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Its Local Health Department Urged a Virtual Fall.UNC Is Reopening Anyway. The county has the legal authority to close a property by declaring it an "imminent hazard to public safety," McGee said. "That's a very high bar to leap over. That's not an option at this point." North Carolina law defines "imminent hazard" as "a situation that is likely to cause an immediate threat to human life." One part of the law makes the county potentially liable for any financial losses UNC incurs, as a result of being called an imminent hazard, according to McGee. The health department's letter prompted Guskiewicz and the provost, Robert A. Blouin, to appear at an emergency meeting of the faculty executive committee, late Wednesday afternoon. During the meeting, committee members seemed to assume the health department made the memo public; McGee later emailed to say it had not. Guskiewicz and Blouin said at the meeting that they received no warning that the health- department letter would be made public and did not know the department's motivation for doing so. When a committee member asked if it was a sign that the health department felt that university leaders were not listening to them, Blouin demurred. "I have really enjoyed our conversations. They have all been positive, collaborative, and collegial," he said. "Even in our conversations since we received the letter, it's been the same. Nothing really has changed." ADVERTISEMENT Clarification (Aug. 6, 2020, 9:25 a.m.): This story has been updated to clarify that, at a Wednesday meeting of the faculty executive committee, committee members appeared to assume the health department had made the memo public. A spokesperson for the health department said it had not. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please email the editors or submit a letter for publication. STUDENT LIFE ADMINISTRATION POLITICS Francie Diep <� ` Francie Diep is a staff reporter covering money in higher education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/its-local-health-department-urged-a-virtual-fall-unc-is-reopening-anyway[8/6/20,10:02:10 AM]