Aquatic Education Coordinator Easton Copley led the instruction, where attendees practiced various skills on provided fishing rods such as attaching hooks, sinkers and bobbers as well as understanding casting mechanisms. After the lesson, “someone who has never seen a pole can set it up and know what the purpose is,” according to Copley.

Future sessions will occur Oct. 21 and 28, with ongoing registration until the 21st. The next session will focus on cleaning and cooking fish. The extension office’s partnership with the Fish and Wildlife Department allows attendees usage of free materials and access to recipes. The final session will take place at Three Springs Park, where attendees will be able to put their knowledge to practice and fish.

One of the program’s main goals is to connect with and service communities. Hook & Cook targets areas with large populations in Kentucky, including Louisville, Lexington, Elizabethtown and Bowling Green.

Hook & Cook attracts attendees mostly through word of mouth. The event hosted only six attendees despite being held in a city with a population of over 70,000.

“The hard part is behind the scenes… where’s the other 50 to 100 people we could have had?” Copley said. He asked the people attending to invite friends to the next sessions.

 The benefits of attending Hook & Cook are not limited to education. Jeremy Krans attended with two of his children. His motivation was “to hang out with my kids and bond with them beyond screens,” as well as general enjoyment of fishing as an art and sport.

The event boasts a hands-on experience of fishing basics.

“You can sit and watch this stuff on YouTube, but feeling it and doing it, it registers easier,” said Copley. 

The event connects its attendees to other resources provided by the department. The fishing and boating mobile app lets users access information on water bodies, boat ramps, stocking records, forecasts, and licenses.

Fishing locations are available even in largely urban areas through the Fishing In Neighborhoods (FINs) program. The Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide charts the annual stocking of thousands of sizable trout and catfish into FINs lakes. Licensed fishermen are encouraged to catch their limit in these areas, as the fish die when temperatures drop in the winter.

In addition to Hook & Cook, the department occasionally hosts a Field to Fork event. Field to Fork focuses on hunting and cooking basics for game such as deer, turkey and squirrel. Check here for updates about upcoming events.

To participate in Hook & Cook, visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resource website. 

News Reporter Natalie Freidhof can be reached at natalie.friedhiof407@topper.wku.edu

“SANTOS Skin to Skin” is a documentary about the life and music of John Santos, a seven-time Grammy-winning musician, teacher and activist. Santos specializes in jazz and traditional Afro-Latin drumming. 

The film’s director, producer and editor, Kathryn Golden, and the director of photography and producer, Ashley James, said that being from the Bay Area in California, they have also been aware of Santos’ work. 

The pair said they had never considered making a documentary on Santos until their friend suggested it. 

“It’s sort of like you’re in the forest and don’t see the trees. But here was the tree right in front of us,” James said.

The movie follows Santos’s life. He grew up in San Francisco and was exposed to music at an early age through his grandparents, who were musicians on both his mother’s and father’s sides. 

Santos in the film explains how it is important for him to educate people as well as entertain them. The film shows him teaching classes or talking between songs in concert on the history of drum rhythm. 

Santos said in the film that drumming came to America from Africa, blending with the newly emerging Latin culture.

Golden said it was Santos’ explanation of the history and migration of drumming that sparked her inspiration. 

“He was describing the migration of rhythms and how while he was talking, I started imagining like the map of the world just completely differently than any map I’d ever seen before,” Golden said

The film shows that Santos often uses his heritage and drumming to be a voice for social change.

In the film, Santos protests the removal of Latin Jazz as a category from the Grammys, getting the genre reinstated after fighting for over a year.

The film covers Santos’ development in the music world as well as his family life. A major beat of the film was spent on the premature death of Santos’ first daughter who passed a month after birth.

Golden said that Santos originally did not want to speak about the death of his daughter. However, over the film’s nine-year production, Golden said, the relationship she and Santos built allowed him to open up about his experience.

“It was that it just took time to earn trust so that John [Santos] and Aida [Santos’ wife] felt comfortable going near that subject with us on camera,” said Golden.

