August 31, 2017

WKU’S FIRST MULTINATIONAL FRATERNITY HOSTS FIRST RUSH

FERBY AND FANT READY FOR FINAL SEASON TOGETHER SPORTS, PAGE B4

LIFE, PAGE B1

TTHURSDAY HURSDAY , AAUGUST UGUST 331,1, 22017 017 > W WESTERN ESTERN KENTUCKY KENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 93, 93, IISSUE SSUE 0044

New school created in Ogden College

BY REBEKAH ALVEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

GRAPHIC BY: CHRIS DIMEO/HERALD

Based on a study done by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Kentucky ranks in the bottom 10 for state spending cuts to higher education since 2008. According to the study, Kentucky is one of 13 states that continued to cut spending on higher education for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Balancing act Kentucky ranks in the bottom 10 for state cuts to higher education

BY MONICA KAST HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

K

entucky has made some of the largest budget cuts to higher education in the last several years, according to a recent study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The study found that state spending on higher education across the nation remains below pre-recession levels in 2008, and the cost of tuition has continued to rise despite continued higher education budget cuts at the state level.

The study found Kentucky was spending 26.4 percent less per student compared to 2008, or spending about $2,832 less per student.

Kentucky was ranked in the bottom 10 on the list of budget cuts to higher education since 2008.

In Kentucky, the average price of tuition at a public four-year college has risen by 36.9 percent since 2008, according to the study. The state with the highest percent increase in tuition was Louisiana, whose tuition has increased 100.7 percent since 2008.

In Montana, however, tui-

Kentucky is struggling to fund that which needs to be funded.”

Senior vice president of finance and administration Ann Mead

tion has risen only 4.4 percent since 2008. Last year alone, WKU raised tuition by 4.5 percent.

Despite heavy cuts in recent years, the study found most states were beginning to put money back into higher education.

For the 2016-2017 school year, 37 states increased spending on higher education. However, Kentucky was not one of those states.

In the 2016-2017 school year, Kentucky cut state spending on higher education by 1 percent, or about $78 per student.

“The issue is obvious,” Ann Mead, senior vice president of finance and administration at WKU, said.

“Kentucky is struggling to fund that which needs to be funded.”

Mead cited several areas of the state budget that are underfunded: infrastructure, public schools and higher education. Mead said though the economy has improved nationally, “Kentucky has not had the capacity” to reinvest in areas that have suffered cuts.

SEE EDUCATION PAGE A2

The computer sciences, engineering and architectural sciences departments have been merged into one school, according to WKU administrators.

The merger between the three departments that was first discussed in the 1980’s has been put into effect this semester to allow students to have more connections in their industry.

In November 2016, Greg Arbuckle, associate dean of Engineering and Applied Sciences approached Cheryl Stevens, dean of Ogden College of Science and Engineering, to revamp the idea to merge the computer sciences, engineering and architectural sciences departments into one school. On July 1, the merger was finalized and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences was created.

In the three departments, there are 10 undergraduate programs and two graduate programs. The merger puts degrees in a similar industry, such as civil engineering and architectural sciences, together. Stevens said there are about 30 faculty members in the new school.

Stevens said the idea was to take departments with disciplinary overlap and put them in the same school to “build synergies, develop partnerships and create new programs.”

Arbuckle said the merger is an administrative structure change and presents no academic changes for students. He said the change will help WKU improve meeting career demands.

In the involved programs, Stevens said students are typically going directly into the workforce, which makes the connections important. In addition to merging the programs, there is now an industrial liason and internship coordinator to help students within the school prepare for interviews and entering the workforce.

“The merger creates an environment to develop needed skills to be workforce ready,” Stevens said.

By combining the depart-

SEE COMPUTER PAGE A2

FFOYA house receives grant to conduct workshops

BY ADRIANNA WATERS HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU A local nonprofit co-founded by a WKU professor has received an arts-meets-activism grant to host workshops for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The FFOYA House, a nonprofit community arts and social justice center, received a 2017 Arts Meet Activism grant worth over $3,600 from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. The FFOYA House will use the grant to conduct art and writing workshops for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as two art, music and literature shows.

The FFOYA House believes in “art as a voice” and partners with artists and environmental, civil rights and social justice organizations, according

to their website. The FFOYA House will be working with the Barren River Area Safe Space, Inc. (BRASS), a domestic violence shelter, and Hope Harbor, a nonprofit crisis counseling center for victims of sexual assault.

According to the Kentucky Foundation for Women’s website, the Arts Meets Activism grant encourages feminist artists or organizations in Kentucky to use art to support positive social change. To receive the grant, the organization must “show their commitment to feminism, their ability to engage community members, and have a concrete plan for positive social change through arts-based activities.”

Tori Henninger, the executive director of BRASS, approached Amanda Crawford, a co-founder

SEE FFOYA PAGE A2

Amanda Crawford and Courtney Davis transport a painted mural to FFOYA house on Tuesday. The mural will be displayed in the FFOYA house gallery, before being installed in the Barren River Area Safe Space garden. LYDIA SCHWEICKART/HERALD

A2

AUGUST 31, 2017

FFOYA

Continued from Front of FFOYA House and assistant professor at WKU, about bringing both BRASS and Hope Harbor together to host workshops and display work that was created by survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The FFOYA House then applied for the grant in the spring and was awarded this summer.

By collaborating with both BRASS and Hope Harbor, FFOYA House is bringing together survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“The two are intrinsically connected,” Crawford said.

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, one in four women experienced “severe physical violence by an intimate partner.”

By using creativity and art, the FFOYA House aims to help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“The creative process is beautiful and powerful,” Crawford said.

Additionally, Alayna Milby, a volunteer coordinator for Hope Harbor, said art “can be used during times of stress and crisis to ease the recovery crisis.”

EDUCATION Continued from FRONT

Despite the large cuts to higher education, Mead said those cuts are not as a result of the state’s lack of commitment to higher education.

“It’s a testimony to the overall weakness of our economy,” Mead said. “Capacity is not there.”

WKU has not been immune to state budget cuts. For fiscal year 2017, WKU had over $6 million in budget reductions, while raising tuition by 4.5 percent.

Several programs had their budgets cut or were eliminated across the university, including spousal tuition benefits, which will be reinstated this year, moving building and groundskeeping employees to Sodexo and cuts to the track and field program. Several other programs saw cuts or consolidation, including the consolidation of the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility and the Alive Center.

COMPUTER Continued from Front

ments, Arbuckle said representatives from the industry can go to one location for outreach.

