September 4, 2018 by College Heights Herald

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

VOLUME 94, ISSUE 02

REMEMBERING ALEX Friends reflect one year after student’s untimely death

Photos submitted by friends.

BY EMMA AUSTIN HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

lex Davis made everyone happy. It didn’t matter who you were. If you were around him, he would make sure you felt included, accepted. It’s been one year since Davis died during the first week of his senior year at WKU, and happy is how his friends remember him. Carly Hudson met Davis when she was about 7 or 8, and he was 8 or 9, through her uncle, a best friend of Davis’s dad. “He was always a character, super-duper funny,” Hudson said. “He would always mess with my little cousins. . . That was probably my first impression.” When Hudson and Davis were in middle school, their families went on vacation together to Vero Beach, Florida and stayed at a Disney resort. Even

though they were over the age limit for most of the activities, Davis would come get Carly in the mornings and take her to do something like finger painting or sand art with a class of younger kids. “He had no shame in anything he thought would bring me joy, or would bring him joy,” Hudson said. “It was always that way. He was amazing.” Every memory Hudson has of Davis is positive, she said. A good story would come out of any amount of time spent with him. T.C. Collins, a friend of Davis’s since childhood, said one of the best memories he has of Davis is from a high school senior class trip to Florida. They stopped at Universal Studios in Orlando, and as soon as they got there, Davis went up to the desk and got a fast pass by telling everyone he had irritable bowel syndrome. He shared the pass with Collins and everyone else so they could go on rides all day. “He could make friends with everybody,” Collins said. “He wasn’t afraid to talk to anybody. He had so many

friends, it was crazy.” Collins and Hudson both transferred to WKU last fall. Hudson said she talked to Davis about it beforehand, and he would always assure her everyone would love her. She had to come. “He actually had probably a bigger influence than he ever knew about on my decision to come to Western,” Hudson said. Once she moved to Bowling Green, Davis stopped by Hudson’s house every day. He took her under his wing and introduced her to his friends. “He just made me feel like this was my home when I first came here,” she said. “Bowling Green is so different now for me.” One week into the semester, the Bowling Green Police Department received a call on Sept. 3, shortly after midnight, which they traced to a house on Kenton Street. The caller told the dispatcher he had accidentally killed someone, according to police reports. SEE REMEMBERING ALEX • PAGE A2

WKU alumni highlight first UK medical school class BY NATASHA BREU HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

The early August White Coat Ceremony marked the start of the UK College of Medicine Bowling Green campus. Seven WKU graduates joined the inaugural class which included 23 other students coming from several different states. The UK College of Medicine opened a Bowling Green campus due to lack of physicians in rural areas of Kentucky and to provide opportunities for students not able to attend other campuses, according to Don Brown, director of medical education at the Medical Center. Four of the seven WKU graduates recently expressed their excitement, expectations and experiences as they started their four-year journey at the Bowling Green campus. Dixi Secula is a 23-year-old WKU

graduate and first-year medical student whose main concern surrounds the lack of physicians in rural areas. Having grown up in the small town of Burkesville where it can take months to see a physician, she said it was important to ensure everyone has access to medical care. Secula believes that students who attend WKU and go on to attend the medical school are more likely to stay in southern Kentucky, building up a community of physicians in rural areas. After seeing her father struggle with medical issues growing up, Secula’s goal is to be involved in family medicine. The defining moment that led her on her path to become a doctor was in her teenage years when a farming accident caused her aunt to lose her left arm. “I want to be able to be in a rural area, and Bowling Green I felt like was just the best place for me to be,” Secula said. “It’s home.”

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Dixi Secula, 23, of Cumberland County graduated from WKU December 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Science and Biology. Secula is working on her MD and hopes to become a family physician to help families. “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor ever since I was a little girl,” Secula said.

As one of the first students attending the new medical school, Secula said the ceremony was amazing due to the community involvement and the support everyone had. Her advice to pre-med students is to believe in themselves. The hardest thing is to get through some of those classes where you’re not sure why you have to take them. She said the biggest reward is getting into medical school. “Don’t give up on your dream,” she said. “It’s a long, long road, but it’s definitely worth it.” Enes Atici is a 22-year-old WKU graduate originally from Turkey, and his family moved to Bowling Green in 2001. He said at the time he didn’t know any English, but the community in Bowling Green was still welcoming. A professor housed his family for a few weeks until they were able to find a place to live. “It’s always been my end goal to give

SEE MED STUDENTS • PAGE A2

A2 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

REMEMBERING ALEX CONTINUED FROM FRONT When police arrived at the single-story brick residence, they found Kenneth “Alex” Davis bleeding on the floor. Peter Gall, who police identified as the caller, told the responding officers he and Davis had gotten into a verbal argument, and he went to his room to get a gun. He told officers he showed it to Davis, then set it on the couch, and it went off, fatally wounding Davis. Gall is scheduled for a jury trial in January. Davis’s roommate and Sigma Chi fraternity brother Hunter Hanks had fallen asleep that night at a friend’s apartment. He woke up around 3 a.m. and walked home to the house he and Davis shared on 13th Street. When he got back and saw Davis wasn’t there, he assumed he had crashed at a friend’s house. Hanks woke up the next day to several text messages. A message in the Sigma Chi chapter’s GroupMe came from an alumnus saying he heard somebody had been shot, somebody named Alex. “We were all just like, what is he talking about. We had no idea,” Hanks said.

