The DA 03-18-2013

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Monday March 18, 2013

Volume 125, Issue 119

www.THEDAONLINE.com

City to hold ‘meet the candidates’ by bryan bumgardner associate city editor

The candidates for the upcoming Morgantown City Council elections will be participating in a “Meet the Candidates” forum at Hotel Morgan tonight at 6 p.m. Morgantown’s General Municipal Elections for City Council will occur April 30 this year. To help the community learn more about the 13 candidates, this forum will give the candidates a chance to describe

their election platforms and future plans and to answer questions fielded by the audience. “It’s important anytime there’s an election that the community get to know the candidates,” said Jack Thompson, member of the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce board who helped organize the event. “It’s a good way to have a discussion between the candidates, the business community and the general public.”

WVU hosts, competes in Moot Court Competition by alyssa pluchino staff writer

The West Virginia University College of Law hosted the third annual National Energy & Sustainability Moot Court Competition Thursday. Throughout the three days, 24 teams from 15 universities across the nation tested their briefwriting and oral advocacy skills against each another. Saturday, the team from Texas Tech University was deemed the winner and received a $1,000 scholarship in recognition of its advocacy skills. The WVU College of Law website touts written and oral advocacy skills as essential for all lawyers. “Written and oral advocacy are two basic skills required of any attorney, irrespective of the area of law practiced. Even attorneys who never appear before a court must explain legal principles, answer legal questions and persuade clients to pursue a proper course of action,” the site said. “Moot Court develops these legal skills through firsthand experience.” Each team of competitors was assigned an appellee (the party who won the lawsuit) or an appellant (the party who appealed the ruling to be taken to a higher court) in

a hypothetical case. “Two issues are integrated into a hypothetical case involving natural gas. The first issue involves the Clean Air Act. The second issue involves the Migratory Bird Treaty Act,” said Matt Chase, Associate Chief Justice of the competition. After competitors submit their legal briefings for their side of the case, they must argue both sides of the issue on multiple occasions throughout the rest of the competition. Only 16 of the 24 teams made it to the second round, and after that the competition was tournament-based. The final two teams then argued in front of a final panel of judges, demonstrating their legal knowledge in the hopes of being named the winner. Awards were also given to the two teams from Campbell University for best brief and runner up brief. Those who judged the final round included: Honorable Larr y V. Starcher, Senior Status Justice, Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia; Lawrence D. Rosenberg, Partner, Jones Day; Honorable Gina M. Groh, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia; Honorable

see moot on PAGE 2

PRSSA date auction raises money for cancer research by megan calderado staff writer

West Virginia University’s Public Relations Student Society of America hosted a bachelor/bachelorette date auction to raise money for the American Cancer Society Friday night. Sixteen Greek life members were “auctioned off ” at Rocktop Bar & Grill, with all the successful bids and donations going toward cancer research. “We’re not just asking people to donate – we’re getting the student body involved in a great cause that’s fun, too,” said Brittany Lavenski, PRSSA president. Lavenski said PRSSA knew it wanted to use a date auction as a fundraiser, and with it being Greek Week, it decided using Greek commu-

nity contestants was a great way to incorporate Greek life and guarantee attendance. Stephanie Leon, PRSSA treasurer, was also excited about attendance and optimistic about the results. “We are hoping to raise a little over $1,000, but if we exceed that, we’d be really excited,” she said. Although they’re still receiving donations, Leon said they raised $869 at the auction through bidding, bar purchases and cover charges. On top of supporting cancer research, students who attended and are a part of the Greek community also earned their respective organizations points toward the Greek Week competition – something Sarah Bloss, a junior Pi Beta Phi

see auction on PAGE 2

At the event, the candidates will introduce themselves and their major viewpoints, answer submitted questions in a moderated discussion forum then answer questions from the audience. This year’s candidates include Ron Bane, Mike Fike, Mark Furfari, Nancy Ganz, Bill Graham, Linda Herbst, Bill Kawecki, Jim Manilla, Wes Nugent, Jay Redmond, Jenny Selin and Marti Shamberger. Thompson encourages

students to attend the event. “They’re a big part of what happens in this city,” he said. “The students and the University help drive the economy, and there are issues with that, so it’s important for them to represent themselves.” City Council elections occur on the last Tuesday in April of odd years. There are only seven seats on the council, but thirteen candidates are running – many for re-election. All will be in

attendance at the forum. “We hope everybody comes out,” Thompson said. “It’ll be fantastic to have some students there.” Hotel Morgan is located at 127 High Street. For more

information, email info@ morgantownchamber.org. To learn more about the elections, visit www.morgantownwv.gov. bryan.bumgardner@mail.wvu.edu

