Campus Profile: Western Carolina University

Campus Reform Campus Profiles evaluate individual American college campuses based on liberal bias, speech codes, and other relevant policies and factors.

Western Carolina University is a public university in Cullowhee. Around 10,500 undergraduate students are enrolled at the university.

Official Political Student Organizations: 

Conservative Organizations: 

College Republicans

Turning Point USA at Western Carolina University

Liberal Organizations:

Act Now to Stop War and End Racism

Animal Rights Club

Black Student Union

College Democrats at Western Carolina University

College of Education and Allied Professionals Diversity Committee

Latinx Appreciation Student Organization

REDDOT@WCU

Sexuality and Gender Alliance

Sunrise Movement 

FEC Data on Western Carolina University Political Donations:

According to Campus Reform’s analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) data, Western Carolina University employee political donations contributed 51.13%% to Democrat candidates, while 24.85% went to Republican candidates during the 2020 cycle.

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education Rating:

Western Carolina University has been given a green light speech code. According to FIRE, “Green light institutions are those colleges and universities whose policies nominally protect free speech.”

COVID-19:

Western Carolina University is NOT requiring a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students and employees.

Campus Reform stories about Western Carolina University:

Professors publish $250 book on vegan studies, its links to ‘queer theory,’ ‘anti-racism,’ and ‘ecofeminism’

Three dozen professors wrote a book on veganism’s relation to anti-racism, feminism, queer theory, anti-capitalism, religion, posthumanism, and other disciplines. One of the contributors said the publication’s prohibitive cost made her feel ‘sad.’

EXCLUSIVE: Staff surprised by the unfamiliar pronouns approved for campus use

Western Carolina University has added 12 different pronoun comninations to the student learning management system portal, Canvas. Some of the added pronoun combinations include (Ze/Hir), (Fae/Faer), (E/Eir), and (Xe/Xem).

’Disgusting and reprehensible’: Faculty sells ‘woke’ t-shirts amid ‘Gender Unicorn’ controversy, students react

The Western Carolina University faculty senate deleted an Instagram post promoting a ‘woke’ t-shirt it designed. The t-shirt sales were part of a fundraiser for Lambda Legal, a pro-LGBTQ+ legal organization.