MED STUDENTS CONTINUED FROM FRONT back to the community of Bowling Green,” Atici said. “Being a doctor has been one of those childhood dreams when everyone asks you when you’re 5 years old, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’” He said he plans on being an orthopedic surgeon, but knows that it could potentially change when third-year rotations start, allowing him to get experience in different specialties. Atici’s reason for wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon comes from him playing soccer while growing up. Atici said he’s grateful to soccer because it broke down his language barrier and allowed him to have fun on the field. He stressed the importance of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and advised pre-med students to dedicate four-to-six weeks studying for it to make sure they’re prepared. He also said there’s nothing wrong with taking some time off for yourself. “Most of the students in our class have taken one if not multiple gap years,” Atici said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no normal track.” Katherine Citak is a 22-year-old WKU graduate from Somerset with a passion for science. She said ever since her junior year

Hanks and six or seven other friends met at one of their houses. They were all sitting on a curb on the side of the road when one of them got a call from someone who told them what happened to Davis. “When I first found out, even months after, still I don’t believe it,” Hanks said. “When we all found out, I couldn’t even cry. It wasn’t real to me yet.” Collins had gone home that weekend. On Sunday morning, his parents found out at church what had happened and came straight home to tell him. “The hardest part was going back to Bowling Green and knowing he wouldn’t be there,” he said. “He was one of my friends who was always there for me. He would always include me. He was always asking me to go do stuff with him. He was like a brother to me.” Hudson remembers the phone call from her mom. She was laying in bed, and she started to shake. “I think initially I didn’t cry because I didn’t think it was real,” she said. Then, she called her friend Eleanor Greer, a close friend of hers and Davis’s. When she heard Greer’s voice, she started to cry. After hanging up, Greer drove to Bowling of high school when she took AP Biology, she knew being a doctor was what she wanted to do. Citak said her high school also had a program where students could shadow a doctor. She said it was a good opportunity to put the idea of wanting to help others with her love of science. A typical day for Citak includes lecture from 8-11 a.m., a short break, studying until 5 or 6 p.m., dinner, then studying until 10 p.m. “We study a lot, but it’s not miserable because it’s interesting,” she said. “I think, anyway. It sounds weird, but I like med school.” Citak said she likes how personable the staff at the medical school is and said the reason she attended UK’s Bowling Green campus is because she was wanting to feel close with her classmates and didn’t want to feel lost. “All of the staff knows every single one of us by name,” Citak said. She said she likes being part of the first class at the medical school because the staff is learning right alongside them trying to build the culture of their small community. “We’re not trying to be competitive or one-up each other,” she said. “I feel like we’re more encouraging to each other.” Citak is also looking forward to hands-

”If he wanted to stand up in the middle of Walmart and yodel, he just would” WKU Student CARLY HUDSON

Green, and that day the two of them went to a house where some of Davis’s close friends had gathered. They all sat on a screened-in porch and told stories for hours. “It was really special,” Hudson said. “They all had great stories, just because Alex was. . . He was a daredevil. He would do things other people wouldn’t do. If he wanted to stand up in the middle of Walmart and yodel, he just would.” Being around him, Hanks said, was always a thrill. Whether they were going to a concert, fishing or swimming at the creek, Davis was always looking for a way to have a good time. “He was just fun to be around. He was outgoing—he drew people in that way,” Hanks

said. Davis studied pre-med at WKU. Ever since he started high school, he wanted to be a pediatrician, Hudson said. One of his greatest talents, Hudson said, was how amazing he was with kids. “I watched him for years with my cousins,” she said. “He was just a natural. He would have been the best dad.” Hanks said he’s never met anyone else who would always have a smile on his face. Davis would always bring light to someone else’s day or bring them up when something wasn’t right. “I hope people will see him as a representation of what happiness is like,” Hanks said. He was straightforward, but genuine. He went out of his way to do anything for the people he cared about, Hanks said. “I think everyone who knew Alex could say that it changed them in some way,” Hudson said. “He was sarcastic, but he was optimistic as well. He radiated positivity in a different kind of way.”

Reporter Emma Austin can be reached at 270-745-0655 and emma.austin177@topper. wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @emmacaustin.

Katherine Citak, 22, (Somerset) graduated with a bachelor in biology and psychology minor. Citak hopes to become a pediatrician or pychiatris once she gets her MD. Citak noticed she wanted to become a doctor when she was in her junior year of high school serving and volunteering.

Luke Gaskin is a 22-year-old WKU graduate who prefers the sense of small community that the medical school has to offer. He grew up in Russell Springs with a population of about 2,500 people and noted lack of physicians plaguing Kentucky. “Building a community in south central Kentucky of physicians who, hopefully, will stay in south central Kentucky is very important for the future of the state,” he said. Gaskin said he’s unsure how to feel about being part of the first class of the medical school because he doesn’t know if it’ll be easier or harder on his class. “We are the test subjects.” he said. “We’re figuring it out as we go.” He said he doesn’t think the school is structured competitively, but they do have a pass or fail system and their assignments aren’t based on letter grades. Gaskin said he feels like there’s so much material but he’s excited to expand his knowledge as he goes through the next four years. “In four years from now, we’re gonna look back and say, ‘Wow, you know, I knew nothing then,’” he said.

on work with patients and getting to take a break from reviewing material all day.

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

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

Confucius Institute to stay at WKU despite bill BY EMILY DeLETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

WKU’s Confucius Institute and Chinese Flagship program will not be affected by a bill signed by President Donald Trump earlier in August involving Confucius Institutes. The $716 billion bill, called the John McCain 2019 Defense Authorization Act, bars any United States university from using Pentagon resources toward Confucius Institutes. According to an article by the Washington Post, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) said to a reporter that the “Confucius Institutes are a threat to academic freedom and national security.” WKU’s Confucius Institute is the Institute’s second building in Kentucky, with the other at the University of Kentucky. There are around 100 in the United States and over 500 worldwide. Managing Director for WKU’s Confucius Institute Terrill Martin said it will not be affected by the bill as it receives no funding from the Pentagon. He said WKU’s institute funding comes from Hanban, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, and from various schools around Kentucky where Chinese teachers are placed to teach the language. “The Confucius Institute is connected to WKU through a partnership with [Hanban] by an agreement signed in 2010,” Martin said. “A partnership was created between the entities that places Chinese teachers in K-12 public and private schools across the state to teach and help disseminate Chinese culture.” There are 51 teachers placed in 41 schools across Kentucky. The campus Confucius Institute building opened in 2017 and provides additional classroom space and a Chinese learning center. The space was originally intended to help support WKU’s Chinese Flagship program, but no Chinese major or minor classes are taught in the building.WKU owns the

MHARI SHAW • HERALD The Confucius Institute located on WKU’s campus opened in 2017 and has been used to host several events for organizations. The institute will not be impacted by a bill barring any U.S. university from using Pentagon resources towards Confucius Institutes. building and funded construction. “The building is owned by campus and therefore, it’s open to everyone,” Martin said. “Other entities use the building presently. We’ve also had fraternities and sororities and clubs hold functions inside.” While Hanban provides more than $500,000 each year to fund the Institute, Martin said they have no further say in hiring/firing of staff, curriculum and daily operations. WKU’s Chinese Flagship program has

no connections to the Confucius Institute. It was established in 2009 and is “the only initiative regarding Chinese Language instruction at WKU that is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense,” said Laura McGee, head of the WKU Department of Modern Languages. Since its beginnings at WKU in 2009, the Flagship program has been given more than $2 million. McGee said that because the Chinese Flagship program has no Confucius Insti-

tute-affiliated employees or teachers with authority over the curriculum or program activities, they will meet the provisions stated for a waiver from the John McCain 2019 Defense Authorization Act. “We are confident that WKU will meet the stated provisions for a waiver,” McGee said.

Reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 or emily.deletter304@topper. wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @emilydeletter.

WKU Launches International Year of Cuba in 2018 BY JOHN SINGLETON

WKU aims to celebrate and explore the country of Cuba through this year’s International

HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

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Year Of (IYO) program by embedding Cuban culture and topics into curriculum and various events on campus. The IYO is a year-long celebration of a single country that helps provide a global context to the WKU experience. This year will provide students an opportunity to study Cuba’s history, culture and relevance through the lens of their own specific discipline, according to Office of International Programs Coordinator Lauren Reyes. Over the summer, a group of faculty traveled to Cuba with the Zuheir Sofia Endowed International Faculty Seminar, where they spent two weeks making professional contacts and exploring their own disciplines in Cuba’s context. Zuheir Sofia was a 1969 WKU graduate and 2014 honorary doctorate recipient. Reyes said the seminar was created to facilitate the mission of the Office of International Programs, which strives to provide leadership in the development of a strong international profile. She said the Office of International Programs supports the internationalized agenda of the university by creating opportunities for faculty and staff development in a global context and supporting the development of meaningful co-curricular programming for student, campus and community audiences. “These faculty will integrate their new knowledge into their curriculum and co-curriculum programming throughout the IYO and beyond,” Reyes said. The five faculty who participated in the seminar trip to Cuba this past spring will also take lead in populating this year’s calendar and contributing to students’ learning of Cuba. Each has plans to infuse their firsthand knowledge of Cuba into their courses and provide programming that complements the curriculum, according to the newsletter posted by the Office of International programs. Faculty participant Julie Shadoan of the Legal Studies department, who set out to explore Cuba’s legal system, intends to host a Cuban lawyer next spring and introduce students to Cuba’s ever-changing legal landscape. Shadoan said she saw her time in Cuba as an opportunity to make sense of a country that is often blurred by its mystique. “This seminar allowed me to develop my own lens for the exploration and investigation of the Cuban experience,” Shadoan said. “It has provided me an invaluable social, cultural and economic backdrop for a comparative study of the development of our two legal systems as well as the values and ethics encompassed in the practice of law in both countries.” Member of the Korean Pop Culture club, Mason Shearer, 21, said international programs are important because they give international students an opportunity to express

themselves and get them a taste of home. “International programs, as a whole, give certain clubs at WKU a chance to educate others on that culture and allows them to engage in a larger scale outreach project,” Shearer said. Caribbean Student Association Vice President Jalen Dochée said he believes students who come to WKU can stand to benefit greatly from international organizations.

”These faculty will integrate their new knowledge into their curriculum.” International Programs Coordinator LAUREN REYES

“International organizations can serve not only as a tool to educate students about a nation or group of nations and their culture, but also as an opportunity for eager students to educate their peers,” Dochée said. “With such a diverse campus, I think it is critical and more than beneficial to have international organizations to educate and empower students from all walks of life.” The kickoff event on Tuesday, titled “Cuba 101,” is an introductory presentation by Andrew McMichael, who led the trip to Cuba, and Marc Eagle. Afterward, there will be a reception featuring Cuban cuisine to celebrate the launch of the IYO. “This will set the stage for a year of deeper exploration,” McMichael said. Upcoming events include a Cuban film festival set showing throughout September at 7 p.m. in Cherry Hall. The festival will feature six Cuban films with an introduction and post-film discussion led by a WKU faculty or staff member. On Sept. 18, there will be a Social Justice Salon featuring Jim Kanan of the Department of Sociology, one of the faculty who participated in the faculty seminar trip to Cuba. His presentation is called “Housing Inequality and Violent Crime: Perspectives on America and Cuba.” Other IYO Cuba events scheduled for the year include a talk by history professor Louis Pérez from the University of North Carolina, an exhibition featuring the stories of art, artists, teaching and a photo documentary of Cuba and an author visit.

Reporter John Singleton can be reached at 270-745-6011 or john.singleton676@topper. wku.edu.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

OPINION A short guide for going Greek

COMEDY An unlikely source for truth

BY JAKE DRESSMAN HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

Rush week has come to a close, and fraternity and sorority applicants have received their bids as new members of the university’s Greek organizations. The vast majority of news published on these institutions is scathing—with the intent to defame Greek life. Look up “Greek life news” on Google, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything positive. The truth is that going Greek has a plethora of benefits, but it is certainly not for everyone. So whether you’re totally about SRAT (Sorority/Frat) life, vehemently opposed to the notion of it or somewhere in between, the pros and cons below just might alter your perspective. The initial problem with Greek life is the extraordinary cost of membership, with semester dues usually costing at least $500 upfront to join an established institution, not to mention the fees that will follow throughout the semester. WKU Greek organizations do not make their dues public information, so you might be in over your head financially without realizing it prior to joining. Membership dues vary, costing anywhere from a couple of hundred to more than $3,000 depending on school and chapter, according to U.S. News. Regardless, semester dues will set you back hundreds of dollars on top of an already extensive college bill. The Interfraternity Council should be ashamed of hiding behind its shrouded wall of money—it is WKU’s responsibility to its students to provide pertinent financial information about their organizations to the public. For the few of you with deep pockets, a greater area of concern should be the social pressures involving alcohol that will likely be thrust upon you. Greek members have been nationally proven to have higher rates of drinking than non-affiliated college students, according to a journal from the American Psychological Association. WKU’s Greek life page says hazing is strictly prohibited, but four groups on our campus were sanctioned in the fall of 2012 alone—and that is only what was reported. Now that we’ve briefly covered the bad and the ugly, let’s examine the good. Greek organizations are proven breeding grounds for leaders—with fraternity members making up 85 percent of U.S. Supreme Court justices since 1910, 63 percent of all U.S. presidential cabinet members since 1900, 76 percent of U.S. Senators throughout U.S. history, and 85 percent of current Fortune 500 executives. Numerous powerful politicians like former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were sorority members. Furthermore, Greek organizations are public servants—accomplishing impressive philanthropic feats that help their communities. At WKU alone, $281,703 was raised last year for various charities, and over 61,000 canned goods were collected. Brothers and sisters will undoubtedly form bonds through events like these, and it is practically impossible not to make friends while being a member of Greek life. So is any of it worth it? Ultimately, it depends on your priorities and characteristics. If you or your parents have the coin, rushing is a great option for you to meet friends and become a productive member of society. But non-Greek-affiliated lifestyles grant you more independence with your life—allowing more time for a job and pursuing another passion. Anyone with the vision and ambition to chase a dream is more than capable to achieve it—and make friends along the way—without having to hide an identity behind some letters on a T-shirt.

