SPORTS
LIFE
New Year begins for Vietnamese
Tops prepare for Arkansas road trip
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014 • WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY • WKUHERALD.COM • VOLUME 89 NO. 30
Health dean down to three candidates BY MACKENZIE MATHEWS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM The College of Health and Human Services is set to receive a new dean this year. Jeffrey Katz, dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business, chaired the search committee responsible for selecting three candidates qualified for the position. Katz said the process began after Nov. 15, the deadline to submit applications. “Following application submission, the search committee carefully considered the qualifications of each applicant and made a request to invite three candidates for the position to campus for interviews,” he said. Each contender will be on campus for interviews Feb. 10 through Feb. 18. Gordon Emslie, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, will then have a couple of weeks to determine who will fill the position. His or her term as dean will begin SEE DEAN PAGE A2
Normal Street gravel lot to be removed BY TREY CRUMBIE NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM Those using the gravel parking lot on Normal Street will soon have to park their vehicles elsewhere. The temporary parking lot will be closed to make way for the construction of the Honors College and International Center. Kerra Ogden, project manager of Capital Construction, said construction on the building cannot begin until sealed bids from general contractors are received. The bids will be received and opened on Feb. 4 at 3:30 p.m., and a general contractor will be decided days after. After a general contractor is selected, a brief meeting will be held with the contractor before the construction can begin. Development of the new Honors College and International Center is an 18-month project that will cost $22 million. SEE CONSTRUCTION PAGE A3
Bowling Green native Matthew Shultz performs with his band, Cage the Elephant, at Rocky's Thursday. An estimated 350 fans flooded the bar to watch the band play its set. MIKE CLARK/HERALD
ELEPHANT in the room
Cage the Elephant performs first show at Rocky’s Bar ALLYSON BEASECKER LIFE@WKUHERALD.COM
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n array of colored, flashing lights illuminated Rocky’s. Blue, then green; purple, then red. Energy engulfed the bar. Five shadowed figures electrifyingly took the stage. “This is our first show at Rocky’s. This is monumental,” Matt Shultz, lead singer of Cage the Elephant, said into the microphone. “We’re all ready for a rock 'n' roll show.” The crowd erupted with fervor. People's bodies crammed together, but they bounced with the music as the first chords floated through the building. Rocky’s Bar presold 150 tickets to the Jan. 31 show and sold out before it opened on Jan. 30. In addition to the 150 pre-sold tickets, the first 200 people to arrive at the show would be allowed entrance. It was Cage the Elephant’s last show before leaving for a European tour with stops in nine cities. Nick Bockrath (left), Matthew Shultz (center) and Brad The cold January air did not deter Cage the Elephant's Shultz (right) perform with their band Cage the Elephant fans. They began lining up outside the bar at 7:30 p.m. at Rocky's Thursday. MIKE CLARK/HERALD — an hour before doors opened — and 4.5 hours before the band began its set. Greensburg senior Jeff Campbell waited in line with “Be prepared to see him hanging from the rafters.” Harrisburg senior Clay Long worked a straight month a group of friends. He had seen Cage the Elephant perand took off the 31st just to see Cage the Elephant. form before and described what to expect. “I’m so happy,” he said. “This is like their backyard.” “Matt is going to have a really energetic show,” he said. SEE CAGE PAGE A3
After year of work‚ Queerability continues to expand Birmingham, Ala., senior Kristen Guin founded a blog named Queerability to shed light on the members of the LGBT community with physical and mental disabilities. KRE-
BY KRISTINA BURTON LIFE@WKUHERALD.COM Kristen Guin, a senior from Birmingham, Ala., who identifies as bisexual and autistic, created an online community called “Queerability” for other people like her on Jan. 15, 2013. Queerability spans multiple social media platforms. In the past year, Guin said the Facebook page has received over 1,200 likes, the Tumblr page garnered 2,700 followers, and the Twitter account recently passed the 500-follower threshold. Guin said she recently announced
ABLE YOUNG/ HERALD
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STUDENT PR GROUP GETS NEW DIRECTOR PAGE A3
WU FORCE
FOLK GROUP PERFORMING TONIGHT IN VAN METER PAGE B1
FAIRNESS
LOBBYISTS PRESENT ON DIFFERENT POTENTIAL ORDINANCES PAGE B1
plans to turn Queerability into a 501(c)3 non-profit Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and disability rights advocacy organization by 2015. “We’ll lobby for things like marriage equality, inclusive healthcare for LGBTQ people, as well as those with disabilities, and better educational opportunities for members of either community,” Guin said. Guin said she spoke at OCALICON 2013, a national conference and exhibition on autism, assistive technology and low-incidence disabilities, and she heard some very tangible examples of what SEE QUEERABILITY PAGE A2
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Queerability has done. “There was a professor there who works with people with disabilities who said her students used Queerability to find people like them,” Guin said. “I also spoke with a lesbian who said I gave her hope for her son who had recently been diagnosed on the autism spectrum.” Katherine Jones, a sophomore from San Clemente, Calif., and close friend of Guin’s, said Guin had just recently created Queerability when the two met. “She was so passionate about it, so I thought she’d had it for a while, but it had only been started earlier that month,” she said. Jones said she thinks Queerability is
FEBRUARY 4, 2014 pretty incredible. “I think it’s really neat that Kristen didn’t accept the terms and decided to find a place where both of those [the disabled and LGBTQ communities] collide. They’re both categorized as so different, so it’s neat that she, for herself and others, took the initiative to find that common ground,” she said. Jones added that she has noticed Queerability making its mark in a lot of different ways over the last year. “Amy Poehler followed it on Tumblr, and it was really exciting to see even that little bit of recognition," she said. "I spoke with Kristen at OCALICON, and to have to a couple people specifically say they use Queerability as a resource was really neat, because she’s worked so hard on it in the last year.” Andrew Salman, a Scottsville senior
