On a sunny day in April, the central plaza at Western Carolina University was filled with the smell of fresh Yemen coffee, along with the sounds of gongs from Indonesia. The feeling of cultural awareness through the students and faculty was in full force. WCU’s acting chancellor, Alison Morrison-Sheltar, joined international program director Ling Lebeau and associate […]
More than inclusion
WCU’s University Participant program gives students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. In 2007, program Co-Director Kelly Kelley questioned her then special education graduate professor, Dr. Westling, what WCU could be doing about inclusion on campus. Westling challenged his students to conceive a program that could do such a thing, and in […]
Perfect day for cleaning the Tuck
Co-Written by Jonathan Birek For 34 years, the Western Carolina community has banded together to help clean up the Tuckasegee River. On the morning of Saturday, April 14, close to a thousand volunteers signed up to partake in the Tuck River Clean Up, even though there was rain in the forecast. Luckily, it turned out […]
So close, yet so far away
The (3-28) Western Carolina Catamounts almost pulled off the upset against the eighth ranked team in the nation, the (23-10) Kentucky Wildcats, on Wednesday night’s game at Childress Field in Cullowhee. The Catamounts had a tough battle coming into Wednesday night’s game. The Wildcats jumped out to an early 4–run lead thanks to senior catcher/first baseman, Troy […]
Service animals versus emotional support animals
WCU students were in for a ruff day after finding out the puppies that they were training didn’t qualify as service dogs in training and had to be sent away. Last year, Service Dogs Warren Retrievers, an organization that trains service dogs, gave students fluffy golden retriever puppies wearing “service dog in training” vests. The […]









