Month: July 2010

Uncategorized

WCU trustees approve name change to School of Stage and Screen

Western Carolina University’s academic programs in motion picture and television production, musical theatre, theatre arts and dance officially have been “schooled.” That’s because what had been an academic department since its inception in 2007 is elevated to the School of Stage and Screen, thanks to action taken by the WCU […]

Uncategorized

Komuves receives funds for Alcohol and Drugs Education

Miles Komuves, the coordinator of alcohol and drug education with student community ethics at Western, is making a big effort to reach out to WCU students who have alcohol and substance abuse problems. Komuves received $8,557 from the Town of Sylva recently to enhance some of the programs that the […]

Uncategorized

State budget cuts could lead to enrollment cap

North Carolina’s state budget cuts are continuing to threaten not only the quality of education, but the amount of students that can receive that education as well. The governor’s proposed budget already includes a near $150,000,000 cut. The budget plans have left some North Carolina officials pondering about the idea […]

Uncategorized

Stonewall Packaging closes abruptly to put 43 out of work

Citing slow sales and another company’s broken commitment to buy product, Stonewall Packaging LLC closed its manufacturing plant in Sylva on May 15. The closing put 43 employees out of work. In a news release, Stonewall said it “was forced to cease operations because it was unable to sell enough […]

Uncategorized

More WCU budget cuts are inevitable

Just when you thought Western Carolina University had suffered enough from state budget cuts, think again. The 2009-2010 school year at Western sustained many budgets cuts in the past year and it may be quite some time until this changes. The UNC school system’s budget was cut nearly $300 million […]

Uncategorized

Duke Energy warns of blackouts if new station is not built

Parts of Western North Carolina could see systematic blackouts if Duke Energy doesn’t build a tie station as planned near a sacred Cherokee site, the company says in a filing with the state. According to Duke Energy Spokesperson Jason Walls, the blackout severity would depend upon the company’s available equipment. […]

Uncategorized

Pair of ceremonies honors undergrads at WCU

An atmosphere of academic accomplishments and new beginnings was in the air at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Regional Activity Center on Saturday, May 8 as the university held a pair of commencement ceremonies to honor nearly 1,600 current and former undergraduate students. WCU’s spring class includes about 1,000 undergraduates […]

Uncategorized

Sylva native found murdered in Cherokee, arrest made

22 year-old Sylva native, Mandi Smith, was murdered early Tuesday, May 18.   Shortly after midnight, a 911 call was placed at 1:18 am reporting that a woman was dead after being shot. The call came from a townhouse community in the Rough Branch area of the Cherokee Indian […]

Uncategorized

Andrew Brock: Representing North Carolina and WCU

Western Carolina University is proud to be having one of our own starting his fifth term as the state Senate representative for Davie and Rowan counties. Andrew Brock won the primary election in early May, and will continue his political career in January 2011. Brock graduated from Western in […]

Uncategorized

Student honored for service to N.C. School for the Deaf

Western Carolina University student Shaneé Sullivan went with a hearing-impaired seventh-grader to lunch after tutoring him for the first time and was moved when he started signing words for their food—words they had just covered. “Without being prompted, he took the lesson I taught him and applied it,” said […]