The Echo

Student News from Warren Wilson College The publication was renamed The Talon in 1976 and later renamed the Common Tongue in 1989.

The Echo student-run newspaper was first published in 1942, just a short time after Warren Wilson Vocational Junior College began admitting women. In early 2000, it reverted back to The Echo until December 2016, when the College decided to stop running it due to a lack of funding. On November 16, 2020, a new chapter of The Echo begins. The Echo encourages readers to respond to issues raised in our

pages via letters to the editor. Letters can be submitted to [email protected] by 3 p.m. on the Sunday before publication (Wednesdays) and should not exceed 300 words. Letters that do not meet the deadline or word limit will be considered on a space-available basis. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. By submitting a letter, you give permission to reproduce your letter in any format. The Echo reserves the right of editorial review of all submissions. Comment Policy
The Echo intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to our standards and to be respectful and constructive. We ask that you refrain from the use of foul language, personal attacks, derogatory remarks or comments that might be interpreted as libelous. We reserve the right to delete comments that do not align with our standards.

12/13/2025

Orchids to...

Winter Break (officially only one week to go!)

Everyone who worked so hard to put on Winter Sale

The Library for having tea and hot cocoa again

Onions to...

The new Gladfelter dish rules

Finals :(

Closing Gladfelter Dining hall for five hours on Sunday to put up Winter Formal decorations

12/13/2025

Our winter break is approaching steadily as the fall semester comes to a close. Soon, a majority of us will be going home to our loved ones to celebrate the upcoming festivities and get the chance to curl up by a real or metaphorical fire, finally watching the shows and movies you’ve been meaning to watch. Now there is what some would call a ‘classic collection’ of mostly Christmas movies. I’m here to share them to help you get in the festive spirit.

Starting with the iconic king of Christmas, who has no fear of calling out the capitalist values it holds, you know him, you love him: The Grinch from the classic film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000). The film is an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s tale of the reclusive, grouchy Grinch (Jim Carrey), who decides to ruin Christmas for the citizens of Whoville, accompanied by his dog, Max. The Grinch plans to steal any holiday-themed items from the Whos, only to have his plans interrupted by the kind Cindy Lou (Taylor Momsen), who shows him compassion and the true meaning of Christmas.

Moving on to an equally chaotic film, “Elf” (2003), which I will, hesitantly, say has a message about family amidst it all. The film follows Buddy (Will Ferrell), who was accidentally brought to the North Pole as a baby and raised by Santa’s elves. After he is all grown up, he starts feeling out of place and tries to find his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), in New York. Buddy learns that his father is a cynical businessman who refuses to believe that Buddy is his son. Still, after a quick DNA test proves his paternity, Hobbs reluctantly tries to form a relationship with his son. But mayhem ensues as Buddy isn’t quite used to acting like a regular adult.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Marshal Alvarado!

12/13/2025

We’ve nearly made it to winter break, Warren Wilson! In lieu of a more complex article discussing very serious matters (like coffee shops), I come to you one last time with a little piece about holiday rituals and traditions, and a bit of news from my end.

Living with the seasons is a lost art these days, with work, friends and phones draining all of our attention. It’s easy to feel like the joy of the holidays is lost as we get older, but if you tune into your surroundings and take a moment to fully experience them, I have a feeling you’ll discover that at least a little magic still exists.

To find out more about students’ winter holiday celebrations, I sent out a small survey last week. At the time of writing, it only has seven responses, all very sweet. The survey is open to responses if you feel inclined to reminisce on winter seasons past. If not, I hope this article will serve as a reminder to make time for yourself to breathe when things get hectic throughout the next month and beyond.

All of my survey respondents chose to remain anonymous, so I’ve structured this article as a question-and-answer piece. Holiday inspiration abounds!

***

As a child, what holidays did you celebrate during the winter, if any?

Eighty-five percent of respondents celebrated New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 71% celebrated Christmas, 28% celebrated Hanukkah and 14% celebrated Kwanzaa and the Winter Solstice, respectively.

Did you look forward to the holidays as a child? Do you still look forward to the season now?

While 100% of the respondents agreed that they looked forward to the holidays as children, only 71% still fully look forward to the holiday season today.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Mallory Wallace-Usry.