DEAN
CONTINUED FROM FRONT His or her term as dean will begin July 1 of this year. The three candidates are Sylvia Gaiko, Dean May and Carmen Burkhalter. Gaiko is presently the associate vice president for Planning and Program Development in the Office of Academic Affairs at WKU. In her “Deanship Leadership Philosophy,” Gaiko said the dean’s job is to assist in the formation of successful students. “It is the dean’s job to facilitate the resources and information necessary to ensure leaders in the college have what is necessary to succeed in the instructional, service, and research arenas,” she said. Dean May is currently the department head of social work and interim regional chancellor of the WKU Elizabethtown and Fort Knox campuses. He said in his “Concept of the Deanship” that the dean should expand a college in order to produce students with effective lives outside the university. “The internal management of the College of Health and Human Services and its human and fiscal resourc-
Corrections
Due to a Herald error, Greg Nord was incorrectly identified as offensive coordinator in a photo in an article about football coaches on page B4 of the Jan. 30, 2014 issue. The man identified as the offensive coordinator is Tyson Helton. Greg Nord is the running backs coach. Last Thursday, the Herald ran a graphic stating three cars were keyed last semester. Three cars were keyed last December. The Herald regrets the error. The College Heights Herald corrects all confirmed errors that are brought to reporters’ or editors’ attention. Please call 745-6011 or 745-5044 to report a correction, or e-mail us at editor@wkuherald.com.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD
and president of WKU’s Student Identity Outreach, said he thinks Guin is an excellent activist and that he would like to see Queerability continue to grow. “The particular intersections she’s addressing are important and something that isn’t addressed like the intersections between queerness and race or queerness and gender,” Salman said. “I hope to see more visibility for her and opportunities for her to advocate and bring herself into views of policy-making and politics.” For those in the LGBTQ or disabled communities who may be concerned about opening up to the online community, Salman said one of the great things about Tumblr is that your name only gets attached when you want it to. “You don’t have to be a member to read and catch up,” Salman said. “To
es are developed by the dean for the purpose of preparing professionals to positively impact their communities, their states, the nation and the world,” May said. The third candidate, Carmen Burkhalter, is now the senior associate dean and senior information officer in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama. She said in her “Statement on the Deanship of the College of Health and Human Services” that it is the dean’s responsibility to oversee success in the college.
start out, you can read anonymously, learn all you can, and reach out privately and join the conversation at the rate you’re comfortable doing so.” Jones said that although each person’s situation in life is unique she’s seen people on Queerability speak out and say they have faced the same problems as others. “It’s been neat to have articles pop up saying, ‘You’re not the only one — other people have these problems,’” Jones said. “And they’re not just getting by, but they’re thriving, too. It’s neat that there’s a support system like that. “It’s different, but for that person who might have some reservations, it’s worth looking into and giving a shot,” Jones said. To find out more about Queerability and how to get involved, visit facebook. com/qability, twitter.com/queerability and queerability.tumblr.com.
"I believe that a college mirrors the strengths of its faculty, staff and students and can only improve if it is helping them to meet their challenges," Burkhalter said. Katz said the search for a new dean of CHHS began after former dean John Bonaguro's return to a faculty position in an attempt to ease into retirement after serving as dean for 10 years. Bonaguro was the founding dean of CHHS, WKU’s newest college, which was formed in 2002.
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FEBRUARY 4, 2014
Cornel West to highlight Black History Month events BY JOANNA WILLIAMS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM Black History Month is underway at WKU with the theme "Civil Rights in America" and each event during the month is meant to investigate and commemorate the importance of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The newly formed student group The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) helped plan many of the events for this month. President of the ASALH chapter, Indianapolis senior Simmone Simmons, said that although the group is under a year old, they were able to plan many events using the national organization’s chosen theme. “Every year the national association puts out the theme and basically we wanted to point out there were some huge events that happened this past
summer with George Zimmerman being acquitted and the Supreme Court court striking down part of the Voting Rights act,” Simmons said. The forum will cover topics such as the origins of the civil rights movement to explain how black culture has shifted from the civil rights era to the present generation. In addition, several films, in conjunction with other student organizations and departments, will be presented. The films will be a mixture of new movies such as “The Butler” and older movies such as “A Question of Color.” The most notable event planned for the month is the keynote speech that will be given by acclaimed philosopher, speaker and activist Cornel West on Feb. 21 in Van Meter at 7:30 p.m. The speech is titled “Race and Democracy in the age of Obama” and will also serve as the third event in the Cultural Enhancement Series. Simmons
said the group is excited for West's presence on campus. She got the idea for a forum entitled “Young, Black, and Don't Give a Fuck” from his book “Race Matters.” Simmons said the group is using a lot of the events to help students understand that they aren't aware that many of their rights can be taken away. “What is our involvement of todays youth in the civil rights in terms of being involved in the political movement?” she asked. Simmons said that it was particularly important for the group to show students that a lot of the civil rights era was shaped by young people and collegeaged students. “It didn't start with the older generation, it started with the younger people,” Simmons said. “Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn’t 50 when he was marching, he was 26-27. That's what we are trying to show.”
