Life of a Journalist: Top 5

As first published in the September 14th edition of The Western Carolinian...

For this issue's column, I thought I would share some insights, memories and all around fun with a Top 5 list of the greatest stories I have worked on as a journalist for this paper. I have covered it all from the "Before They Were Educators" series to serious coverage of scandals and issues plaguing Jackson County. Here are just five of my favorites.

1. SGA Illegal Voting
In the spring of 2011, I learned from a staff writer that the Student Government Association President and Vice President results for the election were delayed because of illegal voting. Fifteen votes during that election were deemed illegal. I was permitted to attend the investigative committee and write an article on the investigation and election, which determined TJ Eaves was President and Alecia Page Vice President. What I did not expect was runner-up Doug Bridges calling me on my cell phone late one night for an in-depth interview about his side of the story. Due to some finagling by former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell, we delayed printing long enough to get both stories in the next issue. The article took many late nights and long hours, but at the 2012 N.C. College Media Association Conference, Caudell and I received an Honorable Mention award for the story.

2. Food Shortage in Jackson County
This was a very moving story that involved many people, who I cannot thank enough for their assistance and dedication to their work. Amy Grimes at The Community Table in Sylva helped in pulling their records and giving me numbers of statistics from their organization. Also, Alison Hixson and Leigh Puttus at MANNA FoodBank in Asheville assisted extensively in making sure I had all the factual information I needed by emailing me various links and research. That article became the longest piece I had ever written and one that I am the proudest of.

3. "A Chorus Line" preview
Since my introduction to "CATS," I have been obsessed with Broadway musicals. For that reason, I began at The Western Carolinian as an Arts and Entertainment writer. One of my first stories was interviewing Charlotte D'Amboise, who directed Western Carolina's production of "A Chorus Line." D'Amboise made me feel right at home with her even though I was extremely nervous as we settled  into a small table at Starbucks in the Courtyard Dining Hall. Enthusiastic about the show, she gave me a great interview. After we wrapped up and I was back at Walker Hall working on the article, I realized that D'Amboise had worked with my all-time favorite Broadway actor Michael Gruber! I still smile remembering my dropped jaw as I put the pieces together. Think of all the interview questions I would have asked if I had known that before the meeting!

D'Amboise and Gruber

4. The Freshman Fifteen, Pound 9
It is not often that I get the chance to be funny to in my writing. My big comedy break came through my editorial column that I wrote as a freshman known as "The Freshman Fifteen." The craziest thing about that column was that there was a banner created to go with it (as seen below), and it was printed in the paper nearly every time. However, the banner only read "The Freshman" with a fork and knife framing the words that sat on a plate. No one ever fixed it, and I don't know if anyone ever said anything about it. It was always just plain funny to me! In "Pound 9," I wrote about what two weeks of my life were like suffering from bronchitis while having to attend classes and walk to the Courtyard Dining Hall for nourishment.It was the most miserable two weeks of my life. I renamed my laptop Kayne West because of its attitude, discovered a website of jigsaw puzzles and became addicted to Pixy Stix. It was a heck of a two weeks, documented for all of WCU to read.

5. The "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala"
In January 2010, I attend the "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala" at the former Fine and Performing Arts Center, otherwise known as FPAC. The performance, beautiful and entertaining, was not what made the event stand out. No, it was actor and musical theater student Jonathan Cobrda. During the first number, Cobrda purposefully fell from the stage nearly into the lap of an elderly woman in the front row. It was not until the house lights came back on during intermission that everyone saw the large pool of blood surrounding the woman. Cobrda had accidentally bumped into the woman's ankle and reopened her stitches from a previous injury. Completely unaware, she sat in the dark bleeding until intermission. EMTs arrived and carried her out on a stretcher as the small audience watched on with open mouths. Cobrda continued his performance in the second act without a hitch. Over a year later, I met Cobrda in a Ballroom Dance class. He introduced himself, and I smiled.
"I know who you are," I replied. "You're the one who made that poor woman bleed when you fell off the stage."
The look on his face was priceless, and he laughed. We have been good friends ever since! 

Jonathan and I after a Ballroom recital

Our Take

Every issue, there's a small story in the upper left corner of the Campus Views page called "Our Take." And, every issue I write a small blurb about something important to The Western Carolinian as a whole. Here's "Our Take" from the Back to School double issue.

