Herald Newsletter 03-02-2026

Monday, March 2, 2026

‘Abubble of love’: Ilyasah Shabazz speaks at the Capitol Theater

Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz,American author, educator and daughter of Malcom X speaks at The Capitol Theater in Bowling Green, Kentucky on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Shabazz spoke to an audience of about 250 people about her father’s legacy, her upbringing and the importance of education in combating social injustice.(Sam Huffman)

Outside of the Capitol, the Bowling Green community lined up waiting to hear the words and wisdom of Ilyasah Shabazz.

On the last day of Black History Month, the Capitol Theater invited Ilyasah Shabazz, one of six daughters of Black revolutionary Malcom X and civil rights activist Betty Shabazz. Ilyasah Shabazz spoke about her experience growing up around the work of her parents and its impact on her, connecting it to the Black community in Bowling Green.

Read more by DiegoAlcaraz-Monje

‘Ahelping hand’: The impact of WKU’s Resilient Refugee Program

WhenAtaulla Tahiri first came to the United States fromAfghanistan in 2021, he said he “carried a dream of studying at Western Kentucky University.”

Thanks to WKU’s Resilient Refugee Program, he graduated in the fall of 2025 with a finance and economics degree and is currently pursuing a Master’s in economics.

Kentucky Museum elevates and celebrates local artists

President Timothy Caboni poses with an artist at the Celebration of theArts event at the Kentucky Museum on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.(Brendan Culler)

WKU President Timothy Caboni met guests and presented awards to artists at the Kentucky Museum, which received dozens of community members to recognize outstanding art pieces.

The museum hosted theAbound Credit Union Celebration of theArts, Friday, which featured 155 submissions from local artists, including 32 from WKU students.

Gold Rush: Hilltoppers eclipse 97 points in win over UTEP

Asuccessful senior day

WKU Men’s Basketball defeats the UTEPMiners 97-65 at DiddleArena Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Hilltoppers improve to six straight wins.

“It was senior night, it was a good game for us. Just taking it day by day.You don’t go too far ahead, we have two games left. We have to get ready for Missouri State on Thursday,” Redshirt sophomore guard Teagan Moore said.

Third-quarter run lifts Liberty overWKU Women’s Basketball

An 18-3 third-quarter run by Liberty doomed WKU Women’s Basketball, falling 60-54 at LibertyArena Saturday afternoon.

A34-26 halftime lead for the Lady Toppers was undone in the third quarter, shooting just 7% from the field and making just one shot. The Flames shot a scorching 50% from the field and 66% from three in the quarter.

Read more byAustin Rice

From page to stage:

mic night

Creativity took center stage in Grise Hall Thursday as WKU students and faculty shared their work at the semester’s first open mic night.

The event hosted 15 performers who shared a wide range of genres, including poetry, fiction and screenwriting. The event was organized by Heather Neidlinger, a third-year Master’s of FineArts candidate for poetry. Neidlinger said the open mic nights have a long-standing history in the English Department, usually run by an MFAcandidate.

WKU Baseball splits series versus Indiana

Denes Field. Hayes finished the game with three at bats, two runs, one hit, and one walk.(Jacob Sebastian)

WKU baseball split its second series against Indiana, battling through a tight, back-and-forth weekend.

The series was evenly matched with Indiana outhitting WKU 40-31. Both teams showed a strong presence at the plate and were forced to use every piece of the bullpen as both teams used 17 different pitchers.

Jamie Jamison

Offensive showcase gives WKU Softball sweep of Hilltopper Spring Fling

Western Kentucky University outfielder Kendle White (21) connects for a home run to the left fence during WKU’s home game against Ball State on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(Jonah

WKU Softball is off to its best start since the 2022 season, going 5-0 in the Hilltopper Spring Fling, to start the season 15-3.

“We try to build on things we do well and also work on things I think we need to focus on more heading into the conference.Agood preseason for us, so we are looking forward to conference,” Head CoachAmy Tudor said.

WKU MarketingAssociation to host local business rivals

The founders of two Bowling Green marketing firms will set aside their professional differences to share their expertise with WKU students.

Bowling Green’s first Moral Monday, the return of WKU’s inline hockey club

Graphic by Shelbi Bale

This week, News Reporter Natalie Friedhof talks about the return of Fresh’s soft-serve machine, Bowling Green’s first Moral Monday,APO’s inaugural Black Excellence Cabaret, the return of WKU’s inline hockey club after 20 years and the story of parking meters across campus.

Listen Here

The College Heights Herald is the independent, student-run news organization operating on the campus of Western Kentucky University, emphasizing accuracy and truth while being a public forum for the fair display of diverse opinions and viewpoints. The Herald works to be steadfast and unwavering in its pursuit of truth while being true to the tenets of the WKU Student Publications mission to grow exceptional journalists and innovative leaders through real-world experiences and a strong educational and ethical foundation centered on principled journalism. All creative and editorial decisions are made by the Herald’s student leadership, and all consequences of those decisions are the sole responsibility of these student leaders. While editorially and operationally independent from the university, the Herald participates in the mission of WKU to prepare students of all backgrounds to be productive, engaged and socially responsible citizen-leaders of a global society, both within and outside of its newsroom. Views expressed are diverse and, as an independent publication, should not be taken as representative of views of WKU and any of its administration, faculty, staff, student body or other constituency