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What's cool
Basketball
The basketball programs at Northern Kentucky University are among the nation’s elite in Division II competition, and the teams are led by coaches who carry on the tradition of winning.
The NKU men’s and women’s basketball teams are continuing to grow as they attract players from all around the country. The programs are even becoming known to players who are looking to transfer from Division I schools. Combining a rich basketball tradition with the new Bank of Kentucky Center has been a recipe for drawing top talent to NKU.
Tradition and new facilities are important, but the coaches are the key ingredient needed to recruit and teach the game of basketball and to implement a system that leads to victory.
Head Coach Nancy Winstel has a young squad that will face many challenges during the 2009-2010 season. Winstel has established an overall record of 577-187 as she heads into her 27 season on the bench for NKU. She has 616 career wins as a head coach, the third most in GLVC history. Throughout her illustrious career, Winstel has coached the Norse to two national championships, five NCAA II Final Four appearances, six NCAA Elite Eight appearances and three GLVC titles.
The Lady Norse finished with a 29-3 record last season, which helped them claim the GLVC East Division title and the GLVC tournament championship to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II tournament. NKU lost to Michigan Tech in the second round. Look for them to return and compete in the NCAA tournament again this season.
Head Coach Dave Bezold has a very talented group to work with as he enters his sixth season at the helm. Through five years at NKU, Bezold has established an overall record of 100-50, with a winning percentage at .667. His overall conference record is 61-34 with a winning percentage at .642. The friendly confines of Regents Hall and, now, The Bank of Kentucky Center have certainly been advantageous for Bezold, as he currently owns a 59-15 record at home with a winning percentage of .797 for his career.
Last season, NKU put up 24 victories against just seven losses and a most impressive 14-4 record in a conference that put five teams in the NCAA Tournament. Bezold led the Norse to their third straight GLVC East Division Title and their first GLVC Championship since the 2002-2003 season. NKU lost in the first round of the Division II NCAA tournament, in a hard fought game that went into two overtimes, to Lake Superior State University.
-Michael Collins | Sports Editor
Skyline
One of the greatest feats about turning 21 is you can finally get into a bar. Legally, that is. What’s cool about Northern Kentucky University is that you can go to the bar right off campus. You don’t have to wait until after 9p.m. to go and have a drink.
Now, I am not saying that you should go and get drunk in between classes or anything, but having one beer won’t hurt anything. It is just a nice way to relax, especially if you have had an extremely bad day at school or a test you may have flunked. Either way, going to Skyline Tavern, could be a way to release some of that stress. Listen to some music, have some lunch, do some homework or chat with friends.
If you are really feeling adventurous and you need an even more relaxed “night” out, you could go there on Wednesday night for karaoke. Don’t sing? You don’t have to, but you could listen to everybody else.
How many other college campuses have a bar that is directly behind the school? I know the University of Cincinnati has several around the area, but there are quite a lot of schools that are in a dry county- meaning no alcohol at all. Imagine having to drive through two or three different counties just trying to find a bar. Not so cool. Better make sure you have a DD though. Don’t want to get into any trouble driving under the influence.
-Chris Miller | Contributing Writer
What's not cool
Parking
Students pay an average of $3000.00 per semester while attending Northern Kentucky University. They may pay another $200-300 for books per semester. Add housing, food and entertainment, and it is no wonder there is the common stereotype of the “poor college student.”
Especially in economic hard times like we are facing today, it’s obvious that people are going to try new ways to cut corners financially, enter the dreaded parking pass. A parking pass at NKU costs almost $200 for one full year. Add that on top of the already towering expenses, and it becomes clear why many students try to dodge buying the parking pass.
If one doesn’t have a parking pass, where do they park? What happens when they are caught parking without a pass?
In the economic crisis America is facing, you may think that NKU would be a little easier on students who don’t have a parking pass. But that is certainly not the case. If a student parks in a faculty parking lot, they will receive a $50 ticket. If a student parks in a student parking lot without a valid pass, they will receive a $35 ticket. And if that doesn’t seem ridiculous enough, once a student receives their third ticket of any kind, a immobilizing “boot” will be placed on their tire of the car. This boot costs $50 to be removed. And if the student doesn’t have the money? Tough luck. Under no circumstances will the parking service cops remove the boot until the fee is paid.
-Katie Blair | Contributing Writer
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