April 2, 2018

Fan with cancer reflects on lifetime of memories

Opinion: How a sewage bill turned into a pension bill

SPORTS • PAGE B1

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

H

undreds of people from counties around Kentucky gathered in Frankfort on Monday to protest the recently passed Senate Bill 151, a water sewage bill that was amended last-minute to include the state’s pension reform plan.

Senate Bill 1 was originally designated as the pension reform plan. The 291-page Senate Bill 151 is listed as “An act relating to the local provision of wastewater services,” but the entirety of the bill is dedicated to the pension reform plan. The bill was passed

by Kentucky lawmakers late Thursday evening and will land on Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk to be signed or vetoed.

If Bevin signs Senate Bill 151, teachers hired after Jan. 1, 2019, will not be placed on the traditional pension plan. Instead, they will receive “cash-balance retirement plans that would invest retirement contributions from employees and the state and guarantee that the plans wouldn’t lose money during a stock market crash,” according to WFPL. Current public school teachers would lose the money they had put into KTRS, the Kentucky Teachers’ Retirement System. KTRS is the current retirement policy for public school teachers, which includes every public university in Kentucky except the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.

Protesters gathered in front of the capitol building chanting phrases, such as “120 strong” and “united we stand, divided we fall.” Many of the public schools not closed for spring break this week were closed to compensate for the absence of teachers who took off to rally in Frankfort. People also gathered at the capitol to protest on Friday.

Marilyn Hoffman-Elrod is a retired first-grade teacher who taught at Garden Springs Elementary School in Lexington for 32 years. Elrod said although she was retired, she still felt it was important to protest to “show solidarity with other teachers”.

“We want to get the word out about what’s happening here,”

OPINION • PAGE A4

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 93, ISSUE 36

PENSION PROTEST Teachers gather in Frankfort over SB 151

SILAS WALKER • HERALD

Teachers and supporters gathered on Monday at the Kentucky State Capitol Building in Frankfort to protest a new pension bill SB 151. “Enough is enough!” and “Vote them out!” they chanted.

@GovMattBevin Tonight 49 members of the Kentucky House and 22 members of the Kentucky Senate voted not to keep kicking the pension problem down the road ... anyone who will receive a retirement check in the years ahead owes a deep debt of gratitude to these 71 men & women who did the right thing.”

9:26PM • March 29, 2018

Hoffman-Elrod said. “Most people don’t understand the importance of this bill. Kentucky is nothing without our public schools.”

Bevin has previously been a vocal supporter of the pension overhaul. After the bill was passed in both chambers, Bevin tweeted, “Tonight

49 members of the Kentucky House and 22 members of the Kentucky Senate voted not to keep kicking the pension problem down the road ... anyone who will receive a retirement check in the years ahead owes a deep debt of gratitude to these 71 men & women who did the right thing.”

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear disagreed with Bevin’s approval of the bill, and he appeared on the Capitol steps to speak to protesters.

“Today we’re seeing democracy,” Beshear said through a megaphone. “You call this governor disgusting? I call him one and done.”

Beshear also told the crowd he planned to sue if the bill passed, reiterating a video statement he posted earlier.

The Kentucky Education

SILAS WALKER • HERALD

Representative James Kay (D) speaks to the crowd of protestors in front of the capitol building in Frankfort on Monday. “Are you ready to fight?” Kay asked the protestors.

Assembly said they would join Beshear in the lawsuit.

Shelbyville senior Katie Vogel said she was protesting today to support her mother, a teacher, and to fight for the

future of Kentucky education.

“It’s unfair because teachers have been paying [into KTRS] for years,” Vogel said.

SEE PROTEST • PAGE A3

WKU pride index ranks low Herald lawsuit back in court

BY SPENCER HARSH HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

WKU ranks poorly in a list of LGBTQ-friendly univesities in Kentucky, according to Campus Pride, a non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ-friendly communities at universities and colleges.

Campus Pride investigated Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University, University of Louisville, Morehead State University, Spalding University and WKU, according to the index. The

universities were scored on a five-star system.

WKU ranks second to last with two stars, just ahead of Morehead State with 1 ½ stars. UK and U of L are ranked the highest with nearly perfect scores, according to the index.

Pam Johnson, a professor in the school of journalism and broadcasting who teaches media diversity courses, said she is surprised WKU scored so low.

“Clearly I cannot condone a performance in which we are ranked six out of seven,” Johnson said.

SEE PRIDE INDEX • PAGE A3

BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

Attorneys representing both the Herald and WKU will appear in court Friday, April 5, to present oral arguments concerning the ongoing lawsuit between the university and the newspaper.

Both the College Heights Herald and the University of Kentucky’s student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, are named plaintiffs in the case.

Oral arguments are a chance for attorneys to further explain in court the

arguments made in their briefs. After both sides present their arguments, the judge can make a case decision, and either the plaintiffs or defendants have a chance to appeal the decision.

Lawyers from the attorney general’s office will also be present.

WKU sued the Herald February 2017 in order to appeal an order from the Kentucky attorney general, who ruled that WKU had to turn over records of sexual misconduct to the newspaper.

WKU held the position that they should not have to provide the Herald documents related to employee sexual mis-

SEE LAWSUIT • PAGE A3

What I’ve

Learned

I don’t think I would be nearly as confident in my reporting or writing abilities had I not worked at the Herald. The lessons I’ve learned both in and out of the newsroom are priceless, and knowledge I will carry with me throughout the rest of my professional career. Not only have I learned the basic mechanics of writing a compelling story, but I found a learning opportunity through the more mundane aspects. It’s been a fascinating experience to be ‘in the room’ when big stories break and being the person responsible for reporting and writing impactful stories. By working with other reporters, editors, designers and photographers I understand the value of teamwork and the importance of others’ ideas. I’m extremely lucky to be on staff with other student journalists who feel just as passionate about reporting the truth.

News Reporter EMILY DELETTER

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NEWS A3

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Hilltopper Hall construction to end in time for fall 2018

BY MORGAN PRICE HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

Construction on Hilltopper Hall, WKU’s newest dorm, is estimated to finish in time for the start of the 20182019 school year.

Hilltopper Hall is located in the Valley next to Rodes-Harlin Hall and the Kentucky Museum. The construction is part of the 10-year housing plan to renovate and construct new dorms.

The ongoing construction of the dorm, which began in Fall 2016, has bothered some students who are also sad to see the dorm overtake the Valley.

“The Valley had an old-school college vibe,” said Hallie Pennington, 21, who lived in Rodes her freshman year.

“My favorite thing to do in the spring was to lay out a blanket and study underneath the trees.”

The $40.9 million L-shaped building will include 400 beds, a dining hall open to the public and a game lounge, according to the Housing and Residence Life webpage. The rooms will be suite-style with a private bathroom.

Each occupant will have a dresser, bed and desk. Each floor will include an enclosed study room, a common room and a kitchen area. There will be several patios outside the building, as well as new sidewalk connections.

LAWSUIT CONTINUED FROM FRONT conduct because the student information in those documents is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA. FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records, according to the Department of Education. WKU’s attorneys have said releasing the sexual misconduct documents violates FERPA because of the information in the documents that identifies students who may have been victims or witnesses.

In March, attorneys for the Herald filed a brief regarding WKU’s stance that it does not have to provide documents related to employee sexual misconduct because the student information in those documents is protected under FERPA. Additionally, the attorney general’s office filed a motion for summary judg-

PRIDE INDEX CONTINUED FROM FRONT She said she knows WKU has a LGBTQ club and that some of the requirements may have been overlooked.

“I know we have a safe space, and that faculty may take training,” Johnson said.

Johnson said in the 15 years she has worked at WKU, she has seen the university become more inclusive over time. She said according to the report, “we still have a long way to go.”

“I find that most people on the campus are in support of the LGBTQ community,” Johnson said. “However, I think we probably need a more formal and structured system in order to show our appreciation of inclusion and diversity.”

Campus Pride looked in detail at areas such as policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, academic life, housing and residence life, recruitment and retention, counseling and health, student life and campus

PROTEST CONTINUED FROM FRONT “Public school is so important. Students don’t just learn reading and math. They learn how to make decisions and choices that influence the future.”

Vogel, a music education major and student-teacher, said it has been difficult for other students teaching in public schools to feel optimistic about their futures.

“When you feel like you’re not respected for the important work that you do,

The hall has been under construction for over a year which has frustrated some students.

“It is frustrating because now I have to walk completely around instead of just straight through,” said Anna Wells, 18, who has lived in the Valley for two years. “I’m also sad that the tailgating got moved because I think that was a really cool place to have it.”

Before construction on Hilltopper Hall began, students tailgated in the Valley before football games. Now that Hilltopper Hall has taken over the Valley, students have moved the tailgate area in front of Zacharias Hall.

The decision to update WKU’s on-campus housing came after a series of surveys, interviews and focus groups, according to the HRL webpage.

Despite the year-round construction, some students think building Hilltopper Hall was the right decision.

“I think it is a good addition,” said Grace Knox, 20, who lived in Gilbert Hall her freshman year. “It’s just a random location, but I guess it’s the only place they had room for it.”

Hilltopper Hall is just the beginning of WKU’s 10-year plan to renovate on-campus living. The plan includes tearing down Barnes-Campbell Hall in 2018 and Bemis-Lawrence Hall in 2019, according to the HRL webpage.

There are also plans to add a 200-bed annex to Bates-Runner Hall in 2024

and to convert McCormack Hall into semi-suite style rooms. The recent renovations on Southwest and Northeast halls were also part of the plan.

Both halls had their lobbies renovated and community rooms added.

Hall directors from all three dorms located in the Valley were contacted but did not provide comments. Mike Reagle, assistant vice president for student affairs and director of housing

and dining, did not respond in time for publication.

A virtual tour of Hilltopper Hall and project photos are available on the HRL webpage.

ment. The motion stated that there is no “genuine issue of material fact” in the lawsuit and accused WKU of violating the Kentucky Open Records Act by refusing to allow the attorney general

ney General’s professed interests in transparency and accountability pale in comparison to interests at stake for the University.”

“WKU strongly believes that release

constitutional and statutory privacy rights of students who experience sexual misconduct and report it to their University.”

“If the newspapers are truly concerned about helping ensure that WKU effectively does its job in investigating these matters, then it will respect WKU’s obligation under FERPA and allow WKU to be free from this ongoing ridicule,” the brief states.

Mike Abate, the Herald’s lawyer, said that he feels positively about the upcoming oral arguments, given WKU’s arguments concerning FERPA. “We are looking very forward to the case on Friday,” Abate said. “We believe that WKU is in the wrong concerning FERPA and the violations they are presenting.”

LYDIA SCHWEICKART • HERALD

Hilltopper Hall, located in the Valley, started construction on Feb. 1, 2017. The construction manager on site estimated that they will start moving furniture into the new dorm in June and they are aiming for occupancy by August.

“We are looking very forward to the case on Friday. We believe that WKU is in the wrong concerning FERPA and the viloations they are presenting.”

College Heights Herald Lawyer MARK ABATE

to review the documents in private.

Bob Skipper, director of media relations, said the university does not comment on pending litigation and is confident the courts will find that they have met their obligation to protect student privacy under FERPA. According to the brief submitted by WKU, “the newspapers and the Attor-

of these records would be detrimental to WKU’s students and its Title IX process and jeopardizes the trust and confidence these students have in the process,” the brief states. “Confidentiality of private information is the hallmark of effective Title IX investigation.”

