CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — University of North Carolina students returned to the classrooms on Thursday for the first time since a deadly shooting on campus.

What You Need To Know

  • Classes resumed Thursday at UNC for the first time since Monday's deadly shooting

  • The Shrunken Head has been a downtown Chapel Hill staple since 1969

  • Beau Pate is the handsome, unofficial mascot of the all things blue and white store

A graduate student, Tailei Qi, 34, was arrested for killing his academic adviser, Professor Zijie Yan, in the Caudill Labs building Monday. 

The ordeal locked the campus down for more than three hours until police found Qi.

After ringing the Bell Tower in his Yan’s honor, and offering the community a chance to come together at the Dean Smith Center for a candlelight vigil Wednesday, students have focused on their well-being.

In the heart of downtown Chapel Hill is a staple called the Shrunken Head. While the store is known for its light blue-and-white merchandise, it’s become a haven for young people too.

“I feel like we are a home for students that Chapel Hill is not their home,” Melissa Pate said.

Students and community members have called Pate’s family-owned business a second home since 1969.

“It’s very sentimental to continue the tradition. It’s a constant goosebumps feeling all day,” Pate said.

Mary Edna and Shelton Henderson opened the shop as a way to offer students a little bit of everything.

“It just feels natural, it’s community. I feel like our store is what our grandfather started: community. That was what he showed me, and it’s a very natural feeling to always want to be giving,” Pate said.

Now they have a gift that keeps on giving: a Golden Retriever named Beau.

“Dogs bring so much happiness and lightness to the air,” she said.

The unofficial mascot of the Shrunken Head has been a welcome sight of relief for a lot of students who endured one of the toughest weeks of their lives.

The four-pawed pal has greeted customers daily since the Pates took him home from a breeder in March.

“I feel like he just puts a smile on everyone’s face, when you walk in and see a Golden Retriever, or any type of dog, it’s a feel-good feeling,” Pate said.

It’s the kind of warm feeling students have craved since tragedy struck on Monday. Pate said when they heard the news, their family knew what to do.

“That day after it happened, we weren’t scheduled to come in. We had no intention, but after it happened we were like, ‘Well we need to go up to Chapel Hill and bring Beau,'” Pate said.

Many of their employees attend the university. For fellow staff, like UNC sophomore Reagan Gulledge, Beau was medicine for the heart.

“I came here a few days after Monday and came to pet him, because I knew he was at the store. It was good to see him and sort of relax for a few minutes,” Gulledge said.

The store itself is almost like a treasure trove of memories and iconic sports for UNC athletics. 

Memorabilia, such as an autographed Michael Jordan basketball, and plenty of UNC apparel fill the store from wall to wall.

At a time of heartache, at least students can feel a ray of hope on Franklin Street.

Seeing him fall in love every time with every customer is all the reassurance Pate needs.

“It’s a special thing to witness it, and it feels good for me as Beau’s owner to feel even more connected to the community,” Pate said.