Andrea Garr-Barnes, director of the Office of Institutional Diversity, said in a press release that the events throughout the month allow people to talk about issues they normally don't think about. “Then we can take that to see how we can better our campus and our community,” she said. Simmons said the overarching goal of the month is to educate students so that they can be inspired to create change. “Overall, the biggest things I want to promote is knowledge and empowerment,” Simmons said. “We are studying the entire culture.” A full calender of events for Black History Month can be found online at the WKU Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion's website: http://wku.edu/oidi
Imagewest eager to start semester with new director
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trust, a nonprofit organization that supports the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Imagewest, which is celebrating its 10th Imagewest, WKU’s student-staffed public anniversary this year, has worked with more relations and advertising agency, has kicked than 200 clients, including the U.S. Departoff the spring semester with its new director, ment of State. Jenna Warrenfeltz. This semester, the agency plans to continue Bowling Green senior Nicole Coomer, a seits work with the U.S. Department of State and nior account manager at Imagewest, said the Bowling Green Hornets, a minor league Warrenfeltz's perspective is refreshing. basketball team, as part of the smaller local “She comes at it with an outsider’s perspecprojects it works on throughout the semester. tive,” she said. The first phase of the project involved extenWarrenfeltz graduated from Shenandoah Warrenfeltz sive research and infographic design. University in 2006 with a degree in mass com- Imagewest “We had two surveys — one to high school Director munications. Since then, she has worked on and one to college students,” Samara Heavrin, market research and logo design projects with senior graphic designer, said. “It was really a Wright Manufacturing, Inc. team project with research.” After the students presented their work last semesWarrenfeltz also held management positions at the
BY AARON MUDD NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM
CAGE
CONTINUED FROM FRONT Fellow Bowling Green musicians Stephen Gordon, Plastic Visions, Chrome Pony and Morning Teleportation opened for Cage. The five bands revealed the talent produced by the local music scene and the supportive community that surrounds it. New Cage the Elephant guitarist Nick Bockrath said Bowling Green was special because of the support and friendship between the local bands and the dedicated fans. “People here revere the bands,” he said. “We might
CONSTRUCTION
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
Odgen said the bidding will be a competitive process. “We have a lot of interest in this particular project,” Ogden said. Ogden said if the bids received are favorable, construction will begin “immediately,” but if the bids are higher than what's expected, the architect of the building will redesign, and a rebidding will occur. “We hope we don’t have to do that,” Ogden said. Ogden said if a rebid is held, the gravel parking lot will remain open a little longer. John Osborne, vice president of Campus Services and Facilities, said although the plan is to begin construction as soon as possible, he is aware of the lot's convenience. “We will use it for as long as possible,” Osborne said.
Crime reports
• Police arrested Nancy freshman Tyler Dockery on Jan 31 for first degree alcohol intoxication in a public place at Smith Stadium. • Burnt food set off a fire alarm in McCormack Hall on Jan 31.
2013-2014
ter to a representative of the U.S. State Department, she informed them that they would receive letters of recommendation for their efforts, Coomer said. Alex Dobson, junior art director at Imagewest, said he thinks it offers students a huge opportunity to work on an important project. “You only learn so much here at school and this really allows you to learn what you’re going to be seeing when you’re out there working in the real world," Dobson said. Coomer said students interested in getting involved with the project can participate in focus groups and take a survey. Interns will also be needed because “the whole team graduates in May.”
as well be Van Halen by the way they treat us. I’ve never played a not fun show in Bowling Green.” Bockrath said playing for Bowling Green fans was great. “It is easy to feed off their energy,” he said. Every boom of the speakers roused the crowd. Every flashing light illuminated the perspiration gathering on the foreheads of the active fans. Silhouettes of hands reached into the air to hold bodies that crowd surfed through the mass of people. “We are going to be gone for awhile,” Schultz said, the brown fringe on his jacket bouncing as he moved about the stage. “But we will miss you guys so badly.”
Jennifer Tougas, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said in addition to the removal of the Normal Street gravel parking lot, the gravel lot on Center Street will be closed as well. The parking lot, which was leased, has been bought by Trittenbach Development, a construction company based out of Missouri. Trittenbach plans to build housing and retail space in the area. The parking lot will remain available to use until May 31 of this year. Tougas said PTS is focusing on addressing the issue of lost parking spaces. “We’re really pursuing several different ideas,” Tougas said. Tougas said some of the options that will be explored include increasing capacity where available and working with GObg, Bowling Green's public transit system. “We’ve really reached the point where the lack of parking is affecting more than students trying to come to campus, it affects other events as well,” Tougas said.
• Police arrested William Stevens on Feb 1 for first degree alcohol intoxication in a public place at Diddle Arena. • Police arrested Riley Manion on Feb 1 for first degree alcohol intoxication in a public place at Diddle Arena. • Police arrested Elizabethtown freshman Aaron Gatlin on Feb 1 for first degree alcohol intoxication at 1320 Center Street.
CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT SERIES Presents:
The Wu Force featuring Abigail Washburn, Kai Welch, and Wu Fei
Tuesday, February 4 Van Meter Hall Auditorium. 7:30 p.m. CST. Admission is FREE for everyone. Seating is first-come, first-served. Swipable event!
wku.edu/go/ces
Like WKU Cultural Enhancement Series on Facebook for updates & special event announcements.
