October 3, 2017

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BURN YOUR NFL GEAR

NEW CHURCH ENGAGES INTL. COMMUNITY

OPINION, PAGE A4

FEATURES, PAGE A8 TTUESDAY, UESDAY, OCTOBER OCTOBER 33,, 22017 017 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 993, 3, IISSUE SSUE 1133

Species Nyiramana is the leader of one of the groups who performed at Bowling Green’s International festival on Saturday, Sept. 30. The group danced to fast paced music in various African languages to represent their culture. REMI MAYS/HERALD

Cultures Combine World cultures celebrated at Bowling Green International Festival

BY SARAH YAACOUB HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

T

housands of people gathered in Circus Square Park downtown to attend the Bowling Green International Festival, held annually on the last Saturday in September.

The festival is a celebration of the city’s ethnic diversity. It serves to educate attendees about the cultures that coexist in Bowling Green and entertain them through activities, celebrating the richness that results from the unique amalgamation of individuals from all over the world.

This year, over 15,000 people were in attendance, and people came from all over Kentucky to enjoy the nearly 170 booths that sold everything from traditional garb to henna tattoos to vegan egg rolls, in addition to offering information and education on hundreds of nationalities and eth-

nicities.

Complimentary services included live music all day, with performances by a Burmese dance troupe, Roma band, Malaysian and Filipino martial artists and a number of others, many of whom blended their traditional cultures with more modern musical or artistic styles. The audience grew throughout the day, and soon there was standing room only in front of the stages.

The Bowling Green International Festival is an annual occurrence hosted by the 501(c)3 organization Bowling Green International Festival, Inc., and last weekend marked its 28th year in operation. It has grown from the first festival in 1989, a blend of Japan Fest and the Ethnic Folk Festival funded primarily by city grants, to an independent event supported

SEE INTERNATIONAL PAGE A2

Cielito Lindo dancers wait to perform traditional hispanics dances on the Diversity Stage at the International festival. REMI MAYS/HERALD

Future teachers face pension uncertainty Local Taco

to come to town this month

BY MONICA KAST HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU When Morgantown junior Allison Kurfiss came to WKU, she was enrolled in the pre-pharmacy concentration in the Ogden College of Science and Engineering. However, it wasn’t long before Kurfiss changed her major to middle grades math education and began the SKyTeach program.

“I always kind of knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Kurfiss said, later adding that she also knew that she “needed to become a teacher.”

For Kurfiss, having an impact on the lives of middle school students is “pivotal.”

“It’s important to me to be here for them and to encourage them to do whatever they want to be doing,” Kurfiss said.

However, in light of Kentucky’s pension crisis, Kurfiss said she does have some concerns about becoming a teacher.

“If I have to teach until I’m 65-years-old, I’m worried I’d be doing more of a disservice than teaching well,” Kurfiss said, citing a report done by the PFM Group, which recommended raising the retirement age for many employees to 65.

While many groups have expressed concern about the pension crisis, one group that has remained optimistic is

BY MATT STAHL HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

Evans said from his point of view, student’s passion for becoming a teacher outweighs concerns they may have about pay and benefits.

“Because of the passion that I observe in the work that they do and the comments that they make, the concept of pay and pensions, those do not surface in the conversation,”

Local Taco, a regional restaurant chain serving tacos, will open a location in Bowling Green in late October.

Local Taco currently has three locations in the Nashville area and two in Alabama. Local Taco may also be familiar to students from the Lexington area, where the first Local Taco opened.

Jess Eccher, marketing director for Local Taco, said she thinks the resturant will be a natural fit for a college town like Bowling Green.

“Local Taco is really a neighborhood taco shop,” Eccher said. “We try to bring fresh ingredients and creative energy for friends and neighbors to get together for a good

SEE ED MAJORS PAGE A2

SEE LOCAL TACO PAGE A2

Gary Randsdell Hall on Monday. Gary Randsdell Hall houses the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Some students who are enrolled in this school have expressed concern about the current pension crisis. SILAS WALKER /HERALD future teachers.

Sam Evans, dean of WKU’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, said he has not heard much concern from students planning on becoming teachers about the pension crisis.

“I do not hear students commenting on the pension crisis,” Evans said.

“However, that doesn’t mean that concern isn’t there.”

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

OCTOBER 3, 2017

A2

The Best of African Group dances on the Diversity Stage Saturday, Sept. 30, at Bowling Green’s annual International Festival. They danced to a traditional number combined with a Caribbean melody to incorporate all cultures. REMI MAYS/HERALD

INTERNATIONAL Continued from front

by ticket sales and corporate sponsorships. It incorporates elements of organizations and local businesses from all over Bowling Green, making it truly a collaborative event. It is staffed predominantly by volunteers, whose tasks ranged from operating the admission gates to aiding in waste removal services.

From the families who had been coming since the festival’s opening to the immigrants who saw part of their homeland reflected in the performances and art displays, it was evident the people in the community of Bowling Green saw the value in the festival and appreciated the opportunity to immerse themselves in such an assortment of experiences.

“I do feel that it makes people more aware of different cultures,” Anna Zaitseva, a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant for Russian language classes at WKU, said.

“Bowling Green isn’t a big city, and it’s kind of surprising to see how

ED MAJORS Continued from front

Evans said. “And those may not surface until they’ve completed their program of study...and they become a classroom teacher.”

