April 25, 2017

SEE OUR COVERAGE OF THE MARCH FOR SCIENCE

READ OUR PROFILE ON NEWLY ELECTED SGA PRESIDENT LIFE, PAGE B1

NEWS, PAGE A2 TTUESDAY, UESDAY, APRIL APRIL 225, 5, 22017 017 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 992, 2, IISSUE SSUE 5500

Campus PCs to update to latest OS

BY MONICA KAST

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU Microsoft’s Windows 10 will become the standard operating system for eligible WKU faculty and staff computers using Windows, according to information technology staff.

Beginning May 1, Windows 10 will become the standard operating system for eligible computers.

Lori Douglas, director of technical support services, said the move was happening because Windows 7 will stop being supported in December 2019.

“Essentially, we’re going by what Microsoft is dictating to us,” Douglas said. “End of life for Windows 7 is...December of 2019.”

Douglas said in December 2019, Microsoft will stop making software and devices that function with Windows 7, and “it just won’t work.”

Douglas added Windows 10 has been out for several years, and has been tested by the IT department to make sure it will run smoothly.

Douglas said Windows 10 had been tested on their enterprise level systems.

“We are not ones to do things right out of the gate,” Douglas said.

“That’s never smart in IT, so we want to make sure that it’s been around for awhile and that it’s solid and that it will run well and everything.”

Steve Lancaster, desktop support manager for WKU IT, said the department had been testing Windows 10 “for a long time,” but they were “not behind the curve” of implementing the new system.

“We’re about right where we should be for rolling it out,” Lancaster said.

According to Douglas, new computers using Windows, existing computers requiring an operating system update, and any user who meets requirements and would like to upgrade will be changed over to Windows 10. Users can check if their computer is eligible for an upgrade on the WKU IT Software Support Standards webpage.

John Bowers, director of academic technology at WKU, said in an email that the academic technology department was “currently testing lab/classroom computers and software with Windows 10.”

SEE WINDOWS 10 PAGE A3

rainy day Graphic by EMILY VOGLER/HERALD

University dips into program reserves to cover shortfall

BY EMMA AUSTIN

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

A

new finance policy to help WKU cover budget shortfal may also change the way programs and divisions save funds, leaving revenue dependent programs to wonder about the future.

The university’s current carry forward policy has allowed programs and divisions to reserve money leftover at the end of each fiscal year, often using these “rainy day” funds for one-time purchases like equipment or conferences not appearing on the annual budget.

However, under a new policy, unspent money will be allocated to the central budget to cover any university shortfall before being redistributed back to the funds it came from.

“It’s good to have a policy that encourages people to be frugal and judicious about how they spend their resources in order to maximize

the benefit,” faculty regent Barbara Burch said about the current policy.

Under the new policy, the university will use carry forward funds to balance the central budget at the end of each fiscal year. After the campus budget is balanced, remaining funds will be redistributed back to the divisions proportionately to what each division contributed to balance the central budget, according to an email sent out to faculty and staff this month by President Gary Ransdell.

This year, the university faced a $6.5 million shortfall and developed a balancing plan, drawing unspent money from certain divisions. Approximately $4 million was reallocated from carry forward funds already reserved by departments in anticipation of the shortfall. Additionally, $1.7 million came from one-time reserves of the Division of Extended Learning and Outreach (DELO) and Health Services.

“With a campus budget well in excess now of $400,000,000, we are in a position to manage carry forward funds in such a way that we can ensure a balanced budget each year,” Ransdell said in the email. “President [Tim] Caboni, however, will certainly want to study our current budget model, and ensure that he has a budget model that is consistent with the strategic planning process he will engage early in his Presidency.”

In his email, Ransdell said revenue dependent programs will no longer be exempt from the policy, meaning they will also be required to provide remaining funds to the university to balance the central budget.

The 2015-2016 Operating Budget listed over 50 items as revenue dependent, including Imagewest, the WKU Florist Shop and DELO. The College Heights Herald is also revenue dependent. A revenue dependent program operates solely on

SEE CARRY FORWARD PAGE A3

Effects of reparations resolution felt outside SGA

BY JAMIE WILLIAMS

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU The Student Government Association passed a resolution at its April 18 meeting calling for reparations for black students, triggering controversy on campus and beyond.

The resolution aimed to send a message to the university that it should acknowledge slavery is “a debt that will never be paid.” The resolution called for a special task force be established by the WKU to

research test-optional admissions, meaning ways to apply without using an ACT or SAT score, and geographically-weighted admissions. The resolution also called for all black people to have full and free access to WKU. The authors of the legislation, senators Andrea Ambam and Brian Anderson, noted the language used in the resolution was largely symbolic, and they did not expect free tuition for WKU’s black students in the near future.

“This is something that I think is

more importantly about sending a clear message than it is about actually trying to strive for the institution to actually give out free tuition to everybody,” Anderson said.

The resolution was heavily based on similar legislation passed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in February. The original petition was presented to the Associated Students of Madison by a student activist group called The Blackout Movement.

Tyriek Mack, one author of the

petition, said in an opinion piece that despite UW-Madison’s diversity rhetoric, the school is not actually inclusive or accessible to black students in Wisconsin. Mack pointed out only two percent of UW-Madison’s students were African American as of fall 2015 — seven percent less than WKU, though UW-Madison has nearly twice the undergraduate population.

According to WORT Madison, UW-Madison experienced a large

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A2 Marchers join national campaign to support science APRIL 25, 2017

BY MONICA KAST

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

Rain did not deter marchers who showed up in Bowling Green Saturday afternoon to show their support for science and funding as a part of the international March for Science.

According to the March for Science website, marches occurred in over 600 cities around the world. In the United States, marches occurred in Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco and several other cities. According to its website, the March for Science “champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity.”

“It’s not only about scientists and politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world,” the website accord-

ing to.

Marchers in Bowling Green gathered near Thompson Complex on campus, where they heard from Michael May, a geology professor at WKU. May said everyone “benefits from science,” an idea that was a driving force behind the march.

“It’s about walking out there with people that benefit from science,” May said. “Those might be the people that are opposing science and scientific process and evidence-based approach.”

May said science was “not a partisan issue,” and that “social well-being depends on science.”

“Today we are marching for science because it benefits all of us,” May said before the march began.

Beginning at Thompson Complex, marchers walked down State Street to Fountain Square Park, carrying signs and chanting phrases like “Science, not silence.”

Travis Garmon, a geologist, drove

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

an hour and a half to participate in the march. Garmon said he heard about the march through Facebook and when he learned there was one close to where he lived, he decided to come.

“I have been in a state of depression and terror with almost every decision this new administration has made in regards to the sciences,” Garmon said.

Garmon said he hoped the march would “establish a dialogue” about the importance of funding and supporting science.

Samuel Kessler and Max Diener are students at Gatton Academy, and both are planning on studying science in the future.

“I hope people realize that it’s really an apolitical protest, but it’s an issue that has been made political recently, which makes people want to deny science more,” Kessler said. “I feel like we should try to further the fact that it’s a study to find truth and it’s not

something about opinion.”

Diener said he didn’t agree that science was entirely “nonpolitical,” and said he felt science could be used “for political purposes.” Diener agreed with Kessler that science is about finding truth.

“This is an actual thing,” Diener said.

Rebecca Sales is a volunteer with the March for Science campaign and organized the march in Bowling Green. Sales said she hoped people would see the international interest in the importance of science.

