September 19, 2017

THE WALKTHROUGH: ROBINSON’S HIDEAND-SEEK OVER

BEVIN’S COMMENTS DO NOT STRAY FROM REALITY

SPORTS, PAGE A8

OPINION, PAGE A4

TTUESDAY, UESDAY, SSEPTEMBER EPTEMBER 119, 9, 22017 017 > W WESTERN ESTERN KKENTUCKY ENTUCKY UUNIVERSITY NIVERSITY > VVOLUME OLUME 993, 3, IISSUE SSUE 0099

Mitchell Robinson leaves WKU again

BY JEREMY CHISENHALL HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

Sophomore Juan Dozier flinches as water balloons are broken over his head at the WKU Intramural Fields on Friday. Phi Gamma Delta fraternity filled up 50,000 water balloons and had a water balloon fight to raise money for relief aid for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. SILAS WALKER /HERALD

Water war Bowling Green’s largest water balloon fight benefits Harvey victims

BY JOHN SINGLETON HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU

W

KU’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, also known as Fiji, hosted Bowling Green’s largest water balloon fight on Friday night to support relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey.

WKU’s South Campus Intramural Fields were filled with hundreds of students and approximately 50,000 water balloons on Friday night. For $10, students were able to participate in the water balloon fight. Fiji also kept track of how many tickets each sorority bought and rewarded the winning Greek organization with a social event.

In the past, Fiji has typically hosted philanthropic events for the relief of Alzheimer’s disease. They have taken a new, temporary direction for the victims of the devastation caused by Harvey.

Harvey hit Houston, Texas, especially hard, causing damage and flooding throughout the city at the end of August.

Members of Phi gamma Delta fraternity set up caution tape to keep back participants until the set time and layout the 50,000 balloons they had prepared the week before for the fight on Friday at the WKU Intramural Fields. SILAS WALKER /

SEE BALLOON FIGHT PAGE A2

Five-star WKU center Mitchell Robinson has decided to skip the upcoming college basketball season and prepare for the 2018 NBA Draft, he first told Scout.com’s Evan Daniels on Sunday.

WKU associate director of media relations Zach Greenwell confirmed to the Herald Sunday night that Robinson had “left the program.”

As the No. 9 recruit in the class of 2019, Robinson was WKU’s first McDonald’s All-American commit.

This marks the second time he has departed from the program and the school in this offseason.

“I’ve decided to leave Western Kentucky and just focus on next year’s NBA Draft,” Robinson said, according to Daniels’ report. “I want to thank Western Kentucky, the coaching staff, the fans and my teammates, but I decided to pursue a professional career.”

The Robinson saga started when he left campus without warning during the summer and was suspended indefinitely by head coach Rick Stansbury.

One month after being granted release from his letter of intent, the 7-foot prospect returned to WKU and re-enrolled. He has now decided to leave the program for a second time, less than one month since his re-instatement.

“I’ve learned from some decisions I’ve made in my life,” Robinson said when he was reinstated on Aug. 28, according to a press release. “I accept all responsibility for my actions and look forward to gaining back the respect of all of my coaches, teammates and fans. This is where I want to be, and I want to help the Hilltoppers compete for a championship.”

Stansbury also commented on Robinson’s reinstatement that day.

“Mitchell is a good kid who can benefit greatly from the structure and accountability provided to him here,” Stansbury said. “As I stated previously, there are requirements for his return that will be handled internally.”

SEE ROBINSON PAGE A2

Bevin: Universities should cut programs, close buildings

BY MONICA KAST & EMMA AUSTIN HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU Last week at a higher education conference, Gov. Matt Bevin encouraged Kentucky colleges and universities to cut programs that don’t fill high demand jobs.

“Find entire parts of your campus … that don’t need to be there,” Bevin said in a speech at the Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship last week. “Either physically as programs, degrees that you’re offering, buildings that … shouldn’t be there because you’re maintaining something that’s not an asset of any value, that’s not helping to produce that 21st century educated workforce.”

Bevin specifically targeted “interpretive dance” programs, which do not exist as a major in Kentucky.

WKU, as well as the University of Kentucky and Northern Kentucky University, offer bachelor’s of fine arts degrees in theater and dance.

“If you’re studying interpretive dance, God bless you, but there’s not a lot of jobs right now in America looking for people with that as a skill set,” Bevin said at the conference.

Last year Bevin, who has a bachelor of arts degree in East Asian stud-

Jim Cooney holds a mock audition during the dance master class Saturday, March 3, 2014, in Gordon Wilson Hall in Bowling Green, Ky. Cooney critiqued the dancers after watching them perform ‘Dancing in the Street’ from the Boadway musical Motown and told the dancers who he would have called back if it had been a real audition. MIKE CLARK/HERALD ies from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, made similar comments about students who study French literature, saying, “All the people in the world that want to study French literature can do so, they are just not going to subsidized

by the taxpayer.”

Glasgow senior Trevor Edwards began dancing when he was a junior in high school and attended the Governor’s School for the Arts.

“It was one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve had,” Edwards

said. “They saw all the passion in me.”

From attending GSA, Edwards said he decided to pursue a career in dance after encouragement from instructors who told him, “Don’t stop dancing.”

From there, Edwards got connected to WKU’s dance program. Edwards said at the time he was applying for colleges, WKU was the only university in the state that offered a bachelor’s of fine arts degree in dance.

Edwards also added that “there are no programs for interpretive dance.”

Edwards said his studies through WKU’s dance program focus on modern dance, including ballet and jazz.

“There’s so much more depth to the conversation,” Edwards said of Bevin’s comments.

Edwards said he wishes Bevin would have consulted with a professional who has worked in the dance industry before making those comments. Edwards, the president of WKU’s National Dance Education Organization, said they are working on reaching out to Bevin with more information about the dance programs in Kentucky and professional opportunities after college.

The WKU Department of Theater

SEE PROGRAMS PAGE A2

A2 BALLOON FIGHT Continued from Front

David Owens, a WKU graduate from Houston, said his family and friends are facing difficulties after the hurricane. Owens said his mom was “stuck at work for a week” during the hurricane and flooding.

“Luckily, my house is fine,” Owens said. “But I’ve heard from friends whose houses have been completely destroyed.”