"If this is your first time picking up The Western Carolinian, we would like to welcome you to Western Carolina University and to our newspaper.
It is a small newspaper, but we have taken on the "big dogs" in several award ceremonies and come away happy. Our staff is a family unit of good friends that come together on a regular basis in different events in our offices, in the classroom and out in the Jackson County community. Together, we hike through the great outdoors, see movies, volunteer at local non-profit organizations and strive to participate within our community that we report on every day.

We describe ourselves and our paper as "a college newspaper [that] serves the entire college community by reporting the news, including college events and activities, providing a forum for comment and criticism and encouraging the free expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States."
At The Western Carolinian, we believe in the policy of "student run." All of our decisions fall on both two Co-Editors-in-Chief with input from their section editors and staff writers. Each staff member and both Co-Editors are full-time students learning what it takes to be a journalist, photographer or designer.
We encourage you, the reader, to express yourself in any form through The Western Carolinian. It is the campus newspaper for Western Carolina University and its community, which includes all of you.
"As a vehicle for free inquiry and free expression in the college community," we accept all mediums of guest work, including hard-hitting news stories, photographs, poetry and opinion pieces. We also offer paying jobs and are currently looking for staff writers. In a newspaper environment, the staff learned every day the importance of working well under pressure, making deadlines, AP style writing, being a member of a team and many other skills.
Come find out more about us. We are located in the Old Student Union building across the street from Moore. Go through the front door, down the hall, across the expanse of the conference room to the little hally. Our offices are there on the right. Follow us via Facebook or check out website at www.westerncarolinian.com. If you do not feel up to writing a piece for publication, send us any type of feedback.  We hope to hear from you. Have a great year, Catamounts!

First deaf graduate of WCU passes away

Here is a touching story I wrote for The Western Carolinian.

"On Aug. 3, 1946, Jimmie Ray Crawford was born profoundly deaf in the small mountain town of Waynesville. His parents could only guess at the accomplishments their child would achieve.
 Last month, Crawford passed away, but his legacy as the man who took to court the major players of the UNC-System and Western Carolina University lives on through his accomplishments. His wife, Pat Crawford, and nephew, Ernie Pitts, spoke exclusively with this journalist about Jimmie Crawford’s amazing impact.
As a graduate student, Crawford went head-to-head against Western Carolina, the WCU chancellor at that time and the UNC-System along with its president and chairman of the board of governors after being denied an interpreter to help him in his graduate classes.
“He wanted to stand and fight for deaf people’s rights to have an interpreter,” said Pat Crawford.
According to an article by the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Hiram Ward “affirmed a magistrate’s recommendation that Western Carolina University provide an interpreter for [Crawford].” Magistrate Russell Eliason then strongly recommended to WCU that the school either supply “an interpreter or another method of communicating classroom lectures to the student…,” continued the article.
After years of struggling but succeeding during his years of school and now into his graduate school years at WCU, Jimmie Crawford was finally able to understand every word his instructors said in and outside of the classroom in 1977, not even two years after filing the complaint.
Jimmie Crawford was the first profoundly deaf student to graduate from Western Carolina University and its School of Educational Administration and School Personnel. After graduation, he taught for 30 years at the North Carolina School for the Deaf, according to his obituary.
Pat Crawford, who is also deaf, explained that schooling had never been easy for her late husband before his interpreter at Western Carolina. However, he was never one to give up, saying that he was in the top ten of his class in high school."

Read the rest of the story here!

Life of a Journalist 4: Summer in Cullowhee

As originally published in The Western Carolinian newspaper of Western Carolina University...

"This was my first full summer in Cullowhee and Sylva since coming to Western Carolina University in the fall of 2009.
Soon after exams were over, I moved into a two-bedroom mobile home near the heart of Sylva and began working on the summer issues of The Western Carolinian in my new home.

Never before had I experienced the mountains in the summer. I always spent my summers at my childhood home or in a big city like Raleigh. I must say that staying in the mountains was better.
For the first month, we avoided the nasty, oppressing heat and enjoyed cool mornings with heavy fog. For the first time in my life, I wore long-sleeved shirts and fuzzy pajama pants with bleating sheep across the fabric around the house until mid-June. My confused body shivered and formed small goose bumps until late into the summer. By the time I started wearing sundresses and shorts, half of the summer had disappeared.