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BY NOLAN HOVELL HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

The socio-political atmosphere we live in is wrought with division, polarity, distrust of the media and politicians, distrust of corporations, alternative facts and a lot of misinformation. News outlets like The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune and The Huffington Post have argued that satire is dead. This sentiment implies that the absurdity of our current political and social climate has become so confused that people have difficulty deciphering reality from satire. According to ABC News, media outlets like The Onion— which publishes satirical faux news articles with absurd headlines—often gets mistaken for a viable news source. Relaying important facts in an accessible way is something that many mainstream news outlets often fail to do. Luckily, America has an unlikely savior: comedy. John Stewart, host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central from 1999-2015, says hosts like Stephen Colbert, John Oliver and himself are able to provide unbiased and factual information because their intent is not to push an ideologically-backed agenda but to target and expose the absurdities of politics, entertainment, society and organizations around the world. Stewart was even named by Time magazine “The Most Trusted Man in America” in 2009. Comedy informing the public and exposing truths is nothing new. A Politifact study in January 2015 showed that statements made by pundits or hosts of the mainstream media news outlets varied across the board on a scale of how true the statements were. Fox News ranked lower than CNN and MSNBC with more than 60 percent of claims made on air being “mostly false or worse.” The statistics suggest that although one entity’s job is to provide objective facts while the other is meant to entertain, the information from real news and journalism organizations is somehow less factual than the jokes.

My argument is not that shows like these should replace, or be held to a higher standard than mainstream media, but they are important to our democracy. Sophia McClennen, a professor of international affairs and comparative literature at Penn State, said in a 2012 interview with phys.org, “I think what’s happening is younger viewers are tuning into the Colbert Report, and then after the show they are going out and actively looking into the issues.” British comedian and filmmaker Sacha Baron Cohen’s new comedy series which premiered this summer on Showtime, strives to answer the question, “Who is America?” The title bears the question. Using mock interviews and elaborate character disguises, Cohen goes undercover to expose the reality of what real Americans believe and what they will do or say when they think they are among friends. Cohen uses his multiple characters to convince celebrities, politicians, activists, and CEOs to show their true colors and what is the underbelly of American ideals. Another late night host, John Oliver, pro-

ILLUSTRATION BY STAFF • HERALD

vides insight into the real issues plaguing America today. One of the greatest moments on the show was an episode earlier this year in which Oliver describes the strong opposition Vice President Mike Pence has expressed towards members of the LGBTQ society, going as far as funding organizations that support conversion therapy, also known as shock therapy. At the end of the show, Oliver announces the publication of a new children’s book spoofing the one Mike Pence’s daughter had written about the Vice President’s bunny, Marlon Bundo, which John Oliver admits “is an objectively good name for a bunny.” Informed comedy achieves factors of both entertainment and journalism. Satire is a poignant way of approaching taboo subjects. When people view something and can laugh at it, it also asks viewers to critically analyze the information. In this way, comedy shows that can balance these two factors open the stage for further discussion surrounding important issues.

EDITORIAL

Higher-Ed counseling offices struggling BY EDITORIAL BOARD HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

The issue: The number of reported mental illnesses among college students has spiked over the past decade, and their schools have been slow to respond with adequate resources. Our stance: It is to the detriment of both the students and the university to avoid open discussion about mental health, and they must allocate resources that readily combat the realities of mental illness in the student body. One in four college students has a diagnosable mental illness. Colleges often find themselves falling behind the efficiency curve when it comes to addressing new and rapidly growing concerns within the student body, and the recent spike in mental illness is no exception to that trend. A survey conducted by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors found that ,“95% of college counseling center directors surveyed said the number of students with significant psychological problems is a growing concern in their center or on campus.” According to the American College Health Association “The suicide rate among young adults, ages 15-24, has tripled since the 1950s,

and suicide is currently the second most common cause of death among college students,” according to the American College Health Association. In 2016 alone, 5,723 individuals in this age group in the United States committed suicide. It’s no secret that college lifestyles are often a breeding ground for the development and trigger of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Students have easier access to drugs and alcohol, and addictive tendencies are regularly dismissed as likely and acceptable consequences of their environment. Tuition is high, and bills pile up. Homesickness and an unusual strain on personal relationships are common. The stresses of future aptitude and current academic success overwhelm students. Research conducted by the American College Health Association discovered that “In spring 2017, nearly 40% of college students said they had felt so depressed in the prior year that it was difficult for them to function, and 61% of students said they had ‘felt overwhelming anxiety’ in the same time period.” According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the top five reasons students do not disclose information about their mental illnesses to their universities is that there is no opportunity to do so. Another was that they were not aware that “disclosing information could help secure accommodations.” These schools need to work diligently to

provide more openly accessible information to students about the policies and availability of services for mental illness. Students will not attend counseling if they do not trust the institution’s privacy statutes, and they certainly will not visit if they aren’t aware that these resources exist. Engaging in a university-wide dialogue about the stigmas of mental illness and voicing a commitment to combating such issues is a necessity that regularly does not occur on campuses at the administrative and faculty levels. Studies show that the number of students willing to visit on-campus counseling centers has increased. Despite 40 percent of universities’ attempts to respond to this influx of students by hiring more counseling staff between 2015 and 2016, campus counseling centers are struggling. It is wise for schools to invest more into counseling provisions for students, as mental illness directly correlates with enrollment. Sixty-four percent of students who dropped out of college cite mental illness as the primary reason they no longer attend an academic institution. Progress in the efficiency with which colleges handle students’ mental health issues is undeniable, but this is a starting point. And there is significant improvement still to be made. Awareness is key. But it doesn’t serve students to be aware of a mental illness that they have little means of actively combating.