The brief filed by WKU also states that “this case is about protecting the

safety in order to make up a university’s “report card,” according to the index.

Campus Pride was contacted for comments but did not respond in time for publication. WKU meets less than half of the requirements for several areas, according to the report.

WKU meets none of the requirements for LGBTQ student life, which includes LGBTQ student organizations, a LGBTQ social fraternity or sorority, regularly planned LGBTQ social activites and educational events on transgender issues. WKU does have several LGBTQ-related student support groups, but Campus Pride lists those as requirements under LGBTQ counseling and health.

WKU scores well in LGBTQ counseling and health, missing only two of the six requirements. According to the report, WKU is missing a few insurance policies for transgender student counseling services and hormone replacement therapy.

While other universities with higher

student populations seem to also have higher scores on the index, this is not a correlation for WKU. According to the index, WKU has around 20,000 students and is ranked low while Transylvania University and Spalding University, both with less than 2,500 students, are ranked higher than WKU. Brian Lee, a staff counselor for WKU’s Counseling and Testing Center, was contacted for comment but did not respond in time for publication.

Owensboro sophomore Cherokee Bennett said she is sad that WKU scored so low.

Bennett said she has a lot of friends at WKU who are in the LGBTQ community and would also be sad to know how WKU scores.

“For all the prevention stuff, WKU doesn’t do anything until there are actually victims,” Bennett said.

Bennett said she doesn’t think that addressing these inclusion shortfalls should fall under other priorities WKU currently has, but it probably will.

“We live in a small town, so there

sometimes you can question if it’s worth it,” Vogel said.

Warren County Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton expressed his disappointment with the bill in a message on the Warren County Public Schools website.

“Whether you attend them or not, public schools are the cornerstone of every community across the Commonwealth.

School districts just lost their last significant incentive to offer future employees; a guaranteed and modest pension. This is undeniable; regardless of which side

of the aisle you sit,” Clayton said in a statement.

Jeanie Smith, a seventh grade social studies teachers at Drakes Creek Middle School in Warren County and a candidate currently seeking a democratic nomination for state senate in the 32nd district, said she was impressed by the large turnout at the protest.

“The energy in the rotunda was crazy,” Smith said. “It was packed with people demanding to be heard.”

She said she believes around 8,000 people came to Frankfort to protest.

WKUHERALD.COM CONNECT WITH US ONLINE @WKUHERALD

News reporter Morgan Price can be reached at 270-745-6011 and morgan. price331@topper.wku.edu.

News reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 and emily. deletter304@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyDeLetter.

isn’t a big community here,” Bennett said. “But times are changing.”

According to the index, there is a correlation with the scores and where the universities are located in terms of population size. All the universities that scored well on the index are found in areas labeled “medium city” with populations ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 or more.

WKU and Morehead State, the two lowest ranking universities, are both found in areas with smaller populations collectively ranging from several thousand to 100,000, according to the index.

Morgantown freshman Grant Newland said he thinks equal rights are important for WKU. “It’s important to take all people into consideration,” Newland said. “There is room to address the situation, and it certainly should be.”

Reporter Spencer Harsh can be reached at 270-745-6011 and spencer. harsh755@topper.wku.edu.

“Even though we were loud, they weren’t listening,” Smith said. “I wanted to tell them that education is one of the best investments we can make for the future of this state, community and children, and to continue to deny proper funding from preschool to higher education is putting our communities at risk.”

News reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 and emily. deletter304@topper.wku.edu.

Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyDeLetter.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

A4

OPINION EDITORIAL

SILAS WALKER • HERALD

Teachers gathered on April 2 at the Kentucky State Capitol Building in Frankfort to protest the recently passed pension bill.

TEACHER TAKEOVER How our pension bill ended up in the sewers

BY HERALD EDITORIAL BOARD HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU The Issue: Late this past Thursday, amidst shouts of protest from teachers from across the state, lawmakers were able to approve a hastily thrown together pension bill on the tail-end of a sewage bill, SB 151. While this piece of legislation has yet to be passed into law, the pension system now may take even longer to become fully funded as the bill is set to take an extra six years and $5 billion to pay off the current debt.

Our Stance: SB 151 is an insult to our teachers who are getting ripped off in this awful deal. In addition to not guaranteeing teachers their pensions for when they retire, the bill does very little to really make a dent in our state’s debt. On top of that, the bill was approved at the time without any actuarial analysis or input from teachers who will be the ones heavily affected if the law is to be put in place.

It’s as if state lawmakers approved this bill just to say they got something done.

Two weeks ago, the College Heights Herald printed an editorial on the negative consequences of Senate Bill 1: Republican lawmakers’ first attempt to fully fund the ailing pension system.

Little did we know that an even uglier bill would be rearing its head soon within the pages of a sewage bill. We hope the irony of putting his proposed saving grace legislation within the pages of a bill meant for waste and toxicity was not lost on Gov. Matt Bevin.

Speaking of our state government, it’s clear that none of our elected officials took our advice from the last editorial as no teachers, or an actuary for that matter, were asked for input on the specifics of SB 151. As expected, what followed was a disaster.

While the new bill does prevent the removal of the cost-of-living allowance, which would have made it more difficult for retired teachers to live off their pensions. The removal of the cost-of-living allowance made up most of the money the bill intended to save.

In an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader, state Rep. John “Bam”

Carney (R-Campbellsville) stated, “The proposed cuts to teachers’ cost-of-living adjustments in Senate Bill 1 made up most of the $3.2 billion that legislation was projected to save. Without the COLA cuts...the latest pension plan will save around $300 million over the next 30 years…”

That’s less than one percent of Kentucky’s $40 billion unfunded pension liability.

So if the new bill doesn’t get us any closer to funding the pension system, but still imposes negative consequences on our state’s teachers, why enact this legislation at all?

Carney proceeds to explain in the same article that SB 151 can still help the state by solidifying it’s credit rating and reducing it’s pension liability after 30 years.

In reality, this bill hurts teachers by forcing them into a retirement plan with much less security than the plan they’re currently on. Since teachers in Kentucky don’t draw money from Social Security once they retire, they rely on the promise made by the state government that they can live off of a

pension once their contribution to the workforce is complete. So now there’s a greater chance current teachers are putting money into a system that won’t take care of them when they need it.

Then what’s the incentive for being a teacher in a state where they can take away retirement benefits like it’s nothing and the governor constantly disrespects your profession?

The hard truth is that many good teachers in this state will see what’s going on in Frankfort and decide they’ll be much better taken care of elsewhere, and sadly they’d be right.

With every good teacher that decides to leave, there’s a number of students who now won’t be able to reach their full potential. This limits the potential for innovation in business, technology and the arts within state lines, thereby hurting the economy in the long run.

If Kentucky is one big casino, betting against education is a rookie mistake.

Years from now if this legislation proceeds to pass, current lawmakers will look back on their decision to just pass something for the heck of it and think: was it worth it?

SALTED POPCORN

“Ready Player One” embraces 1980’s style and nostalgia

BY CAMERON COYLE HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

Nearly three months after his last film, director Steven Spielberg returns to theaters with his new sci-fi adventure movie based off Ernest Cline’s novel, “Ready Player One.” Set in 2045, “Ready Player One” follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an orphan living in the slums of Columbus, Ohio, where he, along with almost every other member of society, spends the majority of his time playing a seemingly infinite virtual reality game titled the OASIS. While most people play the OASIS to depart from their banal and underprivileged lives, Wade, along with other de-

CONTACT US

voted players and employees of a corporation called the IOI, hunt for three keys the game’s deceased developer, James Halliday (Oscar-winner Mark Rylance) hid in the OASIS. The first to find all three keys inherits an enormous fortune.

It’s a simple story-arc fitting for a work so heavily inspired by classic 1980s video games and other forms of pop culture.

Cline grew up in the ‘80s, so nearly— if not all—of the recognizable characters in “Ready Player One” provide a deep sense of nostalgia for him. Relaying this sentimentality to the audience is a tall order to say the least.

Halliday hid his keys in places inspired by moments in his life where entertainment intersected with a significant human interaction. The premise of having pop culture be either vital to survival or cause detrimental levels of escapism is a unique one, but this is where the origi-

nality in “Ready Player One” ends.

Every time Wade climbs down one of the towers of mobile home trailers stacked on top of each other to leave his world and enter the OASIS, there’s a sense of relief leaving the desaturated, all grey color palette of Columbus. The blandness of the deteriorated community creates a mundane aura, which sometimes contrasts the urgency the film tries to produce in this environment.

In the almost completely CGI landscape of the OASIS is where Spielberg gets to display his abilities that made him an all-time great director and ultimately save “Ready Player One” from being a cliché, overproduced fan-fiction movie.

It’s here where the camera gets to zip around racetracks and sprawl over snowy battlefields in an invigorating manner, creating action scenes just as

awe-inspiring as anything he’s made in the last 40 years.

The outstanding spectacles conceived partially counteract the uninspired characters who accompany Wade on his journey, but these one-dimensional characters diminish Wade and the overall intrigue of the movie. Dialogue from these characters either pertains solely to Wade, acts as exposition or serves as throwaway quips, with the rare exception of when Samantha (Olivia Cooke) is captured by the IOI and must escape.

“Ready Player One” is at its best when it embraces its silliness, allowing for blockbuster moments like the Iron Giant and Mechagodzilla fighting, and at its worst when it fails to fully develop characters and then asks the audience to deeply care later on. It’s an uneven film with some fantastic moments.

I give “Ready Player One” a “C+.”

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TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2017 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

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TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

A6

PHOTO

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

The Hilltoppers walk back into their dugout following their 9-5 win over UTSA on Saturday at Nick Denes Field.

EASTER WEEKEND WIN Hilltoppers win final game of three-game series

BY CAMERON BROWN HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU baseball concluded a threegame series against the University of Texas-San Antonio with a win. The Hilltoppers notched a 9-5 victory over the Roadrunners at Nick Denes Field

on Saturday. WKU has yet to lose the third game of a Conference USA series this season.

The Hilltoppers trailed 5-4 before sophomore infielder Kevin Lambert launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning that put WKU in front for good. It was the fifth career home run for Lambert, but it was the first time that he has gone

yard at home.

Redshirt senior pitcher Ben Morrison earned the win on the mound for WKU, giving up just two hits and no walks in three shutout innings.

WKU will travel to former Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State Tuesday afternoon. The Hilltoppers have won 19 out of the last 21 games in the series against the Racers.

SILAS WALKER • HERALD

SILAS WALKER • HERALD

WKU junior outfielder Jacob Rhinesmith (2) runs home after a hit from a teammate during WKU’s victory over UTSA 9-5 on Saturday at Nick Denes Field.

WKU redshirt senior pitcher Ben Morrison (10) throws against UTSA players during WKU’s victory over UTSA.

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

Fans gather at Nick Denes Field for the Hilltoppers’ game against UTSA Saturday. The game was followed by an Easter egg hunt on the field.

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

Players stand for the national anthem before their 9-5 win over UTSA on Saturday.

