03-25-2014

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Tuesday March 25, 2014

Volume 126, Issue 116

www.THEDAONLINE.com

W.Va. behind in ACA enrollment by jacob bojesson staff writer @dailyathenaeum

With less than a week left to enroll in required health care under the Affordable Care Act, thousands of West Virginians have yet to sign up, with the March 31 deadline approaching. Officials from Valley HealthCare Systems and West Virginia Healthy Start, along with Barbara Fleischauer, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, held a press conference Monday to teach the public how to sign Mick Posey/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM up for health insurance. Barbara Fleischauer, vice chair of the Health and Human Resources Committee “You never know when you’re goat the WV House of Delegates, spoke Monday afternoon during a press confer- ing to get cancer or have a car wreck, ence at Valley Healthcare Systems. and you need the insurance that you

WVU student vets push for priority course registration By Anthony Pecoraro Sports Writer @DailyAthenaeum

Priority scheduling for student veterans has been a highly debated topic at West Virginia University, but not everyone agrees it should be a priority. Steve Robinson, University Registar, said giving scheduling priority has many different facets, and he had to take all situations into account before making a change. “What I told them at the time was that I would look into it and review the possibilities, but what they explained to me was not that they had an academic need for it, but rather it was a financial issue with how the veteran benefits were processed,” Robinson said. According to Dan Alexander, Navy Corpsman veteran and president of Veterans of WVU until February 2014, priority registration should be granted to all student veterans due to the strict schedule the G.I. Bill requires of veterans after they serve in the military. “You’re on a timeline, so we feel that priority registration is important for veterans because they need to get into classes earlier so they can be in a position to get into their major programs at that two-year mark and graduate within the time frame of the G.I. Bill,” Alexander said. Priority registration allows a student veteran to register in the first group. The student veterans, who depend on G.I. Bill benefits to pay for their schooling, contend they need this status for two reasons. First, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs will not begin processing payment for a veteran’s upcoming semester until a class schedule is submitted. Processing takes time, meaning the money sometimes doesn’t arrive before tuition is due and these student veterans can go weeks, if not months, with little to no money. The G.I. Bill pays for only eight semesters of schooling. If a required class is already filled, the student veteran must wait until the next semester it is offered, meaning the delay could push graduation beyond the eight-semester limit

36° / 19°

SNOW SHOWER

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

DENALI WARRIOR A WVU student climbed Mt. Denali and has been on several other expeditions. A&E PAGE 3

you can talk to in person that will know everything.” Monongalia County has a lower rate of people with health insurance compared to most counties in northern West Virginia due to the fact that many West Virginia University students decided to not to sign up for health insurance, according to delegates at the conference. The University recently announced it will require students taking six or more credit hours to be under health insurance starting in the fall 2014 semester. Students who are not under their parents’ health insurance plan are often eligible to meet criteria for

see CARE on PAGE 2

@WVUJournalism hosts #WVChemLeak coverage panel

and have the student veteran begin paying for their own tuition. The debate over whether student veterans should be granted priority registration began in December 2012 when student veterans submitted a petition to Robinson’s office. “We got a formal petition. We had 2,700 signatures on it. We submitted it to Steve Robinson in December of 2012, and we have yet to get an official response,” Alexander said. Alexander, who served two tours in Iraq, said no contact from Robinson’s office has been made and nothing has been done on the University’s end to address priority registration for student veterans, even though WVU has been nationally ranked as a “Military Friendly” school for five consecutive years by G.I. Jobs Magazine. Robinson, who has the final say over which students receive priority registration and which do not, is hesitant to change the current system of scheduling: priority scheduling goes to student-athletes, students in the Honors College and students with disabilities. “Usually we’re looking for the academic tiein. Will granting priority to a group of students help them make better progress toward a degree?” Robinson said. “We’ve eliminated some over the last four or five years because we didn’t feel that there was a good academic tie-in.” According to Alexander, the student veterans refused to wait any longer as this became a state matter a few months after the petition made no progress. On July 12, 2013, the West Virginia House of Representatives passed House Bill 2490, stating student veterans at all 22 public institutions receive priority registration. However, the words “where appropriate” within the law has kept student veterans at WVU from being approved. With Alexander claiming Robinson does nothing to benefit veterans at WVU, especially since he has the ability to award student veterans with priority registration, the two sides have only moved further apart.

see VETS on PAGE 2

can get,” Fleischauer said. “Especially young people think they’re immortal, so I think it’s important. You have to have car insurance, and you need to have health insurance.” According to Fleischauer, 17 percent of West Virginians under the age of 65 are not covered by any form of health insurance, a number she said needs to decrease. People who fail to meet the deadline may be subject to tax penalties and will not be able to enroll until Nov. 15 when the portal opens up again. “I wish the process was smoother, but it’s such an important thing that people need to make themselves do it,” Fleischauer said. “You can look at the website, but we also have people that

