Officials hope more students will study abroad after the Kentucky Institute for International Studies moves to Western.

KIIS will move from Murray State University to Western on July 1, Director Chris Bierwirth said.

KIIS is a group of 21 colleges, mostly in Kentucky, that provides study abroad programs for students from those colleges, he said.

John All said he met some resistance when he tried to organize an Earth Day celebration during his first year at Western.

“People looked at me like I was crazy,” said All, an associate geography and geology professor.

That was six years ago, he said.

But All said Western’s campus has changed since then.

La Tasha Hicks, an incoming freshman from Radcliff, said she has a hard time meeting new people.

But a new roommate matching Web site allowed her to find a new friend and a roommate for next semester.

Housing and Residence Life decided earlier this semester to use a roommate matching service from the company Lifetopia.

Construction workers will be headed into some dorm rooms as students leave them for summer break.

Parts of Keen, Rodes-Harlin, McCormack and Gilbert halls and Pearce-Ford Tower will be renovated this summer, said Brian Kuster, director of Housing and Residence Life.

Bowling Green sophomore Brittney Wilson and her 15-month-old son Jeremiah McCombs moved into the Bowling Green Scholar House from Regency Park Apartments about two months ago.

It came at a good time for Wilson, who works at Wal-Mart.

“With my job, my hours got cut down a lot,” she said.

Morgantown senior Julie Scott and Clifty senior Heather Williams got their hands dirty this weekend helping plant Western’s herb garden and learning to take apart a bicycle.

They attended the Campus Community Partnerships for Sustainability Conference, an annual event to bring together Kentucky colleges and communities to work toward a more sustainable future.

Robin Rathje said she just happened to be in the right place at the right time to find a job she loves.

Last summer she made the move from Michigan to Bowling Green so her significant other could pursue a master’s degree at Western.

Rathje said she had never thought about being a hall director until someone suggested she talk to Lynne Holland, associate director of Housing and Residence Life, about a job.

Classes will end soon for Western students, but there won’t be a summer break for construction on campus. Officials presented the Capital Construction Project Status Report to the Board of Regents on Friday, said Bryan Russell, director of planning, design and construction.

Busses, algae, the Internet and water heaters could make campus more sustainable thanks to ideas from some Western students.

Winners of the WKU Student Contest for Innovation in Sustainability were announced at the Earth Day Festival on DUC South Lawn Wednesday.

Fresh Food Company was closed for breakfast service Tuesday morning because the main building drain was clogged, Auxiliary Services Director Gary Meszaros said.

Dining services couldn’t use the sinks in Fresh Food because they were backing up, Dining Services Director Tim Colley said.