THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Wednesday June 20, 2012
VOLUME 125, ISSUE 153
www.THEDAONLINE.com
BOG approves budget, tuition increase by bryan bumgardner city editor
The West Virginia University Board of Governors has approved several policies and projects for 2013, including a $917 million-dollar budget, the acquisition of the Suncrest Center and Plaza and a five percent tuition increase. The BOG also approved a policy banning tobacco use on campus, which will come into effect July 1, 2013.
With the approval of the new budget, officials said that a new compensation model will be introduced for staff, which includes $10 million for faculty and staff salary increases. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, WVU’s average full-time professor salary has risen $38,600 since 2000 – a higher change than the national average. However, for the 2011-12 school year, average professor salaries at WVU were below the national median.
Raises will go into effect in October. The budget also includes a 5 percent tuition increase for students on the Morgantown campus. Specifically, this is equal to a $145 increase per semester for resident undergraduates and a $449 increase for nonresident undergraduates. This includes a new onetime fee that replaces individual course fees and undergraduate resident tuition will change from $2,837 to $3,045
per semester, and non-resident tuition from $8,922 to $9,434 per semester. Even with this increase, tuition costs at WVU remain below the national average. WVU Provost Michele Wheatly said increases in tuition, budget and salaries will maintain WVU’s commitment to excellence. “These modest increases will provide additional revenue for our campus in order to continue to offer our students the
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classes, the facilities and the academic excellence they deserve,” she said in a press release. “While other states have realized drastic cuts to state funding, our legislature has continued to keep our state’s higher education commitment steady. We are truly appreciative of that support; however, we still must deal with rising costs and a competitive marketplace to keep WVU’s programs and facilities competitive with our peer flagships
across the country.” The BOG also approved the acquisition of the Suncrest Center and Plaza from Glenmark Holding for $26.3 million. The 5.5 acre property on Van Voorhis Road includes the Suncrest Center, Suncrest Executive Plaza II, Applebee’s restaurant and additional parking, including surface lots and a garage. The property will be jointly
see increase on PAGE 2
WVU Foundation to start largest fundraiser in history by terri parlett staff writer
The West Virginia University Foundation is embarking on its largest private fundraiser ever. A State of Minds is a fundraising campaign that aims to raise $750 million for the University. This goal is three times larger than the most recent Building Greatness campaign, which took place from 1998-2003. A State of Minds will focus on six main priorities, a part of the University’s 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future. Wayne King, CEO and president of the WVU Foundation, said that although this campaign is now going public, it has been in the works for several years. “We actually started the silent phase in July of 2007 with the intent that at some point, when we had reached 65 or 70 percent of our goal, we would have a public announcement,” King said, adding that alumni, corporations and friends of the University have been extremely generous in their contributions to the WVU Foundation. “We selected the June 3
date to go public to coincide with the completion and implementation of the WVU Strategic Plan, because our fundraising goes directly to help fund many of those priorities,” King said. A State of Minds will, in conjunction with the 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future, aim to enhance the undergraduate student experience and global education, advance the research initiative of the University and enable WVU to improve West Virginia’s health, economy and quality of life. There are also goals within the fundraiser to foster faculty excellence, enhance WVU through professional and graduate education and support healthcare through research, education and patient care. As of June 2, $538 million had been raised by the Foundation, and this money goes toward scholarships, fellowships and facility upgrades as well as other things that benefit the University’s students. The benefits don’t stop at the University, though. Through the Extension Service,
see foundation on PAGE 2
Conference to showcase digital art, literature by carlee lammers staff writer
PHOTOS BY MEL MORAES/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
City Council approves “Hogback Turn” right of way by bryan bumgardner city editor
The Morgantown City Council has approved an ordinance to create a new right of way near the dangerous “Hogback Turn” on State Route 7. The turn is where Brockway Avenue turns into Route 7 near Dairy Castle. The sharp turn causes problems for trucks and buses. The turn is so sharp that most large vehicles must pass into the left lane to make the turn, while oncoming drivers must sit and wait. The ordinance gives a 294-square-foot right of way to the West Virginia Division of Highways, who plan to move
the curb back about eight feet. Trucks that had previously avoided the route, will now have easier access to the Morgantown downtown area. A previous version of the ordinance had been submitted, but is being repealed after safety concerns were raised. The new bill “more accurately describes the warranty being conveyed with said right of way,” according to the meeting minutes. During the public hearing of the ordinance, South Park resident Renee Hernandez expressed her distaste for the bill, which would bring more truck traffic near her home. “Why would you want to make it easier for trucks to go
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through South Park is beyond my understanding,” she said. Hernandez said truck traffic near her home at night makes it difficult for her to sleep and that a public survey seeking opinion about the right of way was “ignored.” “I will continue to fight this battle. I think they’ve gone about this in the wrong way,” she said. Hernandez said she is circulating a petition against the ordinance, and has collected about 50 names. Councilman William Byrne supports the right of way, but he felt safety issues should be addressed. “I do think that there ought to be some kind of quid pro
quo,” he said. “If we’re going to give [The Department of Highways] land to improve for us, they should also work with us in developing a safe truck route around town.” Byrne voted against the ordinance, citing public response in the aforementioned survey. “I think the overwhelming response was that people do not want trucks downtown, and that it would diminish their quality of life,” he said. He also feels that the trucks pose a safety risk. “We haven’t had a death yet, but it’s a question of when, not if,” he said. Councilwoman Jenny Selin,
see council on PAGE 2
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ON THE INSIDE Members of the West Virginia men’s basketball team started play in the Greentree Summer League Monday. SPORTS PAGE 8
Thanks to technology, publishers of fine literature are no longer limited to ink and paper. The West Virginia University Center for Literary Computing and the Electronic Literature Organization have partnered to highlight transitions in literature at the 2012 Electronic Literature Organization Conference and Media Arts Show, “Electrifying Literature: Affordances and Constraints,” which will be held June 20-23. “The Electronic Literature Organization is the largest and leading organization devoted to studying literature that is written on the computer, and internet,” said Sandy Baldwin director of the Center for Literary Computing and associate English professor at WVU. Baldwin said the professors, writers, artists and members of the general public have worked together to study and compose literature that has been “born digital.” “The work is defined as being ‘born digital’,” he said. “Meaning it has to be done on a computer. We have novels written using Twitter, alternate reality goggles that
will tell a story and locational work that uses a GPS device on a cell phone to tell a story.” At the conference, 120 different artists from 13 countries around the globe will be present and showcasing their work along with 40 local artists. “This conference is going to be more international than previous ones. It’s very exciting to get this experience at a local level, and having galleries where the work is interactive, so people can look and play with it,” Baldwin said. “This is a good way to introduce to people in Morgantown artists and their work from all over the world.” Baldwin said while he is excited for the conference to take place in Morgantown and showcase the city’s local work, the conference is also a reflection of work going on internationally. “It’s very clear that this is just not happening in Morgantown, but everywhere people can spend time on a computer, cellphone or Google. I’ve always said that the moment the first computer was invented, immediately people began doing creative things,” he said. While creativity online has
see conference on PAGE 2
NO PAIN, NO GAIN The WVU football team began its summer workouts last week, and so far they have been tougher than ever. SPORTS PAGE 7