• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2011-12-09_Vol77_No16_06

December 9th, 2011 WESTERN CAROLINIAN Page 6 FEATURES Western Carolina University prepared for when winter weather strikes Katy Williams, Contributing Writer With winter almost upon us, the Western Carolinian wanted to refresh readers on the universitys policy on cancelling classes due to weather, what is done behind the scenes to keep campus safe during winter months and provide a few tips on how to be prepared when winter weather strikes. The newspaper sat down with Interim Provost Dr. Beth Lofquist to discuss the policy of class cancellation due to weather. Lofquist referred to the policy in the university handbook that states because WCU is home to more than 3,500 students who live on campus, the university does not cancel classes due to dis- ruptive weather. Exceptions are made for extreme con- ditions, power outages or if weather is particularly haz- ardous during a time after a long break when it is appar- ent that most of the student body will be traveling. . Typically, what you will be told is to be careful, Lofquist said. If you can get here, we will have class, but if you cannot get here due to inclement weather, faculty cannot penalize you. ' Ifa commuting student or professor cannot attend class due to an unsafe route, tools like Blackboard make it al- most unnecessary to cancel classes, Lofquist added. If classes are canceled, they must be made-up somehow, and it is up to the professor to decide how that will be - done. According to 1 etautet, it would be extremely un- _ likely for students who live on campus to not be able to make it to class due to weather because of the steps the university takes to pre- pare for it. Tammi Hudson, Western Carolina Universitys Emer- gency Manager, said WCU goes above and beyond to prepare for winter. Normally we have rela- tively mild winters in Cullo- whee, with one or two sig- SNASN ESA OHANSAANA VA ANS A vaasyauns PHOTO BY JUSTIN CAUDRLL NUS SISSINY SHS UNONV OVA ONS VONS SNH NOS D Students aly the winter es condition to move around ial afer a snow storm in leila Campus iohae ike sure to salt sidewalks yal ae quickly sa snow, nificant snow events a year, but the last two winters have been a couple.of the worst on record in the last 30 years, Hudson said. As a campus community, weve worked hard over the last two years to refine our response efforts and communication to the community during severe weather events. According to Hudson, areas in the mountains are sometimes a bit unpredict- able.. Weather in Cashiers or Asheville might not be the. same in Cullowhee. It is her teams top priority to not only monitor weather in the Cullowhee area, but also require a detailed check-up | of the main roads leading to campus and the roads to lo- cal apartments. Hudson and her team have already started to moni- tor the weather constantly on their ohne machines that give up-to-date weather con- ditions and weather radar. They also receive regular updates and special weather reports from the National Weather Service. - The campus police de- partment patrols 24 hours a day, and during the winter months they keep a special eye on road conditions at night. If they see ice patches or heavy snow on the road, they report it to Hudson and her team. Once potentially dangerous weather condi- tions are reported, the cam- pus grounds crew is alerted. They are absolutely outstanding, Hudson said. They will work day, and night to clean and salt the roads. Since the coldest part of the day is around 6 a.m., the grounds crew works mostly at night and early in the morning, before any campus . activity starts. Hudson said students, faculty and staff can take comfort in know- ing that while they sleep, the grounds crew is working diligently to ensure safety for the morning. WCU also stays in con- tact with the Jackson County: Department of Transpor- tation to receive detailed reports of road conditions on major roads leading. to campus and smaller roads to apartments. Police, EMS, dining services, residential liv- ing, grounds crew and even entertainment services are considered essential cam-_ pus services. Essential ser- vices will never close, even if classes are cancelled and roads leading the campus are not safe to drive. WCU will WNT N NUM OS house critical staff Ha ae on campus to guarantee that their services will be avail- able to students at all times. If the threat of severe winter weather hits, Hudson and her team recommend taking advantage of the wide selection of technology pro- vided by WCU to find out information on _ schedule changes and road conditions. Hudsons personal fa- vorite is CatTracker, an alert system that goes straight from WCUs Emergency Management Team to cell phones. All it takes is a few seconds to sign up, on the university website, and wherever you are, your cell phone will notify you of any emergencies or updates. Other resources are My- Cat emails, WCUs Face- book or Twitter pages and the WCU website which ASHEN TASTE HEYA GY NE MNS VAS WAH NG OA will have an advisory an- nouncement on the homep- age that can be clicked for more details. A few ways to be pre- pared during winter weather events are to always have your cell phone charged, a full tank of gas, the WCU Police Departments phone number, plenty of bottled water, non-perishable food, a flashlight and an emergen- cy kit in your vehicle. Also, remember that the essential services on campus will al- ways be available. The more prepared you are for unfavorable condi- tions, the less you have to worry about when they hap- pen. Also, keep up with the announcements Hudson and her team sends, monitor road conditions and have a few preparations at your et or dorm. SULELYE CEP EUG HSRD GAS MOEA VLEON VRE STDS ERED L IHU HOU FERLALG RG LG UREa CEASE U AGC ODN TAR TA SEL EES PEAY SUTAZEL TD A#T N04) ith as4s3mO Ea ASIN TO PHCRARPSV