After hearing about the water balloon fight, Owens said it was “pretty cool to see local organizations make a difference.”

Will Scott, a sophomore and Fiji’s philanthropy chairman, said the fraternity felt like Houston is where the money is needed right now.

Carson Ball, a senior in Fiji who came up with the idea for the water balloon fight, said he hopes to ease the financial burden caused by the hurricane devastation.

“Whenever we started this idea we thought we would donate the money to the Alzheimer’s Association like we usually do, until all the stuff started going on with Houston,” Ball said.

“And so we’ve decided to donate all the proceeds to victims of Hurricane

PROGRAMS Continued from Front

and Dance generates all of its money to put on its productions almost entirely through ticket sales, department head David Young said. Though the department operates on a budget of over $1 million, most of it goes toward faculty and staff salaries and benefits. The department uses money from ticket sales to build sets, buy costumes and props, pay musicians and to fund advertising.

In addition to preparing students for careers after graduation, Young said the arts are an important part of every community.

“The arts generate dollars for the state in lots of ways,” Young said. “Every time there’s an arts event, it generates money for a community.”

When a theatre puts on a show, it not only generates money for its own

ROBINSON

Continued from front Robinson plans to move to Dallas, Texas and train regularly in preparation for next year, Daniels said.

“He’s strictly focusing on training

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 Harvey.”

All week leading up to the water balloon fight, sororities and fraternities across campus hosted contests with each other to see who could fill up the most water balloons for the fight.

Amanda Maceyko, a freshman pledge of Chi Omega soroity, said she had fun filling up all the balloons with her sorority sisters.

“We filled about six hundred balloons up with water,” Maceyko said.

“While the fraternity we were paired with counted only five hundred.”

Approximately 50,000 water balloons were used in the water balloon fight on Friday night.

Sophomore Kam Dawson, a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, said he worked hard to make sure things were prepared for Friday night.

“I was physically exhausted after hours upon hours of filling these balloons up to help this cause,” Dawson said. “There were days I felt like I was honestly going to pass out. This is not your average charity event.”

Teams were formed for the fight, with each team wearing a different color. Junior Michael Cooper, a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, participated in the fight.

“I literally got drenched from head to toe,” Cooper said. “But Fiji did a fantastic job with this event. It was such a success, and I will definitely be back next year; hopefully for a

separate cause.”

performers and crew members, but audience members may go out to dinner afterward, they pay for parking and there’s an overall contribution to the quality of life in the community, Young said.

Currently, around 200 WKU stu-

theatre and dance and others in allied fields like marketing or design.

In recent years, some graduates have gone on to study law or medicine, and several others now perform fulltime in New York, Chicago and theaters around the country.

Edwards said through WKU, he has been dancing with a professional dance company in Nashville. Also through WKU, Edwards said he has been able to travel around the country, to places like New York and Alabama and perform.

“Without my education at Western, I wouldn’t be prepared to enter the professional world,” Edwards said, later adding that he feels he is “more prepared from coming to Western than if I went anywhere else.”

WKU senior Carson Ball slides down a tarp holding water balloons on Friday at the WKU Intramural Fields during Phi Gamma Delta fraternity water balloon fight. It was Ball’s idea to host the event to raise money for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

SILAS WALKER /HERALD

Without my education at Western, I wouldn’t be prepared to enter the professional world.”

Glasgow Senior Trevor Edwards dents are majoring in theatre and dance at WKU, according to the WKU Fact Book. Young said many continue on to graduate school, some for

“We feel very good about our students and what they’re doing,” Young said. “They’re not sitting in their parents’ basement, I can tell you that.”

in Dallas,” Robinson’s mother said, according to Scout. “He has another plan and it’s training.”

As of publication time, Robinson is still enrolled at the university, according to the online student database, but the page on the team web-

site does not show Robinson on the active roster.

With Robinson’s departure, the Hilltopper’s roster is now down to 10 active players: four seniors, one redshirt junior, a redshirt sophomore and four freshmen. Austin Peay

READY TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WORLD? DO THE UNEXPECTED.

Reporter John Singleton can be reached at 270-745-6011 and .john. singleton676@topper.wku.edu

News editor Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-6011 and monica.kast187@topper.wku.edu.

Follow her on Twitter at @monica_kast.

Projects editor Emma Austin can be reached at 270-745-6011 and emma. austin177@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @emmacaustin.

transfer Jared Savage must sit out this season due to transfer rules.

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

Wkuherald.com WKu's no. 1 source for campus news FOLLOW US

wkuherald

@wkuherald

@wkuherald

Apply by October 1: peacecorps.gov/apply

MINOR IN Gender & Women’s

STUDIES

A program of the Department of Diversity and Community Studies For more information, go to www.wku.edu/gws

A3

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Board of Regents to discuss diversity plan

BY REBEKAH ALVEY HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU The Board of Regents will be discussing the new diversity plan at its upcoming Sept. 22 committee meeting, in the next step to approve the plan.

Board of Regents chair Phillip Bale said from what he has reviewed of the plan, the goal is to create a “culturally competent environment.” He said WKU should be inclusive based on ethnic background and sexual orientation, among others things.

The intention of a diversity plan is partially to abide by laws, set by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, but also speaks to the better qualities of a university, Bale said.

“What makes a university a community [is] where ideas are shared,” Bale said.

Lynne Holland, chief diversity officer, said the plan has already gone through many steps and represents the work of a large group of people ranging from students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders. Already, the plan has been approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education and the provost.

Since the plan has been finalized and shared with certain stakeholders, Holland said there is a sense of ownership and excitement that this plan can help achieve goals for cultural competency. Holland said the ideas in the new plan are less theoretical and seem more possible to others now.

Last week the Board attended Gov. Matt Bevin’s conference on post secondary education in Louisville, which occurs every two years. Because of this, Bale said the review of the diversity plan comes at a good time.

Bale said the plan also plays into some other “hot topics” at WKU, including efforts to improve recruitment, retention and graduation.

During the annual Board of Regents summer retreat it was revealed retention rates for students have decreased since the previous year.

Holland said in order to retain stu-

based funding.

Performance based funding is state-allocated funding that takes into consideration a university’s student success or degrees awarded, course completion and operational support.