SPORTS B1

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

FOR LIFE

KATHRYN ZEISIG • HERALD

Lifelong WKU fan Roger Osborne, 80, watches WKU play in the NIT semifinal on March 27 with his family at his home in Bowling Green. Osborne was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier this year and has been spending quality time with the people he loves while also supporting the team he loves. “I don’t know how much longer I got, but I’m gonna be a Western fan,” Osborne said.

‘I don’t know how much longer I’ve got, but I’m gonna be a Western fan.’

BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

He still grits his teeth and arches his eyebrows while talking about what he calls “the saddest call ever for Western.”

It takes him some time to recall exactly how it went down and who was involved, but the frustration displays clearly on Roger Osborne’s face. After about two full minutes, his memory is straight: An offensive foul call was charged to WKU’s Greg Smith after winning the tip on a jump ball over Michigan’s Howard Porter. After holding tight to a 79-78 lead with just a few seconds left, the Hilltoppers’ season was over as a result of a questionable foul call.

That game ended 52 years ago in 1966.

“You can catch it on YouTube,” Osborne says now.

Osborne has spent most of his life as WKU basketball’s biggest fan. Osborne, 80, has been a season ticket holder in Diddle Arena for 52 years. No one is sure of the exact number, but he hasn’t missed any more than 10 home games since he and his family have been season ticket holders. Two of those games came this season, in the

Hilltoppers’ final two games in Diddle Arena.

What used to be hard to believe became predictable this season more than ever: He was likely going to miss some games. Osborne was diagnosed with lung cancer in September, and the amount of time he has left has been uncertain and far from guaranteed. Six months later, Osborne is watching the Hilltoppers play in the Final Four of the National Invitational Tournament.

It’s the first time WKU has appeared in the same spotlight since 1954. A week and a half before the game, Osborne was given approximately three weeks to live.

“I’ve got an illness that’s taking me down it looks like,” he said from his home in Bowling Green. “The big thing that’s getting me down now is, I’ve got cancer and I think it’s something I’m still battling. I’m having more and more trouble every day.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ve got, but I’m gonna be a Western fan.”

Wearing Several Hats Born in 1937 in Allen County, Roger attended Allen County High School where he played basketball, met his future wife and met the man who took him to his first WKU basketball game.

It’s also where he first “became acquainted with Jim McDaniels’ tremen-

dous height.”

McDaniels, who died in September, is tied for WKU’s all-time record in points scored and starred at Allen County High a little more than a decade after Osborne graduated.

Although he never got the chance to scrimmage against McDaniels in high school practice, it was in Britt’s Barbershop where Osborne first realized the clean-up guy was taller than everyone else.

“As a senior they classified him as 7 foot,” he said of McDaniels. “He was just a special person on top of being a great basketball player.”

Allen County High also acquainted Roger with another special person: his wife Wanda. Roger says the two met through “school activity” in 1955, and their first date came when they were juniors. Nobody had a car and dancing wasn’t allowed at the time. The two got married later that year.

“You didn’t have too many dates back then, and you would just ride home on the bus and that was a date,” he explained. “It’s been many, many years now.”

After graduation, Roger and Wanda, who just turned 80, moved to Louisville for two years before moving to Bowling Green to get closer to home.

Roger worked as a car salesman for the first part of his life, and speaks

glowingly of the last several decades he spent working in the sheriff’s department as a bailiff, evidence custodian and chief deputy.

“I’ve worn about three or four hats,” he says.

He and Wanda have two children, Sheila and Rick, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The smiles of his memories from coaching Rick and his grandchildren in summer baseball stretch wider than the smiles he has in remembrance of any basketball game.

Today, his youngest great granddaughter, 4-year-old Emmarie, gets a fist bump as she makes her way out the door before WKU tips off against Utah in the NIT. It may take him a minute, but Roger’s memory never fails to arrive where it needs to. As he makes his way to the den of the house he’s lived in for 28 of his 56 years in Bowling Green, Roger details the origins of his relationship with WKU basketball.

In 1948, he remembers climbing into the backseat of Allen County High head basketball coach James Bazzell’s car as he went to see his first game in person. Bazzell is the one Roger credits for “indoctrinating” him into the WKU program, saying that he got

SEE OSBORNE • PAGE B2

DOWN TO THE WIRE

Financial concerns, competition pushed Clark-Heard away

BY JEREMY CHISENHALL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU women’s basketball has lost one of the best coaches the program has ever seen.

Clark-Heard is headed north to take on the head coaching role at the University of Cincinnati after seemingly hitting the ceiling at WKU. In six seasons at the helm of WKU, Michelle Clark-Heard’s two Conference USA regular season championships, three C-USA Tournament championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances were rewarded with just one raise. With budget cuts coming and one of Clark-Heard’s staff

Athletic success brings WKU more exposure after NIT semifinal run

positions having been cut, it was pretty clear to see that there wasn’t much more room for growth at WKU. “This is one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made in my career,” Clark-Heard said in a press release following her departure from WKU. “What we have built here at WKU is special. As a team, I always talk to our players about leaving a place better than you found it. I want to thank my players, my coaching staff and my support staff for helping to make that a reality over these last six years.”

Clark-Heard had a $150,000 salary in her original contract agreement in 2012. She received a $50,000 salary raise in 2013 after leading the Lady Toppers to a 22-11 record in her first SEE DOWN TO THE WIRE • PAGE B3

BY TYLER EATON AND JEREMY CHISENHALL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

March Madness always brings exposure to smaller schools on a national level, as schools like University of Maryland, Baltimore County pull seemingly impossible upsets that force the sports world’s eyes to a school that has an enrollment of 13,662.

According to a report from ESPN’s Darren Rovell, the UMBC bookstore website sold twice as much gear in 24 hours as they had over an entire year following their win over number-one seed University of Virginia.

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Another small school that made noise in the tournament was Loyola-Chicago.

The 11th-seeded Ramblers advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and have seen an increase of nearly 1,500 percent in apparel sales this past month compared to March 2017.

WKU has also had athletic accomplishments that have led to increased exposure. Looking back at one of the most memorable moments in the history of WKU athletics, an increase in apparel sales can be seen.

During and after WKU’s Sweet 16 run in 2008, the WKU Store saw an increase in apparel revenue of 63 per-

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better established as a fan when he later moved to Bowling Green.

“We’re familiar with Western Kentucky University,” he says. “Some of the success, some of the failures. But boy, I tell ya what, it’s fun when you win.”

Saving Seats for a Family Tradition For a family who has lived and breathed WKU basketball for longer than six decades, there aren’t many physical traces to represent all of the memories, teams, coaches and specific plays they’ve seen. No pictures, posters or Hilltopper memorabilia hang on the Osbornes’ walls. In its place is an abundance of friends’ and family’s faces.

“It’s a family tradition,” Sam Osborne says as his grandfather settles into his spot on the navy blue recliner in the den. “I have vivid memories of my dad taking me, and we always went with Roger.”

Sam, now 25, is part of the third generation of the Osborne’s WKU fandom, and is one of the proud eight people who sits in the same row as Roger for every home game in Diddle Arena.

Roger and his family have never sat in the same place. For the 2017-2018 season, Roger called Row C of Section 103 home. He’s always bought an extra season ticket, in case someone else needed a seat.

“And that way, when you get there and you find somebody that doesn’t have a ticket, you can give them a ticket,” he explains.

As time has passed, the routines have changed, but the tradition has remained fully intact. Wanda hasn’t been able to go for a while. Climbing the stairs in Diddle Arena isn’t easy anymore.

“Of course, she’s still a huge fan,” her husband says. “We leave her the assignment to watch everything at home and fill us in on what looked like this and that on TV.” Some of Roger’s more vivid memories have come from different viewing locations. But don’t think for a second he forgot any of the details.

From the top row of the bottom bleacher: “It was eye level where I was

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY sitting, and Clarence Glover grabbed a ball that was going out of bounds nearest to me. He threw that thing in the air and must have been 30 feet in the air and dead center.”

Where was he when Ty Rogers’ classic shot from near midcourt went in at the buzzer to upset No. 5 seed Drake in the 2008 NCAA Tournament? In the same green recliner as he sits today.

“We had the TV goin’ in the den, TV in the kitchen. About every room in the house has a TV,” Roger said, “and regardless of where you was at, you was running from TV to TV to TV. There was about 20 of us here that night. When that shot went in I tell ya I thought the roof was coming off.”

As for favorites, Roger prefers to appreciate everyone. The earliest team he can remember was the 1952 team featuring Art Spoelstra, Tom Marshall and Dick White.

“I could talk about that forever,” Roger says. “All the teams I can remember, I can’t remember everything about any of them, but I can remember something about all of them.”

But he’s got the coaches down.

“Ed Diddle kind of established the program, John Oldham kind of came along and polished it, and the other coaches have been carrying it ever since,” he said. “Jim Richards is one of my favorites.”

Roger remains a fan of former head coach Ray Harper who, “is a mighty fine coach,” by his estimate. He calls current WKU head coach Rick Stansbury “another great favorite because he’s a Kentucky boy.”

As much as he loves talking about “the old times,” Roger says there is more to his family’s fandom than just watching the games.

His son, Rick, has seen both perspectives on how one team can be fulfilling in empty times.

Rick, who turns 60 this month, has dealt with complications from a liver transplant that caused his brain to swell. He’s had three brain shunts replaced in the last 15 years. Over the years, Roger has lost several friends who were faithful Hilltopper fans, but like they have been since Rick was 7 or 8 years old, the Hilltoppers are still there for father and son to enjoy together.

Standing behind him with his hands

on his father’s shoulders, who is seated on the couch now, Rick describes the routine of a game day with Roger in the same way he would talk about a morning commute to work.

“We were always there, same entrance, same exit. We would get there about an hour before the game and watch everybody roll in, and then we’re in no hurry to leave when it was over,” Rick says as tears form in Roger’s eyes.

“We would listen to the postgame show on the radio. By the time we got home it was almost over, then we could discuss it, talk about it, reminisce about old times. Get that pregame going and then the postgame. Then they had that Hilltopper Hotline. I’d lay in bed and listen to it.”

Wiping tears from his eyes, Roger explains that he and Rick used to cut across backyards together to go to games from their old house.

“We’re probably a little farther out now, but who’s in a hurry when you’re going to a ball game?”

Searching for Other Cures He’s down 40 pounds, moves slowly and has a lot of difficulty hearing.

Roger admits that cancer has taken a lot out of him over the past six months.

Shortly before his lung doctor gave him the diagnosis, Roger noticed that his back pain had increased dramatically and wasn’t sure why breathing had become a chore.

Roger’s list of current medication is longer than the short list in his memory of how he got such a disease. He was a lifelong smoker until the late 1980’s when one of his lungs nearly collapsed.

It’s been 30 years since he quit smoking. He’s never been a heavy or regular drinker. He can’t make easy bathroom stops anymore. Prostate troubles in the past seem unrelated, but the doctors have been testing different things.

He said he’s not sure what they can do for him. Specifics have been few, but hospice care was called in nearly three weeks ago when he was given his latest diagnosis.

In three hours spent with him watching the Hilltoppers play in the NIT, Roger felt fine. He wouldn’t let me get up and grab picture frames for him or let me move closer so I could hear him better.

“He doesn’t eat much,” Wanda says

from the kitchen as he offers me some pizza.