In addition to connecting students with employers, Arbuckle said the merger will allow the school to be more efficient with lab space and equipment. Students will also have more opportunities to collaborate on projects and research.

While she wasn’t informed about

The first workshop took place on Aug. 28, and was titled “Finding Beauty.” Ten women attended the workshop, which lasted two hours and utilized art and writing activities. Visual artist Courtney Davis of Ingen Art Studio worked on mural paintings, technical drawing and design skills at the workshop.

Crawford led a writing workshop where the participants worked on creative nonfiction, read classical and contemporary poetry, focused on using their senses in writing, and concentrated on “finding the beauty in the world.”

The next workshop will take place in September and is titled “Amazing Me.” Visual artist Chloe Lee, who is known for fluorescent fruit paintings and is a curator for the art gallery at the FFOYA House, will work with participants on self-portraits and paintings while Crawford will instruct on writing empowering essays.

According to Milby, the workshops will hopefully “bring attention to positive effects of art and writing as coping skills.”

“I hope we can empower the survivors to feel confident in what they create, take pride in their art, and ultimately give them power in their recovery,” Milby said.

In addition to the workshops, childcare services will be provided for the participant’s kids.

The FFOYA House will display the artwork on Oct. 13 and in April of 2018, which is sexual assault prevention month. The show will feature mural

Last year, WKU turned to carry forward funds to help alleviate budget cuts. However, according to President Timothy Caboni, using carry forward funds is not a sustainable option for WKU. During a meeting with members of the Herald editorial board, Caboni said “carry forward works for this year,” but a new plan will need to be made for the future.

Mead said carry forward funds have been revised recently, and those funds will be coming centrally to the university, rather than distributed by department, until the total budget deficit is known. Mead also reiterated that using carry forward funds is a “one-time solution” for WKU. Caboni has made it clear budget reorganization is on his list of priorities.

During the same meeting with members of the Herald editorial board, Caboni said he is challenging the budget committee to “come back with how we work through the budget deficit.”

Although the full extent of WKU’s

budget deficit for this year will not be known until October, Caboni estimated there would be a deficit somewhere between $11 million to $15 million.

Mead said under the current approved operating budget, WKU “budgeted in anticipation of $11 million” as a deficit. However, Mead said there were still a large number of variables that could determine the final deficit and she couldn’t predict what that deficit may be at this time.

Mead said WKU has an unrestricted educational and general budget of approximately $334 million for 2017-2018, and she anticipated WKU “would have sufficient one-time money to allow us to have a balanced budget by June 30.”

“The real challenge is what needs to be done for the next budget so we’re not dealing with carrying that deficit forward,” Mead said.

Additionally, the performance-based funding model goes into effect this academic year. In April, former president Gary Ransdell said WKU would receive

the merger until the first day of classes, Jones said she was excited about the opportunity to have more lab space and equipment.

Arbuckle said the three departments would be working together “in the industry,” so giving them that opportunity now is more beneficial.

He said students can understand differences between the different programs and how to work together.

Because of the opportunities for collaboration, Stevens said she

hopes to diversify the students skillsets and encourage them to take classes in different departments.

As a result from the merger, Stevens said she also hopes to see more students working on real world projects with a team from different disciplines.

Paducah senior Michaela Jones said each individual department has a good relationship within their industries and will be able to share relationships and connections through the merger.

Jones is currently a manufacturing en-

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

FFOYA house, located in Bowling Green Kentucky, received a $3675 grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women to host art and writing workshops for domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors. LYDIA SCHWEICKART/HERALD paintings, written work read by the participants and other artistic pieces.

Reporter Adrianna Waters can be reached at 270-745-6011 or adrianna.waters406@topper.wku.edu.

over $3.8 million from the performance-based funding model. Funds will be distributed based on the number and types of bachelor’s degrees awarded by the university and student progress compared to other state universities.

While Kentucky’s cuts to higher education have been deep, other states have been deeper. Arizona, which was ranked as first in state spending cuts for higher education, is spending 53.8 percent less per student than in 2008. Wyoming had the largest cuts for the 2016-2017 academic year, with 9.2 percent spent cut from higher education, according to the study.

Illinois, which went over two years without a state-approved budget, went just as long without state funding for higher education.

News editor Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-6011 or moni c a . k a s t 1 8 7 @ t o p p e r. w k u . e d u .

gineering technical major inside the architectural science department and has an internship as a mechanical engineer.

In the internship, she said she has noticed how different positions now in the school can work together on projects.

Stevens said being able to experience more project-based learning is “such a good skill to have.”

Reporter Rebekah Alvey can be reached at 270-745-6011 or rebekah.alvey660@topper.wku.edu.

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AUGUST 31, 2017

A3 International Year of Bosnia events continue

BY MIKE ALLEN HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU As part the International Year of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Office of International Programs hosted an event called Bosnia and Herzegovina 101 in Downing Student Union on Tuesday night.

Sociology professor Jerry Daday who has been teaching at WKU since 2004, presented at the event.

Daday has previously worked with Gina Dzelil, a member of the Board of Directors of the Human Rights Commission and a leader in the Bosnian-American community, to coordinate the 17th Convention of Bosniaks in North America in 2012, which provided educational programming on WKU’s campus, where he had also done a presentation.

“I think this is a great opportunity for the university to deepen and extend its relationship with the Bosnian-American community,” Daday said.

Daday, who also serves as the executive director for the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning, said he values and admires the

Bosnian and Herzegovinian people who have come to make up a sizeable proportion of the Bowling Green population. Bosnian-Americans make up roughly 10 percent of Bowling Green’s population, according to Daday’s presentation.

nian War, the most violent war in Europe since World War II, which he said has shaped the views and realities of the Bosnian community.

“We’re going to confront it head on,” Daday said.

After briefly commenting on the

I think this is a great opportunity for the university to deepen and extend its relationship with the Bosnian-American community.”

Professor Jerry Daday “When I look at what the Bosnian-American community has done in a very short time, it’s just really impressive,” Daday said. “They’ve enhanced our community, they’ve made positive contributions to our culture and our economy, and frankly I am proud to call them fellow Americans.”

Daday said he could not accurately speak of the country without educating the attendees of the Bos-

history and ethnic makeup of the former Yugoslavia and the strong leadership of the late Josip Broz Tito prior to the rise of ethnic nationalism in the former Yugoslavia, Daday used his remaining time to educate listeners about the Bosnian War. Daday has been to Bosnia and Herzegovina and met with many of the residents there, and his reflections on that experience are less bleak

talked about a genuine desire for the Bosnians to move forward, but cited political distrust as an obstacle.