OPINION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
WKUHERALD.COM
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STAFF EDITORIAL
Not fair ENOUGH
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Disappointed in Thursday’s photo
I write to express my disappointment in the Herald’s choice of photograph for the Jan. 30, 2014 cover story titled “Fight or Flight.” The photograph was taken in 2008 during an incident on WKU’s campus that was blown way out of proportion. The image appeared on the cover of the Herald at that time and evoked much criticism from the university community. The young woman who is being forcibly subdued with a gun to her head expressed great distress after the incident. Her family also was terrorized by that image: consider how you would respond if you saw your daughter pinned to the ground in such a manner. In addition to the personal trauma experienced by those most closely involved, the image reinforced an inaccurate account of the precipitating event while perpetuating shameful racist stereotypes. I know personally several students of color who left WKU afterwards because they no longer felt safe, let alone welcome, on our campus. Choosing to use this image once again smacks of sensationalism. The cover story would have been just as effective if the Herald’s editors had chosen to go with the graphic included above the fold. —Dr. Kristi Branham, Assistant Professor of Diversity & Community
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Thursday photo still relevant
BG Fairness Ordinance a step forward THE ISSUE: Bowling Green and other Kentucky cities are considering passing a fairness ordinance which would make it illegal to discriminate against someone because of his or her sexuality, particularly in a business setting. OUR STANCE: The idea to pass a law that would make it illegal to discriminate against a person because of his or her sexuality is necessary in Bowling Green. We believe that discriminating against a person of the LGBT community is antiquated and wrong, especially for 2014, when things should already be progressing.
C
urrently in Bowling Green, it is legal to fire someone if he or she is perceived as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. Restaurant owners in town are currently allowed to refuse service to someone they perceive to be an
TWEETS FROM THE HILL
LGBT member. LGBT members may also be prohibited from sitting with their partners in a a hospital room. Community housing can also be denied to a person of the LGBT community in the city. These are but a few of the many examples of legal discrimination allowed in the Commonwealth. In fact, according to Dora James, a recent alumna and organizer of WKU's Fairness Campaign, these acts of discrimination are allowed in approximately 75 percent of the Commonwealth. Subsequently, only six cities within Kentucky have passed fairness ordinances that tackle discrimination: Lexington, Frankfort, Covington, Louisville, Morehead and Vicco. The cities of Danville and Berea are currently in talks regarding the passing of a fairness ordinance. Attempts to pass a fairness ordinance in Bowling Green have occurred, but were ignored.
@LB_Fiorella: Call me crazy but I want a snow day sometime this week. We haven't had one since I've been at WKU.— Sent 10:05 PM - 2 Feb 2014
We believe that it is time to stop ignoring this attempt at progress and fairness. WKU passed an act in January 2011 to ensure that domestic partners received benefits just like any other couple, and it is time for the rest of Bowling Green to follow in the footsteps of the Hill. Ironically, some of those opposed to passing the ordinance argue that a fairness ordinance protecting the LGBT community is unfair to heterosexuals. We believe this claim is completely absurd. Passing an ordinance like the one in question means that everyone will be treated fairly in the town of Bowling Green. To us, being fired simply for who you are and who you are attracted to is a much more serious offense than passing an ordinance that prevents such discrimination. This editorial represents the majority of the Herald's 9-member editorial board.
@JoeyKenny7: Is WKU's mascot part of Sesame Street? — Sent 8:56 PM - 2 Feb 2014
Joanna Williams* Editor-In-Chief
Cameron Love* Digital Editor
Carrie Pratt Herald Adviser
Sam Osborne* Managing Editor
Hannah Pahl* Design Editor
Jason Thompson Advertising Adviser
Kaely Holloway* News Editor
Darren Vogt Cartoonist
Chuck Clark Student Publications Director
Jacob Parker* Features Editor
Rae Emary Assist. Photo Editor
Elliott Pratt* Sports Editor
Josh Beal Lead Copy Editor
Lindsay Kriz* Opinion Editor
Sidney Wahle Advertising Manager
Shelby Mack* Photo Editor
Zach Tatoian Ad Creative Director
*Denotes editorial board members. The Herald publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. The first copy is free, and additional copies are 50 cents each, available in the Student Publications Center on Normal Street.
@prissychrissy24: put my WKU sticker on my car last night so it's officially official. — Sent 10:36 PM - 2 Feb 2014
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The photo the Herald ran in our Jan. 30 article “Fight or Flight” garnered much controversy across campus. The story was about what WKU police would do in the case of an active shooter on campus and how their response has changed over the years. With numerous campus shootings happening elsewhere in the past few weeks, this story was a timely one. Photos are used to complement a story, and this one did just that. The photo was from 2008 and was taken when there was believed to be an active shooter on campus. It was a time of confusion and people being scared. While this photo made people angry for a number of reasons, they must understand the role of the Herald (and journalism) is not to censor things that are directly related to the subject matter. There are going to be difficult photos that run because there are difficult things that happen on this campus. It is not the Herald’s job to deem whether or not the photo is acceptable, but to deliver an entire story. Although it was older, the photo was very much a part of the story and had to do with a terrible day that happened on campus. One thing the Herald could have done better was to detach it more from the story to indicate it was from 2008 and not present-day in order to limit any confusion. Ultimately, the photograph was not intended to sensationalize events of the past or current attitudes regarding gun control and campus security; it was instead used to illustrate where the campus has been and where it is going in matters of student safety. In the end, debate is always a good thing and we should always be examining the reasons why we do things. —Joanna Williams, Herald Editor-in-Chief
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FEBRUARY 4, 2014 • COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD • WKUHERALD.COM
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
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COME A LITTLE
CLOSER PHOTOS BY MIKE CLARK
Matt Shultz (left) sings with his band Cage the Elephant at Rocky's Bar last Thursday. The show — the band's first at Rocky's — would be Cage the Elephant's last performance in the United States before they kick off their European tour.
