UNC puts feet first with new monument

Stephanie Persephony Hell Writer

UNC-Chapel Hill is tearing down its historic Old Well to make room for a giant monument of a foot, calling attention to why the University is so fond of the “Tar Heel” moniker.

The statue will be erected in honor of Hinton James, the first student to ever enroll at UNC — legend has it that James walked all the way from Wilmington to Chapel Hill to enroll. According to Samuel Pedice, a professor in the UNC history department, the experience left James with an appreciation for strong and sculpted feet.

“Hinton James dedicated his whole life to the foot,” Pedice said. “He started the school’s Podiatric Enthusiast Society, which held these coveted ‘foot fanatic’ parties. Feet massages, pedicures, customized sandals, anything a foot fetishist could dream of happening at these events.”

Pedice said the phrase “tar heel” is said to trace back to North Carolina’s turpentine production industry, eventually becoming a term of pride used by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

However, records uncovered by Pedice show the Podiatric Enthusiast Society, now called the Filanthropists Enthusiastic about Every Toe Society (FEETS), using the term in 1797 to refer to an activity in which one’s heels are covered in chocolate and licked clean by a volunteer.

“We’ve been behind the nickname all along,” said an anonymous spokesperson for FEETS. “Our parties are still the wildest and most exclusive events each year, so don’t get any ideas about trying to secure an invite.”