“In order to move forward,” he said, “[Bosnia and Herzegovina] needs to move past their tribal, ethnic politics.”

In previous years, WKU has had the International Year of Ecuador, the International Year of South Africa, and the International Year of South Korea. Andrea Cheney, assistant director for the Office of International Programs, sees the focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina as a special year for the “International Year of” program.

“We have such a strong Bosnian-American population here,” Cheney said. “It was particularly relevant for WKU to [spend] some time looking at a community that has had such a critical role in shaping local culture and business.”

The event has been recorded and will be available online for those who wish to use it as an educational resource or who did not have an opportunity to attend.

Reporter Mike Allen can be reached at 270-745-6011 or michael.allen207@topper.wku.edu.

Renters’ rights coalition awarded ‘Ally of the Year’

BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU The WKU Student Coalition for Renters’ Rights was awarded the “Ally of the Year” award by social justice organization Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, KFTC. The Student Coalition for Renters’ Rights started on WKU’s campus in 2014, when then-students Jay Todd Richey, former Student Government Association president, and James Line, former Student Government Association Chief of Staff, became interested in getting involved with social justice issues off-campus.

The pair came in contact with Dana Beasley Brown, a Bowling Green resident and staff member at KFTC. “The most important issue facing Bowling Green is unsafe housing,” Richey said. “The lease [here] is the law. If you sign a bad lease, there’s no person of law who can help you.”

Forty-eight states across the United States have enacted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA). URLTA is a law that “concerns landlord-tenant relationships under rental agreements for residential purposes,” according to the official act.

Kentucky and Arkansas are the two states that have not enacted URLTA on a state-wide. State wide level individual communities in Kentucky have to opt in to allow URLTA to take effect, and Bowling Green is the largest city in the state where it is not required.

“I co-founded SCRR in an effort to lead Bowling Green in adopting URLTA,” Richey said. “My hope

is that it mobilizes students to care about safe housing, for themselves and tenants in the future.”

Patricia Minter, history professor and founding advisor for the SCRR. Her role as adviser for the coalition is to help members reach the local community and surrounding communities, and helps them understand that safe and fair housing is a human right.

Minter said it has been a joy to watch the coalition grow over the past few years.

“I’ve been working on creating this organization since May 2014,” Minter said. “I’ve been honored to work with [the coalition] and watch them grow to what they are today.”

One of the biggest achievements made by the coalition comes in the form of a guide for residents about safe housing. Created during the spring semester of 2017, the four-page guide compares leases from landlords known to rent to students by URLTA standards.

“We sat down with the leases and URLTA and compared what they provided,” Richey said. “It helps renters understand what they can do to make a lease URLTA-compliant.”

Richey said the guide is continuing to be distributed under current coalition chair Luke Knight.

Knight, a former Gatton Academy student, said the coalition has a few different ways to distribute the handbook to the student body.

“We’re distributing them via the SGA website,” Knight said. “There are also plans to hand out physical copies at any event on campus where we have a physical presence. Our goal is to find ways to

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hit all types of students, whether commuter, online, or on-campus.”

Although the coalition had been attending annual KFTC meetings for the past few years, both Richey and Minter said they had no idea they would be receiving an award.

“None of us knew [the coalition] had been nominated,” Mint-

er said. “It’s a great way for activist communities around the state to learn about the work students are doing in Bowling Green to guarantee housing as a right.”

Reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 or emily.deletter304@topper.wku.edu.

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AUGUST 31, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM COMMENTARY

OPINION

Have an opinion? Tweet us @wkuherald or find us on Facebook at WKUHerald as well. Let us know your thoughts about the editorial, or write us with what is on your mind.

@Ltodd20: WKU IS TOO SMALL OF A CAMPUS OMG!!! — TUE, AUG 29 2017 17:22:03

@emilyjones232 I was clocking out of work and none other than Tim Caboni was walking on the other side of the stairs at us and talked to us — TUE, AUG 29 2017 16:14:33

@stinka_buggs If you got to wku and gain your freshman 15 you either dont go to class or all your classes on south campus cause these hills aint no joke! — TUE, AUG 22 2017 16:01:29

Bad Liberals When liberalism loses its way

BY DAVID HORMELL HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

T

he movie, “A Cure for Wellness” is an overly ambitious mess. It only gleaned a fraction of its imposing $40 million budget during its run on the silver screen. Marketed as a horror and a thriller (but more accurately, a horrible thriller), “A Cure for Wellness” follows a young stockbroker named Lockhart who is whisked off to a strange spa in Switzerland. Lockhart quickly notices the patients drink an inordinate amount of water every day. The patients think the water is making them well, but it’s in fact a toxic tonic made from eel sweat.

A similar phenomenon is happening today. Maybe it’s not sweaty eel water – perhaps it’s hate.

In an unsettling trend, liberals are doubling down on hate across social media platforms.

On Twitter, the condescending “Trump Regrets” account retweets startled Republicans who find out that they may lose insurance due to the weight of pre-existing conditions under Trump’s proposed American Care Act. Instead of creating a conversation, @Trump_Regrets (and on Tumblr, the similar Trumpgrets) is more centered around laughing at others’ misfortune.

Joy Snow (@SnowRyman) tweeted “@realDonaldTrump I voted for you.

I have Crohn’s and private insurance.

I’m 61. I must have pre existing [sic] conditions in my insurance plan.”

Joy’s tweet went viral and made its rounds on the internet, much to the amusement of bad liberals. Shortly after, she switched to a private account.

Equally troubling, these problematic accounts imply a binary of opinion: that humans are mechanical creatures, devoid of any autonomy.

As if we’re born either Republican or Democrat. Humans are kaleidoscop-

ic and dynamic and quite capable of changing their opinions or beliefs over time. Suggesting otherwise reinforces the gravity of echo chambers.

After an especially contentious election, further political polarization is the last thing America needs.

There are artful and empathetic ways to talk about this jilted feeling.

The Los Angeles Times published a somber piece about a woman fearing shifts to the current insurance landscape. Noam Levey’s detailed reporting wasn’t just heartfelt, it was human.

It seems like a given, but the left and right shouldn’t rejoice in the bad that happens to one another. Hate is counterproductive.

The left won’t ever mend its fractured base by creating a new platform built on hypocrisy and hubris.

It may feel good at first, but hate is a toxic tonic that every person should stay far away from. Only then can America return to civility in daily discourse.