TOP RIGHT ABOVE: Throngs of spectators hoist Wes Sandlin into the air during Cage the Elephant's performance. Rocky's required security personnel to maintain order near the stage. TOP LEFT ABOVE: Laser lights paint Rocky's interior with streams of green, blue and pink as fog encircled guitarist Nick Bockrath. The musician often provided backup vocals during Cage the Elephant's performance. LEFT: Disco balls bathe lead singer Matt Shultz in fractal spotlights as he sings to fans.
LIFE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
The Wu Force performs tonight at Van Meter BY AARON MUDD NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM WKU’s Cultural Enhancement Series welcomes its first guest of the new semester: The Wu-Force, a trio of folk musicians, who combine their backgrounds in Chinese and Appalachian music. They will perform at Van Meter Hall tonight. David Lee, dean of Potter College of Arts and Letters, said that the series gives students the opportunity to hear diverse ideas from invited guests. “The Cultural Enhancement Series is designed to bring interesting people to campus,” Lee said. “It’s an opportunity for folks here at WKU to interact with some challenging and creative people.” Van Meter Hall will open at 6:30 p.m. tonight, and the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free to all. The Wu-Force features the instrumental talents of Abigail Washburn, Kai Welch and Wu Fei. Wu Fei plays the guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument that is plucked. “The history of the guzheng is about 2500 years (old),” Wu said. “Anything that’s less than a thousand years we think is young.” Wu first met Washburn in Boulder, Colo., when a mutual friend introduced them. “We wanted to work together,” Wu said. Washburn and Welch toured China together in 2009. The duo met in Wu’s Beijing apartment, where the three played together for the first time. The Wu-Force became more concrete when they started writing songs together in 2011, Wu said. “It was born in China,” Wu said. “Now we're shifting to the States.” Wu said the name of their group was inspired in part by Daoism, a Chinese religion emphasizing harmony, and how the global culture is becoming smaller. “Why do we want so much,” Wu said. “Nothingness is everything.” Wu said that when they get together, they work 8 to 10 hours a day writing and recording. “We just write everything together,” she said. “Mostly we all bring our ideas, and then we see if that’s the sound of the Wu-Force.” Wu said she wants her work with the The Wu-Force to help people enjoy each other’s cultures and get beyond the stereotypes they might have about them. “Music is borderless,” she said. Wu said that she values her collaboration with Washburn and Welch because of their different musical backgrounds, which include folk and rock. Wu, born, raised and currently living in Beijing, said that their work together is rewarding despite the long distance. “It’s a really, really attractive long distance relationship,” she said. “I love it so much I can’t get enough of it.”
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Tân Niên
The New Year
Performers glide through a traditional Vietnamese dance during the Vietnamese Student Association's celebration of Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, on Saturday. DEMETRIUS FREEMAN/HERALD
Students celebrate Vietnamese New Year with food and music BY ANNA ROEDERER LIFE@WKUHERALD.COM Armed with banana leaves, rice, beans and raw meat, four teams faced off in a cooking challenge on Saturday night. The friendly competition was a part of WKU’s Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, known as Tet, at the Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM). Sophomore Alberto Do talked about the importance of family and food with the celebration. “My favorite part is the food,” Do said. An integral dish to Tet is "banh chung," a sticky rice cake. Banh chung is mainly comprised of rice, beans and meat wrapped in banana leaves and then cooked. This dish is linked to Vietnamese folklore and is shaped to represent the earth and sky. Although sticky rice cake is an important aspect of Tet, sophomore Tinh “Andy” Ha said that the weeklong celebration is comprised of many traditions. “Tet is the most important time of the year,” said Ha. “It is like a holiday.” During this time, Ha said that there is
WKU students navigate the food line within the Baptist Campus Ministry on Saturday, as they celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The celebration theme was Vietnam's Got Multi-Talent Competition and Entertainment. DEMETRIUS FREEMAN/ HERALD
a lot of cooking, family and friends visit each other’s homes, kids receive lucky money, fireworks go off, and cherry blossoms and mai flowers are everywhere.
Do said that he misses the lucky money the most of all of the traditions associated with Tet. “It is a chance for us to make a profSEE VIETNAMESE PAGE B2
Forum advocates lobbying for fairness ordinance
Denney Breeding speaks with a small gathering about how to lobby and deal with lawmakers at the LGBT Bowling Green Fairness event at Mass Media & Technology Hall this past Saturday. DEMETRIUS FREEMAN/HERALD
BY KAYLA BOYD LIFE@WKUHERALD.COM It is currently legal to fire someone for being or being perceived to be part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Bowling Green. It’s also legal to deny someone of the LGBT community housing. Additionally, restaurant owners can refuse service to someone they perceive to be gay or lesbian. In fact, all of those things are legal in 75 percent of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Dora James, Western Kentucky regional organizer for the Fairness Campaign, said. Saturday, several presenters came to WKU's campus to explain the necessity of lobbying and standing behind legislation that affects the community, including the heavily emphasized fairness ordinance.