Roger didn’t avoid talking about cancer, saying that the doctor couldn’t promise any cure but “can make it more comfortable.”

“I’ve talked to you about this more than anyone else because, it’s kind of hard to tell people what’s wrong with you when you really don’t know,” he says. “And you don’t wanna speculate over the doctor’s head.”

As for what keeps him going, Roger has a lot of answers beyond watching basketball.

He grew up a Baptist but attends the Cumberland Presbyterian Church across the street from his home.

“I found out I like them both,” he said.

His friends range from Baptist to Catholic to Presbyterian to Jewish.

“I can go out a door of one and right into the other and I don’t feel like I lose a thing,” Roger said about his faith life in different churches. “Because we’ve only got one master in God Almighty and he serves all of them.”

Wanda, of course, is a catalyst and everyday cure for Roger as well.

“She’s still the most dependable person in my life,” he says. “I get up feeling pretty bad a lot of mornings, even before I had this illness, and she somehow, she’s smarter than me. She knows when to push it and when to let it go.

“I can’t complain about our life together. It’s been great. I hope it lasts many more years.”

The Last Quarter On Tuesday, March 27, the Hilltoppers find themselves in an unfamiliar place, and so does Roger.

WKU is playing in “The Mecca of Basketball,” Madison Square Garden.

The last time Roger’s team played on this stage, he was still eight years away from making the original purchase of his season tickets.

Roger is watching from home, nearly 1,000 miles from where the players he’s seen in person are actually playing.

Wanda and Rick are watching from the kitchen.

“He missed the last two home games and that was unheard of. He’s lived

SEE OSBORNE • PAGE B3

SPORTS B3

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

OSBORNE CONTINUED FROM PAGE B2 such a good life and it is hard, you want as much time as you can get with a person,” Sam said, fitting a “YES!” in between the two statements in reaction to a Justin Johnson 3-pointer.

This season has been a special one to a lot of people who follow the Hilltoppers, including Roger.

He followed the “coffee shop” talk and national drama of former WKU recruit Mitchell Robinson leaving campus in late July and returning in August, only to leave for a final time a few weeks later.

“This team was really expected to excel on a player that never made it,” Roger said of Robinson. “But then we

DOWN TO THE WIRE CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

season, but did not receive a raise after that despite doing her best work in the following five seasons.

In the middle of this past basketball season, one in which the Lady Toppers won the C-USA Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and the third time in four years, men’s head coach Rick Stansbury received a $150,000 raise. That upped his salary to $650,000 following a 15-17 season and in the midst of a 2711 season.

That’s not to say that Stansbury’s raise was completely undeserved. The Hilltoppers head coach accomplished a great turnaround in the span of a

EXPOSURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

cent in the months of February, March and April, compared to 2007. The store totaled $199,716 in revenue sales from those three months in 2007. In 2008, the store totaled $314,029 in those same three months.

“In anything in America, people like the hot thing,” WKU athletics director Todd Stewart said. “I think when athletics is successful, it increases interest and it drives people to want to have merchandise, or to get new merchandise, or to get the most recent thing.”

Following WKU’s appearance in the semifinal of the NIT, Stewart said he expects that history will repeat itself in terms of an increase in apparel sales.

The increase in sales during WKU’s athletic successes in 2008 would support this, but WKU did not see the same kind of sales boost following the team’s consecutive Conference USA championships in football.

In 2015, the WKU football team won their first of two consecutive conference championships, but actually saw a nearly $200,000 decrease in apparel for the WKU Store. The next year, the WKU Store would see another near $200,000 decrease in apparel sales, despite the back-to-back conference championships.

“That surprises me a little bit,” Stewart said on the dips in sales. “I think that in a year when we win a conference championship the interest that people have in apparel and merchandise would have increased here on campus.”

Stewart said the degree of national exposure that comes with a basketball tournament run is greater, compared to a football conference championship.

“The scope of attention is way beyond southcentral Kentucky, and that’s what I think has happened with men’s basketball here,” Stewart said. “I mean we’ve won in Los Angeles, and then we went to Oklahoma State and won.”

While the possible financial benefits to WKU’s NIT semifinal appearance are clear, Stewart and basketball head coach Rick Stansbury think that the success could also help increase WKU’s enrollment.

“The year we made our Final Four run [at Mississippi State], enrollment went up 3,000 people,” Stansbury said. “People want to be a part of winning. They want to be a part of athletic success.”

WKU saw an increase in enrollment applications of 8 percent from 2007 to 2008 after the basketball team’s Sweet

lost him and it was like, ‘Well that was for naught.’ But maybe it wasn’t.”

“It also pointed out that this guy can coach,” he finishes, pointing to the TV as the camera zooms in on Rick Stansbury, perfectly on cue.

As separate conversations flow between others in the room and his dog, Daisy, barks in the background, Roger is locked in to the game. Feet flat on the floor, both arms relaxed on the arm rests of his navy blue recliner.

The first half ends in a 32-32 tie with the Hilltoppers taking some momentum into the locker room.

“This right here is kind of the climax to about anything anybody can hope for,” he said. “I hope it will last a few more years and that’s fine, but this little segment we’ve put together here is very special to me.”

As the final quarter of the game winds down, so does the conversation.

With 10 minutes remaining, the score is tied again at 51.

“Two minutes,” Roger says as the game cuts to commercial break with a little over two minutes remaining.

“Well fellas I tell you what, you go this far, this close and it don’t matter who wins,” he continues, preparing himself for a possible letdown.

“I like it better if we do,” he finishes with a laugh.

Junior guard Lamonte Bearden is called for an offensive foul with 20 seconds left, allowing Utah to open a fourpoint lead after two made free throws.

“That’s it,” Roger says as Utah heads back to the foul line with 5.5 seconds left.

Similar to 1966, the Hilltoppers’ fi-

year. In the big-money world of men’s college basketball, the university felt that an immediate raise was necessary to keep Stansbury at WKU. But it was clear at that point that Clark-Heard had reached the pinnacle at WKU. Her director of operations had his position eliminated due to a $1.3 million budget cut, and with schools like UC and Ole Miss calling, it was unlikely that WKU was going to be able to prioritize keeping Clark-Heard around.

And it’s not just the financial side of it that had to have had Clark-Heard looking elsewhere. Women’s college basketball has an extreme gap in talent between the top tier of teams and the rest of the bunch. Everyone’s up against UConn, Notre Dame and Mississippi State, playing a game of catchup that they’re doomed to lose. In that

landscape, it’s a nearly impossible task for a mid-major school like WKU to pull off a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament. That’s evidenced by the fact that Clark-Heard’s teams dominated C-USA, but never won a single NCAA Tournament game.

Now that she’s at the helm at UC, competing with UConn in the American Athletic Conference doesn’t serve to make Clark-Heard’s conference battles any easier. But she now won’t be forced to stake her reputation on conference championships and firstround exits. Money, at-large bids and NCAA Tournament wins will be much easier to come by for the WKU alum at her new job.

And as for what she leaves behind, the Lady Toppers have a lot of change to come. New head coach Greg Collins

will bring some continuity, being an inside hire. He joined Clark-Heard’s staff when she arrived at WKU and spent the last four seasons as the team’s associate head coach. He’ll take control of a roster that is returning 11 players, but it will have two huge holes in it. The loss of C-USA Player of the Year Tashia Brown and C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Ivy Brown will leave the Lady Toppers with huge shoes to fill. The program will also have to deal with the loss of signee Akira Levy, who decommitted when Clark-Heard took the UC job.

16 appearance.

After the football team won the C-USA championship in 2015, enrollment applications saw an increase of nearly 700 people. WKU totaled 8,957 first-year freshman applicants in the 2015-16 year. WKU also won the conference championship in 2016, and WKU totaled 9,693 first-year freshman applicants in the 2016-17 academic year. The application numbers continued to rise in 2017-18, as they received 9,804 first-year freshman applications.

“How much of an effect does that have on students making their decision on where to go to college? It has a lot of impact on them, because they see Western Kentucky can be as good as anybody in the country,” Stansbury said. “All they’ve got to do then is visit campus, and once they visit campus, they can see it for themselves.”

Jace Lux, the director of recruitment and admissions at WKU, said that athletics generally generates more interest, but it’s difficult for the Admissions Office to pinpoint whether or not students apply because of athletics.

“In 2015 and 2016, our office was much more innovative and aggressive in targeting prospective students in ways it hadn’t been before,” Lux said in an email. “It’s very difficult to pin application increases down to any one single factor. Athletic success certainly doesn’t hurt, and, as a general rule, athletic success contributes to short term spikes in interest in a college or university. Whether that interest translates into students who otherwise wouldn’t have applied now taking the next step and submitting an application is difficult to determine.”

The key to both the potential financial and enrollment benefits to athletics success is the exposure that comes with excelling on a national stage.

730,000 viewers tuned into the WKU game at Oklahoma State, per John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.

WKU’s loss to University of Utah in the NIT semifinal averaged 815,000 viewers, Ourand said.

WKU also received a substantial amount of attention on social media.

The final score graphic posted by the team page on Facebook had reached nearly 250,000 people as of March 24, according to data from WKU athletic media relations.

On Twitter, the final score graphic was seen by over 100,000 people, and the WKU men’s basketball Twitter page itself had been seen by almost three million people in a 28-day span, up 89 percent from the previous month.

The university website also saw increased traffic. In the nine days prior to

the team’s second round game against University of Southern California, the WKU.edu page had been viewed just under 7,000 times. In the three days following WKU defeating USC, the page was viewed almost 17,000 times.

“I think obviously when you’re successful in athletics you would expect your page views of athletics and that particular team to go up,” Stewart said.

“When you see that it’s more than doubled who’s going to the university’s site, that’s not coincidental, and I think that’s the impact that athletics can have on all this.”

Despite ultimately falling to the Utah in the NIT semifinals, WKU’s hopes are still high that the team’s success and time in the spotlight can have a posi-

tive effect on the university as a whole.

“We need more students knowing you can come to Western Kentucky and won’t have to take a backseat to anybody,” Stansbury said. “You can walk in wearing that red and be proud of it. You can be proud to be a part of Western Kentucky and be proud to be a Hilltopper.”

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nal hope for the season ends with a foul call that didn’t go their way. While the situations were similar, Roger won’t grit his teeth and arch his eyebrows after this loss.

The loss to Utah was definitely the Hilltoppers’ last game of the season.

Even if the circumstances indicate that it will be Roger’s last too, nothing is certain. But if it was the last time Roger Osborne watched the Hilltoppers play, he’s OK with that.

“I guess all good things gotta come to an end,” he says.

Digital Managing Editor Evan Heichelbech can be reached at 502-415-1817 and evan.heichelbech059@topper. wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @ evanheich.

Sports editor Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 270-745-6291 and jeremy. chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.

Reporter Tyler Eaton can be reached at 270-745-6291 and tylereaton1022@ yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ Tyler_eaton1022

Sports editor Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 270-745-6291 and jeremy. chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.

REACH 2018 Research Experience and Creative Heights

Congratulations to the Session Winners of the 2018 WKU Student Research Conference!

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B4 SPORTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Yelder’s long road from walk-on to NFL Draft prospect

BY ALEC JESSIE HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

Only a year ago, the thought of WKU tight end Deon Yelder ending up with a legitimate shot at getting picked in the NFL draft was out of the question.