“I hope that they just see that we’re interested and we’re watching and we care about our national parks and we care about science and we want our kids to have a good education,” Sales said. “And we don’t like that it’s being cut. The funding needs to be there.”

Reporter Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-0655 or monica.kast187@ topper.wku.edu.

Rick Olson (left) walks with Professor Keith Philips (right) during the March for Science on Saturday in Bowling Green. Olson, who is an ecologist at the Mammoth Cave National Park, says “I think one of the most important things is that human economies are dependent upon intact, functioning ecosystems.” GRACE PRITCHETT/ HERALD

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES A Program of the Department of Diversity & Community Studies

Congratulates O u r D C S G r a d u a t i n g Se n i o r s x

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Michael Blackshire (AFAM)

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& To Our AFAM Faculty Dr. Andrew Rosa Congratulations on the acceptance of y o u r es s a y o n S t .

Clair Drake and Hor ac e C a y ton ’ s Black Metropolis, in Wiley-Blackwell’s Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies and on the May 2017 study abroad in Trinidad.

Dr. Saundra Ardrey Congratulations on being selected for a 2017-18 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant to South Africa.

Dr. Ardrey will teach at the University of Limpopo and conduct research on women of the African diaspora .

Dr. Cheryl Hopson Congratulations on your forthcoming scholarly publications on Alice Walker and Rebecca Walker in Women’s Studies and Watchung Review; and for your new chapbook Fragile (Finishing Line Press).

A3 Alumnus to lead discussion on immigraion policy APRIL 25, 2017

BY REBEKAH ALVEY

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU An accomplished WKU alumnus will lead a discussion on immigration policy this afternoon, covering an overview of the current immigration system as well as the moral, political and economic aspects of immigration policy.

Mario Nguyen, a 2012 WKU graduate, is currently in his third year at Harvard Law School. Nguyen was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Mexico, one of the Huffington Post’s Top 40 Latinos under 40 in foreign policy and was named Top Oralist at NYU 2015 Law Immigration Law Moot Court Competition.

Nguyen will lead the discussion through a video conference held in Mass Media and Technology Hall this afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Nguyen described immigration policy as multifaceted and increasingly complex with today’s rhetoric.

He said President Donald Trump and other lawmakers have tapped into people’s concerns and fears with

CARRY FORWARD Continued from FRONT

money generated independently of the university by that program.

Burch said it’s unclear exactly how the new policy will affect the revenue dependent programming.

“If you were to take the policy as it’s written and assume that it applies to revenue-generating accounts— which I don’t know that it does for sure—but if it were, I think it would be devastating to some of our programming,” Burch said.

DELO was created in 2003 and encompasses several areas of outreach programming, including distance learning, on demand classes, cohort programs, winter sessions, dual credit, study away programs and more.

Beth Laves, associate vice president of DELO, said each of these programs have revenue connected

SGA

Continued from front student racial divide last year after a black student was arrested in connection with anti-racist graffiti on campus. The arrest sparked a protest of hundreds of students and faculty.

WKU has had its own share of racial incidents in the past year, including a black student whose car was vandalized with a racial slur and an associate professor who received threatening notes that used racist language.

In a letter to the editor, Anderson said the legislation was an important step in creating dialogue about grievances black students face at WKU. He reiterated the authors do not expect free tuition for black students any time soon and instead hope the university will examine how it can better provide for students who don’t benefit from systems that traditionally benefit white students.

“Our hope is that as a result of this resolution, power structures that have been upheld to privilege a select few can be changed for the greater benefit of all,” Anderson said in the letter.

In the WKU SGA, a passed resolution acts as a petitioning agent to the administration, meaning any resolutions passed are not automatically made university policy. Following the resolution, however, many WKU students and alumni expressed their disagreement with the legislation — especially its free tuition clause.

“How is this system fair to other disadvantaged students, including poor whites, Native American students (who come from some of the highest poverty stricken regions in

WINDOWS 10 Continued from FRONT

“By the end of 2017, we plan that there will be at least one lab location running Windows 10 on a test basis,” Bowers said. “We are on schedule for all lab and classroom computers to use Windows 10 by the Fall semester of 2019.”

Bowers added there would be “no lab or classroom computers still running Windows 7” by January 2020.

Douglas said those currently using Windows 7 would not notice a major difference if they switch to Windows 10, and Windows 10 still uses a “classic desktop look and feel.”

“The look and the feel of Windows 10 may be a little different, but it’s not so drastic that they wouldn’t be able to manage it like Windows 7,” Doug-

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

immigrants and villainized a population. He said for many who have not prioritized immigration policy and worked to understand it, immigrants have become someone to blame for economic and crime issues.

“It’s important to understand they are people just like us,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said he hopes from his discussion and increased talk about immigration, people can have a better understanding of the system of immigration and become more informed voters.

He said he anticipates some resistance considering some of the attitudes and beliefs he witnessed during his time at WKU. Nguyen is the son of two migrants; his mother is from Mexico, and his father is from Vietnam. He said because of his background he encountered problems in college from financial aid and racism among students.

Nguyen explained he chose to go to Mexico for his Fulbright scholarship because he wanted to better understand where he came from. He said he was able to witness the political climate and how that shapes what we do in America.

Nguyen said he became heavily involved in the Latino immigrant community through a class taught by Spanish professor Sonia Lenk.

He said the class was purely project-based, which got students involved in the community by getting children of immigrant families in touch with higher education. Nguyen said he was in charge of social media and worked on projects like a video explaining how to apply for financial aid.

Lenk said immigration is an important topic to discuss today because of all of the misconceptions and the relevance it has to everyone.

“Almost everyone is basically an immigrant,” Lenk said.

Lenk said many people think immigrants choose to break the law and don’t realize the consequences some immigrants face if deported.

The series of discussions about Latin American issues has been an annual event for 11 years, covering topics like Left Wing Populism in Latin America and specific countries like Cuba and Columbia.

The events are sponsored by Hilltopper Organization of Latin Ameri-

can Students, HOLAS. Lenk said the purpose of this series and organization is to make the region more visible and understood.

Nguyen said he is excited to hear feedback and questions from WKU students but is also expecting some negative responses because of the issue. He said because we are taught certain moral values towards immigrants and the process of legalization, people are more resistant to immigration.

“We act like we did something to earn our citizenship aside from being born here,” Nguyen said.

Lenk said she does this work to give back to the community and believes it is a responsibility to society to understand these topics.

Nguyen said he was also excited to give back to WKU, who he said has been a big supporter of making dreams happen, and hopefully inspire others.

to them; all operations are funded by the revenue generated by the program, separate from the university’s base budget, with the exception of utilities and building maintenance, which is paid for by the university.

Laves said she doesn’t know yet how exactly the policy change will affect DELO operations.

“It is unclear,” she said. “The policy doesn’t say anything specifically about how it will impact us.”

Laves said she understands there is a large revenue shortfall and said she believes everyone must step up and be a part of the solution.

“We can’t say it’s somebody else’s problem; it’s everybody’s problem,” she said about the university’s shortfall. “We also know that there are ways to get to that solution together. I don’t think we should be exempt just because we’ve been exempt in the past. I think we’ve got to address the

budget problem as a whole.”

Other programs, including the College Heights Herald, run on money generated within the programs by students. The Herald operates on funds collected by students selling advertisements, which is used to pay students for their work and to distribute the paper.

Chuck Clark, director of student publications, said the Herald’s “reserve” has been accumulating for more than 40 years and allows students to work on up-to-date technology and get real-world experience.

“The Herald has been self-supporting for many years, and I would be worried how a change in the policy will affect the Herald going forward,” Clark said.

