CSFE Blog
Campus-wide debate No. 1 on the 2024 Election was a success!
On September 25th, the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise, Braver Angels, and the College Debate and Discourse Alliance cohosted a debate on the resolution: Is Donald Trump a threat to democracy? Over 95 students, faculty, and staff offered their views in support...
Hosting two campus wide-debates this fall: September 25th & October 30th
This fall the CSFE will continue to co-sponsor events that offer students the opportunity to listen, learn, and discuss potentially polarizing topics through two campus-wide debates. Because 2024 is an election year, we polled students about eight possible resolutions...
First Economic Analysis Degree Graduates from Western Carolina University
Exciting day for our first Economic Analysis degree graduates from Western Carolina University! Congratulations to Megann Holst, Caitlin Mushinski, Summer Thurlow (not pictured), and Libby Weitkamp! After six plus years of work, students can now come to WCU and earn...
Campus-Wide Debate: Gun free zones make people safer
Learning how to fully listen to others and respectively debate ideas is crucial to growth and learning. On April 22nd, Braver Angels and The Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University, with support from the Barnes Family Foundation,...
Former Student Update: Siobhan McAlister
The goal of mentoring students is to guide them and help them succeed in their pursuits. Therefore, it is always fun to catch up with former students who continue to excel and learn from them! I was delighted to catch up with Siobhan McAlister and see her present her...
Liberty over lunch: Economist Rachel Sederberg
On December 2nd, the Liberty over Lunch student hosted Lightcast Economists and Research Manager, Rachel Sederberg. Sederberg and her team collect labor market data in real time by collecting job postings and candidate availability post in online job search websites....
Liberty over lunch: Economist Craig Richardson
On November 10th, the Liberty over Lunch students hosted Craig Richardson where he presented his work on housing availability and affordability. Through a discussion of his paper, “Did the 2010 Dodd–Frank Banking Act Deflate Property Values in Low-Income...
Liberty over lunch: Economist Celeste Carruthers
On November 3rd, the Liberty over Lunch students hosted Professor Celeste Carruthers of the University of Tennessee. Professor Carruthers holds the William F. Fox Distinguished Professorship of Labor Economics in the Haslam College of Business. Professor Carruthers...
Campus-Wide Debate: Should gender affirming care for youth be banned?
On November 1st, our Liberty over lunch seminar students hosted a campus debate at Western Carolina University on the question: Should gender affirming care for youth be banned? For over an hour and a half, students, faculty, and staff discussed the pros and cons of...
Liberty over lunch: Economist Abigail Cormier
On October 6th, the Liberty Over Lunch class was honored to host Abigail Cormier. Currently a third-year economics Ph.D. student at the University of Georgia, Cormier presented her working paper on the labor market effects of becoming a parent of a child with special...