Evans said the current pension crisis should be addressed in order to ensure that teachers are given a fair salary and “a reasonable income” upon retirement.

“Their role in society is extremely important,” Evans said. “We need to provide teachers a level of compensation where they can be financially stable and upon retirement, be able to have a reasonable income. I can’t say we’re doing either one of those right now.”

To those who may be concerned about entering a field in the midst

LOCAL TACO Continued from Front

time, so we are really excited about Bowling Green.”

Eccher said that she thinks WKU students will enjoy having Local Taco in Bowling Green.

“We just built a really cool pergola outside, so it will be a really awesome vibe,” Eccher said. “Just come get a drink and hang out with your friends.”

Local Taco will be located at 430 US 31 Bypass, across from Commonwealth Regional Specialty Hospital, in the former home of Ying Ji Bistro.

While the menu for the Bowling Green location is still being finalized,

many cultures we have here. It’s important that we all come together.”

The festival is the epitome of a family event, with children and dogs running from booth to booth and taking in the sights, scents and sounds of all that occurred.

The event brings together people whose roots trace back all the way around the globe to share their cultures and lifestyles with others.

That’s an invaluable and unusual opportunity in a town of only 60,000, and one festival guests appreciate immensely.

“It exposes people to a lot of cultures that they’re not really exposed to, that they might not realize are present in everyday society,” said Caden Dosier, festival volunteer and a junior at Gatton Academy.

The festival also serves to build a sense of community and camaraderie by creating an atmosphere in which diversity is both acknowledged and valued, and people are willing and excited to learn about ethnicities, cultures and nationalities outside the realm of their own experience.

A young girl peeks out from behind a parasol Saturday, Sept. 30, at the annual International Festival in Circus Square Park. Vendors set up booths and sold items representing their respective cultures. These items included dresses, toys, umbrellas, jewelry, dream catchers and more. REMI MAYS/HERALD

Reporter Sarah Yaacoub can be reached at 270-745-2655 and sar-

ah.yaacoub214@topper.wku.edu.

Follow her on Twitter at @sarahyaacoub1.

of the pension crisis, Evans said students should find what they are passionate about and try to make a career out of what they are passionate about.

“You have to go with your passion,” Evans said. “If your passion is working with students, that’s what has to drive you.”

Hopkinsville senior Brandon Goodwin is a music education major and plans on teaching outside of Kentucky after graduating. His reason, however, has nothing to due with compensation and retirement for teachers in Kentucky.

“Music programs in Kentucky, the funding is awful,” Goodwin said.

Goodwin said he hopes to teach “somewhere where [music education] is more prominent.”

“I just want to get a job first, and I’ll worry about the logistics later,”

Goodwin said.

Georgetown senior Maddie Hughes said she would consider teaching out-of-state, but wouldn’t move solely based on the pension system.

“I wouldn’t move just because of that,” Hughes said. “Anywhere you go, pay won’t be great.”

Hughes, also a music education major, said she wants to become a teacher because she is passionate about passing on her love of music.

“I liked performing and I’m passionate about music, but I’m more passionate about passing that passion on,” Hughes said.

Hughes said she hopes to work with community organizations on music education in the future. She said she feels that more conversations need to be had with future educators about the pension system and what will happen after graduation.

“We’re still in this zone of separation,” Hughes said. “This will effect us very soon. Maybe we won’t feel it until we’re in the field ... but it’s something we should be having conversations about.”

Kurfiss said she thinks the Kentucky legislature should “take in the voice of current and future educators.”

“It’s not affecting them, per se,” Kurfiss said. “It’s affecting us.”

Despite her concerns about the pension system, Kurfiss said she has no plans to leave Kentucky to teach.

“I love Kentucky,” Kurfiss said. “I don’t ever plan on leaving Kentucky.

It’s my home.”

Local Taco’s other locations serve tacos with a local flair, including Nashville hot chicken and Alabama barbecue tacos. Local Taco also serves more conventional tacos, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Students at WKU and other state universities who are familiar with Local Taco gave the restaurant positive reviews.

Jackie Thompson, a senior at the University of Kentucky, has been eating at Local Taco for four years.

“It has a nice patio and bar area,” Thompson said. “It’s a really nice place to watch the games, hang out with your friends and have a good time.”

She said she was also a fan of the food.

“They use fresh ingredients,” Thompson said. “A lot of the vegetables they use come from local farms, and so that’s a nice substitute for some of the other places that we have around here.”

Thompson said she loves the side items at Local Taco, especially the sautéed vegetables.

Scranton sophomore Nate Brooks said he is also excited for Local Taco in Bowling Green.

“The atmosphere is really cool and unique,” Brooks said. “It was really interesting. I had a taco that had barbecue brisket on it, and it was really good. The sauce on it was wonderful.”

Brooks said he was looking forward to the opening day.

“I’m incredibly excited,” he said. “I think that it will be a great addition to the food scene in Bowling Green.”

Local Taco will offer WKU students a 10 percent discount if they show a student ID, Eccher said.

Local Taco will be looking to hire for all positions over the next several weeks. These positions include cooks, servers and bartenders, according to the Local Taco website.

More information about Local Taco, including menus and job information, can be found on their website, www.localtaco.com.

News editor Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-6011 or monica. kast187@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @monica_kast.

Reporter Matt Stahl can be reached at 270-745-6011 and matthew. stahl551@topper.wku.edu.