Ransdell included the new policy in his email; as it is, the policy does not specifically address how revenue dependent programs will be affected

individually. Burch said she hopes the intent is not to apply the policy as currently written to revenue generating accounts.

“I certainly understand the need to look at the policy,” Burch said. “I understand the need to consider the extent to which the university needs some resources to deal with institution-wide needs, and [carry forward] is one source, but I am very concerned about the impact on revenue dependent accounts and activities, and I think this is something we need to give a lot more consideration to before any decisions are made.”

The Board of Regents will host its second quarterly meeting this Friday where the board will be requested to approve the plan.

the nation) as well as immigrant families who are also struggling to send their children to school?” Tyler Muse, a former WKU employee, said on Facebook. “[T]his really makes me think twice about sending my money to this school. I support people of all race and religion,” WKU alumni Shelley Haynes Heile said on Twitter.

On Thursday, WKU President Gary Ransdell released a statement saying while he understands the SGA was trying to send a message, the university will not be adopting any free tuition reparation policy any time soon.

“As we continue to work through elements of the campus diversity plan and on our recruitment and student success initiatives, we will focus on those things that help all students succeed,” Ransdell said in the statement.

SGA President Jay Todd Richey posted a statement on Facebook in support of the resolution, saying SGA wants to begin a conversation about how to make college more affordable for underrepresented groups. He added, however, SGA does not expect free tuition for black students or any other group of students anytime soon.

“The response to this resolution has, more than anything, revealed how many people genuinely believe that racial inequality does not exist or persist,” Richey said.

Controversy over the resolution has continued throughout the week, making its way to national media outlets such as the Associated Press, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and The New York Post. Ambam also participated in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

“I thought it went really well,” Ambam said. “There have been lots of things online, but that’s all expected when you’re basically stepping into the lion’s den.”

Ambam said the backlash from the resolution isn’t surprising, but that it’s important to stand your ground and speak up about things that are important to you.

“In general, our country hates to talk about race, and anytime history

is brought up in accordance to race I think it makes people upset,” Ambam said.

Despite Ransdell’s statement against the legislation, Ambam plans to continue conversation about reparations and diversity with WKU’s incoming president, Timothy Caboni.

las said.

Lancaster added they were “not forcing” any user to change operating systems.

“It’s more of ‘it’s available,’ rather than ‘you have to do it,’” Lancaster said.

Lancaster said WKU IT will continue to support both Windows 7 and Windows 10 “for the foreseeable future,” but switching to Windows 10 was “nothing anyone has to do” while Windows 7 is still being supported by Microsoft.

Douglas said if a user has any “questions, concerns or problems” they can visit the WKU IT help desk or help desk web page.

Reporter Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-0655 or monica.kast187@ topper.wku.edu.

Correction

• After publication of “Fighting fiction: the Herald will continue to pursue records, transparency”, the Herald was informed President Ransdell wrote his letter on Title IX investigations more than a week prior, and it was not written in direct response to the author’s inquiry.

This has been corrected and the Herald regrets the error.

Reporter Rebekah Alvey can be reached at 270-745-6011 and rebekah.alvey660@topper.wku.edu.

Reporter Emma Austin can be reached at (270) 745-6011 and emma. austin177@topper.wku.edu.

Reporter Jamie Williams can be reached at 270-745-6011 and jamie. williams539@topper.wku.edu.

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EDITORIAL

OPINION

APRIL 25, 2017> WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Have an opinion? Tweet us @wkuherald or find us on Facebook at WKUHerald as well. Let us know your thoughts about the editorial, or write us with what is on your mind.

Cartoon by WESLEY SLAUGHTER/HERALD

Regarding Reparations SGA resolution hinders chance of future discussions

THE ISSUE: The Student Government Association passed a resolution to support reparations for all black students, inciting controversy on and off campus.

OUR STANCE: SGA has treated reparations as a publicity stunt in hopes of holding a conversation they’re unsure of; seriously affecting their credibility and potentially the loss of serious discussion.

T

he entire universe seemingly took notice of our Student Government Association after the passage of Resolution 6-17-S “Resolution to Support Reparations.” The story was picked up by The Blaze, Fox News, Associated Press, New York Post, Rush Limbaugh and even Milo, guy whose last name would get you a lot of points in Scrabble, Yiannopoulos.

As the Herald first reported, the resolution aims to: send a message to the university to acknowledge slavery as “a debt that will never be paid,” calls for a special task force be established to research test-optional admissions, meaning ways to apply without using an ACT or SAT score, geographically-weighted admissions

and for all black people to have full and free access to WKU. President Gary Ransdell later issued a statement saying he appreciated the interest taken by SGA in such issues but wanted to clarify SGA’s resolution is not an official position adopted by WKU nor would WKU adopt any such policy.

Many took to our online comments section to express their oft overtly racially charged and historically inaccurate opinions on the matter.

So, firstly, no, the Irish were not also slaves.

Yes, while free blacks did own slaves, as Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, writes in The Root, this does not somehow excuse the practice or institution of slavery; two wrongs don’t make a right.

As Marcus Rediker, distinguished professor in the department of history at the University of Pittsburgh, writes in his book “The Slave Ship: A Human History” slavery was “an ancient and widely accepted institution” throughout larger African societies, but the institution also came to be further empowered and exacer-

bated by European colonists.

If you learn anything from this let it be that history is more complex than you’d like to believe or admit.

The resolution authors, Andrea Ambam and Brian Anderson, have said the “language used in the resolution was largely symbolic, and they did not expect free tuition for WKU’s black students in the near future.”

“This is something that I think is more importantly about sending a clear message than it is about actually trying to strive for the institution to actually give out free tuition to everybody,” Anderson told the Herald.

Similar claims were echoed by Anderson in a letter to the editor and

by SGA President Jay Todd Richey in a statement on Facebook. All of them say they want to begin a conversation about making college more affordable and “sending a clear message.”

But whatever message they were trying to send has been marred and spit out by what on the surface appears to be no more than a publicity stunt achieved through an irresponsible use of legislative petitioning.

Their use of reparations as a sort of trojan horse for some vaguer broad conversation has not only made

some question the credibility of SGA but also removes the legitimacy of the argument for reparations, which as Anderson noted, is well thought out by author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Reparations weren’t even the primary concern for the resolution authors, just something to grab people’s attention.

Meaning the authors were not committed to their outlined goal of free tuition for black students to begin with. It’s entirely possible they could have made a strong, well-reasoned argument for their side, but they conceded it immediately. Don’t come into the ring if you’re not ready to fight for your side; it does a disservice to those who continue to fight for reparations.

People’s attentions have been thoroughly grabbed, so now what?

What is this conversation we’re going to have? Because, there is one to be had. One cannot deny the effects of slavery can still be felt today. The loss of land, the theft of finances, the refusal of loans for housing, stripping the right to vote, the doctrine of separate but equal and the ever booming prison industry.

These things do not just happen, they’re cultivated. After the failure of Reconstruction, this country turned to a racial form of terrorism known as lynching, and ever since then, we’ve gotten less public and more sly with how we treat black individuals. Slavery still permeates, we’ve just learned to call it different names. So it should not be too big of a hurdle to come to the conclusion that black students face different barriers and hurdles than other students, even considering similar economic standings.

WKU is no stranger to racial incidents either. Just last semester, a black student’s car was vandalized with a racial slur and an associate professor received threatening notes, which used racist language.

