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. 

Since 2021, HOLAS has held the event annually to celebrate the diversity of people and their cultures at WKU. Students who attend can participate in activities, watch performances, eat food and win prizes.

Ten countries will be represented including the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Chile, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

Valery Garcia, the President of HOLAS and a senior social work and Spanish double major, said she hopes the event can be cherished for its efforts to represent so many different backgrounds.

“I hope students will gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity of each country represented, and that they enjoy the music and food unique to each culture,” Garcia said.

The All Around the World event will begin at 6:00 pm at the WKU Fine Arts Center. Que Pasa Tacos is serving food to the first 100 guests who attend.

Monday marks only the beginning of HOLAS’ plans for Hispanic Heritage Month. The organization will host movies, game nights, and guest speakers in the following days. 

Interested students can find more information on HOLAS’ Instagram account, @wkuholas.

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

ORAC provided opportunities for students to participate in outdoor activities like camping, canoeing and more. They also offered outdoor gear for checkout at the Preston Center.

Justin Cato, the director of campus recreation & wellness, stated that the issues with ORAC began when the program returned from the COVID-19 pandemic. New students weren’t aware of the program, he said, creating a lack of participation in ORAC events.

“We had to cancel more trips than we actually ran,” Cato said.” There wasn’t enough participation. So looking at that, and then looking at our gear center, we averaged one to two pieces of gear checkout per week, which is just not a lot.”

Budget reallocations have caused financial struggles in some university departments, including the Campus Recreation & Wellness department. In the past, ORAC’s gear checkout helped pay for excess expenses within the program.

With decreased funding from the university and lowered revenue from the gear checkout, the cost to sustain the program did not match its engagement, Cato said.

While the program has been closed indefinitely, the Campus Recreation & Wellness department hopes to see the program return in the future.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to bring it back in a few years,” Cato said. “Once we get to that point, we’re gonna make sure that we get it right as best we can. Getting the word out and offering what the students want from the program to make it successful and hopefully sustainable moving forward.”

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

When BikeWalk BG was founded in 2018, Lead Coordinator Karissa Lemon was looking to create a program where people could come together, participate in fitness-based activities and get educated on safely practicing healthy lifestyles. To execute her objective, Lemon relied on a strict set of guidelines that would consistently reinforce
her focus.

“There are four main pillars of BikeWalk BG. We have education, which is just teaching bicycle and pedestrian safety and skills,” Lemon said. “We choose to use advocacy to represent the community of our citizens. Outreach is the use of community events, while planning is used to work with partner agencies to build more trails for safe biking and walking paths.”
Before BikeWalk BG, there was the Greenways Commission, whose original goal was to plan and build trails across Bowling Green. In the mid 2010’s, the commission lost track of its initial vision in the community and passed all the coordination of activities to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

MPO is an organization that creates policies, regulates and funds all federal transportation plans in different regions. With the help of MPO, BikeWalk BG was formed as an effort to bring outreach and education for pedestrian and bicycle transportation.
Funding comes from the MPO’s Paula Nye Memorial Grant Foundation. These funds are accumulated by anyone who purchases a “Share The Road” license plate for their vehicles in the state of Kentucky. The money used to purchase these license plates is redirected towards the grant given to communities who apply for the fund to promote bicycle and pedestrian transportation
efforts.

BikeWalk BG staffing comes from the City-County Planning Commission of Bowling Green, as well as other smaller partners such as Warren County Parks and Recreation. BikeWalk BG does various bike ride events throughout the year to bring the community together.

“These aren’t bike rides for serious riders,” Lemon said. “We aren’t looking to break records but we want the community to enjoy an experience together by getting out on a bike and exploring Bowling Green. We’ve had anywhere from six-year-olds to sixty-year-olds attend our events. We hope that these events can change the culture around cycling and help people feel more encouraged to ride their bikes and build confidence while doing so.”

The most recent event the organization held was its St. Patrick’s Community Bike Ride on March 16, where cyclists met at the White Squirrel Brewery to embark on a 10-mile trip and were invited to a post-celebration that included a food truck and live band.

WKU fine arts professor Jason Harbison, who participated in the event, said there was a sense of community that couldn’t be ignored during the trip.

“In my small time participating with BikeWalk BG, I can already tell there’s a strong sense of community,” Harbison
said. “The old adage of ‘all walks of life’ and the diverse backgrounds of people that I met prove that it’s very rich in those aspects.”

He also noted that the companionship during the ride was very crucial in helping him complete the 10-mile
journey.

