registration fee in March, you will receive a refund for the amount by which the price of camp has been reduced.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to plan for camp while monitoring this fluid situation. Know that we are praying for you and your family during this difficult time. We’re excited to welcome you to UNC, to connect you to the extended Christian community, and we can’t wait to be with you in person soon!

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery: Lament, Reflection, and Practical Resources

In the midst of a difficult few months, this has been a particularly grievous past few weeks.

We lament the appalling and unjust murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Each of these individuals was an image-bearer of God-created, known, and loved by Him and therefore of supreme dignity and worth. In each case, the sacrilege committed against black life is an affront to God almighty and a denial of His creational intentions. When image-bearers are not respected as such and when human beings are not afforded the dignity they inherently have as God’s beloved creatures, God Himself is grieved and righteously indignant (e.g. Amos 2:6-7; Amos 5:10-15). As New Testament Scholar Esau McCaulley wrote in a recent NYT op-ed on Ahmaud Arbery, “The tragedy is not simply what his death reveals about how black life is valued here. The tragedy is not only the freshly invigorated fear that black men and women will feel....The tragedy is that his black life ended. For those who believe that all life is sacred, there is no bigger catastrophe.”

The evil done to Ahmaud, Breonna, and George evoke memories of the horrendous injustices inflicted on so many other black Americans, both known and unknown, throughout history and up to this present moment. Black Americans continue to bear this collective trauma. The persistence of racism and the devaluation of black life at both an interpersonal and systemic/institutional level in our country call for deep lament, reflection, repentance, and a renewed commitment among Christians, particularly non-black Christians, to the holistic gospel and to the Kingdom-citizenship to which Christ calls us. While we will never experience the Kingdom of God in its fullness on this side of Christ’s return, we are called to embody the first fruits of it (Luke 9:2), to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), and to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

Many worthwhile pieces are being written in response to these recent events. We realize not all are in a place to delve into them. Here are just a few that we’ve found helpful the past few weeks for reflection, lament, and practicable action:

1. Christianity Today: George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston

2. Dr. Esau McCaulley’s Pentecost Sermon, 5/31/20: ‘The Flames of Pentecost, Minneapolis Burning, and the Hope of the Kingdom’ written manuscript and audio version

3. The AND Campaign's Statement on Racialized Violence in America + 6 practical steps that can be taken

We also are reposting the video below from the 2019 UNC Veritas Forum with Dr. McCaulley and Lecrae: Racial Justice: Is Christianity a Help or a Hindrance? As now is a more sober and fitting time than ever, we encourage you to re-watch this video.

To close with a few lines from the AND Campaign's statement: "pray, mourn, and bear witness to the justice and peace that are constitutive of Christ's reign. With the help of the Spirit, the Church can again be at the vanguard of a truly transformative movement for the soul of America."

Yours in Christ,

NCSC Staff

Carolina Way Camp COVID-19 Statement

Registration for Carolina Way Camp 2020 is open! We realize that many of you have questions about camp plans and registration policies in light of the recently announced changes to UNC's fall schedule. UNC will now begin fall classes on Monday, August 10th. We were prepared for this course of events and are actively exploring the possibility of hosting Carolina Way Camp during a portion of the week and/or weekend preceding August 10th, still at Camp Rockbridge. We expect to have an update shortly about specific dates.

If you would like to attend Carolina Way Camp, we strongly encourage you to register now to claim your spot as space is limited (last year spots filled up and we had to form a waiting list).  Aware that this is a fluid situation and that many are experiencing economic hardship, we are not requiring the early-bird camp registration fee at this time in order to reserve your spot: CWC payments will be due in July once there is firmer confirmation of August plans. Once all early-bird camper spots are claimed, the price of camp will increase by $50.

If you are in need of financial assistance in order to attend camp, please fill out this scholarship application along with your registration.  We have limited financial aid available and will do our best to enable you to attend camp.

In the event that state or university policies inhibit us from travelling to Camp Rockbridge (VA) we are preparing a contingency plan to host Carolina Way Camp in an appropriate localized format at a significantly reduced rate.

If you are one of the small number of students who already paid your registration fee in March, you will be eligible for a full refund in the unlikely event that camp is not able to proceed.

Thank you for your patience as we're planning  camp while monitoring this fluid situation. Know that we are praying for you and your family during this difficult time. We’re excited to welcome you to UNC, to connect you to the extended Christian community, and we can’t wait to be with you in person soon!

Spiritual Formation in Quarantine

The past few weeks have been a strange combination of feeling at a distance from students, while often feeling the bond of being "in this together".  This has brought a sense of deliberateness to online prayer times and studies that probably would not have been there otherwise.  That is not to say that Zoom meetings are superior to meeting in-person.  It is to say that for a short time we have enjoyed a particular level of focus from students, free of many of the normal distractions.  I have noticed this with male as well as female students, though the difference in my opinion has been more palpable in regard to young men.

I would suggest that the response we had to the "Concert and Conversation" with Ellen Davis and Sandra McCracken was similar in dynamics as those mentioned above.  There was an obvious hunger and appreciation for substance and beauty in Christ, and the general "feel" of the evening was one of gratitude and unity.  Again, I prefer the usual in-person event, but that evening was something I will remember for a long time.  The LORD was (and is) in our midst.  The God of Jacob is our refuge.

