The Editorial Board decided that this change would best fit students, faculty and staff. It is crucial we inform you of important news in the morning as you get started with your day. We, members of the Herald, appreciate your continued support and readership. Please, do not hesitate to reach out with any ideas or suggestions. It is both the Herald’s goal and my goal personally to have a positive impact on the Hill and serve the student body I belong to. I hope this change will be a part of that impact.

Newsletter Editor Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

On Feb. 27, the WKU Ukrainian Club hosted the opening of “Unissued Diplomas” in the HCIC, a worldwide exhibition honoring Ukrainian students who lost their lives starting Feb. 24, 2022 with the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

 The Unissued Diplomas initiative started in 2023, when exhibitions were displayed across 24 countries, according to their website. 

Students in the Ukrainian Club on campus were inspired to host the event to remind people that the war is still ongoing in Ukraine.

“For me, it’s important while I’m in the U.S. to tell people what is going on in Ukraine,” Taisiia Maslenko, vice president of the Ukrainian Club said. 

Maslenko is Ukrainian and is studying sociology at WKU for the semester.

“It’s my job to keep that attention because there is always something happening there. People are dying every day,” Maslenko said. 

Maslenko explained she believes people in America are not helpless to the cause and she encourages them to donate money, repost important news and educate themselves on the issue.

Five of the 40 students featured were former friends of Maslenko. 

“It’s so weird to see people in their 20’s at a funeral,” Maslenko said.

Students attending the event came to support the Ukraine Club and learn about the current sociopolitical climate in Ukraine.

“I honestly stopped hearing about Ukraine in the news, so I was interested in what’s still going on,” Hannah Forrest, a senior psychological science major said. “This event was needed.”

Other students agreed and shared a sentiment of gratitude for their own lives.

“Looking at them and some of their ages, I have to remember that I have all of these opportunities,” Mariama Diallo, senior political science and communication studies double major said. “There are people who cannot realize their dreams, so I have to realize mine.”

News Reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

According to their Instagram, the Amazing Tones of Joy, also known as ATJ, was established on campus in 1971 as a singing fellowship for African-American students. The organization is a gospel choir open to anyone at WKU. 

Jala Maddox, senior elementary education major, said she joined the group because she grew up in church.

“My parents have always instilled God into me and the gospel to me, so I’ve been in gospel choir pretty much my entire life,” Maddox said.

Maddox now serves as the president of the group and has been a member for two years now.

“We are a family more than anything,” Maddox said.

As president, Maddox is in charge of finances, helping to pick songs for concerts and making flyers.

Maddox believes the group not only fulfills their musical abilities but also does something else important for campus by amplifying minority voices.

“We provide a platform for voices to be heard and celebrated,” Maddox said. “I feel like through the power of music our choir can create a sense of belonging, unity and empowerment for individuals from diverse backgrounds.”

Similarly, Shamaria “Missy” Woodard is a junior social work major who is a member of ATJ. She also joined the group due to her love of worship and has found many friends within the organization.

“When I first started ATJ, I was very shy and was new to campus,” Woodard said. “I ended up meeting a lot of great people with great vibes and it made me feel like I was at home.”

Additionally, Woodard encouraged members of the WKU community to join the group and said “we would love for you to minister with us.” 

Chia Diugu, a graduate student getting her masters in special education, serves as the secretary for the group. 

Diugu attested to the comfort participating in the group gives her.

“ATJ is a place where I feel comfortable being a Christian and worshiping God,” Diugu said.

Diugu also said that the group has both a regular advisor and a spiritual advisor. While the regular advisor helps the students with necessary organizational work, the spiritual advisor prays over them, Diugu said.

“We’re a wonderful choir with wonderful people,” Diugu said.

News Reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

The presenter is Ronit Stahl, an associate professor of history at the University of California at Berkeley and an affiliate of the Berkeley Center for Religion, the Center for Jewish Studies and the Center for Research on Social Change. The event will be at 5 p.m. in Gary Ransdell Hall auditorium and is open to the public.

Katherine Lennard, Frockt Family Chair and associate professor in the WKU history department, said the Lowell Harrison Distinguished Lecture honors former WKU professor Lowell Harrison.

Harrison “was an expert on the history of Kentucky who taught in the department from 1967-1988 and served as the WKU University historian from 1979-1988,” Lennard said. 

Additionally, Lennard explained that members of the Harrison Lecture Committee are excited to host Stahl as she fits within the history and religious studies departments. 

“One of the most exciting parts of being a scholar is getting to be in conversation with colleagues across the country who help us to think in new and interesting ways,” Lennard said. “Dr. Stahl doing innovative work that will speak to people with a diverse range of interests, including US history, religion, history of medicine, medical ethics, institutional policy, politics and more.”

News reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

This award was formerly known as the President’s Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2023.

According to an email sent to WKU faculty and staff, the award is “intended to encourage dialogue and action through advocacy, role modeling, scholarship and service.”

