Emergency funds available to students with many inconsistencies in distribution

First published on The Western Carolinian. With COVID-19, college students are facing financial hardships more than ever before. On a national level, according to the data from The National Student Clearinghouse, enrollment in four-year colleges is down by almost 6% and in community colleges for whopping 11%. WCU as well is seeing less student enrolment […]

WCU provides financial relief to students

First published on The Western Carolinian. COVID-19 hit college students considerably but not just with the disruption of classes and online school. The financial hardship impacted many students to drop or reconsider schools.  During the spring semester, we wanted to see what kind of assistance students had through the university. Many students were surprised on […]

JCPS tackles food insecurity in WNC

Originally published in The Western Carolinian. As another year of schooling starts, Jackson County Public Schools continues to fight its food insecurity among students. In 2019, Carolina Public Press reported that one in four children faces food insecurity in Western North Carolina. COVID-19 struck the U.S. the following year. Due to the United States Department of Agriculture’s ruling, […]

Ave-O: A hip-hop artist hidden in the mountains

Western North Carolina is not known for its world famous hip hop artists, but they are here and rocking. One hard working, up and coming rapper residing in Cullowhee is Avery “Ave-O” O’Connell. Ave-O is a Myrtle Beach native who was originally pursuing an entrepreneurship degree from WCU. He withdrew from university in 2020 because […]

Researching mosquitos and raising awareness in WNC

Story co-written and produced with Tessa Bradshaw Who would have thought that a vector-borne disease transmitted through the bite of a mosquito is researched at Western Carolina University? At WCU, students have engaged in undergraduate research with Dr. Brian Byrd, on mosquitos and vector borne diseases at the Health and Science facility. The primarily mission […]

WCU student creates unique type of art

Story co-produced with Scott Mitchell Ally Jones is a senior nursing student at Western Carolina University who also happens to be an artist. However, to most, her creations might not be the first thing to mind when you think of art. Jones creates fly fishing ties, a type of art many people don’t even know […]