Reflecting on the film James said he believes he has “the greatest job in the world.” He said that in his own way, he can change people’s lives for the better and he believes this film has accomplished that.

News Reporter Anthony Clauson can be reached at anthony.clauson994@topper.wku.edu.

FY 2025 quarter one, which ended Sept. 30, saw expenses of $112.8 million, 34% of the $334.6 million budget, and revenue of $138.6 million, 41% of the budget, detailed in a statement here. This compares to expenses at 33% and revenue at 39% after the first quarter of the FY 2024 budget.

“In my opinion, that’s excellent progress from prior years,” Susan Howarth, executive vice president for strategy, operations and finance, said. 

Howarth said net tuition revenue is “the single strategic focus on the revenue side of the budget” since schools can lose revenue through increased enrollment. Net tuition revenue saw almost $64 million in quarter one, per the statement. 

WKU President Timothy Caboni said statewide, there can be an internal “complete focus” on student headcount. He said while population metrics are important, “the reality is that you can buy those numbers.”

“What we’ve been focused on ensuring is the fiscal health of the institution, not focusing on a number of students, but rather ensuring that net tuition is stable and growing,” WKU President Timothy Caboni said. 

Howarth said personnel expense is similar to last year while operating expense has increased, primarily in the “Other Financial Assistance” category due to more PELL and CAP awards and in the “Supplies & Operating” category due to higher property insurance. 

Howarth said she, Caboni and Provost Bud Fischer continue to monitor inflationary increases and all campus units “to make sure that everybody is staying within the tails and no one is getting out of control.”

“Our budget is in great shape,” Caboni told the Herald. “We’re in better shape than last year and we’re going to be in better shape next year as well.”

Shane Spiller, faculty regent, asked Caboni how it is decided which “competing” units receive additional funds or personnel if it’s sought.

“I think it’s pretty simple,” Caboni responded. “This is the amount of money you have, don’t overspend it. And if you need more, we can talk about how we allocate revenue to meet those needs. But until someone has the conversation around ‘this is absolutely mission critical,’ then don’t add it.”

Caboni said it is important to recognize the RAMP model makes it easy for units to understand what money is allocated, which must be taken into account when planning. He said he’s seen “good progress” from Athletics, which he expects to continue. 

The Regents also approved:

• The auditor’s report and financial statements for FY 2024. Jennifer Williams, Forvis Mazars audit partner, said the financial reports provided to the agency present fairly. 
• A resolution to secure a $10 million line of credit through JPMorgan Chase Bank to be used “only in the event the timing of revenue collections does not match expense payment timing,” according to the meeting agenda.
• Faculty and staff personnel actions from March 1 to Sept. 30 and one-time compensation payments in the Sept. 1 to Sept. 30 payroll period.
• A recommendation for revising BOR bylaws, which will shift the responsibility of auditing from the Executive Committee to the Finance and Budget Committee, which will be renamed the “Finance, Budget, and Audit Committee.”

Content Editor Ali Costellow can be reached at ali.costellow453@topper.wku.edu.

Genova was signed to give a 50 minute lecture followed by a 10 minute question and answer session. In addition, WKU was responsible for “professional commercially insured round trip ground transportation from hotel to venue and hotel accommodations up to two nights,” according to the contract between WKU and the Washington Speakers Bureau, the agency representing Genova. All other travel and event costs were included in the fee.

The contract was signed in May 2024 and included an itinerary for the day of the talk. This included an “Informal Q&A session with select students” for an hour, as well as two 30 minute periods of downtime, one before dinner with “University and guest VIPs” and one just prior to her lecture.

$33,500 of the full price was due to WSB on July 15, and the remaining $33,000 was due by Oct. 1. WKU was unable to publicize the event until full payment was made, according to the contract.

Genova spoke as the second installment of the Presidential Lecture Series. Her lecture followed last fall’s lecture by deep sea explorer and oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic. The lecture was held in Van Meter Hall and was free for all students, faculty, staff and the Bowling Green community.

Editor-in-Chief Price Wilborn can be reached at edwin.wilborn835@topper.wku.edu.