EDT GUR OURO OSGI HLS ILIGEETI4 KEM EKMOHEELI NG ORO Vice oER TAT RIOR) DRIRED TE emD TCO RINE NONE NAN an. Fh eee vi9 erry Pay EN Ee) SRS UTES UMD AUR EDIE SER ELABPAP TALE nS ADL bar GaRDNT FREES) sip pndbereD VSPA IRD SAPEDPHUF APC on pLEUEE OP LT EPL NTIR SPANO eee aor dy Western Carolina University alumnus Pate excelling at Scripps Networks Asia Buss, ae Graduating from Western Carolina University in 1997 after earning a bachelors in business administration and minor in marketing, Robin Parton Pate now works with Scripps Networks as the Vice President for Audience Experience for HGTV& DIY Networks. In the past, Pate has gained experience in three different jobs. . Tve been in a new po- sition on average every two years, Pate said. She enjoys learning new things by moving to differ- ent positions within a com- pany. Along with the new skills she must learn for ev- ery job, Pate says, As busi- _ ness and consumer environ- ments change, so must our set of skills. Previously, Pate served for four years as Vice Presi- dent of Program Planning for HGTV. T successfully managed a team of six, a multi-million dollar budget, and worked closely with programming, ad sales, and marketing to create an optimized schedule across the HGTV networks and the Video On Demand platforms, Pate said, noting her experience as Vice Presi- dent of Program Planning helped her gain skills neces- sary for her current job. Since 2010, Pate has r worked as Vice President of Audience Experience for : HGTV and DIY Networks. T help shape Scripps Networks Home Category _consumer experience and lead all social media listen- ing initiatives, Pate said. . Her interest in a digital- ly-focused job pushed her to take on the position and since she has worked with Audience Experience, Pate says, Consumer engage- ment levels have reached all-time highs, submissions for user-generated content have risen exponentially, and HGTVs 2011 program- ming priorities involve more real time multi-screen en- gagement elements. The most memorable part of Pates job involves the talented people who are constantly invited to her building. The giddiness of nor- mally composed people is almost as amusing as seeing the long lines of ladies wait- ing to get a moment with the very handsome and charm- ing TV star, Carter Ooster- house, or the equally long line of men with a man- crush on Mike Holmes, Pate said. Along with the interest- ing moments in her career come the embarrassing parts as well. While working on a multi-million dollar garden- ing partnership, Pate real- ized she did not have a green thumb. - I havent kept a simple house plant alive in well... way too long, Pate said: Looking back at her time spent at WCU at a student, Pate learned to pursue her goals and not to rely on oth- ers to accomplish her aspira- tions for her. Pate urges cur- rent student to take charge of their college career. She encourages students to utilize Career Services for information on internships or companies willing to hire fresh graduate students. Ca- reer Services assisted Pate in her getting an internship with Disney World. While the career center is great, no one from the cen- ter comes knocking on your door to tell you what to do, Pate said. While at WCU, Pates favorite teachers involved those in the College of Busi- ness, such as Dr. Julie John- son and Dr. James Busbin. Both of them are skilled in their subject matter exper- tise, but also in their ability to connect academic content with relevant business chal- lenges, Pate said. _ Along with her inspira- tional teachers, Pate also misses the strong friendships she established in college. Some of my greatest friendships in the world began during my time in Cullowhee, Pait said. She also misses the flex- ibility of the life of a college student and envies all of the free time students experi- ence now that her schedule is constantly busy. Pate was recently elected to the WCU Board of Direc- tors for the Alumni Associa- tion and has since been able to visit Cullowhee more to see all of the changes that have occurred since she graduated. Having recently met David and Susan Belcher, Im impressed with their vi- sion for progress and inclu- sive leadership styles, Pate said. She also said she notices a strong sense of community within the campus popula- tion, Pate also wished she had a Starbucks while she was a college student pull- ing all-night study sessions. Having been success- ful in the real world as a business woman, Pate lends some advice to those hoping to follow in her footsteps. Begin with the end in mind, always know your goals, Pate said. She encourages students to put themselves and to not be afraid to ask questions. She also said to surround yourself with people you respect, stay connected with mentors, and be respectful of your support system. Although most students going into business will most likely not come out of college with their dream job, Pate urges them to remain patient. For college students in PHOTO SUBMITTED Pates pride isnt centered on her achievements as a business woman, but on the time spent with her husband and two idle Sydney and Sophie. general, Pates nuinber one piece of advice as an em- ployer is to improve their leadership skills. There are some college students who have blown me away with their level of professionalism, tchnical skills, and preparation for an opportunity, Pate said. Although Pate values her success in her career, she also tells students to focus on the important things in life. Her pride isnt centered on her achievements as a business woman, but on the time spent with her husband and two daughters, Byaney and Sophie.

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: 2011-12-09
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 12
• 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_2011-12-09_Vol77_No16
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library