PADUCAH — Remarkably strong is how the 12th president of the University of Kentucky, Dr. Eli Capilouto, describes the current state of affairs for the university.
"We like to say we have a responsibility to be the university of, for and with Kentucky. We're setting records in terms of enrollment (and) student success, over $400 million of funded research that we go out and compete nationally for and then our hospital. Over 1,000 beds. We have a waiting line nearly every day. Some of the most complex and complicated care we can deliver to Kentuckians. They don't have to leave home no matter how sick they are," Capilouto said.
WPSD Local 6 Anchor Todd Faulkner interviews University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto inside the Local 6 studio Monday afternoon in Paducah.
He is in areas of western Kentucky this week for a variety of visits, including with media outlets, businesses, alumni and others. He is touting a message of positive growth and influence by the university statewide.
"So all in all, it's very positive. We're honored to serve Kentucky, and we do so not only on our Lexington campus, but through all 120 counties throughout Kentucky where we have extension offices."
Capilouto spent nearly an hour at WPSD Local 6 in Paducah where he met with Bill Evans, president of West Kentucky Media Group, which is part of Paxton Media Group, and spent time with WPSD-TV News Director Perry Boxx before greeting members of the Local 6 newsroom. Capilouto then sat down with me to discuss a variety of subjects.
Campus safety
On the heels of a shots-fired incident on the University of Kentucky campus on Feb. 15 and a deadly shooting at Michigan State University on Feb. 13, Capilouto told me campus safety is always a priority. He pointed out the quick reaction time to the UK incident.
"Within two minutes of it being reported and occurring, we were on the scene. We have over 3,000 cameras on our campus. We were quickly able to identify the vehicles involved. The investigation is still underway, but I expect you'll be hearing more about it," Capilouto said.
He stressed the timeliness surrounding push alerts alerting the campus community to the situation.
"We have invested extraordinarily in campus safety. We have a professional police force to use the latest technology. They're well trained. They're well trained for active shooters. So, we're doing everything within our, everything within our possibility to keep our campus safe, and we feel like we are a very safe campus," Capilouto said.
Diversity, equity and inclusion
It's been a little more than three months since a white student, 22-year-old Sophia Rosing, was recorded physically and verbally attacking a Black student worker, Kylah Spring, in a residential hall on Nov. 9, 2022. The university later announced that Rosing was not eligible to reenroll and was permanently banned from campus.
The incident led the university to boost efforts focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
"I like to say 'We want everybody to feel as if they belong.' Let's face it, we all have differences and perspectives, faiths, color of our skin, lived experiences. We still should be able to gather and respect and dignity. I like to say, 'I have my differences. I want to be able to maintain those, be proud of them, and I want to know about yours. And if I can accept yours, as different as they may be from mine, and you can accept mine, as different as they may be from yours, then we create a community of belonging,'" Capilouto said.
Dr. Eli Capilouto currently serves as the 12th president of the University of Kentucky.
Following the November 2022 incident, the university committed $10 million to bolster DEI learning modules for all students in UK 101 courses, as well as creating DEI spaces, and made a commitment to inclusive mental health support, among other things.
Expanded alcohol sales
On Friday, UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart announced a pilot program expanding alcohol sales during the upcoming baseball and softball seasons.
The years-long and often hotly contested debate surrounding the issue dates back to 2019. That year, a new Southeastern Conference alcohol policy was enacted allowing individual schools within the conference to decide whether to sell alcohol in general seating areas. At the time, Barnhart said the school would not participate in order to keep games family friendly.
Friday's reversal has many students and fans questioning whether a similar pilot program would be applied during the basketball and football seasons.
On Monday Capilouto told me the decision is focused on three questions.
"We start, first, what does it mean to the student experience? Student athlete in that case. Next, we consider the fan experience. And third, and the last sort of matter is: what are the financial implications? It's really not something we're doing for big money," Capilouto said.
He added that the pilot program will help lead to future decisions regarding basketball and football.
"We think there are ways to introduce this that maintain a positive experience for our student athletes, for our fans. Baseball and softball are a way for us to learn even more about this before we make any kind of decision for larger venues," he said.
When pressed on any conversations he has had with UK Athletic Director Barnhart on the topic and whether the AD supports the move, Capilouto said: "Well, I support my athletic director. This is something that I charged him to go examine, and so we've been talking about it for the past few years, once our conference, the Southeastern Conference, permitted it. So we've learned from sister institutions as well. We're careful and cautions."
