UNC-system happenings, November 22, 2013

UNC-A and WCU participate in Adventure Education Conference

Students in outdoor education programs from universities across western North Carolina, including Western Carolina University and UNC-Asheville, met this month to present research, learn new outdoor skills and discuss opportunities in their fields.

Josh Whitmore,associate director of outdoor programs at WCU, said even though the annual Adventure Education Conference is more than two decades old, it has gained more popularity in recent years.

In the past, it has mostly been confined to several universities in western North Carolina, but this year there were students from colleges in Tennessee and Virginia.

“For outdoor education majors, it’s a professional development opportunity for them to expand their horizons on some topics that they don’t get in their academic program,” Whitmore said.

He also said it is a great opportunity for people to network with students and professors from other institutions in the state, as well as employers who are looking for potential job and internship candidates.

The conference was at Montreat College, and next year will be hosted at Brevard College.

UNC-C professor organizes first Death Cafe

Death Cafes are an increasingly popular trend coming to universities.

On Thursday, there was a Death Cafe at UNC-CH. And last week, UNC-Charlotte had its first one hosted by Jillian Tullis, assistant professor of communication studies at UNC-Charlotte.

Tullis said it was an opportunity for people from a range of different backgrounds to come together and openly discuss the concept of death.

More than 50 people attended the meeting, which far exceeded Tullis’ expectations.

Among the attendees were students, professors, former nurses, stay-at-home moms and funeral home owners.

Tullis said some of the main topics discussed were how to cope with a loved one’s death, how to deal with grief and how to respect someone’s last wishes.

Tullis plans on holding another death cafe sometime in December.

UNC-W hosts panel on gun violence

UNC-Wilmington professors met last week to discuss the recent rise Wilmington has seen in gun violence and to field questions from the community.

Craig Burnett, a professor of public and international affairs who was on the panel, said the focus of the discussion was the new state law allowing people with a concealed-carry permit to have handguns in their cars on public university campuses.

Burnett said the law hasn’t noticeably affected anyone yet.

“The letter of the law states individuals can carry concealed on campus, but the handgun must be locked securely in their car,” he said.

He said though there has been a recent spat of gun violence in Wilmington, homicides as a whole have been declining for many years.

“The community’s response to the recent increase in violence is in part due to the desire to limit the impact of gun violence in the community,” Burnett said.

NCCU collaborates with community college on nursing program

North Carolina Central University announced on Monday the launch of a program called Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses, a collaborative effort between the school and Central Carolina Community College,

Students will take most classes at CCCC for their first three years but are required to take at least one course per semester at NCCU, according to a statement released by the university.

Their last year will consist of only classes at NCCU. Most classes offered through NCCU are available online, so students will not have to be physically present on the campus in Durham.

“Not only are we increasing the number of well-trained nurses in the pipeline, we’re also steering them to the communities where they are most needed,” said NCCU Chancellor Debra Saunders-White in a statement.