James encourages people to lobby and campaign for bills finding their way through the House and Senate, and was part of the first Citizen Lobbying Workshop held in the Mass Media and Technology Hall auditorium. Although the crowd was only about 10 people, James said she didn’t worry much about numbers. “If we get a handful of people who really want to learn about lobbying and who will take what we give them and use it, then I’d call it a success,” James said. While James gave a presentation on some general ways to draft an effective letter to the editor, she spoke mostly as an advocate for passing a Fairness Ordinance in Bowling Green. James said there are only six cities in Kentucky that have passed a Fairness Act banning discriminatory activity: SEE FAIRNESS PAGE B2
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Speech team wins first place at National Qualifying Tournament BY SHELBY ROGERS NEWS@WKUHERALD.COM The WKU forensics team frequently wins big, and the group began its spring season in no lesser fashion. In the two weekends since university classes began, the team competed in four tournaments, winning handily in all four. WKU won team sweepstakes championships this weekend at its most recent competition hosted by Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. Jace Lux, director of WKU forensics, said despite a long winter break, the team showed it was ready to go in upcoming tournaments. “It’s always a little rough to shake the dust off after such a long break, but they’ve done a really good job of getting back into the swing of things quickly,” Lux said. WKU's performance at EMU comes after a similar sweepstakes showing at the American Forensic Association District Six National Qualifying Tournament the weekend before. Individual members did exceptionally well at the EMU tournament. All team members advanced to the tournament's final round. In addition to winning big in the rounds, WKU also gained one of the best high school competitors in the nation. Lily Nellans, a 17-year-old senior from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa, broke National Forensics League (NFL) records as the highest point holder in league history. She also
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it,” he said. While the celebration hosted by VSA is not as grand as the weeklong holiday in Vietnam, it provides a good opportunity for Vietnamese students to ward off any feelings of homesickness that might be present due to being so far from home during this important time of year. “It is good for us because we are 12,000 miles away from home, and it brings back a lot of memories,” Ha said. Senior Uyen Tran, VSA president, also acknowledged that this can be a difficult time for Vietnamese students who are so far away from their families. “A couple of weeks before Tet, they [Vietnamese students] turn on New Year’s songs and to be honest some feel depressed,” Tran said. Tran said that a lot of work went into organizing the event. A month was spent planning, and Tran said that she spent the night before the event cooking traditional Vietnamese dishes. “It’s really fun being away from home to have something to prepare for Tet,” she said. Tran said that she wanted to do something new, so the event was more interactive this year than in the past. The celebration included competition among four teams to make banh chung, a dancing performance, din-
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CONTINUED FROM LIFE Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Covington, Vicco and Morehead, with hopes to add Berea and Danville to the anti-discriminatory ranks. Bowling Green has attempted to pass such legislation before but was ignored. “We now have 17 co-sponsors on this bill, whereas we usually only have 10,” James said. “This is a record number of co-sponsors. We’re trying to pass a statewide anti-discrimination bill now.” Patricia Minter, associate professor of history, has been involved with the Fairness Movement for as long as she can remember. She was part of the 1999 effort to bring an Act of Fairness to Bowling Green, which was shot down by the city commission. In 2005, she began rallying for the act once more, involving members of WKU's faculty, staff and students more than before.
earned one of nine spots on the NFL’s World Schools Debating Championships, which will be held in Thailand in August. Nellans committed to the WKU team last semester. “She told me she was joining the team before we left for winter break,” Lux said. “I told her ‘you have definitely won the prize for the best Christmas present of the year.’” Nellans' record-breaking talent earned her a full-tuition scholarship to WKU, which she plans on using to study political science and communication, according to The Des Moines Register. President Gary Ransdell said he looks forward to seeing how Nellans succeeds at WKU. “I had the pleasure of meeting with Lily a few months ago during her visit to Western, and she is an impressive young woman,” Ransdell said at the last Board of Regents meeting. Hodgenville junior Ellis Fraser won fourth place in after-dinner speaking at the EMU portion. He said WKU is the perfect spot for Nellans. “This semester has been one of the toughest semesters Western Kentucky Forensics has had in a while, to my knowledge,” he said. “Jace Lux getting his hands on the top NFL point earner of all time. We deserved it.” Fraser said he looks forward to upcoming tournaments, particularly the national tournament in April. “Being on Western Kentucky forensics is great," he said. "It’s like a big family. We’re all up there, working hard. We’re going to do big things at nationals."
ner, a game which involved drinking lemons with sugar, and a comedy show that took a week’s work of intensive practice. “It’s not that much to compare to the one in Vietnam, but it is the best we can do here,” Tran said. Although Ha participated in the different competitions at the event, he was not a fan of the one which involved drawing numbers to determine how much lemon and sugar the different teammates would have to drink. “It was terrible," Ha said, "Too much sugar. The lemon wasn’t that bad, but the sugar was." While the majority of people who attended the Tet celebration hosted at the BCM were Vietnamese students, VSA also welcomed American students to participate and learn more about the food and culture of Vietnam in the process. Mark Reeves, a WKU graduate student, said that he went to Tet last year because his Vietnamese roommate invited him. Although his roommate has since gone back home to Vietnam, Reeves returned this year for Tet. “It’s good to spend time with people and show that we value their culture,” Reeves said. “It’s an honor to be able to come out and celebrate.” Reeves was supportive of VSA’s celebration of the New Year. “It is really important to have these types of events for students who are away from their families,” he said.
After five years, an act to ensure domestic partnership passed and was available for WKU faculty and staff in January 2011. “We want to show everyone Bowling Green is a fair and safe place to live,” Minter said. “It’s time. It’s past time.” As Bowling Green continues to progress without a Fairness Ordinance, Minter is afraid people will overlook the city as a place to live or open a business. “I don’t want people thinking Morehead is a better place to live or go to school,” Minter said. “I want them to want to come to Bowling Green.” Florence senior Kristinna Mason interns with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and attended the forum. She decided to travel to Frankfort on Feb. 19 to lobby for the Fairness Ordinance. “I think it’s especially important for the young people to be part of it,” Mason said. “We’re impacted by it. We’re going to be the ones who make the changes in the future.”
