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Print edition published two times each semester by WKU Student Publications at Western Kentucky University. First copy: free | Additional copies: $5
EDITORIAL BOARD
Price Wilborn
Editor-in-Chief
Ali Costellow
Content Editor
Dominic Di Palermo
Photo Editor
Eli Randolph
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Shelbi Bale
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Bailey Reed
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Emmy Libke
Multimedia Editor
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Chuck Clark Student Publications Director
POLICIES
Opinions expressed in the College Heights Herald are those of student editors and journalists and do not necessarily represent the views of WKU. Student editors determine all news and editorial content, and reserve the right to edit or reject submissions.
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Happy homecoming, Hilltoppers!
I like to think of myself as a pretty patriotic Hilltopper. I love Western Kentucky University. It has changed my life in a way that I never expected. I owe so much of who I am to this university and the people here, and I will forever be indebted to those who have poured so much into me.
As a senior, this homecoming is also somewhat bittersweet. This is the last time I get to celebrate this time as a student. There’s something about the atmosphere during homecoming on the Hill that is unmatched. The way the entire WKU community comes together to celebrate the thing that binds us together, being a Hilltopper, is one of my favorite things.
The release of this issue of the Herald is also bittersweet. As a freshman, the first time one of my pieces was featured in the print edition was the 2021 homecoming edition of the Herald. I remember feeling so proud that my name and my words were printed. I could hold it in my hands, and I couldn’t stop looking at it. The piece, titled “A personal history with the famous red towel,” is to this day one of my favorite pieces that I’ve written.
As editor-in-chief of the Herald, I have worked to continue telling the stories that make WKU what it is. This issue looks at homecoming through the years, and as you will see, the spirit of homecoming has only grown since the first celebration in 1927. I am so proud of the work all of the Herald staff has put in to put this issue in your hands. I hope you will feel the pride I feel for this issue and for being a Hilltopper.
As we celebrate homecoming, I can’t help but reflect on my time at WKU. This
has been such a wonderful, magical place for me, and I wish the same for my fellow Hilltoppers. I truly do love WKU. I hope that, after reading this issue, you feel some of the same pride I feel for this news organization, my esteemed, dedicated colleagues and this place that has brought us all together.
This is my last homecoming as a student here on the Hill, and I feel honored to have the opportunity to lead this newsroom and present to you this edition of the Herald. I’m super excited to join in the homecoming festivities. I can’t wait to stand up and cheer for dear old Western at the football game on Saturday, holding and waving my red towel. I hope to see you there.
Go Tops!
PHOTO BY CARRIE PRATT
Price Wilborn Editor-in-Chief
HOMECOMING ROYALTY
PAYING HOMAGE TO PAST WKU HOMECOMING QUEENS
By Abigail Vickers
The tradition of selecting a student to take on the role of homecoming queen has been and continues to be an aspect of WKU’s homecoming culture for over 70 years. Past homecoming queens say the role is more than just a title, it’s an embodiment of what the spirit of WKU truly is.
In celebration of decades of campus royalty, the Herald connected with several WKU Homecoming queens who reflected on their unique experiences on homecoming court.
Millie LeJeune, 2023
Millie LeJeune said making homecoming court was one of her goals when she arrived on campus.
“When I got to WKU, I made a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish during my time on the hill, and being on Homecoming court was literally the last thing that I wanted to accomplish my senior year at WKU,” LeJeune said.
LeJeune’s campaign was sponsored by the Black Women of Western and Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity She was the president of the Black Women of Western and a navigator in the Intercultural Student Engagement Center (ISEC) while at WKU.
LeJeune graduated from WKU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and is currently a physical therapist technician working towards a doctorate.
LeJeune said running for homecoming queen didn’t feel
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MILLIE LEJEUNE
like a competition to her, but instead, a “beautiful experience” to see girls represent what being “a true Hilltopper” meant.
“Just be yourself,” LeJeune said. “Be fine, be genuine. Don’t look at it as a competition, but just as a week to reflect on your time on the Hill. To even be nominated, to be sponsored by an organization says a lot about your character and what you carry within yourself and on the Hill as well.”
LeJeune said Homecoming week tests an individual’s time management skills between balancing the week’s activities with regular class work.
Despite this, LeJeune said she would relive the experience if she could.
“Homecoming week would be something that I would do over again in any lifetime that I got the opportunity to because I just had so much fun,” LeJeune said.
LeJeune emphasized all Homecoming Queen candidates should be present in the moment because it will always be something they can look back on as part of their legacy at WKU.
“Try to soak in each and every moment because it’ll be something that you reminisce on down the line,” LeJeune said. “After it’s all said and done, regardless of if you win or
not, there will always be something that you can tell your future kids.”
Sarah Burke, 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah Burke’s homecoming queen experience differed from candidates’ experiences in other years.
“I think we were all just so thankful that we still got to do it,” Harne said.
“I think back and that is all kind of such a blur, but it was definitely a little bit disappointing to not have the stadium full of people.
You don’t have the same energy that normally would
have been there at a football game.”
Burke graduated from WKU with a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders and is currently a clinical research reporter.
Her campaign was sponsored by Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Rho and Delta Tau Delta.
Burke said each candidate was given only four guest tickets for the ceremony, so she brought her parents and siblings. Burke’s brother walked her across the field.
Burke said her crowning experience was very surreal since she did not expect to win. She said she was close with many of the competing girls and believed several could have made a good homecoming queen.
Burke said she was sort of “living on the high” when
PHOTO PROVIDED BY KATIE STAPLES BURCH
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARAH BURKE
media outlets posted about homecoming, waking up to see herself in her hometown newspaper.
“I was on the front page of the article for being the homecoming queen,” Burke said. “So it’s just so special to think all these people were excited for me.”
Burke said homecoming queen was more than a title to her, it was being validated by people on WKU’s campus who thought highly enough of her to cast their vote.
Burke said being crowned homecoming queen was “the best way to leave WKU” and is one of the top three proudest moments of her life. She said she feels she won her campaign authentically.
“I personally think the way that you’ve lived your last three years at WKU will determine who the winner is just because there are relationships already built, so you’ve already put in the time,” Burke said.
Katie Staples Burch, 2001
Katie Staples Burch said she doesn’t have the “stereotypical qualities” of a traditional homecoming queen from the movies. However, she believes WKU does a good job in choosing its winner based on merits and not solely popularity.
“I do think that Western did it right because they typically, from my memory, choose people that have invested in the campus and the university, that really have put a lot into their time there,” Burch said.
Burch graduated from WKU with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and agriculture, as well as a master’s degree in communication. She now works as an IHD Field Reimbursement Manager.
“I think the most important thing is just choosing someone who really represents what the university is all about,” Burch said.
Burch said she would advise Homecoming candidates the same way she would advise her children, which is to make people feel included and comfortable.
“The goal that I always have for my kids is try to make a difference in somebody’s life every day, even if it’s a tiny, small little thing,” Burch said. “If you can make somebody feel better everyday, that adds up, and I think that’s what it’s all about being homecoming queen. It sounds so silly and superficial, but it’s really just about being a good human, and being a nice person and representing Western.”
Jennifer Mize Smith, 1992
Her campaign was sponsored by her sorority, Kappa Delta. She said the competing candidates had diverse backgrounds and were all involved leaders in some way at WKU. Burch said her own involvement as a Spirit Master and a cheerleader at WKU contributed to her victory.
Burch said being crowned Homecoming Queen was “bittersweet” because she realized she would graduate in a few months.
“I was very aware that I was in a good place, and I loved it and it was like my home, but I had to leave the nest and I wasn’t quite ready,” Burch said.
She said the role of homecoming queen is just about being an overall good, kind person who represents WKU.
Jennifer Mize Smith said the year she ran for homecoming queen, WKU nearly shut down its football program in 1992 due to budget cuts.
According to a Herald article from 2020, “The university needed to implement a state-mandated $6.1 million in budget cuts for the 1992-93 fiscal year, and Hilltopper football ended up on the chopping block in April 1992.”
This means that Smith could have been WKU’s last traditional Homecoming Football Queen if the program had been cut. A combined lastditch effort by a vocal collection of program supporters helped WKU football dodge elimination, according to the Herald.
“Thankfully, some administrators and some community leaders and donors stepped up and saved the program,” Smith said.
Smith said while the university could have made it so there was a homecoming queen for another sport like basketball’s coming home king, she said it wouldn’t be the same without the atmosphere of a football game.
“I really would have been really sad to see the program go away, even if it would have meant I was the last,” Smith said. “I’d rather not be the last so everybody can still come along and still have that experience and now, with the new and improved stadium and all the things, it’s hard to imagine the campus without a football program.”
