B Turner – WKUHerald.com

Several Hugh Poland Hall residents displaced early this morning following sprinkler activation

B Turner, Content Editor — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 20:58:01 +0000

Multiple rooms were affected when sprinklers were set off in Hugh Poland Hall at 12:45 a.m. on Feb. 8.

According to Jace Lux, the sprinklers were activated when a student hung a piece of clothing from the sprinkler in their room. When the article of clothing was removed, the building’s sprinkler system was activated.

Residents were evacuated once the alarms sounded.

“19 rooms were affected, and displaced residents were given the option of relocating to unoccupied sections of Douglas Keen Hall,” Jace Lux, WKU media relations director, said in an email.

All students who live in Hugh Poland Hall currently have access to their rooms.

The Herald contacted Bryan Russell, WKU chief of facilities, prior to publication for more information, but he did not respond in time for publication.

‘I am a grateful tornado survivor’: Tornado victims reflect on recovery one year later

B Turner, Content Editor — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 18:28:17 +0000

Over a year after the deadly EF-3 tornado hit Bowling Green, Ky. members of the community are still recovering from and feeling the effects of the damage.

The deadly tornado claimed 17 lives in Warren County. Those who survived the tornado are still facing the effects. Lilly Riherd is one such survivor.

On the night of the tornado, Ri- herd, her son, her son-in-law and her grandson sheltered in her cellar. While they sheltered in assumed safety, the door to the cellar was sucked open by the tornado, as they could all hear glass shattering in the home above them.

Riherd and her family had moved most of their valuables to the garage already, and were able to sleep in some of the better areas of the house that night. In the morning, “people were just com- ing over voluntarily with chainsaws, with stuff, just doing anything that they can do,” she said.

That Sunday, 40 people were at her house helping her remove the tree that had fallen on it and retrieving salvage- able belongings. In the following days, Riherd was able to reach her insurance company and they were able to set her up in a hotel room.

Riherd was denied Federal Emergency Management Agency support due to insurance but had an overall positive experience with her insurance company. After natural disasters strike an area, FEMA will enter the space and try to provide support.

Individuals qualify for FEMA assistance if they are uninsured or underinsured, or need immediate emergency housing.

“The insurance lady says ‘hey, I’m gonna send you X amount of dollars, I know you probably need clothing, you need to do this’ for that first month I was out of sorts,” Riherd said.

She wanted to repair her “Lillypad” [her home] but during the repair and renovation process, the house continued to take damage until it was unsustainable, and she needed to start from scratch. People in her life and from around the community have been helping with this process since the very beginning.

“I was just kind of in awe of the response of everyone in the community – and I can guarantee you when I go and say, ‘hey, it’s time to move in,’ I’ll have a multitude of people come and say, ‘let’s do it,’” Riherd said.

Many survivors of the tornado find themselves living in gratitude now. Angie Link is one such survivor.

“You know, you just have to sit back and be thankful,” Link said on being a survivor. “I mean, I was always thankful for the life I was living or the life I thought I was living, but post-tornado, you really have to be thankful and thank the Lord.”

Link and her husband, Leon, were both home when the tornado struck and sheltered in the hallway bathroom for safety. The tornado tore apart their home, but neither one of them was seriously injured. They were able to get to their neighbor’s house for safety, as did multiple of the other people in their cul-de-sac.

Link, and many others, received help and support from the Bowling Green community.

“The community has been really fantastic,” she said.

Link described the help she received.

“Organizations have been really nice,” Link said. “Emotional support, you know. Yes, it’s been very helpful.”

She may have had the community’s help and assistance from her insurance company, but Link and her husband were denied FEMA support.

“We got turned down three times,” Link said. “Two times we were turned down because someone had fraudulently used our names and address and fraudulently applied for FEMA.”

They were deemed ineligible for FEMA support because they had insurance.

Despite the hardships and complete rebuild of her house have not brought Link completely down.

“I am a grateful tornado survivor,” she said.

Cort Basham in front of his reconstructed Bowling Green, Ky. home on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Basham and his wife Laurie nearly lost their entire home to the tornado that tore through Warren County in 2021. (Tucker Covey)

Cort Basham and his family were able to move back into their house in December 2022.

In the morning hours of Dec. 11 Basham, his wife, Laurie, their two children, Simon and Naomi, and their dog, Teddy, were all at home. The family unit sheltered together in a closet, until a tree came crashing in, ruining their safe shelter location.

Basham and his family knew they couldn’t stay in a home with a hole in the roof safely – so they decided to risk making a run for it. All four of them and the dog were able to make it safely to his brother-in-law’s house up the street from them.

