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  • Publications (documents)
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  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2018-02-23_Vol87_No01_02

A2 February 23, 2018 NEWS The Western Carolinian Chancellor search committee underway Andrew Norman Junior Editor As acting chancellor Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar continues to fill in for Chancellor David Belcher during his medical leave, a search committee is pi hard to hire a new chancellor by Aug. 1, 2018. Chancellor Belcher an- nounced last fall that he would be going on medical leave effective at the end of 2017 due to the worsening effects of his brain tumor. Chancellor Belcher has been battling glioblastoma brain cancer since 2016. He served as Western Carolina Universitys chancellor since 2011 and does not plan on returning. Dr. Morrison-Shetlar served as Chancellor Belchers primary repre- sentative during his initial diagnosis, surgery and recovery andcontinu- ously served as his primary officer-in-charge when he was unavailable for ex- tended periods of time. She does not wish to seek the position of chancellor full- time. Dr. Morrison-Shetlar has Finding Emma Kaye Thomas Staff Writer During the month of February, our country celebrates achievements in African American history. Throughout the United States, many college campuses pay tribute and celebrate all of those who have accomplished making | equality more accessible for African Americans over time. For some, Black History Month represents a month of to remind us of the people who fought for freedom and to appreci- ate those who took action, while for others, Black History Month represents a time to reflect on them- selves and how they can truly help make an impact for the African American community. People all over America celebrate this month with festivities, events, documen taries and more. Through these events and festivities, some people will celebrate more known figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks, but other people focus more on the overall issues of equality and acceptance. Although we may celebrate the times when honorable people stood up against racism, we may forget that the issue of rac- ism still affects our world today. All over the United States, we constantly see riots, fights and governmen- tal issues breaking out due to one person or a group of people not agreeing with another due to the color of their skin or not having the same opinion as another. So when it comes to Black His- tory Month, should people only remember and honor those who fought, or should people actually take action and continue to fight so that one day we will never have served as provost and vice chancellor of academic af fairs since 2014. During her time as acting chancellor, Carol Burton, the associate provost for undergraduate studies, has stepped in to fill this role. The search commit- tee tasked with finding Western Carolinas next chancellor consists of 21 members from Western Carolinas Board of Trust- ees, faculty, staff, admin- istration, students, alumni and community. The best way to honor Chancellor Belchers leadership is to keep the momentum of Western Carolina moving forward, said Patricia Kaemmerling, search committee co-chair and member of West- ern Carolinas Board of Trustees in a Dec. 21 news release. This committee will have the opportunity to identify a ae who will continue the incred- ible upward trajectory that Western Carolina Uni- versity has enjoyed and who will ensure that this institution remains true to its commitment to ensure access to the benefits of to fight again? At Western Carolina University, the Diversity Office has planned an entire month of events that allow students to hear and learn more about black history throughout the years in the United States. These events have been emailed to all of the Western Carolina students on campus, and more information for these events can be found through the Diversity Office. One of the events allowed students a chance to discover more about themselves and how they view equality, especial- ly in its relation to society within the United States and how other students view . these things. This event was led by Porsha Olayiwola, a native Chicagoan who is now living in Boston. Olayiwola attends different schools and events speaking on equality and explain- ing the struggles of todays society. One of the events that Olayiwola hosted at West- ern Carolina University, was a workshop called The Cultural Awareness and ~ Sensitivity Education Pro- gram. In this workshop, she first began by allowing all of the participants to introduce themselves by saying their names, what their pronouns were, year and major and then if they won the lottery, what they would go out and buy. These introductions were simply a way for ev- eryone to understand each other on a more personal note, and give everyone room to breathe and realize that they can be themselves during the entire workshop. Through the introduc- tions of everyone in the room, the idea of accep- tance and equality was radiating from speaker to participant, which ended up being a major topic for higher education. The committee held several public forums in the first half of February. These forums were hel on campus as well as at the off-campus location at Biltmore Park in Asheville and at Harrahs Chero- kee Casino and Resort in Cherokee. In addition to these public forums, a sur- vey was conducted through the middle of February to gather additional thoughts and opinions. The survey and public forums serve a critical role in helping the commit- tee develop a leadership statement which will create a job description for the chancellor position. The in- put the committee receives will help them determine the characteristics and qualifications necessary for Western Carolinas next chancellor..." The committee plans to have the leadership state- ment finalized by March and will then begin accept- ing applications. The dead- line for Be will be in early April. The commit- tee will then work until the end of May to recommend finalists to Western Caro- linas Board of Trustees, who will then recommend three finalists to the Uni- versity of North Carolinas System President, Margaret soap President Spell- ings will then recommend. one candidate to the UNC Board of Governors for review and approval. We need a leader who can seize this moment with the passion and commit- ment to boldly lead this institution forward, said UNC System President Spellings. The next chan- cellor will have big shoes to fill, but he or she will also have a model to emulate. Chancellor Belcher has been a fearless, transfor- mative leader. Someone who united and inspired a community, driving those around him to be better than they thought they could be. At his core, Chancel- lor Belcher cared and will continue to care for the improvement of Western Carolina, both small and large. Although no one can truly replace Chancel- lor Belcher, students and faculty alike have voiced their desire for someone with a similar capacity for compassion. Hes always been an_ outstanding person, said Sam Dixon, a senior at Western Carolina. I feel like theyre big shoes to fill, but also that someone can do it, and they need to have the same passion and drive and care that he does. Hes one of the nicest people Ive met. Hes out there to make something better. The two qualities most sought for in the new chancellor by students is approachability and the - fostering of Catamount