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.

Kentuckians wanting to vote on Election Day must register by Monday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. local time.

Here is how to register to vote in the commonwealth.

First, eligibility requirements must be met. National requirements include being a United States citizen and being at least 18 years old before the next general election.

For Kentucky specifically, anyone looking to vote must be a resident for at least 28 days, must not claim the right to vote outside Kentucky and can not be a convicted felon.

If eligible, Kentuckians can register online, by mail or in person.

To register online, visit Kentucky’s election website and enter the information required to be added to the system.

To register by mail the Voter Registration Application must be completed, printed and sent to the local County Clerk’s Office.

To register in person, visit a nearby County Clerk’s Office and fill out an application.

Once Kentuckians finish the registration process they are ready to get out to the polls in person on Nov. 5, request an absentee ballot or participate in Kentucky early voting.

To check voter registration status, visit the Kentucky Voter Information Center website.

For information regarding how to register in every state visit vote.gov.

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

Chief Justice Ellen Henderson swore in the five newly elected Freshman Senators Cayden Bailey, Ciin Lun and Jakob Barker, International Senator Hermes Olmos and Gatton Academy Senator Lola Norman.

“Welcome to the organization,” Student Body President Sam Kurtz said to the senators. “I hope you guys had fun campaigning and I hope you are ready for it. We have a fun semester ahead.”

Bill 3-24-F and Bill 4-42-F, written by Sophomore Senator Jade Ismail, both passed unanimously. Bill 3-24-F gained SGA’s support for Spooktober, a fundraiser for the Potter Children’s Home Initiative, while Bill 4-42-F allowed $200 to fund the event.

Spooktober will be a Halloween movie screening on October 28th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in DSU 3020. Tickets will be $15 with a cap at 100 people, per Downing Student Union regulations. There will also be a raffle for all in attendance with the prize being Halloween Boo Baskets valued at $60 each. 

All ticket revenue will go towards the Potter Children’s Home Initiative.

Bill 4-24-F will make School Safety Training mandatory for all WKU professors, and require emergency exits to be posted in each instructional classroom. The bill passed and was authored by Senator Annalise Finch. 

This School Safety Training is currently not mandatory for professors.

“It gets a little bit trickier for college age because the same laws [K-12] can’t apply,” Finch said. “A lot of us are 18 and older.”

Professors will have the option to opt-out due to true mental health concerns.

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

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time when organizations and activists across the nation come together to raise awareness about mental health across the United States.

WKU has several on-campus resources and services students can utilize for mental health support. 

As Suicide Prevention Month comes to an end, here are some of the mental health resources students can utilize on campus, anytime.

The WKU Counseling Center

The WKU Counseling Center has a multitude of programs to help students on campus with a wide range of needs and provides free therapy services.

“The WKU Counseling Center is committed to promoting the academic mission of the university by providing a variety of psychological services to students that will augment recruitment, retention, and graduation by strengthening students’ capacity to tolerate distress, form healthy relationships, and seek healthy expressions of their ideals and values,” the center states on its website. 

Students go to the counseling center for a variety of reasons. Whether working through specific issues, addressing painful experiences or simply searching for a safe space; the Counseling Center is there for the students of WKU.

Karl Laves, associate director at the Counseling Center, said the Counseling Center offers individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultation, graduate student development and campus outreach and education. 

Laves said in an email to the Herald that the benefits of utilizing these resources is to improve, increase and stabilize one’s mental health.

“These resources are comfortable being open and honest with students,” Laves said.

Setting up an appointment is as simple as calling the Counseling Center at (270) 745-3159 or stopping by in person in Potter Hall Room 409. From there, they will work with you to coordinate schedules and set up the first meeting (Client Consultation) via Zoom. This will establish what you need and how the Counseling Center can best provide its services. 

The center also has a 24/7 counseling helpline for emergency services in the event of a crisis, which can be reached at 270-843-4357.

Dean of Students

Martha Sales is the Western Kentucky University Dean of Students. Her job focuses on the student experience and engagement on campus. She aims to advocate, educate and engage students, helping them to find their voice.

Sales said she understands the hardships that can come with being a student. She works with students and their parents daily, witnessing every aspect that comes with life here on the hill.

“The best thing I can do is listen and refer. I direct and/or take students to the places and spaces and people they need to see to get the best care possible,” Sales said in an email to the Herald. “Seeing students makes my hard days easier!”

Seeing Sales is as easy as stopping by her office.

She prides herself on her ability to bring people and students together, as “when Hilltoppers come together we can do so much!”

Visit Sales in DSU 2122, email her at deanofstudents@wku.edu or contact her office at 270-745-2683.

WKU Police Department

The WKU Police Department provides additional mental health resources for students. As fully-trained police officers, they are able to handle emergency situations and to provide support to those who need it.

The department’s goal is to  “create a safe interactive environment that is conducive to learning,” according to its website. 

The WKUPD has various initiatives installed to help WKU students, such as a campus safety escort service and a victim assistance service. 

The escort service allows those on campus to call 270-745-3333 day or night to request an officer to walk with them, alleviating the fear of walking alone.  Victim assistance provides information to those affected by crime to get the local resources they need to cope.

Laves also said that WKUPD is experienced at responding to students dealing with mental health. Students in crisis aren’t arrested, but rather transferred where they can be assessed and provided necessary resources.

Contact the emergency line at 911 or the non-emergency line at 270-745-2548.

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

Bill 1-24-F was unanimously passed to fund the SGA Pink Walk, which aims to raise Breast Cancer Awareness and raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, whose mission is “to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in our communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.”  The bill was presented by Student Body Vice President Donté Reed, Chief of Staff Anne-Marie Wright and Sophomore Senator Savanna Kurtz.

