5 things to read this morning
March 27, 2014
1. Ransdell announces administration reorganization
WKU has begun work on several new initiatives in order to save money for a budget shortfall that totals $3.1 million.
Last week it was announced that WKU will privatize Health Services, an effort that will save $1 million, President Gary Ransdell said.
The latest move is a change on top of the Hill where Ransdell announced Tuesday in an email that he is restructuring his administration. The news of the restructuring coincides with John Osborne’s, current vice-president for Campus Services and Facilities, announcement that he will retire in May.
2. WKU expands international reach
WKU students would be hard pressed to get through their time at WKU without hearing about the school’s “international reach.” This year, WKU has gotten closer to that statement with an increased number of international students and students studying abroad.
In the 2011-2012 school year, 491 students studied abroad, according to the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad and Global Learning’s 2012-2013 annual report. By the 2012-2013 school year, that number had grown to 616 — an increase of 25 percent.
3. In My Skin: Students from different countries adapt to WKU
Junior Llewellyn Little lives by the saying, “Do not confine yourself to a corner of a map. The whole world is your native land.”
Little practiced what he preached, traveling hundreds of miles from his home in Melbourne, Australia in order to swim and study on the Hill.
Coming to WKU for college was not that difficult of a transition for Little because he was used to moving around to different places. He lived in Hong Kong for three years while it was still a British colony and also traveled to many places for swimming.
4. Art, music permeate Love the Way You Lie
Tuesday night, the SAAM committee held its second annual Love the Way You Lie. Nearly 50 people attended the event, which displayed artistic expression in the form of dance, song, poetry and public service announcements. No More, a national campaign to end sexual assault, was also incorporated.
Carmen Van Leet, a senior participant from Nashville, wrote and performed a poem about self esteem. Her words — addressing her African American roots, gender and body image — flowed quickly and perfectly paced, coming directly from the heart.
“I wrote it three weeks ago,” she said. “Well, first I wrote a lot of crap. I wrote a lot of crap poems. But then I was sitting in the lab and it started with a phrase and I just kept writing it.”
5. WKU student raises exotic animals in her home
Bowling Green senior Tiffany Quiles has always been in love with animals. She currently owns 12 pets, most of which are reptiles. Her menagerie is currently confined to her bedroom, but Quiles plans to open a reptile learning center and animal rescue center for both exotic and domestic animals after graduating college.
“Reptiles are so misunderstood,” she said. “They’re just different, you know?”