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THE HERALD IS

NOW HIRING Be a part of our team and gain experience, references, connections and memories Apply online at: wkuherald.com/apply Positions offered in journalism, photography and design

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

PHOTO

Betty Martin (right) films her son racing down the drag strip with her 2-year-old granddaughter, Braleigh Martin, by her side at Beech Bend Park during the O’Reilly Saturday Night Grudge Racing on Sept. 1. Martin said her son, now 24, started racing at the age of 12. Martin said she also races.

READY, SET, GO! A racing community prepares for its biggest race so far

PHOTOS AND COPY BY MICHELLE HANKS HERALD.PHOTO@WKU.EDU

he high-pitch sound of car tires fiercely spinning against pavement accompanied by large smoke clouds filled the Beech Bend Drag Strip in Bowling Green during O’Reilly Saturday Night Grudge Racing on Sept. 1. Patrons from the local region brought their automobiles of all different makes, models and years to test and tune and to race for fun. Saturday night grudge racing is one the several events Beech Bend Park holds periodically throughout the racing season.

A man waits his turn to race on the track during the O’Reilly Saturday. Many of the racers tried to beat their own time as well as race one another.

A small crowd watches cars racing down the drag strip at Beech Bend Park during the O’Reilly Saturday Night Grudge Racing on Sept. 1. Next weekend the race track expects 50 to 60 thousand people to show up for their biggest event of the year, the Holley LS Fest.

The sun sets over the drag strip at Beech Bend Park as Allen Florence stages the race lanes during the O’Reilly Saturday Night Grudge Racing. Florence said he has been staging lanes at Beech Bend Park for three years now.

Gabby Davis, 17, leans against her father’s car as her father waits his turn to race during the O’Reilly Saturday Night Grudge Racing. Davis and her family came from Paducah to participate.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

LIFE Students with celiac disease share dietary challenges BY SARAH YAACOUB HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

EVAN MATTINGLY • HERALD

Music education major Aaron Price of Louisville, and roommate Noah Shreve, a marketing major, stand with Price’s family table that has been passed down from generation to generation outside Douglas Keen Hall.

FURNISHED

Alum, students share legacy table BY GABBY BUNTON & LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

On the second floor of Douglas Keen Hall, a small wooden table stands out amidst the standard dorm furniture. Adorned with a painted version of the WKU red towel, the handcrafted table carries a family legacy. Tim Price, the original owner, brought the table to the Hill in 1981. The father of his girlfriend at the time did woodworking and made the table for him as a gift. As an undergraduate student, Tim met his wife, Leigh, in pre-med classes. They started dating in 1983 and married two years later. The couple moved on to study medicine at the University of Louisville and eventually started their family there. The table that followed Tim throughout his undergraduate career was soon passed down to Leigh’s brother, Todd Turner. “To be honest, when my brotherin-law Tim first allowed me to use it, I was just happy to have some furniture,” Turner said in an email. Turner attended WKU from 1984 to 1990, and he earned some “dorm cred” for having the table in his room. Turner had “the coolest table on the fifth floor of Barnes-Camp-

bell,” Turner said. The table’s legacy didn’t stop there. Tim’s and Leigh’s oldest son, Jon, attended WKU between 2011 and 2015, and his father’s table was passed down to him. “I was the first from the family to take it back after 15 years,” Jon said. “[It] started as a joke about tradition.” Jon graduated in 2015. His younger brother Aaron is now a freshman, and his dorm is the fourth home to the family table.

with them and carry on the tradition he and his brother-in-law started. Aaron said the table also serves as a good luck charm for the family, as each member who used it has gone on to be successful in their respective careers. The family still takes pride in WKU and the experience it left them with, and it runs in the family. Leigh, a practicing OB-GYN, calls herself the “biggest unpaid supporter” of the university and readily recommends

“I was the first from the family to take it back after 15 years.” WKU Graduate JON TURNER

“The table is a very cherished family tradition that goes back to when my dad came to WKU in the early 80’s,” Aaron said. “I brought it to continue the tradition that we have upheld so far.” Each member of the Price family had their own reason for attending WKU. Aaron’s reason was for the “music department’s focus on teaching future educators.” Turner said it was great that his nephews were able to bring the table

WKU to her patients and their families. “The table represents everything WKU has done for our family,” Aaron said. “Meeting people, having fun and getting a quality education.”

Features reporter Gabby Bunton can be reached at 270-745-6291 and gabrielle.bunton605@topper.wku. edu. Features Editor Laurel Deppen can be reached at laurel.deppen774@ topper.wku.edu.

WKU Dining prides itself on the number of restaurant options it offers, but for students with celiac disease, navigating those options can be difficult with dire consequences. According the National Institute for Health, celiac is a hereditary disease that causes damage to the small intestine, making gluten indigestible for those who suffer from it. One in 141 American adults has celiac, but not all restaurants are prepared to accommodate them. Shiloh, Illinois, senior Heather Gosebrink was diagnosed with celiac disease in August 2017, just before her second year at WKU. At the time, she was preparing to move onto campus to begin the fall semester. “I talked to the dietitians on campus my first week of school,” Gosebrink said. “They gave me some information and brochures and told me about how it’s actually considered an ADA condition.” The Americans with Disabilities Act was amended in 2008 and requires reasonable accommodations be provided to those with celiac and other issues that affect “the operation of a major bodily function,” Verywell Health reported. Senior Lane Hedrick was diagnosed with celiac her sophomore year. The university requires all students live on campus and purchase meal plans for their first two years of full-time enrollment unless they file for an exemption, so she had to figure out which places offered menu items safe for her to consume. “At the time, there was basically nothing,” Hedrick said. “About the only place I could safely eat was Fresh, and the only thing I could eat was salad.” Hedrick said Fresh Food Company now offers a gluten-free area called Simple Selections with pizza, pasta and sandwich bread safe for students with celiac. Simple Selections opened in spring 2017 as a dining alternative for those with celiac, food sensitivities and allergies. Hedrick said she hoped to see more options going forward, and that it’s important for dining establishments to recognize “different food allergies and the preparation that individuals [with dietary restrictions] may need.” While several other restaurants on campus have food made without gluten, they often can’t guarantee no cross-contamination with other meals manufactured in the same kitchen, effectively barring people SEE DIET • PAGE B2

