Nov. 11, 2011 College Heights Herald

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2011 • College Heights Herald • Vol. 87, No. 18 • Western Kentucky University

A planking past

Candidates ready for elections

Webster moves on from incident in August

By SIDNEY BLANFORD

By NATALIE HAYDEN

diversions@wkuherald.com

news@wkuherald.com

Tyler Webster rarely ever planks, but the Bowling Green freshman said the association is one that follows him ever since he laid stiff bodied on the statue of former WKU President Henry Hardin Cherry back in August.

“I don’t really plank. I never really did,” Webster said. “I saw a bunch of people doing it on the Internet and thought it would be a good way to get people to come to the website.”

Back in July, Webster and Greenwood High School senior Joshua Lindsey started the website PlankResponsibly.com after seeing the planking phenomenon take over social media networks.

Webster was briefly banned in August from setting foot on WKU’s campus after planking and placing stickers from his website around campus.

The ban was lifted less than a week later. Deborah Wilkins, chief of staff and general counsel, said the incident was protected under FERPA and WKU officials would not be able to discuss it.

Since August, Webster has started two websites, is pledging the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), working freelance graphic design jobs, interning on campus and attending WKU as a full-time student.

Nonetheless, he says some people around campus still know him as the “planking guy.”

“A lot of people knew me. A lot of the guys during rush would ask me about (the incident),” Webster said.

sponsibly.com, has known Webster for about three years now after the two met while attending Greenwood High School together. Lindsey said Webster has always been renowned.

“I mean I guess he got his 15 minutes of fame,” Lindsey said. “He continued on his tradition of being known.”

But Webster said the fame hasn’t been all fun.

Bowling Green residents will vote a week from today for their next mayor and a city commission seat. There are three candidates for mayor and five for commissioner who have appeared in forums to express their views.

Melinda Hill, a WKU instructor and current commissioner, is running to keep the seat she currently occupies.

Running for mayor is Bowling Green sophomore Brandon Peay, who has not appeared in any of the three forums leading up to election day. Peay did not return phone calls for this story.

Mayoral candidate and current city commissioner Bruce Wilkerson said he hopes to have support of WKU students and said he would listen to what ideas they have to improve the city.

“My big goal is to make sure the city remains solvent and that we live within our budget,” Wilkerson said.

Both Wilkerson and current mayor and candidate Joe Denning believe that the most important thing is making sure the city’s public safety is provided. Wilkerson said that the city has had to cut back some on public service, and while he doesn’t think people have noticed, it’s still a bad thing.

City commission candidates are also concerned with the city’s budget. Candidate Grant McCullum said the Chamber of Commerce is one big thing on his mind.

“I don’t have an agenda at all, but we need to continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce to make sure the police department and fire department are funded properly,” McCullum said.

SEE WEBSTER, PAGE 3

SEE READY, PAGE 6

MICHAEL RIVERA/HERALD

Bowling Green freshman Tyler Webster almost didn't enroll at WKU when he was banned from campus in August for planking. He's since found jobs at the university, though his reputation as the "planking guy" has stuck.

“The head of the art department said something to me too.”

Auburn senior Mitchell Moore knew Webster from outside of the planking incident. Moore said Webster is a great guy whose positive attitude in life makes him stand out.

But Moore agrees that his friend is widely associated with the term "planking."

“That has definitely gotten him a lot of publicity, and that is how a lot of people do know him,” Moore said.

Lindsey, co-founder of PlankRe-

Bjork, Taggart encourage fans to sell out Smith Stadium this Saturday

CHRISTIAN RANDOLPH/HERALD

Athletics Director Ross Bjork on Monday urged fans in an open letter to fill Smith Stadium for this weekend's game against Florida International. WKU has averaged 15, 284 fans this season at home games.

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

Fans charged the Smith Stadium field two weeks ago when WKU snapped an 18-game home losing streak.

Athletics Director Ross Bjork challenged 22,113 fans to be in the same stadium at 3 p.m. Saturday when the Toppers play Florida International.

Bjork sent an open letter to Topper fans Monday, encouraging them to fill Smith Stadium’s seating capacity when WKU plays FIU. The letter included the numbers “22,113” before all nine paragraphs and listed statistics outlining population figures for Bowling Green and the surrounding areas.

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“We are challenging all of you in Hilltopper Nation to fill this stadium Saturday!” the letter read. “We cannot do it alone, and this team needs you to be here wearing your WKU red and cheering on the Hilltoppers.”

Smith Stadium hasn’t sold out since 22,297 fans showed up for the Toppers’ 50-9 win over Murray State on Sept. 20, 2008 — the first game played after extensive stadium renovations.

The highest attendance figure since then was the 20,772 fans on hand to watch WKU fall 38-21 to Indiana last Sept. 18 in Taggart’s home head coaching debut.

WKU has averaged 15,284 fans for its four home games this season.

But Bjork said circumstances sur-

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rounding this Saturday’s game have made a sellout realistic.

The Toppers are running on four consecutive wins after beating Louisiana-Monroe 31-28 Saturday.

The streak, WKU’s longest since 2005, has the team sitting at 4-4 overall and 4-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Meanwhile the Toppers’ opponent, FIU, was the preseason league favorite and has already notched a win in the state of Kentucky this year, a 24-17 road win over Louisville.

“This is the biggest game in program history, or at least since we’ve been in the Football Bowl Subdivision,” Bjork said Monday. “Players and coaches will approach it like it’s just another game, but our fans need to be there.”

Saturday will also be Fan Appreciation Day in Smith Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets for $6 and hot dogs and Pepsi drinks for $1.

Taggart called the FIU game a “great opportunity” for both his team and WKU fans.

“There’s 23,000 in that stadium,” he said. “There’s no reason not to sell it out, especially when you’re winning.”

In addition to sending the open letter, Bjork started a #22113 Twitter campaign Saturday night after the win, which has since been changed to #wku22113.