From beats to tweets Favorites

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Photos by Mick Posey/ Graphic by Carlee Lammers

by meagan carpenter staff writer @dailyathenaeum

The West Virginia University Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism held “From Beats to Tweets: Media Coverage of the Elk River Spill,” part of the University’s ongoing series “The Future of Media – NOW,” Monday evening. The panel gave students and residents of the Morgantown community an opportunity to hear how different types of journalists covered the Elk River Spill and how social media played a role in getting the information to the public. The panel consisted of six journalists, including Ashton Marra, David Boucher, April Kaull, David Gutman, Roger May and Eric Waggoner. All of these individuals either work in West Virginia or are from West Virginia and had to deal with the aftermath of the chemical spill in Charleston. The chemical spill happened Jan. 9, 2014, and roughly 300,000 residents were told their water was unsafe for drinking, showering, washing their hands or even washing their clothes. With the change in media and how people are receiving any kind of news, the news and media organizations

have to change the way they update their followers and listeners. Twitter and Facebook changed the way people heard about the news of the chemical spill. Waggoner, an associate professor of American literature and cultural studies at West Virginia Wesleyan College, wrote a blog, “Cultural Slagheap” about the chemical spill, which received 10,000 hits within the first 48 hours. “My family is all from Charleston, and I was bringing 10 cases of water to them because the water was undrinkable,” Waggoner said. “I was furious writing this, and I remember turning the corner and smelling the chemicals.” The panel of journalists discussed the ways in which their different organizations covered the chemical spill and the struggles they were faced with when getting the information they needed to tell their audience. Gutman, a reporter for The Charleston Gazette, made it a point to get the information that he needed so he could write the article and keep his readers and Twitter followers updated. “As a journalist, you have to be proactive and go out to find the information that you needed,” Gutman said. Gutman said that using social media as a way to get information out really fast can be a great thing, or it can

see TWEETS on PAGE 2

WVU to celebrate African culture this week by taylor mcsorley staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Africa Week has begun at West Virginia University, and the African Students Association is presenting five nights of events geared toward education, entertainment and community service. These events will focus on promoting the welfare of African students and the community. “During Africa Week, we hope to bring out both the education and entertainment aspects,” said Angela Mbamba, a senior international studies and social work student and vice president of the African Students Association. “Hopefully we can bring more joy and fun and really connect with all types of students, not only African students.” The first night of Africa Week begins this eve-

ning at 6:30 in the Rhododendron Room in the Mountainlair with “Meet the Africans.” Anyone is welcome to come and learn about the different countries in Africa. There will be students with posters set up who will freely answer any questions. The following night will include “Beats of the Motherland,” which will feature live performers. Live Afro-music, poetry and a variety of talents will be showcased in celebration of African culture. A documentary featuring “The Africa they do not show” will be shown on Thursday preceding a discussion about common misconceptions the media has generated about Africa. “I think the Media vs. The Real Africa night will be a real eye-opener,” Mbamba said. “There will be lots of media coverage coming to

AFRICA WEEK SCHEDULE • TONIGHT 6:30 p.m. -”Meet the Africans” •WEDNESDAY - “Beats of the Motherland” •THURSDAY- “The Africa they do not show” documentary • FRIDAY- A Taste of Africa Potluck • SUNDAY- Africa Night “My Roots, My Identity” that event, and there will also be a panel of African students there shooting questions back and forth with everyone. They will also be showing videos and killing stereotypes and misconceptions.” The African Students Association will present the Taste of Africa Potluck Friday, when students can come to taste African delicacies. Sunday will finish off Africa Week with “My Roots, My Identity” for Africa Night. “I’m really looking forward to the potluck where everyone will be eating, listening to music and play-

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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

EDITORIAL News outlets need to embrace social media to spread news and interact with their readers, not turn away from it. OPINION PAGE 4

same time. same place. 8.0

ing games,” Mbamba said. “Then finally on (Sunday) is Africa night, which will encompass everything from Africa Week.” Africa Night will feature guest speaker Alice Gyamfi, who is the current Miss Africa USA (First Princess) and philanthropist who focuses on the empowerment of women and the education of young African girls. Gyamfi works together with Youth for Human Rights to provide scholarships for young girls to pursue a career in humanitar-

see africa on PAGE 2

ROSTER REALIGNMENT Sophomore guard Eron Harris announced Monday he will transfer from WVU. SPORTS PAGE 7

WELL ®


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