New dorm is opening in Fall 2019

Co-written/produced with  Tyler Davis. Western Carolina University’s newest dorm, Levern Hamlin Allen Hall, is almost finished. The new residence hall is projected to be completed and have its first tenants in the fall of 2019. The Levern Hamlin Allen Hall is between Judaculla and Brown. In the summer of 1957, Levern Allen was the first African-American student […]

WCU might add composting to its sustainability efforts

Story is co-written with Cami Couch Western Carolina University’s (WCU) Sustainability Energy Initiative (SEI) is trying to establish composting as a permanent installment on campus. Composting is the natural process of breaking down organic waste into rich soil. It helps reduce methane emissions, lower one’s carbon footprint, reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and encourages the production […]

WCU increased its recycling 70% since 2016

Jeff White, recycling coordinator at WCU tells the story of a single water bottle that’s washed away in roadside ditch and it ends up in the Tuckasegee river. From the Tuckasegee river, it floats through the Fontana Dam and into the Tennessee river. The water bottle makes its way to the Mississippi river and is […]

As Western grows so does sustainability efforts

 Co-written with Hallie West Much has changed at Western Carolina University since its inception in 1889, such as the number of students, curriculum, class sizes and more. Not surprisingly, the growth in the student body over the many years has called for an increase in construction, vehicles on campus, and most importantly, people. Inevitably, as […]

UNCC shooting hits close to home

“So far in 2019, 131 people have been killed and 391 wounded in 109 mass shootings.” This statistic from Vox includes the recent mass shooting at UNC Charlotte on Tuesday, April 30, that resulted in the death of two students and four others injured. The two students killed were Riley C. Howell, 21, and Ellis […]

How much do we pay attention to diversity at WCU?

Diversity and inclusion are important issues that campuses often put aside. While Western Carolina University lacks diversity in more than race, racial issues are prominent and time-consuming to solve. WCU’s Joint Task Force on Racism studied the issue of race after several incidents in 2016,  such as when racist comments were made from Scott Hall during the […]