Palmetto Report

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Winthrop University provides many opportunities for its students, including the chance to get published in the school’s literary magazine. The Anthology , housed in Winthrop’s office of student publications, is published once per year and focuses on literature, photography, design, art and poetry. The publication has been the university’s literary magazine for about 100 years,...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- South Carolina will soon play a key role in the 2020 presidential election, as the state will host the "first in the South" primary Feb. 29. As a result, a number of Democratic candidates have been traveling to the state to campaign and reach out to voters. Most recently, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren made stops in Rock Hill. Additionally,...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Academic advising for the spring 2020 semester has begun at Winthrop University and with that comes many questions and concerns for students at every level of the school. Dr. Adria Belk, director of student services for the College of Arts and Sciences, spoke with the Palmetto Report to discuss advising and preparation for graduation. Belk says students should be prepared when...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- A South Carolina lawmaker plans to file a bill later this year that would ban discrimination based on wearing hair in a natural style, which could included curls, dreadlocks, twists or braids. Rep. Kambrell Garvin (D-Richland) will file the "CROWN Act" (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) to ban discrimination of facial features, hair textures, hair types,...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- The Charlotte Area Paranormal Society (CAPS) has been investigating unexplained activity across the Carolinas since 2005. The non-profit group’s goal, according to its website , is to document and prove the validity of haunted places through research and investigations. In the spirit of Halloween, the Palmetto Report spoke with Tina McSwain, founder and executive director of C...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- The Charlotte Area Paranormal Society (CAPS) has been investigating unexplained activity across the Carolinas since 2005. The non-profit group’s goal, according to its website , is to document and prove the validity of haunted places through research and investigations. In the spirit of Halloween, the Palmetto Report spoke with Tina McSwain, founder and executive director of C...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and South Carolina is now ranked the fifth deadliest state in the nation for women who are killed by men. According to the Washington, D.C. based Violence Policy Center, there were 52 women killed by men in the state in 2017, which was a rate of 2.01 women per 100,000 thousand men, based on an analysis of homicide data . South Carol...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Democrats in Washington are calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment after a whistleblower’s complaint that Trump pressured the president of the Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential rival in the 2020 election. Considering this is such a rare occurrence the Palmetto Report explored the topic of impeachment with Dr. John Holder, an adjunct...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Student loan debt, at about $1.5 trillion, is now the second-largest debt market in the U.S. behind home mortgages, with the average student carrying more than $33,000 in student loans upon graduation. Additionally, a national survey of more than 18,000 undergraduate students at 52 colleges and universities, conducted by Ohio State University, found 70 percent reported feeling...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- The use of big data -- including information from maps, spreadsheets and large databases -- is becoming more important in the field of journalism. That was the message Gavin Off, data reporter at the Charlotte Observer, gave to students during a presentation last month at Winthrop University. "We're still journalists, we're still reporters, but we want to ask the data question...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Brandon Taylor, a news anchor in Columbia, S.C., told students at Winthrop University the news business isn’t as glamorous or lucrative as some might think, during the school’s annual Mass Comm Week. The three-day event, hosted by the Department of Mass Communication, included a series of speakers and panel discussions Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Taylor, who was part of a panel of alum...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — To kick off campus sustainability month, Winthrop University’s Office of Sustainability is hosting an event called Weigh the Waste, in order to draw attention to the issue of food waste. It’s estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the food supply is wasted, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which means billions of pounds of food ultimately ends up in landfills. Chris...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Charles Perry, the 2019 S.C. Press Association Journalist of the Year and a Winthrop University alum, told students they need to acquire a myriad of skills to work in the field of journalism, during the school’s annual Mass Comm Week. “Students need to be able to not only write clearly, write powerful stories, but they also need to be able to take compelling photographs, shoot...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — National Hispanic Heritage month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and Hispanics represent about 5 percent of the population in South Carolina . According to the U.S. Department of Education, undergraduate enrollment for Hispanic students has doubled to 3 million from 2000 to 2015. However, Hispanic students only represent 4.8 percent of those enrolled at Winthrop University, as compared...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — An Alabama man has become the state’s first death related to lung disease associated with vaping, officials announced Wednesday (Oct. 2). It’s the 17th vaping-related death in the U.S. after officials in Virginia and New Jersey announced confirmed cases the day before (Oct. 1). Amanda Harris, reporter for The Herald in Rock Hill, spoke with the Palmetto Report to discuss the is...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- September is National Suicide Prevention Month and the World Health Organization calls suicide a “global crisis," as the group estimates a person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 47,000 suicides in the U.S. in 2017, which is a rate of about 129 per day. The CDC estimates for every one suicide death, another 280 people s...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Winthrop University has joined the growing number of schools to host a varsity esports program . Esports, which is competitive video gaming, has grown in popularity in recent years with international tournaments, millions of viewers worldwide and millions of dollars in prize money. Josh Sides, the head coach of Winthrop’s esports team, appeared on the Palmetto Report to discus...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) –- In July of this year, Rock Hill began its free public bus service called My Ride Rock Hill that includes seven all-electric buses that follow four fixed routes around the city. It's the first bus service in the country to be completely electric from the beginning and the buses feature USB charging ports at every seat, free Wi-Fi and screens that run community messages. My Ride...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Maintaining a positive body positive, especially on a college campus, can be difficult, as negative feelings can lead to anxiety, depression or eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia or body dysmorphia. Dr. Gretchen Baldwin, licensed psychologist and clinical coordinator for counseling services at Winthrop University, appeared on the Palmetto Report to discuss the topic o...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- How many times a week do you get a notification that a new update is available for a computer, mobile device or app you use Updates are a constant part of our technology driven lives, with new versions constantly adding new features, fixing issues and improving security. Richard Tyner, instructor and lab coordinator at Winthrop University, joined the Palmetto Report to discuss...

 (Rock Hill, S.C.) -- This semester, rumors have circulated among students at Winthrop University that Campus Police have been losing officers to the Rock Hill Police Department, which has led to a decline in services. However, Chief Ken Scoggins, who has worked at Winthrop for 18 years, said there is only a small grain of truth to staffing rumors. “Staffing issues is a problem that is not on...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Winthrop University is one of several NCAA Division I schools throughout the country experiencing a decline in athletic attendance, especially in men’s basketball . The Winthrop Coliseum holds up to 6,100 fans, making it one of the larger arenas in the Big South Conference, however, the university fails to fill the seats on a consistent basis. Winthrop averages 2,121 people pe...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Winthrop University students in the Department of Design are preparing to present their senior portfolios, which will showcase their work over the past four years. The senior portfolio show  has traditionally been the capstone activity for graduating illustration and graphic design students, but this year it will also include interaction design and interior design student...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Winthrop University is working to increase the number of students who study abroad and recruit more international students to the school. The move comes after the number of international students at Winthrop has steadily declined in recent years and the number of students who study abroad has remained stagnant . The Winthrop Plan , put forth by President Dan Mahoney, includes a...

Many Winthrop University students have expressed concern about campus safety after a female student was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted outside her apartment building on the edge of campus Feb. 15. Winthrop President Dan Mahony and Wes Wiles, assistant chief of Campus Police, spoke to the Palmetto Report about the assault, student concerns and how the university is responding.