He was a walk-on that had to fund his own education and barely touched the field. Coming into the 2017 season, he had only appeared in 18 games and had yet to catch a pass.

But rather than giving up on the dream of playing professional football, he put his head down and got to work during his final season as a Hilltopper.

Yelder captured the starting tight end job and ran with it. He broke out in 2017, catching 52 passes for 688 yards. He also scored a total of eight touchdowns that year.

Following Yelder’s workout at WKU’s annual pro day, head coach Mike Sanford reflected on how Yelder climbed his way onto NFL draft boards.

“Who would’ve thought that a year

ago about Deon Yelder–that this guy most likely has cemented himself as a draft pick,” Sanford said. “A year ago he wasn’t getting scholarship.

He had to pay for his own food, room and board and books. Now he’s got a chance to be a mid-round draft pick.”

Sanford was even willing to say that he thought Yelder would have a long pro career.

“I believe Deon is going to have an 8-12 year NFL career,” Sanford said.

“I believe that wholeheartedly. I have no doubts in my mind. You want a guy that truly can make a difference by keeping your offense on the field on third down and be viable red zone target and I think that’s exactly who is.”

Even with the impressive 2017 for the redshirt senior, his journey to the NFL Draft was far from over at the end of the season. NFL scouts still haven’t seen much of Yelder, and he had to stand out at the Senior Bowl in late February.

After an impressive week of practice, he topped it off with a touchdown reception in the game while playing primarily a blocking role.

Even with the hard work beginning to pay off, Yelder did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine. He did not let that break his spirit and still appreciated what he accomplished in the Senior Bowl.

“To me it’s just everything happens for a reason,” Yelder said. “I played in the Senior Bowl coming off a walk-on.

Not too many people can say they did that. That’s a blessing. I took the good with the bad. No combine invite, go to work.”

Without the invite to the combine, WKU’s Pro Day became that much more important for Yelder. This was Yelder’s last chance to impress the NFL scouts.

Sanford thought Yelder’s workout was terrific and stood out among the rest of the pro day performers.

“I think he did incredible stuff for himself. Saw him hovering around a high 4.6 in the 40 [yard dash] weighing 255 Ibs. Broad jump 10 feet, just a phenomenal workout for a guy that you can tell has put in so much work,” Sanford said.

This time a year ago, no one knew

Yelder’s name or even considered him to be in the position he’s in today.

The present is great for Yelder after a breakout senior year and multiple impressive workouts in the draft process.

Part of what has helped Yelder’s performance is how serious he has taken the preparation each day.

“I’ve been preparing for this for three months now,” Yelder said. “I’ve been training down in Boca Raton with Mike White, so everything was used to it, so I just continued what I’ve done grinding, doing the same thing we’ve been doing.”

With the draft process almost complete, Yelder appreciates how far he has come, and finally feels like he belongs.

“I feel like now that I’ve put my stripes down, and I feel like I earned this spot now,” Yelder said. “So every day when I go out there I’m more hungry, so I do better every day.”

Reporter Alec Jessie can be reached at 270-745-6291 and ajessie97@gmail. com. Follow him on Twitter at @Alec_ Jessie.

Friday homers lead Hilltoppers to series win

BY CASEY MCCARTHY HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

The WKU softball team dropped its final game of the weekend Saturday against UNC Charlotte but secured the series win 2-1 behind a home-run filled Friday doubleheader.

The Hilltoppers (21-12, 5-4) managed a .429 slugging percentage on the weekend, with a .329 on-base percentage, led by senior Brittany Vaughn’s .700 mark. The team’s five home runs on Friday brought their season total to 25.

“The long ball was huge for us today,” head coach Amy Tudor said on Friday in a press release. “We did a great job of picking our pitches and kept our bats in the zone, which resulted in some hard hits. I’m really proud of how we played defense and ran the

bases today.”

Freshman Jordan Thomas secured one of those five home runs to lead off the first game of the series, sending the third pitch of the afternoon over the center field wall for her second home run of her freshman season. Thomas has been a force in the leadoff position this season, hitting 25 for 47 in leadoff opportunities to give her a .532 OBP. The Hilltoppers continue to lead the conference in doubles, triples, and RBIs. Juniors Kelsey McGuffin and Rebekah Engelhardt both picked up their fourth multi-RBI games on the season on Friday. Engelhardt and McGuffin both hit multiple home runs Friday to tie them for the team-high with five apiece. McGuffin added her ninth multi-hit game on the season, with junior Jordan Vorbrink securing her fourth.

After Thomas’ leadoff home run in the first game of the weekend Friday, the 49ers responded with a run of their

www.HIBowlingGreen.com

own in the bottom of the first. Engelhardt and McGuffin would both respond with homers to lead off the third and fourth innings respectively.

Charlotte got a run back in the sixth but was unable to claw back, as WKU took the weekend opener 3-2. Sophomore Kelsey Aikey (7-3) would take the win, pitching 6.0 innings with two runs given up on six hits. She recorded three strikeouts. Freshman Shelby Nunn came in for her second save of the season, pitching the final inning.

Waiting to the second inning to strike in the second game of the day, McGuffin kicked things off for the Hilltoppers with the her second leadoff home run of the day to begin the second inning. Engelhardt would knock her second home run of the day, a tworun shot over the left-center field wall to bring the lead to 3-0.

The 49ers responded in the fourth to avoid the shutout, but WKU got two more runs in the fifth and seventh to secure the 5-1 victory and the series win. Nunn (13-8) pitched her eighth complete game of the year, with five

strikeouts and one earned run on eight hits.

Charlotte pitcher Haley Wiseman had a no-hit bid going into the top of the sixth inning before the Hilltoppers managed a pair of hits in the last two innings. The Hilltoppers couldn’t turn either of these hits into any runs as they dropped the final game of the weekend 3-0. Wiseman had nine strikeouts on the day.

Aikey took the decision in the game, pitching 4.1 innings with two strikeouts and three earned runs on eight hits. Nunn pitched the final 1.2 with one strikeout and one hit.

Brittany Vaughn had her 13th stolen base on the season in the game and is a perfect 13 for 13 in steal attempts on the year. Her 13 stolen bases leads the team.

The team’s next contest is Wednesday, as they head to Murray to face Murray State in a non-conference tilt.

Reporter Casey McCarthy can be reached at 270-745-6291 and casey. mccarthy573@topper.wku.edu

Hilltopper pitching struggles to stop middle of UTSA lineup

BY TYLER EATON HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

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WKU baseball dropped a conference series to Texas-San Antonio, unable to stop the heart of the UTSA lineup.

WKU is now 14-14 on the season and sit at 4-5 in Conference USA play.

The series saw WKU lose the first two games of the series by a combined score of 15-4.

The three and four hitters for the Roadrunners, Trent Bowles and Ben Brookover, knocked in all five of UTSA’s runs in WKU’s 5-0 loss to start the series, with Brookover hitting a grand slam in the top of the eighth to put the Hilltoppers away.

In game two of the series, Bowles doubled four times and scored three times, and Brookover hit a three-run homerun in what was a 10-4 loss for the Hilltoppers.

“That dude is really good,” sophomore left fielder Ray Zuberer III said about Bowles. “He hit bomb after bomb, but we kept him in check.”

For the Hilltoppers, keeping Bowles in check was giving up an RBI double and a solo homerun, as well as two runs. Brookover had an RBI single as well, but the Hilltoppers came to life at the plate to prevent the sweep.

“We got down two-to-nothing in the first inning,” WKU head coach John Pawlowski said. “But we put a four spot in the first inning. What a response that was, and it gave our team a lot of confidence.”

WKU scored all four of those first inning runs with two outs, and seven of the nine runs the team brought across the plate in the 9-5 victory were scored with two outs.

“We’ve gone through streaks where we haven’t been very good with two outs,” Pawlowski said. “Our guys kept battling, and we were fortunate be-

cause those two-out runs made the difference today.”

Freshman outfielder Luke Brown knocked in the first two runs for the Hilltoppers on a two-out double with the bases loaded in the first. In the fifth, senior infielder Steven Kraft brought home two more in another bases loaded, two out situation with a single.

“Our guys have worked so hard,” Pawlowski said. “We had bases loaded and then two strikeouts and Steven Kraft gets a base hit. I’m very proud of what we did offensively.”

Another takeaway for the Hilltoppers was the success of their bullpen.

Of the 20 runs UTSA scored in the series, only three of them were earned off of WKU’s bullpen.

In the win on Saturday, redshirt senior Ben Morrison and junior Jacob Green combined to throw five scoreless innings for the Hilltoppers, with Morrison earning the win.

“Ben’s done that this whole year,” Pawlowski said. “He’s been outstanding. He’s the guy that we want out of the bullpen. I’m really proud of what him and Jacob Green did out of our bullpen.”

Following the series loss to UTSA, the Hilltoppers will face Murray State on Tuesday before heading to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for a three game weekend series with the University of Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles are currently ranked 14th in the country.

“We have to win the Murray State game to get some more momentum headed into the weekend,” Zuberer said. “Southern Miss is a really good ball club. They’re really good, and we’ll have to come prepared next weekend.”

Reporter Tyler Eaton can be reached at 270-745-6291 and tylereaton1022@ yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ Tyler_eaton1022

LIFE C1

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

LIFE

ABIGAIL DOLLINS • HERALD

Lesley Garrett, Bowling Green resident, leads Kentuckians through community organizing and political activism. Garrett has worked on various projects including renewable energy for a western Kentucky homeless shelter, dismantling white supremacy and ensuring equality for all. “Organizing is inherent to being human, I feel,” Garrett said. “We build relationships with one another, take care of each other and adjust when things aren’t quite right. I think that in order for us to be our best individual selves, we need to be working with everyone around us to collectively make those adjustments so we can all thrive.”

FIGHT FOR CHANGE Local activist fights white supremacy

BY LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Lesley Garrett, a Bowling Green resident, is a political and social activist whose goal is to dismantle white supremacy in the western Kentucky area.

Garrett calls herself an organizer, a term she defines as empowering others to empower others and encouraging them to make changes toward building a better community. She said a crucial part of her organizing is developing and maintaining relationships.

Garrett said she connects with residents of the western Kentucky area on social media and asks them how they’re doing and what issues in the area they care about. “‘How can I support you?’ is a pretty common question,” Garrett said.

“Checking in on folks is a really key part of what I try to be as an organizer.”

Garrett’s drive to create social change is something she said she be-

gan recognizing in herself at a young age.

“I always grew up socially conscious and aware of injustice,” she said.

Garrett originally had ambitions of becoming a photojournalist. After her high school graduation in 2012, she

“That experience really shaped me,” Garrett said. “I realized that taking photos didn’t feel right. There was too much to unpack with that. It didn’t feel right.”

She then moved back to her hometown, Paducah, and started working in

“Building a common understanding about how corrupt our whole reality has been built is the starting place. We need to be working on how our laws work along the way and pairing that with action.”