Artist makes portraits of local, iconic women BY JULIE SISLER HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

Brightly colored canvases pop from behind the lightly colored portraits of women hanging in Downing Museum. Upon closer inspection, words can be read within the faces and features of the subjects. “The small typewritten portraits and the large-scale portraits, created with stamps, ink and paint, depict women of South-Central Kentucky who are passionate about different issues and work to make our community a better place,” artist Leslie Nichols said of the exhibit. “Each portrait is created with the woman’s own words from an interview as well as words that relate to her history or the community work she does.” Nichols fell in love with typewriters and began using them in 2004. “I was delighted to learn people have been creating images with manual typewriters since the late 1800s,” Nichols

said. “My typewritten images started as concrete poems and silhouettes filled with text.” Eventually, the typewriter became her primary medium and led to her current work incorporating historic texts and first-person interviews into portraiture. Nichols has been working on the series for two and a half years. She began the project after receiving an Artist Enrichment Grant, beginning with award-winning artist Teresa Christmas. The exhibit aims to bring attention to the many important women in Bowling Green that advocate for change and social justice, Nichols said. Nichols has made portraits of women including Leyda Becker, who works with Bowling Green’s international community; Michelle Howell, a WKU alumna who educates young people about healthy foods and works to make those foods accessible; and Patti Minter, a history professor and Democratic nominee for the Kentucky House of Representatives.

According to Jack LeSieur, director at Downing Museum, the exhibit has been fantastic to work with and has truly lended itself to programming. “One of my favorite things as a muse-

”One of my favorite things as a museum director is to experience the relationship between art and the community.” Downing Museum director JACK LESIEUR

um director is to experience the relationship between art and the community,”

LeSieur said. “Leslie has so wonderfully created a body of work that is not only beautiful, imaginative and artistically distinguished, but which also carries the inherent power of community engagement. By experiencing the accomplishments of these women in such a creative way, one cannot help but feel a sense of empowerment.” Empowerment is exactly what Patti Minter found in her experience with the exhibit. Minter began working with Nichols two years ago, and said she hopes students who see the exhibit will draw inspiration from the words and images used. “The exhibit Leslie has produced is a powerful artistic statement and a powerful celebration of women who work for social justice in our community,” Minter said. “To use our own words to create our images is a powerful expression of the work that we do.” SEE NICHOLS • PAGE B2

B2 LIFE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

NAMI support group oﬀers resources to students BY MARK WEBSTER JR. HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

A free support group is bringing resources to WKU for students struggling with anxiety, depression or other mental health concerns. The National Alliance on Mental Illness aims to offer guidance as the 2018-2019 school year kicks off. Jay Gabbard, a social work professor and member of the NAMI connection on-campus support group, said the stigma around mental illness is a leading factor in today’s society. According to the American Psychological Association, anxiety is the “top presenting concern among college students,” at 41.6 percent. The free support group is designed to create an environment where students can open up to their peers and

not feel judged. “The idea is to provide students with an additional resource to help them with mental health issues,” Gabbard said. Gabbard said a mental health diagnosis is not required for students to attend. According to the American Psychological Association, university and college counseling centers have been experiencing a shift in the needs of students seeking counseling services since the ‘90s. At each meeting, Gabbard said there is a set agenda the students follow which includes a welcome, an explanation of group guidelines and the principles of support. When the meeting is over, the group says a traditional unity prayer. The prayer discusses the problems the group faces in their daily lives, and how to come to God and overcome these problems. It closes with,

“And as we join hands, we find love and understanding beyond our wildest dreams. We will never give up

”The idea is to provide students with an additional resource to help them deal with mental health issues.” Professor and NAMI member JAY GABBARD

hope.” Gabbard said the ending prayer is one of strength and guidance of peace.

“Humans in today’s society sometimes are afraid of being labeled,” Gabbard said. “A lot of students who come to college far away sometimes might not have a support system, having things done a certain way can lead to a type of anxiety.” Sophomore Jalen Dochee said the free support program is exactly what a campus like WKU needs. “It’s a good way to get people to step out of their comfort zone,” Dochee said. The meetings are free and will take place in room 201 of the Academic Complex from 6-7:30 p.m. on the following Mondays: Sept.10, Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Nov. 5, Nov. 19 and Dec. 3.

Features reporter Mark Webster Jr. can be reached at 317-874-8618 and @mark.webster102@topper.wku.edu. Follow Mark on social media at @ mwebster68.

NICHOLS CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

Minter added that seeing herself and her own words up alongside other people she admires has been one of the most extraordinary experiences for her. “I hope that students who see my image, in my own words, will find their own inspiration and power in them, and then take that with them into their own communities to work for justice for all in their own voices,” Minter said. Nichols echoed the sentiment, saying she hopes viewers will draw ingenuity from the women in their community, hoping it will spark others to create their own changes. “I hope people are inspired to be the women in the exhibit and see value in working to create positive social change in our community,” Nichols said. For more information on Nichols and her work, or to get more information about the open studio event she is hosting the first weekend in November, she can be reached at www.LeslieNichols. com.

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.