Stuart playing in Bridge Park

The activities available here in the summer are more enticing than those in the city. There was river rafting, hiking, Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Junaluska, the Farmer's Market and all sorts of free concerts every week. Western Carolina University offered belly dancing instruction, the Sylva library had free movies and the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad celebrated Pioneer Weekend.
Meanwhile, work continued at The Western Carolinian offices with only two writers, one photographer, Ryan Alexander and myself. We were a small bunch, but we tackled whatever came our way. We didn't see each other as much as during the school year from scrambling around trying to pull a 12-page paper together with only four writers and little advertising. Still, it was enjoyable and somewhat relaxing because of how well we all worked together.
One of the biggest events we covered this summer was the public meeting about the future construction of Old Cullowhee Bridge. As a reporter, I presented the information through this newspaper as factual. As a resident of Jackson County, I was caught up in the emotion that flew around that room as several citizens came forward to passionately defend the Cullowhee Auto Service, which may or may not have to be demolished.
The whole idea of the construction caused a great stir in the community and will continue to cause one until construction is complete. Whether or not you use the bridge to get from one place to another, you will know someone who does. Old Cullowhee Road is a major artery of our little towns, and that bridge will cause strife whether or not it also causes the removal of a few local businesses. Right now, we wait and hold our breaths to hear the latest news of which alternate the NCDOT will chose as their preferred construction method (NOTE: After this was written, the NCDOT announced their decision. Cullowhee Auto Service has been saved!).
Right before school began, Co-Editor Alexander and I were going through Seminar Week, a week of staff bonding, team-building and training for staff members and ourselves. On the schedule, we had seminars like Media Law, Journalism Photography, Article Critique and Investigative Reporting.
Our speakers included former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell and Kelly Donaldson, a former writer for The Western Carolinian and current editor of the Crossroads Chronicle. Also during the week, the staff came together for movie nights, a welcome back party and hiking trips.
The week ended with Valley Ballyhoo on Aug. 18, where we united at a table to encourage new students to join our team in reporting Western Carolina University news. It was a busy, action-packed week in preparation for another amazing year at The Western Carolinian."

Painting at Claymate's in Dillsboro

The Must List, August 13

This week's list is refreshing, yummy, and musical!

1. Smart Water
Why have I never drunk Smart Water before? It's awesome! It tastes great, and the fun little lip makes me want to drink more. Stuart, you are a genius for buying these. I never want to stop drinking!

2. The Bang Bang Club DVD
Wow, what an awe-inspiring, powerful film! I couldn't stop watching. This is a true testament to photography journalism and the demanding factor of this job, especially overseas. Taylor Kitsch stole my heart away in this dramatic, moving film. 

3. The Western Carolinian newspaper's Seminar Week
You heard me right!! What a way to start the school year! Last night, we had a party at my house with Wii games and some greasy, delicious Bojangles chicken. Today, we had a seminar about AP Style where nearly all of us failed the AP Style quiz. Later, we're learning about Media Law then participating in team building exercises with Base Camp Cullowhee. Early tomorrow morning, it's hiking time before the Photography seminar!! You can't ask for a better last week of summer.

4. Bocelli's
This is a restaurant in Waynesville, NC, and already, Stuart and I are planning our future trips!! It was DELICIOUS and SO CUTE! An Italian eatery, it was the perfect mix of a place for a business meeting or a place to cuddle with your man near to the ivy-covered gates that frame the front of the restaurant. I have been searching that perfect little Italian place since coming to the mountains, and I have finally found one. Garlic knots, mouth-melting. Stuffed shells, delightful! Lemonade, we're buying a gallon next time!

5. "Promise the Stars" by We the Kings
Just another track from We the Kings that I'm in love with! I can't get enough of them. I'm sorry I missed them in the Warped Tour. The music video is pretty great, too.

6. AOL Radio
Pandora gave me attitude. Yahoo! Music Radio freaked out. Now, I'm a listener of the free radio provided by AOL. They play the great tunes that I want to hear, and they have few commercial breaks. If you're into rating, it's easy with a large heart icon or a negative icon. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Freshman Fifteen, Pound 12

Here's an article I wrote back when I was a freshman for The Western Carolinian. Every issue, I wrote a column on what it was like to be a freshman at Western Carolina. I talked about the rain, getting bronchitis, and traveling home. This one, or "pound," touches on the ever controversial subject of the campus dining hall!