“Not only has getting out to ride my bike helped me in a physical standpoint, it’s also helped increase my mental wellness,” Harbison said. “The camaraderie and the scenery help immensely.”

Kyle Marklin, a Bowling Green resident and event participant, brought his 9- and 6-year-old sons who sported
Spider-Man and mohawk helmets for the ride.

“I’m always glad when I get the chance to mount up and get the wheels turning again,” Marklin said. “10 miles
is a long ride for little ones, but it’s also cool that there is a good mix of seasoned riders as well as newbies.”

Meets for the organization take a lot of planning and coordinating, as oftentimes BikeWalk BG partners with local businesses and other allies to give their events more exposure and activities.

Rowan Brown, a WKU alum, has worked as an intern for BikeWalk BG since May 2023 and contributes to the planning of each event in various ways.

“My work is pretty varied. I prepare for and attend events like community rides, bike rodeos, and booths at large events. I do trail inventories of the greenways to check for maintenance and map trail inspections as well as help manage the social media,” Brown
said. “Currently, our bike-ed in schools program is a big focus. I helped write the curriculum and go to the schools to teach it.”

When asked about the future of the organization, they noted an interest in the development of Bowling Green’s
trails.
“I would like to see the greenways become a connected network instead of disconnected segments,” Brown said. BikeWalk BG also allows groups to participate in their Adopt-A-Trail Program.

“Organizations, non-profits, fraternities and sororities can all adopt a trail for free. We enter an agreement with these groups to provide support in cleaning and maintaining our trails at least four times a year,” Lemon said.

WKU CHHS

At WKU, community members have also seen initiatives put in place to promote healthy lifestyles in the community. The College of Health and Human Services has recently directed this toward their students, faculty and staff.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, head staff at CHHS noticed a trend of struggles for students when coming back to in-person classes. Because of this, Tania Basta, dean of the CHHS, began developing two programs that would increase their quality of life from both a physical and mental standpoint.

For students, Basta and fellow contributors created the CHHS Student Wellness Experience, which was employed in the form of a one-credit hour class for the first year class of 2026 to learn the 10 dimensions of wellness, a model that charts the basic needs of each individual and community to reach full potential. The class is taught by CHHS Student Wellness Navigators Amy Wininger and Marsha Hopper, who not only taught the course to students, but could meet with them individually to keep up with distinct issues and refer them to the appropriate resources.

After a year of implementing the Student Wellness Experience, Basta realized scholars weren’t the only ones struggling with the transition back to traditional schooling.

“It hit me in summer 2022 that faculty and staff were struggling as much as, if not more than, our students. We needed to do something to help them take care of themselves as well. So, we created the CHHS Faculty and Staff Wellness Hour,” Basta wrote in a freelance article for “The Academic
Leader.”

The wellness hour is a paid hour each day, in addition to lunch, that allows every faculty and staff member to participate in an activity that correlates to any of the 10 dimensions of wellness.

Grace Lartey, public health professor and coordinator of the department, likes to spend her hour with fellow staff.

“Sometimes we go out walking on campus for an hour,” Lartey said. “Other times we engage in painting. It’s beneficial to get away from the office for physical health as well as giving our minds a break from work.”

Lartey said the wellness hour benefits everyone on the job, not only her.
“A sound mind is in a sound body,” Lartey said.

“The wellness hour is dedicated for staff to take care of themselves. I can’t tell you how much support our staff and faculty provide to us, and I can’t function without them. If they aren’t well enough, my students and I will suffer.”

Since the implementation of both programs, CHHS has found success in the moods and production of students and staff alike. Basta voiced that one student from the 2022-23 academic year made great strides in just a semester difference.

“Last spring, one student wasn’t turning in assignments and was being bullied by her roommate. Her professor referred her anonymously to one of our [wellness] navigators. After meeting with the navigator, the student was able to move to a different dorm and learn better time-management skills,” Basta said to the Herald. “She made all A’s last semester, was on the president’s list and returned to campus this fall.”

For faculty and staff, Basta found that those who participated in the wellness hour reported they were more likely to
continue working within the college.

“We’re trying to prioritize the right thing to do,” Basta said. “When you’re in the College of Health and Human
Services, we want everybody to feel welcome, know that they belong and feel that they’re able to take care of themselves.”

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

Olmsted started her career at WKU in 1996 and worked there for 25 years before retiring in 2021. During her time at WKU, she focused her work on English literature and the Gender & Women’s Studies field.

