OPINION STUDENTS' TAKE ON THE PETRINO HIRE PAGE 4
SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OFF TO FAST START PAGE 14
NEWS MISS KENTUCKY CROWNED AT WKU PAGE 10
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013 • WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY • WKUHERALD.COM • VOLUME 88 NO. 27
Plans for wku goes to washington new Honors College and International Center begin TAYLOR HARRISON NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
Gov. Steve Beshear announced a plan on Jan. 10 to allow Kentucky universities to issue agency bonds to fund campus improvement projects with university funds. This plan could lead to WKU getting an Honors College and International Center. President Gary Ransdell said because WKU is a state university, they need state approval before they acquire debt, even though they will be paying for it. WKU has used agency bonds to fund renovation projects such as Van Meter Hall, College High Hall and Diddle Arena. “A lot of our renovation projects have been done with university funds,” he said. The $22 million project is one of 11 from six different universities included in one agency bond package, Ransdell said. He said he expects the General Assembly to approve all the projects at once in the spring. “It was a prudent strategy for us to all agree on our priority projects and submit one proposal for one approval rather than each of us working independently…this is the first time that that’s occurred, so that’s a good sign that higher education is working well together,” he said. Robbin Taylor, vice president of SEE HONORS PAGE 2
Patrons wave flags at the National Mall as President Barack Obama was introduced at his ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. on Monday. JABIN BOTSFORD/HERALD
Students attend inauguration JOANNA WILLIAMS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
Being in Bowling Green didn’t stop a group of more than 40 students, professors and members of the community to board a charter bus and make the 14-hour drive to Alexandria, Va., to see President Barack Obama be inaugurated into office this past
Percy Yeung, 17, of Jacksonville, Fla. falls asleep while waiting for the inauguration ceremony of President Obama to begin on Monday in Washington D.C. DOROTHY EDWARDS/HERALD
weekend. Alexandria, a town only a metro ride away from D.C., was where the group stayed for their three-day trip to D.C. The trip was organized and led by Political Science Department Head Saundra Ardrey. Ardrey has led a trip to the presidential SEE WKU PAGE 2
WKU students open dialogue about suicide, depression ANNA ANDERSON DIVERSIONS@WKUHERALD.COM
Looking back over her years of struggling with depression, Elyssa Carmony said the spring of 2012 was definitely the worst. Between her extra-curricular activities and the pressure of keeping up with her classwork, the 19-year-old honors student from Independence, Ky., said she was starting to feel the strain. “I have to be involved in everything and the best at everything I’m involved in,” Carmony said. The stress of it all made her feel as if she didn’t have any friends, despite her strong connection with her sorority sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta and others. She isolated herself by spending a lot of time alone in her room.
For Carmony, it’s harder for her to deal with stress than others because she has borderline personality disorder. People affected by this illness often deal with feelings of abandonment, depression and struggle with self-harm. Carmony said people dealing with borderline personality disorder are often described as the “third-degree burn patients” of psychology. She said people with this disorder can make strides toward recovery, but the illness is never completely gone. “That’s really hard to get a grip on if you don’t come at it head strong and don’t come at it with support,” Carmony said. Carmony has attempted suicide three times and thought about it countless others. She said her attempts were never
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premeditated; they came on when she was feeling really low. “There were days when everything felt so wrong,” she said. Lately, Carmony said she has been feeling better. She said she owes this to her friends, her sorority sisters and her faith in God. “Every day is a struggle, I think. And you have to choose that day whether you’re going to rise above it or if you’re going to let it get to you,” she said. She’s tried medications and has seen counselors, but she said that being able to call upon her friends has been one of the most beneficial things. One of Carmony’s sorority sisters, Henderson junior Ariana DeLong, has also fought depression and thoughts of SEE DIALOGUE PAGE 3
Independence sophomore Elyssa Carmony has struggled with depression since her freshman year of high school and reached an all-time low last spring when she attempted to take her own life. Carmony began taking medication in June and this past fall found solace in her Alpha Gamma Delta sisters after telling them about her on-going battle with depression and attempted suicide. Currently, she is working toward living her life with a more positive outlook. KATIE MCLEAN/HERALD
BG ICE RINK?
MLK DAY AT WKU
STUDENTS ANTICIPATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A BOWLING GREEN ICE RINK. PAGE 9
THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. PLANNING COMMITEE HOSTS EVENTS TO MARK MLK DAY. PAGE 10
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A WINTER FOR HUMANITY EIGHT STUDENTS WENT SOUTH FOR THE HOLIDAYS TO HELP FAMILY IN NEED. PAGE 11
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