This is a new model state universities are shifting toward.

Bale said these factors and overall student success are the ultimate measures for a university to be judged on and are the “holy grail” for the Board of Regents.

“It’s what we are here for,” Bale said.

Included in the plan are referenc-

What makes a university a community [is] where ideas are shared.”

Board of Regents chair Dr. Phillip Bale dents, there must be an environment that helps them thrive. She said the plan encourages the university to look at more than grades and scores, and to see what a student needs and create a web of services to help that student succeed.

Bale said this plan will focus on increasing recruitment, retention and graduation of specifically minority students and faculty to ensure their success. He said diversity of those factors is also included in performance

es to the WKU mission and creed.

Holland said these were things that helped guide and influence the plan because they represent what WKU stands for.

By including these statements, Holland said the ideas are made “apparent rather than tacet.”

Looking forward, Holland said she hopes to further engage students with the diversity plan. Already, she has created a Student Equity Council which includes students from a vari-

ety of organizations and backgrounds.

Holland said the group is able to practice some of the ideas presented in the plan and provide feedback and ideas.

Holland said it is important for students to understand and practice cultural competency for a number of reasons. One of these, she said, is because employers are looking to hire people who understand that everyone is a part of many micro-cultures and is culturally literate.

One of the strategies in the plan is creating dialogue with parents explaining the importance and relevance of a college education. Holland said there has been a trend to not pursue a college degree.

However, Holland said it is important to illustrate that an educated population is still valued. She said she believes that no matter what occupation, people need to be educated, culturally competent and able to think critically.

Although the Board of Regents will not be voting to approve the new plan until the next Board of Regents meeting Oct. 27, Bale said he would be surprised if anyone objected to the plan and thinks the Board of Regents will be appreciative.

Holland said the current Board of Regents is an active and curious board and she looks forward to hear their thoughts and discussion.

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

CAB hosts virtual reality experience for students

BY EMILY DELETTER HERALD.NEWS@WKU.EDU The WKU Campus Activities Board hosted a virtual reality event on Monday in the lobby of Downing Student Union.

The event, free to all WKU students with an ID, offered several different virtual reality scenarios to experience.

The Campus Activities Board Late Night and Novelty subcommittee was in charge of planning the event.

Vice President of Member Relations Tyra Chatman said they chose to have virtual reality in DSU because of the large amount of student traffic passing through the area.

“We wanted to do something different, something interactive,” Chatman said. “People who are coming by are really interested and excited about what’s going on.”

The virtual reality experience was provided by a company called Kramer Entertainment, Inc., an international entertainment event company based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kramer sends “tour managers” around the country, many to college campuses, to set up entertainment and educational programs.

The virtual reality machines Kramer brought to WKU are called the Emotion Matrix, a virtual reality pro-

gram using motion platforms and an Oculus Rift headset to place the viewer into the world.

“The glasses give you a 360-degree view in the virtual reality, along with the moving platforms you’re on,” tour manager Chris Coble said. “It tricks your brain into thinking you’re actually there experiencing those scenarios.”

Coble said he wasn’t sure of the exact cost for each virtual reality machine, but estimated them to be around $35,000.

WKU students had the opportunity to choose from a variety of scenarios, including rollercoasters, floating in the ocean, zombie scenes and giant swings.

Louisville junior Asia Brown chose to experience the Mind Beast Rollercoaster. Brown said she choose the ride because she had never tried anything like this before, and was amazed by how realistic it was.

“It was scary,” Brown said. “I screamed, I ducked, and I could see stuff coming at me. It was fun, but I was really spooked.”

Planning for the event started during the spring 2016 semester, when the Campus Activities Board met Kramer through a conference.

“We got to try it ourselves, and experience firsthand what it was like,” Campus Activities Board Special Events co-chair Lyndsey Bass said.

“We knew it would be the type of event that a lot of students would enjoy.”

Bass said around 150 people showed up to try out the virtual reality, approximately the number they expected.

“After the interest we’ve had today, it’s an event we can look into doing again,” Bass said. “There were a lot of kids who couldn’t make it because of class, and we want to give them the opportunity to try it for themselves.”

Louisville freshman Trent Wilcox was waiting in line to experience

another scenario, after initially trying the ‘funny rollercoaster.’ He said he felt like he was going through the rollercoaster, instead of actually standing in one place.

“It was overwhelming,” Wilcox said. “I could feel the speed, and it was nerve-wracking but also funny, especially after I almost got hit by a Pterodactyl.”

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

CRIME REPORTS •

David Roach, senior parking enforcement officer at WKU, reported an item stolen from the PS2 parking office on Sept. 13. The stolen items was valued at $20.

2017-2018 Cultural Enhancement Series Presents

Thursday - Sept 21 4:00 P.M. Grise Hall 439

Difficult Woman & Bad Feminist

September 19, 2017 7:30 p.m. CST, Van Meter Hall Author of Difficult Women and Marvel’s World of Wakanda

BY Sept 20th for 2 Entries for door prizes

FREE ADMISSION. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Receive gmat prep discount for attending

co-sponsored by WKU’s Gender and Women’s Studies Program

Follow WKU Cultural Enhancement Series on Facebook and @wkuces on Twitter.

wku.edu/go/ces

WKUHERALD.COM CARTOON

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

OPINION

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Cartoon by Jennifer King /Herald

Major issues ABOVE THE FRAY

re-assessing student loan interest rates for non-STEM majors

BY ERICK MURRER HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU It’s no secret that Gov. Matt Bevin has heavily scrutinized the merits of arts and humanities programs in an era of state budget cuts.

Most recently, Bevin exclaimed, “If you’re studying interpretive dance, God bless you, but there’s not a lot of jobs right now in America looking for people with that as a skill set.”

In part, his sentiment arises from the notion that non-STEM majors are less lucrative than STEM majors.

Student loan debt can’t be written off and has a negative, long-term impact on credit. Within the Commonwealth, student loan debt totals an outstanding balance of $14.5 billion (or $23,916 of loan debt per borrower).

But STEM graduates have higher initial disposable incomes and can pay off student loans more readily.

Bevin commented that public Kentucky colleges and universities are “maintaining something that’s not an asset of any value,” by investing in non-STEM majors, and are “ … not helping to produce that 21st century educated workforce.”