Bowling Green activist LESLEY GARRETT

moved to Haiti with her parents who were there for mission work. Garrett said when she was in Haiti she learned the important elements of visual storytelling.

a library. Garrett said working there allowed her to be in direct public service with the whole community. She said it offered her the opportunity to learn about how libraries play a part in the

Joe Imel: a Bowling Green icon

BY DRAKE KIZER HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Joe Imel, 53, has called Kentucky home for almost 40 years, and though he has worked in the newspaper business for decades, he has never lost his deep passion for storytelling.

Imel was born in Columbus, Ohio, but his younger years were spent wherever his father was stationed, including stops in California, Pennsylvania and a six-year stay in Germany. Imel’s father was a career military officer, and Imel said growing up as an “army brat” made him into the man he is today.

“I had a real solid upbringing,” he said. “In the army, all different races, creeds and religions were kind of thrown together. It was a great experience, and I think that my exposure to different cultures and ways of life helped shape me.”

Imel’s parents were devout Catholics, and he attended mostly Catholic schools before his family moved to Fort Knox in 1979. Imel attended Fort Knox High School, where he wrestled,

played football and was the yearbook photographer. He graduated in 1984 and decided to attend WKU, which is where he discovered his calling.

“I came to WKU in 1984 to be an art teacher and a football coach,” Imel said. “That fell through because I was a poor student and I partied like a rock star, but while I was there I fell in love with photojournalism. I found my passion in life and the thing that propelled me forward. I could never thank WKU enough for providing that for me.”

In 1988, Imel decided to leave WKU despite the fact he was not far off from getting his degree. Imel said once he discovered photography, he wanted to go out and try it. It was not long before Imel secured a job with a weekly paper in McLean County, which gave him his start in the industry.

“A fraternity brother of mine was the editor of the paper, but it was kind of a misnomer since he was the only reporter,” he said. “Most weekly papers in the ‘80s would hire a reporter and give them a camera, but they hired a photojournalist and taught him to write. So, I’d shoot pictures, but then I’d come back and I’d pray to anybody

that would listen for words to appear because I struggled to write.”

After several years of working at newspapers around Kentucky, Imel said the Bowling Green Daily News hired him in 1992. He started out as the paper’s only staff photographer, but he rose through the ranks and eventually assumed his current role as the director of media operations.

“I’m a little bit of a hybrid because I have my foot in the newsroom, but also in every other department,” he said. “I oversee print, digital and mobile. My job is to digitize a legacy product and make sure that we’re taking advantage of the technology out there today for newspapers.”

In addition to his work at the Daily News, Imel has also taught basic photography courses as adjunct faculty at WKU in the past. Imel said issues with WKU accreditation in the ‘90s made him want to finish the classes he needed to get his degree, but his busy schedule did not allow him to finish.

James Kenney, the coordinator of WKU’s photojournalism program, once had Imel as a student in one of his SEE IMEL • PAGE C2

democratic process and provided a closer look at issues within her community.

“What really pushed me into straight-up organizing was the 2017 General Assembly,” she said.

Garrett recalled traveling to Frankfort for the first time with the intentions of lobbying. She said that after that experience, she was “hooked.”

Her efforts now are focused on dismantling white supremacy in the western Kentucky area, a task she refers to as “a tall order.”

“How our systems function is rooted in white supremacy,” Garrett said. “I’d really like to restructure that in a way that is healthy.”

She said her first task in beginning to achieve this goal is helping white people understand that they also have a role in stopping supremacy.

“Education and doing the internal work required to unlearn white suSEE GARRETT • PAGE C2

Alum starts online tax service for expatriates

BY LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Greg Dewald, a WKU alumnus and lifetime entrepreneur, started Bright!Tax, an online tax service provider that generated nearly 10,000 clients in five years.

Bright!Tax is a tax service that caters to Americans who are living overseas, or expatriates. Dewald, an expatriate himself, said he saw an increasing need for a service that assisted people like himself with their taxes, a task he called “daunting.”

Dewald said he has always been entrepreneurial. He recalled mowing lawns and shoveling driveways at age 10. He went on to fill entrepreneurial roles in both his father’s company, SEE TAX • PAGE C2

C2 LIFE

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

IMEL CONTINUED FROM PAGE C1

classes. Kenney and Imel have been friends since their days as co-workers at WKU, and Kenney said over the years he has learned a lot more from Imel than he ever taught him in class.

“One time I was at the Daily News doing caption information for a project that they printed of mine, and I noticed everybody was going to Joe,” Kenney said. “I realized then that he was really the go-to person. He’s so much a part of the community, and he’s a great guy on top of being a passionate journalist.”

Imel said back when his primary job was shooting photos, spot news was his favorite thing to photograph. Imel did not wish for fires or wrecks to happen, but he made a habit of listening to a police scanner so that he could be alerted whenever they occurred.

“The police scanner has always been my favorite tool for spot news,” Imel said. “It’s not the police or fire department’s job to tell you, ‘Oh hey, we’re headed to a fire.’ A scanner is really great for any newspaper person, and if you listen long enough you hear things put together that are hilarious.”

In 2008, Imel created a Twitter account and quickly realized he did not want to be another person sharing meaningless status updates. He said he was unsure how to utilize the platform until he decided to start tweeting out what he heard while listening to his police scanner.

“I decided that the stuff I heard was un-news, which is not what we report at the paper, but it’s the news that is the fabric of our community,” he said. “At first, I really wanted my tweets to show

TAX CONTINUED FROM PAGE C1 Downing Displays and his own company, Opera Portables.

Now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dewald said he spends most of his days working on Bright!Tax. Dewald began work on Bright!Tax during his first year living abroad when he said he realized the high number of other Americans living overseas.

“I discovered that a significant percentage of them were not current with their U.S. tax filing obligations,” Dewald said in an email.

Around this time, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, was passed. According to Thun Financial Assistance, FATCA is a set of rules that deal with the tax compliance of Americans with financial assets outside of the United States. This change led Dewald to what he referred to as a “perfect moment for launch.”

Dewald said he started Bright!Tax in 2012, with a website and a few certified public accountants. Dewald said they had their first clients within a few days of getting started.

In the five years after Bright!Tax was

GARRETT CONTINUED FROM PAGE C1 premacy is the first step,” she said.

“Building a common understanding about how corrupt our whole reality has been built is the starting place. We need to be working on how our laws work along the way and pairing that with action.”

Garrett emphasized the importance of inclusivity in discussions related to women’s rights.

people how often resources are wasted on low-level incidents, but there’s a little more levity to them now.”

The @joeimel Twitter account currently has 48.4K followers, but it started from very humble beginnings. At first, Imel did not have many followers, but eventually word got around and his numbers grew exponentially. Imel has gotten so popular he said he cannot go anywhere without being recognized.

“There’s a lot of people that have more followers than me, but I have a lot of followers in this area,” he said. “It’s cool because every time I’m sitting down someplace I have somebody stop and talk to me. I think the account has really taken on a life of its own because people can identify with it.”

Imel said he never editorializes his tweets because his purpose is to report facts, not indict people. His followers appreciate funny tweets just as much

as they do serious ones, but Imel said his Twitter picture, which features a child holding a camera and not a photo of him, often raises questions.

“The avatar is a picture of my son Zach when he was three years old,” Imel said. “I used to take my son to a lot of my news assignments, and one time he picked up a camera and mimicked what I was doing. I whirled around and snapped a frame of him, and it’s still my favorite photo.”

To Imel, the best part about his Twitter account is the crowdsourcing effect it has had in the community. He said his account has helped find dozens of lost pets, which serves as an example of how valuable it is for people to be able to share information with one another in real time.

“I love that people are engaged and paying attention to what’s going on,” he said. “If I tweet about something,

started, the company grew and has customers in 190 countries.

Bright!Tax exists completely online.

Dewald recalled thinking that asking people to share their personal tax information on the internet was a difficult task.

“Who would trust us to take on such an endeavor via the Internet?” he said in an email. “It seemed that we were in

tributes its success to a focus on their customers.

“Bright!Tax is constantly evolving to meet client needs and provide the most excellent client service experience possible,” she said in an email. “Where less than perfect feedback comes to us, action is taken. Where something can be improved, change happens quickly and immediately.”

“Our in-house mantra is that we strive for perfection and we never say die.”

Bright!Tax founder GREG DEWALD

the right place at the right time. Online banking had become newly prevalent and the Internet, with social media and the ability to vet a particular company online in depth, had evolved to a new place where an element of ‘social trust’ had emerged worldwide.”

Katelynn Minott, a partner and lead CPA at Bright!Tax, has worked with the company since 2012. She also at-

In 2017, Bright!Tax was recognized four times by the Forum for Expatriate Management, or FEM, an organization dedicated to connecting expatriates, during their Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards, or EMMAs. According to the FEM website, the EMMAs are designed to celebrate the successes of practices that specialize in global mobility.

“We need to incorporate an intersectional approach in our feminism,” she said. “Feminism that isn’t intersectional is worthless because it’s still upholding oppression, just in a different form.”

Garrett named Patti Minter, a history professor at WKU, as one of her mentors. Minter said she can’t remember a time Garrett wasn’t working with her.

Minter referred to Garrett as an “integral part” of her own work as an activist.

“Lesley is all in on everything,” she

said.

Garrett said that as a white woman, she believes it is important to learn when to step back. She emphasized that liberation can only come from togetherness and intersectionality.

Garrett emphasized the importance of listening.

“Look around, that’s a big one,” she said. “Don’t run and jump to do things where someone has probably already laid the groundwork.”

Garrett said she makes taking care of herself a priority. In a text message,

somebody is nearby, and they’ll send a photo. My followers will let me know what’s happening, and then others can add to that, which just makes for good healthy discourse.”

Without the support of the Bowling Green Daily News, Imel said his Twitter page would not exist. His job allows him to put in the time necessary for running his page, and he plans on continuing for the foreseeable future since he sees his account as a service the paper provides.

“At first, I didn’t brand my account as the Daily News because it was just a little on the edge of what newspapers really do,” he said. “The owners of the paper have been great about understanding that we’re trying to reach people in a different way. I direct people back to our website by pushing out links and hoping that people will click them. I really want people to delve deeper than just what I tweet.”

Imel is always trying to figure the next step he can take to help the paper be ahead of the curve. However, Imel said the one thing that will always remain constant is the necessity of factual reporting.

“The newspaper business is all about information, and I think a lot of people are misinformed,” he said. “The most important thing is to be informed, but I run across so many people that don’t know what’s happening when there’s so many ways to find out. It’s a tough landscape, but I’m sticking with it for the long haul.”

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

Bright!Tax won the title of Best Tax Provider of the Year and runner-up for Banking and Financial Services innovation in the Denver FEM chapter.

They claimed the Best Tax Provider of the Year title in the Hong Kong FEM chapter and a runner-up position for the same title in the London chapter, according to the FEM website.

Dewald credits the success of his company to the positive attitude he and his associates share.

“Our in-house mantra is that we strive for perfection, and we never say die,” he said. “If there is ever a problem, we never panic. If we have made an error, we own it, and then we fix it, no matter what it takes.”

Dewald recalled a piece of advice he received from his late father that he says he still thinks of today and wants to tell others.

“Ideas are easy,” he said. “Passionate execution is the key. More than that, it is making the decision to actually do it.

It is making your dream a reality that makes all the difference.”

Features reporter Laurel Deppen can be reached at 270-745-6291 and laurel.deppen774@topper.wku.edu.

she said that she specifically makes time for rest and exercise. She stressed normalizing mental health and said that she battles anxiety and depression and receiving therapy for it is key.

