The University of North Carolina school system has recently adopted a new definition for academic freedom. Even as a proposal, this sparked discussion among faculty and administrators regarding its potential impact at Western Carolina University. Previously, WCU along with other universities have relied on the definition brought by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) […]
Battle of the bots: WCU engineering students compete in robot showdown
March 12, 2026 by
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers at WCU has some end-of-midterm season fun with a competition between handmade robots. The SME president, Chloe Stewart, says the robot showdown creates not only a learning opportunity for students but also allows them to be creative within their engineering discipline. “The Society of Manufacturing Engineers is an organization where […]
WCU students march to cast their ballots
February 20, 2026 by
Cars speed down the busy four-lane highway, some drivers honking in support while others leaned out their windows to heckle as more than 50 WCU students marched along the shoulder toward the nearest early-voting site on Feb. 13. The march comes after the controversial decision by the Jackson County Board of Elections to eliminate the […]
SGA elections: For the students or for the title?
February 16, 2026 by
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 […]