According to the 2016 report “Student Loan Default and Repayment in Kentucky”, one’s choice of major “moderately” plays a role in predicting a student’s likelihood to default.

Are uniform federal student loan rates, which do not assign risk to one’s degree, responsible for subsidizing less-than-optimal outcomes?

The University of Kentucky and Murray State University, two public schools which possess the highest share of STEM graduates with loan debt in Kentucky, exhibit the highest loan repayment rates. Alternatively, WKU has a smaller proportion of STEM graduates reflecting lower repayment rates.

Eager to understand the federal loan market in relation to efficiently determining risk, I interviewed WKU’s own economics professor Brian Strow, a proponent of assigning risk to student loans as related to one’s major.

Given the understanding that loan default rates are higher for non-STEM majors, I asked Strow why he thinks student loan interest rates are uniform. Strow believes this is attributed to a debate surrounding “fairness.”

When assessing the federal student loan market, Strow argues that STEM

students subsidize non-STEM fields because, “a market that correctly priced risk would, on the margin, produce more STEM graduates as a percentage of the college population.”

Exploring this concept in greater detail, Massachusetts Institute of Technology accounting and finance Professor S.P. Kothari suggests the loan amount the Department of Education lends to students ought to be tied to one’s major. STEM majors constitute less risk, as affirmed by Experian, a credit reporting bureau, because STEM majors are “more likely to be comfortable with their student loan debt, least likely to defer their loans, and least likely to wish they had taken less student loan money.”

In this vein, Strow concurs that a higher default risk should denote higher interest payments.

To gauge the efficacy of modifying loan interest rates to prevent default, Strow suggested that policymakers could “compare the default rates by major under the uniform interest rate regime and compare the default rates by major once interest rates are differentiated.” Assigning risk to college majors is not an unprecedented move, and has been carried out by the private

Strap in Matt Bevin, it’s time for a reality check: every major is useful.

Every study is useful. That is what makes the sphere of human knowledge so efficient and resilient. Together, there is almost nothing we do not know, and what we do not know, we possess the collective skill to discover.

Eliminating an entire facet of this sphere at the collegiate level would be an incalculable mistake. If I am making enough money to survive, support family, friends and strangers in need, and achieve fulfillment through my path of study and career choice, I am happier than I could ever be picking a major/study/job that my government, or rather, one particular person in my government, said I should have just because the numbers look good on paper.

What this comes down to is how “success” is measured. I respect Bevin’s aim to improve the state’s economic situation, I really do, but his vectors are misplaced. Colleges deciding to cut “interpretive” dance programs, or any arts programs, for that matter, would be a horrible misconstrual of where the cause lies.

Many theatre and dance departments, like at WKU, receive no funding from the university [for productions]. We operate [primarily] on ticket sales. We are self-sufficent [for our productions] and many arts departments at universities across the country work in this same way.

To say that cutting “interpretive” dance programs would save money is not only wrong, but self-handicapping. A department that you do not have to fund that pulls any number of students toward your university is a financial win. So Matt Bevin, in conclusion, I call your $10, and I raise you $50.

-Mason Stevens

student loan market, Strow noted.

One policy implication from the 2016 report “Student Loan Default and Repayment in Kentucky” called on colleges to adopt “intrusive intervention strategies for at-risk borrowers.”

Assigning risk to loan interest rates as dependent upon college specialization is an answer to this call, incentivizing STEM degrees. I agree with Strow’s view that the adoption of different interest rates for STEM vs. non-STEM majors shouldn’t feed into an “us vs. them” mentality; rather, we need to consider mechanisms which efficiently use taxpayer money.

After re-evaluating the student loan market by accurately designating default risk, those most sensitive to price changes in education would be marginally more likely to elect STEM majors.

Strow holds this situation to be an economic positive: “The more people we can get into STEM education, the faster the economy will grow.”

But keeping all things considered, Bevin did major in East Asian studies, so more discussion is needed to profile the long-term value and return of investment for non-STEM degrees.

KALYN’S CONER

Never forget the arts: a response to Matt Bevin’s controversial comments

BY KALYN JOHNSON HERALD.OPINION@WKU.EDU I’m wondering what it’s going to take for Gov. Matt Bevin to realize how important the arts are to a successful and diverse society. I’m wondering if he thinks his own degree in East Asian studies is useless. Does he think there are not many jobs out there for people who choose to study that subject?

Bevin believes there are some degrees worth pursuing and others that are not because of how much money they make. However, money can only take a society so far.

According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Bevin issued the following challenge: “‘If we’re graduating 250 people out of our engineering school

… why is it 250 and not 1,000? And what are we going to do between now and 2030 and a whole lot sooner to make sure it’s 1,000?’” It’s almost as if he has forgotten what it means to be an individual or to have an imagination. I cannot help but wonder what his favorite electronic is and how many people that made that electronic have a major, minor or certificate from the arts department at their college, university or trade school.

Bevin also commented “If you’re studying interpretive dance, God bless you, but there’s not a lot of jobs right now in America looking for people with that as a skill set.” What Bevin has failed to mention is this idea known as the double major. Oh yes, picking up a second major to complement the first or even picking up a minor to

complement the major. Furthermore, his statement is troubling because the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook states that the job outlook for dancers and choreographers, which fall under the arts, is growing “as fast as average” which is 5 percent.

I understand that the governor does not want the state of Kentucky paying for degrees that are going to fail at producing jobs that make thousands of dollars. I understand he’s trying to reallocate funds to cover the state’s pension. However, making negative comments about the arts has major repercussions. The arts are a part of what paved the way to the society that we currently thrive in, engineers and dancers alike. I believe Bevin likes to belittle the arts to show the power of

other programs, which shows me he has forgotten where he has come from: an arts background. He has forgotten what it means to freely read, write, dance, sing and imagine others in a complex way. He has forgotten that dancers, graphic designers, fashion designers and even writers help pave the way to a more diverse, complex and cultural state that is Kentucky.

Do not forget the arts. Never forget that writing, one of the major commutative foundations of our global society, is an art form. It is an art style that has the power to persuade, change and do a great deal of good. I challenge all of us to look at the items we use on a daily basis and see the art that helped create and form them.

