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  • Publications (documents)
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  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2010-08-20_Vol76_No10_07

Page 7 WESTERN CAROLINIAN August 20, 2010 FEAT URES {FRESHMEN continued from page 5) ing drugs, unprotected sex, and the like. We all know those are our own choices and college, it is just a place that may have presented those opportunities more freely. It cannot be blamed for your actions. Know what kind of streambed you want to be and stick with it. Do not let the waters erode you! Instead, Brittney Burns | Staff Writer (Editor s Note: The follow- ing is the fourth part of a se- ries of articles looking at the lives of WCU faculty and staff before they were educators.) Which professor sports a nose ring everyday in class and has a total of five tat- toos? Long before Dr Laura Wright became an associate professor for the English department or the di- rector of graduate studies in . English she was rocking out to bands like the Cure and The Smiths. Before she was responsible for enforcing the rules inside of her classroom, she was breaking the rules of her parents; Wright admitted that they [her parents] were very strict, and | was very re- bellious; Wright confessed that while growing up she constantly got in trouble for lying. Rock music and a re- bellious attitude, a true child of the 80s. Wright graduated from Page High, home of the Pi- tates, in Greensboro, NC in 1988. Wright played both soc- cer and volleyball at Greens- boro Day School during her ninth grade year. Wrights active teenage years fore- shadowed how active she was going to be once she reached adulthood. Wrights first was an orange 1974 VW Karmann Ghia convertible, which isnt too surprising because it suits the bubbly personality she has as an adult, which | imag- ine was just as prevalent in her teens. Aside from the Smiths and the cure, Wright was also a huge fan of REM while grow- ing up. Early in her teens, Wright fell in love with any and all John Hughes and Tim Burton films; the movies she first loved as a kid are still some of her favorite ones to- day. Duran Duran defined the 80s and Wright was just as obsessed and love sick with them as every other teenage girl. Over the years, Wright has traded the blonde hair, tight jeans, pop collars, and rocker bad boy image that the members Duran Duran were so infamous for, for the witty charm of a well known actor and comedian; Wright didnt quite admit to being a crazed fan, but did confess I have a slight crush on Seth Rogan . Her celebrity crush is totally understandable after consid- ering the sweet dance moves tell them how it is going to be and make the waters clear and calm by keeping good friends, making the right personal choices, attending class, and finishing what you started. And, here is my promise: I promise to be a streambed that comes out in a few years with a degree in hand to con- he introduced in Knocked Up. If you have ever taken a class with Dr. Wright, you are well aware of worldly knowl- edge, especially her fascina- tion with South Africa; her knowledge can be attributed to the trips and vacations she has experienced in her hfe time. When she was 14 years old, Wright took a cruise that visited ports in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. The follow- ing year, when only |S years old, Wright spent two weeks during the summer months in Manhattan and remembers the time: It was an amazing experience. Three summers ago Wright was fortunate to visit South Africa, which I am certain has been benefi- cial in courses she teaches at Western. The free spirited and re- bellious teenager that Wright was often led to trouble, al- though she assures none of it was too major. While in high school, Wright found oppor- tunity in the fact that one of her friends were out of town on a family vacation, which left an empty, inviting house. Wright sprung on the chance to throw a party, which she got caught doing. She joked, No one was very happy with me for a while; I got ground- ed and my friend didnt speak to me for months! While most kids dream about one day becoming a doctor or airplane pilot, Wright admitted, I dont know that I really wanted to be anything prior to real- izing that I wanted to be a college professor during my sophomore year in college. Although her career dream seems to have been delayed compared to others, once she made her mind up she worked extremely hard to ensure that her dream would come true. Even though Wright was set on a career goal, there have been several points in her life where she has considered working with animals, but in- stead of pursuing a career that involves animals, Wright has done a lot of volunteer work with animal protection and rescue agencies. Although Wright now calls Western home, and is proud to be a Catamount, she did receive her BA from Ap- palachian State University, but we wont hold that against her. After receiving her BA, she attended East Carolina for her masters degree and tinue on in the profession that makes me happiest, not richest or most successful, whether the degree be from Western Carolina or another | university. As long as I am | safe, healthy, obeying the law, and happy, I will fulfill my dream and you will too. Before They Were Educator Pa firiks | Photo Submitted then finished her PhD at the | allowing crime to occur. When Wright isnt busy in | University of Massachusetts. the classroom, she is almost always doing something ac- tive outdoors. Wright has been running since she was 12 years old, but hadnt ever done it competitively until she became an adult because she never liked being on teams because her rebellious spirit didnt like being told what to do. She is a long dis- tance runner and on the occa- sion that she has to compete in a race, she almost always places, either overall or in her age group. Aside from run- ning, Wright spends a lot of time hiking and said, Im a big fan of tubing down rivers in the summer. In the winter, Wright enjoys to snow ski; she hasnt been able to go ina few years and admits that she may have forgotten how. The very physically active Wright is also artistically inclined, which is no surprise consider- ing her English background; she plays the piano as well as with the exception of be- ing quite fond of wandering through antique stores with | no intent on buying anything. Even with the impressive resume Wright has, she still found herself slightly