March 26, 2019

LIFE • PAGE B1

SPORTS • PAGE B6

Laugh your gas off: Improv troupe celebrates 20 years

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TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 94, ISSUE 22

UNITED

TYGER WILLIAMS • HERALD

From left to right; Madeline Springate, Tithe Ahmed, Hoda Amira and Maryam Malik stand for a moment of silence during a vigil for the 49 lives lost during a terrorist attack in New Zealand on March 15.

After terrorist attacks, Muslim students speak up

ABIGIAL DOLLINS • HERALD

During Friday’s vigil, attendees were given sheets filled with the photos and stories of the victims of the New Zealand attacks and were invited to read one aloud.

BY REBEKAH ALVEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

In the days following consecutive attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, members of the WKU Muslim Student Association said there were feelings of fear within the Muslim community.

But there was also an opportunity to unite.

On March 15, 49 people were killed in a terrorist attack in New Zealand. A single shooter attacked two mosques and livestreamed the attacks in addition to releasing a manifesto online.

In response to the attacks MSA held a dis-

FAHAD ALOTAIBI • HERALD

WKU international affairs and history major Daniel Candee gets emotional while other attendees of the vigil read the names of the New Zealand victims at Centennial Mall on Friday, March 22.

cussion and a vigil on Friday, March 22, to remember the victims, discuss misconceptions surrounding Islam and unite the Muslim community.

Emily Peña said some Muslims were afraid to attend local mosques last Friday because of what could happen. She said

some hijabis, women who wear hijabs, opted to wear a baseball cap instead.

“There’s that inherent fear, especially with hijabis, because it’s very visible,” Peña said.

SEE UNITED • PAGE A3

Free speech policies encourage open discussion

BY NATASHA BREU & ELIJAH STARKEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

Students crossing through campus may occasionally witness free speech in action. One common example of this

is the presence of religious speakers on campus standing with lists of people who are going to “hell forever”.

Typically, this garners a negative response from students, who tend to gather around and protest the speakers. Junior Olivia Evans said she understands the speakers’ right to freedom of speech but still takes issue with it.

“It is uncomfortable how strongly he forces his beliefs on us,” Evans said of a speaker who recently appeared on campus.

WKU’s free speech policy states that “any officially registered organization of students, faculty, administrators or staff may invite speakers of their choice to the campus to further educational goals”

and “no restrictions will be placed upon the selection of speakers or their subject matter except those provided by law.”

The policy also states freedom of speech is a fundamental right protected under the First Amendment and “unpopular” speech may be challenged.

SEE FREE SPEECH • PAGE A3

A2 NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Bike share program thrives in first semester at WKU

BY JACK DOBBS HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

In late 2018, WKU welcomed a new feature to campus. It came in the form of VeoRide, a bike-sharing service that allows students to rent a bicycle for a short time and ride around campus.

As previously reported by the Herald, Wheeler said around 100 rides were logged every day in the first days the bikes were available.

Halfway through its first full semester on campus, the service is continuing to see popularity.

Assistant Vice President for Business Services Brad Wheeler said the service has been successful among

the student body.

“Students are getting out and enjoying the service,” Wheeler said in an email. “The program is still in its infancy and has significant opportunities to be expanded.”

Wheeler also said since VeoRide’s inception on campus, over 5,600 bike rides have been logged by just over 1,000 riders, amounting to 1,248 miles ridden on the bikes. This has resulted in over 70,000 calories burned by the student body and over a half million grams of vehicle emissions reduced in the process.

Wheeler said the week of March 1723 saw the largest daily ride count, with 197 rides logged throughout the week and an average of 155 rides per day.

Freshman Tristen Preston said he

BRITTANY MORRISON • HERALD

VeoRide continues to thrive. According to WKU, around 100 rides were logged every day in the first days the bikes were available.

uses the service at least once a week.

“I just want to get down the Hill as fast as possible, and VeoRide makes me one step closer to that,” Preston said.

Wheeler also said some geofence areas are being created to encom-

pass different parts of Bowling Green. The geofences operate as a virtual barrier in which the bikes can be used.

“Program administrators are also reaching out to private developments to expand the program further into the community,” Wheeler said.

VeoRide came to the Hill after a survey taken to gauge student and faculty support for a bike-sharing service showed significant interest.

Students are able to rent a bike for 50 cents for 15 minutes, $17 per month or $70 per year.

Reporter Jack Dobbs can be reached at 270-745-0655 and jack. dobbs469@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @jackrdobbs.

Accessibility remains an issue on WKU’s campus

BY LILY BURRIS HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

WKU students with disabilities face many challenges on campus including buildings without elevators, stair-filled pathways cutting through campus, classrooms with bad acoustics and very limited test-taking times.

The Americans with Disabilities Act originally passed in 1990, and the ADA Amendments Act passed in 2008. Both acts protect Americans with physical and mental disabilities from discrimination. This includes physical disabilities such as paralysis and cerebral palsy as well as mental disabilities such as attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

At WKU, students with a disability register with the Student Accessibility Resource Center. According to the website, registering with SARC starts with a request form and documentation from a licensed professional. After this process, SARC reviews the request and works to meet the accommodations recommended.

Matt Davis, assistant director of student services at SARC, said some accommodations are different in high school or secondary settings than in postsecondary settings, which could produce different processes. However, he said the center does not deny accommodations.

“We’re kind of the liaison between the licensed professional and the student,” Davis said.

Hidden disabilities, which Davis said are disabilities that aren’t noticeable when looking at a person, are the most common type of disability registered with SARC. He said those include learning disabilities, which have many subcategories, and disabilities such as ADHD. Davis also discussed Mastering Accessible Possibilities for Students, a recently revived student organization on campus. He said the organization is not just exclusive to disabled students and is open to students who aspire to be special education teachers or want to go into social work.

However, there are some things

that SARC can’t do. Megan Allen, a former WKU student from Portland, Tennessee, who majored in theater, has cerebral palsy and uses a powered wheelchair. She also has a speech impediment.

Allen said she faced many struggles during her three semesters at WKU. “It was very difficult [to] maneuver to my classes,” Allen said. “I couldn’t take some of the classes because they were in areas I could not get to, and they couldn’t move the class because of the equipment that they were using.”

Davis said the SARC office handles student grievances about ADA compliance issues. He said grievances come in many different forms, and SARC mostly handles grievances where students feel they aren’t receiving their accommodations from an instructor.

Allen said she could not physically get to some of her classes in Gordon Wilson Hall because she couldn’t get to the area the classes were located.

“There was one entrance and exit that I could use,” Allen said.

Allen said when she was registering with SARC, the people working at the center were nice and accommodating, and the process was easy.

“Everybody wants an education ... that is the goal,” Allen said. “We don’t just get into the classes because we want to, we want to for ourselves and [to] make people in the world know that we are like them.”

Davis said some students may be apprehensive about going to SARC because they don’t want people to know about their disability or they don’t want to deal with the stigma attached to working with SARC. However, he said the office keeps everything confidential and allows students to notify their instructors about their requests.

“We empower students to make that decision on their own once they’re registered with our office,” Davis said.

KENDALL WARNER • HERALD

Some buildings on campus such as Gordon Wilson Hall pose challenges to students with disabilities.

Megan Allen, a former student, said there was only one entrance and exit she could use which made it physically impossible to access some rooms.

News reporter Lily Burris can be reached at 270-745-6011 and lily. burris203@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @lily_burris.

