Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Good morning, Hilltoppers!
Please read today's newsletter for wisdom from a Buddhist monk, Hank Plona's award nomination, an opinion piece on "Trump's America" and another opinion piece on Cobra Kai, the former tv series Happy Wednesday, and as always, GO TOPS!
Khenpo Tsering Phuntsok explains the experience of suffering due to ignorance in the Buddhist belief system in Downing Student Union on Mar. 4, 2025. He emphasized the mind and body being one, and allowing your mind to open like a flower, leading to an awakening. Photo by Jacob Sebastian
Anthony Clauson | News Reporter
From the mountains of Nepal to the hill of WKU, the Venerable Khepo Tsering
Phuntsok traveled to give his perspective on compassion and mindfulness
Phuntsok, a Buddhist monk, has been traveling to America since 2010, most commonly visiting Kentucky and Louisiana. Phuntsok, dressed in red robes, used his experience in the Buddhist faith to advise students how to live with less suffering as part of a speaker event hosted by the WKU Department of Social Work Tuesday
Phuntsok said he began studying the Buddha’s teachings when he was between 11 and 12 years old. He said compassion and wisdom are two parts of a whole that cannot be separated
Read more by Anthony
Clauson
WKU head coach Hank Plona points to his defense as they defend against University of Kentucky in Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Photo by Adin Parks.
Nathan Mueller | Sports Reporter
WKU men ’ s basketball Head Coach Hank Plona was announced as a finalist for the Joe B Hall National Coach of the Year award Tuesday, according to a press release from WKU Athletics
The award is given to the best first-year head coach in Division I NCAA basketball, according to the Joe B. Hall Website. Plona gave his “honest thoughts” about the nomination at his Tuesday press conference
Read more by Nathan Mueller
Read more by Emma Hardesty
One of President Donald Trump’s day-one executive orders was an attack on transgender people across the country – an attack causing irreparable damage to the mental health of many
On Jan. 20, the “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” executive order was signed While on its face the order promotes the defense of women, the contents are nothing but anti-transgender
“It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female,” the order states “These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality ”
Read more by Emma
Hardesty
After seven years, six seasons,two streaming services and 65 action-packed episodes, Netflix’s “Cobra Kai,” a spin-off of the “Karate Kid” movies, has come to an end. As with anything, endings can be bittersweet. It’s incredible to see a show come to completion, but the iconic show is certainly going to leave a cobra-sized hole in many people’s hearts.
With the show over, what should be next on your watchlist? Based on each aspect of Cobra Kai, I’ve found a show that pairs perfectly with what you want to see
'because i liked a boy' by
Sabrina Carpenter
The College Heights Herald is the independent, student-run news organization operating on the campus of Western Kentucky University, emphasizing accuracy and truth while being a public forum for the fair display of diverse opinions and viewpoints. The Herald works to be steadfast and unwavering in its pursuit of truth while being true to the tenets of the WKU Student Publications mission to grow exceptional journalists and innovative leaders through real-world experiences and a strong educational and ethical foundation centered on principled journalism All creative and editorial decisions are made by the Herald’s student leadership, and all consequences of those decisions are the sole responsibility of these student leaders While editorially and operationally independent from the university, the Herald participates in the mission of WKU to prepare students of all backgrounds to be productive, engaged and socially responsible citizen-leaders of a global society, both within and outside of its newsroom. Views expressed are diverse and, as an independent publication, should not be taken as representative of views of WKU and any of its administration, faculty, staff, student body or other constituency.
