How students celebrate love

Verison of story originally published in print for the Western Carolinian Valentine’s Day is a source of joy and anxiety for many people on campus and causes much anticipation as the day approaches. Whether you are single, in a long-distance relationship or living with your partner: everyone celebrates the holiday differently.   Historically, Valentine’s Day on […]

Tunnel of Oppression: An experience of maltreatment in society

Since 2016, Western Carolina has presented the Tunnel of Oppression yearly. Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive presentation to raise awareness and explore different types of oppression. The Tunnel of Oppression, hosted by Intercultural Affairs (ICA), presented four different topics of oppression: COVID-19 isolation, reentry (the transition from incarceration to society), toxic masculinity and LGBTQ+ […]

Recognizing the land during Native American Heritage Month

Originally published in the Western Carolinian November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and respect Indigenous culture. This month also recalls the dark past of colonized land.  Land acknowledgements, formal documents honoring tribal homelands, are used by institutions across America, including WCU.   WCU sits on land that was, and remains, the ancestral […]

Do minority students feel safe?

“Just because there isn’t lynch mobs on campus, doesn’t make [WCU] safe,” said Amber Jenkins, a black Western Carolina student in a podcast interview. Western Carolina University has not had a spotless record when it comes to controversy. Several racist and, more recently, transphobic incidents have stained the university’s image for years now. Earlier in […]

Dr. Gomez: Research on cosmic ray particles in the stratosphere

For many of us, we see astronomy as a complex topic to discuss and research. However, it can lead to incredible discoveries that are unfathomable. That is mainly what interests Dr. Enrique Gomez. Gomez is an associate professor that teaches general physics and astronomy at Western Carolina University. Born in Mexico City, Gomez received a […]

BOG University governance committee discusses free speech and ‘disruptive’ behavior

Freedom of expression, speech and the freedom to protest on campus were all discussed during the meeting on university governance on April 6. The UNC BOG was joined by North Carolina Senators Amy Gayle, Mike Woodard, Zack Hawkins and Jon Hardister led the discussion to a half-empty room at the University Center. “Students should not […]