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A3 NEWS UNITED

CONTINUED FROM FRONT After the attacks, Tithe Ahmed said it initially didn’t occur to her what had happened, but her state of mind worsened as more headlines came out. She said the attacks resonated with her, especially considering she has direct family members who attend Jumu’ah, or Friday prayer, every week just like those killed in the attacks.

“It was our brothers and sisters in faith,” Ahmed said. “It could’ve just as easily happened to one of our families here in America, especially considering this violence being more prominent in America.”

In 2017, there were 1,564 reported incidents of religious-based hate crimes in the U.S., according to the most recent FBI data. Of these, 273 were anti-Islamic attacks, which made up 18.7 percent of hate crimes in 2017.

Islam was the second-most targeted religion after Judaism. The FBI reported 938 anti-Jewish hate crimes, which made up 58.1 percent of total hate crimes in the U.S. There has been an increase of attacks on mosques and Muslim religious leaders in North America, Europe and Oceania, as reported in The New York Times. From 2010 2017 in those regions, there have been 128 terrorist attacks. There have been 213 terrorist attacks on other religious institutions such as churches and synagogues within the same time frame.

“I think that’s the scary thing,” MSA secretary Maryam Malik said as a reaction to the New Zealand attacks. “When we attend a mosque, who knows what could happen.”

MSA was formed at WKU in October 2018. President Hoda Amira said the organization formerly existed at WKU, but after the previous president graduated, it died out. Born in Lexington, where there was a strong Muslim community, Amira moved to a smaller city where a Muslim presence was almost nonexistent during high school. When she came to WKU and learned there was not an active MSA, she said she was insistent to restart it.

“I feel like at WKU there is a strong presence, but it’s not as united as other schools,” Amira said. “That’s what I was hoping to change with MSA — to create unity.”

In Bowling Green and WKU, Ahmed said she believes there is a large

FREE PAGE

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Whenever speakers come to campus and students protest them, Director of Media Relations Bob Skipper said both groups are in their right to do so because there are no “free speech” zones on campus. He added speakers may voice their opinions anywhere on campus.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 22 promoting the protection of free speech on college campuses.

The order is intended to ensure colleges are following the law when speakers decide to come to a campus regardless of their political affiliation. Trump said he created it in order to defend students’ rights and “American values that have been under siege,” according to the Post.

Mac McKerral, journalism coordinator and professor, said he believes in the past Trump has shown little respect for the First Amendment but has now come out as a big proponent. He said the order can directly punish public institutions that don’t support free speech on campus.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Muslim community. However, when she first came to WKU, she said she only saw Muslim students at the mosque. After MSA was formed, she found a community on campus.

“Our goal is to just build up that community to where everyone is friends and we all know each other and the Muslim community knows they have each other at least,” Ahmed said. “Just to have a sense of oneness.”

In her world religions class, Peña said the class recently began discussing Islam. She said she believes the questions people have asked about the religion have revealed just how much misinformation is out there.

“People knew Islam was an Abra-

an attempt to learn more about Islam.

As a convert, Peña said she didn’t have a lot of Muslim friends when she came to Bowling Green. She said having MSA has been helpful in bringing members of the community together.

Khaled Aljaber, an international student from Kuwait, said after observing how the international community and media responded to the New Zealand terrorist attacks, he felt it necessary for organizations and individuals to stand up for themselves and express their reactions.

Aljaber has been at WKU since 2014 and said he has always seen some types of prejudice on campus.

However, he said these instances

“They just feel like you’re foreign. They don’t understand that you also belong here.”

President Muslim Student Association HODA AMIRA

hamic faith, but they didn’t know how much similarities we actually share,” Peña said.

In the class’ first meeting after the terrorist attacks, before breaking down these misconceptions, Peña said people shied away from talking about the New Zealand attacks.

However, after discussing Islam, she said she saw more compassion from her fellow students after they better understood the community.

In the week following the attacks, Peña said she has seen more positivity, as many people have contacted her with their concerns. In some classes specifically, she said professors have discussed the politics of the event and why people may be uncomfortable asking questions or talking about the attacks.

“I understand why people don’t ask questions, because it’s scary to ask questions about religion and not know the response you’re going to receive,” Peña said. “But we’re also trying to show we’re willing to take those questions and that it’s OK and Islam’s not some big scary thing.”

Now that more people have had that discussion, Peña said it can lead the way for the campus to make progress.

Ahmed said since MSA’s rebirth last semester, other campus ministries have contacted the organization in “Everybody knows why,” McKerral said. “It’s because so many campuses have made attempts to shutter conservative viewpoints and conservative voices, and it’s a natural reaction. That’s what happens.”

Under the order, 12 agencies that make federal grants are directed to ensure public universities are “complying with the law and their own policies to promote free inquiry and debate,” according to the Washington Post. Trump also said federal funding to universities will depend on their assurance of free speech.

In reference to Trump’s executive order, Sydney Butler, a sophomore from Aurora, Illinois, said she agrees universities should follow First Amendment policies but doesn’t agree with his stance on funding.

“I don’t think it should be a basis of how well they follow it [the executive order], though, because that’s too subjective for something important like education funding,” Butler said.

Another point of contention in this arena has been the activity of a white nationalist organization on WKU’s campus. The group, formerly known

changed in January 2017, as examples of prejudice became more pronounced.

“They’re not shy to be racist anymore,” Aljaber said.

While at WKU, Amira said she feels her experience has been somewhat impacted by the misconceptions people have of Muslims. One example she mentioned was how people assume Muslims are immigrants or exclusive to other countries.

“They just feel like you’re foreign,” Amira said. “They don’t understand that you also belong here.”

To combat these misconceptions, Amira said she would prefer if people approached her and asked questions instead of making an assumption and spreading misinformation.

“People usually don’t ask questions,” Amira said. “They make assumptions.”

Amira said the discussion and vigil hosted was a way to recognize the victims but also a way to show that as a community, Muslim students do have a voice.

Ahmed, who was one student leading the events on Friday, explained the events were also a way to unite the community and discuss differences. She said she believes every Muslim experience can be different.

Ahmed explained some differences that may impact a Muslim’s experi-

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS KOHLEY

as Identity Evropa (pronounced Europa), recently rebranded itself as The American Identity Movement.

This rebranding took place in the context of a massive leak of Identity Evropa’s internal messages by a nonprofit media organization called Unicorn Riot, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The organization has been active in postering around campus in an attempt to recruit students. The

ence are whether or not they wear a hijab and their skin tone.

Before the event, she said she planned to share her story and explained it’s important to share with the Muslim community but also those who may practice other faiths.

“That’s why it’s important for us to come together, so we can have this collective experience, so it’s not just one versus the other,” Ahmed said.

At the discussion on Friday, the Student Government Association chambers were nearly full with students, faculty, staff and community members. The event was led by Ahmed, Amira, Malik and Madeline Springate from the Bowling Green chapter of March for Our Lives.

During the discussion, people addressed media coverage, misconceptions of Islam and Muslims and various other topics. People were also invited to ask any questions about Islam. Afterwards, during the vigil, attendees were invited to read aloud the story of a victim of the attacks.

Among the attendees was state Rep. Patti Minter, who encouraged anyone who feels unsafe to contact her, saying she would be there for them.

“I stand with you, I see you, I grieve with you,” Minter said.

When it comes to the success of MSA, Ahmed said proactivity is important. She said some organizations will talk about action but not do anything. By reaching out to the community and hosting the discussion and vigil, Ahmed said MSA is showing it intends to be active on campus in teaching people about Islam.