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COMMENTARY

The art of symbolism: Finding meaning in normality

BY NOLAN HOVELL HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU Symbolism: there’s no doubt it plays a prevalent role in our dayto-day lives. From the literature we read to the schools, institutions and ideologies we represent, we are all connected through symbolism.

We’ve all heard someone claim a particular spirit animal, but let’s look at what this really means. A spirit animal revolves around a belief that a certain animal will either choose you or be chosen by you so you may learn something from it or embody its skills or virtues.

The term is grossly overused and misused; however, this can be seen as an opportunity for each individual to

find an animal or symbol that is true to their nature and identify with that.

Everyone can use symbolism to connect different aspects of their life in order to give additional sentimental meaning to everyday objects.

One method of applying symbolism to your life is getting a tattoo. In the last decade tattoos, commonly a symbol associated with sailors, bikers or rebels have become more integrated into the general population.

Historically speaking, humans have been tattooing pictures and symbols on each other for thousands of years. Maybe, on a more spiritual level, they understood the power of permanence to give a person’s physical being an added dimension.

What is it about tattoos that is so increasingly appealing? The

sketches laid by the artist on the skin before applying the needle are considerably less impressive than the tattoos themselves.

The depictions and inscriptions will only vanish in death. It is the mortality of the canvas that makes the ink an element of the soul. In some cases friends or family receive matching or connecting tattoos to symbolize their unity or bond.

Another more common way that people identify with the symbols that relate to them is through their apparel. Shirts depicting artists and bands and school mascots are owned by most everyone. A strong sense of unity arises from recognizing the emblem on someone’s class ring that’s the same as your own.

Seeing someone wearing the shirt

of an artist who you listen to heavily can be a humanizing moment. It is in that instance that we forget the things that make us different and realize that person is, in some degree, like me, or thinks or feels the way I do.

Symbolism allows additional meanings and context to be added to situations and surfaces. If you have a favorite character from a show or any certain animal or object that you’ve always held as special to you, find a way to make it part of your day.

You’ll find that people will take notice and even ask, “What does your tattoo mean?” or “What band is that on your shirt?” Taking opportunities to speak about something which you are passionate or care about makes you more appealing to just about everyone.

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1. In what country would you be if you traveled due south from Helsinki, Finland? (a) Estonia (b) Lithuania (c) Poland 2. Traveling due east from Seoul, South Korea would put you in what country? (a) The Philippines (b) USA (c) Japan 3. What country is due north from Auckland, New Zealand? (a) Tuvalu (b) Russia (c) Fiji 4. What country is due east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? (a) Namibia (b) South Africa (c) Paraguay 5. Traveling due south from Boston, Ma would land you on which British Overseas Territory? (a) Bermuda (b) Turks & Caicos Islands (c) St Helena 6. Traveling due east from Brisbane, Australia would put you in what country? (a) Chile (b) Peru (c) Easter Island 7. Traveling due north from Kabul, Afghanistan, what country would you be in? (a) Pakistan (b) Uzbekistan (c) Tajikistan 8. Traveling due west from Cardiff, Wales would find you in what country? (a) Ireland (b) Canada (c) Greenland 9. Due south from Naples, Italy would land you in what country? (a) Algeria (b) Tunisia (c) Malta 10. If you traveled due east from Honolulu, Hi., you would arrive in what country? (a) Mexico (b) Spain (c) Morocco

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To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

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Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

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2 4 3 7 6 5 2 8 3 7 3 4 2 8 5 9 6 4 5 Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

AUGUST 31, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM

PHOTO

To start his day, Grant hauls a wagon with his tractor on Tuesday. Richard and Robert collectively own, farm and lease over 50 acres. This land has been in their family since they were born.

Growing hope Photos and Story by Abigail Dollins

W

ith the fall harvest in full swing, Richard Grant and his brother, Robert, have seen their busiest season yet. Richard Grant has owned and operated Grant’s Produce Farm for over three years but has spent his life studying and working with agriculture.

Grant’s Produce Farm operates seven days a week and is more than just a

farm. After battling a drug addiction, Grant has made it a point to give back to his community. Grant not only donates produce to local recovery centers but he also employs people with criminal records who normally would be overlooked in other job settings. “As long as you’re a hard worker, I don’t care what background you come from,” Grant said.

Richard picks jalepenos to display in his farm produce stand. “Most days I don’t Richard prepares for the fall season on Tuesday. Grant’s Produce Farm is one of pick, I let my employees take care of it but when we’re behind I give them a hand,” the first farms in Bowling Green to sell pumpkins and mums this year.

Richard said.

Richard meets with his employee, CJ Garner, to see what else needs to be done for the day. “You couldn’t find two better people to work for. Richard and Robert are the best around,” Garner said.

Richard’s employees wash the produce they picked Tuesday. While much of the produce is sold for profit to locals and local restaurants, the excess produce is donated to those in need. “The extra stuff we pick is donated to men’s recovery centers, Hotel Inc. and the Salvation Army, that way somebody gets some good out of it,” Grant said.

AUGUST 31, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM

LIFE

Glasgow freshman Caleb Tamminga listens to Flavio Chavarri, the chapter president of Beta Gamma Omega speak about what their fraternity is all about on Tuesday in Bowling Green. Beta Gamma Omega was founded by Chavarri in February of 2016 in hopes to unite the different cultures of Western Kentucky University. EVAN BOGGS/ HERALD

GLOBAL BROTHERS

WKU’s first multinational fraternity hosts inaugural rush

BY GRIFFIN FLETCHER HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU WKU’s first multinational fraternity, Beta Gamma Omega, looks to expand and thrive.

The Beta Gamma Omega fraternity was created at WKU during February of 2017. It is the Alpha chapter in the United States, meaning the first of its kind anywhere, and is the first fraternity ever created on WKU’s campus.

Beta Gamma Omega is also the first multicultural fraternity at WKU, as deemed by its president and creator, senior Flavio Chavarri, and is open to all international and American students.

Chavarri is not only president of Beta Gamma Omega, but also chairman of the Council of International Student Organizations (CISO), chairman of the International Student Diplomats, president of Business Without Borders, part of the Student Advisory Council, founder of the En-

glish as a Second Language International (ESLi) Council and an ESLi ambassador.

ESLi, a semester-long program by which international students can study and learn English before attending regular classes, is actually what brought Chavarri to WKU. Born in Peru, Chavarri knew he would need to study English before he could attend an American university. Of the seven universities offering ESLi at the time of his search, Chavarri chose WKU for its academic programs and international scope.

