The Student Government Association’s candidates for President, Vice President and Senate have begun their campaigning for the 2026-27 school year. Candidates campaigning opened Feb. 9 at 12 a.m. and closes Feb. 18 at noon. Few WCU students and potential voters noticed that there are elections coming. The campaigning went unnoticeable since the candidates were running […]
Motion denied: 3 NC college campuses lose access to early voting
February 16, 2026 by
A version of this story was published in the Sylva Herald Students at Western Carolina University, North Carolina A&T State University and University of North Carolina at Greensboro will not have early voting sites on their campuses during this year’s primary election, despite efforts by students at these three schools. In late January, students from […]
Why WCU’s civic dialogues are important
February 13, 2026 by
In today’s United States it seems there is a lot of disagreements being dealt with aggression instead of understanding. WCU’s Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning wants to change that by hosting a series of civic dialogues throughout the school year on a variety of topics. The civic dialogues are nonviolent conversations in which […]
The Great Outhouse Race brings bittersweet win to the slopes
February 10, 2026 by
This story was co-produced with Ryan Creel. The annual Great Sapphire Outhouse race returned to Sapphire Valley Ski Resort on Feb. 7, drawing in crowds for an entertaining day on the slopes. The event included a $5 parking fee and an admission fee of $5, with the proceeds used to raise funds for the Rotary […]
Students help students vote the primary elections
February 8, 2026 by
With on-campus polling locations no longer available, the Student Democracy Coalition at Western Carolina University is organizing efforts to help students access the polls and stay informed ahead of the upcoming primary election. The coalition addressed these concerns during its first meeting of the spring semester on Tuesday, Feb 3. It also held elections to restructure its executive cabinet […]
High taxes, social turmoil frame Jackson chair race
February 7, 2026 by
Story by Cory Vaillancourt published in the Smoky Mountain News Feb. 4 ed. Republished As Jackson County heads toward the March 3 primary election, voters are being asked to assess a governing record shaped by rising costs, cultural conflict, a steady expansion of county government and mounting public concern. Over the last four budget cycles, […]