Andrew Henderson* Monica Kast* Editor-in-chief News Editor

Sarah Cahill Ad Manager

VOICE YOUR OPINION

CONTACT US

Opinion 270.745.4874 ||herald.opinion@wku.edu

Shay Harney* Managing Editor

Hannah McCarthy* Features Editor

Micayla Kelly Ad Creative Director

Taylor Huff* Opinion Editor

Craig Ostertag* Design Editor

Will Hoagland Advertising adviser

Evan Heichelbech* Sports Editor

Spencer Harsh* Copy Desk Chief

Carrie Pratt Herald adviser

Advertising: 270.745.2653 herald.advertising@wku.edu Newsroom: 270.745.6011 herald.news@wku.edu Address: 1906 College Heights Blvd. #11084, Bowling Green, KY 421011084

Mhari Shaw* Photo Editor

Emma Austin* Projects Editor

Tyger Williams* Video Editor

Brook Joyner* Asst. Photo Editor

Chuck Clark Director of Student Publications

The Herald encourages readers to write letters and commentaries on topics of public interest. Here are a few guidelines: 1. Letters shouldn't exceed 250 words. Commentaries should be about 500 words and include a picture.

2. Originality counts. Please don't submit plagiarized work.

3. For verification, letters and commentaries MUST include your name, phone number, home town and classification or title.

4. Letters may not run in every edition due to space.

5. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for style, grammar, length and clarity. The Herald does NOT print libelous submissions.

6. Submissions must be received by 7 p.m. on Sunday and Wednesday.

Julie Hubbell* Digital Editor

Shaban Athuman* Asst. Digital Editor

REPORT AN ERROR Editor: 270.745.5044 herald.editor@wku.edu

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this newspaper DO NOT reflect those of Western Kentucky University's employees or of its administration. *Denotes editorial board members. The Herald publishes on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. The first copy is free, and additional copies are $1 each, available in the Student Publications Center on Normal Street.

A5

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

THE FUN PAGE Across 1 5 10 14 15 16 17

CLASSIFIEDS Classified Advertising Manager: Will Hoagland

herald.advertising@wku.edu

FOR SALE

18 19

BUY - SELL - TRADE: Games, Records, Comics!

Also, Dvds, Toys, CDs, CCGs, RPGs, more. The Great Escape Records & Comics. 2945 Scottsville Rd (near Greenwood Mall) (270)782-8092

20 22 24 27 28 31 33 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 51 52 53 55 57

FOR RENT OR SALE 4br house. 1/2 acre lot. Quiet professional neighborhood close to WKU. Full basement, detached garage. Rent $1600/month. 270-202-4465.

Note to Readers: The College Heights Herald screens ads for misleading or false claims but cannot guarantee any ad or claim. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when asked to send money or provide credit card information. The College Heights Herald is not responsible for the content or validity of these paid classified ads.

Baseball Jargon 101 ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

1. Where is the 'keystone sack' located on the baseball diamond? (a) Home plate (b) Second base (c) Third base 2. Where is the 'cleanup' hitter on the lineup card? (a) 7th hitter (b) 3rd hitter (c) 4th hitter 3. What does 'a can of corn' mean? (a) Easy fly ball (b) Strikeout (c) Bunt single 4. When does a batter get a 'golden sombrero'? (a) 4 base hits in a game (b) Grand slam (c) 4 strikeouts in a game 5. When a player has 'cheese', what does he possess? (a) Tremendous curveball (b) Overpowering fastball (c) Superb slider 6. What does the term 'twin killing' mean? (a) Double play (b) Bases loaded double (c) 2 stolen bases by the same runner 7. What is a 'pickle'? (a) Strikeout looking (b) Hit by a pitch (c) Base runner gets caught between bases 8. What is baseball lingo for a hard-hit ball? (a) A rope (b) On the screws (c) Dinger 9. Where does a 'set-up' man usually enter the game? (a) 5th innng (b) 6th inning (c) 7th or 8th inning 10. If a batter hits for the 'cycle' what is the minimum number of bases he will achieve? (a) 12 (b) 8 (c) 10

61 65 66 69 70 71 72 73

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

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

9 6

5

7

3

2 1

6 3

5 4 7 1 5

8

10

2

8

9 4 7 5 4 9 2 8 3

Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com

9 3

8 6

11

12

13

34

35

36

63

64

16 19

40 44 48

62 69 72 75

47 Weed killer 48 Composing a jingle 50 Result 52 Jam ingredient?

54 Fortune teller 56 Vaughan of jazz 57 Junkyard dogs 58 Suffix with psych59 City on the Brazos 60 The hunted 62 Hodgepodge 63 Food grain 64 Wild oxen 67 Vacation spot 68 Abbr. after a comma

4

6.a 7.c 8.a 9.c 10.c

4

9

14 15 Dry riverbed Tiny openings 18 17 Art ___ 22 23 21 Like Darth Vader 20 Big mess 24 25 26 27 Linen hue Butcher’s 28 29 30 31 32 33 offering 38 39 37 Tests by lifting Conclusion 42 43 41 starter Dermatitis 45 46 47 Confabulate 51 52 49 50 Gapes Debtor’s note 53 54 55 56 Pick up the tab Winery sight 57 58 59 60 61 Hackneyed 65 66 67 68 Cast Extent 71 70 “Platoon” setting Author Levin 74 73 Protein source Copyright ©2017 PuzzleJunction.com Granola morsel Nickname 11 Reverberate 74 Type of mob Absorb, as a cost 75 Proceeds 12 Santa ___, CA Mainstay 13 Yorkshire river Ready to pluck 21 Welcome site Down Scoff at 23 Choral work Short flight 25 Bellyache 1 “___ Only Just Rah!, e.g.

Begun” 26 Mattress problem Dance step 2 With, in France 28 Crook Op-ed piece 3 Portuguese 29 Bucolic Early spring explorer 30 Poetic Muse flower 4 Like contraband 32 Military Arsenal personnel 5 Grandma’s word Six-sided state 34 Film company 6 “A Chorus Line” Pipe type 35 Brownish gray number Hip bones 36 Glowing remnant 7 Battle of Britain Puerto ___ 38 Press for grp.