After Basham realized he and his family were stuck in an awful situation, he knew they had decisions they needed to make.

“You have two minutes to make decisions and none of them are good,” he said.

Basham’s son was able to find a way out of the house, which was struck by a total of five trees, and together they crossed over debris and down poWer lines to get to safety. Their house sustained major damage and has gone through numerous repairs for it to be livable again.

The Basham family was assisted by the community and friends in the coming days.

“From the first minute everyone was super helpful,” Basham said.

The morning after the tornado, the Basham family returned to their home to find neighbors and friends helping remove debris from their house and cutting up the trees so they could be removed.

Despite all the help, the road to recovery has not been completely smooth sailing.

“The kids didn’t come [to the house] until April,” Basham said.

Basham and his wife sat the kids down and discussed whether they felt

comfortable even moving back into the house. As a family, they decided that moving back to the neighborhood and house they had grown so close to was best.

Throughout the process, Basham has learned even more about how to live through gratitude.

When aspects of the rebuilding and recovery process got hard, he said, “It was just easier to stay in the mindset of, you know, we may not all be here to do it together, so I just didn’t get super frustrated with timelines and that kind of stuff.”

The Bowling Green community rallied together around the survivors of the tornado and provided them with the support and help they needed in a time of strife.

On all of the support and everything he has seen in the world, Basham said, “I still believe in humans, we can do it.”

Content editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

PCAL to bring back Cultural Enhancement Series

B Turner, Content editor — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 20:08:22 +0000

The Potter College of Arts & Letters has brought back their Cultural Enhancement Series and will host several guest speakers to present to the campus and community.

The CES was established to provide the campus and community with the opportunity to meet some of the region and nation’s influential artists and intellectuals. The theme of this year’s series is “Kentucky Unexpected”.

This year’s CES begins on Feb. 8 in Jody Richards Hall Auditorium at 5 p.m. with a talk from William H. Turner, author of “The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns.” Turner is from Harlan County and has spent his professional career studying and working on behalf of marginalized communities.

Ada Limón, 2023 U.S. Poet Laureate, will be joining the WKU community for a night of poetry and prose on Feb. 27. She is the author of six books of poetry and a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.

Her talk will be in FAC 189 and face masking is requested by Limón.

Willie Carver, the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, will be presenting on March 28 at 5 p.m. at the Jody Richards Hall Auditorium. While serving as an ambassador to the Kentucky Department of Education, he created a platform of inclusion and advocacy for LBGTQ, BIPOC and Appalachian students.

For every event, admission is free, and the seats are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Content editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

Gilman Scholarships

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 17:57:39 +0000

WKU ISEC to host events for Black History Month

B Turner, Content editor — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 19:59:52 +0000

February is Black History Month, and Western Kentucky University’s Intercultural Student Engagement Center has planned multiple events throughout the month to celebrate.

The month’s theme is Black Resistance, as set by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

On Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., there will be a Black History Month Night at Hilltopper Basketball. The event will honor the past by recognizing some of WKU’s first African American athletes and include several performances. Students get into the game free with a WKU ID but can purchase discounted bleacher seats using the promo code “BLACKHISTORY” at checkout.

An Epic Rap Battle of Black History with Bert and Det will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 at DSU Nite Class. Bert and Det will produce three rounds of emcee battles, which will highlight contrasting views of famous African American men and women.

Beginning on Feb. 7 and continuing to Feb. 28 the “Melanin” Illustrative Gallery will be viewable at the art gallery in DSU 2041.

On Feb. 8 at the FAC Recital Hall there will be a Black Excellence Showcase. It is student-created and will feature student-run performances. The showcase annually provides a stage for Black voices by members of the WKU Forensics Team and others from the university and the surrounding community.

The What Happened to Jonesville? exhibit will be on DSU’s first floor on Feb. 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. This exhibit explores the lives and stories of those who were displaced from the vibrant African American community that lived at Jonesville from around 1881 to the 1960s.

On Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. in DSU Auditorium, there will be a performance called The Black Experience. The Black Experience will go through a timeline of Black Americans and the generational plight of Black people in America utilizing spoken word, poetry, singing, dancing and more.

For more information on any of these events, the Intercultural Student Engagement Center can be reached at (270) 745-5066.

Content editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

CVS Pharmacy near campus to permanently close next month

B Turner, Content Editor — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 22:40:49 +0000

The CVS Pharmacy located on Western Kentucky University’s campus will permanently close at the end of February. Conveniently located across from the Kentucky Museum on campus, students have been getting their prescriptions filled in a pharmacy that is within walking distance of the dorms on campus.