Cullowhee Creek

"It was only a matter of time before the Freshman Fifteen touched upon the infamous courtyard dining hall. College food has been a topic of mass discussions from its conception. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it tipped with laxatives? Where does it all come from? Well, this is not an expose on Western’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner; it is an opinion on and of all sorts.

First there is breakfast. Breakfast is one of two meals that students are allowed to eat by themselves and not get the “why are you all alone” stares. On weekdays, breakfast is a quiet experience with your typical breakfast foods of eggs, bagels, donuts, bacon, etc. On the weekends, however, breakfast time is a party and begins when the dining hall opens two hours later than usual and ends at 1 p.m. that afternoon. Personally, I am not a partier or a late nighter. So, walking into breakfast twice on both Saturday and Sunday once at 9 a.m. and again at 12 p.m. does not make my weekend very enjoyable. I am a picky eater, but I like variety to my meals. Apparently, that makes me a bad college student and I must accept the fate of eating my breakfast in the afternoon hours after sleeping away half the day.

"The Freshman 15" logo in the paper... it never got a 15

Lunch is a free-for-all of French fries, any kind of sandwich you could possibly desire, pizza, or one of the many cultural dishes one can try at the Home Zone. If none of these appeals to you, there is the 24/7 cereal canisters and salad bar. On hot days, lunch is the perfect way to hit the rare sunshine with a cake cone topped with soft serve ice cream and sprinkles without using half of your DB points at Freshens downstairs. Lunch, like breakfast, is also a possible eat alone meal because all of your friends could be in the middle of class or you yourself are making a pit stop to refuel before shipping back off to Psychology 150 or Global Issues.

Let me take a moment to praise the kitchen staff for their amazing hamburgers, which are usually served at lunch! Let me say to the cooks at the Grill, your burgers are awesome! I do not know how you cook them or what is in them (probably better not to tell me the latter or else I might enjoy them less), but never have I ever stumbled upon a restaurant, fast food joint, or neighbor’s grill that matched the awesomeness of my mother’s burgers until I came to Western, so you rock!

Really, really NASTY mashed potatoes

Dinner is family time. The group of friends you have found to be in your extended family scream at each other over everyone else’s screams to decide which table to head for then break off into pairs to the particular station with the best food. One can always tell who has the best food because that is the longest line. It makes me wonder whether the cooks have popularity contests on who can get the longest lines based on what they are cooking. If you have a big group, you are lucky to find a table for all as the Hall packs up fast, especially on special dinner nights. Then like you would with your family back at home, eating begins at the selected table with chatter about the day, getting to know one another better, and drink mixing. Yes, drink mixing! Suddenly, the Dr. Pepper you were drinking becomes Dr. Pepper/2% milk/Mountain Dew/orange juice with a touch of salt and pepper. Well, back to the drink dispenser.

On special nights with themed dinners like Seafood Night, the dining hall staircase is overflowing with students. With Steak and Shrimp Night comes a real treat: real knives! What could be seen as a possible weapon and is usually locked up in a hidden drawer in the kitchen is now readily available for the usually overcooked and over seasoned steak with a side of shrimp. A man in a monkey suit, a suit I might add that has nothing to do with steak, shrimp, or the school’s mascot, walks around and… well, yeah, he walks around. Oh look dinner and a show! 

Steak & Shrimp Night

Mardi Gras was interesting and fun with coin-shaped bubble gum, Mardi Gras beads, and colorful decorations. Dinner’s main course was cooked crawdads, which my friends enjoyed hiding in my food so I nearly fell backwards out of my chair as the lifeless eyes stared me down. A fun dining experience though not my favorite meal!

The dining hall is like a second dorm. You live there, why? Because there is mountains of food, and there are two things every college student lives on: sleep and food. Maybe the dining hall’s menu is not everything we students wish it was. You can never replicate Ma’s home cooking, but at the end of the day, the dining hall is a good place to get a hot meal and congregate with friends after too many hours of school work. Whether or not there are laxatives in the food, well, that is for the Rumor column! 