pridetwo qualities that Chancellor Belcher demon- strated excellently. Several qualities faculty members would like to see in the new chancellor include authenticity, global- mindedness, a history of public and community service and someone who is a true advocate for public education. f Speaking more on this, associate professor of Eng- lish and member of fac- ulty senate Dr. Mae Miller Claxton voiced a desire for the new chancellor to retain Tunnel of Oppression allows participants to feel the negativity towards Columbus Day. the whole workshop. The workshop focused on how students are able to change the way that the society of Western Carolina views all races and the issues that our government may not stay focused on as much as it should be. By people introducing themselves in the way they believed to be appropriate, and by sharing their dreams of winning the lottery, the room suddenly felt lighter, as if there was no expectation of any one person, and all barriers were starting to slowly break down. After introductions, she told a story of a baroness who was threatened by her husband, the baron, who said if she left the castle then she would be killed. The baroness ended up leaving, and when she came back, the gate to the castle was up and she was told if she crossed, she would be killed by the gatekeeper, so the baroness asks many differ- ent people for help, and by the end of the story, after no one helps her, she crosses the bridge and is killed. The whole point of this story being told was for us to label who was the most respon- sible for the baroness death. At the end of the activity, we learned that all of the different people in the story represented different people in society. For example, the baroness was the minority races and the gatekeeper was the police, or the au- thority. After learning the differ- ent meanings of each of the characters, the group as a whole was able to talk about the truth behind the story, or even the opinions of the story that did not fully agree with one another. The whole goal of the story was to show the difference in our society and how minori- ties are viewed in todays society. Throughout the month Chancellor Belchers open- ness for faculty and staff governance. Everyone had a voice, she said. : Dr. Claxton also voiced a desire for the new chancel- lor to have an understand- ing of where Western Carolina is as a univer- sityboth on an academic and regional levelsand to understand the needs of students and the com- munity and the challenges they face. Although Chancellor Belcher only served as chancellor for six-and-a- half years, he left an indis- putable mark on Western Carolinas community. He pushed for excellence in all and took pride in being a catamount. Finding his successor won't be easy, but its a task the searck committee is well equipped to handle. In the mean- time, Western Carolina will continue to flourish in the capable hands of Dr. Morrison-Shetlar. A timeline of the chan- cellor search can be found at wcu.edu/discover/ chancellor-search/timeline. aspx. Photo by Gabraella Witter/STAFF of February, it is highly encouraged for all students to partake in an event for Black History month, because they may be able to learn more about a different viewpoint of the society that we live in and have an even greater appreciation for all of those who have and are working on making this country more equal, stable and loving. Students who wish to be involved, can attend events such as the Impact of Innovation with Dr. Lonnie Johnson. All other events and activities for Black History month are available on wcu.edu/event- calendar. ih ews See Joy teins Ryan Gillig Staff Writer As Groundhog Day has come and gone, it has left a lot of people wondering, Are we getting an early spring or a longer winter? Weather conditions in Cullowhee, N.C. over the weeks since school began have been rather sporadic, ranging from the high _ sixties to the low twenties, giving us a combination of sunny and snowy days. This has caused quite a bit of havoc for class schedul- ing, but has left students in somewhat high spirits due to a little extra free time at the beginning of the semes- ter. Since mid-January, the weather in Cullowhee, North Carolina has shifted and the temperature should continue to move upwards throughout the rest of February. It looks like warmer weather can be expected towards the end of February going into early March as it could reach as high as 75 degrees. As the weather is still a bit sporadic due to the elevation of Cullowhee, it is expected that along with those high tempera- tures are cold nights, with the temperature dropping as low as 10 degrees. Since Cullowhee is located in the heart of the jet stream, an active band of wind that drives storms and weather across the continent and into the Southeastern United States, the variation in wind speeds and direc- tion will create an area in which the weather can be highly unpredictable from day to day. 2018 marks the 132 year of the Groundhog Day celebration which is an honored tradition that falls on Feb, 2 of every year in the United States and Canada. In 1993, this tradition caught world- wide attention due to the Groundhog Day movie starring Bill Murray. Since then, every year, people gather to see whether the groundhog closest to them sees his shadow or not. Seeing his shadow is said to bring six more weeks of winter, and not seeing his shadow would mean an early Spring is to come. Dr. Barbara Ballentine, a professor at Western . Carolina, said, there is no scientific reason behind a groundhog being able to predict the weather. She went on to say, I be- lieve it is actually based off an old Pennsylvania Dutch superstition. Dr. Ballentine went on to explain that the only thing close to scientific about the Groundhog Day superstition is that ground- hogs do come out when it is warmer and that they hibernate throughout the winter season. The sun- shine or clouds determine whether the groundhog sees its shadow, which has no correlation with the changing of seasons. Groundhog Day is one of the many myths that tie our present to the distant past where animals and nature did influence cul- tures. The Groundhog Day tradition stems from an old. German belief associated with Candlemas Day. Can- dlemas Day was centered around a hedgehog seeing his shadow and declaring six more weeks of winter. Much like the old sailor warning of troubled skies in the morning meaning danger in the sea, Candle- mas encouraged its own weather predicting saying: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Win- ter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go winter and come not again. When the Germans im- migrated to America, they founded the Pennsylvania Dutch colony and it was there that they adopted the groundhog as their weather predictor, as it is like the hedgehog. Accord- ing to this folklore, since Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, we can expect six more weeks of winter. So, if you were expecting an early Spring, it looks like you are going to have to hibernate through this cold weather just a little bit longer. Even though Groundhog Day is just a German folklore, it is one of the many traditions brought to this country | that unites people and it is surely something that will continue to be celebrated well into the future.

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: 2018-02-23
• 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_2018-02-23_Vol87_No01
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library