“Islam is not a religion that preaches terrorism, that doesn’t preach fear, but this is a way we are trying to be more active in not being passive in the problems that are happening,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed added she believes the people who attended the vigil and discussion showed solidarity and were proactive, demonstrating growth in society.

“It’s showing progress as a society that people are more willing to accept other races, other religions and are willing to condemn hate whenever it is shown, whenever it is accepted by people you believe should be condemning it too,” Ahmed said.

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

Follow Rebekah Alvey on Twitter at @bekah_alvey.

Student Government Association issued an official condemnation of the group in 2018.

Throughout time, McKerral said academic institutions have been a place people could come to and have all ideas accepted and expressed.

However, he said there has become a trend of excluding opinions on college campuses.

“I just think that we’ve reached a point where we need to be very careful, particularly on college campuses,” McKerral said.

News Reporter Elijah Starkey can be reached at 502-264-3657 and elijah. starkey395@topper.wku.edu.

News reporter Natasha Breu can be reached at 270-745-6011 and natasha.breu597@topper.wku.edu. Follow Natasha on Twitter @nnbreu.

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OPINION

A4

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

ILLUSTRATION BY MADALYN STACK • HERALD

FREE HUSTLE

The problem with unpaid internships

BY HERALD EDITORIAL BOARD HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

Issue: The majority of college students are expected to have completed an internship by their graduation, but many unpaid internships prevent students from being able to gain what is now often viewed as necessary experience.

Our Stance: An unpaid internship limits the demographic of people of who can apply for it due to someone’s financial standing and other factors that have nothing to do with their skillset, giving disadvantaged students even more obstacles to overcome.

Modern education puts such a high stress on internships that many colleges are making them part of their criteria for graduation.

However, almost half of the 1.5 million internships offered in the United States were unpaid as of 2014, according to Forbes.

Working for free is never ideal, and if someone is a first-generation college student or comes from a low-income background, their situation can go from impaired to impossible. This causes a fundamental detriment to students of color and students in the LGBTQ community since they often do not have access to the same resources as middle- and

upper-class white students.

Students without vital financial support can’t give away hundreds of hours of their time and be expected to supply themselves with their basic needs, especially if they are being asked to relocate. Some citizens in large cities like New York City or Los Angeles can barely afford to live there on minimum wage, yet employers expect young adults to survive in these conditions without receiving any income.

As if working for free wasn’t bad enough, most unpaid interns don’t have access to workers’ rights, as their lack of payment means they aren’t considered employees. In 2014, only New York City, Washington, D.C., and Oregon had given unpaid interns rights against sexual harassment, according to ProPublica.

A productive internship is more valuable than almost anything someone can learn in a classroom.

Hands-on experience in a real-world setting is an asset that can’t be matched by any lecture or group project — that is, if the internship is actually working to better the intern.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed over the last decade from former interns who claimed they were used as glorified custodians or placed in other positions which involved little to nothing they applied to learn about, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The law states internships must benefit the intern, not those supplying the internship, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, but this hasn’t stopped some companies from attempting to

This week’s poll:

use interns as free labor for lowly work.

While comparisons of unpaid internships to slavery and indentured servitude are extreme and misleading, it’s accurate to say unpaid internships feed into a predatory system that enables an abuse of power.

In some regards, the situation is similar to the NCAA’s refusal to pay college athletes. Both groups of students are expected to work for free because they are told their current benefits are payment enough, and if they want to take the next step in their careers, then they should be grateful for the opportunity they have already. In reality, both groups are being exploited because they have no leverage, as the powers above them reap their rewards and save money.

Even if someone finishes an unpaid internship, their prospects still aren’t as bright as someone who has completed a paid internship. According to CNN Business, a 2016 study showed someone who has completed an unpaid internship will be offered a job only 44 percent of the time compared to paid interns at 72 percent. The same study showed former unpaid interns receive an initial salary offer $20,000 less than former paid interns.

The design of unpaid internships allows for veiled discrimination. The United States is supposed to be a meritocracy, but there is an inherent flaw in the system if those with adequate talent can’t showcase it because they don’t have the means to work for free.

Last week’s poll:

WKU Herald

What would stop you from accepting an internship?

It being unpaid

WKU Herald

Of programs with potential to be cut, which provides more benefits to #WKU? Modern Languages

57%

Having to relocate

Pop Culture Studies

9%

Both unpaid & relocating

Both are beneficial Neither are essential

Nothing would stop me

133 Votes

Vote

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A6

PHOTO

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

In the U.S., Emily Peña said the label “terrorist” holds a different weight than “shooter” because of the more frequent exposure Americans have to mass shootings. “But when you say terrorism, people in the U.S. always associate 9/11,” Peña said. “So what happens when they use 9/11 to justify being anti-Muslim, what do they say when the attack is against Muslims?”

MISLABELED PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS & FAHAD ALOTAIBI COPY BY REBEKAH ALVEY

the use of the word “terrorist” was a point of discussion both in an interview with members of the Muslim Student Association and during Friday’s discussion and vigil. Members of MSA agreed the word choice between “terrorist” and “shooter” is a significant one and said there is a double standard when it comes to terrorism committed by Muslim extremists versus other groups such as white nationalists.

Acts involving Muslims perceived to be acting in the name of Islam saw 770 more media coverage than those acting in the name of white supremacy, according to a study by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, an organization that focuses on research of American Muslims.

Khaled Aljaber, an international student from Kuwait, said he was surprised by the media’s reaction to the New Zealand attacks. He said the result of the coverage he felt makes the victims of the attacks seem “worthless.”

Tithe Ahmed said she believes there has been some progress in how society defines a terrorist and addresses terrorist attacks. She added she was happy to see how some people have come together to remember the victims of the attacks over social media.

Saad Alsubaei is a member of the Kuwaiti Student Association. “I believe this attack showed that terrorism has no religion. Terrorism is never fueled by the Bible, Qur’an or Torah but rather by a radical minority that only represents themselves.” Alsubaei hopes the Muslim student Association’s prayer vigil and discussion will bring people closer to each other.

Hoda Amira reflects on what it means to be a Muslim in America after the terrorist attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. “It could’ve easily been our community,” Amira said. “It could’ve easily been me in that mosque. We’re not backing down, though.

That’s what the terrorist would’ve wanted.”

LIFE

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TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Taking a trip to faculty offices adorned with collections

BY GRIFFIN FLETCHER HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

Inside the Office of Student Activities on the second floor of Downing Student Union is an office unlike many others.

Though not noticeable when seen from the outside, a peek within reveals hundreds of PEZ candy dispensers placed in rows atop the shelves of a bookcase that covers almost an entire side of the office. Director of Student Activities Charley Pride said he began amassing such a collection around 15 years ago after a friend gifted some PEZ dispensers to his children.

“They ended up in my office instead of at home,” Pride said about how so many dispensers came to decorate and define his office.

With crates of dispensers in storage along with those displayed in his office, Pride’s collection contains dispensers of varying subject matter, including Disney movie characters, holiday themes and athletic teams such as the Chicago Cubs, his favorite MLB team. Since new dispensers become available on an almost monthly basis, he said increasing his collection is never too difficult.

“As they come out, I just pick ‘em up,” Pride said.

Pride said he often checks PEZ newsletters to see when new dispensers will be in stores. He said he prefers buying dispensers from retailers as opposed to online sites.

“Part of it’s the thrill of the hunt,” Pride said about his collecting habits. “This is more of a hunt and find it.”