“I saw that Western is a leading American university with international reach,” Chavarri said. “Thanks to ESLi, I’m here.”

Despite his success at WKU, Chavarri recognizes that many international students feel out of place and struggle to adjust.

Senior David Camargo was born in Colombia and is a Beta Gamma Omega founding father. He came to Bowling Green without friends or the

ability to speak English.

“It’s hard. It’s hard to just come in and have people like you,” Camargo said. “I know some people who come here lost.”

On behalf of international students who feel as Camargo did, Chavarri created Beta Gamma Omega with the intention to integrate.

“Sometimes they [international students] feel afraid to be in an American fraternity because there are not people like them. We just want to do something so they can actually feel more integrated,” Chavarri said.

In order to achieve this goal, Chavarri discussed his idea to establish a multinational fraternity at a CISO meeting during the 2017 Spring semester.

Sophomore Reuben Tang was at that meeting.

“As for me, I kinda came to Western for international students. And so, it was just, like, that dream, that goal of

or coordinators that will be able to meet them.

After a request is answered, it is put on a bulletin board on the fourth floor of Cravens Library along with the library’s responses so students can see how the library has responded to issues.

Coutts said the library tries to respond to student requests to the best of its ability and in a timely fashion,

SEE LIBRARY PAGE B2

SEE WHITE SQUIRREL PAGE B2

SEE FRATERNITY PAGE B2

BY OLIVIA MOHR HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

A student studies inside Helm Library on Friday August 25. A board in the hallway that connects Cravens and Helms contains a collection of various, unique titles that students suggest the libraries to order. REMI MAYS/HERALD requests.

Two more unusual requests were page-long requests for Jean-Claude Van Damme movies and for a “special collection dedicated to disaster studies and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic literature, research and film.”

The suggestions are gathered a couple of times per month by staff in circulation and brought to public services. Coutts looks at the requests and sends them to the departments

BY SARAH YAACOUB HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU One year ago, WKU’s White Squirrel Weather Service took the world by storm, revolutionizing university students’ access to the daily forecast and emergency weather information on campus. White Squirrel Weather, known as WSWX, was created to serve the student population here through a professionalized service-learning model for meteorology students.

In many ways, it’s a symbiotic relationship—the program benefits students in the meteorology major, as they gain a real-world perspective of what it means to work in the forecasting private sector, and everyone at WKU, as they enjoy the advantages of having what director Josh Durkee describes as a highly localized weather service right where they are.

“It’s only the end of year one, and it’s already been wildly successful ...this time last year, we were sort of finalizing the idea for what we thought it could be,” Durkee said.

He went on to discuss the impact the growth and early success of White Squirrel Weather, as well as what resources it offers students— everything from radar to maps to emergency information.

In the time since its founding, WSWX has grown from a staff of three — all of them university faculty — to a diverse group of forecasters, web developers, and emergency management responders, consisting predominantly of meteorology students. They work at the weather station to gain valuable experience in the field and develop skills they’ll use in their profession.

There’s also a story behind White Squirrel Weather Service’s name. As many WKU students know, white squirrels are sort of an unofficial mascot of the university, and one of them scurrying up a tree or perching on a root is not an uncommon sight around WKU’s campus and the city of Bowling Green, so when the time came to pick a mascot, a white squirrel was the obvious choice.

Finding a name, however, was a bit more difficult.

“We wanted one that was related to weather,” Durkee said. “I turned to my 9-year-old daughter and asked her what a good weather name for a squirrel would be, and immediately she said ‘Windy’, so that’s our mascot.”

He also said it was important that the squirrel be female because so many mascots in today’s world are

WKU Libraries answer student library requests Last year, WKU Libraries received a request from the biology department for the placement of a set of plastic human bones on reserve in the library, which the nursing department helped facilitate. The collection became so popular that the library got a second collection.

Students from some anatomy and biology classes are often required to memorize the names of bones and have a chance to touch and feel bone collections, and the library’s collections are “in constant demand,” said head of the department of Library Public Services Brian Coutts.

The reserves section is located on the second floor of Cravens Library and is within the Visual and Performing Arts Library.

“It’s one of the more interesting things [on reserve],” said coordinator of the Visual and Performing Arts Library Katherine Pennavaria. “We don’t usually have non-book and film things.”

The library receives several requests, which students and faculty either give in person or put in suggestion boxes around the library.

Students make requests in the suggestion boxes regarding what books or other materials they would like, the temperature of the library, the furniture or art, the lighting, the need for more outlets, the need for more study rooms, noise levels and several other

On-campus weather service finds success

B2

AUGUST 31, 2017

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

Building Friendships Through Faith

BY LAUREN DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU The Young Life Club, a Christian ministry that is always open to people regardless of religious beliefs, begins the year by welcoming new leaders and club attendees. Their mission, says leader Joey Badinger, is to build a Christ-centered community.

“We’re just trying to meet students of all walks of life on campus and just try to invite them out here and just talk about Christ. Honestly, [we want to] just go through life with them,” Badinger said.

To strengthen the foundations of their faith and their relationships with one another, each year the group plans a trip for spring break.

“We want many students to go because it’s just a really awesome way to enjoy spring break,” Bading-

FRATERNITY Continued from B1

internal campus integration,” Tang said while recalling Chavarri’s initial proposal.

Now a Beta Gamma Omega founding father, Tang is a Chinese American who was born in Manhattan, New York.

As opposed to Chavarri’s journey to WKU through ESLi, Tang ended up in Bowling Green largely by chance.

Due to a family decision to start a restaurant in Glasgow, Tang left Manhattan before starting college.

“My relatives asked my family if they wanted to come down to Glasgow and start this restaurant together,” Tang said. “And just by pure circumstance, I came from that giant city to little-town Glasgow.”

Tang considered attending the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and Lindsey Wilson College, but decided on WKU because of its modest size and international focus.

In just his second year on campus, Tang is already a Beta Gamma Omega founding father and philanthropy chairman, president of the Chinese Music Club, an Office of Scholar Development (OSD) ambassador, secretary of the Chinese Culture Club and a member of CISO. Along with Tang, Camargo and Chavarri, six other students established Beta Gamma Omega at WKU

LIBRARY

Continued from B1 but sometimes the library already has the materials or does not have the funding to meet requests.

For example, the library responded to the request for a “special collection dedicated to disaster studies and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic literature, research and film” by saying the library already has the materials so it does not need a special collection.

Many student requests are met, however.

Several requests ask for new or reupholstered furniture, and the library has since remodeled the fourth floor and bought new furniture for

WHITE SQUIRREL Continued from B1

so many mascots in today’s world are male, and this way, Windy could better represent women in science.