Since then he, Taggart and other athletic department representatives have been encouraging social media followers to help WKU sell out the stadium.

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By TESSA DUVALL & KATHERINE WADE news@wkuherald.com

Enrollment at WKU continues to climb, reaching more than 21,000 students and setting a new record for the 14th year in a row.

According to a WKU news release, fall 2011 enrollment is 21,048 students, an increase of 145 students from last fall.

President Gary Ransdell said the announcement that WKU had exceeded 21,000 students was not a surprise because the university monitors the figures closely.

Brian Meredith, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, said the growth is due to a variety of factors and programs.

The Navitas program, which aims to bring international students to WKU, is now in its third year, has seen the number of students at WKU triple since the first year, Meredith said.

Improving retention numbers from sophomore to junior year and junior to senior year have also helped, he said.

Ransdell also emphasized the importance of retention and increasing the number of students who return for their sophomore year of college.

Currently, WKU loses about 25 percent of the freshman class before their sophomore year, Ransdell said.

“We want to cut way into that number,” he said.

Ransdell said he hopes to retain several hundred more freshmen from each freshman class.

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WKU's fall enrollment tops 21,000

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COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

a thousand words

Photo & Story By CHRIS WILSON

Tuba players from Lexington's Lafayette High School ready themselves on Saturday at the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Championships. Lexington's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School won its seventh Class 5A championship, the highest class at the competition.

Smith Stadium set the stage Saturday for Kentucky’s best high school marching bands to battle to determine which would prove the most worthy of a trophy. The sounds of brass, drums and cheers could be heard echoing throughout campus as the competition

stretched through the day and into the night.

Pictured are tuba players getting ready to march with Lexington’s Lafayette High School in the Class 5A division of the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Championships.

CRIME REPORTS Reports â– William Garmon, Burkesville, reported on Oct. 31 that the two side mirrors of his vehicle were broken off while it was parked in the North Chestnut Lot. â– Karen Curry, Greensburg, reported on Oct. 31 that the back windshield to her vehicle was busted out while it was parked in the North Chestnut Lot.

Arrests â– Landon Shull, Keen Hall, was arrested on Oct. 31 at the 1600 block of Normal Drive and charged with alcohol intoxication. Shull was lodged in the Warren County Jail and released the same day. â– Elora Antunez was allegedly involved

in a physical altercation on Oct. 30 in the lobby of Barnes-Campbell Hall with Casey West. When police arrived at the scene, they arrested Antunez and charged her with alcohol intoxication, eeing and evading, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. West told the arresting officers that she did not want to press charges against Antunez for the ďŹ ght.

Antunez is still being held in the Warren County Jail on $5,000 bond. ■Erica Nichols, Lexington, was arrested on Oct. 29 in the Mimosa Lot and charged with driving under the inuence. She was also charged with not having her license plate illuminated,

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Lafayette came in second place behind Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, also from Lexington. Lafayette has won 16 state titles in previous years, while Dunbar won its seventh championship on Saturday night.

Classes are set by schools’

driving without an operator’s license, and possession of an open container of alcohol in her car. Nichols was lodged in the Warren County Jail and released the same day. ■Simon Lutes, McCormack Hall, was arrested on Oct. 29 at 13th and State, and charged with alcohol intoxication.

Lutes was lodged in the Warren County Jail and released the same day. â– Ashley Nicole Franklin, Minton Hall, was arrested Oct. 28 in the Minton lobby and charged with alcohol intoxication. Franklin was lodged in the Warren County Jail and released the same day. â– William T. Miller III was cited on Oct. 27 in McCormack for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

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enrollments, with Class 5A as the highest division.

Sixteen schools fought in the mid-day sun during the semifinal round of the competition, and 20 schools from five different divisions came back in the evening to compete in the finals.

FANS CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Taggart said he wants the community not just to show up Saturday, but to be loud and involved in the game while there. “When FIU is on third down, I want them to go crazy,� Taggart said. “That’s how they can help this football team. “I want people to do crazy things, say crazy things, just be loud.�

After saying that, Taggart then turned directly toward television cameras and pleaded with WKU fans to come to Saturday’s game. “I’m here to say it right now, Hilltopper nation, come to this game. Help us out,�

Taggart said. “Third down, please, make some noise. It will help, it will help, and we need it this weekend.�

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Taylor Rock, left, a junior at Lafayette and the section leader for the tubas, gave his team words of encouragement before stepping onto the field. “Do not let up at all,� Rock said. “When you feel weak, you’re not weak — at all. It’s too late in the game to let up now.�

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NOVEMBER 1, 2011

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

3

Students write letters to raise money for hospital

By MACIENA JUSTICE diversions@wkuherald.com

WKU is the third highest ranking contributor in the nation among colleges for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital thanks to Up ‘Til Dawn, a philanthropic program on campus.

Richmond senior Emily Borgmeier, the public relations chair for Up ’Til Dawn, said last year WKU raised about $86,000 from its fundraising.

“I participated my freshman year,” Borgmeier said. “My entire sorority went to the finale event and it was just one of those things. I just love it. I got involved my junior year and now I’m the PR chair.”

Up ‘Til Dawn raises money specifically for St. Jude’s through their main fundraiser,

the letter writing campaign.

Today and tomorrow in the Cupola Room, which can be accessed through Red Zone, students have the opportunity to send letters to their family and friends asking for donations for the hospital.

Borgmeier said the letters are preformed with students only responsible for addressing the envelopes. A student can write as many as they want, but if a student writes 25 letters they can earn one service hour if they are Greek. However any student that writes 25 letters is eligible to attend the finale event March 16, 2012.

Last week 50 students were able to go to tour St. Jude’s.

“It was an indescribable experience,” Borgmeier said. “It was life-changing to see where

all our hard work goes.”

She said as they took the tour, there were many mothers who would thank them for their fundraising.