Pride said certain rare or vintage dispensers can be quite valuable and worth a couple hundred dollars. However, he said he’s never been interested in spending more than a few dollars for a dispenser, and his oldest dispenser is only around 15 or 20 years old.

Despite this, he said those who know about his collection never hesitate to help him search for a new dispenser, especially his children. He said it’s become common for his kids and other friends to text him photos of dispensers when traveling to ask if a certain dispenser would add to his collection.

“They keep an eye out for me,” Pride said.

Pride said his collection often surprises those who visit his office without knowing it exists. He said he enjoys seeing how unassuming visitors react when faced with a wall of PEZ dispensers, and he hopes it always serves as a conversation starter.

“I just like having a bunch of them,” Pride said. “They either think I’m crazy or it’s cool.”

Further up the Hill on the first floor of the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center sits a collection of similar magnitude. Instead of PEZ dispensers, however, this collection is comprised of various action figures, most notably of the Pop! Vinyl kind.

Pop! Vinyl figures, made by Funko, a

Sophomore Cassi Seifert laughs during a Happy Gas Improv Troupe rehearsal in Gordon Wilson Hall.

The troupe meets twice a week to critique and improve their skills.

SEE COLLECTIONS • PAGE B2

CHRIS KOHLEY• HERALD

Freshman Sarah Sandoval participates in a warm-up exercise before a Happy Gas Improv Troupe rehearsal in Gordon Wilson Hall. The troupe is rehearsing for its 20th reunion show on March 30 at Gordon Wilson Hall at 7 p.m.

LAUGHING GAS Improv troupe celebrates 20 years

BY KATELYN LATTURE HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Singing, stomping, dancing and talking. These are just a few things that can be heard upon walking onto the third floor of Gordon Wilson Hall on certain weeknights, where the Happy Gas Improv Troupe practices most Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Started in 1999, Happy Gas is the longest-running improvisational comedy troupe in Kentucky and the second-best, according to its website and Facebook page. The members are celebrating the troupe’s 20th anniversary this month with a reunion show that includes approximately 15 alumni, Louisville senior Travis Ryan, Happy Gas president, said.

“It’s something easy to be passionate about,” Gallatin, Tennessee, sophomore Cassi Seifert, who serves as part of the troupe’s public relations team, said regarding why the troupe has lasted so long. “A lot of good people have kept it going.”

After a couple warm-up games, freshman Sarah Sandoval wrote game suggestions in all capital letters on a chalkboard for an upcoming Happy Gas dorm show in Southwest Hall on Tuesday, March 26, Ideas ranged from games like space case, funeral parlor, slideshow, interrogation, genres, paperchase, bad wingman and movie.

“Let’s go be interesting for the cameras again,” Seifert said as she and a few other members walked up to run through a couple games.

Junior Matthew Kerman narrated as he went through a “slideshow” of his latest trip to Mount Everest (the suggested cat-

egory), as Jacob Chamberlain, Claire Wilson, Seifert and Kymaira Majors posed his slideshow’s pictures.

First photo on slideshow: Chamberlain stands ready for attack from the “frost trolls,” his feet in a stable position and arms outstretched for defense.

Second photo: A “baby frost troll” tries to befriend the narrator’s sister. Seifert, with hands close to her face, stares up at Wilson with a curious look.

Third photo: “That’s just a tree,” Kerman said. Majors stood with her feet together and her arms above her head.

CLICK. Next photo: Chamberlain stands straight. One hand is cupping his chin with his index finger and thumb framing it as he looks off in the distance deep in thought. “Here I am questioning my life

decisions,” Kerman said as he narrated the scene Chamberlain had created for him. They went through another slide, and the game was finished.

CLICK. They returned to their seats.

The previous day, Seifert and Ryan reflected on the troupe as they sat in a corner booth at Topper Grill and Pub, the one with the TV that has the scientology channel on loop, a channel they joke about because it only and always plays on that TV. For Happy Gas, rehearsals are never the same. The troupe doesn’t work from a script, and each run-through of a game is different and has a different category or topic to start.

“It’s really a sort of challenging skill,” Ryan said of improv.

SEE IMPROV • PAGE B2

Local band earns Grammy nomination after hiatus

BY LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Among numerous big-name artists at the 2019 Grammy Awards was a small post-rock band from Bowling Green that doesn’t perform anymore.

Foxhole’s 2018 album, “Well Kept Thing,” earned the band its only Grammy nomination for Best Album Package. The album itself, however, was something the band’s members initially weren’t sure their record label would even distribute.

Despite this concern, they wanted to make it anyway.

Established in 2001, Foxhole was around before the Bowling Green music scene became what it is today. Justin Shepherd, one of the band’s guitarists, said in the days before bar and music venue Tidball’s became a haven for local artists, Foxhole played at houses and businesses.

Comprised of five friends who lived together while attending WKU, Foxhole

recorded and packaged a four-song EP in the basement of a house on College Street, where they all lived in 2002.

In the years following, Shepherd said

”It just became sort of like this monolithic thing in our heads— this epic album that was never going to come out.”

Foxhole guitarist ADAM MOORE Foxhole recorded “with various members at various places,” and performed and toured. Its first full-length album, “We the Wintering Tree,” was self-recorded in the basement of a Bowling Green church.

Shepherd described his fellow band members as a bunch of creative people.

The recording and composition process,

though at times difficult, was what Shepherd enjoyed most.

Unlike other bands, Shepherd said there was never just one member who wrote the songs, but instead, each of the members worked together to fashion each song.

Shepherd said that from there, each song would change as it was written, performed, recorded as a demo and recorded for an album. The refinement and opportunity to change and find new things was something Shepherd said he enjoyed.

“Just a constant flow of, sort of, discovery of the music itself and refining it and recording it — that’s the most rewarding thing to me in the creative process,” Shepherd said.

In 2009, most of “Well Kept Thing” had been recorded.

“Our intention was to get back into the studio as soon as possible and finish it, but just different things in life happened,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd said some of the members moved away from Bowling Green. A few

months became a year, which became two years, which became members of Foxhole asking themselves, “Are we ever going to do this?’”

Shepherd said another question the group had to consider was whether there would be a big enough market for its music, as years had gone by without performing.

The group’s hiatus occurred during a time when the music industry was facing changes. Shepherd said around the time Foxhole first recorded the album, it was posting updates on Myspace, and streaming music wasn’t as common as it is now.

If the members of Foxhole were to finish the album, it would be for themselves, Shepherd said.

Adam Moore, a Foxhole guitarist and the designer of the album art that earned the group its Grammy nomination, said without the friendship he formed with the members, the album wouldn’t have happened.

SEE FOXHOLE • PAGE B2

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TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

FOXHOLE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 “It just became sort of like this monolithic thing in our heads — this epic album that was never going to come out,” Moore said.

Around Christmas of 2016, Foxhole regrouped in Bowling Green to reevaluate the album it had left about seven years prior. Shepherd said he and his bandmates rerecorded pieces but left others.

“Once we got back together, we really just finished it without even knowing if the label would put it out,” Shepherd said.

“We really wanted to do it for ourselves more than anything.”

Despite this concern, Foxhole’s original record label, Burnt Toast Vinyl, released “Well Kept Thing” in September 2018.

Burnt Toast Vinyl’s owner Scott Hatch said he’d heard rough versions of the album’s songs over the years and found it interesting to see them progress over time.

“I’m always a fan of albums being ready

IMPROV

CONTINUED FROM B1 Seifert said she isn’t really afraid to talk to others anymore thanks to the skills she’s gained from working with Happy Gas. The improvisers don’t just rehearse and perform together. They’re also friends. A few of them watched a movie together on Sunday to celebrate Wilson’s birthday.

