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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011 • College Heights Herald • Vol. 87, No. 11 • Western Kentucky University
WKU, MTSU rivalry week under way By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com
WKU doesn’t have many nearby rivals in the Sun Belt Conference. Since most similarsized schools within a reasonable driving distance of Bowling Green (Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Austin Peay, etc.) play in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Toppers usually face league teams that are located at least a six-hour-
long drive from Bowling Green. The one Sun Belt exception is Middle Tennessee State, whose Murfreesboro, Tenn., campus is just 90 miles from WKU. The teams’ close proximity and a competitive series across several sports makes the Toppers’ and Lady Toppers’ match-ups with MTSU a little more important to many WKU fans. “We’ve had a com-
petitive rivalry in many sports,” Senior Associate Athletic Director Todd Stewart said. “If you look at the conference standings in a lot of sports, one of us is first and the other is second.” That has especially been the case in volleyball, where either the Lady Toppers or Lady Raiders have won every Sun Belt Tournament since 2005, with MTSU taking the last two. The two teams meet in
a pivotal volleyball contest at 7 p.m. tonight in Diddle Arena, with first place on the line. Football then takes center stage at 7 p.m. Thursday in Murfreesboro. WKU has lost the last three in that series, a streak senior safety Ryan Beard said needs to come to an end. “We need a win, no matter who it’s against, but beating Middle would make it even better,”
Beard said. WKU and MTSU, who The passion is shared have met 61 times in footacross the state line. ball, resumed their gridMark Owens, associate iron series in 2007 after a athletic director of com- 16-year hiatus. munications at MTSU, Most of the 61 meetings said the Blue Raiders view took place when both the their series with the Top- Toppers and Blue Raiders pers as a “heated rivalry.” were in the OVC. “There’s a lot of pride Thursday’s matchup involved,” Owens said. will be just the third in “When you have two which both schools have teams that are close and been Sun Belt members. competitive, it’s great for the Sun Belt and college SEE WEEK, PAGE 7 athletics as a whole.”
Committees vote down term limits By KATHERINE WADE news@wkuherald.com
The Board of Regents committees voted at their meeting on Friday not to impose term limits on faculty and staff Regents. Based on the recommendations by the University Senate and the Staff Council, President Gary Ransdell made the proposal to keep the bylaw revisions as they are and not add term limits. The measure passed unanimously. During the student affairs committee meeting, updates on fall housing and meal plans were presented. Howard Bailey, vice president for Student Affairs, said Housing and Residence Life is currently housing 4,823 students on campus, 156 more than last year. Bailey said this is due to a significantly higher number of returning students remaining on campus. “You can see that the renovations we made about a decade ago are now clearly paying off when upper-class students are wanting to stay on campus,” Bailey said. Osborne said the dining program has also continued to prosper, with about 6,100 students on the meal plan this fall, an increase of about 100 students from last year. The academic affairs committee approved a graduate certificate in Adult Education and the Emeritus faculty appointments. Brain Meredith, associate vice president of Enrollment Management, gave an enrollment report. Meredith said the “big boom” seen in enrollment in 2008 is now leveling off. Gordon Emslie, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said retention efforts are well underway. Emslie said WKU has put a survey online for students to discuss non-academic reasons for leaving the university, and close to 1,000 responses have been received. Richard Miller, vice provost and chief diversity officer, gave a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools interim fifth year review update. SACS is the regional body for the accreditation of degreegranting higher education institutions, according to the SACS website. Miller said he was proud of the report his team had put together. The next Board of Regents meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Oct. 21.
COOPER BURTON/HERALD
Natalie Broderick, Student Affairs Chairperson for the Student Government Association, showed off proposed remodeling plans for Downing University Center at the unveiling on Friday. Planned additions include a Starbucks, 24-hour study space, elevators and some renovated dining areas.
DUC renovations unveiled By RACHAEL WALTERS & KATHERINE WADE news@wkuherald.com
More than 40 years after the Downing University Center opened, $49 million in renovations on the building are ready to go. Plans for the center were first revealed during the student affairs committee meeting at the Board of Regents meeting on Friday. Architects Jeff Stivers and John Burse, who gave the presentation, said the renovations are based on the principles of “spirit and social heart.” Following the Board of Regents meeting, the Student Government Association revealed the plans to students with a display in DUC. Renovations will begin during the summer of 2012 and are scheduled for completion in the fall of 2014. At the SGA’s release, images of the proposed renovations were displayed, a video played continually on the main floor televisions, and SGA
members handed out “feature” sheets listing key changes. A few of these changes include a 24-hour study space, a Starbucks and renovated WKU Store. SGA is also working to get an Apple store with Mac Support, although this has yet to be finalized. “Of the renovation list, I am most excited about the 24-hour study room,” SGA President Billy Stephens said. The study area will give students another place to study other than the library and Mass Media and Technology Hall. Students may experience some inconveniences over the next few years, as many offices will no longer be centrally located in DUC, Stephens said. Some will move to different areas of campus to accommodate the construction. SEE DUC, PAGE 3
Volunteers work to scare away cancer By NATALIE WEST diversions@wkuherald.com
For the next few weekends, Greenville freshman Kelsey Dossett will be dressing like a porcelain doll. Dossett is volunteering at the Warren County Asylum Haunted House, which is organized by the Bowling Green Police Department. The house is raising money for Relay for Life. “I have had four people in my family with cancer and the American Cancer Society helped them,” she said. “So I wanted to step up and help out with this.” Because the theater major had
previously worked at a haunted house and loved it, she said she also volunteered to get a good scare out of people. “I don’t like going through, because it scares me,” Dossett said, “but I love being the one who runs and scares everybody.” She said the hardest part is trying to stay in character, because you want to laugh. She loves seeing the people’s faces and their eyes bug out. “The reactions of people are funny,” Dossett said. “Especially the guys because they try to act tough, but you know they are legitimately frightened.” Even when she isn’t scaring people, Dossett said she has a
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good time with the other volunteers. “It’s a really fun environment and everyone is so inviting and nice,” she said. “Even though some of them are cops, they are fun and they aren’t threatening.” Jen Edwards, the director of volunteers for the asylum, works for the Bowling Green Police Department and is also the captain of her Relay for Life team, the Cancer Cops. Edwards said this is the first year for this fundraiser. All of the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. SEE SCARE, PAGE 6
CHRIS WILSON/HERALD
People walk through the Warren County Asylum on Friday in Bowling Green. The “Cancer Cops” Relay For Life team has organized the haunted house that will run during the weekends in October.
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