Smith graduated from WKU with a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and now works at WKU as
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNIFER MIZE SMITH
a professor in communication.
Her campaign was sponsored by her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi.
Smith said homecoming week is full of fun activities for the candidates and the WKU community.
“It’s really a fun week,” Smith said. “That moment when they call your name is just really special because you’ve been doing all kinds of fun things, and the atmosphere is just really cool and electric.”
Smith said her advice for candidates is to live in the moment and try to be a well-rounded individual present in both the campus and community.
“Enjoy the moment, enjoy the interactions, enjoy the excitement and just be appreciative that people are recognizing the good things you’re doing, especially from your peers who are putting you up to be their representative,” Smith said.
Alice Gatewood Waddell, 1972
Alice Gatewood Waddell said her win was “bittersweet” because of the pushback she faced when crowned as WKU’s first Black homecoming queen.
Waddell said the university recounted the votes when the winner was first determined due to “potential voting fraud.”
“Someone claimed that the ballot box had been stuffed, which gave the Black students on campus a feel of betrayal in that they just didn’t want to believe the outcome, which was that I got the most votes,” Waddell said. “So we ended up voting again, and I won again.”
Waddell graduated from WKU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and is currently the executive director of the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission and a full-time practicing visual artist.
Her campaign was sponsored by the Black Student Union. Waddell said when she was crowned, the crowd fell silent and seemed displeased, except for the section of the stadium where the Black students sat.
“It was just an indication that the majority of white population was displeased about it, but that really didn’t bother me,” Waddell said. “We had accomplished what we set out to do and that was to have a homecoming queen, a Black homecoming queen.”
Waddell said her win was a turning point for WKU because there were more Black candidates and homecoming queens in the years following her coronation. She said she felt it was not about her as much as it was about Black students being represented on campus.
“When it was announced, it was an occasion that I kind of felt like it wasn’t really about me,” Waddell said. “It was about the representation and visibility of Black students on WKU’s campus at the time because there wasn’t a lot of representation nor visibility other than pretty much sports.”
Waddell said being homecoming queen is only a small part of an individual’s college experience.
“Homecoming queen is a sidebar experience,” Waddell said. “Being successful in what you came to the university to do would be an important goal along with carrying your image as a homecoming queen in a way that you may have a positive influence on some other young woman.”
News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be contacted at abigail. vickers153@topper.wku.edu
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALICE GATEWOOD WADDELL
A NEW ERA FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES AT WKU
WKU is ushering in a new chapter of interdisciplinary education with the establishment of the Department of Society, Culture, Crime, and Justice Studies (SCCJS). The department brings together four distinct yet interrelated fields — sociology, criminology, folk studies and anthropology — to create a hub for students eager to create an innovative educational path.
Amy Krull, the sociology program coordinator, is thrilled about the department’s progress in fostering collaboration by growing new relationships among faculty and exchanging knowledge among disciplines.
“I really have enjoyed this. I’ve been at WKU for 24 years, and I’m excited to come together with colleagues in different ways,” she said. “I look forward to innovation; I look forward to the collegiality of it and working with new minds and talents. I don’t see any downsides for us as a faculty or for students.”
Krull said the reorganization opens doors for fresh approaches to research and education. She encourages students interested in the world around them and passionate about people and change to investigate the opportunities provided by the new department.
Department chair Holli Drummond said “Brown Bag” sessions have been a popular initiative. They offer an informal venue for cross-disciplinary collaboration where students and faculty present ideas and research in progress. Other resources offered by SCCJS
include career events, internships and study-abroad opportunities tailored to its diverse areas of study.
Drummond said the department’s career events range widely, including panel discussions, career workshops and an interdisciplinary Women in Social Science Professions event that all departmental programs participated in last spring. She said the largest event has been a networking with nonprofits session, which had almost 30 nonprofits in attendance this fall and was also attended by students studying in all departmental programs.
In addition to hands-on experience, internships through SCCJS count for course credit. Each intern dedicates 150 hours, or approximately 10 hours a week, to working in their chosen field.
For students interested in studying abroad, the department provides impactful learning experiences that James Kanan, the criminology program coordinator, said students will remember even 25 years after graduation. In the summer of 2025, Kanan will participate in a study abroad program in Argentina through the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, where he will teach courses on topics like organized crime in Latin America. Kanan said the trip is “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be enriched outside of the classroom.”
Anthropology professor Jean-Luc Houle has provided an annual, often grant-funded, study abroad opportunity for students to engage in archeological research in Mongolia.
Currently, students can choose from
majors in criminology, sociology or anthropology, as well as minors in criminology, sociology or folklore, or a certificate in citizenship and social justice.
Marcus Brooks, the program coordinator for Citizenship and Social Justice, said certificates offer students a way to demonstrate transferable skills that will be useful in the future.
“Those are the skills that are primarily going to be useful as you get out into the workforce and go out and say, ‘These are the things I can do, that I have done.’ And then they have a certificate and can be like ‘I’m proficient in this, hire me,’” Brooks said.
SCCJS plans to offer new certificates, further enhancing the educational experience, said Ann Ferrell, the folk studies program coordinator.
“We hope to create a certificate that sort of brings different approaches of research together, but research that engages in some ways with communities and that may have applied results,” Ferrell said.
SCCJS is also preparing for a significant physical move. By July 2025, the department office and sociology and criminology faculty will relocate from Grise Hall to the Fine Arts Center. Drummond said several spaces on the first and second floors will undergo renovations to create a more welcoming environment for faculty and students.
Regardless of the physical space, Krull said that as SCCJS looks to the future, they hope to offer a space for collaboration within the department.
STEPS FROM WKU, MILES OF CHARM
The welcoming community of Walk2Campus is the perfect fit for a young adult in any season of life, said Debra Murray, a recent WKU graduate. They provide a variety of options, with 25 unique houses and three apartment complexes.
As their name suggests, each of Walk2Campus’s properties are in prime locations for a short walk to campus, with the farthest housing options less than two blocks away. These homes have unique names like Babe Cave, Tin Woman and Holiday Inn.
Kendall Gott, the leasing coordinator, described each house as full of character.
“When you lease with us, you kind of help take over and care for that personality, especially within the community of Bowling Green,” Gott said.
The properties also have vintage charm, with historic elements like original hardwood floors and fireplaces. These were a draw to Murray along with the privacy and community atmosphere of Walk2Campus.
“Instead of a whole building I have maybe four or five other people, and so you’re really able to cultivate a connection with different neighbors,” Murray said.
She enjoys the spaciousness of the property and how easy it is to personalize.
“It really allows you to completely come in and cultivate the space you want for yourself,” Murray said.
Walk2Campus provides a comfortable space in their general leasing office, which Murray described as one of her favorite aspects. The leasing office features a common room, gym, and study rooms with 24/7 access for all residents.
“That’s always really nice, to have somewhere that’s separate from your apartment you can go when you need focus,” Murray said.
The leasing office is often a place of heart-to-heart conversations with Walk2Campus staff, Gott said.
“We care about you as a person, and we care about you guys living in as good a condition as possible,” she said.
Murray said she appreciates the consideration and kindness.
“There have been times when school has really burnt me out or just emotionally, the people in my life have drained me,” Murray said. “They’ve always been like an avenue of people I could talk to to kind of reassure me.”
Allie Bennett, a senior from Nashville, also experienced this support.
“I know I can always count on Lacey (the property manager) and Kendall for anything I need,” she said. “There have been so many times where I just have needed to talk to them about things going on in my life, and they take time out of their busy schedules to just talk to me and listen.”
Walk2Campus also supports residents when it comes to maintenance concerns. This was one of the reasons Bennett decided to stay with Walk2Campus for multiple years.
“The supportive community and responsive management made it an easy
choice to stay. I appreciate how quickly the staff addresses any maintenance issues.” Bennett said.
Murray said Walk2Campus went above and beyond when there was an issue with the flooring in her apartment.
“They came in and completely redid the flooring for us, and they put us up in the Hyatt near Western. For literally like a week, me and my roommate had a little stay-cation while they were fixing our flooring,” she said.
The unique properties, tight-knit community, and exceptional service of Walk2Campus set it apart as the ideal home away from home, Bennett said.
“I loved my years at Walk2Campus,” Bennett said. “Walk2Campus is the best housing for WKU students.”
Now on her third lease, Murray said she can’t recommend Walk2Campus enough.
“You’re really able to grow within these places, and I think that that’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed with them so long,” she said.