Food Shortages Cause Concern for Local Food Banks

I worked extremely hard on this article. It meant everything to me to convey this serious issue in the correct way, and I hope I did that. I like to think so since MANNA FoodBank shared the link on their Facebook Wall!

"Food shortages cause concern for local food banks" as originally published in The Western Carolinian.

"Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. You may live in a civilized town or go to Western Carolina University, but with school bills and housing you cannot afford to purchase a healthy, well-balanced meal three times a day.

The food insecurity rate of Jackson County.

For Jackson County, this is true for a number of citizens every day.
According to MANNA FoodBank, who provides food to non-profit agencies in 16 western North Carolina counties, 15.8 percent of Jackson County’s population falls under the food insecurity rate. That is 6,180 people who go hungry, and many of those are children.
Due to the economic and job crises, MANNA FoodBank and The Community Table in Sylva have seen a rise in numbers of how many people need food.
Alison Hixson, director of communications and marketing at MANNA, said that last year 25,196 pounds of food were given to The Community Table, which is a 9 percent increase compared to the year previous. Through the whole of Jackson County, Hixson said there was a 15 percent increase from the previous year of distributed food.
Amy Grimes, executive director of The Community Table, agreed that numbers have risen. Last year, The Community Table served 16,741 meals and provided 2,008 food boxes.
“We are certainly busier, especially in the wake of higher fuel and food costs,” said Grimes. “We continue to see new faces each week, folks needing help with the most basic need, nutritious food, so that they can also afford other necessities of medical care, rent, utilities, etc. Many folks have transportation issues, too. Especially in our rural area this can be a big problem.”

While some say that Jackson County is undergoing a food shortage, Grimes remarked that is not the case but said it falls on other problems.
“Technically, there is no shortage of food in our county, or anywhere in the world,” said Grimes. “The problem is distribution and lack of resources. The economic crisis has sharpened the divide though.
“In 2009, our numbers began to increase dramatically, and they only continue to rise,” Grimes continued. “We doubled the amount of food we provided in one year’s time. That was only possible with community support, for instance Wal-Mart began donating excess items to The Community Table. Without their weekly donations, we simply could not keep up with the need that is out there.”
Grimes added that usually The Community Table sees a slower flow of people during the summer. However, last summer that did not occur for the first time, and Grimes and the staff believe it will not happen again this summer.
Children are the ones who suffer the most as they cannot get the nutrition they need for healthy physical and mental development. The child food insecurity is 26.2 percent, according to the 2012 Map the Meal Gap."

Read the rest of the story HERE at The WC's official website.

"South Pacific" sailed smoothly

I was very excited to do an Arts and Entertainment story again... the same section that I started with in 2009 as a unpaid freshman! I enjoyed the show... Stuart was not happy to have "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta my Hair" stuck in his head for days!

"Smoky Mountain High School’s theater department presented the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University from May 11 to May 13.
The production was colorful, exciting and family-friendly with many musical talents like senior Elena Cope, junior Galen Martin and a guest performance from Western Carolina’s Joseph Callahan.
The show sets sails during World War II on two islands in the Pacific. The play provides two beautiful love stories and comments on racism and war. Nellie Forbush is a navy nurse who falls in love with Frenchman Emile de Becque, a man hiding some secrets about his past. When Nellie discovers that Emile loved and had children with a Polynesian woman, her racist attitude hurts the relationship. Meanwhile, Lt. Joe Cable falls for a native islander’s daughter, Liat, and is torn between his commitment to the army and his love for her. Both Joe and Emile leave to act as spies to report on the movements of the Japanese army, and the women are left wondering if they will ever see their men again.
Linda Haggard, theater director and chorus teacher at Smoky Mountain High School, said she has wanted to produce “South Pacific” for all 10 years she has been a faculty member. This year, she had the right type of voices among her students for the musical.
“It’s about America being at war in World War II,” she said. “We’ve talked a lot about the importance of living in a free country and what that means and the sacrifices that men and women have made.”
Haggard continued to say that the “South Pacific” sets were her favorite in her 10 years, and that they provided a feeling of stepping off a boat onto the warm sands of a Pacific island.
The Bardo Arts Center was decorated in such a fashion with large palm trees swaying onstage over platforms painted to look like stone terraces and walls. Each were covered with dozens of pink, purple and red flowers. Circling the outside of the orchestra pit, a beach walkway with harbor posts and netting allowed the actors to come closer to the audience and take a stroll in the sand.
Joseph Callahan, choreographer of the production and WCU student, stood in for senior Nate Buchanan, who was playing for the SMHS baseball team. Callahan was an excellent example of what the students will one day become if they continue to pursue musical theater. Callahan’s voice was noticeably more mature and richer. He responded well to the other actors and had more control over not letting his eyes wander or his hands fidget."

