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The Blue Banner

The Student Voice of UNC Asheville

The Blue Banner

The Student Voice of UNC Asheville

The Blue Banner

A quilted tapestry in the soon-to-be defunct drama department.
UNC Asheville planned to remove the drama department for many years
Jacob Brown, News Writer, [email protected] December 11, 2024

The drama department at UNC Asheville, like many programs cut from the university, was underfunded, understaffed and lacked thorough marketing strategies to promote its individuality. Now the department is in its last year of being offered at the university. “I'm...

A down tree blocks a highway exit.
Blackouts and the kindness of a stranger: a Hurricane Helene story
Sarah Booth, Co-Editor-in-Chief, [email protected] December 11, 2024

The unforgiving north wind whips through the forest behind a blue house in a cul de sac not far from the lake, causing the house to creak and...

“Team Edgerton” Gingerbread Trail of Giving at Rocket Fizz Downtown Asheville, NC
Asheville turns tradition into community revival
Gabriel Gold-Leighton, Mcom student contributor, [email protected] December 11, 2024

Each year, the Grove Park Inn hosts a national gingerbread house competition, where locals and tourists compete for a $7,500 prize and a two-night...

Lydia Ham’s most recent studio set up in Owen Hall.
The Journey of B.F.A. painter Lydia Ham
Natalie Garcia, MCOM student contributor, [email protected] December 10, 2024

From Perry County, Indiana, Lydia Ham, awed UNC Asheville’s art community for the last four years using her creative outlets to express herself...

Southern states becoming hub for Northeast migrants
Southern states becoming hub for Northeast migrants
Emily Koscinski, Arts&Features Writer, [email protected] December 6, 2024

Amidst changes in career paths, climate, and culture, northeastern Americans flock to southern states like the Carolinas, leaving some locals...

On the table sits a laptop with Google Meet pulled up on it, a candle burning, "The Seven Year Slip" by Ashley Poston in paperback, a kindle and a cup of tea.
Readers dig deep into the taboos of romance while praising digital book clubs post Helene
Sarah Booth, Co-Editor-in-Chief, [email protected] December 3, 2024

UNC Asheville students keep in touch digitally, inspired by the online class format widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. "One of my...

Unfiltered travel: Rediscovering authenticity in a social media-obsessed world
Unfiltered travel: Rediscovering authenticity in a social media-obsessed world
Melody Cosgrove, Arts & Features writer, [email protected] November 20, 2024

As someone who grew up in an era when sharing your every move on social media was completely unheard of, I now find myself longing to lead a...

Decorative Background
Letters from us to you as we pass the torch
Letters from us to you as we pass the torch
Sarah Booth, Brandon Washington, Abigail Cutler, and Emily Moosbrugger December 9, 2024

From the past co-editors: Dear UNC Asheville, Before I transferred to UNCA, I worked at a factory. There were a series of rooms inside...

UNC Asheville Study abroad program offers transformative experience in Greece
Melody Cosgrove, Arts & Features writer, [email protected] December 6, 2024

UNC Asheville is set to launch a summer study abroad program in Greece, offering students a blend of academic enrichment and cultural immersion....

UNC Asheville swim and dive members Beatrice Cocconcelli, Tess Peny, Savana Bush, Meli Priesly, Olivia Ciancimino, Miriam Wheatley, Caroline Crouse, Danai Gkogkosi cheering for Swimming Intersquad 2024
Student-athletes struggle to keep everything under control
Danai Gkogkosi, Mcom student contributor, [email protected] December 6, 2024

UNC Asheville student-athletes face intense pressures from high expectations, demanding schedules, social media and stigma, affecting their mental...

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Youthanasia: A 30-Year reflection of the success, personality and message of Megadeth
Connor Sutherland, Arts&Features Writer, [email protected] December 6, 2024

In the mid-1980s, American Thrash Metal band Megadeth was making massive achievements in mainstream heavy metal. With monumental metal albums like “Killing is My Business… and Business is Good!” and “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” Megadeth...

Leprosy: The brutal expertise of death
Connor Sutherland, [email protected], Staff writer • December 6, 2024

In the early 1980s, a change in American youth was underway. The sound of the rebellious 70s Punk genre had begun to shift. The Hard Rock genre had become larger, and with that rise, came the jolting energy and blistering anger of youth. Gripping a divided...

Ride The Lightning: Metallica’s meteoric soar to success
Connor Sutherland, Arts&Features Writer, [email protected] December 6, 2024

Legends, Masters, and Pioneers- all names given to the unmatched talent of Metallica. Born in Los Angeles, in October of 1981, talented guitarist,...

Damaged Cotton Mill Studios sign and debris in River Arts District, Asheville.
Amidst tragedy, Democrats still fail to connect with the common man
Benjamin Ellis, contributor, [email protected] December 4, 2024

In the wake of a second Trump election, pandemonium struck in my university's city. Tucked away in the foothills of Appalachia, known for...

A tale of two Hendersonvilles
A tale of two Hendersonvilles
Samantha Adams, Contributor, [email protected] November 27, 2024

I’ve formerly disclosed my distaste regarding the construction of penthouse apartments in downtown Hendersonville, not solely because I’m...

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