OPINION • PAGE A4
SPORTS • PAGE B6
WKU’s Confucius Institute poses threat to Chinese Flagship
Check out tournament coverage for men’s and women’s basketball
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2019
WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 20
JOSEPH BARKOFF • HERALD
WKU professor of Russian Ekaterina Myakshina instructs her Russian 202 class in the Honors College and International Center on March 11. WKU’s modern languages department recently moved from Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center to the Honors College and International Center.
ADIOS & AU REVOIR Modern language programs face suspension
BY ELIJAH STARKEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
E
nrollment in WKU’s modern language programs has dropped precipitously following a university decision to count two years of high school foreign language classes as students’ modern language credit. The WKU University Senate ap-
proved the resolution in 2017 to address a backlog of over 7,000 students who had not yet fulfilled their language requirement. “This is basically a band-aid to clear the deck, to basically say that the 7,000 students who still have not filled the requirement, that if you have two years of high school [credit], you’ve fulfilled it,” Jerry Daday, then chair of the Colonnade General Education Committee, said in a previous Herald article
when the language requirement was removed. Laura McGee, head of the Department of Modern Languages, said there are currently hundreds fewer students taking language courses now compared to before the passage of the new rule. “We’re down three instructors, and each of these people taught 300 students a year,” McGee said. As a result, the French major will be
phased out by 2021. Minors in French, majors and minors in German and minors in Spanish have been recommended for suspension by college deans. Any suspended program will continue until all currently enrolled students have completed the program, but no new admissions into a suspended program will be allowed. The Spanish major has been rated as SEE MODERN LANGUAGE • PAGE A7
Construction continues for WKU Greek organizations BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Both newer and established Greek organizations are finding a permanent home at WKU thanks to ongoing construction in and around campus. Delta Zeta, Alpha Omicron Pi and Sigma Phi Epsilon are currently in the process of building houses for their chapter members. These three houses are at the tail end of a 15-year construction process for Greek housing, Charley Pride, director of student activities, said. “We’ve built one, two or three [houses] each year,” Pride said. “Most facilities were aging, and many were upgraded for more room for residents and building larger space for chapter rooms.” Pride said Delta Zeta’s house on
Chestnut Street will be finished and ready for residents to move in by August. He said there is no estimated date for the completion of construction for Alpha Omicron Pi’s house, also on Chestnut Street, or Sigma Phi Epsilon’s house on College Street. Discussions for a new house for Lambda Chi Alpha have begun, as well, but Pride said that is still subject to change. Andrew Rash, coordinator of Greek affairs, said the construction reflects modern wants and needs of the students living in and utilizing those spaces. “What people lived in 20 years ago isn’t what people live in now,” he said. “People want private rooms and a multipurpose space for study rooms, chapter meetings or Spring Sing practice.” SEE CONSTRUCTION • PAGE A7
TYGER WILLIAMS • HERALD
Construction on the Sigma Phi Epsilon house began over winter break. The new house will be located on College Street, across from Cherry Hall.