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TTHURSDAY, HURSDAY, FFEBRUARY EBRUARY 223, 3, 22017 017 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 992, 2, IISSUE SSUE 3366
Ransdell declines sanctuary status BY EMMA AUSTIN HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Kristina Arnold chants “shame” alongside other protesters after the Bowling Green City Commission decided to table the Fairness Ordinance on Tuesday at City Hall. Although the Bowling Green Fairness Coalition has been fighting for this cause for many years, this was the first time a city commissioner has proposed the ordinance as part of the official agenda. BROOK JOYNER/HERALD
City Commission tables fairness ordinance BY KATHRYN ZIESIG HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
H
undreds of Bowling Green residents gathered in City Hall on Tuesday for the bimonthly City Commission meeting to hear the fairness ordinance read for the first time and tabled without discussion. Crowds assembled at Bowling Green City Hall before the meeting began and had filled the commission chamber to maximum capacity by around 4 p.m., 30 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin. The overflow of people stood and watched the meeting on a TV in the lobby, and more stood outside holding signs and chanting. The proposed fairness ordinance would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories to existing civil rights laws. Bowling Green is the largest city in Kentucky without a fairness ordinance; as a result, anyone in Bowling Green can be legally discriminated against in housing, employment and other public accommodations if this discrimination is based on sexual orientation or gender identity. After it was announced the ordinance was tabled until the next meeting on March 7, crowds outside and in the commission chamber and lobby started chanting “shame, shame, shame” at the mayor and commissioners as they left City Hall. Brian “Slim” Nash, the only commissioner in favor of passing the or-
The Bowling Green Fairness Coalition hands out pins to supporters of the Fairness Ordinance at the City Commission meeting on Feb. 21 at City Hall. The Fairness Ordinance would extend protective rights to members of the LGBT community. BROOK JOYNER /HERALD
dinance, said he was disappointed in the outcome of the meeting but hopes to keep the discussion going. “Oftentimes, progress is done in small steps, and so I think we’ve made at least a step in the right direction tonight,” Nash said. Nash said in his eight years of previous experience on the city commission, he had never seen such a large group of people turn out for a meeting. There were about 200 people in attendance according to Patti Minter, WKU associate professor of history.
Following the meeting, supporters of the fairness ordinance gathered outside to hear Nash and others give the speeches they had prepared for the meeting, but did not get the chance to read. Minter started by thanking Nash, addressing the crowd and calling them to action. “I am tired of watching beautiful young people leave the city and leave Kentucky for places where the laws protect them from discrimination because we don’t,” Minter said.
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President Gary Ransdell has declined to name WKU a sanctuary campus, which would extend certain protections to undocumented immigrant students on campus, according to a resolution passed by the University Senate last Thursday. The resolution supported allowing WKU to continue to admit undocumented immigrant students and to not share information about students unless required by subpoena, court order or warrant. The resolution also said WKU will not allow certain immigration and border protection services on campus for enforcement purposes without a warrant. In a response to the resolution delivered to University Senate Chair Kate Hudepohl Tuesday, Ransdell expressed his decision against declaring WKU a sanctuary campus, saying it is “a designation for which there is no legal status.” Ransdell said the resolution would put WKU at risk of legal trouble and endanger federal aid and funding. He also said the resolution would suggest a level of protection to students WKU cannot actually guarantee. “WKU, and especially the WKU Police, simply must comply with all state and federal laws,” Ransdell wrote in his response to the resolution. “We are an agency of Kentucky state government and must conduct our affairs responsibly.” The resolution stated “WKU will not allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) / Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to be present on the university campus for enforcement purposes unless required by a warrant,” which Ransdell wrote “is not possible or prudent” and “WKU cannot interfere” if the listed services have reason or need to investigate a WKU student. The resolution also stated WKU would not share information about students unless required by subpoena, court order or warrant. In response to this provision, Ransdell said “WKU would cooperate with a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency investigation but would do so while fulfilling our obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which affords all college and university stu-
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Event empowers students through political education BY REBEKAH ALVEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Students gathered in Downing Student Union Monday to discuss and to get a better sense of politics. As a part of the events for Black History Month, Power UP: Understanding Politics Forum was focused on issues from the recent Presidential election. The program began by asking students to imagine what they would
do differently if they were in certain positions of power. From this, faculty began to define politics and why students should be involved. “You can’t act if you don’t know,” Intercultural Student Engagement Center Program Coordinator Kristina Gamble said. This was a phrase she tried to emphasize throughout the program. Gamble led the majority of the discussions and repeatedly posed questions to students.
With all of the recent events hosted by ISEC and other organizations this month, education has always played an important role, Gamble said. The goal was for each event to hit on a different medium, this event being political while others like the Black Violin performance, are more art based. Throughout the rest of the program, Gamble showed students demographics inside the Bowling
Green community and on WKU campus. She asked students to compare this information with the representation seen in leadership like the Board of Regents. Gamble explained to students “it’s important to have your seat at the table so your voice is heard.” Students were then asked to identify the biggest issue they face right now. Responses varied from immi-
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