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NC News Sept. 11, 2026

UNC System Leads Free Speech Rankings

All seven UNC System schools examined by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ranked among the nation’s top 58 in its 2027 College Free Speech Rankings.

Appalachian State led the state at No. 8 overall, followed by UNC-Greensboro at No. 11, UNC-Charlotte at No. 12, East Carolina at No. 15, NC State at No. 18, UNC-Chapel Hill at No. 31, and North Carolina A&T at No. 58. The rankings drew on 63,000 student responses across 261 colleges.

Three private schools outside of the system—Duke, Davidson and Wake Forest—were also analyzed. Duke ranked No. 50, Davidson ranked No. 63, and Wake Forest ranked No. 159.

FIRE credited the UNC System’s Board of Governors for adopting the Chicago Statement on free expression and a policy of institutional neutrality across its campuses.

Article Icon 1DHHS Faults Duke Medical Admissions

The federal government found that Duke University School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants by using race and race-revealing proxies in admissions.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights said Tuesday that Duke’s practices violate the Civil Rights Act and part of the Affordable Care Act. It gave the school 10 business days to respond or risk referral to the Department of Justice.

Civil-rights office director Paula Stannard said Duke is breaking “federal anti-discrimination laws” by granting and denying admission based on race. The finding follows President Trump’s 2025 order directing agencies to root out race-based preferences.

Duke maintains that race and ethnicity play no part in its admissions since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against affirmative action. The government said the school failed to explain gaps in test scores and grades among admitted students of different races.

Article Icon 1McCrory Tours Wake Elections Office

Former Gov. Pat McCrory toured the Wake County Board of Elections on Tuesday to show how ballots are counted and secured, part of a push to build voter confidence before November.

McCrory, a Republican now leading the North Carolina chapter of the election-integrity group RightCount, was joined by former Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison. He said learning the process before Election Day is the best way to counter suspicion about results.

Education and transparency, McCrory said, are “very much needed to regain and gain the confidence of voters.” Wake County has the most registered voters in the state.

Elections Director Olivia McCall walked through the safeguards: a five-member bipartisan board, logic-and-accuracy testing by bipartisan teams, and a ballot cage that stays locked. Wake is training 3,226 officials before the vote.