The leasing office of Walk2Campus has a fully furnished common area for resident use.
‘I BECAME A PERSON AT WKU THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH’ MARTHA SALES REFLECTS ON LIFE, LEADERSHIP, AND GROWTH
By Price Wilborn
In her office on the second floor of the Downing Student Union, WKU Vice President of Student Experience and Dean of Students Martha Sales lives and breathes student life and student success at WKU.
The four-time WKU graduate has spent most of her life on the Hill, and she has no regrets.
Born and raised in Franklin, Kentucky, Sales says her parents empowered her to be herself and challenge herself, supporting her each step of the way. Her mother only completed a tenthgrade education while her father only reached eighth.
Sales called her parents “the wisest people I have ever known.”
In her junior year of high school, Sales was told by a school counselor that college was not for her.
“I went to see my guidance counselor and shared with her that I wanted to go to college and she told me I didn’t need to go to college,” Sales said. “I just needed to get a job in the factory like my parents.”
That couple, Livingston and Kay Alexander, served as role models for Sales throughout her life. Livingston became WKU’s associate vice president of academic affairs in 1990. Kay oversaw student support services, including TRIO, a federally-funded educational talent search program that supports low-income and disadvantaged students as they work toward earning a college degree. Sales arrived at WKU unsure of what
“Much of what I do as dean of students is a lot of social work: referring, knowing different people, different entities here on campus and community to refer and connect those dynamics for our students, faculty and staff,” Sales said.
During her time as an undergraduate, Sales took her academics seriously, but she also took building relationships and experiences seriously, too. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Amazing Tones of Joy, Sales developed her passion for others and for loving others, confirming what had been instilled in her through her Christian upbringing. It was her time as an undergraduate student that Sales feels shaped her into the person she is today.
“I became a person at WKU that I fell in love with,” Sales said.
This was because, through her experience at WKU, Sales said she was able to hear her own voice for the first time.
Sales refused to accept that advice. After the conversation with her counselor, Sales told her parents she wanted to go to college. Upon this, her mother “found the smartest people she knew in our church” and asked them to help them help Sales get to college.
to study but with a strong desire to serve others.
“I always knew I wanted to help people,” Sales said.
It was this desire to serve that led her to declare a social work major.
In many ways, Sales called her path and her life “full circle.” Her major was one of these instances.
“It (her time on the Hill) helped me to continue to fall in love with myself, to hear my voice, not just find my voice but, again, to actually hear it,” Sales continued.
Upon receiving her undergraduate degree, Sales worked various jobs that helped women and children in need, connecting them to resources that would help them advance their education and
PHOTO BY ELI RANDOLPH
Martha Sales poses for a portrait in her office on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
PHOTO BY IAN PITCHFORD
improve their lives.
After her time with these various organizations, Sales returned to WKU as a counselor with TRIO. In time, she was promoted to academic coordinator, assistant director and then director for the university’s TRIO programs.
Reflecting on her time with TRIO, Sales says this is another full circle moment. Not only did Kay Alexander serve with the program, but Sales did, as well. Now, Sales oversees TRIO.
“Now TRIO reports to me,” Sales said. “I mean, it’s so full circle.”
As Sales was promoted and continued to take on new roles within the university, she came to lead the WKU Intercultural Student Engagement Center.
It was in this role that current WKU Regent Cynthia Nichols first met Sales. Nichols and her husband, George, made a donation to ISEC, which brought the Nichols and Sales together for the first time.
“When I met her and we looked at each other, I hugged her and I felt like I had known her my whole life,” Cynthia Nichols said.
Since meeting Sales through her donation to ISEC, Nichols has carried Sales’ positivity and intentionality with her.
“She gives off such a positive energy to everyone that she comes in contact with,” Nichols said.
“She’s just so dynamic,” Nichols continued.
Sales’ constant positivity made her a force on campus, one whose talent was recognized and rewarded by university administration.
WKU President Timothy Caboni first met Sales in the spring of 2017 during his presidential transition. It was in her capacity as director of TRIO that Caboni first came to know Sales, and it was because of this work that he promoted her to higher-level administrative roles.
“It was pretty clear from my perspective that she was obviously good at her job. If you look at the university’s historical success at grant getting for TRIO and the success of recruiting students from a variety of backgrounds to campus, she was very talented, obviously very engaging,” Caboni said.
According to Caboni, her talent and the fact she was “beloved by different parts of the university,” as well as the outcomes she produced and her spirit and energy led him to ask Sales to serve as interim dean of students before offering her the full position.
It was when Sales took the role of interim dean of students that Emmeline Essler first met Sales, despite the two both having worked at WKU for years.
Prior to working directly with Sales, Essler “just knew that she was a fun, bubbly
person to be around, and worked really hard for her students.”
Essler began her career at WKU working as an office associate with the division of enrollment management before transitioning to the office of the dean of students in the year before Sales took on the role. Now, Essler serves as student success coordinator and student ombuds officer. Essler credits her career development to Sales and her encouragement to push herself and continue her education.
“My first evaluation with her, her first question was ‘when do you plan to go back to school?’ And it wasn’t so much of an option,” Essler said. “Her constant reassurance throughout the process that I was capable, that I did have the knowledge and that I could get this degree was really helpful.”
Essler graduated with a master’s in student affairs this past summer and is currently enrolled in WKU’s educational leadership doctoral program. Her workspace is located in the dean of students suite in DSU, where she works directly with Sales each day.
“I absolutely love working for Dr. Sales,” Essler said. “It is always fun and exciting and she makes every day kind of purposeful and worth being here.”
Cres’Sena Thomas had a similar experience with Sales as Essler.
Through her husband, Thomas first met Sales in 2010. It was not until 2012, however, that Thomas was hired as an educational talent search coordinator at TRIO. Since then, Thomas has worked with Sales in a variety of different roles. Currently, she serves as ISEC director.
Similar to Essler, Sales encouraged Thomas to pursue a doctorate at WKU and supported her throughout the process.
“She allowed me the space to vent and get through the tough moments while also being there to help in any way that she could,” Thomas said.
In working with Sales, Thomas has found a leader and a leadership style she admires.
“The way that she leads, it’s almost like you work alongside of her,” Thomas said. “She’s also a follower as well as she’s a leader…She empowers you, she gives you honest feedback.”
“She wants to see you win, even if seeing you win isn’t here,” Thomas continued.
Telia Butler, Downtown Development Coordinator for the city of Bowing Green (right), and Dr. Martha Sales, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Experience (left), talk about free parking in downtown Bowling Green. Photographed on Wednesday, October. 17, 2024 at Fountain Square Park.
“She’s also willing, if you allow her, to help you get to wherever you’re trying to go and help you reach your goals. She’s very selfless in how she leads.”
In the same way that Essler and Thomas credit Sales for their success, Sales credits the people she works with for helping her be effective in her role.
“I think my effectiveness comes with the people who support me, encourage me and that I’m surrounded with,” Sales continued. “I’m only effective because of the people who help me be effective.”
Through her role as dean of students, Sales oversees the Counseling Center, the ID Center, the Intercultural Student Engagement Center, the Office of Student Conduct and TRIO.
In February, Sales assumed the interim role of vice president of student experience following the departure of Vice President of Enrollment and Student
“
the Office of Sustainability.
While overseeing these many different university units, Sales operates each day believing that her job is to connect each member of the WKU community to each other.
“I think what I do every day is connect: connect students to the right people, whether it’s in the community, faculty or staff,” Sales said.
Sales’ work to make these connections for students can begin before their time on the Hill as a student. Dylan Oglesbee, a senior majoring in management with a concentration in business administration from Columbus, Ohio, learned this firsthand.
On a last-minute visit to WKU as a high school senior in fall 2020, Oglesbee and his mother were on the Hill for the first time. The two did not have a scheduled tour and were exploring campus on their
came an important factor in his decision to attend WKU.
“We didn’t have someone high up in the university administration on any other university’s campus come up to us and truly give five, ten minutes of their time to help us figure things out and just be patient and be a friendly face to provide some good information,” Oglesbee said. “It was definitely a major factor.”
Sales enjoys the location of her office campus because it allows her to connect with and interact with students in ways similar to her interaction with Oglesbee.
This location allows her to have meaningful interactions with students, faculty and staff, which she believes are fundamental to her job and to life.
“You never know how life-changing you can be to a person,” Sales said. “You know, whether it’s a hug or a conversation or hello or what’s going on today, it’s
WKU MEANS FAMILY TO ME.
WKU MEANS LIFE-CHANGING.
WKU
MEANS EMPOWERMENT.
