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TTHURSDAY, HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 229, 9, 22016 016 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 992, 2, IISSUE SSUE 1122
Senior Gianna Dowell of Evansville, Ind., kneels in protest as the national anthem is played before the start of the WKU vs. Vanderbilt football game Saturday, Sept. 24, in Smith Stadium. During the protest coordinated by the Major Redz, members of the crowd chanted “U.S.A.” and yelled “what the f*** are y’all doing?” while protestors yelled “Black Lives Matter.” A beer can was thrown in the direction of the protesters but didn’t hit anyone. Ebony Cox/HERALD
Major Redz, students protest during game
Editor’s note: Shantel Pettway, coach of the Major Redz, has worked for the Herald in the past as a police and general assignment reporter. She now writes for the Talisman.
BY BRYSON KELTNER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
T
he WKU Major Redz dance group protested at the football game against Vanderbilt University Saturday, Sept. 24 by kneeling during the national anthem. At the beginning of the football game as the Star Spangled Banner played, the Major Redz and a few other students knelt while others in the crowd stood at attention. The Major Redz group is a student-led dance organization that started in 2010. It involves majorette-style dancing that promotes
school spirit, entertainment and diversity at mostly home sporting events. The protest initially sparked criticism on social media, questioning whether a student organization had the right to “interrupt” the anthem, as some users commented. Vice President of Student Affairs Brian Kuster had a brief answer to this question. “That was their right as a citizen,” Kuster said. Louisville senior Shantel Pettway has danced for the Major Redz for two years and now serves as their coach. The day after the game, Pettway tweeted a video of the Redz during the anthem. She said in the tweet that the protest would not be the last. “For every home game I know for certain that we will take a knee,” Pettway said. “I, as a leader, don’t feel like any movement just starts and stops.”
Before we walked out for the game, I asked everybody ‘Are you sure that you want to do this?” Major Redz Coach Shantel Pettway Pettway then described the students’ reasoning for participating in the “peaceful protest,” saying they knelt to pay respect to those who have served in the military, but to “not stand” for social injustices in the country today. Pettway shared that Sharnesa “Neccie” Miles, also a Louisville senior, was the dancer who suggested the idea for the pre-game anthem.
Miles approached the group two days before the protest using the messaging app GroupMe. Some of the dancers and the organization’s adviser, Josclynn Brandon, have been targeted with some negative comments on social media since the protest. WKU student activities director, Charley Pride, weighed in on the backlash.
SEE PROTEST PAGE A2
PTS make additions due to construction Search firm BY NATALIE PERRY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU New additions to WKU’s transit system aims to prepare students for the loss of parking spaces due to the upcoming construction of Parking Structure 3 on Creason lot. Jennifer Tougas, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said students displaced from parking on campus due to a limited number of housing permits will probably benefit most from the new line additions. Parking and Transportation took steps to ensure students were aware of the decrease in spaces by selling less housing parking permits for the year. Students had a choice between premium housing zones and non-premium housing zones. Those who purchased the non-premium zone permit will be the students
parking at South Campus. Construction on PS3 was slated to begin in September, but after difficulty selecting a contractor the project has been delayed. Parking and Transportation have made additions to the transit system on campus to accommodate the construction projects. A new bus line has been added to the system for students with the non-premium housing permits who are parking at south campus. This new line will only run on Sunday afternoons from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., only stopping at bus stops serving the residence halls. “Students come back from visiting their family and friends on Sunday evening,” Tougas said. A new bus stop has been added in front of the Honors College, serving the Sunday bus. The Sunday line stops also include, Campbell Lane,
South Campus, the Valley, Downing Student Union, Keen Hall, Jones Jaggers Hall and Gary Ransdell Hall. Project Manager Tiffany Dempsey said new shelters have been placed over the EST and Russellville Road bus stops in addition to the new bus line and bus stop. “The stop across from EST had a shelter so Parking and Transportation thought it would be good to have one over on the EST side as well,” Dempsey said. Dempsey said the Russellville Road stop was so new it should have a shelter. Both stops received new standard sized shelters to keep students from the weather while they wait for their bus.
Reporter Natalie Perry can be reached at 270-745-6011 and at natalie.perry204@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @natalie__carter.
used closed process in past BY MONICA KAST HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU
Questions have been raised about the search for the next university president, and whether the identity of the candidates for the position will be made known publicly before candidates are chosen. Isaacson, Miller, the executive search firm hired by WKU to aid in the presidential search, announced in April it would be serving as the search firm. The contract with Isaacson, Miller was originally signed in April, with an extension of the con-
SEE MILLER PAGE A2