Busybody payment 8 Small amphibians Blemish 39 Canal locale 9 Kind of bar Dundee denizen 42 Birth-related 10 Roundabout way

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

8

1 2 4 9 6

1 7 1 9 3 1 6 8 9 4 7 2 5 4 Previous solution

WKUHERALD.COM

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

LIFE

Jasmyn LaBasha dances for a crowd at the White Party Friday. The show featured Lily Fitzgerald exits the stage during a performance at the White Party held at 643 Bar performances of new songs, such as ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ By Taylor Swift, as and Grill Friday, Fitzgerald has dressed in Drag since sophomore year of college and well as older classics. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/HERALD has continued this passion since moving to Nashville, Tenn. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/HERALD

Lane French, also known as Lily Fitzgerald, ends a drag performance on the 643 Bar O’Haras of Bowling Green hosts the Second Annual White Party at 643 Bar and Grill and Grill stage Friday. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/HERALD Friday. The White Party included a drag show featuring drag queens from around the Bowling Green area. ABIGAIL DOLLINS/HERALD

curtains up

BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU O’Haras Entertainment hosted the second annual White Party at 643 Bar and Grill Friday, Sept. 15. The White Party included a variety of entertainers from around the Bowling Green, area, as well as guest entertainers from Ohio. Local entertainer, Lexi Von Simmons, also known as Austin Brannin, discovered a love for entertaining while studying musical theatret at WKU. “I like getting to create a character,” Lexi Von Simmons said.

“Austin wouldn’t wear a pink fiftiesstyle dress, but Lexi would.”

Jewish students seek representation

BY GRIFFIN FLETCHER

HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU WKU is a leading American university with international reach, but its Jewish Student Union, or JSU, has not held a meeting in years.

Montgomery, Alabama, fifth-year senior Rachel “Ray” Blondheim is one of few Jewish students at WKU who actively lives out a Jewish heritage.

“That was a lie,” Blondheim said of the phantom of JSU for which many students search when attending WKU. “That thing died a few years ago.”

With more and more Jewish students graduating or transferring, Blondheim knows of only five other openly active Jewish students at WKU. “There may be more, but I haven’t met them,” Blondheim said.

When asked if WKU offers any formal organizations by which Jewish students can meet and discuss their culture alongside fellow Jewish students, Blondheim was quick to reply.

“None.”

Rather than meet through a university-supported club or student organization, in Blondheim’s personal experience, she is used to encountering other Jewish students largely by chance or under accidental circumstances.

“If we have any semblance of a JSU, it’s through personal interaction,” Blondheim said.

Though WKU’s JSU was once legitimate and still exists under a revivable charter, Jewish students at WKU did not agree with many of the organization’s policies and opted to not re-charter the JSU. Students briefly considered creating a new Jewish student organization at WKU through Hillel International, a Jewish organization

represented at more than 550 colleges and communities in the United States and across the world. However, further policy disagreements and Hillel’s Zionist stance turned away interested students and resulted in the project’s termination.

With hardly any support and the sequential Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur quickly approaching, celebration is not only

“Being a Jewish student at WKU can be kind of lonely, and kind of scary.”

Fifth-year senior Rachel Blondheim

difficult at WKU but also in BowlingGreen.

Though a Messianic synagogue exists in Bowling Green, followers of traditional Judaism share different beliefs and are hesitant to attend.

“That’s another thing––there are no good synagogues here,” Blondheim said.

In order to visit a proper synagogue, Blondheim says she must travel to Nashville or Louisville.

Rosh Hashanah, otherwise known as the Jewish New Year, will start Wednesday, Sept. 20 and last until Friday, Sept. 22, yet Blondheim is still unsure where and how she will celebrate.

Depending upon the Rabbi, initial Rosh Hashanah services, which predominantly involve a gathering

of people and prayer for a good and prosperous year, can last from three to four hours.

In comparison to Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah is commonly viewed as an easygoing and enjoyable holiday.

Blondheim describes it as “gathering and eating, with a little bit of prayer.”

Yom Kippur, which will take place Sept. 29-Sept. 30, is known as a day of atonement, involving another three to four-hour service but also a day of fasting.

Because Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur occur within such close proximity of one another, Blondheim views Rosh Hashanah as a kind of introduction to the more serious and physically demanding Yom Kippur.

“You got your pretty new year phase, and then you got your buckle-down phase,” Blondheim said.

Due to the rigorous nature of daylong fasting, Blondheim wishes she could experience Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah among individuals undergoing similar hardship.

“Being a Jewish student at WKU can be kind of lonely, and kind of scary,” Blondheim said, considering politically-based struggles Jewish people still endure globally.

As for the future of Jewish representation at WKU, Blondheim is hopeful, so long as Jewish students are motivated to share their culture with one another and the rest of Bowling Green.

“If the Jewish students can find each other,” Blondheim said. “There’s always a future in serendipidity.”

Reporter Griffin Fletcher can be reached at (270)745-2655 and griffin. fletcher389@topper.wku.edu.

Author Ann Patchett to give free talk at WKU

BY LAUREL DEPPEN HERALD.FEATURES@WKU.EDU

The Southern Kentucky Bookfest, an annual festival celebrating literacy in the community, partners with Barnes and Noble, Warren County Public Libraries and WKU Libraries every year to bring book-lovers together and to give them a chance to meet their favorite authors.

The event is held in April, and best-selling author Ann Patchett was supposed to attend. However, when she was unable to make the spring event, she rescheduled for this academic year.

Patchett has published multiple books throughout her career and is the recipient of several awards including the PEN/Faulkner award, which recognizes fine works of American fiction. She wrote other notable titles such as “Bel Canto” and “State of Wonder,” both of which were critically acclaimed and earned several mentions in multiple literary circles.

Her newest novel “Commonwealth” tells the story of two families made inseparable due to a scandalous affair. The story takes place over five decades and serves as a commentary on familial responsibility and the ownership of life stories. It was The New York Times’ Editor’s Choice and earned a spot on its “100 Notable Books of 2016” list.

Sara Volpi, literary outreach coordinator and Southern Kentucky Book Fest coordinator at WKU Libraries, believes this event is important to WKU as well as the Bowling Green community.

Volpi explained why she believes Patchett’s presentation could be beneficial to students.