WKU MEANS THE NEXT
Experience Ethan Logan. In August, Caboni announced Sales had accepted an offer to take on her interim role in a permanent capacity.
“I am very excited about the opportunity [to take on this new position],” Sales told the Herald at the time. “Anytime that I am able to assist the students more, advocate our campus constituents and community and individuals about how wonderful our students are, that makes me excited.”
Reporting to Sales in this role under the umbrella of student engagement is WKU Campus Recreation and Wellness, Dining Service, Housing and Residence Life, and Student Activities, Organizations and Leadership Programs. Sales also leads institutional opportunities, esports and
DR. MARTHA SALES
own when they found themselves in the Downing Student Union looking at an electronic map of campus.
It was at this moment Sales approached the two.
“She doesn’t introduce herself with any kind of title,” Oglesbee said. “She just says, ‘Hey, I’m Martha, I work here at WKU. Is there anything I can help you folks find?”
“We just said ‘Oh, we’re just trying to figure out which way we’re going,’ and she gave us a quick crash course on where everything is and talked to us about some of the school resources,” Oglesbee continued.
The kindness shown to him and his mother by Sales is something that stuck with him, Oglesbee said. It eventually be-
NEXT.
those 30-minute conversations that lead to a lifetime of change.”
When she accepted the role of vice president of student experience, Sales was asked if she wanted to move her office into Potter Hall. Her response?
“Good lord no,” Sales said. “Students will never find me in Potter. I want to walk out of this office and see students and say ‘Good morning’ and ‘How are you doing?’”
What drives Sales’ desire to love others is her deep Christian faith, which she carries with her each day.
“I’m employed by WKU, but I work for God,” Sales said.
It is because of her faith that Sales emphasizes love in everything she does, from her work at WKU to serving others
at her church to providing for her family – her husband, Pastor Shawn Sales, and her two children, Seth and Kiah.
“Love is universal. You just love,” Sales said. “It doesn’t matter your church, your faith, your creed, your color, love is universal. My job every day is to just love. I may not always like what you do, like what you stand for, like how you act, but I have been called to love.”
Just as in her interactions with students, Sales emphasizes love and kindness in her interaction with all members of WKU’s faculty and staff.
As part of the President’s Cabinet, Sales has an opportunity to work closely with Caboni in a way few others are able. To Caboni, Sales’ accessibility, positivity and voice are each important on the cabinet.
“One of her great characteristics is her ability to infuse levity in what are sometimes heavy conversations,” Caboni said. “One of the contributions she makes is by being willing to call things out or pick on folks that might be a little bit funny, and that’s crucial.”
To Caboni, Sales’ ability to keep a variety of perspectives in mind is vital. Not only does she help the cabinet “keep an eye on the student prize,” but she also makes sure the cabinet does not lose sight of the voices of the students, faculty and staff of color who are represented through her.
Nichols reflected this sentiment, expressing her pride that Sales is that voice for people of color and for all students on the cabinet.
“She’s making a way for other African Americans, women of color, anybody,” Nichols continued. “To see how she works would make anyone proud, to want to be similar to what she is. But as a woman of color, I’m extremely proud to see her and to go as high as she can go.”
Sales focuses just as much on lifting all student voices.
“When I’m sitting at the President’s Cabinet, I’m not just looking for how I can help people who look like me or share my same gender,” Sales said. “I’m thinking how I can help everyone.”
Sales spoke of the saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” while explaining how she sees herself and her role.
“If I just rise for myself, or I just rise for women, or I just rise for women of color, then other ships get left behind,” Sales
PHOTO BY IAN PITCHFORD
Dr. Martha Sales, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Experience (left), and Telia Butler, Downtown Development Coordinator for the city of Bowing Green (right), discuss some of the plans for getting WKU students to Fountain Square. Photographed on Wednesday, October. 17, 2024 at Fountain Square Park.
said. “Now do I think about it, and sometimes do I sit there and like, ‘because I’m here and because I’m the only woman of color, I’m here for a reason.’”
Sales credits her faith in God as helping her succeed in the ways that she has on the Hill.
“It’s just amazing how God orders your steps, and sometimes he doesn’t ask you what you want to do, he just tells you,” Sales said. “I never would’ve guessed that I would be dean of students at Western Kentucky University. I never would’ve guessed I would be vice president.”
Most of Sales’ adult life has been spent at WKU. She said she has stayed because she loves the place and space WKU is.
“I’ve always been taught through my Christian upbringing to love everybody else, but when you are in a place in space and you feel comfortable loving yourself, the good, the bad, and the ugly, you don’t want to leave that space,” Sales said. It is her ability to make that space that sticks with so many in the WKU community.
“I think, really, she shows that no matter what kind of day you’re having, where you’re at, what you’re doing, there is always a way to make someone’s day better,” Oglesbee said. “And beyond that, to do it with just a genuine compassion and
not just out of some feeling of responsibility.”
“She understands that the work she does really contributes to the greater whole of the university,” Oglesbee said. “It’s not just about what she’s doing, it’s about that ripple effect, and I think she understands just how much influence her position can have.”
Reflecting on homecoming, her time on the Hill and what WKU means to her, Sales expressed nothing but gratitude for where she has been and excitement for where she will go.
“WKU means family to me. WKU means life-changing. WKU means empowerment. WKU means the next next.”
Sales understands the weight of her role and the impact of her words and actions. She carries this with her each day, working to create a brighter WKU and a brighter world for every student, faculty and staff member she encounters. Not only does she love WKU, but she loves the world.
“I think everybody has a piece of WKU in their heart, no matter where they go,” Sales said.
Editor-in-Chief Price Wilborn can be reached at edwin.wilborn835@topper. wku.edu. Follow him on X @pricewilborn.
LEASING AGENTS LENDING A FRIENDLY FACE AND HELPNG HAND
Columns leasing agent Jamie Pauley, a WKU senior, is more than a point of contact for residents. She has become a friendly face and vital part of the community during her time as both a leasing agent and resident. As a leasing agent, she guides prospective students on tours of the property. As a resident, she takes classes with other residents, getting to know them personally.
“I’ve been here for quite a long time that they recognize me, and I can pick up on who it is immediately, I don’t even have to ask their name or anything,” said Pauley, an Owensboro native. “I feel like I’ve grown close with a lot of the residents.”When Pauley conducts tours, she likes to get to know touring students, as well as make them more comfortable.
“We’re very close-knit and friendly with each other,” Pauley said. As she shows them around the facilities and mail room, Pauley asks what the students are studying, where they currently live, or what other apartments they might be looking at. She likes to point out how Columns is located right between WKU and downtown Bowling Green.
Once they arrive at the model unit, Pauley points out the high open ceilings and tall countertops, as they were a big selling point for her when she moved in. She allows the students to explore the unit and ask questions about it.
“Each apartment is very unique, very original,” Pauley notes. “I feel like the high ceilings, the big living space, is what really brings people in.”
Pauley also highlights the large living rooms. She advises touring students to check out their virtual tours of the other unit styles, as they might be more interested in more rooms or more bathrooms.
“If they have any questions about the application process or anything about living here, I’ll let them go through that and answer, and then we go our separate ways,” she said.
Pauley also answers phone calls, emails and the occasional maintenance request. The maintenance man, Morty Perrigan, is a key part of the community, “reliable and friendly” according to Gabe Dennis, another leasing agent. Pauley says the Columns maintenance team is typically quick to respond to requests, so she and
Jamie Pauley is a Columns leasing agent and WKU student. As a leasing agent, Pauley conducts tours, answers questions over phone and email and helps with other responsibilities at the apartment complex.
Dennis will sometimes run to do little tasks to let Perrigan focus on larger requests.
“Morty is also part of the community. He’s gotten really close with the residents, I feel like everybody looks up to him,” said Pauley “We have a really good maintenance staff, so that’s a plus.”
Pauley said she takes pride in helping build a sense of community for residents and making sure they feel at home.
When there aren’t tours scheduled, she maintains the common areas, vacuums hallways and dusts equipment in the workout room. She enjoys the assistance she’s able to provide to residents in the community.
“We’re really like community assistants here,” Pauley said.
Since Pauley lives on-site, she runs into residents in the hallways, sometimes stopping to talk or catch up on anything interesting. For upcoming events, like giveaways and pumpkin painting contests, Pauley will work on creating social media posts. She also takes part in any planning or organizing, as well as setting up when she gets the chance.
HOW LOCAL BUSINESSES PREPARE FOR HOMECOMING CROWDS
By Kane Smith
As WKU students and alumni gear up for Saturday’s homecoming game, locally-owned businesses are tasked with their own game plans.