The Epsilon Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, a historically African American fraternity, holds the event each year to raise awareness of those facing homelessness. This year it also collected donations to be sent to local shelters.

Yhon Bazira, sophomore Phi Beta Sigma Director of Social Action and event coordinator, introduced multiple guest speakers to share personal stories and inform attendees of resources in Bowling Green.

Carlos Bailey, Bowling Green city commissioner, highlighted various causes of homelessness and called for the youth of Bowling Green to make a collective effort to solve the issue.

“We live in a world where many people are just one unexpected event from being homeless,” Bailey said. ”Whether it’s volunteering, raising awareness, donating to charities or simply offering a kind word and dignity to someone who is struggling, you can make a difference.”

Amelia Kolb, Assistant Director of Student Activities, shared her perspective of seeing students on campus who struggle to find a consistent shelter while studying at the university.

“WKU receives an influx of calls for students who have no home to return to [during breaks],” Kolb said. “Staff works to the best of their ability to ensure these students are housed. However, limited resources can often make this a challenge.”

Local organizations gave out business cards and resources for students to volunteer and find more information on the cause.

Beth Wheeler,  House On the Hill co-chair, emphasized the importance of stable housing.

“It’s been proven that having stable, reliable, attainable housing is a key to thriving as a human being,” Wheeler said. “When people get into a shelter that they feel safe in at night, they are dramatically more likely to reach out for other services they may need.”

Wheeler also shared long-term plans for her to help resolve the housing issue in Bowling Green.

“We are working on getting funding through grants and private donors to purchase 14.3 acres here in Warren County, where we will build a hundred single-family affordable housing homes,” Wheeler said. “We really want to build not just houses but community for people.”

The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity accepted student donations of things like canned goods, non perishables, and hygiene products that will be sent to local shelters.

“This is my second year coming here and I came back because it’s for a good cause, I want to give back to the community in any way I can,” said Kamari Mozee, a sophomore dental hygiene major who brought canned goods.

After all the speakers and activities took place, Phi Beta Sigma members and many other students spent the rest of the night sleeping in their tents until 7 a.m.

Javeon Manning, a senior sports management major and the President of Phi Beta Sigma was pleased to see how far the event has come since its introduction in Fall 2021. He’s hopeful that the event can grow much larger in the future.

“Homelessness can happen to anybody, so by any means, we’re going to do what’s necessary to decrease the issue in Bowling Green,” Manning said, “We’re at the age where we can still develop and learn, so it’s always good to pick up on what we can do to help people while we’re here.”

News Reporter Larkin Ivory can be reached at larkin.ivory045@topper.wku.edu. 

The SGA Pink Walk, created and hosted by SGA Vice President Donte Reed, aimed to spread awareness about breast cancer and raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The walk was presented in collaboration with SGA, WKU Panhellenic, WKU Interfraternity Council and the WKU National Pan-Hellenic Council. 

“Knowing it exists is not enough” was Reed’s motto for this event.

“You never know who it’s impacted here on the Hill,” Reed said. “We’re going to try to do as much as we can to spread the word about early treatments and resources that are available.”

Students gathered at the Big Red Statue in the Downing Student Union to walk across Centennial Mall and to the South Lawn. There, SGA provided everyone in attendance with burgers, snacks and drinks.

“It’s just such a great event,” said Daren Denney, husband to breast cancer survivor Michelle Denney. “It’s a good student turnout here tonight and it’s just such a great opportunity for people to get information.”

Speakers Michelle Denney, Robbin Taylor and Tate Sine spoke on their experiences with breast cancer and how it has impacted their lives. Denney and Taylor are breast cancer survivors, and Sine’s mother battled breast cancer.

“Attitude is everything,” Michelle Denney said. “No matter if you’re diagnosed with a medical disease, if you’re going to take a test or you have to speak and you’re scared to death; attitude is everything.”

Tonya Sine, mother of Tate Sine, spoke at last year’s Pink Walk after being diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021. This year, her son shared her story to attendants.