“It’s great for students to hear from literary voices, whether that be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or cross-genre. Ann’s books have been published in multiple countries, adapted for film, and are New York Times bestsellers. She writes fiction and nonfiction along with running a very successful bookstore, which could be inspiring for students who have a passion for the arts and wonder how that might translate into an occupation after college.”

Volpi continued to emphasize the value of this opportunity.

“Meeting authors is such an inspiring event; you leave feeling a

SEE BOOK SIGNING PAGE A7

A7 BOOK SIGNING

Continued from a6

a little lighter, having learned from a professional who’s usually doing book events with excitement after having published a title they want to share with the world. It’s almost

WALKTHROUGH Continued from a8

here, and Robinson never did. McDaniels came to the Hill, stayed on the Hill and delivered a Final Four banner to Bowling Green.

The only thing Robinson delivered to Bowling Green was a headache and a short-handed roster.

With Robinson gone, the Hilltoppers’ roster stands at 10 eligible players. Stansbury’s window to add a graduate transfer, which was very much open after Robinson originally left, is likely closed now.

When Robinson originally left, the roster was not in ruins by any means.

But that was two months ago and the season isn’t getting any further away. Expected starting guard Jor-

VOLLEYBALL Continued from a8

the team. Lucas has also posted 28 blocks to come in at fourth on the team.

Cavanaugh, the offensive star, has chipped in 26 blocks on defense for

FOOTBALL Continued from a8

goal.

“There’s still a lot to improve on,”

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

COLLEGE HEIGHTS HERALD

like going to a concert to see your favorite musician and then getting to talk to them one-on-one about their songwriting. Authors tend to be incredibly gracious with their time and love meeting fans and personalizing books.”

Patchett will read from “Com-

monwealth” and discuss her own creative processes and inspirations.

She will answer audience questions and sign books immediately following the presentation. Book sales will be provided on site by Barnes and Noble. This event takes place between 6 and 8 p.m. at WKU’s Knicely

Conference Center located on South Campus.

dan Brangers has since left the program and another frontcourt player in Robinson Idehen never enrolled at WKU. I don’t know what Robinson leaving means for the Hilltoppers in 20172018, but I know that having just 10 players at your disposal doesn’t make anything easier.

As I stated before, I cannot relate to the amount of attention and pressure Robinson receives on a daily basis, and I don’t know what is going through his head. But from an outsider’s perspective, Robinson has done nothing but complicate things for his own future.

Maturity, accountability and adversity are all things coaches — and most certainly NBA scouts and front offices — value greatly. The nation-

al media hasn’t let this story go, and unfortunately for him, the first thing that is going to register in people’s minds when the name “Mitchell Robinson” is mentioned will be how he couldn’t make up his mind and couldn’t stay put. Ideally, his talent and skills on the hardwood can erase this saga from the immediacy of people’s minds, because responding to every negative tweet directed at him sure as hell won’t.

It would be nothing but foolish for me or anyone else to assume that this second departure has provided finality in the situation. The season doesn’t start until Nov. 10. I’ll be courtside for tipoff, and I won’t be surprised in the slightest if Robinson is there or if he isn’t. The only thing that would surprise me would be seeing him suit up

for Missouri State and play against the Hilltoppers.

For now, I will be stuck forever wondering how a man I never saw play and never spoke to in person found a way to make me write so much about him. One would think that so many words written about a player who never accomplished anything at WKU, especially in front of my own eyes, would be almost entirely speculative in nature. But amazingly, they are not. These words hold truth: Robinson has left Bowling Green for the last time, and he isn’t coming back. I think.

the Lady Toppers.

In this weekend’s Buckeye Invitational, Anderson picked up tournament MVP honors after posting 43 kills on offense and nine blocks on defense, both team leaders. Cavanaugh and Lucas both earned All-Tournament honors as well.

Looking ahead, the Lady Toppers will use momentum from this weekend’s sweep of the Buckeye Invitational as they travel to Boca Raton to begin C-USA play at Florida Atlantic (8-3), who will also get a six-day break before welcoming WKU.

Nord continued. “There’s some mental mistakes that we could definitely improve on, some physical mistakes, but we’re going to get in the film room and correct our mistakes and

move on to Ball State.”

The loss to Louisiana Tech drops WKU to 1-2 (0-1 C-USA) on the year.

The Hilltoppers host Ball State (2-1) Saturday at 6 p.m.

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

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

Follow him on Twitter at @evanheich.

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

Follow him on Twitter at @ctmanlove58.

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

WKU running back Jakairi Mosses (29) points towards his teammates as he runs in to score a touchdown during the Hilltoppers’ 22-23 loss to Louisiana Tech University on Saturday September 16, 2017 at L.T. Smith Stadium. SHABAN ATHUMAN/HERALD

WKUHERALD.COM

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 > WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY

SPORTS

THE WALKTHROUGH

Robinson’s hide-andseek has ended

BY EVAN HEICHELBECH HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU

could’ve easily been in the 80’s. Redshirt senior tight end Deon Yelder led WKU with six catches for 54 yards.

After not catching a pass in his first three seasons at WKU, Yelder is third on WKU’s team in catches (11) and receiving yards (111). Redshirt freshman wide receiver Xavier Lane also led WKU with 54 yards Saturday in just his second career game as a Hilltopper.

“On the offensive side of the ball, we have a tremendous amount of weapons,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Matt Nord said. “We have a lot of guys come in that have been grinding and making it hard for the coaches to not put them in. We have a lot of explosive players and the coaches try to get the best players on the field for big moments to make plays. I just think we’ve got to continue to use those weapons and good things will eventually happen.”

Although the running game finally got going, White still found himself under duress in the loss to the Bulldogs. White was sacked four times Saturday, including one on third down on WKU’s final offensive drive that gave the ball back to Louisiana Tech for the Bulldogs’ final drive that ended with a game-winning field

7,495. That’s the total number of words that have been written about Mitchell Robinson over the past 15 months or so by various writers at the Herald.

Zero. That’s the number of words that have been written about Mitchell Robinson playing a basketball game for the Hilltoppers over the Evan past 15 months or so Heichelbech by various writers at the Herald.