So far, both Windy and White Squirrel Weather have been huge hits at WKU. Perhaps even more important than beloved Windy, though, are the opportunities afforded student

er emphasized. “It’s just really cool to be with students who share the same beliefs [as you] and are looking out for the best in you and to go on spring break with them and just have a great experience.”

Young Life groups from other colleges such as the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville will also attend. To keep their members in suspense and to build intrigue, the destination will not be announced until the next meeting.

The club’s outreach is not only limited to WKU’s campus. Young Life leaders work in both middle and high schools as religious mentors and as a support system to younger students.

They build relationships with middle and high school students by engaging with them on their interests, attending their events and by being a presence in their life as a confidant.

“The relationship is pretty much a

friendship,” Riley Greif, an aspiring Young Life leader said. “Most leaders are college age or a few years out of college because they are able to understand what the kids are going through, and it can be hard for kids to connect to some one 30 years older than them.”

Young Life leaders see their role as a crucial one in the students’ lives.

They believe it is less of a club and more of a responsibility to younger people.

Greif shared her own experience with Young Life leaders and how they inspired her to become one.

“I have found them to be pretty honest about where they are at currently and how they were when they were in high school,” she said. “They don’t sugar coat it. Leaders are always open to any questions the students might have about anything. They listen. I know for me, whenever I was

really struggling with something I would text my leader and say, ‘Hey do you want to go to Starbucks? I need someone to talk to,’ and she would drop whatever she was doing and be there for me.”

This kind of passion is something common amongst Young Life leaders and members alike. Leaders emphasize how important they feel their mission is and how their reach is not only limited to Christians. Badinger stressed the importance of this accepting nature. “[This is] not like an exclusive club, but one that accepts everyone, just as Jesus accepted everyone…All are welcome.”

including junior Pedram Pishbin.

Pishbin is from Iran and believes Beta Gamma Omega will serve as a “bridge” between cultures and students of all ethnicities.

“With the values we share, with our differences, we make the experience unique,” Pishbin said in discussing the brotherhood he has experienced at Beta Gamma Omega.

Beta Gamma Omega is still not recognized as a legitimate fraternal chapter by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at WKU. To become part of IFC, a chapter must have a minimum of 20 members and a constitution approved by a lawyer.

“Last semester we focused a lot on starting this fraternity, and this semester we’re focusing on having members,” Chavarri said. “And the main goal is to be on IFC.” With that goal in mind, Chavarri and other founding members began writing Beta Gamma Omega’s constitution and bylaws last semester and also worked to create a fraternity logo, symbol and shield.

The members of Beta Gamma Omega chose the wolf as their fraternity animal and established a system of dues.

Dues will start this fall 2017 semester and will only be $50 per semester. With the money accumulated through dues, Beta Gamma Omega aims to buy flags, shirts and a crest.

Since Beta Gamma Omega currently has no alumni and does not

receive money from outside donors, the fraternity is not yet able to buy its own house. However, once the chapter is further established and resources are more plentiful, a house on campus will be of top priority.

Until then, Beta Gamma Omega will hold meetings at the Zuheir Sofia-Dero Downing Building along State Street, which will serve as their “house.”

Aside from necessary finances, Chavarri wishes to keep Beta Gamma Omega away from excessive monetization.

“We’re doing this not for money, not for nothing. We’re doing this for the future of international people,” Chavarri said.

In keeping with this mission, Beta Gamma Omega’s philanthropy is through the International Center of Kentucky, where its primary focus will be aiding refugees and donating money raised via fundraisers and events.

Beta Gamma Omega is dedicated to its philanthropy and mission to serve international students nationwide, but is also just like any other fraternity on campus.

“We don’t want to look like a club.

We are a fraternity at its core. We just want to add something to it,” Pishbin said.

Beta Gamma Omega’s first day of rush took place Tuesday at the Zuheir Sofia-Dero Downing Building.

Arranged in a circle, seated on maroon plush couches and chairs, was

an ethnic assortment of founding fathers and eager rushees, getting to know one another and laughing all the while.

“We wanted to explain we’re building this from the bottom,” Chavarri said after the first day of rush. “We want a group of guys we can hang out and have fun with.”

Pakistani senior Muhammad Khan was one of 15 rushees present.

Khan said he loves meeting people from different cultures and hopes to make Beta Gamma Omega a competitive fraternity.

“I believe that American students and international students have a very fine line, which is just waiting to be crossed. Once that line is crossed, there is no difference in cultures,” said Khan when asked if international and American students struggle to understand one another.

Beta Gamma Omega’s next day of rush will start in front of the Preston Center on Friday, Sept.1 at 4:30 p.m. and move to South Lawn, where activities like soccer and frisbee will be held.

“With us, we can do a lot for Western, we can do a lot for internationalization,” Tang said. “We are always hopeful, positive, and we’re trying to spread that message to our guys.”

the fifth floor. Coutts said his goal is to remodel the higher floors as well.

Coutts and several other faculty and staff members want a new building because the library opened in 1971. However, he said there will likely not be enough funding.

Many students requested more outlets, and the library has since installed KwikBoosts and more outlets with help from SGA. “Our role is to meet the needs of the students,” Coutts said. “The motto of [the public services] department is always ‘find a way to say yes.’”

The library has recently added more art, and it often buys student creations.

“We think it makes a library more appealing,” Coutts said.

Library facilities coordinator Daniel Peach hangs most of the art, and he receives requests regarding furniture and maintenance. He said he feels students’ comfort is important in the library.

“You want them to feel comfortable in a welcoming space,” Peach said. “That goes for everything, whether it’s facilities or just the way that faculty and staff interact with students.”

Peach said he also feels it is important for the library to make changes as times change.

“We all understand the way students study or that people receive information is changing rapidly, and it has been for a long time, so we know we have to keep changing with the

meteorologists by the program she represents.

Pierce Larkin is a senior and a student forecaster at WSWX. He has been at White Squirrel since it began staffing with students in March this year, and he said the weather service is what turned him to forecasting for the private sector.

“It’s different from public weather services,” Larkin said. “It’s more to provide support to people who don’t

necessarily want the scientific lingo, they just need a simple weather report.”

And while this is only the first of what will, hopefully, be a five-year run, Durkee said WSWX is already beginning to see results of the weather service’s hard work.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.

“We want to keep giving our students professional experience out-

Reporter Laurel Deppen can be reached at (270)745-2655 and laurel. deppen774@topper.wku.edu.