“To be here and witness this is very heartwarming,” Tonya Sine said.

Although breast cancer is predominantly found in women, there was much talk about how men are still susceptible. 1 in 8 women and 1 in 726 men will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer at some point in their lives according to the American Cancer Society.

In addition to the walk and guest speakers, there was also a raffle at the event for the chance to win various prizes. It cost $6 to enter, which will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Additional photos from the SGA Pink Walk can be found here and a video can be found here.

News Reporter Bradlee Reed-Whalen can be reached at bradlee.reedwhalen539@topper.wku.edu.

Bricks & Minifigs sells LEGO products straight from LEGO distribution and “retired” LEGO sets bought from customers or online.

“The way that LEGO works is they’ll typically put something out and it’ll have a shelf life for about a year or two and then they’ll retire it,” Tony Lopez said. “LEGO is one of the few products that actually appreciates in value once it’s gone off the shelf.”

The store, located on Scottsville Road, opened on Sept. 28, 2024.

“Opening the store is one of the things that I knew we needed, because we don’t have anything like this, and I was already a consumer of it,” Tony Lopez said. 

Tony and Jenny Lopez are both extensively familiar with the Bowling Green community. 

Jenny Lopez, lifelong Bowling Green local, graduated from Greenwood High School and attended WKU for two years in the early 2000s. Tony Lopez has been a local since his study at WKU, graduating with a BFA in graphic design in 2001. 

Though Tony and Jenny Lopez shared mutual friends during their time at WKU, their first meeting occurred in the parking lot of a local apartment complex.

“She actually hit my car and then I kept seeing her everywhere around town after that, and then we just kind of started talking,” Tony Lopez said. “And then I actually got her a job at Best Buy.”

Tony and Jenny Lopez eventually migrated from Best Buy to Dell Computers in Nashville and married during their time with the company.

Jenny Lopez stayed with Dell for 16 years before being laid off amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Tony Lopez considers the new store a “passion project” as his day job at Broadcom, a major tech company, consumes most of his time.

“I’ve hired a manager to kind of run it and Jenny runs things as well,” Tony Lopez said. “And I’m here when I can be.”

Tony Lopez frequented the Bricks & Minifigs location in Louisville and delved into the opportunity of franchising from his experiences. 

“We’re related in the name but we’re all independently owned and operated,” Tony Lopez said. 

“It’s very much like a grassroots franchise,” Jenny Lopez said. “We all help each other with problems and send each other different stuff.”

The company has roughly 200 locations nationwide, according to Tony Lopez. 

Tony and Jenny Lopez expressed their gratitude for the community support over the last few weeks. 

The grand opening in September saw over 700 customers that Saturday, according to Tony Lopez.

“The community really came together and stuck it out and supported us,” Tony Lopez said. “ We couldn’t have asked for any more.”

Jenny Lopez said customers filed outside the establishment hours before the official opening at 10 a.m. that day, bearing the rain. Some customers arrived just moments after Jenny Lopez herself got to the store, around 7 a.m.

“One lady pulled up and they had folding chairs and they were the first ones out there with their three boys, waiting in line just as happy as they could be,” Jenny Lopez said.

The shop has already fostered a diverse customer pool of “LEGO adults,” college students and youth, according to Tony Lopez. Some of these customers have become regulars over the mere two weeks the location has been open.

Aside from selling official LEGO products, the store works with small businesses, like Brick Bling by Jill, Big Kid Brix, Go Figure Displays, and Made Happy. These businesses produce LEGO-adjacent and LEGO-compatible products. 

Bricks & Minifigs Bowling Green at 2800 Scottsville Rd. Suite 3 is open from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The store can be reached at (270) 495-1118.

“It’s been awesome, and it’s weird to be in a business where people thank you for opening it,” Tony Lopez said.

News Reporter Kane Smith can be reached at kane.smith490@topper.wku.edu.

“As a freshman and sophomore, I remember going and seeing the shows and thinking of these people that were pretty much just my peers as sort of celebrities,” Slayden said. “Then once I noticed that I had a decent body of work that I could show off and was proud of, I just kind of decided that I would love to do a show and sort of start getting my name out there more.”

