UNC Chapel Hill holding preparedness festival to highlight emergency response plan

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Students at UNC-Chapel Hill are getting a lesson in safety as the university works to improve its emergency response plan.

A preparedness festival being held comes after a deadly shooting on campus and another shelter in place lockdown weeks later.

Each time students expressed concerns about the lack of information from the university.

In August 2023, authorities say a graduate student killed Associate Professor Dr. Zijie Yan.

The university sent out an Alert Carolina message immediately, but they received criticism for a lack of updates.

Students and faculty also expressed confusion over appropriate safety protocols.

At today's festival, the university updated the campus community on the school's efforts to improve its emergency response plan which includes online training guides for faculty and teaching assistants, and said that efforts are underway to add more cameras to campus.

There's also a separate effort to add more door locks after students said they had to barricade themselves inside classrooms because the doors did not lock.

Vadalism on UNC campus after walk-out

A group of 150 people gathered in front of the Wilson Library on UNC's campus on Thursday for a "Justice in Palestine" event, according to the university.

The university said a few people spoke during the event promoted by students. The group then moved around campus and entered several buildings shouting and attempting to interrupt classes.

The school said the group also vandalized the interior and exterior of buildings with spray paint and permanent markers, causing significant damage throughout multiple buildings.

UNC said it is still working to determine the full extent of the damages.

"Free expression and peaceful protest are, of course, in line with Carolina's best traditions. We cannot tolerate, however, vandalism of public property or disruption of classes. We'll pursue every avenue possible to hold people accountable." said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts.