THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Friday March 22, 2013
Volume 125, Issue 123
www.THEDAONLINE.com
Mountaineer Cards more than an ID by bryan bumgardner & alyssa pluchino
“The One Card.” That’s what Brandon Twigg, assistant director of Mountaineer Card Services at West Virginia University, calls the Mountaineer Cards issued to all West Virginia University students. Although some students simply call them “student IDs,” Mountaineer Cards are more than just a form of
identification; the card and it’s associated program, My Mountaineer Card, are becoming an integral parts to navigating WVU’s campus. According to Twigg, groundbreaking new features are in the works. Even now, the program has a multitude of functions. From giving cardholders access to the PRT to allowing users to remotely reserve laundry machines, the features all came from student
Students send aid abroad via Emergency USA by shelby toompas staff writer
Across the globe, millions of people without a representative voice are struggling to survive violations of their human rights. West Virginia University students saw the need to raise awareness of international civil rights issues and created a local branch of the national organization Emergency USA. Senior industrial engineering student James Burr said Emergency USA raises funds to provide permanent infrastructure, medical care and rehabilitation efforts for victims of war and poverty. “I think the students before me saw the need to create the student organization Emergency USA at WVU, because our University is very communitybased, and (they) collaborated with Dr. Stewart to bring a lot of worldly ideas into WVU,” Burr said. “We do a lot of fundraising activities based on our goal, which is set through Emergency, then down to Emergency USA and then to us here at WVU. We try to add to those goals as much as possible while also promoting Emergency awareness, as well.” All facilities are designed, built and managed by the independent, neutral and non-governmental organization Emergency, based in Italy, which oversees international personnel committed to professionally train local staff. Today, WVU is one out of approximately five universities that works with Emergency USA. Burr said this year’s goal is to “Save Lives and Limbs,” focusing on Sierra Leone. “This school year, we are focusing on raising money for surgical rods and support materials to help bind broken bones,” he said. “Last year, we helped with the operating room, and now we are helping to provide supplies to use in the surgical center in Sierra Leone.” The surgical rod and support materials coast about $150 each, and by the end of 2013 Emergency WVU hopes to raise $30,000 to purchase a year’s supply. “It really opens your eyes to see what people in these other countries really have to go through – how they have to live and how they might have to travel days at a time just to get to the nearest medical center,” he said. Current ongoing programs through Emergency are centered in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Italy, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
By having Emergency USA through WVU, students are able to get involved and change their attitude and atmosphere by recognizing a positive movement. “I realized I wanted to help people as much as possible,” Burr said. “Here in the U.S., we have everything we need: people that care, and healthcare readily available, but once you see some of these videos and what people are going through, it makes you want to give your life to something even more, because you want to give back and be able to promote respect to everyone. Human rights are not the same in other countries.” Junior public relations student and press liaison Samantha Runyon said she got involved last fall in order to help individuals in need and looks forward to spreading the word around campus. “Even though it’s an international organization, WVU is the most active student chapter in the U.S.,” Runyon said. “I think it’s part of being a Mountaineer – we help each other, and we help other people, and this is people that really can’t help themselves. It’s important to instill in ourselves and the community the need to give back to those who can’t do for themselves.” Even though WVU’s student chapter is unable to see every individual who gets treated through Emergency USA, they help provide surgery, rehabilitation and medical care. “In this country, we talk about whether or not the government should pay for healthcare, and in these other countries it’s not an issue of who should pay for it – it doesn’t exist,” she said. “It’s just important that they get good healthcare.” Upcoming events include an Ultimate Frisbee tournament with WVUendit April 14 and an event at RockTop Bar & Grill April 26 to fundraise and promote Emergency and their main goal. “Eventually, our goal for WVU is to make students and faculty understand what we’re here for and what we’re trying to do,” Burr said. “It’s not just doing activities to help; it’s learning about these countries and these people and all of the opportunities that come with it, as well.” For more information about Emergency WVU and their upcoming activities, like them on Facebook, or email mountaineeremergencyusa@gmail.com.
suggestions. “The students are the ones who are coming to us with these ideas,” Twigg said. Some of the new features include “My Current Access,” a program that allows users to see where their card has been used across campus. “This can help prevent card s h a ring and fraud, Twigg said. Students can use My
Mountaineer Card to track Mounty Bounty and meal plan spending history and cancel or reactivate their cards. Parents or guests can also deposit money to the card’s account via the Internet. “It’s just like a bank card, where students can track and reconcile their charges,” Twigg said. Most of the described features are available on smartphones.
Sweet Frog serves frozen treats despite continued winter weather By Madison Fleck Staff writer
As temperatures remain frigid and students still need to bundle up on their way to class, one of the last things on anyone’s mind is ice cream. “I like hot chocolate and coffee and pretty much anything warm when it’s cold out,” said West Virginia University exercise physiology student Emily Glover. Many people want to stay warm in the winter months and even early spring, which could pose a problem for businesses that rely on cold treats. But these businesses manage stay afloat by coming up with innovative ideas to keep ice cream in the thoughts of their customers. “It has been a little slower, but we’ve been keeping up more than I would expect for winter months,” said Lindsey Sallon, assistant manager at Sweet Frog in Morgantown. “Frozen yogurt is really popular in Morgantown, so people still want it even when it’s snowing out.” Despite the eclectic colors and bright, summery theme of the business’ building, Sweet Frog opens its doors year round – even when temperatures dip below freezing. Some frozen food businesses are forced to close during the winter months due to lack of customers, but Sweet Frog is able to stay open in part because of its team’s creative marketing ideas. When customers come in, they see signs asking them to sign up to receive text messages.
see sweet on PAGE 2
Patrick Gorrell/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Jenna Griffith prepares a treat via Sweet Frog’s self-serve machines.
Maniacs director to serve second term By Summer Ratcliff staff writer
The Mountaineer Maniacs have renamed Chris Northrup as their director for the 2013-14 school year. Northrup, a senior sport psychology student, said he saw many accomplishments during his first year as Maniac director. “We did a really great job this year of informing Maniac members and students in general of each sporting event throughout campus,” Northrup said. “Our marketing team was really one of our best assets this year – I think getting out our message of what was going on and then executing each of
our promotions and events was vital to our success.” Increasing attendance at Olympic sporting events such as volleyball and women’s soccer was one of Northrup’s main goals when he was selected Maniac director last year. The success of this initiative was apparent when the records for regular season attendance at both a women’s soccer match and a volleyball match at the Coliseum were broken. Northrup said the success can be attributed to Maniac Mondays, an event his team created, entailing an email reminder distributed each Monday that includes a schedule of every sporting
activity for the week ahead. “Students were able to plan their week when they received a list of each sporting event,” Northrup said. “It also helped increase awareness of what events were happening when and where.” In addition to the increased participation, Northup said the move to the Big 12 provided the Maniacs with the opportunity to recreate the Mountaineer image. “I think one of the great things with moving to a new conference was the chance to get away from the negative fan image that we have had over the past years,” Northrup said. “We ran a WVU sportsmanship campaign during football season
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INSIDE
A W.Va. newspaper lacked tactfulness during a controversial time. OPINION PAGE 4
In addition to our print coverage, The Daily Athenaeum posts videos on YouTube at http://youtube.com/dailyathenaeum.
Campus Calendar: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 11
see card on PAGE 2
Patrick Gorrell/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Sweet Frog offers a variety of toppings, including fruit, for its frozen treats.
POOR JUDGEMENT
News: 1, 2, 3 Opinion: 4 A&E: 6, 7, 8 Sports: 9, 10, 12
we’re here for.” Mo u n t a i n e e r Ca rd Services will be hosting an Amnesty Day April 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Mountainlair, to promote the new features of the Mountaineer Cards. At the event, replacement cards will be half-priced at $10, and card repairs will be free; cardholders would
STILL SERVING IT UP
43° / 28°
SNOW FLURRIES
“Times are changing,” Twigg said. “It’s the technology age. Everything before was done by hardware and paper, and that’s less efficient.” He said this was one major motivator for My Mountaineer Card’s shift to the web. “We see the how the world is changing and all the feedback we’re getting,” Twigg said. “It all comes down to student service, and that’s what
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
ON THE INSIDE The West Virginia gymnastics team will travel to Ames, Iowa, to compete in the 2013 Big 12 Gymnastics Championship Saturday. SPORTS PAGE 9
as an opportunity to show other Big 12 fans what Mountaineer nation is truly about.” Northrup said the campaign’s success was evident. “The feedback that I got from various people was all extremely positive about the example the Maniacs were setting for how our fans should be conducting themselves,” he said. During the next year, Northrup said the Maniacs plan to continue to build upon the programs they have seen immense success with, including: watch parties at Buffalo Wild Wings, Chalk Talks with Coach Huggins and other promotional activities members have
see maniacs on PAGE 2
BACK TO BASICS The West Virginia defense looks to return to its former self and play at a high level this upcoming season. SPORTS PAGE 9