Catamount post-mortem: What does it actually take to engage students?

This story/opinion was published in ForbesBrandVoice on Oct. 12, 2017.  Western Carolina University (WCU), my beautiful campus tucked away in a Blue Ridge valley, had high expectations for the 2016 election. The civic engagement team I led as a student coordinator hoped for a 10-24% increase in student voter turnout; and, until recently, we believed […]

WCU students fight for equality at historic demonstration

As WCU junior Joanna Woodson boarded a transport van to Washington, D.C. just after dawn on the morning of Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, she knew that her destination would be teeming with “nasty women” on a mission to make their voices heard. She didn’t know that 24 hours later, her group of 11 activists would […]

Just when you thought it was over… Gubernatorial recount in Durham County and Election ’17

In the weeks following Nov. 8, Americans all across the U.S. could take solace in the fact that election season was finally over. Unfortunately for North Carolinians, the most tumultuous and divisive election season in recent memory refused to leave The Old North State. Democratic challenger Roy Cooper appeared to have won the governor’s seat […]

Making sense of the election

Ashley Kairis contributed the photo story for local elections. Tuesday night was a roller coaster of emotion and surprise for many people as election results surprised people nationally and locally. President-elect Donald Trump may have been the biggest surprise, as results began to defy media and poll predictions for a Hillary Clinton victory. The USC/LA […]

Tense election night at WCU as Trump carries NC

Haley Smith, Mick Cauthen and David Johnson reporting. Donald Trump has won the presidential race in Jackson County and wins the state of North Carolina. Trump won Jackson County with 52 percent of the vote, while Hillary Clinton garnered 41 percent of the vote. Some students are jovial while others are despondent with the current […]

K-12 education in N.C. and the elections

Education in the United States is one of the biggest issues that is discussed very little when it comes to this election cycle.  This is especially true for primary education, considering that the presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, had been discussing mostly college education and student debt.  Clinton and Trump both have very […]