Owners and managers of Hickory & Oak, Mellow Matt’s Music & More, Back Down South and The Hotel SYNC said they anticipate greater foot traffic during homecoming because of the weekend’s festivities.
While businesses face added challenges in preparation for increased visitors, they remain enthusiastic while recognizing WKU’s prominence in the Bowling Green community.
Hickory & Oak
Cody Anderson, general manager of downtown Bowling Green’s Hickory & Oak, said he intends to establish new relationships and foster old ones as WKU’s Homecoming attracts customers.
Anderson, manager since the restaurant’s opening in 2018, recognized the gleaming opportunity to “build business.”
“You get a lot of influx of people that have never been to Bowling Green before,” Anderson said. “Or vice versa, maybe they came to us their first weekend here and now they’re coming back for their second, maybe third, maybe fourth.”
Hickory & Oak sources much of its produce and ingredients from local farmers and its seafood from Evans Meats & Seafood out of Alabama, according to Anderson. Most appetizers involve seafood in some fashion, whether it’s oysters, shrimp cocktails or even ceviche.
The entree menu currently offers dryaged wagyu beef, aged in-house, and other specialty meats.
“Nobody around here serves anything local, beef-wise, and they definitely don’t serve anything dry-aged in-house,” Anderson said.
Anderson said a customer from Seattle brought his family to the restaurant for four consecutive years while he was in town to see his daughter, a WKU student.
Anderson said Hickory & Oak’s prominence downtown at 705 State St. benefits business.
“We get a lot of kickback from anything that goes on at the university,” Anderson said.
Despite the appeal of a busy weekend as a restaurant manager, Anderson said he’s tasked with finding a “happy balance” when scheduling staff.
Anderson said the “big balance” of managing students is “making sure that the kids that need off get the night off.”
Reservations for homecoming weekend, or anytime during business hours, can be made on the Hickory & Oak website.
Mellow Matt’s Music & More
“Mellow” Matt Pfefferkorn, owner of the record shop on 1200 Smallhouse Road, said it will be “fully staffed” homecoming weekend.
“You would think stuff like Western football games or homecoming would detour people from getting out and about,” Pfefferkorn said.
That’s hardly the truth, according to Pfefferkorn.
“Those have actually been some of our bigger days because there’s more people in town, people that used to live here and go to Western,” Pfefferkorn said.
Mellow Matt’s specializes in vinyl records despite offering a plethora of physical media such as CDs, stereo equipment, cassettes and DVDs.
Mellow Matt’s has established ties to the WKU community throughout its 11 years of business aside from just selling to students and alumni. Both Pfefferkorn and his wife are WKU alumni. The store also partners with the WKU bookstore throughout the year for pop-up shops and has hosted DJ events during finals week.
“We love doing stuff at Western,” Pfefferkorn said. “We love having the connection and being part of the community, we always have a hand extended
Photos By Gabriel Milby
to Western stuff.”
In years past, Mellow Matt’s “Mellowversary” took place during WKU’s Homecoming.
“On those days, we’ll overlap a third person right in the middle, just for extra coverage,” Pfefferkorn said. “And generally, those months as you get closer to the holiday season are busier all the way around.”
Pfefferkorn said customers gravitate to the selection of vinyl, revisiting memories of their time at WKU and Mellow Matt’s.
However, vinyl is not just a thing of the past. A vinyl revival led to a steady increase in vinyl record sales in recent years due to National Record Store Day, COVID-19 and a nationwide culture of nostalgia, according to Camoin Associates.
“Out of all the products we sell, obviously we see records the most, and that’s what we do best with,” Pfefferkorn said.
Back Down South
Kristen Robinette, owner of the boutique Back Down South, said she expects operations at the shop to be busier as customers come to town from all over.
“You have a lot of people in from everywhere,” Robinette, a WKU alum, said.
“Especially for homecoming, you get alumni in from everywhere […] in for all the traditions.”
Robinette said she was a cheerleader and Alpha Delta Pi sorority member during her time at WKU and has retained a relationship with the university and its sororities.
“Our family does the Mary E. Hensley scholarship, and we host a lecture for the education department,” Robinette said.
The Mary E. Hensley Lecture Series, named after Robinette’s great-grandmother, has invited educators to present topics of discussion since 1998, according to Robinette in an interview with WBKO News.
Though Robinette said the store specializes in selling clothes to “young professionals,” Back Down South is a place “where everybody’s welcome”, conveniently located at 433 Park Row, less than a mile from WKU.
Robinette said she also nurtures her connection to WKU by selling sorority merch at the store and hosted a “Greek pop-up shop” in August.
More recently, Robinette promoted a giveaway on the shop’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, offering two tickets to WKU’s Oct. 30 home football game, two WKU sweatshirts and two WKU hats.
The Hotel SYNC
Though The Hotel SYNC isn’t the closest hotel to WKU, owner Preetesh Patel said it sees more reservations during homecoming weekend.
Patel, owner of the hotel for all 12 years of its existence, put it on the map by building it from the very foundation. Today, The Hotel SYNC finds itself at #1 on Tripadvisor’s rating of hotels in Bowling Green, prevailing over 36 hotels.
Along with being busier for WKU Homecoming, Patel said The Hotel SYNC receives more reservations during events at WKU and in the surrounding city of Bowling Green.
“I think it helps that when WKU has events, it happens to be that other places, whether it’s Beech Bend, or the city, or maybe some of the parks, have events going on,” Patel said. “The more events that happen together, it just makes everyone a little busier, whether it’s restaurants or hotels.”
Bowling Green Hot Rods games constitute some of these city events that attract travelers, according to Patel.
“It’s not as much a vacation as a mission to just go see a lot of minor league teams and visit a lot of minor league stadiums,” Patel said. “They’ll come and they’ll have a great time and I think that they enjoy the fact that it’s in a small town, easy to get in and out of.”
Reservations, while available, can be made on The Hotel SYNC website.
News Reporter Kane Smith can be reached at kane.smith490@topper. wku.edu.
Mellow Matts a music store in Bowling Green Ky at Twin Oaks Center, 1200 smallhouse rd owed by Matt Prefferkorn.
Back Down South boutique shop in Bowling Green KY, at 433 park row owned by Kristen Robinette.
Hickory & Oak Upscale Restaurant and bar In Bowling Green Ky, at 705 states st, General Manger Cody Anderson.
1. Alley Pub and Pizza
422 E Main Ave. Ste D.
Nestled down the alley beside the Capitol Arts Building, Alley Pub features some of Bowling Green’s favorite pizza, a full bar with renowned service from veteran bartenders and one of the most charming patios around!
2. The Capitol
416 E Main Ave.
The Capitol, a historic venue in downtown Bowling Green managed by the Warren County Public Library, is a vibrant community hub. Hosting library events, lectures, performances and free movie screenings, the Capitol also welcomes private rentals and concerts. Capitol Books, located inside the building, offers a used bookstore operated by the Friends of Warren County Public Library. Visit us online at capitolbg.org.
3. Down Dog BG
308 1/2 E Main St.
Whether you have pets or simply enjoy pet-themed items, Down Dog BG is for you. We have a wide selection of upscale collars, leashes, pet lover gifts, locally roasted coffee, handmade pottery, and private yoga classes taught by Heather, 200RYT.
4. Fountain Row
Fountain Row is an entertainment district downtown, where patrons can buy alcoholic drinks in approved to-go cups from participating licensed businesses within the district. Fountain Row visits encourage exploring more of downtown’s historic streets and parks, window shopping, and discovering new experiences while boosting local hospitality and tourism businesses.
5. Gerard’s Tavern
935 College St.
Gerard’s 1907 Tavern is a new-American style restaurant fusing all-American classics with flavors from around the globe. Housed in the historic Gerard building, it features a comfortable and relaxed ambiance. 1097 Social, its private event space, is an elegant gathering spot for all of your private party needs.
6. Morris Jewelry
935 College St.
Morris Jewelry has been a mainstay of Bowling Green’s Square since 1881. Morris is proud to have been a part of Bowling Green for 144 years. WKU and Morris Jewelry — we live tradition. Happy Homecoming. Go Tops.
7. Staircase Wine Shop
902 State St.
The best little wine shop in Bowling Green features personalized advice on exceptional wines for everyday and special occasions with tastings every Thursday evening.
8. United Furniture
1008 State St.
United Furniture and Appliance is the place for all furniture, appliance, electronic and mattress needs with all the brands you love and trust, including Ashley, Catnapper, Speed Queen, Maytag and so much more. Come speak with Sam, Pat or Mike who have over 25 years of experience in the industry.