COLLECTIONS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 company that specializes in the production of pop culture collectibles, are a type of action figure that has seen great popularity over the past decade. Extending into pop culture of all kinds, the figures are modeled after characters from movies, video games and just about everything else imaginable.

Since buying his first Pop! Vinyl figures while still in graduate school, assistant professor of popular culture Joseph Hoffswell said his collection of the figures now extends to nearly 200.

In order to preserve the worth of his collection, Hoffswell keeps each figure in its original box. He said he enjoys the aesthetic of the figures when kept in box, as well.

“Some people are out-of-box collectors … I’m not, obviously,” Hoffswell said while seated in front of a stack of still-in-box figures the width of his office and reaching only feet below its ceiling.

A lifelong fan of popular culture such as video games and television programs, Hoffswell said Pop Vinyl! figures are an affordable way to express his various fandoms, as most figures are available for less than $10 at standard retailers.

Despite this, as the figures have increased in popularity, he said rarer figures can fetch prices in the hundreds and past $1,000.

“When I first started, it was pret-

PHOTO BY LOREN GIFFORD

when everything is right, so I don’t really get anxious with delays,” Hatch said in an email. “A lot can happen in making a record like this that is truly an outlet of artistic expression and a labor of love.”

Shepherd said the Grammy nomination was surprising because Foxhole is

a small band that has “virtually no presence anymore,” but he was not surprised Moore’s art got noticed.

“Adam’s [an] extremely, extremely talented graphic designer, illustrator, artist, so it’s not super surprising,” Shepherd said.

This is “the first group that I haven’t felt stuck in,” Seifert said of Happy Gas as compared to other acting groups she’s been part of.

Their twice-weekly rehearsals and frequent performances, occurring at least every two weeks, help to improve the 11-person troupe’s skills, relationships, fluidity and shows.

“It’s not something you do once and you’re good at it,” Ryan said.

The troupe will celebrate 20 years of comedy and improv on Saturday, March 30, during its show, titled “Happy Gas Greatest Hits: 20th Reunion,” in the Gordon Wilson Lab Theatre at 7 p.m. Ryan and Seifert said to keep up with Happy Gas on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for future performance dates.

“They have a chance to win …,” Ryan said of those who choose to follow the group’s social media. “… Our love and

such as mishandling and bootlegging.

Hoffswell said he manages this by keeping up with Funko newsletters and online fan communities that reveal when certain figures will become available in store.

“I find it more fun to know when it’s coming out and to come to the store and get it,” Hoffswell said.

Previously a collector of Game Boy Advance games and comic books, Hoffswell said he believes collecting is an extension of maintaining fandoms of all types.

“You feel an ownership once you begin becoming a fan of something,” Hoffswell said. “When you make it tangible by buying artifacts from that fandom, it immerses you even more.”

As a professor within the popular culture program, Hoffswell said he plans to eventually research collecting communities to try and uncover what motivations lie behind an average collector.

Personally, he said his collecting habits and interlocking fandoms partly inspired his choice of profession.

“My fandoms drove me towards my career, to be quite honest,” Hoffswell said.

“This has guided me on my path to success.”

Though his collection of Pop! Vinyl figures has become numerous enough to almost fill his office quite literally to its top, Hoffswell said he believes to conflate collecting with hoarding is misguided, as collecting often includes

PHOTO BY FAHAD ALOTAIBI • HERALD

Director of Student Activities Charley Pride’s office has a wide variety of pop culture PEZ collections.

Apart from his office collections, Pride also collects shot glasses from different college campuses.

ty easy,” Hoffswell said about finding and buying especially valuable figures, which has become more difficult in recent years. “If I don’t go to the store that’s selling it the morning of, it’s very likely I’m not going to get it.”

Hoffswell said he avoids competing with other collectors for more valuable figures by sticking to buying them only at retail price. He said he’s opposed to spending over $100 on a single figure.

“I cannot in good conscience spend that on one single toy item,” Hoffswell said. “Staring at a single object — I don’t think I could ever do it.”

Hoffswell added he typically prefers buying the figures in store as opposed to online, which often includes an element of risk due to potential shipping issues

trading or selling items when necessary or desired. Instead, he said he believes his collection is a representation of his interests and also a conversation piece for students and colleagues who may visit his office.

“I enjoy looking at them. I enjoy having these items that represent my various fandoms,” Hoffswell said. “I feel that upon seeing this wall and all the nerdy stuff I have in here, that puts people a little bit more at ease.”

Hoffswell said he hopes to continue collecting Pop! Vinyl figures and discovering new ways to make them fit into an office gradually losing space. He said he’s currently on the lookout for figures from series like Naruto and Dragon Ball

Moore said “Well Kept Thing” would probably be Foxhole’s last album, so the art he created for its cover was personal for the band members. He called it a “big mashup” of inside jokes in Foxhole’s history.

“Every little corner of the artwork is like some story that’s happened to us that some people may know about and some people may not,” Moore said. “It’s sort of a big narrative that you wouldn’t understand unless you were in the band.”

Now that “Well Kept Thing” has been released, Foxhole hasn’t made plans to perform or record anything else. It may some day, Shepherd said, but there’s no plan for it.

Though the members are spread throughout different cities, they remain in contact every day, Shepherd said.

“The most rewarding part of being in a band is probably just the friendships we ended up forming,” Shepherd said.

Features editor Laurel Deppen can be reached at 270-745-6291 and laurel.deppen774@topper.wku.edu. Follow on her on social media at @laureldeppenwku.

affection,” Seifert said, finishing Ryan’s sentence and laughing.

There may not be an actual prize other than the pleasure of watching a show, but the troupe will be selling stickers at their next dorm performance.

Features reporter Katelyn Latture can be reached at 270-745-6291 and katelyn.latture423@topper.wku.edu.

PHOTO BY FAHAD ALOTAIBI • HERALD

Assistant professor Joseph Hoffswell collects action figures in his office in FAC. “My dad was a collector too, he was a comic book collector, and that stuff hits home,” Hoffswell said. “I’ve been collecting since I was a high schooler.”

Z as well as a Spider-Hulk figure from a comic in which Spider-Man, Hoffswell’s favorite superhero, turned part Hulk.

Though less conventional, a collection to rival that of both Hoffswell and Pride remains. Located on the third floor of Jody Richards Hall, a collection 30 years in the making sees perhaps some of its final days.

Since starting his career at WKU in 1986, Stephen White, a transitional retiree teaching within the journalism and broadcasting department, has acquired a seemingly infinite number of items both practical and aimless to house in the various offices he’s had.

Back when the journalism and broadcasting department was situated inside FAC, White’s office was on the building’s first floor. He said he quickly learned he’d need to go upwards if he wanted to increase the office’s spatial capacity.

“I said, ‘I’ll just go vertical,’” White said about his decision to place a metal pylon fitted with shelves for space accommodation inside his first office.

“That started it.”

The pylon followed White to the two offices he’s had in JRH, including his current office. Aside from the pylon, White’s office includes two radio-controlled sumo wrestler toys, a plush Pickle Rick from the animated series “Rick and Morty,” a wooden steampunk clock, a small television and DVD player with classic film “Citizen Kane” always on loop, numerous puppets left over from animation classes and video cameras from a time in which everything was recorded on 3/4 inch cassette tape.

White described the collection’s origin quite simply.

“It’s just a collection of stuff basically from classes,” White said.

Though he said his office commonly baffles the people who come across it, he said many professors at WKU used to be in a similar position.