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OCTOBER 3, 2017

A3

Campus police chief to form advisory council

BY CAMERON COYLE HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU The WKU Police Department is putting together an advisory council to assist the police chief in making decisions regarding campus police issues, according to the police chief.

Chief Mitch Walker said he plans to create a chief advisory team made up of students, police officers, faculty and staff who would assist him.

Walker organized an advisory team made up of only campus police officers during his time as interim chief of police at WKU. Walker said he has received several inquiries about the chief advisory council from students, and he hopes to have the members selected by the middle of October he said many people have already begun applying to be on the council.

“I’ve gotten several e-mails from people wanting to volunteer so we’re pretty excited,” Walker said.

Officer Brandon Miller previously served on the chief advisory team and will be returning again this semester.

“It’s given us, as officers and mem-

bers of the department, a chance to voice our opinions of what’s going on within the department,” Miller said.

“If we have certain issues that aren’t really being addressed then we bring them up. Certain things that, say one person may have just strictly made the decision on in the past, we can actually vote on it.”

Miller said they talked about what colors the officers wanted, discussed possibly changing the patch and even decided to add an external vest carrier.

Miller said the council sometimes gets to decide on how parts of the campus police budget are handled.

“We are needing to upgrade some

It’s given us, as officers and members of the department, a chance to voice our opinions of what’s going on within the department.”

Officer Brandon Miller Miller said the new uniforms the officers now wear are a product of the chief advisory council.

“It got brought up that [our] other uniforms weren’t holding up very well and none of the guys liked them because they were too hot, so we brought up that we wanted to look into maybe some different uniforms,” Miller said.

of our tasers, so we’re trying to decide if we’re going to spend the money to upgrade the tasers,” Miller said.

Miller also said the council will be deciding on whether or not to get National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, terminals in their dispatch.

An NCIC terminal is a digitalized database that contains information regarding such things as criminal re-

cord histories, missing persons and stolen property.

The FBI’s website calls NCIC terminals “an electronic clearinghouse of crime data that can be tapped into by virtually every criminal justice agency nationwide, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It helps criminal justice professionals apprehend fugitives, locate missing persons, recover stolen property and identify terrorists.”

Miller expressed confidence officers would work successfully with students, faculty and staff.

“I think it will work pretty well because we’re actually getting input from them too on what they would like to see,” Miller said.

Walker said he wants students from all years at WKU to be on the council.

He said the best way to apply to be on the chief advisory council is to e-mail your interests at mitchell.walker@ wku.edu or to call the campus police station at 270-745-5275.

Reporter Cameron Coyle can be reached at 270-745-6011 and cameron.coyle803@topper.wku.edu.

Caboni announces strategic planning committee

BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU President Timothy Caboni has announced plans to integrate a strategic planning committee in efforts to allow the university to claim a role as a leader among other public institutions in the U.S., according to an email he sent.

The strategic committee will be composed of five smaller groups, co-chaired by members of the faculty and staff at WKU. The five groups consist of academic innovation and excellence, student success and experience, diversity, equity and inclusion, research, scholarship and creative endeavors and budgeting, efficiency and infrastructure.

In his email, Caboni estimated around 75 people would be involved with the subcommittees, which will be composed of faculty, staff and stu-

dents. They will likely begin meeting during the Spring 2018 semester, and will focus on creating a plan for different areas of the university for the next five to seven years.

Preliminary discussions for the groups began in August, when Caboni presented the idea during his monthly meeting with the executive board of the Student Government Association. SGA president Andi Dahmer said the idea was introduced as a means to raise student involvement, but at the time there was no clear shape of how that would transpire.

Working with SGA, Caboni is urging all students to apply to be representatives on the subcommittees, also titled “working groups.” SGA chief of staff Conner Hounshell said the working groups are searching for a “diverse group to best represent the student body as a whole.”

Dahmer said they are hoping for

representation from all grade levels, including graduate students. Once all applications have been received, the executive board of SGA as well as other SGA members will review all of the applicants and present a list of three to four candidates that they believe will be best suited to each working group.

Caboni will then select one to two candidates to represent each working group.

“We’re looking for students from all different backgrounds, with different experiences,” Dahmer said. “Presenting yourself and past experiences will help steer each applicant towards the working group to which they would best fit.”

Diversity is key in forming the student representatives, and they are hoping to include members from both in and out of the SGA Senate, Dahmer said. As of last week, approximately 23 students had applied to

represent a working group, according to Dahmer.

Dahmer said the goal of the working groups is to work together with all aspects of campus involvement, including faculty, staff, students and stakeholders to provide information to the groups that will help WKU move forward in the future.

Dahmer said she was not sure when, once fully formed, the working groups would begin meeting, but imagined a lot of preliminary meetings would occur in the spring semester.

“The goal is to have efforts planned to present at the July Board of Regents meeting,” Dahmer said. “We want to have an equal voice in planning the university for the next five years.”

Reporter Emily DeLetter can be reached at 270-745-6011 and emily. deletter304@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @emilydeletter.

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OPINION

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SALTED POPCORN

KALYN’S CORNER

Review of “Mother!”