Additionally, the university cannot simply ignore how in 1963 the African-American community of Jonesville was destroyed through an Urban Renewal Project so WKU could encroach upon the land where the community once thrived.

There should be nothing controversial associated with discussions about affordable higher education, the achievement gap between majority and underrepresented students or addressing issues of diversity and inclusion here at WKU. These are issues worthy of discussion, of open debate, and reparations are as well, mind you. We cannot place a cap on what should or should not be discussed in the chambers of SGA or the hallways of WKU. However, we hope SGA has cherished its 20 minutes of fame because while you all have done admirable work in the past on issues of race and diversity, we envision any conversation you wish to have from this point on to be an uphill battle.

ABOVE THE FRAY

Loneliness is killing us, the unspoken epidemic

BY ERICK MURRER HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

The bright pink cherry blossom petals have long fallen off the trees encircling Centennial Mall. Rapidly growing leaves take their place and soak in the nourishing sunlight.

Erick Every day in my Murrer isolation, I’ve paid attention to these brilliant changes. Plugging in my headphones, I plod up the Hill, tuning out the noise and chatter until I reach my destination. Twenty-some thousand Hilltoppers probably have a similar regimen. I wonder, how many others feel lonely and disconnected when going through these same motions?

A growing number of college students infrequently socialize, according to the American Freshman Sur-

vey, with 38.8 percent of surveyed students spending less than five hours per week with friends. Contrast this with 1987 figures which found two-thirds of students spent 16 hours or more socializing.

Truly, a public health crisis is in the making. Transcending all demographics, loneliness is an epidemic which is literally killing us.

After 35 years of multiple studies, Brigham Young University researchers have found that loneliness and isolation increase the likelihood of premature death by 32 percent (on par with the risk of obesity). In our ever “connected” world of the Internet and social media, reaching out to someone is as easy as tapping a few buttons, but the amount of people that say they have no one to talk to has tripled in the last 20 years.

Some have attributed the modern rise of loneliness to longer work days, increased television consumption and the decline of participation

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ly hyper-edit their lives to put their best (fake) foot forward. Gone are the days when time over coffee counted as meaningful interaction, and here to stay are the shallow one-liners like “happy birthday” posted on our bleak timelines.

French-German Nobel Laureate Albert Schweitzer aptly noted, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Despite urbanization and technological advancement, these words continue to ring true in our society, reveling in a sense of self-absorbed individualism.

Loneliness is preventable. When will we take it upon ourselves to break the cycle and save our fellow man from a lonely, cursed existence?

So as we enter the final stretch of the spring semester finishing up major projects and preparing for finals, make time for yourself, your family and your friends. Even though we might die alone, having good friends along the way never hurt anybody.

Julie Hubbell Marketing Director

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in community organizations. While these dynamics are certainly valid, I think there are bigger issues at play rooted in the misplaced cultural values of our society.

We live in an age which fundamentally doesn’t regard social interaction and togetherness. Paid vacation or parental and bereavement leave is considered a nicety and not seen as being crucial to the overall productivity of a company. While business approaches are changing in light of millennial management, the system as a whole continues to exhibit characteristics of an era that tells us it’s more important to stay in the office than to find community and belong with others.

Even more concerning is we confuse quality social time with obsessive social media usage, designating our worth in the currency of generated “likes.” Social media is a breeding ground for isolation and self-esteem issues in which users consistent-

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this newspaper DO NOT reflect those of Western Kentucky University's employees or of its administration. *Denotes editorial board members. The Herald publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. The first copy is free, and additional copies are $1 each, available in the Student Publications Center on Normal Street.

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

APRIL 25, 2017

A5

THE FUN PAGE Across

CLASSIFIEDS Classified Advertising Manager: Will Hoagland

herald.advertising@wku.edu

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Note to Readers: The College Heights Herald screens ads for misleading or false claims but cannot guarantee any ad or claim. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when asked to send money or provide credit card information. The College Heights Herald is not responsible for the content or validity of these paid classified ads.

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1. What Oscar winning director-writer-actor has a phobia about antique furniture? (a) Matt Damon (b) Billy Bob Thornton (c) Kevin Costner 2. 18th century novelist Jonathan Swift had an intense hatred of what? (a) Birthdays (b) Flowers (c) Cats 3. What Russian leader suffered from a fear of crossing bridges? (a) Ivan the Terrible (b) Catherine the Great (c) Peter the Great 4. What president's idea of humor was telling a radio station he was outlawing Russia forever? (a) Gerald Ford (b) Ronald Reagan (c) Bill Clinton 5. What was Dan White's defense in the killing of Mayor George Mascone and Harvey Milk in San Francisco? (a) Heard voices (b) Hippies made him do it (c) Ate too much junk food 6. What self-made billionaire had an intense fear of germs? (a) Howard Hughes (b) William Hearst (c) Andrew Carnegie 7. What country legend once tried to burglarize a restaurant before discovering it was still open? (a) Johnny Cash (b) Waylon Jennings (c) Merle Haggard 8. What evangelist claimed he needed to raise 4.5 million dollars or God would call him home? (a) Jim Bakker (b) Oral Roberts (c) Jimmy Swaggart 9. What children's author had a fear of being buried alive? (a) Hans Christian Anderson (b) Lewis Carroll (c) J.M. Barrie

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Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

Be our DISTRIBUTION MANAGER! The college heights herald is now hiring a delivery driver!

•Deliver papers every tuesday and thursday •Collect papers for recycling on delivery days •Must have a clean driving record •Must be able to perform the job at early hours of the morning.

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APRIL 25, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM

PHOTO

Senior Tori Lynch portrays Effie Trinket during the Alpha Delta Pi’s “Hunger Games,” themed performance at the 2017 Spring Sing at Diddle Arena on Sunday. Spring Sing kicked off WKU’s Greek Week, where fraternities and sororities compete in events such as a blood drive and a tug of war competition. JACK ATKERSON/HERALD

Bowling Green sophomore Christina Gorman hugs other members of Kappa Delta after their “Beauty and the Beast,” themed performance at 2017 Spring Sing at Diddle Arena. Fraternities and sororities competed to choreograph the best themed dance number to perform at the opening event of WKU’s Greek Week. Some teams began practicing as early as February. JACK ATKERSON/HERALD

Henderson freshman Micah Gibson, 18, preforms during the annual Spring Sing competition on Sunday at Diddle Arena. Phi Mu’s performance was called “Perfect Illusion,” which was based on “American Horror Story.” KATHRYN ZIESIG/HERALD

rolling out the

Big Red carpet

Lexington sophomore Max Sweet, 20, and member of Pi Kappa Alpha preforms as James Bond during Spring Sing on Sunday in Diddle Arena. The fraternity’s performance was based on James Bond and depicted him fighting off many of the old movie’s villains. KATHRYN ZIESIG/HERALD

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reek Week kicked off this past Sunday with the annual Spring Sing competition. This year the theme was “Rolling Out the Big Red Carpet,” and the performances ranged from “Beauty and the Beast,” to “James Bond.” Twenty-one fraternities and sororities competed this year. Some participants have been practicing for months in preparation to make sure their performances were perfect. Many groups incorporated elaborate props, costumes and unique dances to make their performance stand out. The results of Spring Sing will be announced on Sunday.

Members of Phi Gamma Delta carry props and set pieces for their Jungle Book themed performance to the stage during the 2017 Spring Sing at Diddle Arena on Sunday. Spring Sing is the first event of WKU’s greek week, in which fraternities and sororities compete with each other in multiple events over the course of the week.