DIET CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 with celiac disease from eating there. For these people, consuming

MICHAEL BLACKSHIRE • HERALD

Leslie Nichols, 39, of St. Louis, Mo., is showcasing her gallery “In Her Words” at the Downing Museum. Nichols has been working on the art gallery for two and a half years and has been an artist for 17 years. The gallery showcases pieces that consist of women working for positive changes in the community and who are passionate in diﬀerent issues in the area. The larger pieces were made with words from interviews Nichols conducted with the women from oil-based ink and acrylic paint. The smaller pieces were either acrylic paint or created by a typewriter.

alterations of other menu items. Garrison pointed out that even major retailers have begun to sell items like hamburger buns and corndogs manufactured in gluten-free facilities, and making those available on

“People dont often realize that there’s a diﬀerence between food allergies, celliac and just a fad diet” WKU senior KRISTA GARRISON

even a small amount of gluten can cause extreme discomfort. Senior Krista Garrison has celiac disease and explained that many people fail to understand the severity of the condition. “People don’t often realize that there’s a difference between food allergies, celiac and just a fad diet,” she said. “My intestines are damaged each time I eat it [gluten], even if it’s just cross-contamination.” Garrison was diagnosed at age 17 and said she would appreciate more gluten-free options that weren’t just

the meal plan would be more inclusive to those with celiac, allowing them more dietary variety. “I think having simple things that are easy to modify would be cool,” Garrison said. “I would like to see Western get caught up with what’s available now.”

Features reporter Sarah Yaacoub can be reached at 270-745-6291 and sarah.yaacoub214@topper.wku.edu. Follow Sarah on social media at @ sarah.yaacoub.

MICHELLE HANKS • HERALD

Lexington senior Krista Garrison eats lunch at Fresh with her friends on Thursday, August 30, 2018. Garrison has celiac disease which prevents her from eating anything with gluten.

SPORTS B3

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

MAINE CONTINUED FROM PAGE B4 center. So it is good that we saw Wisconsin Week 1 because typically you play a team, either in FCS or another Group of 5 team, pretty much everybody runs a version of the spread offense. You know, these guys certainly have spread elements to their offense, but they want to be under center, they want to run fly sweep and they want to pound the ball downhill against you.” With Maine’s rushing attack having a lot of depth, the Hilltoppers will be presented with a slightly different challenge than what they got against the Badgers, albeit a less dangerous one. “We have to be very disciplined, we have to tackle very well, they have two really good running backs,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said. “So you’ve got to believe that they’re going to come in trying to run the football.” The other concern for WKU is to avoid allowing a big quarter. The Hilltoppers trailed UW by just seven points at the end of the first quarter last week but then allowed 17 unanswered in the second quarter to go into the half trailing 24-0. Maine’s Week 1 game featured a similar occurrence. Maine and New Hampshire were both scoreless in the

WISCONSIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE B4 wide receiver Xavier Lane in particular was targeted 11 times but only had four catches with two passes dropped. One of Lane’s drops came on a third down that would have moved the chains for the Hilltoppers “I have a lot of faith in him, just like I do in a lot of our players,” Sanford said of Lane. “I’m going to stand up for [Xavier] and know that he’s going

first quarter, but Maine rattled off 22 unanswered in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 22-0 lead. In order for WKU to come out on top as expected, the Hilltoppers will either need to avoid a chaotic quarter or be the ones in control of it. As long as WKU can defend the run and avoid disaster, the Hilltoppers will also get a chance to work out the kinks in an offense that struggled last week. Nine Hilltoppers recorded at least one carry against UW, but WKU was still held to 137 rushing yards. Redshirt senior quarterback Drew Eckels was the team’s leading rusher with 38 yards. The Hilltoppers also struggled in the passing game, as Eckels and redshirt freshman Davis Shanley combined for just 181 passing yards. The Hilltoppers also struggled to maintain possession. All six of the team’s first six drives ended in punts. In the second half, three of WKU’s five drives ended with an interception, a punt or a turnover on downs. Maine finished the 2017 season 4-6, with five of the six losses being by double digits. Consider this a game that allows WKU the opportunity to get back on track at home before facing another tough test at Louisville.

Sports Editor Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 859-760-0198 and jeremy.chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu.

to put together a tremendous 2018 season, and I believe in Xavier Lane.” On the defensive side of the ball, the Hilltoppers had significantly less issues. Facing off against a possible Heisman Trophy candidate in sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor, WKU looked mostly solid, with the exception of two plays, both of which Taylor turned into long touchdowns. Senior linebacker Masai Whyte said after the game that he expected the defense, which also came up with three sacks, to continue to improve

throughout the season. “I like where we stand,” Whyte said. “Our defense came together. We try to play just as a unit and we knew we had to get the ball back as many times as we can for our offense to get opportunities.” Sanford was also optimistic about the defense after the game, saying that they did well against a great Badger offensive line. “Our defense fought,” Sanford said. “They fought hard. They were on the field way too much in the first half,

we made some adjustments the second half, I thought we got them off the field quite a bit more in the second half.” The Hilltoppers will be back in action at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday in Houchens-Smith Stadium against Maine.

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

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

WKU quarterback Davis Shanley (12) evades Wisconsin safety Scott Nelson (9) at Camp Randall Stadium on Aug. 31. Shanley entered the game in the fourth quarter after Drew Eckels was taken off the field by medical staff.

Wisconsin safety Scott Nelson (9) blocks a pass to WKU tight end Mik’Quan Deane (85) at Camp Randall Stadium on Aug. 31.

VOLLEYBALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE B4 Junior Sophia Cerino led WKU in kills for the first time with nine, while redshirt freshman Taylor Bebout led the defensive side with 10 digs. The Lady Toppers finished out the weekend against Kansas State, the first meeting between the two programs. Despite leading the match in both kills and digs, the Lady Toppers

fell to the Wildcats 3-1 (25-18, 2522, 26-28, 25-17). The Lady Toppers were able to grab the third set to avoid their second sweep of the day, a set that saw 12 ties and five lead changes between the teams. Three WKU players finished the match with double-digit kills, with Isenbarger leading the way with 13 to topple her career high set the day before. Four Lady Toppers finished with double-digit digs against the Wildcats, with freshman Payton Frederick

leading the way with 16. Senior Rachel Anderson was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second straight weekend. Bebout continues to facilitate the offense for WKU, leading the team in assists in all three matches over the weekend. Bebout recorded her first college double-double in the pair of matches, registering 23 assists and 10 digs against Marquette and 31 assists and 12 digs against Kansas State. After playing the majority of their