BY REMI MAYS HERALD.OPINON@WKU.EDU

Illustration by JENNIFER KING /HERALD

pointless protest Burning NFL gear in protest: it just makes no sense

BY KALYN JOHNSON HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU

A

t the tail end of September, die-hard American patriots across the country doused their NFL gear in gasoline, lit their matches while they talked a big game about how football players should stay out of politics and then ignited hundreds of dollars worth of NFL gear on fire. They are making a statement to the NFL that they will not stand for injustices done against the American flag and the people who care about it. Their jersey and hat burning represent their faithfulness to the United States and their American spirit.

Keeping this simple, NFL players are not taking a knee in protest of the flag, or at the fact that thousands of women and men have put their lives on the line and continue to put their lives on the line to protect the U.S. That is only surface level. They’re doing this in protest of a president who refuses to look beyond the American spirit and see the American struggle.

When the president’s response to NFL players taking a knee is stronger than white supremacists running rampant in the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, there is a problem with our president’s priorities. There is a problem when the president believes players should be fired for taking a knee or exercising their First Amendment right.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts states that “to engage in symbolic speech” is relevant and should be taken into account as we think about free speech. If some of us are confused, the U.S. Courts cites an example as “burning the flag in protest.” Americans can hypothetically burn flags if they see fit.

Taking a knee is an act of symbolic speech. Women and men across decades have laid down their lives so that these players can kneel. But let it be known that they are not kneeling to disrespect the many Americans that died for our rights. They are kneeling because of the lack of response to police brutality. President Trump’s failure to explicitly denounce white supremacists, while at the same time calling NFL players

“sons of bitches” at his rallies, justifies the actions of these players.

I’ve found that the individuals burning NFL gear are upset that the players are disrespecting the flag and the Constitution. I argue against that. These players are upholding a right, the first right, that we have as American citizens. With all due respect to those who serve in the armed forces, every American has the right to free speech, and it will be exercised whether fans decide to burn gear they paid for or not. In any case, this makes absolutely no sense.

There are articles and videos of Americans who are burning items they paid for in protest to players taking a knee. The act of burning something they paid money for befuddles me when they could have easily posted the items on eBay and got around the same amount of money back for the items. I do not understand their anger when they refuse to recognize kneeling as an act of peaceful protest that does no harm to players or fans when their NFL gear burning does nothing but burn a couple hundred dollar deep hole in their pockets.

Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!” is far from a traditional horror movie. It’s a gray area between psychological puzzle and a social statement with the use of a wonderful cast.

Aronofsky has created an origin story. He has taken parts of Genesis from the Bible and combined those with more modern elements such as women’s rights and environmentalism.

“Mother!” compares Jennifer Lawrence’s character to Mother Earth, who throughout the whole movie is trying to repair an isolated house that represents Earth. Javier Bardem’s character, known only as “Him,” is a poet and a creator of life. Essentially, a representation of God. Even though there is no civilization surrounding the house, Ed Harris’s character, representing the biblical character Adam, comes to the door requesting to meet “Him” because he loves his work. Then a woman and her children, representing Eve, Cain and Abel from the Bible, follow the man.

Eventually, a multitude of people who are fans of “Him’s” work come to gather around the house in hopes of meeting “Him.” Mother becomes angry at them as they flood the house and kicks everyone out.

As the film progresses, Mother gives birth to a son. This is when fans of “Him” begin to reappear. After Mother goes to rest, “Him” shows their son to the fans and they kill him and feed on his flesh. Devastated, mother sets everything and everyone on fire. Mother and “Him” are the only two survivors.

In the end, Mother still confesses her love for “Him” and he returns the favor by ripping her heart out to create a new mother.

Not one character in the entire movie has a direct name. In addition, only one character’s name is capitalized: “Him.” He belittles every cautious thing mother says because of his ego.

“Him” thrives on ego and is motivated by worship of his art that blinds him from listening to the needs of Mother.

However, Mother is subtly more powerful than “Him” as she gets to decide who lives and who dies in the end.

But even when she forgives and asks “Him” to change for a better future, he moves on to another mother.

“Mother!” is a demonstration that even the most powerful woman will never be enough because she lives in a world built for a man. This film provides a reflection, as well, on the human condition. It shows how we as fans treat the Earth in the name of God without a second thought about the consequences of our actions.

ABOVE THE FRAY

The long haul of becoming a professional

BY ERICK MURRER HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU One of my favorite pastimes is tuning into “PBS NewsHour” every weeknight at 6 p.m. Unlike other outlets which are concerned about theatrics and ratings, the “NewsHour” features a crisp format covering an extensive lineup from the arts to politics. But even more enthralling are the newscasters, who perfectly remain engaged yet objective when interacting with interviewees.

As a loyal “NewsHour” viewer, I love learning about the personal backgrounds of these accomplished people whom I let virtually into my living room. I wonder how each news contributor got to be at the place they are. What starts off as a passive

Google search to learn more about their work turns into invested reading about their life stories.

Known for her outstanding journalistic integrity, one of my favorite “NewsHour” personalities was the late Gwen Ifill, a former “NewsHour” co-anchor who passed away in November 2016. Born into a religious African Methodist Episcopal family, she was raised by her Barbados-born mother and Panamanian immigrant minister father. Ifill experienced racism early on in her college years while at an internship with the Boston Herald American in which a staffer gave her a note that called her a racial slur.

Speaking about the Boston Herald internship experience, Ifill exclaimed, “They didn’t know what a college-educated black woman was and they didn’t know how to treat

me.” Ifill didn’t let the incident detract from her work or ability. In 1999, she became the first black woman to host a national TV political talk show.