JACK ATKERSON/HERALD

WKUHERALD.COM

LIFE

APRIL 25, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY » Book Fest: Check out our coverage of the 2017 SOKY Book Fest on B@ and a Q&A with one of the authors on B3.

Local web series premiers pilot

BY ANDREW CRITCHELOW

HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Greek gods and super powers are the focus of a new web series produced by local video production company Vid Monster. The show, “Epoch,” is centered around ordinary people who attain powers such as telekinesis and the ability to breathe fire.

The pilot of the series was shown during a screening at La Gala in downtown Bowling Green on Friday, where attendees could participate in a meet and greet with the cast and crew of the series, and provide donations to fund further episodes. The pilot can now be viewed in its entirety on the Vid Monster Facebook page.

Brandon Smith, co-writer and co-director of “Epoch,” said the screening left the attendees wanting a full season of the show.

“All night, all we heard was ‘we want more, more, more,” Smith said.

“So, it seemed to go really well.”

Vid Monster has created a Kickstarter campaign to fund further episodes of the series, with incentives such as autographed posters and t-shirts for small donations, as well as character naming rights and IMDB production credits for larger donations. Founded in 2014, Vid Monster offers services such as video production, photography, graphic design and branding.

According to “Epoch’s” Kickstarter page, the show is “not only a testament to low-budget episodic production, but ideally a flagship for a new and affordable way to tell stories.”

Vid Monster founder and CEO Sam Kirby said Friday’s premiere was a way to showcase the possibilities of local video production.

“You don’t see local premieres happening,” Kirby said. “That was part of the push for it. It wasn’t necessarily for the great turnout or about changing everything forev-

SEE VID MONSTER PAGE B2

A New Leader Louisville sophomore Andi Dahmer, 20, will be sworn in on Tuesday, May 2 as the new SGA President and will officially start in July. “I am so grateful to my team, overwhelmed. I am so excited to work with them in the future. EVAN MATTINGLY/HERALD

New SGA president dedicates herself to WKU

BY ANNA LAWSON

HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Andi Dahmer joined the Student Government Association her freshman year because of her brother. At MASTER Plan, she was introduced to a few members and knew she wanted to be a part of the organization.

“I knew it was something I wanted to be involved with just because of the impact that it could have on student lives and make a difference,” Dahmer said.

A little over a year later, Dahmer knew she wanted to run for SGA president.

And, perhaps unknown to her then, the Louisville sophomore would come to gain the presidency.

Winning nearly 60 percent of the votes in this semester’s SGA election, Dahmer was elected as the next president of SGA. Once Dahmer knew she want-

ChiOchella W

ed to start campaigning, she began meeting with Savannah Molyneaux and Kara Lowry, who would become her Executive Vice President and Administrative Vice President, respectively.

“I thought about it and said ‘yeah, I think we could do this,’” she said.

The trio started meeting regularly to come up with a campaign strategy. They also brought on Conner Hounshell as their campaign manager, Hounshell is slated to will be Dahmer’s chief of staff.

Molyneaux said she is excited to work with Dahmer in the upcoming year and benefit the university through different programs.

“While I was talking with Andi, and she wanted me to be her running mate, I really couldn’t think of a better person for that job,” Molyneaux said. “I was really excited to be able to run with her and help her if she was elected, and it all worked

out.”

Molyneaux said when she thinks of someone presidential, she thinks of Dahmer.

“This is something that she’s wanted for a very long time and she’s worked very hard to get there,” she said. “She’s a person that thinks of ideas and plans and actually follows through with them.”

Lowry agrees Dahmer is going to work hard as SGA President.

“When I found out Andi was running for president, and she contacted me about being her AVP, I was like ‘Yes, this is perfect, there’s no one else I would rather run with,” Lowry said. “I was really excited.”

Lowry said Dahmer is one of the most dedicated people she has ever met.

“She pours her heart and soul into SGA,” she said. “She is just one of the most involved and caring peo-

SEE NEW LEADER PAGE B2

KU sorority Chi Omega hosted its annual philanthropy event ChiOchella last Thursday April 20, benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Based on the popular music festival Coachella, face painting, music and sisterly love was spread throughout the Colonnade where the creative soul can flourish. There were performances by DJ Elis Tani, Nick Lawson, Space Propeller, The Indigo Kids and Greg Finger Band.

Hopkinsville senior Sarah Hardison shows off her hoola hooping skills during Chi Omega’s annual philanthropy event, ChiOchella on Thursday at the Colonnade, located at the top of campus in Bowling Green. EVAN MATTINGLY/HERALD

photos & copy by: evan mattingly

Nashville senior Huntyr Holloran and Bowling Green senior Caroline Bell blow bubbles during Chi Omega’s annual philanthropy event, ChiOchella on Thursday at the Colonnade located at the top of campus in Bowling Green. EVAN MATTINGLY/HERALD

Louisville junior Nikki King paints faces during ChiOmega’s annual philanthropy event, Chi-Ochella on Thursday at the Colonnade, located at the top of campus in Bowling Green.

EVAN MATTINGLY/HERALD

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APRIL 25, 2017

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

SOKY book fest features world famous authors

BY OLIVIA MOHR

HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Over the weekend, readers crowded into the Knicely Conference Center to meet 160 visiting authors and buy signed copies of their books.

R.L. Stine was one of this year’s visiting authors, and he had a book signing at the festival. Stine is best known for his “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street” series. Stine hails from Columbus, Ohio and currently lives in New York City.

“I have a good time at this festival,” Stine said. “I love it.”

Stine last visited the festival 17 years ago and came back this year because of an invitation he received from Steve Marcum, Marcum is on WKU’s library board.

Stine said the festival allows people who are excited about reading to come together and talk about books.

“Any time you get people out who are excited about reading and you can get a whole bunch of authors in one place talking to people and getting people enthusiastic about reading, it’s a wonderful thing,” he said.

“That’s why I like these book festivals

NEW LEADER Continued from b1

-ple that I have ever met, and I think those are two really important qualities that the president should have.”

Hounshell said Dahmer has already brought many things to SGA, specifically inclusion. He also said she has an upbeat spirit that will help her while she is SGA president.

“I think that will be a good, creative atmosphere,” Hounshell said. “It will be a very approachable atmosphere for students to come and speak with representatives.”

Hounshell said his time spent working with Dahmer has been ex-

VID MONSTER Continued from b1

-er it was about planting a seed that productions can be made here in the area, premiere here in the area, using talent from the area.”

The show was co-written and co-directed by Smith and his friend Zach Johnson. According to Smith, the second episode of the series is written, along with basic outlines of future episodes and seasons.

The majority of the scenes in the first episode of Epoch were filmed on-location in areas of Bowling Green, such as Spencer’s Coffee. The show additionally features many ac-

so much, and how great it is to see all these young people and other people here because they’re all interested in books.”

The annual Southern Kentucky, SOKY, Book Fest is a partnership between Barnes and Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library and WKU Libraries. This year marked the 19th year of the literary festival.

On Friday, the festival held its Children’s Day, Teen Writers Conference and the Kentucky Writers Conference at the conference center. At the Kentucky Writers Conference, authors taught workshops on various topics. On Saturday, readers gathered to meet authors and get books signed.

Lisa Rice, director of the Warren County Public Library, said the event is funded by sponsors and a used book sale held in the spring. Barnes and Noble also gives a percentage of money from book sales at the festival back to the festival for the next year’s funding.