“Unlearning workaholism is part of dismantling white supremacy, too,” she said. “And is crucial to build a healthy, humane society.”

Features reporter Laurel Deppen can be reached at 270-745-6291 and laurel.deppen774@topper.wku.edu.

2017-2018 WKU Cultural Enhancement Series presents

ALAN TIEGER “Bosnia and International Justice”

APRIL 2,2018 7:30 PM Gary Ransdell Hall Auditorium Free Admission, Open to the Public

LIFE C3

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Students share their experiences studying abroad

BY JULIE SISLER HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Many students find that, despite obstacles in cost and being admitted to programs, the experience of studying abroad is life-changing.

“Most students say that their overseas experience helped them gain confidence in themselves, improve their cultural awareness and develop soft skills like interpersonal communication skills and adaptability [or] flexibility,” study abroad adviser Katherine Hale said. “Taking classes in another country gives a global perspective on the course content, which is especially meaningful if you take courses in your major or minor because it can help you become more globally competent in your field of study.”

Hale said she studied abroad while she was in college, traveling to Mexico and Austria. She said the experiences helped her view herself and others differently, while also learning more practical skills such as becoming more proficient in Spanish and German.

“They were the most impactful experiences I had as a college student,” Hale said. “Living overseas and adapting to different cultures completely changed the way I viewed myself, my culture and others who are from completely different backgrounds and belief systems.”

For junior Ireland Hill, who studied abroad at Harlaxton College in England, the hardest part of studying abroad was pushing herself out of her comfort zone. Her study abroad program allowed her to visit 10 countries total throughout her semester.

“Something difficult for me was literally making the decision to get on a

plane and leave familiarity,” Hill said.

“Once you make that first step, once you develop the belief in yourself that you can do it, most things come naturally.”

Hill, who is double majoring in political science and corporate and organizational communication, said that there were so many rewarding parts of the experience that made everything worthwhile.

“If I had to decide what the most rewarding part of studying abroad was, I would say better understanding the human condition,” Hill said. “I got to

poorer, developing country.

For senior Molli Guelde, she said her experience with Semester at Sea taught her more than anything a classroom could teach about human interaction.

“I learned to appreciate people more because that’s all we truly have,” Guelde said. “Life is short and relationships are a beautiful gift that need to be treasured.”

Guelde said the experience was so unique in the way that students didn’t have access to internet while on the boat, which helped her slow down and form better relationships with those

“If I had to decide what the most rewarding part of studying abroad was, I would say better understanding the human condition.”

WKU junior IRELAND HILL

meet people from many different cultures, and though every culture differs from one another, I discovered a commonality amongst them all: we are all searching for human connection in some form.”

For Gatton Academy junior Benjamin Clements, the most rewarding part of his study abroad trips to Costa Rica and China came from interaction and understanding of the people he encountered.

“The most rewarding part was seeing the other culture and how they live their daily lives,” Clements said.

Clements also noted the importance of learning how different life is in other countries, even if it’s not necessarily a

around her. As is the concern for many students, Clements said that the biggest difficulty in studying abroad was the cost associated with it.

All three students applied for and received scholarships in order to afford their study abroad experiences. Among other things, these students said they also covered the trip through working summer jobs, working part time during the semester and asking for donations from friends and family.

Hale said most students that study abroad apply for scholarships in order to help cover additional costs that come with studying abroad.

Both the Study Abroad & Global Learning Office and the Office of Schol-

ar Development work closely with students to help them prepare and apply for scholarships in order to fund studying abroad. There are also specific scholarships on TopDollar that all students can apply for. In addition, there are location-specific scholarships, club-specific scholarships and scholarships through external sources that students can apply for.

“I want students to realize that studying abroad can be possible for anyone,” Hale said. “We find that many students don’t consider going on a study abroad program because they think it is either out of reach financially or it wouldn’t work for their major or other courses they need, but the truth is that there are lots of options with a range of costs and course offerings.”

Hale said WKU offers programs from a wide range of 10 days long, winter or summer terms or the more traditional full semester.

Once all the paperwork has been approved and the TopNet balance has been paid, students may agree that the experience was worth every penny.

“This journey is so much more than the stress we feel or the things we have — it’s the people and the moments,” Hill said.

When it comes to studying abroad, students are encouraged to begin planning early in order to complete applications, paperwork and scholarship applications. For more information or to plan a study abroad trip, contact the office of Study Abroad & Global Learning at study.abroad@wku.edu.

Features reporter Julie Sisler can be reached at 270-745-6291 and julie.sisler389@topper.wku.edu. Follow Julie on social media at @julie_sisler.

Habitat for Humanity Restore close to fundraising goal

BY BROOKE WRIGHT HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

The Bowling Green Habitat for Humanity ReStore is close to reaching their fundraising goal for the month of March.

The ReStore sets a fundraising goal every month in order to assist Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green in building houses for the community. A marker board sign informs customers and supporters of how much money has been raised when they walk in the store.

Matt Sheffield, ReStore manager, said the store’s goal is to reach $31,000 this month.

“We are currently at $24,078,” he said.

The ReStore sells new and used donated home goods, including furniture, refrigerators, sinks, dishes and other things. All the proceeds go to support the work for Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green to help others in the community build homes.

Sheffield said he spends his time working in the ReStore and focuses on raising the money for Habitat for Humanity so they can build houses.

“Most of the time, Habitat builds while we work,” Sheffield said. “So, we don’t really have the opportunity to help build. Our main focus is raising money so they are able to build houses.”

Rodney Goodman, executive director of the ReStore, said the ReStore and Habitat for Humanity’s overall mission is to help the people of Bowling Green get back on their feet. He said the mission statement revolves around three things: strength, stability and self-reliance.

“Our mission is that we build strength, stability and self-reliance with folks,” he said. “Whenever we build houses for Habitat for Humanity, we don’t

build the houses for them. We build the houses together. We use shelter to help people become strong, stable, and self-reliant.”

Goodman said the store sells an eclectic array of things for everyone to enjoy.

“We like to joke if Goodwill and Home Depot had a baby, it would be the ReStore,” Goodman said.

Goodman said the ReStore not only benefits Habitat for Humanity but also the environment.

“The ReStore helps keep things out of the landfill,” he said. “It helps keeps the environm ent safe in a way that’s responsible while also helping the local community.”

The ReStore accepts donations from businesses, retailers, individuals, churches and other sources. The store even offers a pick-up service in Warren County. There is a pick-up service form on the ReStore’s website where individuals can file a request to have someone pick up items that need donating.

“It gives others an opportunity to help without giving money,” Goodman said. “Not only can people benefit from this service, but the ReStore benefits too.”

Volunteers are also welcome at Habitat for Humanity. Goodman said the ReStore has volunteers all of the time, and that they really help out.

“People can do their community service here too,” he said. “All you have to do is call the ReStore and find out about becoming a volunteer.”

Maggie Sullivan, a senior from Louisville and volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and the ReStore, said she enjoyed helping people around the community.

“Volunteering with Habitat is always a good stress relief,” she said. “Whether you’re building a new home or cleaning donated furniture for the ReStore, it’s all about the people.”

CONNECT WITH US ONLINE @WKUHERALD

If you are interested in volunteering at the ReStore, Habitat for Humanity or getting some overall information, call (270) 901-0150. The ReStore is located at 1232 Adams Street.

Reporter Brooke Wright can be reached at 270-745-6291 and brooke. wright184@topper.wku.edu.

MINOR IN African American

STUDIES Department of Diversity & Community Studies www.wku.dcs

C4 LIFE

TUESDAY, APRIL3, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Model Arab League advances to national competition

BY SARAH YAACOUB HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Next weekend, seven WKU students will be going to the national competition of Model Arab League, a program sponsored by the National Council on US-Arab Relations that teaches students about international diplomacy, specifically in Arabic-speaking countries.

Model Arab League operates similarly to a Model United Nations conference, with nations assigned to each participating school for representation. The conference is made up of councils, and each council consists of representatives from each nation that advocate in the interests of their assigned nation following intensive research. The WKU team has been preparing for the national competition through regular meetings as well as independent research on council topics and how they pertain to the universi-

ty’s nation.

This year, WKU was assigned to represent the United Arab Emirates. Past years’ assignments include Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Each team is scored on its ability to pass resolutions, work together with other members of the council and accurately play the role of its own state, and judging is conducted by members of the delegations in conjunction with faculty advisors, most of whom are professors at the participating universities.

Councils include a diversity of fields, from humanitarianism to defense, economy to the environment, and the topics discussed in each council vary widely. Each team studies up on its nation’s stance on each of the issues and arrives to the competition prepared to debate and defend its policy.

Noah Stevens, an Elizabethtown junior, has been studying Arabic at WKU since his freshman year and is majoring in Arabic and international affairs.

He has also been a member of Model Arab League, which WKU first partic-

ipated in during the spring of 2015, throughout his time here, moving up the ranks to his current position as team president and national chair and now overseeing and facilitating a council at the national conference.

Participation in Model Arab League is open to all students, regardless of major, and since none of the discussion is conducted in Arabic, knowledge of the language is not necessary to joining. Majors of current team members include economics, business and political science, and language proficiency levels range from none to 300- and 400-level Arabic students.

“It’s great for students looking for ways to get involved and talk about issues affecting the world,” Stevens said.

“While the primary goal is to learn about issues facing the Arab world, we also compete, learn debate skills and pass resolutions we think would benefit our state.”

Brenna Mathews, a Frankfort freshman and first-year member of Model Arab League at WKU, agreed that the

skills taught by the organization extend well beyond foreign relations.

“It’s a really great opportunity to help solve problems and think through things a lot more thoroughly,” Mathews said.

Mathews said she is new to both Arabic and policy, but she hopes to continue her involvement with Model Arab League after this year.

Stevens said he appreciates the opportunity to compete and represent WKU. “[We] appreciate the ability to compete, win awards and represent WKU at the national and international levels as a result of institutional support from the Department of Modern Languages and the Potter College Dean’s Office,” Stevens said.

Features reporter Sarah Yaacoub can be reached at 270-745-6291 and sarah. yaacoub214@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahyaacoub1.

Gatton students to head to Qatar for debate

BY NOAH MOORE HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

The WKU Department of Modern Languages is taking Arabic language learning outside of the classroom with the annual trip to the fourth annual International Schools Arabic Debating Championship in Doha, Qatar, April 7 to 11.

This is the first year that Arabic professor Lhousseine Guerwane will be taking Gatton Academy students. He previously participated in the championship with WKU students last year, where the students had success in debating, with WKU alumna Mollie Todd even winning Best Non-Native Arabic Debater out of more than 50 countries represented. Among those on the trip was WKU Arabic Club member and senior Savannah Gillam.

“This was my first time visiting the Middle East, so my trip to Qatar was very special, and I’m thankful to have had the privilege to attend the Debating Championship,” Gillam said. “I am now able to develop arguments concerning important world issues and provide supporting evidence for such arguments in Arabic.”

This year’s attendees include Guerwane, the trip adviser, along with Gatton junior Sarah Yaacoub, and Gatton seniors Lindy Sipes, Alexa Thompson

and Maggie Lewis. All are students in the WKU Arabic program from which Guerwane selects the most proficient students to attend. For disclosure purposes, Sarah Yaacoub is a features reporter for the Herald.

