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Western Carolinian Volume 67 Number 12

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Western Carolinian Volume 67 Number 12

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Western Carolinian Volume 67 Number 12

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Western Carolinian Volume 67 Number 12

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Western Carolinian Volume 67 Number 12

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  • october 23-29, 2002 profile student livin newsmagazine O o O Homecoming - The Briggs Family by: Kristin Munn I WCnewsmagazine PROFILE - Homecoming week always brings interesting people back to WCU. For one special couple, who dreamt of one day returning here to live and teach, Homecoming is every day. That couple is the spirited duo of Head Football Coach Kent Briggs and his wife, Lisa Briggs, a Criminal Justice professor. According to Lisa Briggs, "Kent has always had the dream to return to Western one day. We both want to make this a place to be proud of after you graduate." Having lived in various other places before returning here, Briggs explains that Western has much to offer. "I grew up being able to do the things that my children have not been fortunate to do because of the previous areas where we have lived. My children will now be able to grasp a hold of the opportunities that the mountain area has to offer such as camping and hiking," she said. Briggs was an active student when she was pursuing her undergraduate program here. Besides being on the Homecoming Court, she participated in a number of student activities and was president of the Criminal Justice Club. Lisa Briggs now teaches with some of the same facility that was here when she was a student. "I am excited to be teaching full-time in the department where the facility members are still around such as Bill Hyatt and Dewayne Davis." Briggs can "teach in a number of different departments," but when an opening came up for a full-time assistant criminal justice professor, Briggs jumped at the chance to teach in her field of expertise. On a personal note, the Briggs duo met while Kent was assistant coaching and Lisa was attending WCU as an undergraduate student. "1 was jogging with my roommate on a back road of Cullowhee. We noticed a kid with a pellet gun, and he then started shooting at us. I figured since I was a CJ major I could reason with the boy and tell him about his unlawful actions." Briggs reasoning with the "kid" showed no results. "He persisted on shooting the gun, so I decided to catch up with my roommate and figure out a shortcut to get home. The shortcut led to Kent Brigg's house, and the rest is history, Briggs said. "Kent had two football players over that day and told them, 'that is girl I am going to marry one day,"' she added. After 7 years of dating, the Briggs' got married in Asheville. Ironically, they both went to adjacent high schools but never knew each other growing up. "I went to Owens High School, and Kent went to Reynolds. They are both rival high schools, and the rivalry still lives on today in our household." The couple has two children: daughter, Alexandra (10) and son Cody (7). (Pictured in photo on right.) "He persisted on shooting the gun, so I decided to catch up with my roommate and figure out a shortcut to get home. The shortcut led to Kent Brigg's house, and the rest is history," Division I coaching can be demanding and put a lot of pressure on the family. "Every good Division I football coach's wife needs a clone," said Briggs jokingly. "We've been lucky because an average Division I football coach will move every three years," she explained. "We have only had to move from WCU to NC State, then to University of Connecticut, and then back down to Western. Kent was hired back in January and arrived for good, two days later." She added, "It is important as a parent when making a transition to have the right attitude. If the parents are ok, then the children will be ok." Since Briggs is a WCU alumna, I wondered what elements she believed would bring back other WCU alumni to visit and show school support. Most importantly she said, "having a product alumni are proud of. We need to make the alumni realize how important they are to this university. Instead of having a few people donating money, I would like to see everybody contributing a small amount. This will build!" "Alumni need to feel that this is their home by the current facility, administrators and coaches," Briggs said, as she pointed out that the main reason she came back to Western is the amount of potential that is evolving here. "If everybody would just put a little effort into this program, this place would skyrocket," she added. Both Briggs' knew while they were attending WCU that they would return to their alma mater. While Lisa Briggs was a student here, she says she loved the teacher-student ratio and always felt that the WCU faculty was interested in the students' best interests. "I have taught at other universities where you are known as a social security number. Here my classes are around 40 students, while the other schools I taught at could range from 100-120," she said. A great number of things have changed and others stayed the same since Briggs was a student here at WCU. But Briggs says it is an ideal time, right now, to be a student or faculty member here because there is so much potential for growth all around us. "If you look around campus, enrollment is on the rise, building projects are everywhere ... things can only get better," said Briggs. "Western is targeted as a growth institution while other schools in North Carolina are maxed out," she said. Also, according to her, "the university has done a striking job to improve student life on campus." Even though this is a 180 turn for the better, she says that some WCU students are still not taking advantage of opportunities that are here for them. Even when Briggs was a student at WCU, she says there was something missing. School spirit today, just as it did then, still lacks the level of enthusiasm that can be seen at other institutions. "Until this improves, you guys are the ones missing out," exclaims Briggs. Anyone can see there is a definite level of noninvolvement when it comes to our school's spirit. "Students are still packing up and leaving for the weekends," explains Briggs, "In order to resolve this situation, students are going to have to initiate the first step. This is the best time of your life, so take advantage of it." So where is your Catamount pride? When Briggs was getting her PhD at NC State and teaching in the Sociology Department, she saw astounding by the student spirit. "Everyone wore the school colors and participated in functions that brought the university closer together. Happiness is what you make it. Focus on the positives Western has to offer, not the negatives. " As Briggs herself says, she cannot begin to tell you how excited she is to be back home in Catamount country. A higher quality of life is the biggest reason for loving this place. "Kent's office is right down the road from mine, the kids are across the street, and our closest relatives are in Asheville," she said. The goal of the Briggs' is for WCU to be a national champion. "We want to have a program that people can be proud of." As Briggs herself would say, college is a once in a lifetime experience. The Briggs team challenges everyone to do their part, and fill this place with spirit. Make not only Homecoming Day, but every day here, a special one.
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Western Carolina University Publications

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 Carolin...

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