The DA 07-18-2012

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Wednesday July 18, 2012

Volume 125, Issue 157

www.THEDAONLINE.com

Local hospitals reach compromise by bryan bumgardner

mented on the deal, but a release from Mon General said the two entities will “explore future cooperative clinical and programmatic opportunities to benefit the community at large.” The deal marks the end of a conflict between Mon General and WVUH. In January WVUH announced the expansion, which will be its largest since the construction of Ruby Memorial Hospital more than 20 years ago. In response, Mon Health

System filed March 12 with the West Virginia Health Care Authority as a party affected by the expansion and asked for a public hearing about the project. The hearing would have delayed construction for up to nine months. In a release Darryl Duncan, president and CEO of Mon Health System, said the motivation behind the hearing was to ensure Matt Sunday/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM accountability. The public hearing for the expansion of the WVU hospitals has been canceled following an agreement to decrease the budget by $20 million.

NO VACANCY

WVU Police seeking ‘person of interest’

city editor

West Virginia University Hospitals will soon be hiring 750 new employees and providing more space for patients thanks to a compromise between WVUH and Monongalia General Hospital. Monday Mon General Hospital’s parent company Monongalia Health System said it will drop its challenge to West Virginia University Hospital’s proposed

$248 million expansion. In return, WVUH has trimmed the expansion plans, cutting 25 patient beds and nearly $20 million from the project budget. The two parties were scheduled to meet in Charleston, W.Va, Tuesday in a public hearing with the Health Care Authority to discuss the issue, but mutually agreed to cancel the hearing following negotiations the previous week. Administrators from either side haven’t com-

see hospital on PAGE 2

by carlee lammers staff writer

Matt Sunday/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

WVU announced the student dormatories have reached capacity for the Fall 2012 semester. To compensate for this, some students will reside in the lobbies in Towers until space becomes available.

Campus housing at maximum capacity

Hardy. “The way Morgantown is structured, there is just more off-campus housing and not enough on-campus housing for upperclassmen.” Hardy said for the first month of the fall semester some students would be placed into makeshift rooms in the lobby areas of Towers, which make up the Evansdale Residential Complex, until space becomes available. While limited housing is not a new problem for the University, Hardy said there are currently no plans to expand the on-campus housing opportunities for students. “The new Evansdale Master Plan does not call for expansion of the current residence halls,” he said. “ There are plans to add research zones, academic zones and recreational zones, but in their plans for the next five to 10 years residential zones have not been evaluated.”

This fall, some first-time West Virginia University students may not have a home in one of the on-campus residence halls. The University announced housing was at full capacity and ceased accepting housing applications for the 2012-13 school year June 15. Some students have been placed on a waiting list, while others have been referred to off-campus housing. According to the WVU housing website, all single, first-year students are required to live in University housing. In addition, transfer students with fewer than 29 transferable credit hours are also required to live on campus. However, housing is only available on a first come, first serve basis. “On-campus housing is at full capacity; however, this is an issue that typically happens this time of year,” said WVU Residence Hall Association president Walter

-crl

The West Virginia University Police Department is seeking online help from students and the community to identify a “person of interest” in an ongoing theft investigation. The person of interest is suspected of taking nearly $1,100 in books from the downtown campus bookstore, according to UPD Chief Bob Roberts. The WVU Police have posted a photo of the suspect at www.idthisperson. com, a website created to assist law enforcement in identifying suspects or persons of interest related to criminal activity. Roberts said he is confident that posting the suspect’s picture online will yield another successful arrest, due to the department’s previous success with the site. “We have video surveillance as well as a still photograph of the suspect,” Roberts said. “We have used this site once before in another case, and it was a success. We were able to identify the person and make an arrest. We decided to use this resource again based on our previous success and the fact that we had a good picture to post this time. We believe this case will also result in a success.” To view the photos of the person of interest, users must

click on the red “I acknowledge” bar in the middle of the page and then scroll to the map and click on West Virginia. According to IDthisperson.com, the site was designed to empower citizens to help fight identity theft and related crimes by providing them an anonymous format with which they can submit information to help identify potential suspects. Roberts said he encourages WVU students and members of the community to do their part by visiting the site, viewing the photographs and providing University Police with any information on the suspect they may have. “Everyone is a member of our community. We all have an amount of responsibility to ensure each other’s safety. Whether it be locking a door behind you that was already locked or locking the doors in the residence halls, we all have to step up and do our part,” he said. Individuals who assist police in identifying the suspect online can receive a $25 reward. “This is just another way people can participate in making our community safer,” Roberts said. “If people don’t step up and do their part, we all suffer.” To contact the University police directly call 304-293-2677. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