9. Vette City Vintage
1008 State St.
Stop and get nostalgic with us! Vette City Vintage is full of vintage T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, hats and just about any wearable item from decades past. Our specialty is ‘90s and 2000s streetwear, but we also carry items from the ‘60s and ‘70s! You’ll find something you can’t live without.
HOME SWEET HOMECOMING
Homecoming on the Hill is set to roar through College Street for this year’s 1920s-themed celebration. For 100 years, the College Heights Herald has documented life on the Hill, and so we’re turning back the clock. According to the Herald archives, reporters have covered most homecoming games, capturing the unique community on the Hill for future generations. Since WKU’s first homecoming in the fall of 1927, the celebration has grown from a simple game to a community tradition that brings together the campus and the city of Bowling Green.
For this year’s Homecoming issue, Herald staffers combed through decades of newspaper volumes to piece together a rare glimpse of WKU’s past. From early iterations of Big Red, to graphics that depict Hall of Fame Coach Jimmy Feix as George Washington crossing the Delaware, the Herald has found new ways of documenting life on campus.
We hope this look back at WKU history inspires our campus to embrace continued growth and progress while remembering who we are at our core.
FROM PARATROOPER TO PARTNER: WILLIAM WILLIFORD’S JOURNEY
When entering Breen and Williford’s law office off Fairview Avenue in Bowling Green, Kentucky, you feel an immediate sense of ease. When clients enter, they are greeted by a delightful smile plastered across Wilma’s, the receptionist’s, face. She makes the client feel comfortable and leads them into the conference room to await their meeting with Will Williford.
The seating around the conference table is complete with high-backed cloth seats and there is a separate lounging area with a cushy brown couch that makes client visits comfortable. This law office is not a clinical one. It is one where
clients can be put at ease and can talk freely.
Williford leads clients back to his office, with a kind smile, a comfortable personality and a sense of trustworthiness. His office is packed to the brim with meaningful items. Walls are dedicated to his accomplishments and degrees as well as books, WKU memorabilia and items from his time in the Army. When clients look at Williford, they are looking into the face of a friend.
William Williford is the owner, president, and managing partner of Breen and Williford Injury Lawyers, PSC. His career is defined by his commitment
to justice, his military service, and his dedication to helping others, particularly veterans.
Williford’s professional journey began when he moved to Bowling Green at 18 years old to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in political science at WKU. While studying, he started working as a law clerk for Mike Breen, who would later become his law partner.
Williford’s paralegal, Alea Scott, was once his supervisor while he served the office as a clerk for four years. Even with the switch-up of power, Scott says that nothing in their relationship has changed.
Williford sits in his conference room, proudly displaying his awards and honors.
“We’re still really good friends, and we’ve been through 20 years together,” Scott said.
She said Williford has gone from a college student to a business owner because of the hard work he puts in.
After graduating with his bachelor’s in political science, Williford decided to enlist in the U.S.Army. Williford served for two enlistments as a noncommissioned officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was also part of several distinguished units as a paratrooper, including the 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Special Operations Command, and the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). His service led to a passion for helping veterans.
Upon completing his service, Williford returned to Bowling Green and shifted his focus back to education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and continued his studies by pursuing a master’s degree in English at WKU, making him a three-time graduate of WKU.
At the same time Williford was pursuing his master’s, he enrolled at the Nashville School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. Williford graduated with both his master’s degree and doctorate within two weeks of each other in May 2021.
Elizabeth McDonald, the assistant dean for administration at Nashville School
of Law, praised Williford’s character and leadership, including his service on the Nashville School of Law Honor Council and efforts to support veterans.
McDonald witnessed Williford’s dedication through his time at Nashville School of Law. She said he always genuinely supported his peers, was continuously involved in the school and was never late to or absent from a class. This was impressive to McDonald and speaks to his professionalism because Williford was working in Bowling Green, pursuing his master’s and working all while commuting to Nashville for up to 4 nights a week. She also emphasized his passion and empathy, saying that if she were having a bad day she would want him on her side.
Following his law school graduation, Williford rejoined Mike Breen’s legal practice. After less than two years, he purchased the law firm on Jan. 1, 2023. This process had been in the works for about a year. As the new owner and managing partner, Williford took on the responsibility of managing the firm while continuing to practice law.
“Personally and professionally speaking, I think I have experienced 10-fold growth, maybe more in the last two years,” Williford said.“I attribute much of that growth to finally being out of the military and out of the classroom and being afforded an opportunity to practice and implement my lifelong plans. I wanted those military and educational experiences to be a more effective person, and now I’m finally reaping the benefits of past sacrifices.”
Williford’s legal work is closely connected to his passion for supporting veterans. As a lawyer, he has built his practice around representing veterans, ensuring they receive the care and legal support they need. His involvement goes beyond just his office; he volunteers for Veterans for Veterans Hospice Care. He said he has learned the
significance of giving his focus to a cross-section of people who really need help so they can receive the full benefit of his resources.
“I want to help everyone I can, but it is impossible to help every single person that is underserved,” Williford said.
At home, Williford’s family is just as driven. His wife, Ely Williford, is an undergraduate student at WKU, pursuing dual degrees in business and economics. Will Williford said that furthers his connection to WKU. Their daughter is a senior at Warren East High School and plays for the Lady Raiders varsity soccer team. Her parents hope that she follows in their footsteps and becomes a Hilltopper.
Ely Williford has known her now husband since October 2013, and together they have built a relationship on mutual trust and support that has lasted for 11 years. She has seen him in different stages of life including his transition from paratrooper to student and then finally to business owner. She said she is confident in his trustworthiness and dedication.
“When he says he’s going to do something, it will get done,” she said. “He is accomplishing everything he said he would as an 18-year-old.”
Williford displays his topper pride with one of his red towels.
Williford holds Law and Literature, a book he says shows his two greatest passions.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
BOWLING
By Peyton Reid
GREEN ATHLETES CONTINUE THEIR CAREERS ON THE HILL
WKU senior volleyball player Katie Howard was a standout player at Bowling Green’s Greenwood High School. She was a two-time Region 4 Kentucky Coaches Player of the Year as a Gator. In 2020, she led Greenwood to its fourth straight district championship.
After her high school career, all Howard had to do was look less than 10 miles down the road to find where she would dominate the court in college.
“As soon as (Head Coach) Travis (Hudson) got in contact with me I immediately stopped looking at other schools… not every day you have an amazing program
in 2014 where they have tallied 40 conference titles between regular season and postseason play. WKU volleyball leads the way with a total of 17 championships between both the regular season and the postseason.
With historically great programs like volleyball, some athletes had their minds set on coming to the Hill to continue their careers from a young age.
“When me and Travis talked and I had the opportunity I knew I couldn’t pass it up,” Howard said.
Being close to home weighed heavily on some of these student-athletes decision
like Western Volleyball in your backyard,” Howard said.
Howard is one of 18 current student-athletes at WKU who have continued their athletic career in their hometown. Of the homegrown talent, football has the most with six players. The other 12 are sprinkled throughout Hilltopper athletics: three from basketball, two from cross country, two from golf, two from track and field and one from each softball, volleyball and soccer.
WKU Athletics has been at the top of Conference USA since joining the league
guide me through it,” Coradini said. “So I was really more concerned about my little sister knowing that she could have a role model if I stayed home and got her to at least high school would be ideal.”
Many student-athletes struggle to adjust to the intense conditioning and workload they deal with day-to-day. Being a Division I athlete can be physically and mentally taxing, so being around family and having a support system can be important for them.
According to a study conducted by the NCAA in 2017, 55% of student-athletes communicate with their parents or
to play for WKU. WKU Track and Field’s sophomore Kennedy Coradini emphasized wanting to be a role model for her younger siblings.
Coradini attended South Warren High School where she competed in three events: discus, javelin and weight throw. Last season, Coradini set a personal record at the Music City Challenge in javelin where she threw 32.72m.
“I have two younger siblings and growing up and going through high school, looking back on it I feel like I would have done better if I had an older sibling to
guardians once or more per day for support across a wide range of issues.
“It is really nice because I know if I need them then they are all of 10 minutes away [...],” Coradini said. “I always have someone to go to.”
It can be crucial to have a support system when navigating collegiate sports. Whether it be teammates or family, the NCAA found many athletes keep in contact with their high school teammates and coaches, through a study conducted in 2017.
The NCAA study shows over 40% of
PHOTO PROVIDED BY KENNEDY CORADINI
HERALD ARCHIVES
WKU Hilltoppers’ outside hitter Katie Howard (26) reels back to toss her towel into the Diddle Arena crowd.