Bowling Green senior Gina Scenna has been through the tour of the hospital three times.

“It completely changes why you do what you do,” she said.

Borgmeier and Scenna said they both have gained knowledge about the hospital from the tours.

St. Jude is known for being a hospital that never turns a family away due to financial problems. They take care of housing along with medical care for the families. It costs 1.7 million dollars a day for St. Jude to operate.

Although the hospital is based in Memphis, Tenn., it

Disc jockeys

LESLYE DAVIS/HERALD

During the WKU ultimate frisbee club's game Saturday against Vanderbilt, Louisville junior Ian Mack catches a pass while Vanderbilt freshman Jon Muniz defends him.

Ultimate frisbee photo gallery

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helps children all over the world.

Scenna has been working with Up ‘Til Dawn since the summer of 2009. Scenna is now the executive director and the chair of the letter writing committee. She said that last week, the board did an awareness week to help add a spotlight on St. Jude.

“They say we help tremendously,” Scenna said about St. Jude’s response to WKU fundraising. “While it doesn’t seem like much, we help out.”

Cox’s Creek senior Justin Pile is on the executive board of Up ‘Til Dawn. He became involved with the organization after looking for something where he could help a good cause.

The letters students send

WEBSTER CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“It has gotten me some negative attention too,” Webster said. “When you type in my name in Google it pops up saying I defaced property.”

Although many Google search results for Tyler Webster are articles regarding his prior planking incident, there is one link that will take you straight to his website, TylerWebster.com.

This site is one he created and uses to promote himself as a freelance graphic designer. Webster does everything from creating websites to designing business cards, T-shirts and gymnasium floors.

“He built (PlankResponsibly.com) pretty much from scratch,” Lindsey said. “He knows what looks good and what people like.”

“I just used to get on the computer a lot,” Webster said. “I started doing MySpace layouts and designed a lot of school shirts.”

are on behalf of the hospital and ask for donations that go 100 percent to St. Jude, Pile said.

“It goes to patients and their families,” he said. “It’s for the patients and their families’ food and housing.”

Pile said St. Jude shares all of their research with the public and other researching centers,so that everyone can benefit from their findings.

Borgmeier said Up ‘Til Dawn’s goal for this year is to earn $100,000 through the letter writing campaign and its other fundraising events.

Other campaigns include bake sales and Buffalo Wild Wings and The Buckhead Cafe night, where a portion of that evening’s sales goes to the children’s hospital.

According to TylerWebster.com, he has experience with the photo editing software Adobe Photoshop and with the web design software Adobe Dreamweaver.

Besides planking, Webster said, “My design skills are what everyone knows me for.”

“He is an epic graphic designer,” Lindsey said.

“Everything he does is perfect.”

Webster said he views himself as an entrepreneur and hopes to hold some kind of graphic design career one day, possibly his own printing company. Right now, he is just working odd jobs that come to him through his website.

“People will come to the site and email me or call me about jobs,” he said.

The job Webster said he feels was his greatest success was his time spent working for Gildan, a leading supplier of Tshirts, jackets and socks to the screen printing market in the United States.

This past spring, Gil-

dan sponsored the BeachBlast Spring Break 2011 in Panama City Beach, Fla., where they handed out 100,000 free t-shirts.

Those shirts were designed by Webster.

“My friend’s dad is the vice president of Gildan,” Webster said.

After his connection talked with Gildan and landed him the designing job, Webster designed the BeachBlast shirts and received a free trip to Panama City Beach, Fla., to help hand out the shirts.

Currently, he is not working with Gildan on any projects, but he has been designing shirts for his fraternity and just got a job through his website last week.

Outside of graphic design Webster spends his time working out and with the WKU Restaurant and Catering Group as their marketing intern.

With all of Webster’s endeavors now on campus, he said he is accomplishing more than just finding the most unique places to lay stiff as a board.

Students responsible for heating source switch

By NICK BRATCHER news@wkuherald.com

As warm air starts to pour out of the heating units in buildings on campus, it carries with it the realized dream of a small group of WKU students.

This winter, WKU will heat all of its buildings entirely with natural gas instead of coal for the very first time in campus history.

The group of students, which does not have an official name, started meeting in 2008 to research how electricity was generated in the U.S. and how WKU could adopt an alternative energy source to coal.

Emily Gillespie, a WKU graduate student from Roanoke, Va., was one of the leaders of the natural gas move-

ment on campus.

The group started from humble beginnings, meeting on Sundays for a weekly potluck, Gillespie said.

“It started with a lot of awareness-building about how we produce electricity in the United States, and in Kentucky specifically,” she said.

Once the group of 10 to 50 students had developed the idea that the U.S. should make a change to using natural gas, it had to decide where to start Gillespie said.

“There’s the top-down approach where you try with national legislation first, or there’s the grassroots approach where you work in your local community and try to make the change from there,” she said. “Then,

the change can continue out into other communities.

“It was my desire to work in my own community first and hope that work could continue out and form legislation for Bowling Green, for our state and nationally.”

The group then met with Dale Dyer, plant operations manager for Facilities Management, and Christian Ryan-Downing, sustainability coordinator, about how to accomplish a switch to natural gas.

Ryan-Downing said she found the group’s goal appealing because natural gas is a safer energy source than coal in the extraction and consumption process.

“The biggest thing is that burning natural gas rather than

coal lowers our greenhouse gas emissions,” Ryan-Downing said.

“There’s less ugly things coming out of the stack, to put it basically.

“We absolutely realize it’s not the best — it’s not the final, best solution — but it’s a step up from coal.”

WKU installed the first of two natural gas boilers in January 2010 and the second over the summer, making way for this transition to a “cleaner, cheaper, and environmentally correct” energy source, Dyer said.

“We’ve actually been working in that direction for probably the last year and a half,” he said. “Up until right now, Western did not have the capacity to generate all the steam it needed with natural gas. We’ll start it

up late November.”

