�鶹��Ƶ Assistant Teaching Professor of Economics Devon Hawkins provided insight for an Oct. 30 examining a proposed constitutional amendment that would cap North Carolina’s state income tax rate at 3.5%.

The report explores the potential financial implications of the amendment, which voters will decide on Nov. 3. While the state’s current income tax rate is 3.99% and is scheduled to decrease to 3.49% in 2027, the amendment would prevent future lawmakers from raising the rate above 3.5%.

“Essentially, we’re not going to feel much of anything with this decrease in cap,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins explained that lower income tax rates could provide modest increases in take-home pay for residents, but could also reduce revenue available for public services.

“Every action has a reaction,” Hawkins said. “In this case, if we’re lowering tax rates, we’re eliminating tax revenue. There is no way around the fact that with less money, less can be done.”

The panel will take place in LaRose Student Commons on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4:20 p.m.. Students are encouraged to attend and “make sense of the outcomes,” according to Carrie Eaves, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Policy��

The event is sponsored by the Department of Political Science & Public Policy and the Phoenix Policy Institute. ��

Midterm elections, held at the midpoint of a president’s four-year term, focus on the legislative branch and state-level positions. In this��midterm election, voters are determining a seat for the U.S. Senate and all 14 of North Carolina’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. ��

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October brought the sights and sounds of fall to �鶹��Ƶ, with a month full of celebrations, traditions and opportunities for connection. From welcoming alumni back to campus for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, launching the new School of Engineering, to the changing colors of autumn, the �鶹��Ƶ community embraced all that the season had to offer.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments from October through the lenses of staff in the Office of University Communications.

‘Everybody’

�鶹��Ƶ Performing Arts presented “Everybody,”����a modern adaptation of the 15th-century morality play Everyman, one of the first recorded plays in the English language.

A transformational education

An opening celebration for the Roberts Academy, the university’s new elementary school for children with dyslexia, featured a special student performance on Oct. 2, and a ribbon-cutting with Marjorie and Hal Roberts, whose generosity helped establish the school in 2025.

The Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ is the fourth private school established by the couple, joining Vanderbilt University, Mercer University, and Florida Southern College in a network of programs committed to the advancement of education for children with dyslexia and related conditions.

Tiny shelf concert

�鶹��Ƶ’s Musical Theatre department hosted a “Tiny Shelf Concert on Oct. 2 in Belk Library.

The ‘biggest’ Rock the Block yet

The Office of Alumni��Engagement��and��the��Student Union Board collaborated once again to��host��the Homecoming concert with DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) bringing approximately 5,000 attendees to the annual Rock the Block concert on Oct. 9.

Learning everywhere

Assistant Professor of Management Jose Cerecedo Lopez teaches a class outside near the Koury Business Center.

Engineering excellence

Dozens of university leaders, faculty, staff and students were joined on Oct. 30, 2026, by the CEO of the world’s leading accrediting body for engineering education programs, as well as North Carolina’s secretary of commerce, for a morning of reflection on the rise of �鶹��Ƶ’s new School of Engineering and Computing.

Pumpkin playfulness

The �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden Club and the Garden Studio course hosted the 18th annual��Pumpkin Festival on Oct. 30, uniting students, organizations, faculty, staff and��community members with fall festivities, including��live music, fun crafting activities and food at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden.

Participants were met with stew and chili options with apple cider to match. Tables lined the garden, hosted by different organizations at �鶹��Ƶ, including WSOE, Milk Club and �鶹��Ƶ Dining.����

Claire Moorhead, vice-president of Phoenix Free, was tabling a tie-dye activity for the festival. It was her second year tabling for the event, and she noted the positive effect it has on campus.��

“The main goal is just to spread joy and happiness,” she said. “It’s so nice, it’s so sweet, but on a personal level, the point of any tabling event for Phoenix Free is just kind of get the name out. If there’s anybody ever struggling, just knowing that there’s a place on campus for them.”��

Michael Strickland, director of the Center for Environmental Studies and assistant teaching professor of English and environmental studies,��teaches the Garden Studio class. He helped start the garden in 2006 and the festival in 2008, watching it grow throughout the years.��Students from his garden studio class work to maintain the garden and create vital aspects of the garden.��For the festival, his students tabled a food section featuring Brunswick stew, a traditional North Carolinian harvest stew.����

“It’s the end of the season; you just throw everything in a pot,” he said. “Typically in North Carolina, you can throw alligator, turtle, possum, whatever you got. We don’t do that here, but we throw all the different fall vegetables in there.”��

Sophia Barnes, an eco-rep for Loy Center with the Office of Sustainability��tabled a��craft-making activity. Barnes promoted sustainability by offering thrifted cloth, string, and recycled newspaper to make little ghost figures. ��

For Barnes, events like the Pumpkin Festival make sustainability and their goals all the more enjoyable. ��

“I think that it’s a really good vibe with all of the sustainable clubs together at once,” she said. “I like when we do events like this and we have Garden Club and Farm Club and the Office of Sustainability, and we can all kind of collaborate.”��

Barnes’ table also offered thrifted Halloween costumes that were free to take, offering a sustainable alternative to costume hunting.������

For attendees, they explored free activities, crafts, food items and desserts. Pumpkin carving, however, was the most popular activity. Three large tables were filled with students carving unique designs.����

One attendee,��Eadaoin Bourgerie ’30, was carving a pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern.��

“I just really wanted to carve a pumpkin, so gotta so I got to get into the holiday spirit,” she said. “I like all the little treats and stuff, and it’s also just really homely here.”��

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Garden on Oct. 30, 2026.

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival at the �鶹��Ƶ Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

�鶹��Ƶ Pumpkin Festival the the Community Gardens on October 30, 2026

Related Articles

• The Princeton Review names �鶹��Ƶ a Best Value College for 2027
• �鶹��Ƶ MBA named among Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools for 2027
• �鶹��Ƶ featured in The Princeton Review ‘Guide to Green Colleges’

�鶹��Ƶ is one of 76 undergraduate institutions nationwide that the education services company ^® has named to its for 2027.

The Honor Roll recognition is part of an annual project—now in its third year—that The Princeton Review conducts in partnership with the , an internationally recognized organization that works to end the stigma associated with mental health.

Schools that earn the Honor Roll designation are those that demonstrate a strong commitment to their students’ mental health and well-being. The selections for 2027 were based on data from The Princeton Review’s 2026 . It asked administrators at 739 colleges 77 questions about their school’s counseling, mental health, and wellness services for students. The Princeton Review also surveyed 56,000 students across 300 colleges about their awareness of their school’s mental health services.

The Princeton Review Mental Health Services Honor Roll list for 2027 is on PrincetonReview.com in alphabetical order. The for Honor Roll designation(s) are described .

The Princeton Review profile on �鶹��Ƶ highlights three main ways the university approaches student mental health:

• Mental health services: Counseling Services��offers free, campus-based mental health support, including prevention and educational workshops and individual counseling. Health Promotion complements these services with education and programs on topics such as aromatherapy, substance use, and risk reduction, as well as a Collegiate Recovery Community.
• Wellness quality of life: The Princeton Review highlights the university’s HealthEU initiative, including HealthEU courses, which��incorporate mental health topics, with several sections taught by clinicians, while other for-credit courses address one or more dimensions of wellness.��It also noted that �鶹��Ƶ became��the first North Carolina institution to adopt the Okanagan Charter, joining an international effort to advance health-promoting colleges and universities.
• Peer-to-peer resources: The Princeton Review highlights��Peer EARS, a student-to-student emotional support program that uses empathy, affirmation, reflection and support. SOS for Higher Education also offers suicide prevention training on campus for students, faculty and staff, and is required for many student leaders and student employees.

“I am so proud of and grateful for the Counseling Services team, comprised of tremendously smart and dedicated mental health clinicians, whose expertise, compassion and commitment help ensure that students have access to high-quality mental health services and programs,” said Anita Hodnett, interim dean of student health and well-being. “Their efforts, alongside those of our colleagues in Health Promotion, student leadership and peer education programs, academic partnerships, and countless others across the university, reflect a shared understanding that student well-being is everyone’s responsibility.”