Mel Moraes/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Flash mob, campus effort help WVU grad pop the big question By Carlee Lammers City editor

For Erik Edwards and Audrey Metzger, it happened in a flash. A flash mob that is. The couple of four years met through the Adventure WV program. In 2008, Edwards was a leader on a trip Metzger participated in. As the two discussed their future together, Edwards said he knew he had to do something exceptional to pop the big question. “I knew that a nice dinner out would not satisfy. I’m sure she’d want a big spectacle or something,” he said. “I had a couple of ideas, and I was brainstorming one day when I turned to YouTube for creative proposals. I saw a flash mob proposal and thought that was something I could probably pull off.” After a month of planning and rehearsing, and with the help of both

Mel Moraes/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Erik Edwards dances among other WVU students during the St. Patrick’s Day flash mob. the West Virginia University hip-hop club and Adventure WV, Edwards’ plan was put into motion. But keeping the secret was no easy task. “We’ve been practicing for about a month and a half now. My weak-

ness has definitely been coming up with excuses to get out of the house. We live together, and I’m running out of ideas. I’ve been working late, I’ve been meeting people at the rec

see proposal on PAGE 2

Gymnastics team sets record on senior night by meghan carr sports writer

The Mountaineers set several records this season, but Friday night, this season’s team became the first WVU gymnastics team to score a 196 or better in every home meet. The No. 21-ranked West Virginia University gymnastics team finished first against Maryland and Rutgers with a score of 196.05 in its regular-season finale meet Friday night. Maryland scored 194.8

and placed second, followed by Rutgers, which scored 194.175 and finished third. Head coach Jason Butts was proud of the win and his team’s performance overall. “We challenge them to climb higher, and I think they keep doing that. I keep telling them it’s not about the scores, it’s about hitting our routines, and they hit 23 for 24 tonight. (They) Had to fight back from some adversity on beam, but to perform on floor like we did was awesome,” he said. This meet was also re-

CHECK OUR SPORTS BLOG

INSIDE

A W.Va. bill could restrict the public’s access to information. OPINION PAGE 4

Get the latest on Mountaineer sports in our WVU Sports Insider Blog at http://blogs.thedaonline.com/sports/.

Campus Calendar: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 6-7

Member of the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce board

WVU alumnus Erik Edwards proposes to girlfriend Audrey Metzger, a speech pathology graduate student, during the St. Patrick’s Day flash mob Sunday.

OUT OF VIEW

News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3 Sports: 6, 9

Jack Thompson

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

48° / 38°

RAIN/SNOW/WIND

“ (Students) are a big part of what happens in this city ... We hope everybody comes out.”

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

served for senior night, during which Chelsea Goldschrafe, Alaska Richardson and Kaylyn Millick were all honored for their hard work and dedication to WVU gymnastics. “It was senior night, but it didn’t feel like it. It was everything I hoped it would be. All the emotions are here, and it just makes me appreciate it all so much more,” Goldschrafe said. Junior Hope Sloanhoffer spoke after the game about the importance of having gymnasts like these seniors

ON THE INSIDE The West Virginia baseball team won its first Big 12 match this weekend after claiming a win against Kansas State. SPORTS PAGE 6

on a team. “Their gymnastics is incredible and gets better and better every week, and honestly, it’s an inspiration for all of us. I don’t know what we’re going to do without them next year.” The Mountaineers took the lead after scoring a 49.175 on vault, and they never looked back, finishing first in every event. Richardson and freshman Jaida Lawrence tied for first on vault with a pair of 9.9s,

see senior on PAGE 2

WAITING ON HIS MOMENT Former West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith excelled on Pro Day and now waits to hear his NFL destination. 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.