David Bell, associate professor of English, was also a visiting author at the festival. He has published eight suspense novels. His latest novel is called “Since She Went Away,” and he has a book coming out in July called

“Bring Her Home.”

Bell is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and he has visited the festival every year since he first came to Bowling Green about eight years ago.

Bell said he believes the festival is a good experience for aspiring writers.

“Most writers are leading fairly normal lives, and they come to events like this and you can talk to them and they’re relatively normal people, so I think it goes a long way, if someone is an aspiring writer, it goes a long way for them to be able to say ‘I can do this, too,’” he said.

Lee Martin, another author at the festival, was a Pulitzer prize finalist in 2006 with his book called “The Bright Forever.” Martin has written three memoirs, five novels and a short story collection. He has another short story collection coming out next year and book about writing coming out in October.

Martin is originally from southeastern Illinois and has lived in Columbus, Ohio for the past 16 years. He teaches in the creative writing program at Ohio State University. Martin has come to the festival three to four times in the past, and the last time he went to the festival was around 2011.

He was a teacher at the Kentucky Writers Conference this year.

Martin taught a workshop at WKU in 2008 for three weeks and said he grew fond of Bowling Green during that time. He said he enjoys seeing old friends and meeting readers at the SOKY Book Fest.

“I know a lot of people here,” he said. “I get to see old friends when I come back here. It’s a really good book festival. I enjoy meeting the people who come through and want to chat about my books, so I always have a good time in Bowling Green,” Martin said.

Martin said he feels the SOKY Book Fest benefits the community.

“I think it benefits the community because it brings a lot of writers here on a single day, writers like R.L. Stine this year, who many people in the community would never have the chance to have contact with if it weren’t for this book festival,” Martin said.

citing and he is confident she is the perfect person for the job.

“I don’t even know how she does the things she does, honestly,” he said.

He said she is always involved and keeps working hard even when she is busy.

Dahmer said she couldn’t have done it without her team. Throughout all of their campaigning, they didn’t stop working on legislation for SGA. “We were still talking about different ways that we could achieve our goals for campus and meet with other students and make sure that their needs were being met,” Dahmer said.

Dahmer campaigned on a threefold platform. The first was inclusion.

“That’s making sure that the marginalized student population and international students really have their voices heard on campus,” she said.

To do this, Dahmer said they want to institute an international student and domestic student “buddy system.” This would be instituted for an entire semester in order to make international students who are new to campus feel more comfortable.

She also wants to incorporate sensitivity training, especially for faculty working with the LGBT community and transgender students.

The second platform is sustainability. Molyneaux has served as the chair of the Sustainability Committee. She implemented a game day recycling committee program. They

hope to get more students involved with this program.

The third platform is dependability. They want to specifically make the transition between President Gary Ransdell’s presidency and Timothy Caboni’s a smooth one.

“Dr. Caboni’s willingness to work with us and his openness to meet with us is definitely something that we have achieved,” said she.

Dahmer is hopeful these three platforms will be achieved during the next year. She said she is excited for the upcoming year and looks forward to serving the WKU community.

tors from around the community.

“Working with Sam, a large part of what their company represents is being able to do everything you need to do for film locally,” Smith said. “It was much easier for most everybody to film in Bowling Green, but I think the locations that we got all had a nice feel to them.”

Smith’s association with Kirby started when Smith was approached to act in Kirby’s senior capstone project for his degree in TV/Film Production. The project was a short film titled “Odessa.”

“He and I had a history together. I knew that he was starting up his own full-fledged production company in

Bowling Green, so I just kind of sent him a text message and said ‘hey, I have an idea for a show that I want to do, let’s sit down and talk,’” Smith said. “That’s pretty much just where it all started.”

Kirby said now that they have filmed the pilot episode, the cast and crew are “warmed up” for future episodes.

“I’m really excited if we get the fundraising to go through that we’ll get to produce a second episode and see where the story is going to go,” Kirby said. “Every crew works differently together, so now we’re kind of aware how that group of people work together best.”

If “Epoch” receives the funding to continue with its goal of producing a 12-episode season, Smith said he would be most happy about seeing his vision come to life.

“It’s more about just being able to tell the story and see it come to life through our actors,” Smith said.

“That’s something Zach, the co-director, and I have been talking about for years. And to finally see these characters in living color and moving around and doing these things on screen is really cool to us.”

Reporter Olivia Mohr can be reached at 270-745-6288 and olivia. mohr564@topper.wku.edu

Reporter Anna Lawson can be reached at 270-745-2655 and anna. lawson850@topper.wku.edu

Reporter Andrew Critchelow can be reached at 270-745-6288 and andrew. critchelow121@topper.wku.edu.

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APRIL 25, 2017

Q&A with Author Tobias Carroll

BY ANDREW CRITCHELOW

HERALD.FEATURES@WU.EDU

Author Tobias Carroll was among over 160 writers present at the 2017 SOKY Book Fest in Bowling Green this weekend.

Carroll is the author of a story collection “Transitory” and is currently touring his most recent work, a novel entitled “Reel.”

Carroll is also the managing editor of the Brooklyn-based literary publication Vol. 1, and has submitted writing for various publications including Rolling Stone, Tin House and Men’s Journal.

Carroll made time to talk to the Herald about his experience at the SOKY Book Fest, his writing inspirations and what’s in store for the future of his writing.

Touring has been pretty great so far, I’d say. Tenspell out numbers at beginning of sentences years ago, I did my first readings out of state-specifically, Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama-and I’d like to think that I’ve gotten better at the performative part of reading. I’ve been doing a lot more readings since both books came out last year; last month, I was on the road with Duncan B. Barlow (author of, most recently, the novel “The City”, Awake-which is highly recommended). We started in Santa Fe and wrapped up the tour in Chicago. That experience gave me a really good sense of what worked in front of an audience and what didn’t as well as what sections of each book fit well together.

I’ve always juxtaposed writing shorter and longer fiction. The oldest stories in my collection “Transitory” are about a decade old at this point; there are also some stories in there that were written more recently than “Reel.” Before “Reel,” I wrote a novel that didn’t quite work. I’d definitely say that “Reel” was a challenge, as at that point, I wasn’t sure that I could write something that approached the length of a novel.

“Reel” follows the lives of two people whose paths briefly cross at a punk show in Seattle. I’d had the beginning of the book floating around in my head for several years, but it took a long while for me to realize that the story that I wanted to tell with these characters was something that would be book-length, rather than story-length. In terms of inspiration, I wanted to tell a story set in and around Seattle; in the late 1990s and early 2000s, my friend Scott and I ran a small indie label and released music by a few Pacific Northwestern artists, and I have a huge affection for the area. And I wanted to explore questions of connection, of family and of space. “Reel” turned out to be a really good way to do all of those things.

my life for a long time, though I’m not a musician myself, and art is also something that I find very important. (I’m writing this from Nashville right now; yesterday I walked a mile-long sculpture trail to see a James Turrell skyspace.) I liked the idea of writing about characters who, like myself, were on the periphery of these worlds.

The novel I’m working on right now has a couple of musicians in its cast of characters, though they’re in a very different music scene.

came out late last year, and is fantastic.

We’ve been running it for a while now; we run interviews and reviews of books, along with weekly stories and bi-weekly essays. We also do a lot of events in New York City--later this summer, we’re sponsoring a panel discussion featuring Eugene Lim, author of “Dear Cyborgs,” for instance. And we’ve done a few chapbooks along the way as well, and have been lucky enough to work with writers like Mairead Case, Rahawa Haile and Jes Skolnik.