“What I find interesting is it did not used to be out of the ordinary,” White said. “Everybody’s office was a mess.”

Aside from appearing a tad messy, White said he believes his office is remarkable in its functionality. Also a car collector, White said his garage operates very similarly to his office in that it con-

tains any and everything he might need for a typical work day.

“Mine’s a working garage,” White said. “When I need a rag, I just reach.”

As his office holds video cameras of diverse format capacities from varying time periods, he said he feels like a curator of sorts.

“You could say it’s a little mini museum,” White said regarding his office’s status as a space for now-defunct and misfit equipment. “It’s been built over 32 years at Western.”

Though he said his office’s unique composition lends itself to being particularly convenient when students are in need of obscure videography equipment or props, he said he believes his collecting habits are sometimes purposeless.

“It’s also a burden,” White said. “I’ve had to kind of curate that stuff ultimately for probably no purpose.”

White added he believes it’s strange his office receives as much attention as it does, which has caused him to wonder if people have generally become more interested in normalcy than expression.

“It does kind of make me feel odd that it’s unique,” White said. “To me, it really shouldn’t be.”

As his process as a transitional retiree is near its end and he’s set to leave WKU for good at the end of the semester, White said he plans to toss some of the collection he’s gathered over the past three decades soon. He said he intended to start after dismissing one of his animation classes on a Wednesday evening.

With the class gone and a score of toy action figures for stop motion filming used during the class left behind, White said in an email a student stayed late and approached him. When told the figures would be disposed of, the student told White a kid who lived beside him would be grateful to keep them.

After years in his care, White parted with the figures.

“So even though the office is a bit more empty, there’s a happier child out there,” White said in the email. “The legacy lives on.”

Features reporter Griffin Fletcher can be reached at 270-745-6291 and griffin. fletcher398@topper.wku.edu.

SPORTS B3

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Hilltoppers record sweep to remain perfect in C-USA

JOSEPH BARKOFF • HERALD

WKU freshman Taylor Davis bunts the ball during the Hilltoppers’ game against Charlotte. WKU shut out the 49ers 5-0 in Game 2 of the double-header, and 3-0 in the final game the following day.

BY SOPHIE AUSTIN HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU For only the second time in program history, the WKU softball team has opened conference play with two series sweeps. The Hilltoppers picked up three wins against Charlotte this weekend to make their conference record 6-0.

“I think we have all three parts of the game,” head coach Amy Tudor said. “In the circle, we’re very strong, and our offense has produced a lot of runs this weekend. We actually lead Conference USA in stolen bases and also our opponent batting average, so if our pitching is good and our base running and our hitting is good, our chances of winning go way up.”

A strong start led WKU to its first win on Saturday. Freshman Kennedy Sullivan struck out all three batters in the bottom of the first inning.

The Hilltoppers then moved to the dugout, where they put six runs on the board even after two quick outs.

More runs in the second, third and fourth innings added to the Hilltoppers’ lead to give them a 11-2 win. WKU never trailed and never held less than a sixrun lead after the first inning.

Two of those 11 runs were homers from sophomore Kendall Smith and se-

nior Rebekah Engelhardt. Each recorded their sixth home run of the season.

Sullivan earned the win in the circle, making her 13-2 on the season. She allowed just two runs and threw five strikeouts over the four innings she pitched.

Junior Kelsey Aikey pitched the final frame of the game and earned the last out of the game with a strikeout.

Senior Jordan Vorbrink homered in the bottom of the second to open the scoring in WKU’s second game on Saturday. Smith, Engelhardt, Sullivan and freshman Taylor Davis scored the other four runs of the game, which ended in a 5-0 victory for WKU. Senior Shannon Plese doubled in the bottom of the third but was thrown out trying to steal third. She had at least one base hit in each game this weekend, moving her hitting streak to 20 games.

Aikey earned the win in the circle with seven strikeouts and only two hits over the five innings she worked. The win moved her to 5-3 on the season.

Aikey was replaced by sophomore Shelby Nunn, who struck out three and allowed just one hit and one walk in the final two frames.

Vorbrink and sophomore Maddie Bowlds each had multi-hit games, Vorbrink’s fifth of the season and Bowlds’ third. Sullivan also earned two RBIs for her fourth multi-RBI game of the sea-

son.

The final game on Sunday consisted of a hard-fought performance from Charlotte, but WKU still came out with a 3-0 win.

Sullivan opened the scoring in the bottom of the second on Sunday with her first career home run. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

”In the circle, we’re very strong, and our offense has produced a lot of runs this weekend.”

Head coach AMY TUDOR “I thought she was very patient, and she picked her pitch and put a good swing on it,” Tudor said of Sullivan.

“She does a good job at the plate as well as in the circle, so she’s a triple threat.”

Jordan Thomas and Morgan McElroy also each added a run in the second and fifth innings to add to the Hilltoppers’ lead.

Nunn and Aikey combined to earn the shutout in the circle, with Nunn pitching the first five innings and earning

the win. Nunn allowed just four hits, no runs and threw four strikeouts before being replaced by Aikey.

Aikey replaced Nunn for the final two innings to earn the save in the circle.

The save was her fifth of the season, best in C-USA. “Nunn was great. Aikey was great,” Tudor said. “I think it’s Aikey’s best relief performance I’ve seen thus far.”

The junior struck out five of the six batters she faced and allowed no hits or runs.

“I just like coming in and closing it down for my teammates,” Aikey said.

“We’ve really been working on communication, so the better we talk, it just gets me going even more.”

The team had not swept a C-USA opponent since 2017 until the series sweep against Florida International last weekend, but it has now earned two conference sweeps in a row.

In addition to being undefeated in conference play, the team is also 22-5 on the season.

The Hilltoppers will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Lexington to take on Kentucky. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Softball reporter Sophie Austin can be reached at 270-745-2653 and Sophie.

Austin380@topper.wku.edu.

Hilltoppers maul Panthers, move to 5-1 in C-USA play

BY KAYDEN GAYLORD HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU WKU baseball’s 2-1 weekend series win over Conference USA foe Florida International was highlighted by a comeback win in game two and a blowout win in game three.

“Can’t say enough about how hard our group worked all weekend,” WKU head coach John Pawlowski said in a press release. “It’s tough to win on the road, let alone win a series on the road, and FIU has had our number, so it was great for our guys to stand up and fight and find a way to walk out of here winning two out of three.”

Game 1 saw the pitching of both teams dominate against the opposing offense, as there were only 11 total hits in the game. The Panthers scored a run in the first and sixth innings, while the Hilltoppers were kept off the scoreboard until the ninth, but it wasn’t enough, as FIU took the first game 2-1.

Sophomore pitcher Logan Allen threw 11 strikeouts. He only gave up one run on five hits in 8.2 innings of pitching for the Panthers. Junior pitcher Eric Crawford threw seven strikeouts while only

giving up one run on four hits in 4.2 innings of pitching.

Game 2 was the complete opposite of game one, as the teams put significantly more runs on the board. FIU had a tworun lead heading into the ninth inning before WKU scored three runs on three hits to take the lead. Two of the runs came on wild pitches by the Panthers.

runs on 16 hits with junior Jake Sanford hitting two home runs, totaling 7 RBIs and going 5-for-5 at the plate. WKU won the game 15-1.

Six of the nine players in the starting lineup batted .500 or better and only had seven combined strikeouts. Reece Calvert pitched seven innings, throwing three strikeouts and only giving up one

“It’s tough to win on the road, let alone win a series on the road, and FIU has had our number, so it was great for our guys to stand up and fight and find a way to walk out of here winning two out of three.”