Truly, Ifill was a Washington mainstay embodying a rewarding career, having moderated U.S. presidential debates. It was an honor to watch Gwen on the news for so long. She is an inspiration for all.

I hope to channel that same tenacity and determination Ifill radiated, but I often falter in believing myself.

Here I am, a 21-year-old with less than eight months to go before college graduation. What will I make of my life and how can I ever match up with such talent that has preceded me?

These are short-sighted questions to ask. A recurring theme I find after reading about the colorful lives of

professionals is that they didn’t exactly know what the end game was.

It takes years for individuals to build their skills to become the best.

Talented people do not passively wait for opportunities to come their way. Gwen Ifill quit her job after being told that she wasn’t prepared to cover Capitol Hill. Gwen knew what she was capable of: she pursued a position with the New York Times to report on the White House.

While I personally do not believe in destiny, I maintain that each opportunity has the potential to be a stepping-stone for something better.

Immediate gratification is rare, and most things require arduous work. So cut yourself some slack if you’re not an award-winning journalist just yet.

Your time will come with work and dedication.

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Dogs & Cats in Movies ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

1. In Lethal Weapon (1987) what is LAPD officer Martin Rigg's dog's name? (a) Sam (b) Mac (c) Roger 2. What is Joan Wilder's cat's name in Romancing the Stone (1984)? (a) Valentino (b) Romeo (c) Casanova 3. In Alien, what is warrant officer Ellen Ripley's cat's name? (a) Brownie (b) Jonesy (c) Daisy 4. What is the name of the bulldog Adrian gives Robert Balboa in the 1976 film Rocky? (a) Bear Bryant (b) Don Shula (c) Dick Butkus 5. What is the ghostly dog's name in The Nightmare before Christmas (1993)? (a) Thirteen (b) Zero (c) Seven 6. A cat with an important collar plays a role in Men in Black (1997). What is the cat's name? (a) Jupiter (b) Orion (c) Mercury 7. In the 1986 film Stand By Me, what is the junkyard dog's name? (a) Satan (b) Bruno (c) Chopper 8. The Golden Retriever in You've Got Mail (1998) is named what? (a) Brinkley (b) Piper (c) Leah 9. What was Ellie's cat's name in the 1989 movie Pet Sematary? (a) Luna (b) Salem (c) Church 10. What is the name of the cat who helps the FBI solve a robbery and kidnapping in That Darn Cat (1965)? (a) AJ (b) DC (c) CC

Solution 1.a 2.b 3.b 4.c 5.a

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OCTOBER 3, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM

SPORTS

THE WALKTHROUGH

NCAA shakeup is a troubling motif

BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

WKU Senior Jessica Lucas (1) sets the ball during WKU’s game vs. LA Tech on Friday in EA Diddle Arena. “There is no one who is able to do what we can do offensively on the court,” head coach Travis Hudson said before the game.

SILAS WALKER/HERALD

unstoppable Lady Toppers return to Diddle in style

BY CLAY MANLOVE HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU The return home to Diddle Arena brought out many key components for the Lady Topper volleyball team as WKU picked up a pair of conference wins in the weekend slate.

WKU dominated the pair of conference matches, beating both Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee 3-0 on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

In one of their poorest offensive performances of the season, the Lady Toppers took down LA Tech on Friday evening while hitting at a .235 percentage, well below their season average of .336 and their second-lowest showing since hitting a .151 clip in the loss to Louisville.

In this match, WKU had no choice but to rely on its defense, which has been a key focus point in practice for the Lady Toppers over the last few weeks.

“We’ve been struggling to be con-

sistent on defense all season,” junior middle blocker Rachel Anderson said. “It definitely wasn’t good that our offense struggled, but it was good to see that we had our defense there to back it up.”

WKU held the Lady Techsters to a .053 clip on the night while out-digging LA Tech 51-33, senior right-side hitter Sydney Engle leading the way with 13 digs.

“We’ve been really focused on defense lately,” Engle said. “It feels good to know that if our offense does struggle, we can still win games defensively.”

The Lady Toppers’ 51 digs in the match were the most cumulative digs by the team in a three-setter since the opening weekend of the season, and the defensive effort could not have come at a better time.

“It was one of our poorer offensive showings of the year,” WKU head coach Travis Hudson said. “Because we weren’t where we were supposed

to be offensively, it was time that we stepped up and won a game on the defensive side.”

The WKU offense more than rebounded in Sunday’s match against MTSU, blistering the Blue Raiders with a .507 hitting clip as Alyssa Cavanaugh took charge with 11 kills and Anderson recorded a .727 hitting percentage to go along with nine kills.

“It’s nice to see our offense performing well because we kind of rely on them more than we should,” Engle said. “With the way our defense is playing, I think we’re putting all of the pieces together to be unstoppable.”

Hudson mixed up the lineup to begin the game against the Blue Raiders, choosing to start junior Taylor Dellinger and freshman Darby Music over normal starters Cavanaugh and Hallie Shelton.

“Our depth needed some minutes,” Hudson said. “We’ve been at

SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE A7

It’s now been one week since the biggest scandal in modern college sports history rocked the college basketball world to its core.

While the details of the most damning scheme in amateur athletics are complex, the facts are simple: student athletes are being paid by shoe companies, AAU officials and college coaches to play col- Evan lege basketball.