The Princeton Review project also works to promote awareness of campus mental health services among college applicants and students attending colleges. The company reports information about the surveyed school’s mental health services in its profiles of the schools on PrincetonReview.com as well as in its annual guidebook.

“We are honored to recognize �鶹��Ƶ for the many ways it prioritizes the mental health of �鶹��Ƶ students and its exceptional commitment to their well-being,” said , The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “When it comes to student success in college, well-being is everything.”

Read the release on The Princeton Review 2026 Campus Mental Health Services Survey project

The Princeton Review () is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep, admission services, books, and other learning resources. Headquartered in New York, NY, it is not affiliated with Princeton University.

�鶹��Ƶ The Princeton Review

��is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, the company is now in its 45th year. The company’s brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 29 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit Follow the company on Facebook (), (@theprincetonreview), (the-princeton-review), (@ThePrincetonReview), and . Subscribe to The Princeton Review’s twice-weekly newsletter, Brick & Mortarboard, .

Pate McMichael, director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition and instructor of journalism at �鶹��Ƶ, joined WFAE’s Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins for a discussion about the growing influence of artificial intelligence on political campaigns and elections.

The Oct. 27 episode, “Artificial Intelligence in Elections,” examined concerns surrounding AI-generated campaign advertisements, deepfakes and the potential for misleading content to influence voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“These ads are supposed to be educational in nature; that’s the whole reason why the Supreme Court has unleashed this amount of money into our elections, the idea we need more information,” said McMcMichael. “These ads often leave you scratching your head thinking, ‘What? Can that be true?’ Is this accurate?’ And so I think more than ever people would like to see more transparency around these ads.”

The discussion also explored efforts to regulate AI in political advertising. While 31 states have enacted some form of regulation governing AI in political campaigns, North Carolina has yet to adopt similar legislation despite multiple attempts by state lawmakers. Part of those regulations includes disclosing if an ad features AI.

“If it’s more transparency, why not require it?,” said McMichael. “We’re seeing that in Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Texas; a lot of states require those types of disclosures; they’re written differently. But essentially, why not give us a little more insight into how the ad was made and also who funded (it) … because we really don’t have strong transparency around who’s funding any online or social media … ads either.”

McMichael joined Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College, and Scott Brennan, director of New York University’s Center on Technology Policy, for the conversation about emerging technology, political communication and election integrity.

As generative sweeps across industries, some workers using it are reporting increases in . But inside government, where those benefits could translate into better public services, many employees are still unsure how the technology applies to their jobs, how to use it, or whether they are allowed to.

Students will come together in the Snow Atrium of Schar Hall from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, dressed as famous individuals with dyslexia and share their individual accomplishments and talents.

Guests are invited to bring treats, �鶹��Ƶ swag, or other fun giveaways for the elementary school students in a special “trick-or-treating” fashion.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our students’ courage, creativity, determination, and many strengths while building awareness and understanding of dyslexia across the �鶹��Ƶ community,” said Alicia Tate, acting director of the Roberts Academy, in an email invitation for the event.

Established in 2025 through the generosity of Marjorie and Hal Roberts, the Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ is the first and only university-based private school in North Carolina for children with dyslexia. The school welcomed its inaugural class of third and fourth graders in August 2026.��

The academy will expand to serve students in grades one through six in a new school currently planned for East Haggard Avenue, scheduled to open in fall 2028.

Designed as a transitional school, Roberts Academy serves students for up to three years before they return to their community schools with the skills and confidence to succeed as scholars, entrepreneurs and civic leaders.

The school offers rolling admissions and is still accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic year. Visit the Roberts Academy at �鶹��Ƶ website to learn more.

�鶹��Ƶ Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas provided political analysis for an Oct. 20 FOX8 report examining President Donald Trump’s decision not to enforce new sanctions against Russia despite bipartisan congressional support for the legislation.

The report, part of Bob Buckley’s Buckley Report, explores the political implications of Trump’s decision to suspend sanctions intended to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.

“So, the idea of using the power that Congress gave them to reverse on those sanctions certainly politically doesn’t make sense,” Balderas said. “But again, strategically, this is giving more power to Vladimir Putin than many legislative leaders are comfortable with.”