Those new boilers also mean big savings in WKU’s energy costs, Ryan-Downing said.

“When we burn it, it burns a lot cleaner, but also it burns a lot more efficiently in our new boilers,” she said. “We get more bang for our buck, so to speak.

We get more heat from less fossil fuel.”

Gillespie said she hopes this transition to using natural gas as a main energy source spreads much farther than WKU in the future.

“Being a student on campus, that was my community,” she said. “Working with campus leaders and faculty to change what’s going on on our campus seemed like a good first step in my activism.”

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11.1.11

College Heights Herald • Western Kentucky University

Level playing field The Herald applauds Interfraternity Council's recent bylaws changes THE ISSUE: After years of inconsistent enforcement concerning drinking during fraternity recruitment, the Interfraternity Council took action against fraternities this year for drinking violations.

After some fraternities complained about unequal representation under the Executive Board’s oversight on recruitment control, the IFC decided to revise recruitment bylaws making Greek relations stronger and equal.

How do you feel about the football team's four game winning streak?

“I feel that they’re more hungry for wins now, and they’re tired of losing and people talking down about them.”

BROOKE ARMSTRONG Louisville junior

“I’m not much of a sports fan, but I think it’s good and it makes me happy to see people excited about it.” looks good on paper, will it really change anything with the relationship between the IFC and fraternities?

Alissa Mansfield, the coordinator of student activities for Greek affairs, said the revision won’t substantially change the implementation of patrolling and it’s primarily meant to make sure the process is fair.

IFC President John Hughes said the focus of the IFC is not to patrol the fraternities, but rather to help them in their goals.

“I feel like that’s been lost over the years,” he said.

Even if the revision doesn’t improve Greek relations or stop fraternities from blaming infractions on other fraternities, at least the IFC has put forth an effort to make recruitment for potential new members fair.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Heraldʼs 10-member editorial board.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Key players in study abroad should be recognized I was disappointed with the omission of some important information from an article that appeared in the October 21 issue of The Herald.

The Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS) has played an integral role in promoting study abroad to WKU students. Since moving to the WKU campus in 2009, KIIS has made a significant contribution to the increase in the number of students who study abroad.

POLL

RYAN HALL Henderson junior

OUR STANCE: Consistency is key when enforcing rules. The Herald applauds the IFC for acknowledging flaws in their rule enforcement in years past.

Making revisions to its bylaws in attempts to patrol fraternities and provide enough sufficient evidence for any actions taken against a fraternity is a step in the right direction.

The revision states that complaints will be handled as per IFC constitutional procedures. In order to find a fraternity guilty, two IFC council members must witness the infraction, or there must be “sufficient” evidence to prove the infraction to be true, according to IFC bylaws.

In September, Pi Kappa Alpha and Delta Tau Delta fraternities had Homecoming pairings revoked in a ruling by the IFC judicial board after being found guilty of throwing recruitment parties where alcohol was present.

Only some fraternities have positions on the executive board, whereas every chapter has representation on the judicial board.

IFC bylaws call the presence of alcohol at recruitment parties a “major offense,” and after a third violation, the issue will be sent to the university Judicial Office.

“Some fraternities thought we were picking on them,” said Blake Lambert, the vice president of IFC judicial affairs.

Although implementing the revisions

people

Its quality summer and semester programs are an excellent fit for WKU students. I encourage The Herald to include KIIS in its future investigations as they may relate to study abroad and internationalization.

While it is true that many Honors College students participate in faculty-led programs, I would like to point out that thanks to the efforts of the Honors College, we have seen a notable increase in participa-

tion in the Harlaxton program.

I encourage The Herald to examine how honors colleges at other universities promote study abroad. It will be evident that not all honors colleges are as committed to study abroad as the WKU Honors College program.

Lastly, the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) has enabled WKU faculty to lead short-term winter and summer programs abroad. CCSA

is another valuable resource in promoting study abroad as an accessible option for WKU students. We are fortunate to have them on campus.

There are many important players on campus who work hard to promote study abroad. I simply would like to see the recognition for their efforts.

Tom Millington Director of Study Abroad & Global Learning

ALYSSA POINTER Atlanta, Ga. freshman

“Apparently the offense and defense are doing their thing by going into overtime. They’re in it to win it.”

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NOVEMBER 1, 2011

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

Take a Break

www.facebook.com/wkuherald www.facebook.com/chhsports @wkuherald @wkuheraldsports @wkuheraldnews College Heights Herald

...for goodness sake!

from the hill @Checherbud: Who was the genius at WKU that thought turning the fountain on was a good idea this weekend? #Itscold #youarewastingourtuitionmoney -sent Sunday 10/30

@MissCharliBrown: I feel like every1 that attended WKU is n the same fraternity/ sorority. Wen I see sum1 w/ a WKU hoodie on I jus wanna hug em -sent Sunday 10/30 @alderdice: Let's settle early on a hashtag for Saturday's #WKU v. #FIU game. 22113 seems to be an important part, but Twitter requires text too. -sent Sunday 10/30

@RossBjorkAD: Great character win tonight vs tough UL Monroe team. Guys never gave up or doubted victory. Something to remember for the week ahead #22113 -sent Saturday 10/29 @robinsonandrew: @RossBjorkAD I expect tweets this week if you find out men in funny-colored suits, aka bowl reps are expected for WKU-FIU. -sent Saturday 10/29 @LukeDeckard: #WKU is tied for the best record in division one in the state and currently has a better record than #UK #werunthis #SunbeltSwag -sent Saturday 10/29 @bmag21: It's a weird feeling but I now expect WKU to win. -sent Saturday 10/29

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6 Students learn cooking outside of classroom COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

By ANNA ANDERSON diversions@wkuherald.com

Ben Robinson said he knew he was in trouble when he saw smoke. The saucepan he’d been stirring just moments before had burst into flames, incinerating his fried rice. In a second, a simple miscalculation had become a disaster.