As I add to the already-too-extensive Robinson archive right now, I wonder if any more words are even worth the time. So, for the third and absolute last time, I will opine on the most mysterious man in WKU basketball history.

Unfortunately for scenic and literary aesthetics, there was no abandoned residence hall this time. There was no confusion or phone calls across campus from E.A. Diddle Arena to Bemis Lawerence Hall. There was no surprised Rick Stansbury at a press conference.

There was also no homecoming, no glorious welcome back, no prodigal son narrative.

For me, there was no surprise. No shock value, not even an immediate raising of the eyebrows or dropping of the jaw. Instead, there was a laugh.

The comparison of Robinson’s short but long timeline of events to a Netflix series is still fitting. We thought the season finale came when the original exodus occurred in late July. But he returned 32 days later. Again, like clockwork, Robinson is back in the news just short of a month since he last was.

I will no longer refer to him as the “best” or “highest” recruit in WKU history, because as a prominent figure in WKU basketball history reminded me in an email in early August, that title belongs to the late, and undoubtedly great Jim McDaniels.

McDaniels was the USA’s number one ranked high school player in 1967. There was no McDonald’s All-American game in 1967, but McDaniels was MVP of McDonald’s predecessor, the Dapper Dan Classic.

Close rankings and recruiting opinions aside, the difference in McDaniels and Robinson is easily dis-

SEE FOOTBALL PAGE A7

SEE WALKTHROUGH PAGE A7

WKU running back Quinton Baker (3) rushes the ball past L.A. Tech’s Deldrick Canty (50) on Saturday Sept. 16 at L.T. Smith Stadium. CHRIS KOHLEY/HERALD

half full

Sanford, WKU remain optimistic despite 1-2 start

BY SAM PORTER HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU Despite a 23-22 loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday, WKU head coach Mike Sanford said both he and his team remain optimistic toward the team’s overall progress. The onepoint loss was a step forward from the 20-7 loss to Illinois, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The 23 points WKU allowed was also the fewest allowed to the Bulldogs since the Hilltoppers made the transition to Conference USA. “The main thing I took away from watching film against Louisiana Tech is tremendous improvement from our football team in a lot of phases.”

Sanford said.

“I feel with incredible conviction that we’re the exact group of players and coaches in the exact right time to build this thing for significant sustainability.”

For the first time in 2017, the Hilltopper running backs averaged over 4 yards per carry in a game. Sophomore running back Quinton Baker ran for 82 yards on 19 carries, the most by a WKU running back this season. The running back group totaled 146 yards, which was also a season high. Baker received the bulk of

the carries after redshirt junior running back D’Andre Ferby didn’t play due to injury.

On his first career carry on Saturday, freshman running back Jakairi Moses ran for a 19-yard touchdown that gave WKU a 22-13 lead.

“It totally took a step in the right direction,” Sanford said about the run game.

“That was a good defensive front we saw from Louisiana Tech, a lot of returning starters with stout and good size,” Sanford said. “Just like we talked about a week ago, sticking with the run game and then just challenging our running backs in the tracks they take and also to go get those ugly, hard yards. They did that. Quinton Baker was phenomenal, Marquez Trigg had a yeoman-like effort, and I think Jakairi Moses has warranted the opportunity to get more carries, and that’s going to be a developing story as we play through this season.”

Redshirt senior quarterback Mike White found eight different receivers while also running for his second touchdown of the season. The preseason C-USA Offensive Player of the Year completed 25-35 passes, and of those 10 incompletions, five were dropped by WKU receivers, meaning White’s completion percentage

Emerging defense is key for Lady Toppers

BY CLAY MANLOVE

HERALD.SPORTS@WKU.EDU As the midseason draws near, defense has been a key storyline in the past few weeks for the WKU volleyball team.

As part of their current nine-game winning streak, the Lady Toppers have only lost four sets of volleyball since dropping a 3-0 decision to Illinois on Sept. 2.

While offense has been a huge part of the team’s success, the defensive numbers that have complemented them have been equally important.

In this weekend’s Buckeye Invitational, the Lady Toppers lost only one set while holding opponents to a combined .178 hitting percentage and scorching the opposition on offense with a .384 clip.

Since the loss to Illinois, the WKU defense has held opponents to a dismal .146 hitting percentage while hitting for a blistering .354 clip on the offensive end.

The last nine matches haven’t been the only good defensive performances for the Lady Toppers this season.

Overall, the WKU defense has held opponents to a .183 hitting percentage on the season, out-digging opponents 624-518 and out-blocking the opposition 125.5-89.5.

Most of the defensive credit this season falls on the shoulders of younger players who have seen their performances on defense out-shadowed by the Lady Toppers’ video game-like offensive numbers.

One of these players is sophomore Emma Kowalkowski, who has posted a team-leading 150 digs to complement a team-leading 16 service aces from her libero position.

Another player who has stepped up to lead the Lady Topper defense is junior Rachel Anderson, who has arguably been one of the most talented two-dimensional players in the nation.

Anderson has racked up a team-leading 57 blocks from her middle blocker position to complement 166 kills – good for second on the team behind Alyssa Cavanaugh – and a team-leading .385 hitting clip.

“Rachel could work on her blocking a little more,” head coach Travis Hudson told the Herald last week. “I believe that it is the only thing that is keeping her from being an All-American every season.”

Senior Sydney Engle has continued to be the glue for the Lady Toppers as she is second on the team in digs and blocks with 114 and 35, respectively.

Senior Amara Listenbee is third on the team with 30 blocks on the

WKU sophomore Emma Kowalkowski (3) digs the ball during their game vs. Pittsburgh on Sept. 8 in E.A. Diddle Arena. The Lady Toppers won 3-2.

SILAS WALKER/HERALD

season. Listenbee made noise in the match against a good Pittsburgh team when she racked up 10 blocks, just four short of a single-match school record.

In that match, WKU totaled 22 blocks as a team while taking down the Panthers in five sets, 3-2.

“We inserted [Amara] in the lineup and she was big for us from a defen-

sive standpoint,” Hudson said after the win over Pitt. “Pittsburgh is such a good team that you have to find a way to get stops, and we did that tonight.”

Besides making a name as arguably the best setter in Conference USA, Jessica Lucas has put up 110 digs on the season, good for third on

SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE A7