Balderas, a First Amendment attorney and former television journalist, also explained that Congress included a provision in the legislation allowing the president to suspend the sanctions.

“So, Congress gave him the power and so he is acting under the authority that Congress gave him,” Balderas said.

Cooper was favored by 52% of likely voters, compared with 39% who favored Whatley, 6% who were undecided and 3% of likely voters said they favored Libertarian candidate Shannon Bray, Green Party candidate Michael Dublin, or “someone else.”

In a forced-choice question in which undecided voters were asked to make a choice of who they would vote for, Cooper’s advantage over Whatley shrank to 11% (54%-43%).

Among likely voters, Cooper was supported by 93% of Democrats and 50% of Independents, while Whatley was supported by 85% of Republicans and 24% of Independents. Seventeen percent of Independents said they were undecided.

Whatley led among White voters with 46%, compared with 40% for Cooper. However, Cooper held wide advantages in other demographics, including a 70%-14% margin among Black voters and a 59%-22% lead among Hispanic voters. Cooper and Whatley were tied at 42% each among male likely voters, but females favored Cooper by a 51%-34% margin.

“Roy Cooper’s sustained lead over Michael Whatley in North Carolina is being driven in large part by strong support among moderates, true independents and women,” said Jason Husser, director of the �鶹��Ƶ Poll and professor of political science and public policy. “We also are seeing signs of a potential turnout gap, with Cooper voters expressing higher levels of excitement about voting in the election and placing more importance on the election for real-world outcomes in their lives.”

“Three findings in our data stand out to me highlighting potential for Cooper’s lead to contract somewhat between now and Election Day,” Husser said. “First, Michael Whatley has a slight advantage among undecided voters when we pressed them to make a choice, attributable to more undecided voters being 2024 Trump voters than 2024 Harris voters. Second, Whatley voters continue to predict he will ultimately win, suggesting his supporters are still motivated to cast their votes. Third, Cooper’s lead among registered voters overall is smaller than his lead among the subset of registered voters who say they are likely to vote, implying opportunity for Republicans if they can motivate more of their base to turn out.”

Cooper continued to hold an advantage in voter familiarity, with 67% of likely voters saying they had heard a “great deal” about Cooper, compared with 38% who said they had heard a “great deal” about Whatley. Still, Whatley has closed the gap on familiarity, with a total of 80% saying they had heard at least something about him.

A large majority of registered voters said they intend to cast a ballot, with 63% saying it is absolutely certain they will vote and another 17% saying it is very likely they will vote.

Related to the campaign, 27% of registered voters said they had seen more negative ads about Cooper, with 18% saying they had seen more negative ads about Whatley, and the largest percentage (41%) saying they had seen about the same amount of negative ads for each candidate.

Impact of President Trump on this year’s election

At campaign rallies, President Trump has told supporters they should “pretend” he is on the ballot. However, in this survey, 43% of registered voters said an endorsement by President Trump would make it less likely they would vote for a candidate, compared with 25% who said a Trump endorsement would make it more likely they would vote for a candidate. �鶹��Ƶ 26% said a Trump endorsement would not make much difference.

Trump’s promise of giving a $5,000 “dividend” to each adult U.S. citizen if Republicans win control of both the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate appears to be having a somewhat negative effect, with 30% saying the promise makes them less likely to vote for Republicans and only 16% saying they are more likely to vote for Republicans. The largest percentage, 50%, said the dividend promise makes no difference in who they will vote for.

“President Trump’s $5,000 dividend idea does not appear to be swaying a net positive amount of North Carolina voters towards Republicans,” Husser said. “Even among those who approve of the President’s job performance, most said the dividend makes no difference to their voting decision. However, the President’s endorsement still resonates with his base. Among Republicans, almost none indicate that a Trump endorsement makes them less likely to support an endorsed candidate, and slightly more than half said it makes them more likely to support that candidate. This gives credence that visits by President Trump and Vice President Vance to the state have potential to motivate Republicans to turn out, even if those visits do not do much to persuade voters outside the GOP.”

In this survey, Trump’s disapproval rating was at 57%, the highest in his second term in office, compared with a 34% approval rating, which is slightly higher than the August �鶹��Ƶ Poll.