Read the rest of the story HERE!!!

Salary study begins at WCU

This story actually quite some time. I wanted to make sure that I did it correctly with as much time to dedicate to it as possible... so I finally finished it during the first summer issue of The Western Carolinian... Here it is as first published in The Western Carolinian.

"Western Carolina University is conducting a salary study to examine whether or not the university is in compliance with federal regulations concerning gender equity and how WCU compares to its peer universities.
Henry Wong and his staff at the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs along with the WCU Legal Office are undertaking the technical side of the study.
“My office … has the lead role to conduct the study as we will follow the Department of Labor guidelines for determining salary equity under the Equal Opportunity Commission,” said Wong. “I am hopeful that there are no significant differences in pay between male and female employees. However, I will not know that until I start analyzing the data and conduct interviews. My role is to complete the study and present the results to the Chancellor and Executive Council.”

The study, which will take an estimated two years to complete, was Chancellor David Belcher’s idea. He noticed that it had been a significant amount of time since the last study in 1996.
“It’s always good to benchmark,” said Belcher, “how we stack up in salary issues against other institutions.
“It’s important for our faculty,” he continued. “They’re the backbone of our university. It’s important to take care of them. We have a responsibility to take care of our people.”
For some time, there have been no raises in salary due to the budget crisis. Belcher explained that the study will provide information in how to handle salary increases in preparation for when there is money again. He continued to comment that the study will “set ourselves up to make wise distributions and decisions” in the future.
While Wong and his team are making sure federal regulations are met, Belcher speculated that the faculty will be the driving force if issues or concerns arise from the results of the study, such as gender inequalities.
Catherine Carter, associate professor in the English department and director of English education, made speculative comments about her guess to the outcome of the survey.
“While there are probably pockets of greater equality and lesser equality, what I’d expect a careful study to find is that in general, women at WCU and in the UNC system earn less than men with comparable qualifications, years of service, academic ranks and expertise,” Carter said. “Because that’s what was suggested by the last data I could find on salaries of male versus female WCU employees from the 2005 Factbook, and because that is normal in the U.S.
“In general, and when you control for things like qualifications, years of service and so on, American women make about 76 cents on American men’s dollar,” Carter continued. “It would be fairly surprising for a single institution to be a whole lot different from this norm, unless or until it makes very thoughtful efforts to be.” "

Read the rest of the story at The Western Carolinian's website HERE!

The Old Student Union building very early in the morning

Half EIC

I meant to post about this two weeks ago, but things got ridiculously crazy overnight. Ever since March 1, it's been a crazy ride!

At the end of February, my roommate and former boss Justin packed his bags at The Western Carolinian, the newspaper where I work. After much discussion, drama, tears, and hard work, the Student Media Board promoted Sports Editor Ryan and myself to become the new EDITORS-IN-CHIEF!!!!!! 

I am absolutely beyond excited and have been ever since I learned the news once it was made official. Ryan and I immediately started working on keeping the newspaper at its award-winning level, but also throwing in our own personal flair as EICs.
The transition hasn't been an easy one. There's been drama, and there are always rumors and fires to put out in a newspaper office, but overall, the experience has been a positive and busy one! I've never had so much on my shoulders, but it feels great. Ryan and I are responsible for the well-being of an entire newspaper!! It's insane, right? I mean, I've never had this much responsibility, and I feel like I'm handling it well. The newspaper is always on my thoughts, and I always want to make things better and get back into being a team with the staff. On Saturday (here's hoping it doesn't rain), ten staff members have agreed to go on a hiking trip, and we're taking off down the Blue Ridge Parkway for a couple hours of fun in the mountains.
I want to get to know these people and be someone they look up to. I want to get things done and accomplish so much. It's the most exhilarating feeling in the world!!! And, I'm lucky to have someone like Ryan at my side.
So, here's to the new direction of The Western Carolinian!! May we not screw it up!!