Reporter Griffin Fletcher can be reached at 270-745-2688 or griffin. fletcher398@topper.wku.edu.

times as much as we can or as much as we see to kind of provide students with reasons to come here,” he said.

Pennavaria said she hopes students will use the suggestion boxes more often.

“I think it’s sometimes easy for people to overlook, but I would love it if people put more stuff [in them],” she said. “The more they suggest, the more I understand that I’m getting the things that the people who really use the library want.”

Reporter Olivia Mohr can be reached at 270-745-2655 and olivia. mohr564@topper.wku.edu.

side the classroom and developing great partnerships with our community.”

Reporter Sarah Yaacoub can be reached at 270-745-6291 and sarah.yaacoub214@topper.wku.edu.

Follow her on Twitter at @sarahyaacoub1.

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

AUGUST 31, 2017

B3

Lady Toppers to travel to Cardinal Classic

BY CLAY MANLOVE

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

The WKU volleyball team hits the road again this weekend as they travel to Louisville for another threematch slate in the Cardinal Classic at the University of Louisville.

The Lady Toppers, who are ranked 24th in the national AVAC polls, will face Louisville to kick off the tournament on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT, followed by Saturday matches against Illinois at 9:30 a.m. CT and Kent State at 4:30 p.m. CT. WKU is off to a 4-0 start thanks to a sweep of the Miami (OH) Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational last weekend and a 3-0 win over Tennessee State in the Lady Toppers’ home-opener on Tuesday evening.

After finishing the 2016 season with a 12-18 overall record, Louisville (0-2) dropped their first two matches of the 2017 season, 3-0 to Wisconsin and a 3-1 decision to Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

“It’s definitely going to be a huge challenge for us,” Head Coach Travis Hudson said after his team’s fourth victory Tuesday. “We will be walking into a bit of a ‘hornet’s nest’ with [Louisville’s] newly renovated Cardinal Arena and they have a lot of hype around a new coach [Dani Busboom Kelly].”

The Cardinals are posting a .154 hitting clip on the season while out-killing opponents 93-92.

Junior middle blocker Jasmine Bennett leads Louisville with a .414 hitting percentage on the season while senior middle blocker Tess Clark leads the team with 26 kills.

Defensively, the Cardinals are paced by junior libero Molly Sauer, who has 37 digs on the season. Junior setter Wilma Rivera has tallied a team-high 83 of Louisville’s 88 assists.

“The thing that makes it more challenging is that we have to wake up about 12 hours later and play two of probably the best five or six teams on our schedule [Illinois and Kent State],” Hudson said. “If we compete at a high level, we will be happy with the result.”

Illinois comes into the Cardinal Classic boasting a 3-0 record after sweeping the Montana State Bobcat Classic to start the season.

The Illini, led by a young lineup, are averaging a .318 hitting clip while holding opponents to a dismal .050 percentage.

Sophomore middle blocker Ali Bastianelli leads the Illinois offense, posting a .558 hitting clip while sophomore outside hitter Jacqueline Quade leads the team with 41 kills.

Junior setter Jordyn Poulter leads the Illini with 107 assists (10.70 ast/set).

Senior defensive specialist Brandi Donnelly powers the Illinois defense with 31 digs on the season while Bastianelli has tallied a team-leading 25 blocks.

WKU’s closing opponent, Kent State, has a 1-2 record after this

Junior Taylor Dellinger (21) goes up to block Tennessee State Rachel Henderson (5), during WKU’s game on Tuesday night in Diddle Arena. WKU womens volleyball wons their first home game against Tennessee State on Tuesday, in Diddle Arena. SILAS WALKER/HERALD

weekend’s Cyclone Invitational at Iowa State.

The Golden Flashes are averaging a .163 hitting clip and have been haunted by ball handling errors, as they have committed 12 to opponents’ two.

Senior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger posts a team-leading .352 hitting clip and 46 kills, including 18 kills in each of Kent State’s last two matches.

Senior defensive specialist/libero Challen Geraghty leads the Golden Flashes on defense with 64 digs

on the season. Sophomore middle blocker Myla King has 11 blocks to lead the team.

Upon returning home from the Cardinal Classic, the Lady Toppers will be back on the road to face Belmont in Nashville on Tuesday, September 5 at 6:00 CT.

Reporter Clay Manlove can be reached at 270-724-9620 and clayton.manlove475@topper.wku. edu. Follow him on Twitter at @ ctmanlove58.

THE WALKTHROUGH

August: the real offseason of Hilltopper Hoops

BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

He’s back. But he’s gone. And he – yeah, him over there – he didn’t enroll in time. But that guy committed on Saturday.

There’s never a time to sleep and there is absolutely never an offseason when it comes to covering the WKU basketball team. If the Mitchell Robinson saga coming to an (apparent/ alleged/seeming/purported/hopeful) end on Monday when he arrived on campus wasn’t enough roster shakeup for one day, the team also announced that transfer guard Jordan Brangers was no longer a member of the team after he did not meet NCAA transfer requirements.

And just like that, in what has become as routine a procedure as a practice scrimmage for the Hilltoppers under Rick Stansbury, WKU’s roster had twisted yet again. As one player walked in the revolving door to Diddle Arena, another made his way out.

On my laptop, I have a folder titled “College Heights Herald” filled with all the work I’ve done while working at this newspaper. Inside of it are subfolders of stories, columns and profiles which are organized by sport. In between the “Men’s Basketball” and “Women’s Basketball” folders is a unique folder named not after a sport, but a person. This person has never played a game for WKU, but he’s already created quite an archive of stories.

One document inside the “Mitchell Robinson” folder is a column I wrote on Aug. 3, describing Robinson’s sudden exodus from Bowling Green at the end of an already long saga.

And yes, saga is the only correct word to describe the situation. (The word is defined as a “very long story with dramatic events or parts.”)

FERBY/FANT Continued from b4

Fant, along with redshirt sophomores Lucky Jackson and Quin Jernigan, will look to lead a flurry of receivers looking to replace the bulk of production from 2016. Despite missing the last five games, the Bowling Green native finished third in receiving behind only Taywan Taylor and Nicholas Norris, and is the team’s leading returning receiver in 2017.

“I love being around Nacarius.

He’s been in the game for a while and he’s our veteran leader,” Adams said. “The thing that jumps out to me about Nacarius is that he has great ball skills. He’s a natural pass catcher. I think he caught about four or five balls on third down including a one-handed catch in the end zone at our last scrimmage. He’s a very savvy route runner with a very good feel for the game. He’s basically our quarterback at the receiver position.”

