The DA 09-29-2010

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”

da

Wednesday September 29, 2010

www.THEDAONLINE.com

VOLUME 124, ISSUE 28

Group opposes SGA budget increase BY SARAH O’ROURKE CORRESPONDENT

A student group has been formed that opposes the Student Government Association’s proposed budget increase of more than $1 million at West Virginia University. The group began last Friday by launching a Facebook group titled “WVU Students Against SGA Tuition Increase Proposal.” Paul Kast, a former SGA governor and founder of the group, said after hearing SGA President Chris Lewallen speak about the proposed budget increase during an April SGA meeting,

he thought Lewallen had “misspoken.” After learning the budget referendum was going to happen, Kast said he was angry at the idea of the proposed increase. “I then learned that the students have to vote on this increase,” Kast said. “Several of my friends and I were not pleased with this idea, and together we decided to try and spread awareness about the proposal. The best way that we could think of was Facebook.” Lewallen proposed the increase during an April SGA meeting. He said he plans to write a referendum increas-

ing the budget to $1.4 million. The student body would have to vote for the referendum. The referendum would then be voted on by the University Board of Governors. Currently, SGA’s budget is $70,000, which is not enough to fund all the projects and events it wants to accomplish, Lewallen said. The budget increase proposal was originally going to be voted on during Homecoming elections. After investigating the drafting process, the writing of the referendum has been delayed until spring to allow for more time, said SGA Vice President Ron Cheng.

“The sheer size of this increase is absurd. It is unclear what they plan to spend this money on, who would be in control of it or whether the money would benefit all students,” Kast said. “SGA has not proven to the student body that it can handle this kind of responsibility.” Cheng said more than half of SGA’s current budget is allocated to student organizations through grant increments of $500. The rest of the budget goes toward SGA’s operational funds, leaving only about $20,000 to work with, he said. According to the group’s page, some members oppose

the increase because it will send a mixed message to West Virginia’s state government. “Last year, a tuition freeze was enacted and supported by SGA. The school’s BOG voted for it, which I was relieved to hear. If the student body votes ‘yes’ for a tuition increase, what will our state government think?” Kast said, according to his group’s website. “Students voting ‘yes’ for a tuition increase sends the wrong kind of message to those in control of our tuition.” “SGA has looked at other student government associations at different colleges and universities, and their

By gina damato correspondent

Chelsi Baker/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Students receive taste of Poland during cultural-exchange event BY NICK ASHLEY STAFF WRITER

The Polish culture was put in the spotlight Tuesday. West Virginia University hosted “A Polish Evening” in the Mountainlair, which hosted Polish cuisine, films and speakers. The event was organized as part of the WVU Cultural Attaches Program. The program lets representatives from various nations hold discussions on their cultures and traditions, said Vivien Exartier, multicultural program coordinator for the Office of Student Life. “We have three goals in the Cultural Attaches Program,” Exartier said. “To provide a forum for official representatives from other nations to inform the WVU

community of their cultures … to provide a program for members of the WVU community in multiculturalism … and to create opportunities to enhance student awareness of other people’s cultures,” Exartier said. The event is part of a series launched in 2005 that features cultural representations from different regions of the world. Five world regions have been explored: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, she said. “Last year, we did Peru and South America. This year is Eastern Europe with Poland being the country of choice,” she said. Participants listened to speakers, watched Polish films Chelsi Baker/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM and enjoyed Polish food. Sophomore pre-pharmacy major Camille Heim and freshman biology major Sydney Blankenship, right, eat traditional Polish cuisine at a Polish Evening in Morgantown in the see polish on PAGE 2 Mountainlair Tuesday evening.

X-hale: New hookah bar located on Walnut Street by gina damato correspondent

Morgantown is now home to the only hookah bar in West Virginia. Domenick Melillo, coowner of X-hale hookah bar, said the idea for the bar came about because he grew up in an area where it was always around. “It was a nice thing to see people gather to smoke hookah, and it was a nice experience to have,” he said.

This same experience is offered to students through Xhale, Melillo said, which is located at 218 Walnut St. and replaces Club Octane. He hopes the bar will serve as a gathering place for friends to meet and talk rather than a club scene. “There’s hookah bars around the country,” Melillo said. “You can come in for a cup of coffee, use Wi-Fi and smoke a bowl.”

see hookah on PAGE 2

74° / 56°

DEAD SPOT

INSIDE

Check out the review of the play ‘Dead Man’s Cell phone’ A&E PAGE 10

PARTLY CLOUDY

News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 8, 10 Sports: 3, 5, 7 Campus Calendar: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 9

A group of students smoke a hookah at X-Hale.