12/13/2025

Warren Wilson College (WWC) students may have noticed an increase in the number of bears roaming around campus, and many may be asking why there have been so many active near residence halls and other populated areas of campus. The BearWise crew specializes in understanding how to make the WWC campus safe while being cautious of the bears that have taken residence, helping to manage inevitable run-ins between students and wildlife.

Jacob White, a sophomore on the BearWise crew, has been taking steps to ensure the safety of students when they interact with bears. His role in the crew is to focus on community outreach, public education and reducing bear interactions through training.

“[The BearWise crews] main goals are to reduce bear activity on campus and to get bear-proof trash kits on campus,” White said.

Bear sightings on campus have increased exponentially because Hurricane Helene stirred up debris and trash, which resulted in drawing bears from their natural habitat.

“There’s always been an influx of bears,” White said. “This year they’ve been a little bit bolder than usual.”

Crab apple trees have been an attraction for bears, as well as blueberry and blackberry bushes located on campus. With the increase of bears on campus, according to USA Today’s article, it is suggested by the state of North Carolina for WWC’s Public Safety officers to use paintball guns to deter their presence, according to hazing guidelines. Many locals mentioned in the article have used rubber balls opposed to paintballs for the safety of the bears, but that is not a legal requirement.

Mazzy Carroll is a junior who works on both the Bio/ENS Crew and the BearWise Crew. Their role consists of communicating with crews and the community about being aware of bears, sometimes accomplished by donning a bear suit. Most of the information shared during these presentations is provided to BearWise from WWC’s Outdoor Leadership Crew. Carroll emphasized the impact of Hurricane Helene’s destruction on the increase in on-campus bear sightings.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Solie Lawson.

12/13/2025

The Winter Sale has been a popular end-of-the-semester event at Warren Wilson College (WWC) for well over a decade. This event was hosted in Bryson Gym and spearheaded by Herb Crew, a sub-crew of Garden Crew, on December 6. This year, the Winter Sale had hundreds of attendees and dozens of vendors, a stark difference from the two vendors from the first-ever Winter Sale.

Vera Sole Pandolfo, a junior on Herb Crew, led the charge in planning the event, collaborating with Business Crew, Facilities and Public Safety to ensure success, safety and set-up.

“This was my first semester really having this role, and developing and organizing [the sale],” Pandolfo said. “Last year, with all the chaos of the hurricane…no one was really trained on how to run [it].’”

Pandolfo relied heavily on information left behind by Ian Ibarra and Rosemary Thurber and started the process of organizing the event in October. Completing a wide range of tasks like emailing vendors, getting approval to host in Bryson Gym, sourcing volunteers and confirming vendors and payments.

“It was so lovely to have put in so much work and time into [the Winter Sale], and then be met with so much enthusiasm,” Pandolfo said. “People were super excited to be there, and vending and super grateful for the opportunity. Just to be surrounded by so many lovely people that were willing to help and support me through that [has] been super great.”

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Emily Cobb.

12/13/2025

As the fall semester comes to an end, The Echo wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the biggest things that have happened on campus since August.

Warren Wilson College (WWC) celebrated its biggest freshman class since 2018, with almost 260 students. The college also finished its first full semester with reduced tuition, making the estimated cost of attendance around $39,990. The animal science major was christened, and WWC welcomed new staff like Ian Smith, the director of operations and facilities, and visiting faculty like professor of English and communication Sarah Sgro, history professor Cris Culton and professor of environmental science Hayley Joyell Smith. The college also welcomed back John Davidson as the assistant director of Public Safety.

The Nielsen Big Ideas lecture series brought activist and podcaster Chenjerai Kumanyaki to WWC to talk about “Police, Podcasts and Politics”, while WWC also hosted the “Borders and Bodies” film screening and panel discussion about the intersection of transgender and immigration rights. WWC also brought Katy Schafer, actress and activist Hunter Schafer’s mother, to campus to discuss her experiences as the parent of a transgender child and her role as a faith leader.

September saw the college honoring the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene with a week of events culminating with a tree planting on Cowpie Lawn.

Bears were a consistent feature of the semester, with many making regular appearances near Sunderland Hall in dumpsters in the Kitteredge Parking lot, and sleeping in the large tree behind Mitchell. Mold was also a persistent problem on campus, with students like Grace Kalinowski advocating for better remediation practices as some, like residents in the basement of Sunderland Hall, were forced to evacuate their spaces.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Clara Shirley & Ryleigh Johnson.

