REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE HELD NEXT TUESDAY
CAMBRIDGE MARKET SERVES CLASSIC LUNCH FARE LIFE, PAGE B1
NEWS, PAGE A3
TTHURSDAY, HURSDAY, APRIL APRIL 223, 3, 22015 015 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 990, 0, IISSUE SSUE 4499
Parking, tuition to be key topics at WKU Regents’ Friday meeting BY SHELBY ROGERS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
Friday’s Board of Regents quarterly meeting will feature approving university spending, tuition and fees and include an appearance by the Council on Postsecondary Education President Bob King. Proposed tuition increases for undergraduate students raise tuition by almost $200 per semester, from $4,570 in 2015 to $4,741 for 2016. Out-of-state undergraduates will experience a $390 increase per semester, from $11,676 to $12,066 in the next year. Faculty Regent Barbara Burch said several action items should warrant discussion among the board. “I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t more discussion about tuition and fees schedule,” she said. “I would think that since we’re going to have a guest at this meeting, the CPE president, I’m sure there will be discussion about budget and funding models for the future.” The Board is also set to approve the Student Government Association’s resolution for a $30 student fee for a new parking structure. The additional fee means students will now pay $380 per semester in mandatory student fees. Originally approved in early March, the $30 fee would subsidize a $10 million parking structure on Creason Lot. The agenda noted the new fee will have a “sunset clause,” meaning the university will stop charging the $30 fee upon completion of the lot. The agenda also includes approving seven new academic programs, ranging from graduate certificates to a new Bachelor of Science in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. “I think we’ve got some creative new certificate and minor programs coming up at this time,” Burch said. “Those are always good to see.” Four faculty members are up for emeritus status, having worked at WKU for at least 10 years and created “distinguished records of achievement and service at the university.”
SEE REGENTS PAGE A3
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE READING TODAY
» Drag Show: HRL hosting drag show in DSU over the weekend B1
» Softball: The Lady Toppers sit atop the C-USA's East Division and are preparing for post-season play B6
@wkuherald
TREASURE Hunt GIScience Club celebrates Earth Day
BY ANDREW HENDERSON
given a set of coordinates, which they
NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
follow to discover an item hidden in
For Geography and Geology instructor Kevin Cary, treasure hunting is more than a pirate’s goal. Cary and the WKU Center for Geographic Information Science (GIS) Club created their own Earth Day adventure—geocaching. “Geocaching is basically taking something that is work related and
a container—called a cache. People
discovered treasure.
“It’s basically like an Easter egg hunt,” he said.
often take the treasure hidden inside
Koerner said geocaching is part of
and replace it with another item for
the emerging GIS field. He said there
others to discover.
are multiple companies that have GIS
Keith Koerner, Louisville senior and secretary for GIScience Club, said geocaching is more accessible now that people have access to geographic coordinates with cell phones.
making it fun related, and it can actu-
Koerner said he was first introduced
ally be used as an educational compo-
to it when he was fishing with his
nent,” Cary said.
wife one day and saw people walk-
Cary explained the process involved
ing around with their phones, finding
with geocaching. He said people are
something and reacting as they had
departments dedicated to placing
their buildings in very specific, deliberate places. He sees geocaching as
part of the GIS field to be highly enjoyable. “I don’t see how anybody can’t think
that’s fun, using a $1,300 piece of
equipment to find something,” Koerner said. The event, however, was not exact-
SEE GEOCACHING PAGE A3
New temporary lot coming to Russellville Rd. BY SHELBY ROGERS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM The university is looking to purchase property off-campus for a temporary lot while the Creason parking lot expansion is completed. The purchase, located at 1840 Russellville Road, will be finalized at Friday’s Board of Regents quarterly meeting, and could add an additional 125 to 150 off-campus parking spots for students. Estimated total cost for the project is $375,000, which includes construction of the parking lot, bus stop area and lighting, according to the Board of Regents agenda. Final purchasing costs are estimated
FOLLOW US
wkuherald
Elizabeth Cason, of Owensboro, Andrew Gibbs, of Bowling Green and Taylor Fry, of Cynthiana, learn how to use the Trimble device on Wednesday. David Siskin, a mapping and GIS specialist from Louisville, teaches the WKU students how to use the device before they navigate around campus to find clues to another location. After finding the final location, they receive a raffle ticket in hopes to win a prize. ASHLEY COOPER/HERALD
@wkuherald
SEE PARKING PAGE A3
$499 PER BEDROOM INCLUDING UTILITIES 270-495-4970 MIDTOWNBG.COM @WKUMIDTOWN