The Reporter, October 2013

The Reporter is a publication produced by Western Carolina University featuring news, events, and campus community updates for faculty and staff. The publication began in August of 1970 and continues digitally today. Click on the link in the “Related Materials” field to access recent issues.SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 16, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Susan Belcher, wife of Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher and a leader in the Cullowhee lily initiative, helps sell Cullowhee lily bulbs at the Mountain Heritage Day festival held on campus. TOP STORIES Alumni Association-sponsored Cullowhee lily bulb sale under way Although most of the 9,000 dried bulbs sold and planted last fall as part of an eort to re-establish the Cullowhee lily in the Cullowhee valley will not produce owers until this spring, the Western Carolina University Alumni Association-sponsored initiative is in full bloom. In addition to helping bring back to campus the white, six-petal ower associated with WCU’s history and heritage, the eort has raised more than $10,000 for the Alumni Association Scholarship fund, celebrated the installation of new Cullowhee lily owerbeds on campus and partnered with a new community engagement program that students designed and named in honor of the lily. Also, the Cullowhee lily initiative is hosting a second bulb sale through the end of October, with proceeds again benefiting a scholarship fund directed toward maintenance of Cullowhee lily flowerbeds on campus. “We have written reports from the 1880s of the Cullowhee lily blanketing the valley,” said Susan Belcher, who is leading the eort along with Frances Owl-Smith, president-elect of the alumni association, and Betty Allen, past president of the association. “I am incredibly excited and look forward to seeing that blanket return and our students cultivated with this effort.” Belcher, wife of WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher, described the initiative to re-introduce the once-prevalent Cullowhee lily, or Zephyranthes atamasca, to the campus community while growing a scholarship fund as multi-tiered. Supporters can buy one of six remaining framed limited-edition and numbered photos of the Cullowhee lily printed on canvas for $250; become a member of the Cullowhee Lily Society for $50, which is completely tax-deductible; purchase a package of Cullowhee lily stationery for $10; or buy and plant flower bulbs that are for sale through the end of October. The money raised supports the development of Cullowhee lily owerbeds on campus and the endowed scholarship fund, which provides annual, need-based support to a current WCU student who has close ties to a Catamount alumnus. The most recent recipient was Garrett Whipkey, a senior from Clinton majoring in political science and music. Whipkey, who aspires to attend law school, was a member of the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band for three years and is president of the College Democrats and a senator for the Student Government Association. Meanwhile, as a result of the initiative, bulbs have been planted across Western North Carolina and are being incorporated into community and business landscaping plans. The bulbs need to be planted in the fall for a spring bloom, and the supplier suggests planting them one or two inches below the surface of well-drained but moist soil and in areas of dappled shade, such as under or near a deciduous tree. The dried bulbs, which also can be potted, tend to take two years to produce blooms, so bulbs planted last year grew but are not expected to produce owers until this spring. Owl-Smith said she is excited that there will be new Cullowhee lily blooms in time for the university’s 125th anniversary in 2014 and that the initiative has helped the alumni association be able to offer a second scholarship every year. “We look forward to another exciting year for the lily initiative,” said Owl-Smith. In addition, students developed a program that is in the process of being launched that will encourage and celebrate signicant involvement in service and community engagement projects. As part of the program, students are able to volunteer to support the Cullowhee lily initiative through activities such as selling bulbs. Also, students who earn the program’s highest honor, the Lily Community Engagement Award, will have a Cullowhee lily planted on campus in their honor and become honorary members of the Cullowhee Lily Society. Incorporating the Cullowhee lily into the program was important to the students who designed it because they believed the lily would not only appeal to students but also reect WCU’s roots, said Lane Perry, director CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT Cullowhee lily ower bulbs will be for sale in Jackson County through the end of October and before home Catamount football games on Saturday, Oct. 19, and Saturday, Oct. 26. of the Center for Service Learning. Belcher said she is moved that students have such an anity for the ower and excited they are taking part in the initiative. The eort would not be possible without help from many corners, including groups such as the Sylva Garden Club, whose members have helped package and sell bulbs, and the growing number of partnering businesses that assist with selling bulbs and notecards. “Our community partners are our partners in the truest sense of the word,” said Belcher. “Without them and without those who are willing to buy and plant the ower, this eort could not succeed.” Through the end of October, packages of six to eight ower bulbs that cost $10 per package can be purchased in Cullowhee at Catamount Clothing and Gifts and Tuckasegee Trading Co.; in Dillsboro at Bradley’s General Store, Dillsboro Smokehouse, Dogwood Crafters, Hopberry – A Primitive Home Collection, Oaks Gallery and Tunnel Mountain Crafts; in Sylva at Bryson Farm Supply, Country Road Farms Nursery & Garden Center, Ray’s Florist & Greenhouse and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce; and at other locations in Jackson County. In addition, bulbs and Cullowhee lily notecards will be sold before and during two