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Lady Toppers keying on defense moving forward BY KYLE WILLIAMS SPORTS@WKUHERALD.COM With only nine games remaining on the schedule before conference tournament time, the Lady Toppers (14-6, 6-3 Sun Belt Conference) need to maintain their niche. This past Saturday, their defense failed, resulting in a 72-63 loss against Texas State. The Lady Toppers will have to raise their defensive intensity to grab a win at the Sun Belt’s top-ranked Arkansas State (138, 7-2 Sun Belt) Wednesday, a team that already has their number. Before Saturday’s game, the Lady Toppers’ last loss came against the Red Wolves on Jan. 18 in a 67-64 decision. Coach Michelle ClarkHeard said following the loss to Texas State on Saturday that defense will be the primary focus for WKU moving forward. “Defense,â€? Heard said. “I’ll say it one more time and again and again – we have to get better. Our rotations were off, we didn’t rebound the way we needed to and we couldn’t get stops when it counted. That’s what we have to go back and evaluate‌we’re go-
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win both games.� Finding a way to win seems to be the Toppers' calling. Four of the team’s seven conference wins have come by five points or less, and its nine-point win over ULL came right down to the wire as well. But the win-loss column doesn’t care how much a team wins by, only that it wins. Senior guard Caden Dick-
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said after the game. “Obviously, he has been sticking around and every year he’s
ing to learn from this and get better.� As if the defense didn’t present its own struggles, the Lady Toppers were ice cold from the field against Texas State, shooting just 27 percent with 8:29 left in the first half and finishing at a 37.7 percent clip while the Bobcats shot 45.8 percent from the floor. WKU was also out-rebounded by 10, allowing Texas State to rack up 17 second-chance points. In the case of WKU, the defense will have to improve in order to compliment the offense. “Our offense can’t dictate our defense,� Heard said. “It has to be the other way around and that’s what we’re going to go back and go to work on.� WKU begins its second twogame road trip in two weeks on Wednesday in a battle with Arkansas State. With the Red Wolves at the top of the league standings, WKU is currently tied with Georgia State (10-11, 6-3 Sun Belt) for the second spot. Arkansas State is averaging 73.7 points per game while giving up just 66 in conference play, which is good for a
league-best +7.7 scoring margin. The Lady Toppers’ league scoring margin is not far behind at +7.2. Avoiding complacency was a focal point of the Lady Toppers’ matchup with Texas-Arlington and Texas State dur-
erson said after the win against TSU that it was “big� to keep the momentum and the streak alive, but that there is still work to be done. “There are a lot of areas we can work on: defense, keeping intensity the whole game, starting off the halves with the same intensity,� Dickerson said. “Working on the offensive flow, it can always get better, as well. The Toppers are finding ways to win, but it’s taking them a while into the game to get into rhythm. “We always end up getting
down and always fighting back,� freshman guard Chris Harrison-Docks said. “That shows a lot of character that we can do that, but I think the sooner we can come out on runs and stay on top, we’ll continue to get better than we have been.� The last five wins have put WKU alone in second place in the Sun Belt standings with nine more conference contests remaining. Georgia State, currently in first place, has won 12 games in a row and handed the Toppers one of its two conference losses, a
23-point thrashing in Diddle Arena. That loss seems further and further away as WKU has moved on and is in a much better place now than it was nearly a month ago. Still, with Georgia State
winning 12-straight, it will be tough for the Toppers to keep pace. Harper said a week ago that the Toppers better find a way “to continue to win� if they have any thoughts of catching Georgia State.
gotten better and better. This is a finished product. He’s ready to step it up some more and keep building on what’s he doing." As a senior, he’s also very aware of his role, which is
maybe the single most important thing he brings to the team. “I’m a high-energy guy,� Akamune said. “I can move well and run in transition.
“I’m just really blessed to have the opportunity to play." Harper said after the Texas State game that his senior forward was once again "the difference" in the
game. "He is just a step quicker than guys right now," he said. "If we can get some more guys playing the ways he’s playing, we’ll be okay.�
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Use Your BIG RED DOLLARS to Enjoy STUDENT SPECIALS for DINE-IN or DELIVERY! ASK OUR TEAM FOR DETAILS
WKU junior forward Chastity Gooch (30) sweeps past Texas State center Ashley Ezeh (45) during the teams' faceoff at Diddle Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1. WKU lost 63-72. KREABLE YOUNG/HERALD ing their home stand. Heard is using the loss as a wake up call for what the team must accomplish in the remaining nine games on the year. “You have to learn from your mistakes, you have to move on,� Heard said. “And
that’s what we will do. We will get better and we’ll have a game plan ready and we’ll figure out how to get the girls ready to come out of the locker room and ready to go, because both of those teams will be ready for us on the road.�
Caden Dickerson, Senior guard
There are a lot of areas we can work on: defense, keeping intensity the whole game, starting off the halves with the same intensity."
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TUESAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014
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FOOTBALL
2014 WKU Football Schedule
Oct. Old Dominion* 25th
Aug. 28th
Bowling Green State
Sept. 6th
At Illinois
Nov. 1 st
Tech*
Middle Sept. atTennessee*
Nov.