Although Ferby has one year of eligibility left, it will be his last one taking the field with Fant out wide. Since

In what seemed like a faster period of time than Robinson had to pack up his belongings in Bemis Lawerance Hall and bolt on July 26, that column had aged dramatically just 24 days after it was published. Because, like clockwork, Robinson left Louisiana for Bowling Green exactly one month and a day after he made the opposite trip. While the whole program seems to remain in a constant state of flux, Robinson warrants a timeline of his own to be perpetually updated with his latest movements.

As we’ve learned, no door is officially closed with Robinson, and he found out that not all doors are always open either. After visiting Kansas and New Orleans, all signs point-

on multiple occasions that Robinson could benefit from some structure. I personally don’t know his backstory, and even if I did it would be wrong and unfair for me to try to relate to him.

Mitchell Robinson has been an enrolled college student for three days.

He has thousands of followers watching his every move on social media.

He has had more words devoted to him by the local and national media – myself included – over the past month or so than 99 percent of young men under the age of 20 (yes, LaMelo Ball, we still know who you are). I cannot relate to him in many ways, and I certainly cannot relate to the sheer amount of attention he is expe-

I accept all responsibility for my actions and look forward to gaining back the respect of all of my coaches, teammates and fans.”

Mitchell Robinson Freshman center ed to the 7-foot big man avoiding college altogether and training for the NBA Draft.

In less than a month, Stansbury went from saying, “I had to move on.

I’ve got a team to coach,” to welcoming the 5-star recruit back to his team on Monday.

In no way am I criticizing Stansbury for taking Robinson back. That would be misguided and irresponsible. But the nature of the situation has been bizarre and an absolute whirlwind.

I’m also not criticizing Robinson either. He’s a 19-year-old kid, and was 18 when he committed to play at WKU. Stansbury has mentioned the two arrived on the Hill in the fall of 2014, the Hilltoppers have gone 31-10, including 5-0 in conference championships and bowl games.

During that span, WKU has finished no lower than sixth in the nation in scoring offense including finishing first last season.

In their last season together, the duo will look to continue the routine of helping the WKU offense put up big numbers while pursuing another conference championship and bowl win.

“It’s gone by so fast,” Ferby said.

“It went by in a blink of an eye. It’s everything we dreamed of. It’s crazy because we came here as 18-yearolds, saying ‘We’re going to turn this school around.’ Now, you look at the billboards and you see conference championship banners and bowl wins.”

Reporter Sam Porter can be reached at 270-799-8247 and sam.porter270@ gmail.com Follow him on Twitter at @ SammyP14.

Wkuherald.com

riencing.

Could he have handled it better and more professionally? Sure. He even said so himself, and for that, I commend him. It’s increasingly rare to see young people own up to their mistakes and missteps today. Robinson did that.

Outside of the most interesting man on the Hill, the rest of WKU’s roster is floating on waters that are far from calm.

Not more than six hours after Robinson appeared on the WKU online student database as a registered student did Brangers post a Snapchat from the Nashville airport.

Another expected 2017-2018 Hilltopper, Robinson Idehen, failed to register on time for the semester. Yesterday, it was announced that Idehen will play for Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.

Unless anything has changed since the team’s trip to Puerto Rico earlier this month, forward Moustapha Diagne is still fighting eligibility issues with the NCAA. The only returning senior, Justin Johnson, was still on the football field at the beginning of this month.

And of course, Stansbury never fails to keep it interesting himself.

You’d be hard pressed to find a coach asking the media for more questions in a press conference, much less a press conference in the middle of an offseason mystery. But that’s exactly what the second-year WKU head coach was doing on Aug. 4. Ever see Coach K doing that? Rick Pitino? Not a chance.

“And unfortunately, good or bad, right or wrong, it’s kind of the landscape of college basketball nowadays,” Stansbury said at that press conference. “It’s kind of where it is … They’re all just jumping around, changing schools, so that’s the climate we’re in today.”

He’s not wrong at all. And he’s certainly not the only Division 1 college basketball coach to experience such large amount of turnover in such a short amount of time. He’s not even the only coach to experience such at WKU. But hey, that’s why we love sports right? Somebody besides our nation’s President has to keep us on our toes.

For that, thank you, coach Stansbury.

And thank you, Mitchell.

Sports Editor Evan Heichelbech can be reached at 502-415-1817 and evan.heichelbech059@topper.wku. edu. Follow him on Twitter at @evanheich.

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A Similar Fate

BY SAM PORTER

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

S

enior wide receiver Nacarius Fant and redshirt junior running back D’Andre Ferby have had similar fate in the game of football.

Both helped their respected high schools win a state championship. Both won Mr. Football honors their senior season with Fant in Kentucky and Ferby in Tennessee. Coincidentally, the two ended up being roommates their freshman year on the Hill.

“We met each other before we officially got here,” Fant said. “Him winning Mr. Football in Tennessee and me winning Mr. Football in Kentucky connected us automatically. It was kind of like a brotherhood we established. It’s been on since then.”

Unfortunately, their similar fate took a turn for the worse last season. On his first carry in the home opener against Rice, Ferby suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Later in the season, Fant suffered a torn ACL in practice that kept him out for the final five games and virtually all of spring practice. As a result, both went through rehab together in hopes of being ready for the season opener of the 2017 season.

“When he [Fant] got hurt in November, I had already been in rehab since September,” Ferby said. “I got to see him in person at rehab. The main thing that stood out to me was that he was patient.

Since he only had one year of eligibility left, I was nervous he might not be back out here in time. I saw his hard work and determination and it motivated me also.

Seeing us both back out here gets me excited.”

Now, both are expected to return in 2017 to play bigger roles than ever before in a Hilltopper uniform. With former running back Anthony “Ace” Wales gone, Ferby is expected to get the bulk of the carries with sophomore running back Quinton Baker complementing him. As a redshirt freshman, Ferby ran for 650 yards and a team high 11 touchdowns, complementing Wales in many short yardage situations.

“Coming off his injury, he’s full speed,” offensive coordinator Junior Adams said of Ferby. “He’s a big, physical downhill runner. The cool thing with Ferby is his presence in this offense. He’s a quiet demeanor guy, but comes to work everyday. When he speaks, guys listen.”

SEE FERBY/FANT PAGE B3 Senior wide receiver Nacarius Fant will return for his fourth season after a knee injury along with running back D’Andre Ferby who was injured during the Hilltoppers’ 2016 home opener against Rice.

SHABAN ATHUMAN/HERALD