There has been no statement on the official reason for the closing of the CVS Pharmacy released by CVS Pharmacy or WKU.

The Herald contacted CVS but they didn’t respond in time for publication.

Jace Lux said, “The CVS location near campus is not affiliated with WKU.”

Students who utilize the CVS Pharmacy can get their prescriptions refilled at the two other CVS Pharmacy locations in Bowling Green at 704 U.S. 31 W. Bypass and 1122 Lovers Ln.

Content Editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

Faculty Senate discussed the University Athletic Committee guidelines, approved committee reports

B Turner, Content Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 21:22:45 +0000

Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting saw the approval of multiple committees’ reports and a discussion about the University Athletic Committee Guidelines.

The meeting began with Toni Szymanski introducing the discussion of the University Athletics Committee Guidelines, and the appointment of the Faculty Athletics Representative.

FAR’s are appointed by the president – but he chooses a name from a list made and voted on by the Senate. The Faculty Senate did not choose or vote on the nominations during tonight’s meeting.

Multiple senators brought up concerns regarding how lacking in-depth previous reports were by the University Athletic Committee.

It was suggested that the Faculty Senate write requirements for future reports.

All other reports on the Faculty Senate docket were approved. The Budget & Finance report from Dec. 8, 2022 was approved. According to this report, the Budget & Finance Committee will be obtaining data on staff turnover rates at WKU. The report says, “Elkind proposes that WKU is probably paying more money to search and (re)fill vacated posts than would be used to compensate adequately.”

The Graduate Council Curriculum Committee approved 3- and 4- credit hour classes to be added or edited.

The Faculty Handbook Committee reported that changes had been made to the Faculty Handbook for clarifications.

Also approved were the Colonnade/General Education Committee report, Faculty Welfare and Professional Responsibilities Committee report and the Graduate Council Committee report.

Content Editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

Services offered from Med Center Health at WKU Health Services

B Turner, Content Editor — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 21:07:32 +0000

Med Center Health began accepting appointments and walk-ins at WKU Health Services on Jan. 16.

Dr. Abigail DeBusk is a primary physician at the Med Center Health WKU campus. She was formerly an orthopedic doctor serving primarily in sports medicine at Western Kentucky University [WKU]. She went over what services Med Center Health at WKU Health Services will be able to provide to students.

“We offer a blend of primary care, as well as urgent care type things […] I know we’re trying to also offer your primary care away from home,” Dr. DeBusk said.

On a primary care basis, Med Center Health at WKU Health Services offers routine physicals, TB screenings, allergy shots and are even able to do lab testing in their office.

They are also offering mental health services. They are hiring a psychiatric nurse practitioner who will be able to help with prescribing psychiatric medication.

Med Center Health is focused on providing well-rounded and holistic care to the students of WKU.

“We’re more than just a primary care, you can get mental health services, you can get PT [physical therapy], you can get everything,” Jake Hook, media relation specialist for Med Center Health at WKU Health Services.

They will also be offering reproductive health services.

“We do offer birth control counseling, prescribing, all that type of thing,” Dr. DeBusk said.

Also being offered are STI checks and gynecologic exams.

The three main physicians at Med Center Health at WKU Health Services are Dr. Moyo-Peters, Dr. DeBusk and Dr. Cecil. They all have backgrounds in family medicine.

The clinic’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Appointments can be made over the phone by calling 270-745-2273. They accept walk-ins, to either be the day of or the next day.

Content Editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

WKU School of Media receives recommendation for reaccrediation

B Turner, Content Editor — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 21:00:09 +0000

Editor’s Note: This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

Western Kentucky University’s School of Media was recommended for reaccreditation by an accreditation council from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The accreditation council visited WKU from Jan. 22 to Jan. 24.

The accreditation council sat in on classes taught in the School of Media and held a luncheon with students to discuss their classes and the program as a whole.

Their official statement and recommendation has not been released, considering it is still in the draft stages.

However, according to Ron DeMarse, “We [the School of Media] were found out of compliance on their Assessment standard, and in-compliance on all seven of the other standards.”

Once the recommendation is made official and any necessary changes are made, the statement will be released for students to read for themselves.

Content Editor B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@topper.wku.edu.

‘Imminent death over surrender and execution in disgrace’: Students, alumni react to loss of folk studies graduate program

B Turner and Debra Murray — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 20:36:35 +0000

One of WKU’s best known and unique graduate programs – which is in its 50th year – may face suspension.

Ann Ferrell, director of the Folk Studies graduate program, shared that faculty didn’t feel trying to recruit new students for a program with so little faculty was ethical, given the possibility of suspension.