It was last year when Burkesville native Robinson, a 21-year-old nursing major at WKU, almost set fire to his apartment's kitchen.

Robinson’s incident is a common story among college students. He moved out of his parents’ home and into an apartment and was suddenly left to fend for himself.

When it comes to food, Robinson had two choices.

He could eat out or brave the culinary world alone. On the second route, Robinson said there were bound to be a few

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

disasters.

“I try to be open to everything,” he said. “If there’s something new to learn, I try to go for it.”

To avoid the pitfalls of cooking, a lot of students choose to eat out for almost every meal.

Princeton freshman Lindsey Byrd is one of these. The 18-year-old music education major dines out for both lunch and dinner almost every day. She contributes her diet choices to her hectic schedule and to her lack of culinary expertise.

On an average day, Byrd attends class, goes to marching band practice and accompanies both WKU Women’s Chorus and the Bowling Green-Western Choral Society on piano.

After all of this, she said she still finds time to practice piano for about two hours each day. Byrd said there is not much time left for pre-

paring meals, even if she had the tools and knowledge to do so.

Although she tries to eat a balanced diet, Byrd admits it can be tough to get enough fruits and vegetables.

“I probably don’t get as much as I need,” she said.

Julie Lee, an instructor in WKU’s Family and Consumer Sciences department, says that Byrd is not alone.

Lee said that most of her students barely eat any fruits or vegetables and eat out for most of their meals.

“It always scares me when they’re eating fast food two times a day,” she said.

Lee is a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes educator with an extensive history in food. She has worked as a chef around the country.

Since 2006, Lee has been teaching courses in hospitality management, dietetics, international cuisine and

community nutrition.

Lee recommends that students cook for themselves at least two to three times a week. To Lee, the health benefits are clear.

“You can control fat, salt and portion size,” she said.

Lee said restaurants regularly neglect recommended portion sizes. At a typical restaurant, an appetizer, main dish and dessert can be around 1,000 calories each.

At home, Lee cooks once a week and saves the leftovers for the other six days.

For example, she roasts a chicken on Saturday, packs it into plastic storage containers for the refrigerator and pairs it with different ingredients and sauces until it’s gone.

For students, Lee recommends making hardy, simple meals that can be stored for a while.

Lee said a lot of these meals can be based off a can

COOPER BURTON/HERALD

Princeton freshman Lindsey Byrd enjoys a slice of pie at The Fresh Food Company in Downing University Center. She eats out for almost every meal.

of soup. Many soup cans include recipes for casseroles and pastas. She said these recipes are easy to cook and can taste even better on the second day.

While Lee said cooking meals can be a better alternative, it’s not always easy.

“You have to have time and initiative,” she said.

Since Robinson narrowly

averted his fried rice crisis a year ago, he has taken the initiative. Through a series of what he calls “trial and error,” Robinson has taught himself to cook.

Robinson said the main thing that helped him learn was his frame of mind.

“So far all of my accidents have turned out to be great recipes,” he said.

SGA promoting City commissioners balance student voting roles as instructor, politician on Election Day

By NATALIE HAYDEN news@wkuherald.com

By TAYLOR HARRISON

Instructors Melinda Hill and Bill Waltrip do more than just teach to be involved with WKU — they are also Bowling Green city commissioners. “[Commissioners] try to benefit both. Of course we can’t give Western something that’s going to hurt the city in the long run, and Western is not going to do something to harm the city,” said Hill, a computer informations system instructor, about the relationship between WKU and the city.

The commission resides over the district and zoning board, creates the city budget and gives grants to the city.

Although Hill has been teaching at WKU for four years, she has only been a commissioner since March.

“Balancing between the two is hard, but it’s worth it,” Hill said. “I’m fortunate enough not to have class on

news@wkuherald.com

The Student Government Association is giving out T-shirts in exchange for “I Voted” stickers to students who vote on the upcoming Nov. 8 Election Day. The shirts, designed by SGA public relations director, Jane Wood, say “Tops Tops Tops” on the front and “Vote Vote Vote” on the back. They will be red with white letters.

Students who bring their sticker to the SGA office on the first floor of DUC will get a free T-shirt.

Kendrick Bryan, SGA executive vice president, said the Tops Vote idea came about when he “gave an idea and they rolled with it.”

Bryan first came up with the idea when he saw something similar on another student government website.

It is the job of the student government to be advocates for many issues, including encouraging students to vote on Election Day, Bryan said. A good collegiate turnout can greatly affect the outcome of an election, he added.

“Your vote is your voice,” he said.

Cody Murphy, SGA Public Relations chairperson, said since SGA is a governing body at WKU, they feel like it’s important that students contribute to something that matters and get involved in “the bigger picture.”

The goal of the T-shirt give-away is to increase voter turnout, especially with so many WKU students away from their hometowns, Murphy said.

Voting on Election Day is important because it gives students a chance to say “this is what I believe in,” he said.

Murphy said that whether or not they continue to pass out shirts throughout the week after Election Day will depend on how many are left after Nov. 8.

Wood said leftover T-shirts may be given to anyone who comes in, not just people with “I Voted” stickers. Bryan said the SGA could use leftover Tshirts in the future for public relations purposes.

FALL CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Additionally, WKU has built new relationships with high schools in the region, increasing the number of students enrolled in dual credit classes, Meredith said.

Dual credit classes allow high school students to take WKU classes and simultaneously receive credit for the course at their high school and WKU.

READY CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“We have to make sure the Chamber of Commerce has what it needs to bring in jobs,” he added.

Hill said she wants to make sure Bowling Green lives within its means, and that people have access to their government officials.

“The main issue is that citizens know who to contact for these issues, whatever they may be,” Hill said. “My main issue is to educate the public on what the city can do for them.”

However, candidate Bill Goodwin wants to deal with another is-

gotta have my jimmy john, that’s what keeps my happy on!