Heichelbech In an FBI report last week, the FBI —yes, that’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation— exposed and uncovered what has long been the worst kept secret in college basketball. Players, coaches and their programs have long dealt with rumors and attacks of illegal recruiting methods, eligibility concerns and rule breaking swirling above their heads, but they had never been caught with tangible proof. Until now.

When I woke up to the news that would forever alter the future of my all-time favorite sport seven days ago, it took several hours for the magnitude of the situation to truly set in. Honestly, no one really knows what’s going to happen or how long it will take for these investigations to unfold and unravel the nature of not just college hoops, but college athletics and the NCAA as an entity altogether.

Without delving too deep into the details of the FBI’s investigation, there are several important things to understand. First, this was an FBI sting operation guided by the aid of a cooperating witness to use wiretaps and undercover tactics to reveal the backroom deals to pay players. As a byproduct of that, arrests have already been made and those who will presumably be charged could potentially face decades of prison time on charges of bribery, fraud and tax evasion among others in the illegal funneling and wiring of money. The

SEE WALKTHROUGH PAGE A7

Thompson and Coleby ready to lead with experience

BY JEREMY CHISENHALL

Coleby is a forward who has played for Ole Miss and Kansas, making the Elite Eight with the Jayhawks last year and landing on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. He averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds. At Ole Miss he averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 53.2 percent from the floor.

Coleby said he feels he’s been a good leader so far, and he had some praise for his fellow graduate transfer senior.

“He’s like a real point guard,” Coleby said of Thompson. “He sees everything on the court. He knows where you are, and he can find you. He just gets everyone involved.”

Thompson said a leadership role is exactly what head coach Rick Stansbury wants him in.

“He just told me he needed someone to come in and be a leader,” Thompson said. “He didn’t have much experience, he had a great group of guys coming in, but he just needed that leadership. It’s big for me, Dwight and Justin to come in, step in and be leaders.”

Thompson also said he’s working to improve his leadership by being more outspoken.

“I think one of the big steps I’ve been trying to work on is just being more of a vocal leader,” Thompson said. “I’m always going to do the right thing and I’m going to lead by example, but my thing is being a vocal leader.”

The two graduated from Virginia and Kansas respectively last year.

They’ll look to lead the Hilltoppers into their first official practices this week.

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU Lost in the madness of the multiple arrivals and departures of Mitchell Robinson, as well as other roster moves in WKU basketball team’s wild offseason, was the addition of two graduate transfers who have played for some of the top programs in college basketball: Darius Thompson and Dwight Coleby.

The two transfers make up half of WKU basketball’s senior class, as they join forward Justin Johnson, WKU’s only returning starter, and walk-on guard Tyler Miller. Together, Thompson and Coleby have played in five NCAA tournaments.

After having moved around among some of the NCAA’s more premiere programs, the two are at WKU to be leaders on a young team that features eight newcomers. As graduate transfers, Coleby and Thompson can relate to each other through their common change of scenery and new leadership roles.

“We come from the same situation,” Coleby said. “We’re doing kind of the same thing, so we’ve got that in common, being the older guys on the team. We’ve just got to step up and just be leaders for everyone else.”

Thompson is a guard who has played for Tennessee and Virginia.

He holds the record for consecutive 3-pointers at UVa, as he made eight in a row during the 2015-16 season.

During his last year at UVa, Thompson averaged 6.2 points, 2.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds. While at Virginia, he went to the NCAA Tournament twice, once making the Elite Eight.

He also made it to the Sweet Sixteen as a freshman at Tennessee, leading the Volunteers in steals that year with 36.

Senior forward Justin Johnson (23) is the lone returning starter for WKU. EBONY COX/HERALD

Reporter Jeremy Chisenhall can be reached at 859-760-0198 and jeremy. chisenhall921@topper.wku.edu. Follow him on Twitter at @JSChisenhall.

A7 WALKTHROUGH

Continued from a6

paper trail is traceable and real. This is quite different than a postseason ban or a reduction of scholarships.

This is changing people’s lives.

I’m purposely going to avoid commenting or speculating anything pertaining to the unique states of crises at universities across college basketball because it could all change in a major way at any given moment.

There are no apparent reasons for WKU or Rick Stansbury to be involved at this time, but with the vibes the FBI has radiated and the things national media outlets have reported over the past week, no coach or program should feel safe at this point.

The FBI has hard evidence against the schools already notified and purportedly has a long list of guilty parties left to run through.

With the burden now seemingly placed upon universities and their administrators and coaches named by the FBI as well as the shoe company executives, AAU and college coaches arrested last Tuesday, the root of the issue lies within the association that ultimately caused it all: the NCAA. And sadly, the NCAA is the main player in this Cohen Brothers-esque plot turned into reality that will slide through the mess without immediate public condemnation.

So how can the most corrupt, hypocritical and severely incompetent organization in major American sports fix this? There’s only one way.

The rules governing the cluttered, unclear and illogical definition of amateurism within the NCAA’s realm must change. Or, even better, be completely removed.

The NCAA is so backwards in its direction that it couldn’t even begin to clean up its own mess, and that’s assuming that it wanted to in the first place. An extension of the federal government had to step in and has reportedly told the NCAA to stay out of its way.

Now more than ever, the idea of the “student athlete” is laughably un-

CHURCH

Continued from a8 classes on weekends as well as promoting the usage of a free Bible app that has over 1,100 languages available. On the slides projected during services, multiple translations were provided under the English verses.