“In addition to the fact that we have a graduate program, Colonnade courses and an undergraduate minor to support–it would not be ethical to recruit or accept students into a graduate program without the faculty necessary to support student needs,” Ferrell said via email. “We have concentrations in Public Folklore, Museums Studies, and Historic Preservation, as well as a Research Thesis option. In order to train students in careers in these areas, we must have faculty with training and experience in these areas. We will not have that next year, even with a one- year instructor.”

In 2015, the program had six tenure track faculty and one full time instruc- tor. Currently, the program only has three full-time professors – one of which plans to retire after this academic year.

“This decision was not made lightly and neither the faculty nor I wished the program to move to this conclusion,” Potter College of Arts and Letters Dean Terrance Brown said in an email sent to faculty on Oct. 24.

After the initial announcement, Jace Lux, WKU director of media relations shared an email from Brown that said he intended to fund an instructor level to serve the Kentucky Folk Life Program and the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology in the 2024 academic year.

Debra Murray

Brown also offered another tenure-track position beginning in the 2025 academic year if the program would grow its enrollment by four students.

“Regrettably, this offer was not amenable to the faculty, and they elected to suspend the program,” Brown said.

Students in the program were “unofficially communicated” about the suspension on Monday, Oct. 10, ac- cording to the email. Current students will be able to complete the program as originally intended. Brown’s email states that a plan regarding the future of the MA in Folk Studies, Kentucky Folklife Program and the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology will be discussed and determined in the coming months.

All 11 students in the program will be able to complete the program through the university’s teach-out plan.

“As such, until our plan is approved by SACSCOC, I cannot provide any additional details at this time,” Brown wrote.

Regardless of the potential teach-out plan, most students were shocked by the announcement of the program.

Caitlyn Sheets is a current graduate student in the Folk Studies program. Sheets shared that there are six students who started the program this semester – including one from Bangladesh studying at WKU on a student visa.

“I’m actually one of the lucky ones because I’m in my last semester, some of them are way out,” Sheets said. “This affects me less than everybody else in the sense of, I know all of my courses are going to be covered and I have the professors here to cover them.”

Darlene Applegate, department head of anthropology, contacted every student for an emergency meeting, Sheets said.

“She had to break the bad news to us. That’s crazy,” Sheets said. “It was 10 in the morning and we get an email emergency meeting. Every class is can- celed. I’ve really come in like ‘oh no, who died’ like this is terrible. And it’s somebody who made a joke like, ‘are we going under, what’s up?’ And they were like, ‘yeah, well actually, this is it.”

When asked if a communication plan had been shared yet, Sheets said it has yet to be addressed.

“That has not been addressed,” Sheets said. “We need to sign up [for classes]. The other ones you have to sign up for classes to figure out whether they have to move again. Because this is like another abrupt change. They can’t just go home to their parents.”

Kaitlyn Bennett is a student and teaching assistant in the program. Bennett said she took the suspension especially hard, since she originally planned to be an English teacher before deciding on the folk studies program.

“I took it really, really hard. I won’t lie, like I was crying,” Bennett said. “When I heard the news, I just couldn’t believe it. Then I really hunkered down [and decided on the] folk studies program, this is what I want to do. So just to have [that] pulled out from underneath me, that was a shock.”

Fortunately, Bennett’s plan for graduation remains the same, but other students may not have the same fate.

Lynwood Montell with unidentified students in vernacular architecture class. (WKU Archives)

“If there’s gonna be a last class, I might as well be part of it,” Bennett said. “It’s gonna be a lot different from how it may have gone in the past just because we’re not going to have the same number of professors. Some subjects might not be able to be taught as originally planned. So stuff might be independent study. We don’t really know yet.”

Despite the sadness associated with the future – or lack thereof – Bennett feels that this has brought people in the program closer together.

“It’s nice to see how resilient we’ve remained, like all of us students in our cohort, whether we’re first or second year [are much] closer,” Bennett said. “This has brought us together. It has obviously hurt all of us, but I think also the shared experience has brought us together, which is very relevant to our field.”

Bennett explained that while every student currently in the program will have the opportunity to complete the program, there are concerns about the flexibility for students needing a different class load.

“It’s going to be harder for them to complete it just because their original plan was a bit more spread out, so maybe they’ll have more difficulty in managing more classes than they originally intended to,” Bennett said. “[…] It’s definitely going to be a challenge for them.”

She also said the loss of the program is a shame due to the human nature of the field.

“We’re really just looking at the way that human beings interact with each other, tell stories to each other, pass on meaning through whether it be art or […] stories,” Bennett said. “It’s a very human field which, I think that’s the beauty of it.”