Brooke Cassidy/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

CHECK OUT OUR MOBILE SITE Get the same stories, features and columns quicker and easier on your smartphone at www.thedaonline.com/mobile.

CONTACT US Newsroom 304-293-5092 or DAnewsroom@mail.wvu.edu Advertising 304-293-4141 or DA-Ads@mail.wvu.edu Fax 304-293-6857

see budget on PAGE 2

New class offered for underage drinking citations

Cultural Celebration

Guests line the buffet of traditional Polish cuisine at the Polish Evening in Morgantown Tuesday evening.

budgets are in the millions,” Cheng said. “Even student governments at universities that are smaller than WVU, with fewer students, have a larger budget than us.” During the summer, Cheng said Lewallen asked the administration for a budget audit on where current student fee money goes. The request was denied. “Right now, students can’t choose where their money goes,” Cheng said. “This referendum will allow us to enact projects, coordinate events and even erect buildings in a

INSIDE TODAY’S EDITION West Virginia head football coach Bill Stewart updates the status of the injured players on his team. SPORTS PAGE 5

West Virginia University students who receive underage drinking citations will have an alternate class they can take this semester. High Expectations teaches students about alcohol safety and is an alternative to the Student Assistance Program, said Deborah Beazley, coordinator of the High Expectations program. Students who receive an underage drinking citation are usually mandated to participate in an alcohol education program, she said. “Students are very responsive to the program, and I’ve gotten some very positive feedback,” Beazley said. High Expectations consists of two classes about four hours long, Beazley said. Participants meet at the Student Recreation Center and are bused to the WVU Challenge course. Having High Expectations at the WVU Challenge course provides students with a more engaging experience while learning about alcohol abuse, Beazley said. “The information we are giving directly shadows the

other alcohol abuse programs, but this experience will be more hands-on and interactive, she said. During the two classes, participants will learn about BAC levels and how these affect their brain and decisions. They will also learn why people drink and other activities they can engage in rather than drinking. “We have a virtual party game in conjunction with the Challenge Course,” Beazley said. “Students will have to keep their BAC low enough to get through the course. If you can’t control your BAC, you might just end up with an STD by the end of the game.” Other games, such as one focused on learning how alcohol affects the brain, can result in participants having to carry around a mock piece of the brain for the class, she said. “The program wasn’t miserable,” said one student who completed the class and wished to remain anonymous. “I actually learned some valuable information.” Some students enjoy the course and take it more than

see class on PAGE 2

Students learn 10 rules for dealing with police by jessica compton correspondent

West Virginia University students had the opportunity to learn more about interacting with law enforcement at the showing of the movie “Ten Rules for Dealing with Police,” presented by Students for a Sensible Drug Policy on Tuesday. The movie, narrated by William “Billy” Murphy, a former Baltimore judge and criminal defense attorney, covered everything from how to react when getting pulled over by police to the rights a citizen has concerning searches and seizures. The film uses different scenarios to illustrate the 10 rules, which include always remaining cool and calm and also that you have the right to remain silent, the right to refuse searches and the right to refuse police entry into your house if they do not have a search warrant. Justin Lawrence, a graduate student in business management and a member

of SSDP since its founding in 2009, said the movie was very informative. “It’s great for students to be able to see things like that, especially at a school like WVU where there’s the reputation for partying,” he said. “It’s important to know your rights.” Matt Harris, a sophomore political science and multidisciplinary studies major, said he had a “bad experience” with police last year when he marched in a pride parade in Pittsburgh, and the marchers were confronted by police with pepper spray. This is why Harris, who also has experience in politics and worked with the West Virginia Libertarian party, came out to support the movie and SSDP. “I think the movie had a lot of solid, fact-based stuff, and it really laid down the facts of how people need to deal with a stressful situation involving police,” he said. The movie stressed that

see movie on PAGE 2

WOMEN ROUT PITT The West Virginia women’s soccer team scored three goals in a victory over border-state rival Pittsburgh Tuesday at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. SPORTS PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.