Journey isn’t the only location in Bowling Green offering free ESL classes. St. James United Methodist Church provides basic level ESL and has a Swahili interpreter present, Living Hope Baptist Church offers ESL, homework help and language partners for trips to the grocery store, Eastwood Baptist Church provides ESL to Japanese students, and KCTCS offers eight levels from beginning to advanced English along with citizenship and GED classes.

Louisville sophomore Margee Kassel attended Journey Church for the

OCTOBER 3, 2017 realistic and it all traces back to the extreme hypocrisy of the NCAA, an organization rolling in money while also trying to keep its athletes – the human beings overwhelmingly responsible for NCAA president Mark Emmert and his kingdom’s billions in income – from earning a dime. There is no longer a place for amateurism in major American collegiate sports.

If student athletes were treated fairly and justly compensated, last Tuesday’s bombshell likely never would’ve exploded and it certainly wouldn’t have been so widespread and salacious in nature.

This isn’t a perfect world and perhaps a functional form of amateur compensation does not exist, but obviously neither does the current form of inequity the NCAA has in place.

Even without mentioning the national anthem protests across the NFL and the uncalled for and reproachable role our nation’s leader played in that controversy, the shakeup of the sports landscape right now in America is extraordinarily disheartening.

The negative light of a sports story should never shine brighter or register on the same level of corruption, deceit or heartbreak that this world already deals with way too often.

Hurricanes have been ravaging major American cities and Puerto Rico for the last month and the deadliest shooting in U.S. history occurred Sunday night in Las Vegas. But all people want to talk about is the evil that lies within the hearts of college basketball coaches and kneeling professional football players.

Sports are a form of entertainment, avenues of escape from the troubles and hardships of everyday life. Here’s to hoping they return to that sooner rather than later, if that’s even possible.

Sports Editor Evan Heichelbech can be reached at 502-415-1817 and evan.heichelbech059@topper.wku. edu. Follow him on Twitter at @evanheich. edu. Follow him on Twitter at @evanheich. first time Sunday from an invite by her friend Kate, who picked her up so they could go together. They sat toward the middle and Kassel, along with others, participated in a drawing activity Matt Betts used to compare imagination and vision.

“I loved it,” Kassel said. “I really enjoyed the fellowship that was created. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.”

Journey will be hosting an event called Starting Point at 11:45 a.m.

Sunday, Oct. 8 for those interested in learning more about the church, its mission and programs available.

Reporter Laryn Hilderbrandt can be reached at 270-745-2655 and laryn. hilderbrandt963@topper.wku.edu.

Josiah Hughes, 7, draws with Nike, 9, during the service at Journey Church in Bowling Green on Sunday, Oct. 1. Nike and his family are from the Dominican Republic of the Congo. Hughes’ father said he “enjoys being with international families, refugees, and students” who come to the church. GRACE PRITCHETT/HERALD

VOLLEYBALL

Continued from a6

such a tough stretch on our schedule, and we were able to jump out on some people this weekend and get some younger players some more playing time, and it will serve us well going forward being able to keep those kids in a rhythm.”

With all of the bright spots that came out of the weekend slate, WKU’s win over MTSU marked their 29thstraight win over Conference USA opponents, tying the conference record. Additionally, the Lady Toppers have not lost to a conference opponent at home since the 2011 season (Sun Belt and C-USA).

“We’re always trying to accomplish things that haven’t been done before,” Engle said. “It’s not at the forefront of our minds to break records, but it’s definitely a good feeling and I couldn’t be any prouder of my teammates.”

Hudson showed praise for his team,

reiterating that it is not easy to be able to show up and play on the highest level every day.

“The thing that is most remarkable about putting a win streak like that together is how that many college kids show up that many times in a row ready to play,” Hudson said. “It’s tough with road trips, tests, sicknesses and everything else that go along with it. Our kids being able to show up that many times in a row is a really nice feeling.”

The Lady Toppers are now 17-2 on the season and will return to Diddle on Friday to take on conference rival Southern Miss (11-7). After that, WKU will welcome in a challenging rival in Austin Peay (16-2) on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Reporter Clay Manlove can be reached at (270) 724-9620 or at clayton.manlove475@topper.wku.edu.

Follow him on Twitter at @ctmanlove58.

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

OCTOBER 3, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

WKUHERALD.COM

LIFE

Photo by Janel Norton | Turin Aviation Group

A helping hand WKU alumna coordinates hurricane relief group in Puerto Rico

BY LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU In the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, Puerto Rico is in a condition Janel Norton refers to as “chaos.”

Norton, a WKU alumna and accomplished photojournalist, helped organize and run a relief effort for the people of Puerto Rico.

Norton is currently employed at Turin Aviation, an organization dedicated to bringing aeronautical solutions to its clients as a marketing/social responsibility coordinator. A few weeks after Norton began working at Turin, Hurricane Irma hit. This created a corporate social responsibility for the Tampa-based company.

Norton felt the company had the tools available to help the people affected by the hurricane. The Turin team decided to get supplies flown in. Norton and her team began logistical coordinating and developing lists of contacts three days in. Their plans changed when Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria. The team realized it needed to head over to Puer-

to Rico and get started.

Norton explained how their plans began spiraling into the question, “How are we going to build an aerobridge to Puerto Rico?”

