• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2016-04-29_Vol83_No04_05

The Western Carolinian NEWS Aprit28, 2016 AS ICA hosts open civil discourse discussions Jake Browning Staff Writer The Department of Intercultural Affairs (ICA) at Western Carolina University recently held a series of open group dis- cussions on the subject of racial and cultural sensi- tivity. These sessions were organized in response toa series of events on West- ern Carolinas campus related to the Black Lives Matter movement. After several weeks of chalk messages in the courtyard, public service announcements from the chancellor, hateful exchanges through social media (namely Yik Yak) and even exterior press from the Asheville Citi- zen-Times, The ICA felt it was time for students to meet in a civil and con- structive environment to talk about their concerns. According to Director of Intercultural Affairs, Khambrel Ward, the purpose of the ICA is to provide the student body with first-hand experi-- ences from a diverse array of perspectives. On campus, the ICA is responsible for the photo display on the second floor of the University Center, as well as a number of | community outreach events. They seek to promote multicultural communication and un- derstanding by educating students on diversity and inclusion on campus and in society as a whole. Most importantly, however, the ICA is a safe space. Their office features an art room, a PlayStation and round the clock Pandora radio in addition to a team of qualified staff who are available to talk to students about anything worrying them. The ICA has seen ample activity inthe pastfew years. The deaths of Tray- von Martin, Erik Garner, Sandra Bland and other Black Lives Matter icons have prompted their fair share of protests and demonstrations, and West- ern Carolina students have been vocal from all sides of the argument. In response\to this, the ICA has brought in some very important names to speak to students about their experiences, in- cluding a member of the Little Rock Nine and the mother of Sandra Bland, a suspected murder victim of her county police. How- ever, when things started heating up on social media in March of this year, ICA staff decided it was time to try a new ap- proach. The discussions, which had reached a crowd of 33 by their final night, began with a brief explanation of the situation what the ICA is, what has been hap- pening around the coun- try and why they feel that an open dialogue is neces- sary. Next, the crowd was asked to define diversity and inclusion. Students then split into smaller groups and, with supervi- sion from ICA staff, talked about the problems they have noticed on campus and what they felt should be done. Diversity encompasses all that the people ina group are and all the var- ied cultures and perspec- tives they represent. In- clusion, on the other hand, means reaching out to diverse people groups and making an active effort to understand them better. As Ward described it, diversity is being invited to the party, but inclusion is feeling welcome there. Students brought dozens of ideas and opinions to the table in the UC Dog- wood Room, but one theme was surprisingly con- sistent an objection to the role social media has played in the controversy. Several attendees pointed out that the anonymity of platforms like Yik Yak emboldens people to say rash, inflammatory things without fear of social con- sequence. Some went so far as to say that we would be better off if we removed the platform entirely, though others pointed out that this would do nothing to reshape the way people think. At the end of each dis- cussion, Ward wanted to make one thing abundant- ly clear the ICA is not an exclusively black orga- nization. ICE represents all students regardless of . race, gender, sexuality, etc. Regarding social justice, Ward said, It takes every- one. For more information about ICA you can visit their office at room 227 of the A.K. Hinds University Center or call 828-227- 2276. Third ann Jake Browning Staff Writer The third annual WheeCon took place on Saturday, April 9. Tak- ing place almost all day long in the UC Grand Room, the convention was a celebration of. popular culture, video games, board and card games, local art, anime and more. At 10.a.m. the doors opened in the grand room to a myriad of vendor booths. Walls were lined with plush toys and figurines from Dragon Ball Z, Soul Eater and Free! Iwa- tobi Swim Club as well as crocheted tote bags blazoning the symbol of the tri-force and the state alchemists. There were hand-crafted metal pendants equipped . to work as necklaces, earrings or keychains. Retro Nintendo 64 and Game Boy cartridges - featuring nostalgic titles in their original Japa- nese was also immedi- ately available for sale. Several of the booths were operated by clubs from Western Carolina University. The Anime Club put up a display of Yu-Gi-Oh! collectors items; including cards and play mats. The Pokmon Club set up television sets and allowed convention Ronnie Davia Staff Writer On March 23, the North Carolina Gen- eral Assembly (NCGA) convened for a special session. In less than 12 hours, the NCGA was able to pass a bill called House Bill 2, or formally the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act. This law, HB2, was inspired and written to counteract an ordinance written for the city of Charlotte that protected LGBT rights. On February 22, the Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance | that added legal protec- tions for gay, lesbian and transgender people in many different fac- ets of public life. This ordinance legislated that businesses in the Charlotte area cannot discriminate against the LGBT community if they want to purchase goods or services from said business, regardless of the principles held in their hearts and minds. Bob the Builder and friends at the 2016 WheeCon fans to play Pokmon Battle Revolution and Pokken Tournament on their Wii and Wii U, respectively, as well as running a lower tech game of their own de- sign Pin the Tail on Pikachu. -The Comic Book Club was also present and ran an extensive sale of their namesake mer- chandise. Two tables full and several additional boxes of vintage comics from Marvel, DC and more were the highlight of the center of the room. There was also a no- ticeable competitive element to the conven- tion. In addition to the Pokmon video games, patrons also had access to Super Smash Bros. The ordinance applies to places of public accom- modation. This would include the gas station, bars, stores, taxis, pri- vate means of transport and many other public services. The most controversial piece of the ordinance, which would incite the name The Bathroom Bill later on, was the