star struck and giddy over meet- ing JM. Coetzee, a South African author which she cur- rently teaches in her courses, | and. who is notorious for his | toward | | referred to Judicial Affairs apathetic attitude winning the Novel Prize in Literature. Coetzee was the | topic of Wrights dissertation, and in 2003, shortly after he won the Nobel Prize, he was scheduled to lecture at the University of Massachusetts. Wright was fortunate to be his escort from the airport, and was even able to have dinner with him. Wright re- membered, He smiled at me across the table at one point, and this is a really big deal because he NEVER smiles. [It] made my year. Wright is now most known for upbeat, engaging style of teaching and can certainly help you out when it comes to all things literature, if you ever need a new idea for a place to hike, or if you need help with Tim Burton film trivia, just be sure never to ask her to house sit. Western Carolina Univer- | sity is considered by far one | of the safest college cam- puses in the state of North | Carolina. This is largely a | result of an interactive, com- munity-oriented police force. | But, even though the campus is safe, students can still take preventative measures from To help new and old stu- dents alike, the Western Car- | olinian spoke with Sergeant | Doug Hester of the Univer- sity Police about crime, pre- ventative measures, witness protection and the willing- ness of the University Po- lice force to interact with the | campus community. In 2008, the latest year for which crime statistics are available, there were only a total of 7 violent crimes (aggravated assault, forcible sex offenses) committed on WCUs campus. This sta- tistic is for the entire year. According to Sgt. Hester, the most common. serious crime committed on campus is burglaryin 99% of cases though, it is non-violent. But why would burglary be so common? It is always important to protect your belongings while living on campus. Sgt. Hester related that the most : | common reason for students paints and course she writes, | A LOT. She typically dis- | { b y ecause they did likes shopping of any kind, | Se being victimized by a bur- not lock their dorm doors nor secure their car doors. Stu- dents, tip no. 1, always lock your dorm room door and your car. But by far, the most | frequent criminal offense on campus involves underage drinking or drug violations. If you drink, dont get | intoxicated to the point [that] you cant make good respon- sible decisions, says Hester. In 2008, 200 students were for liquor law violations. | Campus police officers routinely are around on campus to ensure students safety. | | Joshua Farmer | Staff Writer However, this number is down from 502 referrals in 2006. The number of arrests made for these violations is even loweronly 32 people were arrested on campus in 2008 for violating drinking laws. Fortunately, the num- ber of drug violations and referrals is even lower, Stu- dents, tip no. 2, do not drink underage or irresponsibly. But what if youre a stu- dent that has witnessed a crime take place, or feel you are going to be victimized by someone? What do you do? Spread out around cam- pus are at least 22 emergency call boxes. These boxes are located around the dorms, the parking lots and tested each week to ensure that they function properly accord-' malfunction, they are re- Crime and safety tips for WCU students Photo by Christa Hensley dent to feel safe, even if you dont contact the Univer- sity Police but want to talk to someone, WCU offers coun- seling services and there are programs such as REACH for female student victims of domestic violence, sexual as- sault . With these safety pre- cautions, WCU remains one of the safest colleges in the Southeast. For any student, coming to college can be daunting and scary. With the Virginia Tech incident and others around the country, often students can feel as if nothing can protect them. Here at West- erm Carolina University, our police patrol each residence hall everyday to ensure the safety of the students. {The| sole purpose of ing to Sgt. Hester. If they [walk-throughs] is to make sure people are safe, says checked and immediately Sgt. Hester. The officers repaired, Hester said. These want to ensure that no un- call boxes area direct line welcome elements get in to University Police and are he also added. There are also easily identified by the blue security cameras over every light on the top of the pole. entrance to the residence Students, tip no 3, familiarize halls. yourself with the locations of the emergency call boxes nearest you. Western Carolina also has a program in place for students that wish to remain anonymous when reporting a crime. Campus also has pro- grams in place for students that may have been victim- ized but feel intimidated by reporting that crime to the police. The Silent Witness pro- gram is a web-based form where a student that feels that a crime has been com- mitted can submit the infor- mation directly to the Uni- versity Police. This report is completely confidential, al- though if the crime commit- ted involves sexual assault, assault, threats or harass- ment, that you contact the department directly. While this is a good way for a stu- But, if you see the officers patrolling, stop and say hi and get to know them in case you have to report a crime. Many of the officers on the University Po- lice force have years of expe- rience. Sgt. Hester himself retired from the N. Charles- ton Police Department. The officers are committed to keeping students safe and creating a better community through = walk-throughs, friendly interaction and ex- perience. Emergency call boxes, security cameras and state-wide police report- ing querying all lead to one conclusion about safety on campus. Hester says, [The University Police have] a lot of officers that work. hard to make sure the campus is safe for students. Students, tip no. 4, common sense. use Good Writers and Editors The Western Carolinian is currently looking for students to fill the staff writing and editing positions for the school year. If you are interested, contact Editor-in-Chief Justin Caudell at we@wceu.edu.

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.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2010-08-20
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 12.5"
  • Pages: 20
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2010-08-20_Vol76_No10
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library