WHEELife

Hear from graduates on their experience at WCU, involvement within their programs, and advice for those still in college. Sam Scroggins talks about how she found the Communication major through the advice of a professor, and Halle Stanley gives advice on why managing your time as a student is important.For graduate and doctoral degrees, the ceremony starts on May 8 at 7 p.m. For honors and undergraduate degrees for the Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts, the ceremony starts on May 9 at 10 a.m. For honors and undergraduate degrees for Business, Engineering and Technology, and Health and Human Sciences, the ceremony is May 9, starting at 3 p.m.All graduation ceremonies will be held at the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center. For more information on graduation click here.The podcast was produced by WCJ Editor-In-Chief and WWCU General Manager, Halle Stanley and WCJ News Editor, Sam Scroggins. They are both graduating. Congrats to all and …GO CATS!

 This week on Whee Life, we’re focusing on arts and entertainment at Western Carolina University. We’ll share details on current campus exhibits, highlight recent performances, and preview events still to come. You’ll hear from Bardo Arts Center marketing manager Rachel Hood, along with student reporters, about standout art exhibits, events at the Bardo Arts Center, and the upcoming Controlled Chaos Film Festival. 

NASA accomplished something historic. We are step closer to going back to the Moon. Artemis 2 mission to orbit the moon and come back in 10 days was successful and as NASA says on their website “the first crewed Artemis flight marks a key step toward long‑term return to the Moon and future missions to Mars.”  For WCU geology professor Dr. Amy Fagan the Artemis missions are personal.

Scams are not new and happen all over the world. But with advancements in technology, it has become shockingly easier to fall victim to a scam. From email and online scams to bank fraud, technology has helped thieves steal from seasoned professionals and even it employees.    Technology has also helped many professionals through shortening projects and keeping patient records electronically.  Hear all this and more in this week’s Whee Life news magazine.

Pew research found that overall young adults tend to be less religious than older adults.One research study found that the percentage of adults who identify as Christian has declined since 2007. However, the same study showed that between 2014 and 2019 the decline stabilized.Another study conducted from 2023-2024 found that 57% of people surveyed who were born in or before the 1940s are members of a religious congregation, whereas only 27% of people born in 2000 to 2006 are.Sam Scroggins talked with  Dr. Jeffrey Vickery, a philosophy and religion professor at WCU and Pastor at Cullowhee Baptist Church, to talk about his experience as a pastor and professor.She also talked to two students at WCU and their religious journeys.

The month of March is dedicated to women’s history month, a time to recognize the contributions women have made throughout history. Women’s history month traces its roots back to March 8, 1857, when women working in factories in New York City protested poor working conditions.In 169 years since then women in U.S. have gain and lost recognition, power, rights…Hear more on the history of women history month, what it means to women today and what women continue to fight for. We spoke with WCU students Jessica Acosta- Gaspar, Ximena Medina Mendez and Jannah Hightower to get their perspective. You will hear a about Southern women role in human rights fight and regulating history textbooks that is not flattering – something we don’t often hear about. Elizabeth McRae, an associate professor of History at WCU, focuses on race, gender and politics in the modern South.McRae discussed the ways women have progressed equality while reinforcing systems of racial and social inequality.

Our sports editor and reports Owen Flemming and Alex Pickard review the coverage from SOCON tournament at the start of March and how the spring season is going with the WCU softball coach, Jim Clift, tennis coach Bret Beaver, and track coach Jesse Norman.

WCU is on break but we worked hard to bring you information on what students and doing and going; some are taking a work break helping veterans in Asheville and much more.  

Hear who won the primaries in Jackson County on March 3 and will be on the ballot in November. Also find out what issues were important for voters, candidates, students and student leaders. 

This week we are talking about the primary elections – early voting and the upcoming  election day on March 3rd.Listen to hear more about key voter information, resources, early voting and dates. We have political science professor Dr. Chris Cooper on why primaries matter and can you buy the elections. The director of the Jackson County Board of Elections, Amanda Allen shares some important information and dates regarding voting. 

This is the last episode in the Fall 2025 season. 

 This week we are talking science. Here from the North Carolina Forest Service public information office, Philip Jackson, on the dangers of forest fires post Helene and how we can all help in preventing them. We also have our ayes to the sky and talked to professor Enrique Gomez about new comet who is not alien space ship, Aurora Borealis and meteor showers you can see. 

 Election Day for the 2025 municipal elections was Nov. 4. Jackson County Election Director Amanda Allen shares more about all that happened this year. Listen to hear more about election results, what municipal elections are and early information about the primary election happening in March. 

WCU Football team season so far and hear from players and coaches at WCU on their successes and what drives them.  

Hear about 2025 Mountain Heritage Days in the Whee! The 51 celebration of the Appalachian people, traditions, culture brought over 10.000 people at WCU during a week long of activities and festivities. 

We start Season 2 of WHEE Life with an episode dedicate to one year after Hurricane Helene. We speak with people reflecting on the impact and response and recovery after the devastation of the storm one year later.   

Hear what our graduates say about the good, the bad and the ugly of the college life but also how you can grow and what to expect. The graduation Spring ceremony is Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10. 

Welcome to WheeLife, the radio news magazine for Cullowhee, Jackson County and the region.This is the first show and is a collaboration between the Western Carolina Journalist and 95.3 WWCU.You will hear us every Friday at 4 p.m. until the end of the semester.Tune in to hear news from your local area each week and if you miss us on the air you can listen to the episode below. Hear about wildfire season starting, the new DEI policy changes at WCU, Rep. Chuck Edwards and his recent town halls and construction on campus.