Ed Franco, the CEO, “knows how to move things and make it happen,” Norton commented. Turin became one of the only civilian-run operations conducting an aerobridge.

The team arrived in Puerto Rico Sept. 27. Norton recalls the day as being sleepless. The operation became a collaboration effort which Norton compared to a bureaucracy. She explained how the day was packed with meetings involving mayors from different sectors of the territory. All of them, Norton elaborated, were trying to figure out how to begin to make progress.

Turin had two trucks filled with water and meals. After researching cities that needed the most help, Norton and the rest of her team decided to go out to document and talk to people, helping in any way they could.

Norton recalls seeing elderly people hanging from windows and people crying. These were horrific imag-

es that she felt were not being seen by the public. This was the eighth day after the hurricane hit, she explained, and the people were in a state of desperation. Many people were dying from the lack of food and water.

Puerto Ricans began to hear stories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency having a nice place to stay and warm food, while most of them still lacked basic resources. An uprising ensued, leading protestors to stand in front of the Emergency Operations Center.

Norton and her team were forced to evacuate the morning of Sept. 30.

“The government is about to fail,” Norton said in a text message. “It will be getting much worse if one can imagine such a thing.”

The Turin team still has two warehouses filled with relief supplies and they are not sure what to do next to move them, a situation Norton described as “frustrating.”

Norton commented on the gravity of the situation.

“We have the means, we just need people that are committed and want to do it. These are American citizens, we need to take care of them.”

She went on to explain the people of Puerto Rico are alone on an island with no help. “If people don’t help them, they’re done.”

Norton had seen situations like this before. While she worked with the U.N., she documented conflicts in Bosnia. She recalled seeing people living in horrible conditions, landmines and people being slaughtered because of ethnic cleansing. When citizens were told they had to evacuate, Norton recalls seeing people grabbing all they could. They grabbed the essentials like clothes and food, but they also brought photographs.

Norton was taken by how important the photos were to the people, calling it “a history in photographs.”

Through all of this, Norton reflected on the importance of journalism in society. She commented on how crucial a journalist’s role in storytelling is, “[We need] people who are there and experiencing it and bringing it back.”

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

New church welcomes international members

BY LARYN HILDERBRANDT HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU Tucked back in a diverse neighborhood surrounded by trees is a new church dedicated to welcoming all nationalities, languages and people.

Located on Old Barren River Road in Bowling Green, Journey Church shares the International Ministry Center with Nueva Vida and Zo Baptist Church. According to the website, Journey’s mission is “to be a movement of churches made up of those from every nation and tribe and people and language.”

The smell of Krispy Kreme donuts and coffee greets the guests upon entering the ministry center. Inside the main room, red upholstered chairs are in three even rows facing a stage equipped with instruments for live worship. A plain wall is to the right where PowerPoint slides and lyrics are projected. After a song begins the service, Matt Betts, the pastor at Journey, welcomes everyone with a wide smile on his face.

“In whatever language you speak, let’s say hello,” Betts said at the beginning of Sunday’s service after playing a video from Buzzfeed titled “Greetings in Different Languages.”

According to statistics by Data USA from 2015, 17.1 percent of Bowling Green citizens are speakers of a non-English language, nearly four percent lower than the national average.

“How do you bridge the language

barriers?” Betts said regarding the biggest challenges launched Journey.

“How do you get beyond just doing an English-based service?”

Officially launching Sept. 17, Journey branches off from Woodburn Baptist Church, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. Prior to being the pastor at Journey, Betts served as the Youth and Young Adult pastor at Woodburn for five and a half years.

The two-year period prior to the first service consisted of a launch team getting together with the local community and neighborhood to plan, spread their mission and extend the invitation to join them on Sundays at Journey. They started out participating with Curbside Ministries, which provides programs to local neighborhoods. After building relationships, they began meeting with refugee and international families inside their homes.

Dawn Betts, the wife of Matt Betts, said the first time she went to a house was because of a child. They wanted to make sure the parents knew all the options available to them in the area.

After getting a translator, the family shared their story and she learned they were taken care of.

“When I left there, I drove home and bawled my eyes out,” Dawn Betts said with a slight shake of her head.

“These people have lost family members, been near wars.”

One day, Dawn went with a girl to a school health fair and they talked about the girl feeling safe in America.

Matt Martin participates in worship at Journey Church in Bowling Green on Sunday. “He’s brought me a long way,” Martin said. Journey Church’s mission is “to be a movement of churches made up of those from every nation and tribe and people and language,” according to the church’s website. GRACE PRITCHETT/HERALD “I would ask her, ‘don’t you miss Africa?’ She had said she remembered the sound of gun fire and the light from it,” Dawn retold with a frown.

Both Dawn and Matt Betts described the surrounding area as diverse, specifically referencing a local apartment complex called Lee Pointe Condos, where vans stop to provide transportation to Journey for services and events. There are residents living there that have backgrounds from at least five different countries in Africa, they said.

“You also have a lot of families that both parents work, but the kids aren’t used to that here. They are coming here, and they not only don’t know the language but their whole family dynamic changes,” Dawn Betts said.

“They want to learn it. It’s an issue of just the opportunity. It’s more expensive here.”

Since some parents had to work during the weekdays, Journey began offering free beginner and advanced English as a Second Language, or ESL,

SEE CHURCH PAGE A7