A program of the Department of Diversity and Community Studies For more information, go to www.wku.edu/afam

Reporter Casey McCarthy can be reached at (270)-929-7795 and casey. mccarthy573@topper.wku.edu.

meal

MINOR IN African American

STUDIES

matches to open the season away from home, the Lady Toppers will play their next nine matches in Diddle Arena. They kick off their homestretch against Chattanooga at 11 a.m. Friday in the first of two straight weekend tournaments.

plans

that fit your life @WKURG

@WKUDining @wkurestaurantgroup

meal plan information

WKU.EDU/WKURG 270-745-2416

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

SPORTS THE WALKTHROUGH

Maine gives Hilltoppers a chance for conﬁdence boost BY JEREMY CHISENHALL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

“They sniffed it out pretty well,” Eckels said. “Defense was pretty aware on what was happening, and I like the play call, and even though it didn’t work, we would do it again.” The Hilltoppers at times seemed unable to run the ball, as five running backs got their shot, but Eckels remained the team’s leading rusher on the day, followed by Shanley, who saw action during the fourth quarter and rushed for 31 yards. Sanford said after the game that he still has faith in his running backs. “I think those guys’ play improved top to bottom,” Sanford said. “Gino Appleberry did some really nice things late in the game. Garland LaFrance, some of his package was neutralized a little bit by their edge, but I thought that the running back group was much better.” The Hilltopper offense also struggled with dropped passes. Sophomore

WKU couldn’t have had a much tougher test to start the 2018 season, and 34-3 losses can certainly be deflating. But the Hilltoppers have a prime opportunity to boost their confidence in their game against Football Championship Subdivision opponent Maine this week. WKU is one of two Football Bowl Subdivision opponents Maine will play this year. The other is Central Michigan, which Maine will play next week. Maine hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent since 2013 when the Black Bears beat Massachusetts 24-14. The Hilltoppers are given a 74.4 percent chance to beat the Black Bears in ESPN’s Football Power Index. Maine is coming off a 35-7 win over New Hampshire in Week 1, making the Black Bears 1-0 this year. It was Maine’s run game that really stood out, as the Black Bears recorded 203 rushing yards on the day. Maine certainly doesn’t present the same rushing challenge that No. 4 Wisconsin did, because the Black Bears don’t have Jonathan Taylor, nor do they have what might be the best offensive line in the country. But Maine does present its rushing attack in a different way, as the Black Bears had great success with a running back committee in Week 1. Redshirt junior Joe Fitzpatrick led the Maine rushing attack, recording 80 yards and one touchdown. He was followed closely by redshirt freshman Ramon Jefferson, who had 74 yards. Redshirt freshman Devin Young and junior Earnest Edwards combined for another 52 yards, and Edwards also tacked on a touchdown. “They have some tough backs,” head coach Mike Sanford said. “Big, run behind their pads, downhill backs. They’re going to play under

SEE WISCONSIN • PAGE B3

SEE MAINE • PAGE B3

CHRIS KOHLEY • HERALD

WKU quarterback Drew Eckels (4) takes the ball upﬁeld against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on Aug. 31. Eckels rushed 9 times for a team-high 38 yards.

BADGERED WKU scores fewest points since 2012 at Wisconsin BY MATT STAHL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU’s loss to No. 4 Wisconsin on Friday featured a historically bad offensive night for the Hilltoppers. WKU was trounced 34-3 by the Badgers. WKU’s offense had four red zone opportunities in the game and only came away with three points on those trips. It was the lowest-scoring game for WKU under head coach Mike Sanford. It was also the lowest-scoring game for the program since Sept. 8, 2012, when the Hilltoppers were blanked by Alabama 35-0. WKU was forced to punt on its first six drives of the game, four of which were threeand-out possessions. “That’s the name of the game,” Sanford said of WKU’s red zone struggles. “It’s a 31-point game that we end up losing by. Four trips to the red zone,

you get 28 points. Obviously, ideally, your goal is to score a touchdown every time you get in the red zone.” The Hilltoppers also had two turnovers in the red zone. One was a fourth quarter fumble by backup quarterback Davis Shanley and one a botched trick play in which junior wide receiver Quin Jernighan attempted a pass to senior quarterback Drew Eckels. The ball was underthrown and intercepted. After the game Sanford said he didn’t regret the play call. “It’s a trick play,” Sanford said. “I believe in putting the trust in our players to go out and execute plays and them taking the mentality from us that we’re going to go all in when we get in the red zone, when we get in the situation, we’re gonna go all in.” Eckels, who provided a large chunk of the team’s offense, going 15 for 26 on his passes for 167 yards and adding 38 yards on the ground, was also optimistic that the play could have worked.

Lady Toppers go 1-2 in weekend tournament BY CASEY MCCARTHY HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU volleyball opened the Marcia E. Hamilton Classic against host Saint Louis with a sweep, and the team’s third straight win, before dropping the final two matches to close out the weekend. The Lady Toppers (3-4) have played six of their first seven matches on the road to begin the 2018 campaign. “For the first time all year I didn’t like the level we competed at,” head coach Travis Hudson said in a press release Saturday. “We had some good opportunities across today’s matches and didn’t take advantage of them. We simply make too many mistakes right now to give ourselves a chance against high-level opponents.”

KATHRYN ZIESIG • HERALD

Junior defensive specialist Emma Kowalkowski (3) serves the ball during the Lady Topper volleyball team’s victory over North Texas during senior night on Nov. 10, 2016 at E.A. Diddle Arena.

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The WKU offense stayed hot to start the weekend against Saint Louis in the 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-18) win. WKU finished with 42 kills on only five errors for a .463 hitting clip. The Lady Topper defense stifled the Billikens, finishing with 39 digs as a team and holding their opponent to a .105 clip. Freshman Katie Isenbarger and sophomore Hallie Shelton led the Lady Toppers in kills with 10, a career high for both. Isenbarger led the team in blocks for the second-straight match with three. Junior Emma Kowalkowski led the WKU defense with 14 digs. WKU opened its double header against Marquette, who Hudson called possibly the toughest opponent the Lady Toppers will face all season. The Lady Toppers fell 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-22) in a back-and-forth match.

SEE VOLLEYBALL • PAGE B3