12/13/2025

For the last 40 years, Asheville’s Black population has been in decline.

On Nov. 12, the Asheville Watchdog sponsored a panel discussion at the Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Community Center to address the question: Why are so many Black people leaving Asheville? Leading up to the event, reporters Dan DeWitt, John Boyle and Sally Kestin interviewed dozens of current and former residents of the city to produce a four-part news series, “Losing Our Soul.”

In 1981, one in every five Asheville residents was Black. According to census data retrieved by the Watchdog, this ratio dropped to one in 13 by 2024.

Boyle led the panel and posed the first question of the evening to Dr. Dwight Mullen, former chair of the Asheville Community Reparations Commission and professor emeritus of political science at UNCA—Why should all residents of Asheville care about this?

“For those who do care, I think your attention has to be gained by looking at Black folk as the virus canaries…in that if Black folk can be priced out of the city, if we can be gentrified away for a variety of reasons, [then] we can be pushed for social-cultural reasons.” Dr. Mullen said. “If Asheville becomes a site of oligarchy rule—guess what’s waiting for you?”

In 2017, Realtor.com ranked Asheville as the second fastest gentrifying city in the country. Beginning during the urban renewal projects of the 1960s, this process has transformed large sections of the historic Southside neighborhood into the current River Arts District. In 2025, the average rent for a studio apartment in Asheville was $1,559, 12% higher than in 2024. The average two-bedroom apartment costs $1,916 per month; however, the majority of listed apartments in Asheville are priced at over $2,100 per month.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Catherine Lang.

12/13/2025

For the first time since 2015, Warren Wilson College’s Yearbook Crew is back in action. After one semester of sorting out logistics and capturing countless photos, here’s a status update on the project.

So far, we’ve taken just short of 1,000 photos of events ranging from Empty Bowls to Sage Cafe parties to the performative masc contest on Cowpie lawn, a both iconic and revolutionary campus happening. In addition to the images we’ve taken, we’ve received upwards of 85 pictures submitted by the student body, which have all been incredibly exciting to look through. Our ultimate goal is to capture the essence of Warren Wilson, and your submissions do an excellent job of achieving that goal.

Speaking of, do you still have photos, art, or writing from throughout the year you’d like to see featured in the yearbook? Fear not, there’s still time to submit your favorite fall semester moments! Six days, to be exact. Follow this link to put your work (whether that means photos taken seconds before leaving the house for a party or professionally taken headshots) in the running for a feature in the yearbook before the end of next Monday, December 15.

On the topic of student submissions, listen up, December grads! First, congratulations on getting so close to completing your time here. Second, make sure you’re not forgotten – submit your senior profile ASAP with the familiar deadline of next Monday, December 15. Press this link to do so!

Now that we’ve plugged our cause, allow us to continue our update. We’ve been working on designing spreads, editing photos, and accumulating quotes to highlight student and faculty experiences of various events throughout the year. We’ve taken the vast majority of group work crew photos with only a few remaining next semester, which will be a significant milestone for us upon their completion.

Read more at wwcecho.news!

Story by Neko Heinrich.

12/04/2025

As the festive holiday season gets closer, so too does the annual stress that comes with it. Whether it be because finals are around the corner, or being aware of the amount of family that will be visiting over break and asking how college has been going as you sit there recovering from the burnout of the semester, there are plenty of reasons to need to unwind. Whatever the source of stress may be, we can all agree that it’s essential to take some time for ourselves to recover and stay sane during this busy period.

For the average college student, stress can manifest in various ways, each unique to the individual. For some people, stress shows up as a sense of exhaustion or digestive issues; for others, feeling tired, unable to rest or socially isolated.

These stress-related symptoms lead to our immune systems becoming weaker, which doesn’t help during the flu and cold season, along with other viruses and mold-related issues we are currently experiencing on campus.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) suggests many self-care tips, such as the basics of eating regular, healthy meals and staying hydrated, making sleep a priority and staying connected with friends.

But it’s easy to get carried away and not even think about any self-care in the midst of studying for final exams and keeping up with assignments. This is why it’s crucial to set some time aside to focus on oneself.