Filmmakers discuss community-driven media WVU to host ‘Mountaineer Olympics’ by Lacey palmer staff writer

by zak voreh

news correspondent

While the Olympic Games are being held in London, West Virginia University will be hosting it’s own spin on the events: The Mountaineer Olympics. During the events, teams of students can compete in a variety of sports ranging from basketball to badminton for cash prizes. The events begin July 27 with a screening of the Olympic opening ceremonies in the Gluck Theatre in the Mountainlair. Popcorn and soda will be provided, as well as several international dishes. The games themselves will be held July 31 at 4 p.m. in the Mountainlair Plaza and will conclude at 6 p.m. with the awards ceremony and an ice cream float social. Winners will receive bronze, silver or gold medals. Also, the top winning team of five students will receive $500 donated by Coca-Cola. Senior programming administrator for the Mountainlair Sonja Wilson

was instrumental in creating the event. “We normally don’t do a lot of programming for the students that go to summer school here, so they should be afforded the same opportunities as the students in the fall,” she said. “I thought the summer Olympics would be a good thing.” Wilson also feels the events can strengthen student bonds. “We do have a lot of international students here. (The Olympics) are a way to build a sense of community within our campus,” she said. The full list of events include a decathlon, baseball, basketball, ping pong, volleyball, badminton, archery and, weather permitting, a water balloon scavenger hunt. Although there are cash prizes, Wilson wants the students to focus on having fun. “Each of these sports is going to be in the summer Olympics, but this is going to be a spin on the games,” she said. “This is going to be

see olympics on PAGE 2

91° / 71°

BOUTIQUE

INSIDE

Local shop is named one of the top boutiques in the US. A&E PAGE 4

T-STORMS

News: 1,2 Opinion: 6 A&E: 3,4,5 Sports: 8,9,10 Campus Calendar: 7 Puzzles: 7 Classifieds: 11

For filmmakers Elaine McMillion and Jigar Mehta, interactive documentaries are more than just films; they’re living histories. McMillion and Mehta visited West Virginia University Thursday to speak about their own documentary projects, the similarities between the two, and the importance of interactive media. Jigar Mehta, co-creator of “18 Days in Egypt,” recently spoke at the WVU Festival of Ideas. “18 Days in Egypt,” which began in 2011, is a documentary project about the Egyptian revolution that uses media generated by those directly involved in the events on the ground. “The best stories are experienced and told together,” said Mehta. In “18 Days in Egypt,” citizens involved in the ongoing revolution in Egypt can post videos and tell their stories on the website. Mehta also said there are more than 30 people who have been a part of the project at an intimate level, such as the “fellows,” who are young journalists and activists who contribute to the project, and a creative team that helps design the website to make it more

Patrick Gorrell/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Elaine McMillion (left) discusses her part in the project ‘Hollow’, an interactive documentary that provides a unique perspective of McDowell county interactive. “There are so many ways to tell stories through interactive media,” said Mehta. In the discussion, many different new interactive and technological ideas were discussed, such as video format and interactive maps, which can capture a series of events on a personal level. Students and faculty in the audience also shared ideas by talking about their own interactive projects. Elaine McMillion, award-

winning documentary storyteller and graduate of the WVU School of Journalism, is the creator of an interactive documentary on rural life in McDowell County, W.Va., entitled “Hollow.” McMillion believes West Virginia often has a negative reputation, especially the rural southern areas, so her goal is to redefine this perspective. “There are really genuine people there who have stories that need to be told,” said McMillion. “I think it’s

THE DA IS HIRING WRITERS Inquire about paid positions at The Daily Athenaeum at DA-editor@mail.wvu.edu or pick up an application at our office at 284

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

INSIDE THIS EDITION WVU senior offensive lineman Jeff Braun is trying to make the most out of his final summer in Morgantown. SPORTS PAGE 8

the first time McDowell has had a chance to tell their own story, and it’s about time they reclaim it.” Similar to Mehta’s “18 Days in Egypt,” McMillion is giving citizens of McDowell County the chance to tell their own story by allowing them to create videos and images they wish to share. “It’s their story, not mine,” said McMillion. “I think it’s important that the people

see media on PAGE 2

A FAST FRIENDSHIP WVU freshmen Eron Harris and Terry Henderson have already become good friends since arriving in Morgantown. SPORTS PAGE 9


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.