The only requirement for this nomination is that the individual is involved with the university, enrolled or employed. Students, faculty and staff are all allowed to nominate someone of their choosing according to Amelia Kolb, the assistant director of student activities.

Nominations are due by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 9 to Monica Burke. Any questions about this process are to be directed to Burke at monica.burke@wku.edu.

News reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

WKU classes are canceled and all campuses are closed on Tuesday, Jan. 16, according to an alert sent by WKU today.

Tuesday marked the first day of spring semester courses, which will now begin this Wednesday.

Bowling Green is also currently under a winter weather advisory, which is set to last until 6 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

In addition, Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency yesterday due to the winter storms set to sweep through the state. 

With wintry weather underway, Beshear and the Kentucky State Police have cooperated to issue “essential winter driving tips” on the KSP website. 

Some of these tips include creating a winter weather kit, monitoring the weather via social media channels and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet weather portal site and gently tapping your brakes when needing to drive downhill. More information from KSP and Beshear can be found here.

Some additional precautions include stocking up on water and dry goods, charging portable chargers, keeping flashlights and candles and putting towels along door and window crevices to keep the cold air from seeping in.

News reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu.

In an update posted to The New York Times’ website on Oct. 19, it was announced that Wessling would be taking over the standards editor position as former Standards Editor Phil Corbett stepped down, as he “… told us he’d like to step back a bit and let someone else take the leading role in this crucial effort.” 

Wessling, 55, graduated from Western in 1992. She gained experience working for the College Heights Herald during her time on the Hill, and has since been a copy editor for The International Herald Tribune in Paris, France, a copy editor for the Chicago Tribune, a copy editor for the national desk at The New York Times and much more.

“I started here (The NY Times) in 1997. I left for a couple years in the middle and then came back,” Wessling said.

Wessling works at The NY Times alongside her husband Alan Mattingly who is a staff editor. The pair live in New Jersey and met at The Courier Journal in Louisville, despite both being students at WKU. However, they didn’t begin to date until Mattingly was working at The Sun Times and Wessling was working a temporary one year gig at The Chicago Tribune.

“She was on a one year thing and by the time that was up, she and I were together and we started looking for a place to go to work together,” Mattingly said. “And that’s when we wound up at The Times.”

When prompted about Wessling’s work and work ethics, Mattingly was quick to compliment his spouse.

“Well, I’m biased. I’ve always been her biggest fan, but she has a lot of fans at work. Susan, she’s really sort of perfect for this position that she’s in at The Times now,” Mattingly said. 

This same sentiment was echoed by many of Wessling’s coworkers, including Patrick LaForge, editor of The New York Times’ express team, which covers breaking news.

“I can’t think of a better person to take over this key role in the newsroom,” LaForge said. 

He spoke of Wessling’s across the board experience at The NY Times, including when they worked on the metro desk together.

“We’ve both been at The Times 26 years and have overlapped in many places,” LaForge said. 

This time served between numerous different roles in the newsroom is what makes Wessling a resource in her new position, he said.

One important quality that Wessling possesses is fearlessness, Jill Taylor, an assistant standards editor at The NY Times, said. Taylor has known Wessling since 2000 when they met in Paris, France working for The International Herald Tribune, a former  “global news” extension of The NY Times, which has been molded into an online piece of the paper. 

Taylor explained how crucial Wessling is to both her and the newsroom.

“Susan I would say is one of the foremost diplomats in the newsroom,” Taylor said. “She’s really been a mentor to me.”

When Wessling first started at The Times, she started as a copy editor on the national desk, and has been through many positions since then. Wessling said she and Mattingly moved back to Kentucky due to a combination of family and professional concerns for a short time. During this time, Wessling did lots of freelance writing and was an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky.

Wessling said her time at WKU has been useful to her in her professional life.

“I really think I got a great journalism education at Western,” Wessling said. “It was taught by people who had been in the business themselves and cared deeply about the types of things that helped me on my path to becoming a standards editor.” 

Wessling has been the deputy of the standards department since 2020 and explained what specifically the standards team does.

“We’re the team that provides a little bit of gut check sometimes and a little bit of distance from the reporting where you might see things a little bit differently,” Wessling said. “We just have a lot of experience and know the topics and the situations where we want to be especially careful.”

Wessling understands that covering certain subjects can create a biased feeling or response, but explained the importance of separating that emotional response from a professional journalism career.

“Understand that you as a person have a particular point of view, or you know, just a reaction to what you are seeing and also be able to act as a professional and set all those feelings and viewpoints aside,” Wessling said.

She said growing as a journalist means knowing how to do hard-hitting reporting, how to interview someone and having a strong grounding in the fundamentals of journalism. 

“Having something that makes you a little bit special, along with having a foundational understanding of great journalism, helps a lot,” Wessling said. 

News Reporter Bailey Reed can be reached at bailey.reed704@topper.wku.edu