Cawthorn, Davis clash on night two of ‘Best in the West’ debate

Originally published in The Western Carolinian on Sept. 9, 2020.  The Saturday, Sept. 5 NC-11 Congressional debate between Democrat Moe Davis and Republican Madison Cawthorn featured words like “liberal lawyer,” “no experience” and “liar.” The ‘Best in the West’ doubleheader was hosted at Western Carolina University and organized by Blue Ridge Public Radio, Mountain Xpress and Smoky […]

Elections 2020: NC-11 candidates for US Congress

Originally published in The Western Carolinian on Sept. 3, 2020.  As election day comes upon us, it’s crunch time for voters to decide who they want to represent them. Voters need to know who aligns more with their standards and look past the soundbites they hear from news outlets, social media and attack ads. Candidate […]

Harrill residents are “unsettled” after COVID cluster is identified

Western Carolina University announced via email on Tuesday that a cluster of 17 students have tested positive in Harrill residence hall. The university said that they are prepared for many different scenarios, including changing instruction modality if warranted. “Public health is a shared responsibility – and it is one that we take seriously,” WCU’s Chancellor, […]

WCU: Racial tensions come to light

Over the weekend, two separate videos of WCU students making racist comments surfaced on social media. Here’s what happened next. The following video contains content that may be disturbing for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. For previous coverage click here.

Video of student saying racial slur sets campus abuzz

Update: Sunday, 5:20 p.m.  Another Snapchat video involving racial slurs has surfaced, this time via Instagram user @christianxharris_. In the video two WCU students are shown repeatedly saying the n-word and arguing that the “white power” hand signal is not a show of racism. The student body at large is publicly and actively calling for […]

Vice Chancellor Miller talks about the student experience during COVID

Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs, Dr. Sam Miller, provided some insights on how the student experience is going to look during the COVID-19 pandemic in a phone interview with WWCU’s Lyndan Jones. Some changes he highlighted included canceling Valley Ballyhoo, Mountain Heritage Day and the homecoming parade. “Large gatherings of people are correlated with transmission of […]