THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Wednesday November 7, 2012
Volume 126, Issue 57
www.THEDAONLINE.com
Students react to Obama’s re-election by bryan bumgardner associate city editor
Democratic incumbent Barack Obama has won the presidential election against Republican challenger Mitt Romney, as projected by major news networks Tuesday night. After a long and bitter campaign season, key victories in battleground states helped Obama secure re-election. Although final counts were not complete at the time of press, networks projected Obama’s victory at 11:18 p.m. Eastern time, through analysis of electoral vote distribution. According to exit polls, Obama’s support from minorities and younger voters helped secure him the election, as well as his overwhelming presence in urban centers. Mitt Romney enjoyed wide support from senior citizens and whites, according to exit polls.
Local student supporters for both candidates gathered for watch parties, eagerly anticipating the results. “What Obama’s win will mean for the U.S. is that we’ll be moving in the right direction for the next four years,” said Colin Shock, Vice President of the West Virginia University Young Democrats. “If you look at his record in the last four years, was it perfect? No. But has it accomplished things? Yes.” Shock feels Obama’s victory is good for Morgantown – especially for students. “If you look at his past record, he’s done a lot to make college more affordable, increased Pell Grants, reworked how student loans work so it’s more accessible to students and lowered interest rates,” he said. “He’s already done a lot so far, and I’m certainly expecting him to do a lot more in the next four years.” On the other side of town, at the GOP Victory Center, students in support of Mitt
Romney kept tabs on the results via Internet, and they have very different opinions. According to Andrew Graves, member of the College Republican National Committee and WVU graduate student, Romney’s approach would have been better for the state. “The policies that would’ve most affected West Virginia would be his proenergy policies – his procoal, pro-gas and real energy solutions as apposed to Obama’s ‘high in the sky’ energy ideas,” he said. Graves felt WVU students would also have benefited more from Romney’s plans. “Romney’s policies are much more pro-business and pro-economy, leading to jobs in the future,” he said. Final numerical results for the election will be available after vote counting is completed this week. Caroline Peters, Madison Fleck and Alyssa Pluchino contributed to this story. bryan.bumgardner@mail.wvu.edu
MAP LEGEND
POLITICO/WWW.POLITICO.COM
303-200 FOR MORE ELECTION COVERAGE, SEE PAGE 2 ap
President Barack Obama was re-elected to a second four-year term Tuesday.
Democratic Win
Incomplete Results
Republican Win
Awaiting Results
Patterson, Zia named 2012 Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer By Carlee lammers City Editor
West Virginia University students Byron Patterson and Hilah Zia were named Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer for 2012 during halftime at WVU vs. Texas Christian University game. Zia, a public administration graduate student, is from Morgantown. She was sponsored by the Student Association of Public Administrators. “I was hesitant to apply but encouraged by a few friends that have seen my involvement at WVU. I have grown up in Morgantown, and it wasn’t until I was a student that I really learned what it means to be a Mountaineer,” she said. “I love this University and all the countless opportunities it has given students to excel both in the classroom and community. My experiences with WVU have made me embody of what it means to be a Mountaineer.” She serves as the presi-
dent of Student Association of Public Administrators in her master’s program and was a Leadership Studies Milan Puskar Scholar from 2009-11, chapter president of National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2010-11 and a Gold and Blue Student Ambassador Liaison from 2009-11. Zia is a sister of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and was president of Panhellenic Council in 2010. In her senior year of undergrad, she was named the Greek Woman of the Year. Zia said she plans to work in public administration after graduation to improve the quality of education across the state. “I am really passionate about education, and I want to use my academic studies from WVU’s Public Administration program to work on education policy reform to improve not only education opportunities in West Virginia but across the nation,” she said. “It is just a huge honor to be se-
lected as Ms. Mountaineer. The whole selection process was based on our academic achievements and experiences at WVU as judged by faculty and staff. I have taken full advantage of the amazing student opportunities and extracurricular activities this University offers. I am excited to use this title as an opportunity to share my passion for WVU, Morgantown and West Virginia.” Zia said she believes being a Mountaineer is a truly unique experience she will forever treasure. “My best advice for students during their time at WVU is to get involved. The University has so many diverse opportunities that anyone can find something they are passionate about. I would give anything to be a freshman, so don’t take anything for granted,” Zia said. Patterson, a senior aerospace engineer student, is
see meet on PAGE 2
48° / 28°
LIGHTS ON
THE DA IS HIRING WRITERS
INSIDE
Afrojack lit up the Morgantown Event Center Monday night. A&E PAGE 6
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News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 6 Sports: 7, 8, 10 Campus Calendar: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 9
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Patrick Gorrell/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Byron Patterson, left, and Hilah Zia, right, were named Mr. and Ms. Mountaineer Saturday.
ON THE INSIDE The West Virginia men’s basketball team knows it has a lot of work to do before taking on No. 21 Gonzaga on Monday. SPORTS PAGE 7
NOW OPEN
237 Spruce Street Morgantown, WV Kitchen opens at noon! 26505
NOT YET PLEASED The West Virginia men’s basketball team defeated Glenville State 95-53 Tuesday but head coach Bob Huggins was not pleased. SPORTS PAGE 10