Tuesdays and Thursdays, so Tuesday is kind of my designated city day.”

Waltrip, a part-time faculty member in the sociology department, agrees.

He said that while it is difficult, he likes being busy.

“I do love it. The teaching part also affords me the opportunity to stay fairly current with law enforcement issues,” said Waltrip, who was Bowling Green chief of police from 2002-2006.

Waltrip said he enjoys the feedback he receives from students on how they think the BGPD is doing.

Waltrip also enjoys student contributions to the city.

“WKU adds so much not only to our economy, but also to the cultural aspect of Bowling Green. Our quality of life is better because WKU is here,” he said. “I sometimes walk around campus and see how beautiful it is, and how vibrant. The energy that the

students bring is something that other cities would literally die for.”

Hill agrees.

“Citizens need to realize is what a vital part Western plays in the Bowling Green community,” she said. “Just think of what students spend, even on limited student budgets. Bowling Green would be in a world of hurt if WKU decided to just up and move.”

Hill believes that her being involved with city government is beneficial to her students because it allows her to bring “real-world experience into the classroom.”

“I’ve always said that I try to bring my corporate business experience into the classroom. Now I have another piece of experience, and that is city government,” she said. “And who knows, maybe someday it will make [students] decide that they want to do that.”

A good many of these dual-credit students go on to become WKU fulltime freshmen after high school, Meredith said.

WKU’s continuing efforts to reach out to area students, the growth of academic programs and increased awareness of WKU’s offerings has also contributed to growth, Meredith said.

“As word of mouth grows, more interest in Western Kentucky grows,” he said.

The 145-student increase is consid-

ered modest growth, Ransdell said. Sustaining this level of growth is important for supporting the university financially.

However, the financial impact of this year’s growth is relatively flat because the student increase came from dual credit. Ransdell said dual credit students pay a flat $200 fee for each course.

“If that’s your primary margin of growth, it doesn’t produce the kind of revenue from online students and fulltime students,” he said.

sue — the smoking ban.

“One of the main issues I have is equality,” Goodwin said. “It’s a violation of civil liberties. We need to alter the course of that code so that it reflects civil liberties.”

While he doesn’t promote smoking in restaurants, Goodwin said it isn’t fair that people have to stand outside in doorways to smoke, especially in bad weather.

Goodwin also wants to keep WKU graduates in Bowling Green.

“WKU is Bowling Green’s teacher and a great part of our future,” he said. “I want to keep [students] here. I want [students] working side by side with me to build a better future.”

McCullum, Hill and Goodwin are running against Robin Baldwin and Mark Bradford. Baldwin and Bradford did not return requests for comment for this story.

In order to be able to vote, a student must be registered to vote in Warren County.

Students who are from Warren County and have not already registered cannot vote because registration is closed. Also, students from other areas of Kentucky cannot vote locally.

Polls will be open on Nov. 8 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. For information on where to vote, visit warrencounty.state.ky.us/PollLocations. stm

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NOVEMBER 1, 2011

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

YOUTH CONTINUED FROM SPORTS

Musser took first in the 100 and 200 backstroke and competed as part of the winning squad in the 400 freestyle relay. He was one of five freshmen responsible for winning half WKU’s winning events.

“No matter what class or age you are, you can still make a difference for your team,” Musser said.

Freshman Allie Duff won two individual races — the 100 and 200 backstroke, while freshmen Susan Marquess, Hannah Runyon-Hass and Loui Little each claimed wins as well.

We get to compete off of each other and we can motivated one another."

—SUSAN MARQUESS Freshman

Marquess said she’s not disappointed with the team’s performance.

“We knew UK would be tough, and they showed they were there to race,” she said.

“It was a great experience, and the competition made it better. We all learned where we were as far as our swimming goes.”

Marchionda said the depth of this year’s team, along with the level shown by the relay victories, is a necessity for the conference championship.

The depth extended past the freshman class.

Senior Stephanie Martin partnered with Duff in leading the women’s team and won the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She put up a careerbest time of 1:04.58 in the 100 breaststroke.

Both teams compete again Friday in a tri-meet against Clemson and Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Marchionda said he anticipates that the two Atlantic Coast Conference schools will be as strong as UK. Marquess said teamwork is the key to preparing for the competition ahead.

“We need to keep working together,” Marquess said. “We get to compete off of each other, and we can motivate one another.

It makes for better competition.”

7

ABBY O'BRYAN/HERALD

WKU's men's and women's cross country teams swept the Sun Belt Championships on Saturday at Kereiakes Park in Bowling Green. Head Coach Erik Jenkins was named men's Coach of the Year.

SWEEP CONTINUED FROM SPORTS

MTSU runner Justus David was the individual winner of the men’s 8k with his time of 24:25.7 edging out WKU senior Deus Rwaheru’s 24.27.7.

Rwaheru was joined in the top five by freshman David Mokone (fourth) and sophomore Peter Okwera (fifth).

WKU junior Kyle Chettle-

burgh checked in at ninth place, giving the Toppers four runners out of the event’s top 10.

Mokone was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, while Head Coach Erik Jenkins was selected as Men’s Coach of the Year.

“For the guys to go out and run hard, especially at home, that’s always something special,” Jenkins said. “We’re young, so we look forward to good things in the future.”

Individual results Women's 1. Kandie, Marion (17:21.5) 4. Chemweno, Vasity (18:00.1) 8. Finn, Michelle (18:21.2)

Men's 2. Rwaheru, Deus (24:27.5) 4. Mokone, David (24:47.0) 5. Okwera, Peter (24:53.1)

FOOTBALL NOTES

WKU survives 'unreal' final minute at ULM

By BRAD STEPHENS sports@wkuherald.com

WKU almost walked out of Malone Stadium with a devastating loss to Louisiana-Monroe Saturday.

The Toppers blew a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter and trailed 21-20 in the final minute.