Literary publications, whether in print or online, are, (in my opinion), a vital piece of the literary community. They can bring writers together, showcase new work from emerging voices and advocate for important issues.

“Reel” meditates on the experiences of art and music, as someone who writes about these things for various publications, was it natural Tell me a little bit about to write fiction on these What do you see for the future Tell me a little bit about your your novel “Reel” and the experiences? of your bibliography? Do you recent experience at the SOKY inspiration behind it. hope to write another novel Book Fest and your time in Definitely. Music has been a big part of next? Another collection?

Bowling Green.

I had a really enjoyable time at the SOKY Book Fest. At the Kentucky Writers Conference, I talked about the way that location works in fiction, and at the Fest itself, I was on a panel with a host of amazing writers to discuss music and art in fiction. I enjoyed meeting a bunch of people while in Bowling Green; I was especially happy to meet Rion Amilcar Scott, as we have a lot of friends in common. Seems like there’s a really great community of writers and literary folks here, and that’s a fine thing to see.

Some authors really enjoy the experience of engaging with readers at book signings, while others sometimes find the process monotonous.

What has your experience with “touring” your work been like thus far?

I’m in the middle of revising a new novel right now, one that’s set in and around a fictional town in northwestern New Jersey and which spans thirty-odd years in the lives of its characters. I’m also writing short stories. I’d love to do another collection as well, and I think I have a solid core for one if I’m lucky enough to find someone interested in releasing it. I find that having multiple projects in front of me helps keep me motivated; if I’m blocked on one of them, I have something else that I can work on.

You are also the managing editor for Vol. 1 based in Brooklyn; can you tell the Reporter Andrew Critchelow can be people of Bowling Green reached at 270-745-6288 and andrew. about this publication and the critchelow121@topper.wku.edu. importance of publications focused on the literary?

“Reel” is your first published novel. After releasing a collection of short stories, was it challenging to commit to Absolutely! Vol. 1 Brooklyn was foundpublishing a more fleshed-out ed by my friend Jason Diamond--whose memoir “Searching For John Hughes” work?

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APRIL 25, 2017

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

Track and Field wins two titles in Georgia Invitational

BY JOHN REECER

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU The WKU Track and Field teams earned 12 top-five finishes at the Georgia Tech Invitational this past weekend, which included two titles claimed by senior Ventavius Sears in the long jump and junior Eli Minor in the 200-meter dash.

To kick things off on Friday, senior Jenessa Jackson finished in the top-10 against her competitors for the thirdstraight meet, tallying a 14.14 meter (46’4.75”) mark in the shot put, good for fifth place, and in the hammer posting a fourth place finish with a mark of 54.30 meters (178’2”).

Moments later in the 100-meter hurdles, senior Kaila Smith posted the 16th-best time (14.36) in the event and redshirt senior Catika Slay followed with a time of 14.89 finishing in 30th.

Slay also competed in the long jump, placing sixth with a jump of 5.74 meters (18’10”).

Three Hilltoppers competed in the 110-meter hurdles led by junior Jonathan Hayden and his third place finish.

The Florida native ran it in 14.18 seconds, marking the second-fastest time in his career.

Sophomore Maor Seged crossed the finish line at the 14.70 mark to finish 13th, and freshman Denzel Villaman placed 27th with a time of 15.94.

WKU had two players with almost identical times in the 100-meter dash as Minor (10.482) and Julius Morris (10.489) finished third and fifth in the race. Will Bush tallied a 10.70 mark finishing 13th, a new personal record.

The 100-meter dash on the women’s side saw two players set personal records as junior Khadijah Valentine placed seventh (11.85), and junior Ariel Terrell tallied a 12.11 time to finish 21st.

To finish up the night, Sears won his second title of the outdoor season in the long jump, launching for a mark of 7.73 meters (25’4.5”). Junior Desmond Mobley wasn’t far behind, finishing

Senior thrower Jenessa Jackson throws during the Hilltopper relays on Friday, April 7 at the Charles M. Reuter Track and Field Complex. EVAN BOGGS/HERALD with a jump of 7.07 meters (23’2.5”), good for eighth place.

To start things on Saturday, the 400-meter hurdles were well represented by the Hilltoppers as Smith (1:00.40) placed fifth, Terrell (1:00.77) placed seventh and on the men’s side, Hayden (53.10) tallied a seventh place finish and Seged (53.54) finished right behind in eighth.

Sears pulled out another top-five finish in the triple jump, jumping a 15.99-meter (52’5.5”) mark. Desmond Mobley earned 13th with a mark of 14.23m (48’8.25”).

“I thought our hurdlers competed well as both Ariel Terrell and Jonathan Hayden both ran personal best in the long hurdle race,” Head Coach

Erik Jenkins said in a press release.

“As a pair, they competed well in the 400-meter hurdles. Ventavius [Sears] had a good weekend in both the long and triple jump. 25’4” and 52’5” are good marks.”

WKU shined in the 200-meter dash on both the men’s and women’s side, starting with Valentine. The junior crossed the finish line in 23.62 seconds to finish in second place. Julius Morris took the crown on the men’s side with a time of 20.66 and Eli Minor followed suit placing second in 20.99 seconds.

“Julius Morris and Eli Minor both put together a solid weekend in the short sprints,” Jenkins said. “Khadijah Valentine continues to make positive strides in the sprints as well.”

To finish off the weekend, WKU’s “A” team, consisting of Maor Seged, Eli Minor, Villaman and sophomore Austin Hayes, took fourth with a time of 3:16.53 in the 4x400 meter relay.

“We saw some things we need to improve upon as we round out the regular season, but overall we had a good weekend and I look forward to us competing next week,” Jenkins said.

WKU will hit the track again on April 28-29 by splitting up and sending athletes to the Memphis and Louisville Invitational.

Reporter John Reecer can be reached at 270-427-8320 and john.reecer104@ topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @Reece_12_Falcon.

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APRIL 25, 2017

B5 Pitching hurts Hilltoppers as they drop series to Rice

BY JEREMY CHISENHALL

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

The WKU baseball team dropped its weekend series against the Rice Owls this past weekend as the Hilltopper pitching struggled to stop the Rice offense.

Over the course of the series, WKU walked 17 batters, hit three more, and gave up six home runs. In the end, the Hilltoppers gave up 31 total runs en route to being swept.

“You can’t win if you go out there and your starters don’t get you deep in the game,” Head Coach John Pawlowski said. “We got behind the eight ball, put a lot of pressure on our offense, so we didn’t perform very well this weekend.”

The series started off with Rice winning game one on Friday. The Owls had nine base hits but much of the offense came from free passes, as WKU pitchers walked batters and hit three more for 13 total free passes.

WKU took an early lead in the second inning, as Wyatt Featherston hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Thomas Peter. However, Rice answered right back by scoring four runs in the third inning, which was headlined by a solo home run from Tristan Gray to start off the scoring.

Gray would also hit an inside-thepark home run later in the game.

WKU answered back with a threerun seventh inning, including a twoRBI single from Thomas Peter, but it wasn’t enough. Rice’s Dane Myers homered in the eighth to push the Owls further ahead, and they’d go on to win 8-4.

With all the walks Rice had in game one, they recorded even more hits in game two on Saturday. They tagged starting pitcher Evan Acosta for seven hits and seven runs in just two innings, although five of those runs were unearned. All seven of them were scored in the second inning, which featured another Dane Myers home run. He drove in three with a blast to left field.

Jeff Ciocco came in after Acosta and had the best performance of his young career, making him the highlight of the series. Ciocco gave up two runs, but struck out nine batters in just six innings, a career-high for

him.