The debating championship itself is mostly impromptu, with competitors receiving their topics for debate just minutes before the debate starts. The debates cover many different themes dealing with global topics, Guerwane said.

“Our four Gatton students will com-

dents’ flights and accommodations are paid entirely by the Qatari government, and the students are given cultural excursions into the town’s museums, the headquarters of Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern journalistic juggernaut, and the Al Adaid Desert. The students will also be meeting international students who share their common passion for the Arabic language and language-learning in general.

The majority of the students on this trip are relatively new to the Arabic language. Sipes is currently in her sec-

“It is a blessing to be able to interact with people who have so much to share with me about their culture and just themselves.”

Gatton Acadaemy senior MAGGIE LEWIS

pete against teams made up of other native and non-native Arabic speakers from around the world in the weeklong competition,” Guerwane said. “The debate topics can range from politics, economics, human rights, feminism and virtually any other topic. There’s also an extra challenge in that non-native speakers are likely to compete against native-Arabic speakers.”

The debating championship stu-

ond year of learning the language. She notes that while learning the basics of the language is interesting, this trip helps to embolden her ideas of the culture surround it.

“The basis of the trip is to debate different topics in Arabic, which I’m excited about,” Sipes said. “Arabic has become my favorite class every semester. When learning another language, learning about the language’s culture

inevitably follows. This opens up doors to travel and gives insight into the way that other people live.”

The Department of Modern Languages offers this trip each spring, with every other year offering the trip to Gatton students, and the other years being offered to WKU students. Lewis said learning foreign languages, Arabic specifically, can open a door to the world.

“Learning foreign language is so critically important to today’s society,” Lewis said. “It is a blessing to be able to interact with people who have so much to share with me about their culture and just themselves. It’s really all about having an open mind. I love to talk to anybody and everybody, and learning languages has really opened the door to allow me to do that with so many cool people.”

Guerwane said the team leaves for Doha, Qatar, tomorrow and will return April 12 with some impressive international experience and heightened language skills to carry with them.

“It helps foster understanding and builds bridges between cultures and countries,” Guerwane said. “That’s the most important part.”

Features reporter Noah Moore can be reached at 270-745-6291 and noah. moore786@topper.wku.edu.

Follow him on Twitter at @noah_moore18.

UPCOMING EVENTS Khadijah White to speak about media reporting of the Tea Party According to a press release, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, in Downing Student Union (DSU) 3020, the WKU Center for Citizenship & Social Justice will feature a presentation by Khadijah White, an assistant professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University as part of the 20182019 Department of Diversity & Community Studies speaker series. The presentation is called “Boiling Over Right-Wing Populism: Race, Post-Race, and Post-Isms in Tea Party News.” The event will be open to the campus and larger community. Call 270-745-3217 or contact Leah Ashwill at leah. ashwill@wku.edu for more information.

Indianapolis Star investigative reporters who broke the Larry Nassar sex abuse case to speak at WKU According to a press release, the investigative reporters who broke the Larry Nassar sex abuse case in which there were over 150 victims will speak at WKU’s School of Journalism and Broadcasting on Monday, April 9, as part of the annual John B. Gaines Family Lecture at 7 p.m. in the Jody Richards Hall auditorium. The event is free and open to both students and to the public. For more information, contact Amanda Crawford at 270-7456407 or amanda.crawford@wku.edu.

The John B. Gaines Family Lecture Series presents #MeToo Journalism: Investigating Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics sex abuse April 9, 2018, 7 p.m.

JRH/MMTH Auditorium Free, open to the public & swipeable

Featuring Indianapolis Star investigative reporters

Marisa Kwiatkowski

Tim Evans Mark Alesia

"We, as a society, need investigative journalists more than ever. What finally started this reckoning and ended this decades-long cycle of abuse was investigative reporting.”

--Michigan Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis

Night and Day

BY JEREMY CHISENHALL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

W

hat a difference a year makes.

On March 8, 2017, Rick Stansbury’s first season as head coach of WKU basketball came to a disappointing end. A loss to Texas-San Antonio in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament sent WKU packing with a 15-17 record.

Things were bad for a Hilltopper team with a losing record, and they weren’t looking up. Stansbury was set to return just one player in a major role to this year’s team in forward Justin Johnson. It only got worse in the offseason as the crown jewel of Stansbury’s 2017 recruiting class, five-star big man Mitchell Robinson, decommitted and left WKU, re-enrolled in August, and then left again. In addition, JUCO transfer guard Jordan Brangers failed to meet NCAA transfer requirements, and three-star center Robinson Idehen failed to enroll in time to play this season.

Misfortune stuck another blow when freshman guard Josh Anderson and redshirt sophomore forward Moustapha Diagne were ruled ineligible by the NCAA at the start of the season. The roster shrunk yet again at the start of the second semester when walk-on guard Tyler Miller was ruled academically ineligible.

Stansbury entered the 2017-18 season with eight players. Only two of them were returning players and only one of those was on scholarship. With that in mind, the C-USA preseason poll picked the Hilltoppers to finish sixth in the conference standings.

Despite the low expectations from the outside, hopes were high within the program.

“My main goal is to try to win a ring this year,” Johnson said during media day before the season.

“That’s the one thing I don’t have here. If I do that then my career will be set here because that’s all I care about at this point, is a ring.”

Stansbury felt the same way, saying that he’d only accept a conference championship drive.

“I say this all the time, if it’s not a championship effort, it’s not good enough,” Stansbury said. “We won’t let any type of things that’s happened be a distraction. Won’t be a reason for us not to compete for a championship. ” The Hilltoppers had to simply survive the early part of the season as the team gained chemistry and dealt with a severely depleted bench. With just eight players, WKU managed to go 10-5 in its first 15 games, which included upset wins SEE MBB • PAGE D2 SILAS WALKER • HERALD

WKU senior guard Darius Thompson (15) goes to the hoop during senior night game at Diddle Arena on Feb. 24. The Hilltoppers beat Old Dominion 88-66.

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over Southern Methodist University and then-number 18 ranked Purdue University. One of the Hilltoppers’ five losses came at the hands of then-number five ranked Villanova University.

With a lack of depth and returning players, WKU was helped greatly by graduate transfers. Forward Dwight Coleby from University of Kansas and guard Darius Thompson from University of Virginia were both fifth-year players who transferred to WKU for their final year of eligibility.

Thompson ended the season as the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.6 points per game. He was also the team’s leading passer, as he averaged 4.8 assists per game. He recorded the second triple-double in program history on Jan. 6, scoring 33 points, dishing 10 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Coleby was the team’s second-leading rebounder, as he averaged eight rebounds per game. He also led the team in field goal percentage, as he shot 59.8 percent, and blocked shots, as he had 66 rejections.

Finally in early January, WKU was able to play Anderson and Diagne, as they were each declared eligible. The Hilltoppers were up to nine players, and they began to roll at “full” strength.

With Anderson eligible for the first game of January and Diagne eligible on Jan. 11, WKU went 8-2 in its first 10 games of 2018. The Hilltoppers also put together a six-game win streak, and entered the final week of the season with a shot to win a share of the C-USA regular season title.

Along with the mid-season success came more attention for the program.

Diddle Arena saw an uptick of over 1,500 additional people for WKU’s home games, as the Hilltoppers had an average attendance of 5,487. Last year, there was an average of only 3,915 in attendance. The Hilltoppers also played in front of three beyond-capacity home crowds this season. That’s the most in a season since 2006.

But the hot streak ended, and the Hilltoppers lost their last two games of the season. They entered the C-USA Tournament as the three seed, and then got hot again. Exactly one year after the conclusion of a 15-17 season, WKU beat Alabama-Birmingham by 28 points in the second round of the conference tournament. It had been just five days since WKU lost to the same team by the same margin. The Hilltoppers then knocked off Old Dominion by eight points and put themselves just one win away from an NCAA Tournament bid.

But Marshall cut the Hilltoppers short of the big dance. The Thundering Herd defeated WKU 67-66 in a game

that went down to the final seconds, as a go-ahead layup attempt by junior guard Lamonte Bearden missed by a matter of inches.

The Hilltoppers had fallen short of the NCAA Tournament, but their surprisingly successful season was far from over. WKU received an NIT invite, and embraced the postseason competition on the NCAA’s second-biggest stage.

WKU made a run all the way to the NIT semifinal, defeating Boston College 79-62 in the first round, Southern California 79-75 in the second round and Oklahoma State 92-84 in the quarterfinal. After missing the tournament, Stansbury said he preferred to have the chance at the run his team was on at the time.

“I said this before, I’ll say it again publicly,” Stansbury said prior to the NIT semifinal. “I’d much rather go win three games in the NIT and get to New York City rather than play one game in the NCAA Tournament and get beat.

I’ll stand by that statement.”

The three-game run earned the Hilltoppers a trip to New York City to play in Madison Square Garden against the University of Utah. Leading by one with 40 seconds left, WKU ended up suffering another heartbreaking defeat. The Utes ended the game on a 6-0 run to advance to the NIT championship round.

Aside from a few heartbreaking losses, Stansbury’s turnaround couldn’t have been better. WKU recorded 12 more wins than it did a season ago and posted a winning record on the road after going just 4-12 in away games last year.

As Stansbury moves on from an improved second year, the groundwork is laid for further success. That’s thanks in no small part to Taveion Hollingsworth, the guard who set WKU’s freshman scoring record this season with 506 points. He was the first freshman in program history to score 500 points, and he’ll be the team’s leading returning scorer next year.

In contrast to last season, Stansbury will have six returning players next year: Hollingsworth, Bearden, Diagne, Anderson, freshman forward Marek Nelson and freshman guard Jake Ohmer. He’ll also add on Jared Savage and Jalen Baker, transfer students who had to sit out this year, and his 2018 recruiting class, which currently features five signees.

Sports editor Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 270-745-6291 and jeremy. chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

Head coach Rick Stansbury yells to his players during the Hilltoppers semifinal game of the Conference USA tournament against Old Dominion University on Friday March 9, 2018 at The Star in Frisco, Tx.

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SILAS WALKER • HERALD

WKU freshman Taveion Hollingsworth (13) celebrates after he scored vs. Boston College on March 13 in Diddle Arena. WKU won 79-62 and moved on to the second round of the NIT Tournament. .

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

WKU forward Dwight Coleby (22) goes up for a shot over Utah forward David Collette (13) in the NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden on March 27. Coleby finished with 10 points in the 69-64 loss.

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

WKU Guard Darius Thompson (15) listens to head coach Rick Stansbury during the Hilltoppers 98-70 win in their first game of the Conference USA tournament against University of Alabama at Birmingham on March 8 at The Star in Frisco, Tx.

SHABAN ATHUMAN • HERALD

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

WKU Forward Justin Johnson (23) walks off the court following the Hilltoppers’ 67-66 loss in the championship game of the Conference USA tournament against Marshall University on March 10 at The Star in Frisco, Tx.

WKU forward Dwight Coleby (22) goes up for a shot over Utah forward David Collette (13) in the NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden on March 27.

Coleby finished with 10 points in the 69-64 loss.

BASKETBALL 4 PROCESS