The novel, which Olmsted began writing in 2001, is a collection of shorter stories and perspectives. Each story compliments the details of others creating a much larger narrative that connects across the collection.

The overarching story occurs in Bowling Green and features characters who work and attend WKU. Some tales take place at different times and are narrated by secondary characters. Each story follows a similar theme of exploring Bowling Green’s landscape and local history, which interconnects the characters and plot as a whole.

To Olmsted, the novel reflects moments within her own life as well as others around her. She mentioned how her characters encounter the same things that she and those close to her experienced such as death, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

“The story of the Collins family is one of healing from devastating loss, betrayal, and abuses,” Olsmsted said, “Awful things happen and I don’t gloss over them, but what I want readers to remember is the inner light, the courage and graciousness these characters and we all possess.”

With the initial idea of exploring a different cave in each story, Olmsted found there was a parallel between the way her characters interacted and the physical geography of the town her fiction takes place in. 

“Like a karst system, human relations weave, grow intense, then cool, and sometimes are intentional and intimate, but others are not. At the center of the book is the Collins family.” Olmsted said.

In the book, Olmsted features characters that are based on her past students who attended WKU, and feels that the inclusion of these characters makes great use for appealing to the young adult audience. “Most of the students I’ve known over the years are tremendously caring. Some have endured tragedies or horrible trauma and are still showing up to classes. I could hold up any one of those wonderful people as a model for the characters in ‘Letters from the Karst’,” Olmsted said.

Olmsted’s book can be found and purchased on Amazon. Her blogs and other works can be found on her website, janeolmstedauthor.com. 

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

Audience members can come to witness a performance with over 70 cast, crew and faculty members. The fun comedy follows the journey of Nick and Nigel Bottom as they make desperate attempts to become successful playwrights and compete with the likes of William Shakespeare.

The students have been running five hour rehearsals on weekdays ever since the beginning of the 2024 spring semester.

WKU students Elijah Milburn, playing Nick Bottom, and Ashleigh Chapman, playing Portia are co-leads for the performances.

Milburn, a senior BFA performing arts and musical theatre major, noted that a musical with so many different contributors could never have been done without camaraderie. 

“All of the ensemble, [and] every cast member genuinely loves each other. We all have the goal, we all have the vision, we all have the drive to make the show amazing.” Milburn said, “I’m most proud of the people I’ve met and talked to, and I’m proud of the dedication we all share.”

David Young is the director of the musical and department chair of theatre & dance. To him, the performance will please a large span of audiences.

“If you love musicals you’ll love [this] because it references other musicals… If you don’t like musicals you’ll also love it because it makes fun of musicals in a very hilarious way,” Young said.

The April 5 and 6 showings will be this coming Friday and Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m.. Sunday’s April 7th performance will take place at 2:00 p.m.. 

The performance is recommended for viewers ages 13 and up. Content contains some profanity and adult humor.

Adults can purchase tickets for $20 while students and seniors (aged 62 and over) can get in for $16. Tickets are available by visiting wku.showare.com or by calling (270) 745-3121.

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

Rittenhouse shot three men — two of whom died —  at a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020, using a semi automatic AR-15 style rifle purchased for him by a friend. He was acquitted in 2021 after he testified that he had acted in self defense.

Prior to the start of the event, individuals who had signed up for tickets ahead of time lined up against barricades along the front of Downing Student Union. At roughly 5:40 p.m., individuals were allowed to enter an outside waiting area surrounding the doors of DSU Nite Class, where the event was held.

Many students were skeptical of how the event would play out after Rittenhouse’s last TPUSA appearance at the University of Memphis, where crowds of protestors booed him off stage.

William Rucker, a senior history major at WKU, expressed the tension of the environment around him before ticket holders were let inside Nite Class. 

“I’m feeling really tense,” Rucker said. “There’s a lot of feelings built up amongst everybody here and I think that’s valid. People can have feelings but I’m seeing reactions who are being more loud and aggressive in certain ways. I think we should have respect and try to listen to each other.”

Students also expressed differing opinions on what this event meant for WKU. 

“I am somebody who believes greatly in freedom of speech and open dialogues and academic conversation,” Jay Hightower, senior psychology major, said. “Turning Point USA has a history of bringing controversial people here and I will leave that to them, if that’s what they want to do that’s well within their rights. My concern is when you bring somebody who everyone understands is a danger to campus or brings a dangerous audience.”

Maxwell Hoover, a sophomore mechanical engineering student, sporting an American flag over his shoulders, felt that the event reflected positively on WKU. “I think it’s actually good,” Hoover said. “I think it shows that they actually believe in the country and freedom of speech.”