Catamount home football games – the Hall of Fame Weekend game against Woord on Saturday, Oct. 19, and the Homecoming game against Elon at Saturday, Oct. 26. The games begin at 3:30 p.m. To see the most up-to-date list of initiative partners and supporters, including members of the Cullowhee Lily Society, visit lily.wcu.edu. For more information, contact Cindi Magill in the Office of Alumni Affairs at magill@wcu.edu or 828-227-7335. By Teresa Killian Tate © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 16, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Anna Fariello presents at international symposium Anna Fariello, associate professor and director of Hunter Library’s Digital Initiatives program, recently presented “Forging Archival Collaborations: Connecting Digital Humanities to Community” at the Cultural Heritage Archives Symposium in Washington, D.C. Fariello discussed three case studies from Hunter Library’s digital collections and suggested strategies to enhance successful collaboration with external community partners. She focused on the Craft Revival, Cherokee Traditions and Stories of Mountain Folk digital archives hosted at WCU as a result of agreements with regional cultural organizations. The archives serve researchers and students as well as members of the public. Held at the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, the international symposium was sponsored by the Library of Congress, the American Folklife Center and the United States Embassy. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 2, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS Association of Retired Faculty and Staff to meet Nov. 6 The Western Carolina University Association of Retired Faculty and Sta will meet on campus in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The keynote speaker for the event will be Sylva’s Gary Carden, a WCU alumnus, author, playwright and folklorist. Recipient of the 2012 North Carolina Award for Literature, Carden will discuss his latest book, “The Appalachian Bestiary,” which details mythical creatures in the region that developed out of ancient legends, folklore, history and storytelling. Event check-in begins at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a social at 10:30 a.m., a business meeting at 11:15 a.m., a Dutch treat luncheon and speaker. The association was formed in June when more than 125 retired WCU faculty and sta members and their spouses, partners and friends traveled from North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia to participate in the first meeting. “Our inaugural meeting in June was a resounding success and registrations for our November meeting are moving along rapidly,” said Gordon Mercer, president of the association and professor emeritus of political science. “We encourage spouses and friends of retired faculty and sta to attend, and for all to register early so the Dutch treat luncheon and refreshments for the meet-and-greet social may be planned.” Registration for the November meeting is requested by Tuesday, Oct. 29. For more information, contact Mercer at 828-369-2693 or Fred Hinson, president-elect and former vice chancellor for academic affairs, at 828-293-5620. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 30, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Eric Brown NOTEWORTHY NEWS Author of zombie and Bigfoot books to speak Nov. 6 Eric S. Brown, a Sylva native and author of zombie and Bigfoot books, will discuss his work and answer questions about writing horror and science ction at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Java City lounge area and will include refreshments. Brown wrote the Bigfoot War series, the A Pack of Wolves series and the Jack Bunny Bam-Bam series, and is co-author with Jason Brannon of the Crypto-Squad series. The rst book of the Bigfoot War series is slated for release as a feature film in 2014. Brown’s stand-alone titles include “Homeworld,” which he co-authored with Tony Faville; “The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies,” which he co-authored with H.G. Wells; and “Season of Rot,” “World War of the Dead: A Zombie Novel,” “The Weaponer” and “Last Stand in a Dead Land.” He also wrote the book versions of “Boggy Creek: The Legend is True,” co-authored with Jennifer Minar-Jaynes, and “The Bloody Rage of Bigfoot.” In addition, he scripts the Unstoppable Origins and Storm Chasers comic book series for Unstoppable Comics. For more information, contact Bob Strauss at Hunter Library at strauss@wcu.edu or 828-227-3400. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 30, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | David Lilly NOTEWORTHY NEWS AutoTrader.com founder to speak on campus Nov. 7 David Lilly, a business development and growth adviser with 25 years of experience in starting and expanding businesses including AutoTrader.com, will open a new guest speakers series sponsored by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Western Carolina University. The presentation, titled “A Fireside Chat with David Lilly,” will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in the theater of the A.K. Hinds University Center at WCU. The talk is open to the public free of charge. Lilly served on the small team that developed the business plan and prototype for AutoTrader.com – the online automotive marketplace. He was tasked with initial site prototyping and design, along with technical platform development. Lily integrated the design elements and technology infrastructure of www.AutoTrader.com, crafted a variety of related technology and content deals, and designed award-winning customer information systems to track customer traffic and use of the site. For more information, read the full story, call the College of Business at 828-227-7412 or email Emilie S. Berls in the dean’s office at esberls@wcu.edu. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 23, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | TOP STORIES Bookstore to host fair for graduating students, offer eco-friendly gowns The WCU Bookstore will host Destination Graduation Fair 2013 on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Students can find out about graduation announcements, cap and gown photos, diploma frames and framing services as well as caps and gowns. Gowns available this year are made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and each gown keeps an average of 23 plastic bottles from a landfill, according to information from GreenWeaver, the gown manufacturer. “We realized the importance of the university’s sustainability initiative and when we found out about this opportunity we were thrilled to be able to participate in this effort,” said Pamela DeGraffenreid, director of Catamount Stores. “For every 100 students wearing these gowns, about 2,300 bottles are being kept out of landfills.” Lauren Bishop, chief sustainability officer at WCU, said the new gowns are an opportunity for students to take pride in their accomplishments and WCU. “When they walk across the stage they can truly be a part of the Catamount spirit to ‘Reduce our Carbon Paw Print,’” said Bishop. Also at the grad fair, students will have an opportunity to find out about the WCU Senior Campaign, the Catamount Legacy Walk and connecting to WCU as an alumnus. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 30, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Brennan, Cruz and Kinner co-author article about developing graduate assistants Kathleen Brennan, associate professor of sociology; Laura Cruz, director of Coulter Faculty Commons; and Freya Kinner, instructional developer with Coulter Faculty Commons, co-authored “From Outsiders to Insiders: Graduate Assistant Development at State Comprehensive Universities,” which was recently published in the 32nd volume of To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 23, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | Burton R. Ogle NOTEWORTHY NEWS Burton Ogle presenting ‘Last Lecture’ on Oct. 24 Burton R. Ogle, professor and director of Western Carolina University’s environmental health sciences program, will address the topic “What is Cool about Environmental Health” as he delivers WCU’s “Last Lecture” on Thursday, Oct. 24. The event, recognizing a WCU faculty member who has been noted by students for teaching with great passion and enthusiasm, will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the recital hall of Coulter Building. The annual “Last Lecture” allows a chosen faculty member to share the words he or she would present if it was the final lecture he or she had a chance to give. Ogle earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree at East Tennessee State University before receiving his doctorate in public and environmental health at Virginia Commonwealth University. He taught at Virginia Commonwealth and East Carolina University before joining the WCU faculty in 2002. Ogle has been honored at WCU a number of times for his teaching abilities, three times winning the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Innovative Teaching Award. He has been a nalist for WCU’s highest campus-based teaching honor, the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, three times, and he received that award in 2008. The “Last Lecture” is sponsored by Coulter Faculty Commons and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Laura Cruz, director of Coulter Faculty Commons, at lcruz@wcu.edu or 828-227-2093. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 30, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | ACHIEVEMENTS Byrd and student present at state mosquito control meeting Brian Byrd, assistant professor of environmental health, and Michael Riles, a senior from Sylva majoring in biology with a minor in environmental health, recently presented at the Georgia Mosquito Control Association annual meeting held at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens, Ga. Byrd presented “The Validity of Common Morphological Characters Used to Identify Enzootic West Nile Virus Vectors (Culex Pipiens and Culex Restuans).” Riles presented “Morphological Considerations for the Identification of Aedes Triseriatus and Ae. Hendersoni.” Their work was carried out in part in the insectary in WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond the Glass Matrix 5/29/2017 Water Portraits: Barbara Tyroler 6/9/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' 6/10/2017 Musical Variety Show 'Livin' the Dream' LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 2, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | NOTEWORTHY NEWS Campus benefits from back-up Internet connection The completion of a second Internet service connection to Western Carolina University this summer enabled services to continue on campus Friday, Sept. 6, even though a problem with a fiber-optic cable near Huntersville caused one of the connections to go down for 11 hours. Having redundancy in Internet service connection is an important part of the Division of Information Technology’s Disaster Recovery Plan and keeping the academic and business activity of the university running without interruption. For the full story, visit “The Internet went down on September 6. Did you notice?” on DoIT News. CATEGORIES | THE REPORTER TOP STORIES NOTEWORTHY NEWS ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS PHOTOS | WCU NEWS SERVICES CALENDAR 5/29/2017 Ancient Forms, Modern Minds 5/29/2017 Print Plus One: Beyond LINKS Calendar Higher Education NewsWatch WCU Hub AFRICA! MORE THAN A CONTINENT © 2013 Western Carolina University. SEARCH Search Home About Archives Subscribe Contact WCU Home October 23, 2013 Email This Post Print This Post Share | The 2013 Homecoming football game against Elon University will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. WCU’s Homecoming Parade will begin at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in downtown Sylva. TOP STORIES Campus prepares for Homecoming events The Western Carolina University community will gather to celebrate Homecoming 2013 over a four-day period – Thursday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 27 – with events ranging from a parade in downtown Sylva to a golf tournament to a stepping competition. This year’s Homecoming theme is “Whee Are Catamounts!” Public activities will begin Oct. 24 as Burton Ogle, associate professor and director of WCU’s environmental