“I thought our relievers did a better job than our starters. You really encourage what Jeff Ciocco did in game one [Saturday], went out there and did a great job,” Pawlowski said.

After falling behind 9-0, WKU finally got on the board in the sixth inning, as Chris Rogers grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Colie Currie. The Hilltoppers then exploded for four runs in the eighth inning, including a two-RBI double from Grayson Ivey.

Rice scored another run in the top of the ninth as Dominic DiCaprio hit a sacrifice fly to score Charlie Warren, pushing the lead to five, and out of the Hilltoppers’ reach. Rice went on to win 10-5.

Game three turned out to be game two of a Saturday doubleheader, and unfortunately for WKU, it wasn’t much different from game one.

Rice exploded again in the first inning of game three, as they scored three runs, including a two-RBI double from Tristan Gray.

They scored another run in the second when Ryan Chandler hit a sacrifice fly to left field. But this time the Hilltoppers answered back a little more quickly, as they scored two runs in the bottom of the second, headlined by an RBI triple from Tyler Robertson.

Rice’s offense continued to overwhelm the WKU pitchers, as Ryan Chandler homered to right-center field to score three more for Rice, giving the Owls a 7-2 lead. That caused WKU starter Paul Kirkpatrick to be pulled, and Kevin Elder came on in relief. Even after a pitching change, Rice poured it on, scoring three in the fifth and in the ninth, including a two-run home run from Andrew Dunlap. After all was said and done, Rice won game three 13-2 to sweep the series.

WKU will travel to Austin Peay to play a weekday game on Tuesday before traveling to Louisiana Tech to play a three-game series this weekend.

Junior left-handed pitcher Evan Acostra (31) pitches during the Hilltoppers’ 13-1 loss to Southern Mississippi on Sunday, April 2 at Nick Denes Field. SKYLER BALLARD/HERALD

Reporter Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 859-760-0198 and jeremy. chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.

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SPORTS

APRIL 25, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY » Track and Field: Hilltoppers bring home two more titles in Georgia Invitational.

WKU, Russell Athletic to end on-field sponsorship

BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU Western Kentucky University and Russell Athletic will no longer be on-field partners, the university announced Monday afternoon.

WKU and Russell have mutually decided to discontinue their exclusive on-field sponsorship agreement

as of June 30. The school also announced Russell Athletic will continue to partner with WKU as an apparel license.

“We have enjoyed a terrific partnership with Russell Athletic over the last 10 years,” athletic director Todd Stewart said in a statement. “Our athletics programs have experienced significant growth during this time,

and we are deeply appreciative to Fruit of the Loom and Russell Athletic for their vital role. We look forward to continuing to work with them in growing our licensed apparel business.”

Details of a partnership with a future apparel provider could be announced as early as today. WKU and Russell have partnered together

since 2007, and the school signed a five-year extension with Russell in August of 2015. The contract extension was set to go from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2021.

Sports Editor Evan Heichelbech can be reached at 502-415-1817 and evan. heichelbech059@topper.wku.edu.

Follow him on Twitter at @evanheich.

Quarterback Drew Eckels (4) throws a pass during the Red and White game on Saturday at L.T. Smith Stadium. KENDALL WARNER/ HERALD

Defensive lineman Tanner Reeves (11) and defensive back Juwan Gardner (14) tackle Wide receiver Jahcour Pearson (1) during the Red and White game on Saturday at L.T. Smith Stadium. KENDALL WARNER/HERALD

slick spots

Running back Quinton Baker (3) gets tackled by linebacker Masai Whyte (25) during the Red and White game on Saturday at L.T. Smith Stadium. KENDALL WARNER/HERALD

New faces emerge in UP-AND-DOWN Spring game

BY SAM PORTER HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU The Mike Sanford era officially kicked off this past weekend when WKU hosted its annual Red-White Spring game.

The White team trounced the Red Team 45-13, keeping quarterback Mike White and company out of the end zone the entire game.

Redshirt sophomore receiver Devin Nixon ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown for the Red team, but the offense was only able to manage two field goals the rest of the way.

The White team led 17-10 at half before scoring 28 of the last 31 points. As a reward, the White team ate a steak dinner on Sanford while the Red team settled for hotdogs and hamburgers.

“The White team in particular played particularly well on defense,” Sanford said after the game. “We saw some of the same stuff we’ve seen throughout the course of camp. I thought it was a very sound played football game, especially in the first half.”

Several offensive players, such as running backs D’Andre Ferby, Marquezz Trigg and Leon Allen were forced to miss the spring game due

to injury.

With competition for the starting job in the backfield heating up, sophomore Quinton Baker stole the spotlight. Baker scored touchdowns on runs of 38, 74 and 47 yards, leaving his teammates on the opposing defense frustrated after every score.

Baker led all players in total yards and touchdowns on the day.

After seeing minimal playing time last year, the Ashland native took a giant step toward earning some quality clock next season.

“I just try to be patient and let the play develop. When I see the holes, I just try to hit them,” Baker said. “I really worked on my patience and speed this offseason. I love seeing defenses frustrated. Hopefully, it’s an opposing team next time instead of our team.”

Senior receiver Nacarius Fant also missed Saturday’s scrimmage as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, dating back to last season.

Fant’s absence gave younger receivers a chance to prove themselves in a position that loses over 65 percent of its production from a year ago.

Although the rain subsided before kickoff, the wide receivers struggled to hold onto the football from the beginning. After redshirt junior quarterback Drew Eckels completed

his first pass of the day, his second and third down passes were both dropped to force a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession.

Those two were just a couple out of a handful of drops throughout the day. However, the receivers showed spurts that resembled the big play ability of receivers that recently wore the red and white.

Redshirt senior Kylen Towner, redshirt sophomore Quin Jernigan and redshirt freshmen Xavier Lane and Jachour Pearson all caught passes of 20 yards or more. Redshirt sophomore Lucky Jackson had the lone receiving touchdown, a three-yard fade from Eckels that gave the White team a 38-13 lead.

“Quin Jernighan was outstanding today. He finished out spring ball playing very well,” Sanford said. “His confidence is only going to grow. I can’t tell you enough about Kylen Towner, just the way he’s performed throughout the spring. Lucky Jackson has really been our leader at that position. I’ve been very impressed with the work those guys have put in and I’m looking forward to see the progress.”

Late in the first quarter, senior defensive lineman Chris Johnson made the game’s biggest play on defense. After Mike White and compa-

ny drove to the White team’s 11 yard line, Johnson stripped running back Teawonn Ligon and recovered the fumble.

The Hilltopper defense will look to be a force again after finishing 41st in the nation in total defense in 2016.

“We progressed really well over the spring after the coaching change.

We’re really starting to pick it up well,” Johnson said. “From the defensive line, to the linebackers, to the defensive backs, we’re all starting to click. We’re just trying to show that there is no drop-off and this is still the Western Kentucky defense that everybody knows.”

The spring game concludes spring practice for Sanford and company.

The Hilltoppers will host Eastern Kentucky University in the opener on Sept. 2.

“We can’t wait for the fall. That’s all we talk about,” Baker said. “We just want to improve and not drop off.

We’re trying to keep this thing rolling and be a top-25 team that plays in a New Years 6 Bowl. The main goal is to go undefeated. Realistically, we believe we can do that.”

Reporter Sam Porter can be reached at 270-799-8247and sam.porter270@ gmail.com Follow him on Twitter at @SammyP14.