Only 104 individuals were allowed to enter into Nite Class due to seating restrictions, and the event was first come, first serve for those in line outside DSU. At 6:40 p.m., the doors to Nite Class were opened, with individuals being patted down and metal detected before they entered the area. 

With a 15 minute countdown on the TVs in the room and instrumental pop-music playing through the speakers, individuals awaited the arrival of Rittenhouse. At roughly 7:08 p.m., Rittenhouse entered after a quick introduction by TPUSA chapter president, Cade Holcombe. 

Holcombe explained that the event was meant to “open up productive conversation” and “thanked God that we live in a country where an open discussion like this can still happen.”

Rittenhouse began his recap with discussing his actions and point of view of the events that occurred in Kenosha. Rittenhouse explained that he was terrified, scared and alone during these moments. 

The crowd was silent for a majority of Rittenhouse’s recap, with supporters intermittently clapping. After the discussion of his own experience, Rittenhouse began speaking his opinion about open carry laws on college campuses. 

“I want to tell you that your university does not give a fuck about you,” Rittenhouse said in regards to individuals not being able to defend themselves on campus by carrying a firearm.

Rittenhouse said with police response times being five to six minutes, individuals should be able to carry guns on college campuses.

“You can’t have a police officer with you everywhere you go,” Rittenhouse said. “So you have the right to be able to carry a firearm … you are your own first responder.” 

While advocating for Second Amendment rights, Rittenhouse emphasized that “[he] urges campus staff, lawmakers who may be listening to their speech, [they] should be ashamed of [themselves] … [they] should be 100% ashamed that [they] don’t believe students have the right to defend themselves by prohibiting them from actually exercising their Second Amendment rights.”

As he lives in Texas, Rittenhouse said that students are able to carry firearms on campus.

“Every time I go to campus, I have my gun,” he said.

After speaking for roughly 15 minutes, the floor was opened for individuals to ask Rittenhouse questions. Students, press and community individuals were able to join the growing line of individuals waiting to ask questions. 

Many students present were in opposition of Rittenhouse, and asked questions to prompt him against his previous actions. 

When asked about Black Lives Matter and the movement, Rittenhouse said that “Black Lives Matter is great, but it’s still life at the end of the day that matters.”

Along with other questions about Black Lives Matter, supporters of Rittenhouse asked questions regarding Second Amendment rights. Throughout the question and answer session, Rittenhouse often did not let participants finish their questions before starting his response.

When asked about his experience after the events in Kenosha, Rittenhouse said that while he does receive threats and is occasionally followed, he gets the opportunity to speak to campuses and spark dialogue. 

After the question and answer session lasted about 15 minutes, Rittenhouse thanked the audience and promptly left. Many attendees shared their opinions of the event after the conclusion. 

“Honestly he just interrupted anyone who opposed him. He decided to antagonize them and fall into defense mode when he couldn’t answer their questions,” Kyla Bryant, freshman interior design major, said. 

Many student attendees voiced their opinions on why they decided to come to the event. 

“It’s important for the Black population of Western to come out and show that we’re disproportionately represented,” Kira Coleman, freshman, said. 

Some attendees vocalized their concerns that university funds were not spent efficiently and that a campus shutdown created more problems for students. Nine restaurants were closed early along with numerous campus parking lots.

Holcombe found the event to be fruitful for campus. 

“I think it started a little bit of a conversation between people and hopefully people too far on either side can find a middle ground,” Holcombe said. “My goal during this was basically to start the conversation. Even if it’s not about Kyle, there’s people who love to talk online and stuff and hide behind a profile and whatnot. But when you have that conversation face to face, and you start to listen to people, that’s when you really start to get somewhere in the middle ground.”

News Editor Molly Dobberstein can be reached at molly.dobberstein519@topper.wku.edu.

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

News Reporter Cameron Shaw can be reached at cameron.shaw555@topper.wku.edu.

While anyone can apply for the scholarship, the application is geared towards students who work within “creative” departments such as art and design, marketing, english, media and communication, music and theatre and dance.

The scholarship will grant two students $500 each, totaling $1000 in money awarded. The scholarship is currently non-renewable but can be made renewable if next year’s senate writes a bill to change its terms.

According to Sara Vincent, SGA director of enrollment and student experience, the scholarship was authored by CEBS Senator Kayla Distler with the help of Jack McCoun and Mckenna Fleshman.