As classes and exams finished and as we now move forward toward "graduation" there seem to be two things happening at once: first, a real hunger from undergrads to get back together asap.  Evidence for this can be seen in the outpouring of offers from Sophomores and up to help with Carolina Way Camp.  The second response involves the sadness and strangeness of saying good-bye to graduates, whose futures range from "as originally planned" to "completely up in the air".  I have to admit that for these students I find myself "wishing" that we could turn back the clock and do Spring semester as if Covid never happened.  That said, these students are on the cusp of many new ways of doing business and life.  We want to encourage them that this is a real opportunity, and that the LORD is very much at work in them, through them, and beyond them as new ways of commerce, community and ministry unfold before us every day.  Faith, Hope and Love still apply.  The gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed.  The Spirit of God continues to direct the affairs of his people, and of his world.

The LORD give us all sensitivity to his grace and truth as we move forward in faith in the coming days.  

Bill Boyd
Director of Spiritual Formation

Letter from our ED: Our Response to the Coronavirus

Dear Friends of the Study Center:

I hope this letter finds you well today, despite the difficult circumstances we are facing. Our hope in Christ will not disappoint, and he has come that we may have life today and forever.

In the midst of these hard times, our mission of offering the welcome, truth, and wisdom of Christ to UNC has never been more urgent, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve in the future with your help. Thanks to the hard work of our staff and the prayers of friends like you, the North Carolina Study Center has been able to adapt as we have moved educational opportunities and events online and found direct ways of connecting with many individual students. As a supporter, I’d like to update you on how we have carried out our mission in this new season and how we are positioned going forward. This chart sums up our programming shifts, and I discuss some of what will follow in this letter on a podcast here.

Online seminars and events

During the past seven weeks, we operated more than ever as an educational center, equipping people to make sense of the world in light of God’s word. Our seminars on Augustine, Walker Percy, and the arc of scripture all became Zoom classes. In-person studies of scripture similarly moved to Zoom. Our Director of Spiritual Formation Bill Boyd started a daily podcast to help students and supporters create good routines for seeking the Lord. We noticed that a number of students who had been out of touch showed interest in these opportunities.

As the crisis unfolded, we hosted an early webinar with epidemiologist Dr. Nathan Thielman, advocating for students to take social distancing seriously (300 registered). The next week, Associate Dean Dan Bradley Staats talked with students about how to move forward in an economy that is on life support (100 registered). As the coronavirus’ peak loomed and questions about medical ethics predominated, Dr. Farr Curlin and Dr. Patrick Smith talked about how Christians in medicine and beyond should understand their dilemmas (450 registered). Last week, we turned to mental health. Dr. Warren Kinghorn and Dr. Nii Addy dignified those who are facing mental health issues and winsomely described how to walk with Christ through these hard times (420 registered). Directly after the event, one non-Christian student contacted us about how to follow Jesus. And this week, singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken teamed up with Old Testament Professor Dr. Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity for a live concert and conversation (550 registered).

Finally, we co-sponsored a trio of high-quality events with Veritas on understanding these times (with David Brooks and Andy Crouch), facing down the economic factors in play (with Arthur Brooks and others), and how to creatively engage with sadness and lament via the arts (with Lecrae and others). All of these events had very high UNC registration counts.

Continuing relationships

The difficult circumstances of these past few weeks have made relationships with students more important than ever. Graduating seniors have lost jobs, the bulk of our students are now living with their families, and most students have discovered the downside to solely computer-based instruction. Tragically, several Duke students and one UNC student are known to have died by suicide in the last four weeks.

Among our six ministry staff members, we are in direct weekly contact with over 100 student leaders, many of whom are supporting and reaching out to many other students. We have been laughing together in regular online “coffee hours,” learning together in joy-filled virtual discussions of Narnia and continuing to dive into scripture and God’s way of seeing the world in Zoom seminars. Finally, we have facilitated a fruitful online prayer movement called 8@8 where followers of Christ from around the world commit to prayer every evening at 8pm. Almost 15,000 have signed up to receive regular prayer reminders, and we have received strong feedback from participants that their prayer lives have been strengthened. 

Operational adjustments 

Behind the scenes, we have made a number of adjustments in order to remain fiscally sound. We have sharply cut our operating and programming expenses (by 80%). Staff have taken on administrative work we would have outsourced before. Our ongoing costs are $50,000 per month, as we are continuing to pay off the Battle House mortgage and our staff have remained active. Thankfully, our regular monthly donors have continued to give. And we have been blessed with an opportunity for a $50,000 match for all gifts made between now and the end of May. Finally, we have continued to prepare to renovate the Battle House and hope to have news about that soon.

Going forward

As the tide of the pandemic recedes and UNC makes plans to reopen in the fall, the university will be different in some ways. However, its strategic importance will continue. Many schools have learned that flipped classrooms have their advantages. Thus, as we have noted increased use of our online resources, going forward we will be asking what we should always make available online.

Almost daily, we hear from parents of incoming students of the class of 2024. They are excited that their children will have the chance to be formed as Christians while they are at UNC. Our Carolina Way Camp is still on for the coming fall. Close to 100 current students applied to be counselors this year, and we are excited to help students as they transition into college. We hope CWC will be at Camp Rockbridge, but if group size constraints make traditional camp impossible (we expect at least 250 this year), we will host it in Chapel Hill. And we are considering a number of ways to resource and connect with incoming students beyond camp itself. 

Please be in touch with us as you have prayer requests and questions. And, as the Lord leads, please continue to partner with us financially. If you can continue to provide for our critical needs, we will be poised to carry out our mission going forward.

We are with you in prayer and hope to see you very soon!

In Christ, 

Madison Perry
Executive Director

Programming Update