Head coach JOHN PAWLOWSKI

Graduate relief pitcher Joe Filosa came into the bottom of the ninth to get the save and strike out the last two batters to preserve a 5-4 win for the Hilltoppers.

WKU took control right from the start in Game 3. The Hilltoppers scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back. The Hilltoppers scored 15

run on four hits.

“Reece Calvert did a great job of damage control in the first inning,” Pawlowski said in the release. “Then for the rest of the game, he really kept the ball down in the zone, located his fastball. Give him credit for seven strong innings.”

The 14-run victory was the Hilltoppers’ second-largest margin of victory

this season, only beaten by a 17-run victory over Northern Kentucky.

For the series, Sanford went 4-for-12 from the plate with seven RBIs, seven runs scored and two home runs. Graduate transfer Davis Sims went 5-for-12 with two RBIs, four runs scored and one home run.

The pitching squad only gave up seven runs, while the offense produced 21.

WKU moves to 5-1 in conference play and 11-11 overall on the season. The Hilltoppers’ next game is Tuesday at Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. The Hilltoppers return home to Nick Denes Field this weekend for their next series against Charlotte. The first game starts at 5 p.m.

WKU has lost five of its last six games against Charlotte. The 49ers are currently 11-12 and sit in fifth place in the C-USA standings.

The 49ers lost their last series against Marshall and have lost four of their last five games. They play the 20th-ranked Clemson Tigers Tuesday before heading to Bowling Green this weekend.

Baseball reporter Kaden Gaylord can be reached at 270-745-6291 and kaden. gaylord559@topper.wku.edu Follow him on Twitter at @_KLG3.

B4 SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

FOOTBALL

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B6 Aug. 31, when Central Arkansas will visit Houchens-Smith Stadium for the season opener.

Redshirt junior Steven Duncan and Arkansas graduate transfer Ty Storey have been the talk of WKU’s quarterback race so far, but redshirt sophomore Davis Shanley and redshirt freshman Kevaris Thomas might also get some serious consideration.

Ellis said Storey’s February arrival means mastery of the offense must come quickly.

“Being able to run a little bit, being able to get himself out of trouble, quick hands, getting the ball out fast and deep-ball accuracy,” Ellis said about Storey’s film.

“Wins,” Ellis said about Duncan’s film. “I love his competitiveness, I love how hard he plays. You know, I think there’s a lot of stuff we can improve on, but his intangibles and what he brings

to the part is solid and really good, and I think we can build on that.”

Duncan said he is excited to be a part of a new offense this season.

“We’re throwing the ball downfield and taking shots, and we’re being explosive with it, and, you know, we’re not shying away from it.”

Helton has not been shy about his “show-me” mentality with his players regarding their playing time, but the first-time head coach must also prove himself.

Helton and his staff have a simple plan to do just that.

“Throw it deep, and throw it deep often,” Helton said. “We’ve got to be a big-play team — we’ve got to be able to make plays and put points on the board, so that’ll be what we’re trying to do.”

Sports reporter Drake Kizer can be reached at 270-745-2653 and clinton. kizer287@topper.wku.edu.

Follow Drake on Twitter at @drakekizer_.

LADY TOPPERS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B6 the final period and eventually earn a hard-fought 68-65 victory at home.

The win helped move the Lady Toppers to 13-3 in WNIT home games.

Brewer, whom Collins called “by far the most confident player on the floor” postgame, said WKU kept fighting even after falling short of another NCAA Tournament bid.

“I think after the Rice game, we were really upset,” Brewer said. “We gave it our all, and we didn’t come out with the win. But we’re in the WNIT, and now we’re in the Sweet 16 of it, and I think that everyone is just happy that we’re here, and we’re ready to work and keep getting wins.”

After notching two victories, the Lady Toppers are headed to the third round of the WNIT in Athens, Ohio.

WKU will square off against Ohio (295), which stormed back after halftime to defeat Middle Tennessee State (2311) 59-57 on Sunday afternoon.

The Bobcats will be WKU’s fourth opponent from the Mid-American Conference this season. The Lady Toppers fell to Ball State and Central Michigan before C-USA play began in January, and WKU just knocked off Miami (Ohio) last week.

The Lady Toppers lead the all-time series over the Bobcats 6-0 with three wins at home and three on the road, but the two teams have not met since December 1993.

With the program sitting at 18-13 all-time in the WNIT and primed to take a crack at another appearance in the quarterfinals after getting there in 2016, Collins said he is glad his players are getting primed for the future and their next shot in the C-USA or

JOSEPH BARKOFF • HERALD

WKU redshirt junior forward Dee Givens attacks a loose ball against Morehead State in the second round of the WNIT at Diddle Arena March 24 in. Givens was the leading scorer of the game with 23 points. She also had eight rebounds, two steals and two assists in the hard-fought 68-65 WKU victory.

NCAA Tournament.

“The difference [in playing in the WNIT] is, you know, last year we played in the NCAA Tournament — played one game,” Collins said. “We got smacked, we got on the bus and came home. So, this time we’re getting some real, valuable experience,

some close, tough ball games when you win or you go home, and so, you can’t replace this. You can practice all day long, but you’re not going to be able to recreate this, so there’s a lot of positives to being able to keep playing.”

WKU and Ohio will begin their clash

Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Convocation Center.

Women’s basketball reporter Drake Kizer can be reached at 270-745-2653 and clinton.kizer287@topper.wku. edu. Follow Drake on Twitter at @ drakekizer_.

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QUIT STAHL-ING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B6 NCAA in 2017 and 2018, shockingly, media rights are listed as having brought in $0 for the entire athletic department in both years.

The so-called “front porch” argument, which claims athletics is often the first impression one has of a university, makes sense, as it’s easy to understand the appeal of sports on campus. By no means am I against spending money on athletics.

However, just giving raises to keep someone from leaving seems a little bit out there. WKU is never going to be able to pay someone enough money to make them stick around if a school from one of the Power 5 conferences comes calling.

We’ve seen that happen. Jeff Brohm got poached by Purdue, and there was no possible way for WKU to come up with enough money or opportunity to keep him.

WKU just gave out another raise to athletic director Todd Stewart. It’s a

32 percent raise that adds $65,868 to his salary.

Does Stewart deserve it?

Sure, he’s had some great success with coaching hires. Brohm was phe-

es, Stansbury hasn’t gotten over the hump, Mike Sanford was an abject failure and John Pawlowski still hasn’t taken the Hilltopper baseball squad to the postseason in any of his three

“It’s certainly a costly move. The good thing is, while we’re not happy about this outcome, we’re really 3-1 in terms of these, because we’ve been on the plus side three other times.”

WKU Athletic Director TODD STEWART

nomenal for WKU football and Michelle Clark-Heard did some incredible things with the Lady Toppers before splitting for the riches offered

by Cincinnati.

However, he’s had just as many failures during his time. Ray Harper left under mysterious circumstanc-

years.

The remainder of Stansbury’s time at WKU and how well the Tyson Helton hire goes for the football team will be key to Stewart’s legacy on the Hill.

Both of them need to do well, as WKU is kind of strapped for buyout cash if things go south.

“It’s certainly a costly move,” Stewart said when he announced that Sanford was being kicked to the curb. “The good thing is, while we’re not happy about this outcome, we’re really 3-1 in terms of these, because we’ve been on the plus side three other times.”

