LIFE • PAGE B1
PHOTO • PAGE A6
One WKU student wants to be a millionare
Check out Jackson’s Orchard’s fall event on the photo page!
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018
WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 06
AFFAIRS OF STATE Student named foreign affairs coordinator BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
BY NATASHA BREU HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
L
ooking at his family, a life in government service seemed inevitable for WKU senior Noah Stevens. From growing up in Elizabethtown near Fort Knox and coming from a predominately military family, Stevens began to wonder where his lifelong interest in international issues and public service could fit in. Stevens, a triple major in international affairs, Arabic and Middle Eastern studies, said he found an internship at the Department of State as he was looking for professional opportunities. He was offered an internship during his sophomore year and has been working there ever since. “The Department of State seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about government service and use the skills I’m interested in developing,” Stevens said. Stevens spent the first summer of his internship in Washington, D.C., and the second working at the embassy in Oslo, Norway. This semester, he was named the WKU foreign affairs campus coordinator for the Department of State, a position he said fits perfectly with the kind of work he’s trying to accomplish. As the foreign affairs campus coordinator, he will help coordinate events, programs and other opportunities for students through the Office of Scholar Development at WKU to learn more about the work the Department of State does, as well as potential internships. “My position is essentially a facilitator between interested students, other community members at the university and the department,” he said. According to the Department of State’s government website, students who have SEE STEVENS • PAGE A2
Bike share company arriving at WKU
CHLOE COOPER • HERALD
WKU senior Noah Stevens was named U.S. Department of State Campus Affairs Coordinator, a position that is highly selective. Stevens is currently the only person at WKU that holds this position. “I’m in the process of applying to grad schools right now, but I wouldn’t mind working for the Department of State when I’m done with school. I’ve really enjoyed the work I’ve been able to do so far,” Stevens said.
By the end of October, 180 bikes are expected to arrive at WKU for students to rent across campus starting at 50 cents for 15 minutes. Bike share company VeoRide was selected by WKU after a survey taken last fall showed significant student interest in having bikes on campus, said Brad Wheeler, the assistant vice president of Business Services for WKU. “We want to encourage healthy activity for students, staff and faculty,” Wheeler said. This follows Big Red Bikes, a bike program formerly housed within the Office of Sustainability, ending its service of offering free bike rentals to students. The VeoRide bikes will bear WKU’s logo and can be accessed through the VeoRide app, allowing users to locate and unlock the bike by scanning its QR code. A bike may be reserved for up to 30 minutes and rented for an unlimited lentgh of time. The rates are payas-you-go, but day passes are available along with monthly and annual passes. WKU students, faculty and staff can get discounts on packages. Fern Gomez, a sophomore from Henderson, said she thinks this is a positive addition to WKU. “They sound like those [Bird] scooters in Nashville,” Gomez said. “[They’re] beneficial to our students because it’ll save them gas money.” Wheeler said a committee made up of students, faculty and staff will be formed to determine where “geofences” will be located. Wheeler said a committee made up of students, faculty and staff will be formed to determine where “geofences” will be locat-
SEE BIKE SHARE • PAGE A2
AG signs domestic violence awareness proclamation BY NATASHA BREU HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear visited campus last week for the third year in a row to speak on the issue. Beshear signed a proclamation during his visit in a collaboration between WKU and the attorney general’s office with help from domestic violence shelter Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. to raise awareness. “We have a culture of rape and domestic violence,” Beshear said. “Letting people know we are here for them is so critical.” Tori Henninger, the executive director for Barren River Safe Space, said the organization’s mission is to introduce people to a new way of thinking to support and believe victims, along with giving victims a new way of life. She
MICHAEL BLACKSHIRE • HERALD
Attorney General Andy Beshear and WKU Provost Terry Ballman led a speaking engagement for Domestic Violence Awareness Month at campus on Wednesday. This is the third year Beshear has visited WKU to raise awareness of the issue. “If we want to change to culture, it’s time to stop asking and start demanding,” he said.
said the crisis line is always staffed, and last year they served 2,800 people through outreach services. Provost Terry Ballman said violence of any kind will not be tolerated at WKU. She said WKU must educate its students and colleagues to recognize healthy relationships and provide a supportive environment for victims. Beshear said one of the problems his office addresses is elder abuse by running a hotline open 24/7. He also said since he’s been attorney general the number of child predators removed from Kentucky communities has tripled. He said he has been addressing violence against women by starting to test nearly 3,100 rape kits that have been backlogged. A cold case unit was opened up to “seek justice” for the people who have had their kits backlogged. About 7.9 million women experience domestic violence every year, and SEE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE • PAGE A2