October 31, 2017

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Melissa Whitley opens up about ten years of experience with Hope Harbor

Read what the stars have to say about your future with Halloween horoscopes

FEATURES • PAGE A8

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017

OPINION • PAGE A4

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 93, ISSUE 20

Professor’s use of funds investigated by FBI, WKU BY MONICA KAST HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

GRACE PRITCHETT • HERALD

The Council of International Student Organizations hosted the annual Halloween “Nightmare on the Hill” Friday, Oct. 27 at the Zuheir Sofia-Dero Downing Building. Indian graduate student Krishna Patel experiences her first Halloween celebration with friends as CISO President Flavio Miranda greets newcomers.

HALLOWEEKEND International students celebrate Halloween BY EMMA COLLINS HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

floor. The Council of International Student Organizations was created in 2016 to bring together different cultural groups on campus, according to the

T

he Zuheir Sofia-Dero Downing Building transformed into an asylum, complete with cobwebs and tombstones on Oct. 27 for “Nightmare on the Hill,” hosted by the Council of International Student Organizations, or CISO. Around 50 students floated in and out of the house throughout the rainy night, taking turns dancing to songs by Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons while eating candy in the smoke-filled room. Louisville senior Kijana Beauchamp said he came to the party partially because he is a member of the WKU Intercultural Club. He said he was impressed with the party’s turnout, especially because of the rainy weather. “Under the weather conditions and some other stuff going on, I would have said it’s going pretty cool,” Beauchamp said, standing on the dance

”I love that they have this house that’s open for international students.” Evansville, Indiana senior KATIE KRAFT

group’s webpage. Peru senior Flavio Chavarri, the chair of CISO, said the party was a chance to bring different cultures together to celebrate Halloween.

Chavarri said CISO’s executive board planned the party in two weeks and spent the day before the event decorating the house with cobwebs, tombstones and ghosts and setting up a smoke machine. “I wanted it to be like a ‘party’ party,” Chavarri said as he waited for guests to arrive. Chavarri planned several games throughout the night. The first involved guessing the number of candy in a jar. No one accurately guessed the correct number, 150, but Dharti Patel’s guess was the closest, and she won a T-shirt. Chavarri also interrupted the dance floor for the event’s second competition, a costume contest. Chavarri, dressed as Julius Caesar in a burgundy and white toga, introduced the three categories: best men’s costume, best women’s costume and best attendance of an individual student organization. The winners included Noah Blondheim, who dressed as a female, and SEE HALLOWEEN • PAGE A2

A civil engineering professor was placed on unpaid leave pending an investigation into misuse of funds and investigation by the FBI, WKU announced last Thursday, Oct. 26. Matthew Dettman, a professor in the civil engineering program, was placed on unpaid leave “pending the results of an investigation into the possible misuse of funds,” according to a statement from WKU. The statement also said “based on preliminary findings,” WKU has been in contact with law enforcement officials and the FBI. On Monday, Oct. 23, the College Heights Herald requested Dettman’s employment documents from WKU. According to those records, Dettman was placed on an “unpaid leave of absence” on Oct. 12. In an email to Dettman on Oct. 24, David Lee, provost and vice president for academic affairs, notiMatthew fied Dettman he would Dettman be removed from the James D. Scott ProCivil fessorship in Civil engineering Engineering, “effecprofessor tive immediately.” Lee also wrote that President Timothy Caboni had approved Dettman’s removal from the position. The James D. Scott Professorship in Civil Engineering is an endowed professor position in the Department of Engineering. According to Dettman’s employment records, he was the first faculty member at WKU to be selected for this position and has held this position since 2001. The Scott Professorship included a monthly stipend of $300 as part of the endowment, according to Scott’s employment records. Dettman was also the faculty adviser for the WKU concrete canoe team, a team for civil engineering students who build and compete in canoes made of concrete. Dettman was the adviser for the concrete canoe team since at least 2003, according to Herald archives. Dettman was hired at WKU in 1992 as an assistant professor in the civil

SEE INVESTIGATION • PAGE A2

Regents discuss drop in enrollment, diversity plan BY EMMA COLLINS HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

A decrease in enrollment for the fall 2017 semester resulted in a 3 percent loss in tuition revenue, further straining WKU’s $10 million budget deficit, according to the preliminary 2017 fall enrollment report presented at the quarterly Board of Regents meeting. Enrollment dropped 3 percent and resulted in a loss of approximately $2.3 million for the fall semester, Ann Mead, senior vice president for finance and administration, said at the meeting on Friday. The $2.3 million does not include revenue from dual-credit courses, she said. Mead said the final loss of revenue is still unknown, but WKU could have lost more than the $2.3 million of tuition revenue. “Essentially we could end up $4 to $5

million short,” Mead said. President Timothy Caboni and the board discussed potential options to increase the rate of enrollment and retention and to prevent a further loss of revenue. Regent John Ridley said the loss of tuition revenue was concerning because WKU did not have the funds to replace the loss. “This is a pretty serious matter in my mind,” Ridley said. Caboni said WKU needs to consider whether students who can succeed academically are being admitted. He said WKU also needs to ensure assistance is provided to improve students’ success. Caboni said WKU may need to consider increasing efforts to recruit WKU students who participated in dual-credit courses in high school. WKU SEE BOARD OF REGENTS • PAGE A2

ISABEL BRINEGAR • HERALD

Faculty Regent Barbara Burch attends the board of regents meeting held in Mass Media and Technology Hall on Friday, Oct. 27.


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