Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item 1 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item 3 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item 4 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item 10 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item 11 - Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Item

Details
- Format
  - Publications (documents)
- Type
  - Text
- Source institution
  - Western Carolina University
- Identifier
  - HL_WesternCarolinian_1997-10-22_Vol62_No11_02
Transcript

*> news October 22, 1997 Coming Out Day Greeted with Adversity Photo by Seth Sams by James Carter On Friday, October 3, WCU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Association (LGBTA) celebrated Coming Out Day on the UC lawn by setting up an information booth. However, not everyone was as, well, gay about the celebration as others were. According to senior James Stewart, the booth represented a chance for "members who are out to be able to be in public and be proud of who they are and to set the tempo for other students who need to see that there are others like them out there." In fact, she says that two members of the WCU community did "come out." "One homosexual student came up and said she knew nothing about [Coming Out Day] and lent us her support," said James. However, not all the comments were quite as positive as that one. "WCU students just aren't conducive to different lifestyles," Stewart comments. James explains that one person walked by with a T-shirt that read "Silly faggot, dix are for chix," and another shirt read "Contrary to popular opinions, real women love dicks." WWCU disk jockey Big Daddy even got in on the action by warning students not to wear blue jeans and white T-shirts "or people will think you're gay." Also, LGBTA was written up for vandalism by the campus police. They had chalked the sidewalks for their event the night before, but the police accused them of illegally chalking the bell tower. One officer replied to harassing comments the group was receiving by stating, "Honey, the only reason they're yelling at you is because you wrote on the sidewalks." Crissy Stewart, also a senior and a member of LGBTA, says that Western is "a very homophobic campus." She continues, "Our administration does not support us. I think it'll be a long time before WCU students accept the gay community." One reason this may take so long is a miss-communication in what coming out day represents. Crissy states, "We are not trying to promote our sexuality.We are there to show that we are no different than anybody else. We're normal human beings. It's simple—people just don't get it. We shouldn't have to have a Coming Out Day." Crissy also hopes that LGBTA can help "start a network at colleges in western North Carolina." As of now, LGBTA is the only gay support group on campus, but Crissy would like to see things get easier for those who wish to accept their own sexuality. "My coming out was easy," she says." I had a supportive network. I came out at 16, and as far as I knew, I was the only gay in my county. That was hard, but I never really went back into the closet. I've just been quiet at times when I thought it might be dangerous to me." Crissy is now trying to become an activist for the gay community. She is a member of the North Carolina Lambda Youth Network, which she says "is a leadership organization to teach young people how to lead themselves into the open and not wait for someone else." She admits that not everyone has the support that she had when she made her sexuality public. Because of that, she says, "homosexual youth are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than straight peers. People are not addressing this issue, so we work in the schools and with counselors." Still, coming out is hard to do, even when the closet door has long been open. Comments like "We don't care if you're queer" and "Get off campus, ass packers" from carloads of young men driving by doesn't make being visible any easier. Crissy comments on those issues by saying, "I get angry, but I have to get angry in a funny way. We are always going to have ignorant people around us." James says, "To me love has neither a race, ethnic background, nor a sex. As a sister of a lesbian, I find it extremely disgraceful that my peers would act in such an ignorant and hostile manner to something as beautiful as love." LGBTA would like to thank the representatives from the English, History, Anthropology/Sociology, and Computer Science departments that came out to support them and especially the Psychological Services department, who had the entire staff come to the booth to give their support! western ■• m arolmian Disabled Students Make WCU Home by Summer Rogers Despite its mountain setting, wnich poses many unique problems for many students with physical disabilities, Western usually has around 100 of these students in attendance annually. The presence of this group, while being a benefit to the cultural awareness and diversity ofthe campus, creates unique challenges for Student Support Services, Student Development, and University Housing. These offices are the main links between students witn disabilities and the campus, adjusting it to best fit the needs that arise from physical disabilities. In defining who these offices are geared toward helping as far as physical disabilities are concerned, the group includes students in wheelchairs, students with vision and hearing impairments, students with back conditions and also students with illnesses that affect the nervous system (and therefore possibly their ability to get around as easily as other students). In addition to these are the students with temporary disabilities, such as broken legs, strained ankles, neck and back injuries, etc. These students may also need special help to adapt to campus life so that their studies are not adversely affected by their conditions. The main obstacle that Bonita Jacobs, vice chancellor of Student Development, noted, is the physical terrain of the campus itself. Maneuvering up the hill to the Moore building area is difficult for those in wheelchairs or for those who may have other problems walking longer distances. Moreover, this hike is virtually impossible for those students on crutches. To compensate for these difficult areas, classes that are scheduled in Moore and other hard-to-reach areas will be moved to buildings that better accommodate the students. The same policy also affects classes that are held in the third floors of buildings without elevators, such as McKee. Additionally, if a student has difficulty, for a documented reason, maneuvering between classes on opposite sides of the campus in the given time between the two classes, it would again be appropriate to reschedule one of them for an area closer to the other. Another aspect of campus life that may need to be especially adapted for students with disabilities is the living aspect. According to Housing Director Randy Rice, Western has many rooms that accommodate students with wheelchairs, located in areas with outside ramps for easier accessibility. WCU also has rooms especially designed for those with impaired vision and hearing abilities. These rooms have special sound equipment and strobe lights that deal with emergency situations. Again, students with temporary disabilities may also use appropriate facilities if they wish to do so. Also, if a student on the Photo by Seth Sams. fourth floor of Buchanan, for example, were to break a leg, he or she would be able to simply move to a regular, more accessible room. Keeping its dorms current with ADA standards and codes has been a unique challenge for the university, considering that WCU has older dorms than many in the UNC system. Jacobs also pointed out the day-today smaller adjustments that are made as students make the problems known. For instance, curbs need to be cut for wheelchairs in certain areas, bathrooms need railings, and water fountains must be low enough. She commended the Physical Plant for being able to make needed adjustments very quickly, which is a great help to the students who benefit from the changes. Other than physically changing the setting of WCU, services are also offered on an academic level to help students with disabilities get a fair chance to make the grade in class. Scribes, readers and note takers are available for this purpose. Also, some students who may need extra time on tests or who need to take them on computer may be given the chance to do so. Furthermore, students may check out special equipment, such as lap computers for wheelchairs. These services are provided by Student Support Services, located on the ground floor of McKee. It should be remembered, however, as explained by Carol Mellen, director of Student Support Services, that many students with physical disabilities have adapted well enough to do fine without special help from the university.

Object

Description

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.
Details
- Creator
  - Western Carolina University
- Format
  - Publications (documents)
- Type
  - Text
- Date
  - Date original: 1997-10-22
  - Date digitized: 2020-01-13
- Extent
  - Dimension: 14" x 11.25"
  - Pages: 16 pages
- Subject - Topic
- Location
  - Jackson County (N.C.)
  - Cullowhee (N.C.)
- Source institution
  - Western Carolina University
- Source Collection
  - WCU Students Newspapers Collection
- Identifier
  - HL_WesternCarolinian_1997-10-22_Vol62_No11
- Repository
  - Western Carolina University Hunter Library

Western Carolinian Volume 62 (63) Number 11

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Western Carolina University Publications

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Western Carolina University Publications