WCU clock tower

Western Carolinian Issue 1

Here is an article I worked on for Issue 1 of the spring semester at The Western Carolinian newspaper. I am very excited to be back as News Editor, and I'm looking forward to what this semester has to offer. Already, there's been a lot of news drama already in all capacities!! I had two days to do this article!

WCU signs off on massive directional signs
By Lex Menz, News Editor

"The Western Carolina University Campus is experiencing a transition in decoration and direction.
New signs of all sizes have popped up in front of campus buildings and roadways directing students, faculty, staff and visitors where to go and how to get there. Ongoing for a few years, the project has caused interest, controversy, and a bit of hilarity.
Wiley Harris, director of Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction, said WCU has worked on the new sign concept since 2009. Harris and his staff placed three different sizes and panels of white and purple signs from the APCO Signs Company in Atlanta around campus starting at the beginning of the semester.
"All of the signage should be in place by the end of next week, if weather permits," Harris said. "At that time a representative from APCO and the university architect will review all in-place signs and correct any errors."
Last week, students posted a photo of one of the signs on Facebook. The campus bookstore's sign had a printing error and spelled "University" incorrectly. The snapshot went viral across Facebook's Western Carolina University network, spreading from student-to-student and even official University pages.
"The misspelled bookstore sign was taken down a couple of hours after it was installed, soon after the misspelling was noticed by university staff," Harris said. "The sign company has since provided a new sign, which has been reinstalled at no cost to WCU." ..."

Keep reading the story HERE at The Western's Carolinian's website! 

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Today I was given my first breaking news assignment ever!! I am beyond proud and thrilled to now see my hard work from today pay off as it was published just minutes ago!!! I definitely have to thank my editor Justin Caudell for his tireless work to help me get into the meeting and for assisting with the details of the story and editing it. I thank you, sir, for your confidence in me! I hope you enjoy the story that I had a blast sinking my teeth into. Look out for follow-ups and editorials on The Western Carolinian's website!! There will definitely be more to come!!

Full story can be read here: http://www.westerncarolinian.com/news/voting-issues-plague-sga-election-eaves-wins-final-tally-1.2129961

Voting Issues Plague SGA election; Eaves wins final tally

"Though not reaching the magnitude of what happened during the 2000 election in Florida, voting issues plagued last week's Student Government Association (SGA) election, forcing a recount of the nearly 1,000 votes cast. "The votes for the election had to be recounted after allegations were made that "false votes" has been cast. Despite the recount, which took three days and included both the SGA Election Committee and IT Services, TJ Eaves and Alecia Page remained the SGA President and Vice President, respectively. Eaves and Page were first announced as Western Carolina University's new leaders of SGA via Facebook and Twitter on Thursday, March 24.

"The recount occurred when competitors Doug Bridges and Ben Collette, running for President and Vice President, respectively, cried foul saying that the election had been tampered with due to illegitimate voters. Eligible voters must be undergraduate or graduate students of Western Carolina University with at least one credit hour for the semester the election is being held. According to the allegations, WCU alumni or students who had withdrawn from the University were able to sign on to the election website and vote.

"Beginning on Saturday, March 26, SGA Election Committee members Mike Corellie (also the advisor for SGA), Austin Walker, and SGA graduate assistant Ryan Burnette recounted the votes along with IT services. Out of a total 968 votes cast, 15 were found to be illegal after cross referencing over 7,000 student 920 numbers. Both IT and the committee members found that 15 920 numbers were from either past graduates of WCU or withdrawn students. Neither party could determine which campaigner the votes went to.

"However, the 15 votes were not enough to sway the election and the election committee made a unanimous vote during a special meeting held Thursday night that Eaves and Page were the new President and Vice President. The committee did not release the final vote count..."

An Open Letter to my Upstairs Neighbors

Dear Upstairs Neighbors,

            Hello, I’d like to introduce myself. I am the person who lives directly underneath you. I know we have never been formally introduced but I would love to meet Godzilla… at least, that is who I think lives upstairs because no human being could possibly have that loud of footsteps. I mean, I hear when you walk to the kitchen, when you dance, when you go to the bathroom, and when you finally settle into bed at night. Make that settle into bed in the morning. Yesterday, I thought I saw a portion of my living room ceiling jutting out in the shape of two feet. It could have been the light.