Tiffany Isselhardt, exhibit curator and development coordinator of the Kentucky Museum, shared that the museum consistently employs folk studies students.

“The Kentucky Museum has worked intimately with Folk Studies for many years, long before I came to WKU – hosting graduate assistants, interns, and classes,” Isselhardt said. “Many of our exhibitions and programs are the result of Folk Studies faculty and student efforts. Folk Studies has been a bridge to communities near and far, a centerpiece of applied learning at WKU. Personally, I feel that in suspending it, WKU has lost a hallmark program with a long track record of producing impactful programs, creating bridges between our campus and community, and fostering engaged and socially responsible citizens.”

Isselhardt wrote to President Caboni, Provost Bud Fischer and Dean Brown an email titled “Open Letter on Supporting the Arts.”

“Folk Studies has a long and diverse history in South-Central Kentucky, as many alumni and friends have shared,” Isselhardt wrote. “At the Kentucky Museum, Folk Studies graduate students are our primary student workers – as graduate assistants and interns. Many worked with us during the academic year and utilized their experiences with us to gain an advantage in securing lucrative summer internships elsewhere in the country. This hands-on experience is crucial for emerging museum professionals, helping them stand out in the American market where most museum studies degrees have traditionally prioritized theory over practice.”

In her letter, she shared that loss of this program breaks her heart.

Erika Brady, a retired Folk Studies pro- fessor, has lived and studied in Kentucky for over 20 years. During her time as a professor at WKU, she taught multiple undergraduate and graduate classes focusing on various topics in folklore, but she is focused in medicinal folklore.

Erika Brady is a leader and a vocal member of the Folk Studies community. Her work and her studies have influenced many current and former students in their career and life goals.

She believes that WKU’s Folk Studies program is an important part of the com- munity, not only in Bowling Green, but nationally and internationally.

Brady said the disbanding of the program “cuts off an extraordinary way that the program is linked with the community for 50 years. Not just the Bowling Green community, not just south central Kentucky, the Commonwealth and actual- ly the nation and internationally.”

The Folk Studies graduate program has had multiple international students, many of them taking this education back to their home countries, Brady said.

Western Kentucky University Folk Studies Professor Emeritus Erika Brady poses for portraits after a presentation in the Western Room of the Kentucky Museum on Thursday evening, Nov. 17, 2022 on campus in Bowling Green. Last month, in late October, folk studies faculty moved to suspend their Master of Arts in Folk Studies program. “I don’t think I could put into words [how she feels]” Brady said, nearing tears. (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile)

This program also holds a very unique place, not only within the country, but also within the discipline. Brady said that was a draw to the program.“[This program] is not really offered anywhere else in the country because this program has always focused not just on producing academic folklorists,” Brady said. “Although we’ve done that with great success, but also people who can be employed in public agencies, art councils, museums and historic preservation offices.”

Paul McCoy is one such former student who works with museums and various arts programs in Tennessee. McCoy posted an open letter to the university administration on his Facebook page on Oct 27.

McCoy explained why the small size in his graduate program was beneficial. It allowed the students more hands-on opportunities.

“It provided us with greater responsibilities and opportunities for practical application of the skills we studied,” he said in his letter. “I worked in archaeology labs, taught classes, and engaged in spirited discussions with my classmates every week.”

He benefited from the members of the program, including Brady, being present in the community. This presence is what originally drew him to WKU, and why he chose to get his Masters in Folk Studies.

“I would see her [Brady] at festivals that we were playing and I would see her at concerts that were in the area and I would hear her on the radio,” he said. “I’m like, this person knows so much about the music of this area. Who is she?”

McCoy went on to co-host her radio show with her when he was a Folk Studies graduate student at WKU. Her presence in the community extended to those who never went to WKU, or attended college at all. The Folk Studies program drew in many people to the university who otherwise would not have known about it.

McCoy said the program being suspended felt like Western, “wasn’t dancing with who brought ‘em.”

A snapchat post of Western Kentucky University Folk Studies Professor Emeritus Erika Brady holding a presentation in the Western Room of the Kentucky Museum on Thursday evening, Nov. 17, 2022 on campus in Bowling Green. (Arthur H. Trickett-Wile)

Faculty chose “imminent death” rather than recruiting students for a program that was likely to face suspension.

“When the defenders of the Alamo faced the forces of General Santa Ana, they chose imminent death over surrender and execution in disgrace,” Brady said.

Co-Editor-in-Chief Debra Murray can be reached at debra. murray940@topper.wku.edu. Follow her on Twitter @debramurrayy.

News reporter B Turner can be reached at abigail.turner870@ topper.wku.edu.