THE DAILY ATHENAEUM “Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2010
www.THEDAONLINE.com www
VOLUME123, ISSUE 143
Student wins design competition BY GAVIN MATELA STAFF WRITER
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Two West Virginia University students won a national contest by renewing, reusing and redesigning “an environmentally sound space to live, work and play,” for artists and businesses in Asheville, N.C. Kyle Stauffer, a senior landscape architecture major in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources & Design, won the “ReCycle this Site” design contest. Nina Chase, also a senior landscape architecture major, was recognized as runner-up. The contest, sponsored by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and the Environmental Protection Agency asked students from WVU, Virginia Tech, University of Ari-
zona, Clemson University, North Carolina State and the Savannah College of Art and Design to design a livable space for artists and businesses in Asheville, N.C. “It’s amazing that we had three finalists and the top two projects overall. That says something about the quality of the education that I am receiving here,” Stauffer said. Stauffer received a $2,500 scholarship for winning the contest and will have the movie he submitted
To learn more about the project and to see the winning movie Stauffer and Chase submitted, visit http://www.recyclethissite. org/.
featured in a documentary. He was also asked to speak at a conference about brownfields, or polluted and abandoned industrial lands, in Philadelphia next year. “This award helps me most by giving me a confidence booster. The knowledge that I can compete and win on a national level means a lot to me,” he said. Even though Chase did not place, she said she enjoyed the experience and is pleased with her work. “Knowing that WVU landscape architecture students can compete, and competitively compete, with other top design students can only strengthen our reputation as an already prominent landscape architecture program,” Chase said. The Davis College was ranked
10th worldwide by DesignIntelligence for their Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Degree in 2010. “It reflects on the quality of the student work coming out of our program. Named as a Top 10 program this year and performing well in a national competition brings more notoriety to our program, the Davis College and WVU,” said Peter Butler, professor of resource management and one of the students’ sponsors for the program. Of the more than 200 students who participated, Stauffer, Chase and Calin Owens, also a senior in the Davis College, were chosen as three of the six finalists for the award.
see DESIGN on PAGE 3
SUBMITTED
Shown above is part of Stauffer’s winning landscape architecture design.
University, community celebrates Earth Day Sierra Club petitions
for ‘green’ campus
Campus Ridership Stats – 47 percent of all WVU students and visitors drive to campus – 21 percent bike or walk – 19 percent ride the PRT – 1 percent have some other form of transportation – 7 percent ride a bus or shuttle – 5 percent ride in a car some Source: 2008 transportation study commissioned by WVU
CHELSI BAKER/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
LEFT: Free reusable water bottles are given out at the WECAN booth during the sustainability fair in the Mountainlair Thursday. RIGHT: Sophomore journalism major Hilary Burns signs a sustainability pledge at the Sustainability Fair in the Mountainlair Thursday. Students who signed the pledge were given a free T-shirt in celebration of Earth Day.
BY DEVON UNGER STAFF WRITER
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day gave West Virginia University students and Morgantown residents a chance to see a show, catch free bus rides and learn about “green” practices. The WVU Office of Sustainability, along with WELL WVU and the WVU Young Democrats, sponsored the “Green Show on the Green,” a concert and sustainability fair. Several booths were set up in the Mountainlair to promote sustainability at WVU. Mountain Line Transit Authority offered coupons for free bus rides as part of Earth Day festivities, while free T-shirts made of 100 percent recycled material and
reusable water bottles were also given away. “I think the first part is education and awareness. For someone to act, they need to be aware of what the issue is,” said Clement Solomon, director of Sustainability at WVU. “Every day should be an Earth Day, and this event is highlighting that issue.” The event, Solomon said, was primarily student run, and free Mountain Line bus ride coupons promoted the use of public transportation to reduce carbon emissions. Maria Smith, marketing officer at the Mountain Line Transit Authority, said they are trying to put the word out to empower people. “For every change that every person makes, it makes a big
change at the end of the day. Public transportation is one way that people can help the Earth,” Smith said. Using public transportation saves 900,000 automobile fill-ups each day, 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline a year and reduces individual carbon emissions by 48,000 pounds per year, according to a Mountain Line press release. Bus rides usually cost 75 cents per ride. Mountain Line bus service is free to WVU students with a WVU I.D. The Office of Sustainability has been working with other organizations and the community to sponsor Earth Month during April. Earlier in the month the Office of Sustainability sponsored a water and eco artist lecture by Basia
Irland at the Creative Arts Center, Amizade’s Water Walk for Women’s Rights, Impact E.A.R.T.H. (Environmental Awareness and Respecting Tomorrow’s Home), the Earth Day 5K race and the Sierra Swing Show at 123 Pleasant Street. Upcoming events include a free paper-shredding day at the Communications Building on Patteson Drive from 9 a.m. to noon today for students’ personal documents. Electronic recycling will also be available on Maiden Lane for all types of electronic devices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We want everyone to feel part of it, and wherever we can assist and help, we are glad to do that,” Solomon said. devon.unger@mail.wvu.edu
WVU to offer workplace safety class this summer BY SAMANTHA COSSICK STAFF WRITER
West Virginia University Safety & Health Extension is offering its Occupational Safety and Health Administration record-keeping seminar class this summer. The four-hour class teaches various methods for keeping track of work related injuries and illnesses, said Bob Moore, extension specialist and safety and extension clinical instructor. “It’s a very precise way for employees to keep track of any work-related injuries and fatalities that meet the requirements for recording,” Moore said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION To register for the class, please call 304-293-3096 or visit http://safetyandhealth.ext.wvu.edu/. OSHA rules do not require every accident be recorded but only certain ones which the class will teach, Moore said. He said procedures for recording accidents depend on the situation and the profession. The seminar class is targeted at people responsible for identifying OSHA requirements and those who complete OSHA forms 300, 300A and 301, said Missy Stewart, project coordinator for Safety & Health Exten-
sion, in an e-mail. OSHA record keeping typically affects jobs such as construction, manufacturing, utility plants, some public sectors, school systems and higher education, Moore said. Keeping better records allows employees to spot trouble areas and patterns of accidents, allowing them to treat the problem, Moore said. OSHA rules are taught in all Safety & Health Extension classes, but this is the only course that focuses on the rules, he said. The department is hoping to offer the class more often, he said.