UTEP*
Sept. 27th Oct. 4th
at Navy
Nov. 15th
Army
UAB*
Nov. 22
UTSA*
at Florida Atlantic*
Nov. 28 at Marshall*
13th
Oct. 18th
8th
at
Louisiana
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* denotes C-USA game
COLUMN
Gooch carrying heavy load for Lady Toppers
WKU senior forward O'Karo Akamune maneuvers through two Texas State Bobcats as he drives to the basket on Saturday in Diddle Arena. The Toppers beat the Bobcats 68-64 to claim their fifth straight win. JEFF BROWN/HERALD
WKU wins five straight for first time since 2009-10 BY LUCAS AULBACH SPORTS@WKUHERALD.COM
Women's basketball coach Michelle ClarkHeard knows better than anybody that right now the Lady Toppers are going to live and die on the play of junior forward Chastity Gooch. "I talk to her and I tell her I take my hat off to her, because I know she's playing a ton of minutes and she's doing a great job for us," Clark-Heard said about Gooch after Saturday's home loss to Texas State. With junior guard AlexLucas Aulbach is Govan out indefinitely Columnist with a leg injury, Gooch, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and WKU's top force in the paint, is being called upon to take on an even bigger role in the Lady Topper offense. In Thursday's win over UT-Arlington, Gooch was in the game for 35 minutes and picked up 12 points and 12 rebounds, including 10 boards in the second half. Saturday against Texas State she scored 12 points and picked up seven rebounds while playing the full 40 minutes. Playing big minutes is nothing new to Gooch, but in the absence of Govan, the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year, she has taken it to the next level. In the nine games since her teammate last played, Gooch has averaged 34.4 minutes per game. Her minutes have picked up even more lately — in her last four games, the forward has been on the floor for 39, 38, 35, and 40 minutes. That's a combined eight minutes on the bench through 160 minutes of play. I get exhausted just reading her numbers. Gooch, a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Week so far this season, has performed admirably through her recent uptick in playing time. Since Govan was injured, Gooch has led the Lady Toppers in scoring eight times and picked up the most rebounds in seven games. Her averages of 17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game led the team in both categories. While the Lady Toppers are going to have to keep leaning on their all-Sun Belt forward, others will have to step up if the Lady Toppers want to stay hot. Redshirt freshman guard Kendall Noble has been on a hot streak recently — she had a pair of 19- and 20-point games a week ago in Louisiana and led the team in rebounds twice in the past five games. Sophomore guard Micah Jones, the only Lady Topper other than Gooch to start in all 20 games this season, is the best 3-point shooter on the team, and senior guard Bianca McGee has the ability to make up for some of the production that was lost with Govan. With nine regular season games to go, WKU is going to need Gooch to continue playing her best basketball for the second-place Lady Toppers to catch Arkansas State for the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. If her supporting cast can pick up some of her slack, they just might do it.
BY TYLER LASHBROOK SPORTS@WKUHERALD.COM WKU coach Ray Harper sees that his team has nine games remaining on the schedule. While Harper and the Toppers (15-7, 7-2 Sun Belt Conference) are only looking forward, it’s also easy to look back. WKU has won five straight and is eight games over .500 for the first time since the 2009-10 squad finished with a 21-13 record. That season, the Toppers finished with a 12-6 conference record. Saturday’s matchup at Arkansas-Little Rock comes as a big rematch as WKU faces the last team to beat the Toppers. “We talked about how we
are at the halfway point in the league,” coach Harper said. “We are 7-2 in the conference, 15-7 overall, and we have nine games left. We need to get ready for next Saturday in Little Rock.” The Toppers found their magic two nights after the loss to UALR, pulling out a doubleovertime win against Arkansas State—the first win in the current five-game win streak. Harper said after the game that he thought it could become the team’s “defining moment.” Fast-forward two weeks and that claim is starting to look true. The Toppers traveled to Louisiana after their thriller
against ASU and swept Louisiana-Monroe and LouisianaLafayette. The first of those was a 19-point stomping and the second was a nail-biter. WKU returned home after that to battle the Lone Star tandem tandem of Texas-Arlington and Texas State: The Toppers climbed back from a 15-point deficit to defeat the former and pulled away in the final minute against TSU in an otherwise back-and-forth affair. “These were two tough games this week,” Harper said Saturday after the game against TSU, “and we were able to grind it out and find a way to SEE BASKETBALL PAGE B4
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Akamune providing extra energy off the bench BY TYLER LASHBROOK SPORTS@WKUHERALD.COM
O'Karo Akamune, Senior Foward
I don’t think if we had O tonight, I don’t think we would have been in a position we were at the end of the game.”
Though WKU has several power players that contribute to it's successful season thus far, including a win against Texas State this past Saturday, 6-foot-7 senior O’Karo Akamune forward brought a ton of energy while contributing in the win. and providing a sturdy pres“Since I’ve been here, ence in its interior defense. O’Karo has always been a His energy was on display high-energy guy,” junior in WKU’s comeback win forward George Fant said. over Texas-Arlington Thurs“He’s a senior now, so you day night. know he’s going to step “(O’Karo) came in and up.” brought a ton of energy,” Akamune missed freshman point guard the first 14 games of O'Karo Akamune Chris Harrison-Docks Senior Foward said after the game. “I the season due to a broken foot, but is now averaging don’t think if we had O tonight, 3.6 points and 4.4 rebounds since I don’t think we would have been returning. in a position we were at the end The stat sheet, however, doesn’t of the game.” fully tell the story of Akamune’s The senior finished with nine importance to the team. points, nine rebounds and gave The senior leads by example the Toppers a lot of length and athby flying around for loose balls, leticism in their full-court trapping trapping hard in WKU’s full court defense. press, tracking down rebounds “I thought his energy was the
difference in the basketball game,” Harper said after the game. ”I don’t know that there was one possession in the game that I saw O’Karo take the possession off. He just didn’t; he was alert. He went to try to rebound it. “The mistakes he made tonight, they were because he was too aggressive. They were not because he was not alert and reacting slowly. He was terrific, he said." Two nights later, in a hard fought win against Texas State, Akamune was again aggressive and he provided the Toppers a much needed spark off the bench. “He has a lot to prove,” Fant
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