WKU got back on top with a quick touchdown and then gave up a Warhawk score with just six seconds left to tie the game at 28 send the game to overtime.

But senior cornerback Derrius Brooks and freshman kicker Jesse Roy rose to the occasion to save the Toppers.

Brooks picked off a pass in the end zone on ULM’s lone overtime possession, then Roy booted a 24-yard field goal to give WKU a 31-28 win.

Senior left tackle Wes Jef-

fries said it was a complete team win, as the offense, defense and special teams all made important plays at the very end of the game.

“Twenty-two points scored in the final minute of the game, that was unreal,” Jeffries said Monday. “But it took all three phases of the game to win the ballgame.”

The win was the fourth consecutive for the Toppers, giving the team its longest winning streak since 2005.

Head Coach Willie Taggart had said earlier in the season that his team needed to learn how to win after starting the year 0-4.

But junior defensive end Quanterus Smith said the key to WKU’s recent turnaround has been “learning how to finish.”

“Even in the plays, fighting to the end, trying to finish the block,

REMATCH CONTINUED FROM SPORTS

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Neidell said the Lady Raiders put WKU “on their heels” the whole second half. With eight minutes left in the match, MTSU scored to tie the game 1-1.

“We were talking about being more aggressive in the second half and unfortunately we weren’t,” Neidell said. “Middle played a good second half. They took it to us.”

That sequence set up overtime and Outer-

trying to finish the tackle,” he said. “I think it’s just finishing, coming as a team and learning to how to finish and coming out on top of these games.”

Still, Taggart said he was disappointed the outcome had to come down to the end of the game and that the Toppers couldn’t close things out when they had a 20-7 lead.

“We want to be a dominant football team, and you can’t do that if you don’t learn to step on people’s throats and keep 'em down when they’re down,” he said. “You give them any kind of life and bad things happen for you.” ◆ Keeping an eye to the scoreboard WKU’s four-game winning streak has the Toppers sitting in third place in the Sun Belt Conference standings and within

bridge’s game winning heroics.

Freshman midfielder Allie Auscherman played a ball into the box to Outerbridge — the school’s alltime leading goal scorer.

Outerbridge played a slow-roller to the post with 13 seconds left in the first overtime period to win the game.

The Saskatchewan native said the win over the Lady Raiders was emotional because MTSU had eliminated WKU from the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals one year ago on penalty kicks.

striking distance of a league title.

WKU’s 4-1 league record has Taggart’s team trailing first place Arkansas State by half a game in the loss column and second place Louisiana-Lafayette by half a game in the win column.

The Red Wolves have a tiebreaker over the Toppers thanks to a 26-22 Oct. 1 win, while WKU’s 42-23 Oct. 22 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns gave the Toppers an advantage over ULL in a potential tiebreaker scenario.

Taggart said he’s avoided spending too much time scoreboard-watching on Arkansas State and ULL. “It really doesn’t matter right now that we’re concerned with everybody else,” he said. “If we take it one step at a time and continue to do what we’re doing, then it’ll take care of itself.”

Still, Smith said he knows

“The team that wanted it was going to win, and us six seniors wanted it,” Outerbridge said. “We had a sour taste in our mouth from last year… and we were able to come out on top this year."

Buechel said Friday's win was good for the team as a whole and their confidence going forward.

“I think it’s important to make a statement,” she said. “This is what we’re going to bring next time and even better. It gives us the confidence going into the game knowing we can beat this team.”

who he’ll be rooting for when the Red Wolves and Ragin’ Cajuns meet on Nov. 12.

“I hope Lafayette whoops their butt,” he said. ◆ Injury, suspension update Taggart said he hoped to see junior defensive tackle Rammell Lewis back this week after missing the ULM game with a left foot injury.

“He’s been getting treatment multiple times a day, and I think he’ll work back in this weekend,” Taggart said. “We’ll see at the end of the week.”

He also said junior wide receiver Dexter Haynes and sophomore wide receiver Courtney Dalcourt were still suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.

Neither made the trip to Monroe last weekend.

TOPS CONTINUED FROM SPORTS

Hudson was also pleased with the crowds that came out to the last two matches at Diddle this season. The Lady Toppers finished their home schedule 12-1 on the year.

“We’ve had great crowds all year,” he said.

“This has turned into a fun environment that our kids enjoy playing in.”

The Lady Toppers will be on the road for the last three matches on their schedule. They will trav-

el to South Alabama and Troy this weekend before closing out the regular season at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 11.

MTSU is the only team to beat WKU at home this year and has been the only Sun Belt team to beat the Lady Toppers all season.

Hudson said he thinks that match could be a big one for his team coming down the stretch.

“We talked about making that last one at Middle Tennessee meaningful,” he said. “The way to do that is to keep piling up wins.”

Christmas Open House November 5, 2011 9:00a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

WKU Floral Design Training Center 514 Regents Avenue - Christmas Ornaments - Garland - Wreaths - Fresh Cut & Silk Arrangements - Gift Items There will be Door prizes and refreshments, so come on by!

WKUHERALD.COM

follow @wkuheraldsports for coverage of Wednesday's

Men's and women's basketball media day 11.1.11

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD • Vol. 87, No. 18 • WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

CROSS COUNTRY

Cross Country teams sweep Sun Belt titles

By BRAD STEPHENS

cross country championship for the men and their first since 2008.

Meanwhile, the Lady Toppers won their sixth straight Sun Belt crown, and 17th overall.

“We won last year and we wanted to keep the record going,” senior Marion Kandie said. “We should do it as a team, so I’m so proud of our team, too.”

sports@wkuherald.com

The WKU men’s and women’s cross country teams are once again on top of the Sun Belt Conference.

Both the Toppers and Lady Toppers won their respective league titles Saturday morning at Bowling Green’s Kereiakes Park It was the 15th Sun Belt

Kandie did her part to pitch in for the team title, as she finished first in the women’s 5k to claim her second straight individual Sun Belt championship.