“I’m sure you guys remember this bill from last school year,” Reed said. “This is a walk for students and members of the community to help raise money for breast cancer research, spread awareness and for preventative programs.”

The walk will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17 at the WKU Store in Downing Student Union. There will be raffles to win a digital camera, Swedish massages at the Preston Health Center, a golf bag and golf balls and multiple $100 scholarships. 

Grady Sine, a WKU student, will speak at the event about his mother who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Breast cancer survivors Robbin Taylor and Michelle Denny will also speak at the event.

The approved funding of the event will go towards waters, wristbands and the raffle prizes.

Bill 2-24-F was unanimously passed to allocate $300 for the Supplies for Success Drive under Sophomore Senator Caroline Banks.

The Supplies for Success Drive will aim to collect school supplies for Jennings Creek Elementary School, which was heavily impacted in December of 2021 by the tornados that came through Bowling Green.

“Over two-thirds of the employees at Jennings Creek are Western Kentucky graduates,” Jessica Hussung, instructor at the WKU School of Teacher Education, said to explain why Jennings Creek was chosen. ”Many of those are fellow students and peers.”

Bill 3-24-F, sponsored by Mahurin Honors College and written by Mahurin Honors College Senator Caden Lucas, also passed. 

This bill aims for SGA to allocate $576 to the MHC to fund the purchase of 100 copies of the book “The Bill of Obligations” by Richard N. Haass through a bulk order deal made with Penguin House Publishing and the WKU Bookstore. 

These books will be utilized by honors students who take the mandatory Honors 251: Citizen and Self course, and will also be available to all students through the MHC Library.

Lucas said since the MHC senator position is new this academic year, he wants to further build a bridge between the honors college and SGA.

“I think it’s important to remember that we voted to have an Honors College senator, so it’s important to continue facilitating that relationship with them and I think this is a great start,” Senator Chloe Ralston said.

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

Sales spoke on several issues the WKU student body may be facing such as rising stress levels and how to get involved on campus.  

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Sales said.

Sales encouraged SGA as students and leaders to spread the word: get informed, help one another, speak up. 

“There’s a whole lot of things going on on campus, and it hurts my heart,” Sales said.

 Sales addressed mental health on campus, mentioning how students may struggle to find a sense of belonging, fall behind in classes and put on a front to the world.

“Check on your strong friends,” Sales said to the Senate.

No one on campus is alone, no matter how trying the times may feel, Sales said. 

Sales marked this year as the “Year of the Parent” as WKU begins to explore a generational shift in parenting due to millennials taking the spotlight. Sales said she receives five to six phone calls a day from concerned parents.

Sales said college is a massive adjustment for many students but reminded students that “the first step to success is that first failure.”

The Senate also addressed the upcoming presidential election, addressing possible political divisions in the student body. Student Body President Sam Kurtz spoke on finding ideas to ease possible tensions.

“We want to think of a way to calm the waters after the election,” Kurtz said. “Think of ways to remind people that no matter how upset you may be, here’s help if you need it.”

Student Body Vice President Donte Reed is pushing for a polling center on campus, given he understands the struggle of commuting back home to vote.

“We also have a student advocacy group, we’ve been working to get a polling center here on campus for this upcoming election,” Reed said. “For myself I have to drive about 3 hours back home to go vote.”

SGA also appointed and unanimously approved Morgan Gammons as the Associate Chief Justice for the 24th Senate.

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

Caboni gave remarks on the university’s plans to update Douglas Keen Hall, Hugh Poland Hall, the Gordon Ford College of Business and Cherry Hall, the restructuring of the Mahurin Honors College, the push for WKU to become an R2 research institution and the completed Opportunity Fund goal. These were sentiments Caboni shared in his annual Faculty and Staff Convocation.

“Lastly, and this may be my most important accomplishment as president of the university, beginning this fall orange chicken is a meal swipe,” Caboni concluded.

Student Body President Sam Kurtz nominated WKU students Aziz Umarov, Madison Payne, Neill Kane and Sam Dorris to serve on the 2024-2025 Judicial Council. The Senate approved each nomination unanimously.

Kurtz expressed his desire to update Judicial Council nominations, bringing Chief Justice Ellen Henderson into the conversation. Kurtz said when he took on Student Body President last year he met with Chief Justice Ellen Henderson to conduct sit down interviews.

The Senate also unanimously approved the appointment of five new senators, including the first Mahurin Honors College senator.

The new senators are:

Senators-at-Large

Garrett Price

Megan Farmer

Kaison Barton

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Senator

Hadley Whipple

Mahurin Honors College Senator

Caden Lucas

SGA also approved each of the new Committee Heads who were present. These include Hannah Evans for the Legislative Operations Committee, Savanna Kurtz for the Student Experience and Enrollment Committee, Ryan Dilts for the Outreach and Public Relations Committee, Megan Farmer for the DEI Committee, Sophia Bryant for the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Committee and Annie Finch for the Community Relations Committee.

In SGA Chief Financial Officer Ethan Taylor’s report, the new SGA budget was introduced and unanimously approved. The $100,000 budget aims to focus on 3 goals: legislative spending, maximum efficiency and collaboration.

Changes to the budget from previous years include an increase in legislative discretionary spending, increase in the area of office worker and stipend spending and a decrease in public relations spending. 

Taylor states that the reasoning for these changes is to create more opportunity to represent the student body and maximize efficiency, as some areas of the budget last year were not utilizing the available funds.

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