The survey also asked about job performance for Pete Hegseth, secretary of defense/secretary of war. Forty-six percent disapproved of his performance, compared with 27% who approved and 28% who were unsure.

Issues on voters’ minds

On issues in this mid-term election, a majority of registered voters said many aspects of their lives are worse than two years ago. This includes 76% who said the cost of living is worse, compared with only 9% who said it is better. Sixty-five percent said the overall economy is worse than two years ago, compared with 17% who said it is better, and 61% said national unity is worse, compared with 9% who said it is better.

In responding to an open-ended question that asked respondents to cite the single most important issue in the election in four words or less, 37% mentioned economic issues, including inflation and cost of living (22%) and economy and jobs (15%). These issues far outdistanced other issue categories, which included the following:

• Partisan control (16%)
• Democracy and civil rights (10%)
• Immigration and border security (6%)
• Leadership and corruption (6%)
• Education (3%)
• Foreign affairs and national security (3%)
• Taxes and federal budget (2%)
• Healthcare (2%)
• Crime, safety and policing (2%)
• Reproductive rights (1%)
• Social Security (1%)
• Technology (1%)

Among registered voters, 52% said they were extremely or very excited to cast their ballots, including 65% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans. An overwhelming percentage say the election is important for real-world outcomes in their lives, with 54% saying this year’s election is “extremely” important and 29% saying the election is “somewhat” important.

“As evidence that this midterm election is in many ways a referendum on the last two years, voters who think conditions have improved over the last two years tend to be supportive of the candidate of the party in control of the White House, Michael Whatley,” Husser said. “In turn, those who think conditions have worsened more often support the candidate of the other party, Roy Cooper. The asymmetry that matters here is that North Carolina has far more voters who think key issues have gotten worse than voters who think issues have gotten better.”

Party politics

Registered voters in this survey said candidates’ party affiliation is of high importance for national, state and even local races. Three-quarters of registered voters said a candidate’s political party is highly important in their voting decision for the U.S. House of Representatives, while 71% said party is important in their votes for the North Carolina Supreme Court and 59% said it is important for their votes for North Carolina General Assembly offices.

In local races, candidates’ party affiliation is of high importance for local judges (54%), district attorney (53%), school board (51%), sheriff (49%) and county commissioners (47%).

“North Carolina voters place much less importance on party affiliation in local races than in federal races,” Husser said. “A substantial part of the electorate is also placing more importance on party in the statewide North Carolina Supreme Court choice than on their choices for local judges. While this pattern is not an absolute indicator of split-ticket voting in 2026, it is suggestive that we will see mixed outcomes by party throughout the state on local races.”

Poll Methodology

Access the poll topline and full methodology at:��. The survey was developed by the �鶹��Ƶ Poll and fielded by the international marketing and polling firm YouGov as an online, web-based survey, self-administered through online panels. Between September 29 and October 8, 2026, YouGov interviewed 1,038 North Carolina adults aged 18 and older. These respondents were then matched down to a sample of 800 to produce the final dataset. YouGov’s sample matching procedure was used to create a sample of panelists that was representative of the North Carolina population on education, age, race, gender, registration, and partisanship (2024 vote). The margin of error for likely voters in this survey is +/-4.9%, for registered voters in this survey (adjusted for weights) the margin of error is +/-4.44%, and the margin of error for all adults in this survey is +/-4.03%.

�鶹��Ƶ the �鶹��Ƶ Poll

Established in 2000, the �鶹��Ƶ Poll conducts national and North Carolina surveys on issues of importance to voters and residents. Information from these polls is shared with media, citizens and public officials to facilitate informed public policymaking through the better understanding of citizens’ opinions and attitudes. The poll is fully funded by �鶹��Ƶ and operates as the neutral, non-biased information resource.

The �鶹��Ƶ Poll is a charter member of the��, a program created by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) in 2014 to educate polling firms on ways to better share how they collect and interpret their information. The �鶹��Ƶ Poll’s voluntary participation in this initiative signifies a willingness to clearly state in its reports how questions were asked, in what order, who funded the poll and who conducted it, and a definition of the population under study, among other details.