For me, I always try to study in intervals. For every 30 minutes of studying, I give myself five or 10 minutes in between work to relax and grab a snack, use the bathroom, drink some water or just reconnect with my surroundings. This technique is more commonly known as the Pomodoro study method. It lets me stay focused but not consumed in my work so that I don’t go on autopilot, where I would normally end up forgetting how much time has passed and neglecting to take care of myself. I would recommend this method as it helps me quite a lot when I feel overwhelmed. Studying works differently for everyone, so it’s always good to figure out what works best for you!

Click the link in our bio or go to wwcecho.news to read more!

Story by Marshal Alvarado.
Photo by Neko Heinrich.

12/04/2025

Maylee Wymer, a sophomore, has been bringing her 10 month old, mostly grey-coated kitten Susie to campus for this semester. Wymer describes her personality as chill and laid back but very food motivated. Susie has an odd liking for watermelon and has been known to steal it from people’s plates or even their mouths if they are not careful. She also has a liking for licking the condensation off of cups. Susie is an unofficial emotional support pet for Wymer, always open to getting some pats from friends.

Click the link in our bio or go to wwcecho.news to learn more!

Story by Marshall Alvarado.

12/04/2025

Jetta Ghosthorse is a senior and one of the starting members of the Land Acknowledgement Committee (LAC) at Warren Wilson College (WWC). Ghosthorse started the LAC their sophomore year after expressing concern about the lack of recognition and education about the rich history of the land on which WWC resides.

“How do we not only create representation for Indigenous identity, but also to acknowledge the land we’re on, and almost create a voice for the land too?” Ghosthorse said.

The LAC’s purpose is to acknowledge the land on which WWC resides and the history before the school’s founding in 1894, and to create a deeper understanding and connection with the land.

“I think there are lots of different reasons why [the LAC is] important,” Ghosthorse said. “Mostly to acknowledge the history of this land prior to the school’s founding. I really do think when we integrate a history and knowledge base, that’s so beyond our conception of time, we actually enhance our ability to learn and connect with a place.”

Scotti Norman is an assistant professor of material culture and archaeology and a member of the LAC. Since working closely with the land and the ancestral people who have cared for it, Norman felt upset with the lack of land acknowledgement given the school’s pride in land stewardship. Norman emphasises the importance of education to gain a deeper understanding.

The LAC recently held a meeting with the president’s council to share its proposal for how to better integrate the land acknowledgement into the WWC world. This includes integrating educational efforts surrounding Indigenous representation and traditional ecological knowledge into learning opportunities, adding material markers to identify specific Indigenous regions, plant and animal species, giving a better understanding of the diversity of Indigenous identity and many other ideas to benefit the WWC community. The council unanimously approved the Indigenous Representation and Right Relationship Proposal and invited the LAC to present at the next board of trustees meeting in February.

Click the link in our bio or go to wwcecho.news to read more!

Story by Sophie Aguilar.

12/04/2025

On November 20, a film screening of “Gather” was hosted in Boon Hall room 110 for students hoping to learn more about food sovereignty–a system where people prioritize culturally significant foods in a certain area–and how we can reclaim our relationship with food, specifically in Indigenous culture. The film showing included a panel of experts.

The 2020 film documentary began by exploring food droughts located in Northern California and the impact it had on the White Mountain Apache tribe residing there. Chef Nephi Criag is introduced as an Apache tribe member who cooks food locally grown in northern California for his Cherokee neighbors. Criag explains, “It was never organic, it was just food to us.” His focus in the film is teaching Indigenous people how he will address food sovereignty by opening his own restaurant featuring Cherokee food.

Twila Cassadore is a forager who, throughout the film, advocates for food security among the Apache community. We also follow Elsie DuBray, whose grandfather is the owner of acres of Cherokee land and which is a home for wild buffalo. In the film, Elsie enters her high school science fair with the project of comparing the health benefits of grass-fed buffalo and grain-fed buffalo.

How foods are being reintroduced to Cherokee people and their children – the foods of their heritage, grown from the soil they stand on – is one of the major topics explored and is a conclusion to the film.

Click the link in our bio or go to wwcecho.news to read more!

Story by Trinity Larsen.

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