fact that it allowed trans- gender people to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. In response to the con- troversy, Governor Pat McCrory announced that the NCGA would most likely act immediately to overturn the ordi- nance. _ In North Carolina, the NCGA has power over local municipalities and city councils. The NCGA decided to take action without consulting the public. The Charlotte City Council members much expected Raleigh to respond quickly, as soon as the next Monday, but they felt it was important for Wii U and a variety of table games like Be- trayal at the House on the Hill and Firefly: The Game. The entire stage area was dedicated to card games, includ-. ing Yu-Gi-Oh!, The Pokmon Trading Card Game and Magic: The Gathering, the latter of which was the subject of an organized tourna- ment. The main event of the convention, however, was the cosplay contest, in which enthusiasts from all ends of the geek spectrum dressed as their favorite characters to see who could put to- gether the best costume. The competition was thick and included fans in the guise of Dr. Who, to pass the ordinance if they indeed had the ability and it passed in a vote, 7-4. A year ago, this same Charlotte Ordinance failed in a 6-5 vote. The ordinance was slated to take effect April 1, but it would never come into effect due to the passage of House Bill 2. HB2 nullified every local ordinance state- wide that expanded protections to the LGBT community. For a long time, the state allowed cities and municipalities to create LGBT protec- tions preserving public accommodations, hiring processes, minimum wage standards and other business issues. HB2 eliminated that local power. Among those who originally had such pro- tections were Charlotte, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. Under HB2, transgen- der people-must now use restrooms and locker rooms in schools and government buildings based on the sex listed on Photo by Emily Ashton/STAFF High School Hosts and a wide array of super- heroes. But at the end of the day, the winner was dressed as Raven Roth, the magical demon girl of the Teen Titans. While the cosplays on display were certainly impressive, it never hurts to have some help- ful hints. Thats why the convention also hosted a seminar on cosplay de- sign in the UC Illusions, both for participants who chose not to cosplay this year and those looking to improve their performance. If you missed this years event, more op- portunities are coming up. In addition to next years WheeCon, the state anime conven- tion Animazement will the persons birth certifi- cate. It does not matter if an entire community recognizes this person consciously as identify- ing with another gender. People will have to begin using the correspond- ing restroom with their original birth sex. However, this bill ex- pands far past just which restroom you will be us- ing if you are a transgen- der person. The bill takes away the right to sue in state courts for employ- ment discrimination. It prohibits things com- pletely unrelated to the issue of LGBT, including prohibiting municipali- ties from adopting any type of minimum wage that is higher than the states current minimum wage. Employment ben- efits for certain jobs are no longer required to be in place, either. Two days after this bill passed, multiple things happened in respects to law and business in North Carolina including PayPal instantaneously ual WheeCon took place on April Storm Favara poses in her Bowzer cosplay outfit t be held in Raleigh this May, and even without a convention to attend, | cosplay can be fun and creative (if somewhat atypical) to do-every . day. ; The event was even a boom for local com- merce. Several booths were run by student and community artists who were given the chance to sell their sketches, paintings, crafts, statu- ettes and other works of art. Food vendors also had a more than sizeable market. Little Caesars pizza and homemade desserts were available to patrons, with dis- counts offered to groups who bought in bulk. Kadie Sanders, a senior art major at Western Carolina, was cancelling its plans to open a global operations center in Charlotte. This resulted in a loss of 400 jobs. PayPal CEO Dan Schul- man responded after the announcement, Becom- ing an employer in North Carolina where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law is simply unten- able. The new law perpet- uates discrimination and it violates the values and principles that are at the core of PayPals mission and culture. Along with PayPal, 100 other companies have publically protested the law. Two days after the Pay- Pal announcement, the American Civil Liberties Union, Equality North Carolina and Lambda Legal all filed lawsuits in an attempt to challenge HB2. They all claimed that the bill was violating both the 14th amendment and Title IX. On April 12, McCrory issued an executive order Photo pha Ashton/STAFF at she created a patron of this years convention and a first time cosplayer who said she had a great time try- . ing it out even though it wasn't really her thing. ~ Accompanying her! was Kristin Wasko, a veteran cosplayer whose entry included a native Japanese kimono that she obtained at last years WheeCon. Just like last year, Wasko was blown away by the quality of the conven- tion. . y A billion stars, she laughed. Thats howId rate it. ea: For more information on WheeCon and its participants, The Anime Club, Pokmon Club and Comic Book Club can all be reached on their official Facebook pages. that allowed private busi- nesses to set their own policies regarding rest- rooms, shower facilities and locker rooms without the chance of govern- ment interference. He also affirmed the right of private businesses to es- tablish non-discrimina- tion policies for employ- ment. # Under HB2, it is legal to post No Gays Allowed on the front of your busi- ness and deny services if the sign isnt followed. Forcing transgender peo- ple to use facilities that do not correspond with their gender identity or refusing them service in a public location violates many federal protections against sex discrimina- tion. Billions of dollars in federal funds are given to North Carolina schools, but the cash may stop flowing if the entire bill is not repealed. For more information about House Bill 2, you can visit NCGAs official website at www.ncleg. snet, ae ee eee a ee Eee ee a ee

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)
  • Text
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2016-04-29
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.5" x 11.25"
  • 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_2016-04-29_Vol83_No04
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library