            Also, you throw parties like the Jonas Brothers would if they believed in them! Remember that Wednesday night? I was woken up at 2:30 a.m. because I thought a bomb went off over my head. No, it was just my furniture jumping half an inch off the ground because you body slammed someone into the floor. At least, that is what it sounded like. I could be wrong. And on a Wednesday night? You do know you live in a college student-filled apartment complex, right? Even if you do not care about your grades, the people that live below you do. Aside from that, you are scaring my cat!

Even better was the night my neighbors living underneath me came to my door complaining about the noise. “See the people upstairs,” I told them. It is like you were born to live on the first floor!

The landlady says give it time. Some people just need time to adjust to apartment living. Ok, I give you another week. But, if I see one “U” on my fifth-week grade report card, we are going to have some words. Do you have a translator for Godzilla?

Maybe we can compromise. I can agree on if you end the partying at midnight or earlier on school nights, I won’t complain to the landlady about the empty beer cans I find on my landing every morning or the cigarette butts in our can when neither my roommates nor I smoke. I think that is a good agreement. I do not know what to do about Godzilla, though. Does he own a pair of slippers or something? Just ask him to get his nightly snack before going to bed. Put it on a bedside table or something. It would help out so much as I tend to wake in the middle of the night wondering when Cullowhee started having earthquakes. No offense, Godzilla. No, it has nothing to do with your weight… Yeah, it is the big feet… I apologize.

In conclusion, I thought dropping the water balloons from the landing was not funny. No, I am not interested in your vast cooler with multiple beer brands inside. Your R&B music at 2:00 a.m. does not sound awesome. Shouting cat calls at me through my open window while I am trying to relax and read a book is not hilarious or flattering. I giggle every morning I see girls walk down the stairs in the same clothes they were wearing last night.

            Please try to keep the noise down. It would help my peace of mind and my GPA. And, you do not want to ruin my GPA! Thanks so much.

Signed,

Doesn’t-Like-Living-Under-a-Herd-of-Elephants

*** Article 2 in my "Off Campus Living 101" column in The Western Carolinian

Off Campus Living 101

The first publishing of my new column in The Western Carolinian. Welcome to "Off Campus Living 101!"

"Good day, everyone, and welcome to Apartment Living 101, a residential choice class requirement. Your fellow classmates are in the other residential choice class, Dorm Living 102. This is not a class you can add/drop or withdraw from after fifth week grades. You either succeed or you fail. Also, this is a two-semester course. You must attend both semester courses to pass.

In this course, you will learn how function as an independent adult in four major areas: interaction with roommates and land lords, cooking and housekeeping, bill payments, and maintaining good grades in an off campus environment. By the end of the semester, you should be able to demonstrate cool headedness in dealing with a partying neighbor and healthy cooking skills that do not include order-in pizza or Ramen noodles. You should also be able to get your rent check in without a verbal reminder from your roommates and maintain a parent-approved GPA. You will need to rent or buy the following books from the campus bookstore for the semester’s reading assignments:

1.      Fifty Meals on Fifty Dollars a Month

2.      How to Juggle… a Job, Classes, Housework, and Free Time

3.      When the Good Neighbors Go Bad

4.      Channel Surfing: an in-depth look at how to share the TV among two or more people with pull-out TV remote diagram

5.      They Will Never be Cheery: dealing with the landlord

6.      60 Ways to get Evicted

You may also want to bring a copy of your lease as different establishments have different regulations.

If you have a pet, I suggest signing up for Apartment Living 101.02 for a deeper look into how to approach your landlord on the subject, how to afford it, and how to convince your roommates it is a good idea.

For the final exam, I will be conducting thorough and surprise searches of your apartments at the end of the semester. Cleanliness and healthy food choices are the main areas I will be concentrating on. I will also be conducting interviews with your roommates, neighbors, and landlord to determine how well you have applied what we learned this year.

 This will be a great experience, and I cannot wait to see how each one of you will handle this major adjustment! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or particularly funny stories, please contact me by email or visit me during my office hours at the Old Student Union Building.

You are dismissed! Please have your books, lease, and a one-page paper of why I moved off campus by the next class."