My Fellow Catamounts!

What a wonderful week of weather we’re having here in Cullowhee Valley!  I hope that all of you make plans to come out and participate in the Homecoming Festivities this weekend.  There are dozens of activities and events planned for this weekend, too many to list in this note, but be sure to check out the activities on-line: http://www.wcu.edu/3369.asp

Some highlights include, Thursday night’s Corey Smith concert in the Ramsey Center, Friday night’s Homecoming Parade in downtown Sylva at 6:15pm and the Spirit Night festivities at the Track Complex at 8pm (be sure to stay for the fireworks), and of course on Saturday, the day starts off with tailgating, the football game at 1pm, wrapping up that evening with the annual StompFest in the Ramsey Cetner at 8pm.  We have an exciting weekend ahead of us!

Which brings me to the subject of tailgating...  I received an email from William:

Dear Dr. Sam … I do not think you will take time to read this. However, I would like to express my dissatisfaction with the tailgating permit decision. You say it is to pay for security and make it safer to tailgate. I feel the permit should be cheaper for WCU students. You are just trying to get another buck out of the students.

William also wrote he thought the “Stay Home” weekends were a good idea, but clearly he was angry about the tailgating situation.  I’ve also read some of the comments folks shared on Facebook, and I’ve had different conversations with students that led me to believe I should share some of my thoughts on this subject.  While I’ve mostly received negative feedback, I’ve also been hearing positive things too.  So let me share some information…

I’ve said a number of times that the new tailgating process was necessary so WCU could make progress on three important priorities:  we’re building a positive foundation for the growth of tailgating in the future;  we needed to remind students of their responsibilities during tailgating activities; and most importantly, we had to take some steps to ensure the safety of our students.  We’re making good progress on all three of those priorities.

William was unhappy with the permit charge and I understand his concern.  But the permit funds are going to offset the costs associated with supporting the tailgating.  We will look at the costs at the end of this year and continue working to hold down the cost of the permits.

I’ve also heard that there is a lot of confusion about tailgating rules.  Please understand, those rules are intended to uphold state laws, university policies and to make sure everyone is safe while they have a good time.  You can review all of this information online ( http://www.wcu.edu/9375.asp ) or contact the staff at the UC and they can any answer questions you might have on tailgating. 

For this weekend’s Homecoming tailgating, almost all of the permits have sold and I think you’ll see the biggest turnout so far this season.  I hope to see y’all out there.

New subject…  Football Tickets

Several students have talked with me confused about the new football ticket process.  There has been some confusion about what students need to enter the football games.  To get into the game, students must have a valid CatCard and a printed ticket from the website (http://www.ticketreturn.com/wcu/ ).  You have to print out a unique ticket for each person – you can’t just photocopy a ticket or print multiple tickets – because once the first ticket is scanned, all the duplicates are useless.  And if you have a friend or recent graduate coming back for the game, please tell them that their old CatCard won’t work.  They have to get a ticket the right way.  I also want to encourage folks to come on into the game early to avoid the long lines and enjoy the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band pregame show!

Homecoming weekend, with all the events and the excitement of welcoming our alumni back home to Western Carolina, is a special time for our campus community.  Please take some time to make plans with your friends and create some special WCU memories this weekend!

Finally…  I feel obliged to remind folks that you need to send in those voter registration forms if you want to vote here in Jackson County.  If you want to be certain that your vote counts as we choose the next President of the United States, you need to make sure that you get your voter registration taken care of this week.  We distributed voter registration forms in the on-campus mailboxes at the UC, so don’t miss out on this important civic duty.

Whew…  That’s it for this note!  I’m all done.  Again, have a great time celebrating WCU’s Homecoming Weekend.  But let’s also remember to be a caring community that looks out for one another and keeps our community safe.  Have fun and take care of each other!

Keep those emails coming to vc-notes@wcu.edu   Go Cats! – Dr. Sam