Kandie won the women’s 5k with a time of 17:21.5, nearly 25 seconds ahead of second place runner, Lucy Kapkiai of Middle Tennessee State.

Kandie ran behind other runners for much of the race, then snuck past and cruised on

for the dominating win.

“It was my last race, my last Sun Belt Conference championship and it’s my home course,” Kandie said. “I was praying to God to help me win this race and he did it.”

The Lady Toppers (60 points) finished first behind strong efforts from Kandie, senior Vasity Chemweno (fourth place) and senior Michelle Finn (eighth place).

North Texas finished second with 74 points, followed by South Alabama (97 points) and UALR (98 points).

On the men’s side, WKU’s 36 team points gave them the victory over Arkansas-Little Rock (51 points), MTSU (64 points) and Florida International (126 points).

SEE SWEEP, PAGE 7

VOLLEYBALL

SWIMMING

Lady Tops experience emotional weekend

Youth shines despite loss to UK in seasonopening meet

By LUCAS AULBACH sports@wkuherald.com

Two more Sun Belt Conference wins over the weekend were topped off with a few milestones for WKU and Head Coach Travis Hudson.

WKU (25-3, 12-1 Sun Belt Conference) swept its final two matches at Diddle this season, beating Denver on Friday night and North Texas on Saturday.

The win on Friday was the 400th win of Hudson’s career, who is in his 17th season coaching the WKU volleyball team.

“It just gives hope to anybody that’s doing anything with their lives, because I’m telling you, there’s a whole lot smarter, better people out there doing their jobs than what I do,” he said about the accomplishment. “I’m just really, really blessed.”

Saturday’s match against North Texas marked WKU’s 25th win of the season, making it 10 years in a row that the Lady Toppers have won at least 25 games.

It was also Senior Night for the Lady Toppers. Senior middle hitters Lindsay Williams and Tiffany Elmore were recognized on the court before the match.

Elmore, who had seven kills, said she came away from her last home match with no regrets over her time at WKU. “I had a lot of emotions while I was playing,” she said. “I’m just happy that I’ve had a good four years here so there’s nothing really to complain about.”

Williams and junior outside hitter Jordyn Skinner led the Lady Toppers with 11 kills each on Saturday.

By MERCEDES TRENT sports@wkuherald.com

LESLYE DAVIS/HERALD

After scoring a point Saturday against North Texas, senior Tiffany Elmore celebrates with her teammates. The match marked Senior Night for Elmore and teammate Lindsay Williams.

The seniors have been an important piece of this year’s team.

Elmore and Williams are WKU’s two leading blockers and each rank in the top four in kills over the course of the season.

Sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Potts said their impact on the team goes beyond the numbers that they put up.

“They’ve been great all year,” she said. “Not only are they a big part of our offense but they’re also two of our biggest, most vocal leaders.”

Hudson said Elmore and Williams have been a part of four of the most successful years in the history of the program. The two seniors have won over 100 matches together during their time at WKU. “I’d be interested in seeing where they stack up in terms of wins for a four-year career in the country, like with the rest of the class of 2011,” he said. “They’ve won a heck of a lot of volleyball matches over the last four years.”

SEE TOPS, PAGE 7

It was the newcomers who made their presence known at WKU’s meet against Kentucky and Vanderbilt Saturday at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville.

The women’s team overcame Vanderbilt but fell to UK, while the men’s team also lost to UK. But WKU still won 14 out of the total 28 events — several of which were from freshmen, leaving Head Coach Bruce Marchionda with something positive to build off of.

“I am extremely pleased with where we are at this point in the year,” Marchionda said.

“We gave UK every- I am extremely thing they can handle.

People read it as a loss pleased with but it doesn’t reflect how competitive our where we are at kids were.” this point in the The meet was decided with the last two year" events — the 3-meter diving and the 400 freestyle relay. UK pulled —BRUCE MARCHIONDA Head Coach ahead in the diving competition, although WKU remained competitive in the 400 freestyle relay with the men’s team putting a relay team in first.

The meet marked the first time many of the freshmen competed in a large dual meet.

“I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” freshman Seth Musser said. “It was my first dual meet and it was a learning experience. I’ll get faster in time.”

SEE YOUTH, PAGE 7

SOCCER

WKU opens tournament with MTSU rematch

By AUSTIN LANTER sports@wkuherald.com

WKU entered its final game of the season Friday night as the fifth seed for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference tournament, needing a win over fourthseeded Middle Tennessee State to overtake the Lady Raiders in the standings.

The Lady Toppers did just that, winning 2-1 in overtime on a goal from senior forward Mallory Outerbridge WKU switched seeds with MTSU thanks to the win, but the teams will still play each other at 7 p.m.

Wednesday in the first round of the league tournament.

The game will be held on the Lady Raiders’ home turf in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

“It’s going to take the kind of heart and battle that we had tonight,” Head Coach Jason Neidell said.

“It’s going to take some real execution in different parts of the field. Any time it’s Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky in women’s soccer it’s going to be a battle.”

Neidell said throughout the year that the regular season was just a way to prepare for postseason play.

With the conference tournament beginning Wednesday, Outerbridge thinks the team is in a good spot.

“I think the team has come together really well,” she said. “We’re known to be a force to be reckoned with during the tournament." “For some reason we always seem to turn it on right when it counts and I think its just going to keep continuing. Hopefully we make it to the NCAA tournament.”

WKU scored 30 minutes into the game when senior forward Amanda Buechel redirected a header from sophomore midfielder Chrissy Tchoula.

The Lady Toppers took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but MTSU came out firing in the second half.

SEE REMATCH, PAGE 7

LESLYE DAVIS/HERALD

Senior forward Mallory Outerbridge netted the winning goal Friday as WKU defeated Middle Tennessee State 2-1 in overtime. WKU and MTSU meet Wednesday in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

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