That money is used. Unless a Power 5 program takes a liking to one of WKU’s coaches, which seems highly unlikely, all buyout money is going to have to come from some other place.

Has Stansbury lived up to his raise?

Will Stewart live up to his? That’s not up to me to decide.

All I’m saying is that maybe, just maybe, the university should think about not giving pre-emptive raises when it simply doesn’t have the financial ability to stop what it’s trying to stop.

And what it’s trying to stop probably wasn’t going to happen anyway.

Sports Editor Matt Stahl can be reached at 270-745-6291 and matthew.stahl551@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter @mattstahl97.

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SPORTS

B6 QUIT STAHL-ING

Pre-emptive raises don’t help WKU athletics

BY MATT STAHL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

JOSEPH BARKOFF • HERALD

Junior guard Whitney Creech, looks to pass the ball during WKU’s game against Morehead State in the second round of the WNIT in Diddle Arena on March 24 in Bowling Green. WKU plays Ohio University in Ohio on Thursday March 27.

‘REFUSE TO LOSE’ Lady Toppers gain experience in WNIT

BY DRAKE KIZER HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU women’s basketball had an opportunity to extend its season and gain valuable experience in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament last week.

the country that aren’t playing, and so, we’re glad that we are one of those teams that’s still got a chance to win ball games.”

Similar to its feverish pursuit of a first-round bye to end the regular season, WKU (20-14) once again thrived in win-now mode. The Lady Toppers downed Miami (Ohio) (23-9) and Morehead State (24-11).

“There’s a lot of teams in the country that aren’t playing, and so, we’re glad that we are one of those teams that’s still got a chance to win ball games.”

Head coach GREG COLLINS

Though the 2018-19 Lady Toppers failed to notch their third-straight Conference USA Tournament title, which would have simultaneously secured the program’s third-straight NCAA Tournament bid, WKU did not want to waste its chance for more progress.

“We were thrilled to get to keep playing,” head coach Greg Collins said last Wednesday. “There’s a lot of teams in

Now, WKU is one of 16 teams left from what was originally a 64-team field.

Prior to the team’s opening-round matchup, redshirt sophomore forward Arame Niang said losing in the C-USA Tournament was hard, but the Lady Toppers weren’t looking past their postseason opportunity in the WNIT. “We still have games,” Niang said

last Wednesday. “We just have to keep pushing and be like the same team and just try to win over there, because that’s the only opportunity we got.”

WKU opened its WNIT slate on the road for the first time since 2002 and hoped to improve on its lowly 4-10 record in 14 total away games.

The RedHawks led WKU by 11 points in the third quarter on Thursday, but 13 points from redshirt junior forward Dee Givens in the frame helped the Lady Toppers erase their deficit. WKU also dominated the glass 37-26 on its way to a 67-63 road win.

“You know, it’s a great opportunity to always have another chance to play basketball,” Givens said Sunday. “I mean, this is the game we love — we’ve been playing this since we was little kids, so, you know, it’s a great feeling to always play.”

The Lady Toppers returned home for their second-round matchup feeling confident, as WKU had won eight of its last nine WNIT games hosted in Diddle Arena.

Late in the third quarter, MSU led WKU by four points. Luckily, redshirt junior guard Alexis Brewer took over the game soon after, helping the Lady Toppers outscore the Eagles 19-14 in SEE LADY TOPPERS • PAGE B4

No bones about it, this was a disappointing basketball season on the Hill. Rick Stansbury’s team failed to gel when it mattered, and several bad losses kept it out of the NCAA and NIT postseason tournaments.

It’s the second time in Stansbury’s three years the team has failed to make it past the Conference USA Tournament, and the team has failed to win either the C-USA regular-season championship or tournament title in three years.

When Todd Stewart and the university opted to give Stansbury a $150,000 raise in January of last year, it catapulted Stansbury’s salary to $650,000 per year. It was meant as a proactive move to keep him from jumping ship to another school in the midst of success.

”We do believe that a strong athletic program is a great window for the university. There’s a great value in the branding.”

Hilltopper Athletic Foundation board member CRAIG BROWNING

Maybe they shouldn’t have been worried.

“There’s no question that there’s excitement around the program,” Craig Browning of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation said at the Board of Regents meeting when the raise was given. “Objectively we can look at attendance, we can look at wins, we can look at exposure on a national stage, and all of those things are very clear facts. We do believe that a strong athletic program is a great window for the university. There’s a great value in the branding.”

According to the revenues and expenses reports that WKU sent to the SEE QUIT STAHL-ING • PAGE B5

WKU returning to offensive roots in spring football

BY DRAKE KIZER HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

The first two weeks of spring practice have come and gone for WKU football, leaving only eight more practices before the Red vs. White spring football game on April 13.

Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Tyson Helton was chosen to lead the downtrodden Hilltoppers into a new era, but Helton will not really have to reinvent the wheel to find success during his first year as a head coach.

When Helton was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at WKU during 2014 and 2015, the Hilltoppers averaged 372 passing yards per game, 155 rushing yards per game and ranked fifth in the nation in total offense in each of those two seasons.

Offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis, who Helton hired away from Southern California, worked alongside Helton during those two seasons and also called plays in WKU’s 51-31 win over Memphis in the 2016 Boca Raton Bowl.

Taking over an offense ranked 120th in total offense last season, Helton and Ellis have been working all spring to get WKU back to its previous heights.

Following the first practice on March 12, Helton said he was impressed with his squad’s knowledge of a brand-new offense.

“They looked like they knew what they were doing out here,” Helton said.

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

Western Kentucky University wide receiver Lucky Jackson (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the WKU’s game against EKU on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017 in Houchens-Smith Stadium.

“We’ve got a long way to go, but for the first day, I was really happy for them.”

A week later on March 19, Ellis said the offense was working to master the system.

“Obviously there’s a ton of mistakes that we get to go review on during film,” Ellis said. “But so far they’re trying hard and playing well.”

Helton said Saturday that the Hilltoppers’ sixth practice, which featured an intrasquad scrimmage, showcased the growth of his offensive players.

“I thought they made tremendous strides today,” Helton said. “You’re always going to have mistakes here or there, but for the most part, I thought they’ve showed that they’re making a lot of improvement. We completed a lot of deep balls, which is kind of the X factor, and we need to do that often.”

Helton said he has seen a “welloiled machine” on defense, which was what he was hoping for when he kept defensive coordinator Clayton White and most of Sanford’s defensive staff

together for a third season.

The veteran group did not have to change schemes, which has resulted in consistency, maturity and the ability to be unyielding to a relatively inexperienced offense.

“Defense was a little bit ahead of the offense, but the offense was catching up really fast,” Helton said Saturday. “I saw a lot of big plays on offense, which was great — saw a lot of big stops on defense when we needed it. So, I like where we’re headed.”

Helton mentioned several position groups as standouts on offense, namely the wide receivers and quarterbacks.

Among wideouts, redshirt senior Lucky Jackson has shined so far this spring. Helton also mentioned highly touted freshman receiver Manny Allen as an early standout.

“I like our receiving corps,” Helton said Saturday. “They’ve practiced extremely hard, and they make plays.”

Jackson said the Hilltoppers have adapted to meet Helton’s high expectations for them.

“Just taking initiative,” Jackson said about the adjustment. “Taking it upon ourselves to put in work outside of the stadium — getting in the book, studying — just working outside of the allotted times that we got.”

No matter how effective the offense Helton and Ellis have coordinated for WKU is, the duo will have to decide on a starting quarterback to lead it

SEE FOOTBALL • PAGE B4