Kennedy Coradini throws shot put as a member of the WKU Track and Field Team.
athletes are still in close contact with their high school coaches.
“I know how much they love and support me but also when we travel I know they can’t make away games also but I know someone is always watching and somebody is going to be there to text me after the game and ask me how I am doing and that kind of stuff. To just being able to be here and be home it is just so nice to be able to come up to them after the game and to talk to them,” Howard said.
While some athletes initially choose to stay home and play their full collegiate careers at WKU, some athletes go elsewhere before ultimately coming back home to play for the Hilltoppers.
Cade Stinett, a junior guard for WKU Men’s Basketball, spent the first two years of his career at Centre College.
Stinnett was a standout at Greenwood High School where he surpassed 1,000 career points and was named 4th region Coaches Association player of the year his senior year in 2022. In his freshman and sophomore seasons at Centre College, he averaged more than 15 points.
After two successful years at Centre College, Stinnett knew he wanted to be a part of something special, which led him to transfer to WKU.
“My whole roots are in WKU,” Stinnett said.
When the Greenwood High School graduate had a chance to transfer back to his hometown this year, he said the decision was a “no-brainer.”
“I grew up around WKU basketball,” Stinnett said. “So my decision was pretty easy just because of how much I truly love this place and how I’m rooted in this place and I want to make an impact on something special here at WKU basketball.”
Sports Reporter Peyton Reid can be reached at Peyton.reid502@topper.wku. edu
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CADE STINETT Cade Stinett plays basketball at Greenwood High School.
WKU OVERSPENT GENERATED REVENUES BY $3.9 MILLION IN 2023-2024, DOCUMENTS SHOW
By Price Wilborn
Western Kentucky University spent nearly $4 million more than the revenue it generated during the 2023-2024 academic year, according to university budget executives.
This information comes over two months after the Herald first inquired about where the university stood at the end of fiscal year 2024.
On Sept. 4, WKU President Timothy Caboni announced in front of the university’s Staff Senate that three university units overspent their budgets during FY24, which ran from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, encompassing the 20232024 academic year.
Caboni told the senate that the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, the athletics department, and the university’s Division of Enrollment and Student Experience each overspent their budget, but did not provide any other information.
According to Renaldo Domoney, WKU assistant vice president for budget, finance and analytics, of the three units Caboni discussed, WKU Athletics overspent its budget by $2,734,321, the Division of Enrollment and Student Experience by $847,805, and the College
of Education and Behavioral Sciences overspent by $534,244. These units spent 108%, 102% and 103% of their budgets, respectively.
Domoney also stated “every other unit spent less than 100% of their budget.”
The Herald began requesting information from university officials on Sept. 4 after Caboni’s remarks to the Staff Senate. For over two months, the Herald sought records, information and explanations from members of the WKU administration, yet was prevented from receiving responsive records and giving interviews. This included three open records requests and six emails to university budget and communications personnel requesting interviews and information.
Because it is a public institution that receives taxpayer funding, WKU’s budget is a public record that the greater public is legally entitled to see under the Kentucky Open Records Act, according to Jon Fleischaker, an attorney with Kaplan, Johnson, Abate and Bird, the firm that represents the Herald through the Kentucky Press Association.
“You’re entitled to their budget, especially the budget for the year that’s ended,” Fleischaker said. “Anything that’s
been approved by the Board (of Regents), you’re entitled to. So if they’ve approved a budget, you’re entitled to see that, you’re entitled to get the information as to how they operated pursuant to their budget for the last fiscal year. The public is entitled to know that.”
“The Western Kentucky University administration has never been transparent. They have done everything they can to block almost everything,” Fleischaker added. “They apparently do not believe the public has a right to know how they are operating their public business. I’m not surprised by their intransigence, it’s consistent with their behavior for the last 20, 30 years.”
The Reporting Timeline
On Sept. 4, following Caboni’s announcement of the overspending of three university units, the Herald submitted its first public records request for detailed information concerning WKU’s budget for FY24. This request, sent to WKU General Counsel Andrea Anderson and Deputy General Counsel Lindsey Carter, requested:
• WKU’s budget plan for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s budgeted expenses for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s budgeted revenue for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s actual revenue for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s actual expenses for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s budgeted salary information for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Under the Kentucky Open Records Act, public officials are given five business days to respond to public records requests. Carter responded to the Herald’s initial request on Sept. 9. The response included already public information for WKU’s budget plan for the first three points.
The response, however, did not include information on the university’s actual revenue and expenses for FY24.
“For the two portions of your request seeking ‘actuals’ for fiscal year 2024, beginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024, please be advised that these documents are still in draft form and are not yet final,” Carter wrote. “Records that are preliminary drafts are exempted from disclosure pursuant to KRS 61.878(1)(i). That said, we expect these documents to be finalized in early October, and once final, they are subject to the Open Records Act. Please check back in October for this one.”
As instructed, the Herald filed a follow-up request on Oct. 9 for the university’s actual budget and expenses for 2024. This request asked for:
• WKU’s actual revenue for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023 and ending on June 20, 2024.
• WKU’s actual expenses for FY24, be-
ginning on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2024.
• WKU’s budgeted salary information for the 2024-2025 academic year in a sortable, digital format to include all part-time and full-time faculty and staff.
Additional salary information was requested to match a previous Herald request for the same sortable information received for the 2022-2023 academic year.
In response to this request, on Oct. 15, the Herald was provided with materials for that week’s Board of Regents meeting. The 316-page Finance and Budget Committee document included an independent auditor’s report conducted by Forvis Mazars. The report, which was approved by the Board of Regents, reviewed business activity of the university. It did not provide a detailed breakdown of the university’s actual revenues and expenditures by department and division.
Following the receipt of the Board of Regents materials, the Herald sent an email to Jace Lux, WKU university spokesperson, requesting information on “the WKU areas that overspent their budget in the past year, specifically by division, college, and department within each division.” In response, Lux provided the Herald with a table on Oct. 17 with information provided by Domoney.
The provided table stated that the three areas Caboni told the Staff Senate overspent – athletics, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and enrollment and student experience – spent 105%, 103% and 102% of their budgets, respectively. The information did not provide enough context and detail to determine further specifics, including whether WKU overspent its budget.
After receiving this information, the Herald sought an interview with Domoney to provide clarification, including
about the table itself, as well as the methods used to determine the percentages of overspending. Upon making this request, the Herald received an email response from Lux:
“University administrators and staff members in the division of Strategy, Operations and Finance are committed to open and transparent budget conversations and have frequently discussed the FY24 budget in public meetings and conversations with media during the last fifteen months. There is no additional information to share that hasn’t already been discussed.
“University officials have turned their attention solely toward this current year’s budget, which took effect nearly four months ago. The university’s financial position so far this fiscal year is encouraging, particularly the increase in net tuition revenue. Compared to this point in the previous fiscal year, our net tuition revenue has increased by $3.2 million, or 5.2%.”
The Herald then requested separate interviews with Susan Howarth, executive vice president for strategy, operations and finance, and Domoney on Oct. 23. The following day, Howarth responded in an email, writing in part:
“...as we are nearing the half way point in the FY 25 year and beginning the early stages of developing the FY 26 budget, I just don’t have openings in my schedule for interviews on the FY 24 budget. Renaldo is also very busy as he just finished up the FY 24 audit and is also working on multiple other projects. I will ask him to pull together some information to help answer your questions. Given our busy schedules, it will be several weeks before he gets back in touch.”
Following this email response, the Herald submitted another, more specific open records request on Oct. 24, which asked for:
• WKU’s detailed actual budget revenues per university unit – division, college, department, office, etc. – across the entire university for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023 and ending on June 30, 2023.
• WKU’s detailed actual budget expenditures per university unit –division, college, department, office, etc. – across the entire university for FY24, beginning on July 1, 2023 and ending on June 30, 2024.
On Oct. 31, the Herald received a response from Carter that appeared to provide revenue and expenditure numbers yet provided no context as to what these numbers represented. The document appeared to show that many university units overspent revenues by millions of dollars each, prompting more questions.
Upon receipt of the document from Carter, the Herald reached out again to Howarth, Domoney and Lux to request a sit-down interview to have the document explained. Lux responded to the request on Nov. 4, writing:
“You have already submitted a handful of questions for which I believe Susan
and Renaldo are drafting answers. If you have remaining questions, please submit them ASAP via email. Given your print deadline, it may not be feasible to answer all of them by tomorrow, but they will try.”