“We’re going to be doing it a lot more often, because now it is an OSHA national emphasis,” Moore said. “(Participants) think it’s very useful, and they think it should be longer.” The class will also teach members about the OSHA confidentiality policy and the liability issues of not filing a reportable injury, Moore said. The deadline to register for the OSHA 7845 record keeping rule seminar is April 27. Tuition costs $150 per person. Pre-registration is required because seating is limited, Stewart said. samantha.cossick@mail.wvu.edu
70° / 51°
HELP THE MINERS
THE DA HAS A NEW MOBILE WEBSITE
INSIDE
The concert at De Lazy Lizard will raise money for miners’ families. A&E PAGE 14
Get the same stories and columns quicker and easier now on your phone. Check out our new cell phone-friendly website by logging on to www.thedaonline.com/mobile.
P.M. Showers
News: 1, 3 Opinion: 4 Sports: 5, 7, 8,9 A&E: 10, 11, 14 Campus Calendar: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 12, 13
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
BY BRITTANY COLE STAFF WRITER
The West Virginia University Sierra Student Coalition is petitioning for University support of the new President’s Climate Commitment Campaign this week. Universities will pledge to be leaders for emission reduction, clean energy, efficiency and sustainability as part of the campaign. The SSC, an environmental group on campus, hopes WVU will join. Miranda Miller, a freshman social work major and member of the SSC, said it’s part of a nationally run campaign that more than 600 universities have already signed on to. “It’s basically stipulating that the president of the University will sign the commitment to create a plan and oversee a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on campus and make sustainability a priority on their campus,” Miller said. The Coalition currently has about 200 signatures and hopes to get 500 signatures by the end of the semester. “Right now we our collecting petitions to show President (James P.) Clements that there is a lot of support for such an initia-
FOR MORE INFORMATION On the campaign, visit www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/. tive here at WVU,” Miller said. The overall goal of the organization is to get Clements’ signature to show WVU’s commitment and participation in the campaign, said Maria Panaccione, a freshman international studies and geography major and SSC member. The SSC began working on the campaign this past Monday by collecting signatures inside and around the Mountainlair, Panaccione said. “We’ve also been doing a photo petition. We have a speech bubble, which people hold up that says, ‘Hey, President Clements, sign the PCC and make WVU carbon neutral.’” SSC members are planning to walk around the Mountainlair with the photo petitions again, Panaccione said. “It’s a cool campaign because it’s very adaptable to your campus,” Miller said. “Our hope for it is to involve the new Office of Sustainability here at WVU and involve student organizations that are invested in
see SIERRA on PAGE 3
Group to honor miners for service with awards, ceremony BY ANN COMPTON STAFF WRITER
A West Virginia group is honoring coal miners for their contributions to the coal industry and their service to the community with an awards ceremony. The Mine Safety Technology Consortium from Montgomery, W.Va., is accepting nominations for the second annual Miners’ Celebration held June 17. The celebration will honor nominees who live in the state and have exhibited heroism, community service and innovation, said Timothy Luce, president and CEO of Presidio Studios. Luce manages an advertising agency responsible for promoting the event. “We wanted to recognize miners as humans and for their contributions to the community,” Luce said. He explained the grioy already had an idea of what kind of theme they wanted for this year’s ceremony. “Miners aren’t just a source of income, people exist to the benefit off the mines,” he said. “Miners support their local communities, their neighbors, outside of just serving in the mine industry.” This year’s celebration will be held at the Glade Springs Resort
NEXT WEEK The NFL draft continues tonight. While there might not be a Mountaineer selected in the first round this year, there are a few expected to be drafted. See the recap in Monday’s paper.
in Daniels, W.Va., and feature discussions on mining innovations in the 21st Century, according to the website established by the MSTC. Dennis Jarvis II, MSTC director, said the idea for the celebration was proposed last year at the first MSTC conference in Beckley, W.Va. Coal industries give out awards within their own companies, but there were no awards for general miners, Jarvis said. “West Virginian coal miners are the hardest working and most dedicated professionals that this state has. We couldn’t think of a better profession to honor,” he said. The MSTC has already received more than 20 nominations, and they hope to receive more before the celebration, he said. The celebration will be named after the 29 miners who perished at the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion in Montcoal, W.Va., he said. It is undetermined the number of awards that would be given out during the celebration, Jarvis said. “We’re going to honor all those worthy of recognition.” jessica.compton@mail.wvu.edu
SAFETIES STEP UP FOR WVU West Virginia safeties Robert Sands, Sidney Glover and Terence Garvin continue to improve this spring in hopes of solidifying the Mountaineers’ secondary. SPORTS PAGE 5