It was this feeling that led to the creation of the “IN THE EYE OF” exhibit, which features Slayden’s art as well as the work of Ethan Justice, Lance Burdette and Kyra Embra. The walls and three podiums in the gallery are filled with Slayden’s art. Comments left on notecards by both the artists and observers also line the gallery’s walls.

The exhibit boasts a variety of types of art including a charcoal piece of a cow skull, several collages, a human figure made of tape, a head sculpt, a welded sculpture, pottery and more. 

“All the pieces vaguely revolve around identity and how your physical body and self interacts with the conceptual self that you have in your mind,” Slayden said. “ All of the people in the show have an understanding and appreciation for work that isn’t solely graceful traditional art.”

“IN THE EYE OF,” the name of the exhibit, comes from the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Slayden said.

“I just kind of cut out the parts that made it a phrase that made sense. It was interesting because not all the work is necessarily beautiful in a traditional sense,” Slayden said. “Also I draw eyes a lot, so there’s a lot of eyes in the work. It was a play on that too.”

Burdette’s piece “Abstract” features a textured and impressionistic man holding his chest that appears to be bleeding. The note next to it reads the lyrics of “Abstract (Psychopomp)” by Hozier.

“The texture is divine I can feel the heart bleeding,” reads a comment left next to the painting.

The interactive element is one many people have chosen to participate in. The notecards are scattered across the walls filled with thoughts of observers. “The Divine Transsexual” by Embry has two notes left floating adjacent to the pieces. “Beautiful,” reads one note. “Love this,” reads another.

“Mimesis” is the exhibition’s largest piece, hanging in the center of the largest wall of the gallery. It is a collage made by Slayden about the “creation and deconstruction of oneself.” Of Slayden’s work in the gallery, “Mimesis” is the most meaningful to him.

“I started with an oil painting, a self-portrait,” Slayden said. “Then immediately, once it was done, I cut it into pieces. Then I put it on a new thing and took more of my old artwork combined with different magazines and comic books and destroyed them and put them into different pieces. And then, once again, put them back together to create a new piece and then added more back on top of that.”

Slayden said he hoped those who visit the gallery interact with the work he and the other artists created. 

“I just want people to interact with art,” Slayden said. “I like to think, hopefully, people come away thinking. Just thinking about whatever. Thinking about themselves, about other people, or just thinking about coming back to more shows.” 

“IN THE EYE OF” is on display in the Cube Gallery, found at FAC 436, for the remainder of the week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

News Reporter Malone Farmer can be reached at james.farmer674@topper.wku.edu.

Caboni told the Faculty Senate during its September meeting that “2% a year is not enough,” and that across-the-board salary increases “are not going to address our issues.” He instead emphasized implementing merit-based raises. 

Jace Lux, university spokesperson, told the Herald Wednesday via email that university leadership accepted the BEC’s recommendation because it believes it “best enables our faculty and staff to address inflationary pressures” and demonstrates “the respect leadership has for the BEC’s work and the important role it plays in the budgeting process.”

Lux said in the email Caboni anticipates the BEC’s recommendation next year to include the incorporation of merit-based salary increases.

All faculty and staff members hired on or before July 31 are eligible for the 2% increase, which will go into effect Jan. 1, 2025, Caboni said in the email. 

“We recognize and deeply value the dedication of our faculty and staff both to our students and to WKU,” Caboni said in the email. “Thank you for your continued work to transform lives and achieve our institutional mission.”

The announcement comes following the university’s announcement of a 22.5% increase in health care premiums. The WKU Department of Human Resources released the 2025 benefits guide on Oct. 3, which outlined the plans available to faculty and staff for 2025. WKU math professor Dan Clark, in an email to faculty and staff, shared a document explaining that premiums were increasing. This includes a $25.42 increase from last year and a $53.42 total increase since 2018.

Content Editor Ali Costellow can be reached at ali.costellow453@topper.wku.edu