The Herald sent questions for Howarth and Domoney 49 minutes later. Domoney responded with detailed budget information at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 5.
Among the information provided, Domoney wrote that the document provided by Carter on Oct. 31 “does not necessarily reflect expenditure budgets for each university division and unit.”
Domoney’s response also showed that nine of the 12 budget areas he provided information for were given expenditure authority that was greater than the money allocated in the original budget for FY24. The percentages of the budgets Domoney provided were calculated using the increased expenditure authority, not the original budgeted allocations to each unit.
What questions remain?
Following the two-month process to receive answers to questions related to the
university’s FY24 budget, some questions remain which the Herald is working to answer:
• What specifically caused athletics, enrollment and student experience and the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences to overspend their budget?
• When and why did units get increased expenditure authority? Where did the additional money come from? How did the three overspending units still overspend this already increased expenditure authority?
• Caboni has said on multiple occasions that overspending units will have to make up for their spending. What will this look like for the three units that overspent in FY24?
• Will areas of the university that stayed within their budgets be required to cut spending to offset the three areas’ deficits?
Editor-in-Chief Price Wilborn can be reached at edwin.wilborn835@topper. wku.edu. Follow him on X @pricewilborn.
THE BEST OF THE BEST
WKU’s College Heights Herald was awarded the Multiplatform Pacemaker Award and the Newsmagazine Pacemaker Award by Associated Collegiate Press at the National College Media Convention on Nov. 2 in New Orleans. The Pacemaker is the premier award in college journalism, and these are the 24th and 25th won by the Herald since its first in 1981. They are the 48th and 49th won by WKU Student Publications, one of the country’s most honored student-run media groups.
JOURNALISM MATTERS.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE WKU BOARD OF REGENTS IT’S TIME FOR REAL TRANSPARENCY FROM CABONI AND WKU ADMINISTRATION
By the Herald Editorial Board
A central pillar of being a public institution is meeting the simple expectation of letting stakeholders and taxpayers know their money is being spent judiciously.
WKU continues to show that it feels it is above meeting the level of transparency promised to campus over and over again. It has shown itself as lacking the basic decency to provide answers to simple questions posed by members of the WKU community, and it has shown to fundamentally not respect the students, faculty, staff, alumni and taxpayers who support it.
For over two months, the College Heights Herald sought answers to a simple question: where did WKU stand financially at the conclusion of the 20232024 academic year?
This is a legitimate question. Following the university’s $11 million overspend during the 2022-2023 academic year, it is only logical that the WKU community has questions concerning the university’s spending the following year. Students deserve to know how their tuition is being spent, faculty and staff deserve to know why their raises continue to be minimal
while administrators receive large raises, and taxpayers deserve to know how their hard-earned dollars are being used at the institution.
The fact that WKU overspent its budget by nearly $4 million during fiscal year 2024 is unacceptable, but it is even more unacceptable that university executives made every effort to block the Herald from reporting on this information accurately.
It should be noted that, historically, WKU has struggled to manage its money. Eight years ago, WKU President Timothy
PHOTO BY VON SMITH
President Timothy Caboni waits to speak at his annual meeting with the university’s Staff Senate in the Senate Chambers in Downing Student Union on Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2024.
Caboni inherited a financial mess. When he came into office, Caboni had to make tough but necessary decisions because of budget cuts made by the Kentucky General Assembly and because of poor financial decisions made by the previous administration.
Eight years in, the university faces financial challenges again. State funding has continued to lag and enrollment is roughly 20% lower than when Caboni took office, meaning that WKU is not bringing in tuition dollars like it historically has.
Despite this, there are some shining spots, like the recent increases in retention and graduation rates. And while enrollment is down, net tuition appears to be increasing. These are notable positives that show encouraging signs of growth.
With the current financial struggles, however, Caboni and officials of his administration are only making an already difficult situation even harder because of their lack of transparency and their obvious non-commitment to it, despite throwing the word around in public comments to the Herald and to the wider university community.
As laid out elsewhere in this issue of the Herald, WKU administrative officials failed to provide the Herald with simple answers to legitimate questions about the 2023-2024 university budget, going so far as to tell the Herald that the university does not feel there is an “appetite” for further reporting on this issue because the university does not feel there would be any benefit to answering our questions.
It was only upon letting executives know a story would be written and published about the budget in this issue of the Herald that they finally responded with more specific answers to our questions.
We have asked questions since the beginning of September – for over two months – and have yet to be provided with full information and the opportunity to ask follow-up questions that provide an accurate telling of where the university ended up financially at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 academic year.
This is not the first time the Herald has been prevented from getting answers, nor do we expect it to be the last. As reported by the Herald in June, WKU budget executives hold a series of meetings with
pairs of regents each year for regents to ask questions about the proposed budget in a closed setting before publicly voting on it.
When requesting the budgeted salary information for part-time employees in September, the Herald was told by Lindsey Carter, WKU assistant general counsel, that “the University does not budget for part-time faculty at the position level, so part-time employees are not included in the document you requested.”
Upon further clarification by the Herald, Carter provided a document that detailed the budgeted part-time faculty and staff salaries.
While many other Kentucky public universities have released enrollment numbers for the current year, with many showing increases in first-year enrollment, WKU has refused to provide any information beyond Jace Lux, university spokesperson, writing in an email that, “WKU anticipates continued headcount stability with less than 1% variance from last year.”
Not to be remiss, departments and offices that interact directly with students each day are on the verge of losing vital connections and a vast wealth of institutional knowledge that has helped countless Hilltoppers learn each and every day. As the university prepares to lose employees through the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program, the budget is –and should be – under more scrutiny.
The list goes on, pointing to a much larger issue – WKU administration is not afraid of withholding information from the WKU community because there is no entity holding it accountable.
There is one group of individuals who can hold the administration accountable and serve as an official check on the actions of the university: the WKU Board of Regents. As the governing body of WKU, the board’s role is to be responsible for the university’s policies, finances and direction.
And it is far past time for the board to serve as that check; it just needs to find the courage to do so.
As an independent, student-run news organization, the Herald strives to accurately reflect all corners and aspects of the university. This includes not just the student body, but the faculty and staff who work here, alumni who love
this place as much as we do, and parents who send their children here for a quality education.
It is unfathomable why the university would work to prevent accurate reporting other than the simple fact that the administration is embarrassed about where the university ended fiscal year 2024. Despite that embarrassment, every single member of the WKU community deserves to know how their tuition and taxpayer dollars are being spent, why they are unable to receive larger raises, why their children are unable to be provided certain services or amenities, or why the programs they loved during their time on the Hill have been sliced and diced by university administration. Beyond money, though, every member of the WKU community is an equal stakeholder in the operations of the university. Each person deserves to know what the university is doing and, if it faces problems, how it plans to address them.
In the same way, the Herald, too, is beholden to the WKU community. It is the community that drives our sense of purpose and our desire to accurately report on the facts.
Given the university’s blatant efforts to prevent the Herald from reporting on certain issues, it is appalling that Caboni continues to promise “transparency” in the budgeting process. Because other news outlets rarely report on the minute details of public university operations, it falls to student newsrooms across Kentucky and the United States to serve as watchdogs.
In performing this service to the WKU community, we are doing something Caboni and his administration have thus far seemed either unwilling or incapable of doing: speaking as factually as we can about what happens at this university.
It is far past time for Caboni and the administration to stop offering empty platitudes and truly be transparent about the university’s operations. The WKU community deserves as much.
If you would like to submit a reaction to this editorial, a Letter to the Editor or other submission, please send it to herald.opinion@wku.edu or to wkuheraldeic@gmail.com
Open Tues-Sat 4pm-10pm
HERALD FUN PAGES
WKU TRIVIA
HOMECOMING WORD SEARCH
1. What year was WKU founded?
a) 1887
b) 1906
c) 1911
4. What is the only year WKU Football has gone undefeated?
a) 1946
b) 1973
c) 1963
2. Who was WKU’s fifth president?
a) John Minton
b) Donald Zacharias
c) Dero Downing
5. What is the oldest building on WKU’s campus?
a) Van Meter Hall
b) Cherry Hall
c) Gordon Wilson Hall
3. When is Big Red’s Birthday?
a) Feb. 25, 1981
b) March 17, 1963
c) Dec. 1, 1979
6. Which famous WKU Coach popularized the Red Towel?
a) Jimmy Feix
b) E.A. Diddle
c) Nick Denes
Sudoku.com Daily Puzzle, Nov. 5
THIS WEEK IN HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES
THURSDAY, NOV. 14
5:30 p.m.: Hilltopper Excellence Awards, Knicely Conference Center
