Student Life
Carolina is an exciting place to be! Here you will forge friendships and develop networks that will strengthen your career and the communities you care about. Students are involved in activities and collaborations across campus and still make time for weekly happy hours to get together as a Carolina Planning family. Through the advocacy efforts of Plan for All, as well as other student-run organizations and service opportunities like disaster relief in hurricane-impacted parts of the state, there are many ways to learn about and have impact on the wider Carolina community.
For New Students
Student News
Each year DCRP faculty and student body members select exemplary students as recipients of our annual DCRP awards. This year, … Read more
We are thrilled to announce the 2021 winners of two DCRP Awards! Saumitra (Shomi) Sinha won the Best TA … Read more
We are thrilled to announce the 2021 winners of the MCRP Graduation Awards The APA Outstanding Student Award recognizes … Read more
Student Groups
Student organizations and committees provide a great opportunity to develop leadership skills and build relationships with DCRP students, faculty, and alumni, as well as the broader planning community. Participation also allows students to spearhead conversations and events about issues that fall outside of the framework of formal coursework.
Planner’s Forum
Planners’ Forum acts as a liaison between MCRP students and DCRP faculty, and also manages student organization resources. For more information, contact Co-Presidents Cameron McBroom-Fitterer and Jen Farris at uncplannersforum@gmail.com.
Social Committee
Social Committee plans events to foster collegiality and community within the Department of City and Regional Planning. Our events include a diversity of activities and locations aimed to explore Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Durham and bring people together. Typically, events include Happy Hours, Fall Orientation activities, a Holiday Party, and a T-shirt design contest, as well as trips to the NC mountains and coast. For more information, contact Amy Patronella, Isabella Niemeyer, John Thompson, Luke Morin, Rachel Auerbach, Sophia Nelson, Talya Kravitz, Colin Lowe, Sarah Kear at dcrpsocial@gmail.com.
Plan for All
Plan for All works on issues of equity, inclusivity, diversity, and social justice by sponsoring events that connect issues of citizenship status, class, disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and sexuality to planning, and make space for conversations around these issues. For more information, contact Lance Gloss (lgloss@unc.edu), Sylvia Greer (sgreer2@unc.edu), or Christy Fierros (cfierros@unc.edu).
Carolina BLUE (Building Leaders for Urban Engagement)
Carolina BLUE (Building Leaders for Urban Engagement) seeks to expand the reach of the urban planning profession by introducing local youths and young adults to planning principles through engaging lessons and activities. BLUE also aims to educate planners-in-training about the importance and need for youth-based community engagement in the field.
The Racial Equity Committee
The Racial Equity Committee is dedicated to creating an actively anti-racist department that openly acknowledges systemic racism, such that anti-racism permeates every aspect of DCRP culture, including curriculum building, admissions processes, career development, public engagement, and hiring practices. The committee works with faculty, staff, and students across DCRP to build an institution that embodies the practices of anti-racism, respect for local knowledge, and accountability that we hope all alumni will employ in the field. More information on how to get involved is coming soon!
Carolina Planning Journal
The Carolina Planning Journal is the oldest student-run planning journal in the United States. It provides a platform for students and researchers across the country to publish papers related to planning topics varying from year to year. Within the planning department, students can work directly with authors to edit and develop papers as well as publish book reviews on an annual basis. The journal’s blog, Carolina Angles, features writing from students and the wider planning community. Every year a planning student serves as the Editor-in-Chief and works closely alongside the Angles blog editor to plan for content creations, develop the annual call for papers, and run logistics for Journal publication
Graduate and Professional Student Federation
The Graduate and Professional Student Federation is the governing body of the graduate and professional students at UNC-CH. We advocate for students’ needs and goals and provide resources for you to succeed academically. Two representatives will be elected!
The American Planning Association (APA)
The American Planning Association (APA) is the largest membership organization of professional planners and planning resources available. More information on student representation/participation with the state and national chapters is coming soon! Contact Renee Marker-Katz at renemk@email.unc.edu
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international membership association of transportation professionals who work to improve mobility and safety for all transportation system users and help build smart and livable communities. More information on student representation/participation with the state and national chapters is coming soon! Contact Abigail Cox at accox@unc.edu
Placemakers
Placemakers seek to make New East a comfortable space for all. Tasks might include holiday decorations, organizing logistics for communal spaces, and helping people feel more at home on campus.
Cartography and Research Tools Initiative (CaRTI)
This collaborative research group seeks to provide peer support and educational events focused on prominent technologies in planning and planning-adjacent fields. Areas of focus include mapping, programming languages, and data visualization tools. For more information, contact duncanjones@unc.edu.
BuildUp
BuildUP is an activism-forward urban planning club focused on creating a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure in Chapel Hill and beyond! BuildUP is the first undergraduate urban planning focused club at UNC-CH and offers a space for students interested in the field to come together, have engaging discussions, create connections, and engage with the local community to advocate for more sustainable infrastructure within Chapel Hill. For events, visit their website here.