“I think this scholarship reflects the goals of SGA well because everything we do is for the students. We get the chance to honor the name and legacy of Abby Nash while giving back to other current students. Scholarships like this allow students to create more opportunities for themselves,” Distler said.

To Fleshman and Mcoun, the Abby Nash Creativity Scholarship allows applicants to use arts to express their passion for the arts like Nash loved to express herself. 

“Abby was one of the most intensely creative people I’ve ever met. She believed in doing what you love, cared deeply about the world, and made the most of every experience,” Fleshman said. “We chose the scholarship criterium because we knew that she would want others to pursue their passions as she did,” McCoun added.

The Mental Health & Wellbeing and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion SGA committees sponsored the bill. Funding came from the SGA’s legislative discretionary budget, which is free to use by senators as long as the senate passes a written bill.

Students can apply here until March 29th, 2024, by 5:00 pm CST.

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

Minter, a WKU history professor, served as the District 20 State Representative in the Kentucky House from January 2019 until January 2023. In November 2022, she lost reelection for the seat to Republican Kevin Jackson. 

She announced her candidacy for mayor in January, in which she will campaign to defeat current mayor Todd Alcott in the race for office. Alcott has served as mayor of Bowling Green since 2021.

As a state representative, Minter assisted in lowering the cost of insulin, creating financial support for tornado recovery, putting federal dollars into the Bowling Green Veterans Center and securing over 3 million dollars to support Bowling Green’s roads. Now, she’s prioritizing improving city infrastructure and working with the Fairness Campaign to pass a Fairness Ordinance in Bowling Green.

By her side was former mayor of Bowling Green and secretary of state Elaine Walker, who opened the kickoff supporting Minter’s election.

“It’s not a democratic campaign, it’s not a Republican campaign, it’s a Bowling Green campaign,” Walker said.

Those words were the foundation of Minter’s message through the night as she consistently emphasized themes of being inclusive and transparent with all the city’s people.

“To me, what you do as mayor is listen, learn and find out what’s really going on in your community for all of the people. Not just some of them,” Minter said. “What makes our community beautiful and strong is that it’s a wonderful place to live. It has an excellent quality of life that we need to make sure everyone has.”

Minter was born and raised in East Tennessee. Still, when she began working in the WKU history department and forging her family with her husband, Michael Minter, and son, Alex, she found a home that couldn’t be left behind.

Throughout her time here, Minter has made many friends who have played a crucial role in her career as a politician. Initially, those supporters persuaded her to train as a politician in the Emerge program, an organization that recruits, trains and networks women in politics. Lucinda Anderson, director of special events at WKU, was one of the friends on her side since the beginning.

“I’ve been working with Patti ever since I’ve known her. She preaches an inclusive environment. Everyone needs to be invited to the same table,” Anderson said.

Minter remarked on how much credit she had to give to her campaign manager, Jason Lowe. 

The kickoff occurred in Pushin Building Artist Studio, which lies along Fountain Square Park in the center of Bowling Green. For Lowe, there was no better place to hold the assembly.

“We wanted to have it somewhere downtown that folks could easily access. We hope that folks who came here will volunteer to speak with others in the community,” Lowe said.

Minter will continue her campaign for the coming months until the mayoral election on Nov. 5.

“I want to work towards decisions that are the best for all of our community. That can absolutely be done. You can build consensus in ways that leave no one left out,” Minter said. “We need to make decisions that we know are the right ones. Decisions that will benefit the community twenty-five or fifty years down the road.”

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

“Night at the Preds,” which started in 2023, is a joint event coordinated by both the Alumni Association and the Nashville Predators professional ice hockey team as an environment for school alumni to network with students and bring exposure to Nashville locals.

The event begins with a pre-game reception from 5:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Students and alumni can enjoy snacks and socialize until the puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

During the game, participants will be recognized in the arena, and Big Red will be in attendance to cheer on the Preds.

Laura Smith, the associate director of philanthropy and alumni engagement, shared insight on why WKU shares such a close bond with the Nashville Predators.

“One of the reasons we do this is because Nashville is a very important market for recruitment. Fans of the Predators who’ve never even heard of our school get the chance to see what we’re all about and consider us an option,” Smith said. “It’s an easy way to bring people in south-central Kentucky and middle Tennessee together.”

Alumni can register at prices starting at $91.35, which includes the game ticket, a limited edition co-branded Preds hat and access to the pre-game reception. Registration can be completed here.

Students looking to attend can find tickets at reduced prices starting at $39.00. Student-priced tickets are located here.

Online Registration closes Friday, Feb. 23.

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