The DA 08-26-14

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Tuesday August 26, 2014

Volume 127, Issue 8

www.THEDAONLINE.com

INFORM, SUPPORT, UNITE “These are the kinds of places where we need to start discussing racism in America ... Here at WVU we have a good opportunity to discuss these issues candidly and intelligently.” — WVU SGA President Chris Nyden

the decision makers

Board of Governors oversees direction of University The WVU Board of Governors meets every two months at the Erickson Alumni Center. The next meeting will be held on Sept. 19. Editor’s note: This is the second story in a fivepart series outlining organizations on campus that make decisions that impact the WVU community. by alyssa lazar staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Jacob Bojesson/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Attendees raised their hands Monday evening as a representation of Michael Brown’s last actions before he was gunned down by an officer in Ferguson, Mo.

WVU community holds vigil in solidarity with Ferguson by jacob bojesson city editor @jbojesson

The West Virginia University community came together Monday for a candlelight vigil outside the Mountainlair in solidarity with Michael Brown and Ferguson, Mo. The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson on Aug. 9 and the protests that followed have dominated the news throughout the past few weeks. On Monday, the movement hit Morgantown and WVU where approximately 60 people took part in a candlelight vigil. The gathering was co-hosted by the Muslim Student Association and the WVU Collegiate Chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, two minority organizations on campus said they believe the issue of police brutality is of national concern and needs to be addressed at WVU. “We’re here to bring awareness and information to our campus about the injustices that are happening in Ferguson,” said Jihad Dixon, President of the WVU College Chapter of the NAACP. “The injustices of police brutality are happening every day in America, so we need to bring awareness wherever we are because it’s an injustice that needs to be corrected. I think it’s important that we bring awareness to the entire campus, because we are one campus.” Police brutality has long been a topic of discussion around the country. The candlelight vigil was a way to share three things: information, support and unity. Dixon said he believes the killing of Michael Brown is just the tip of the iceberg in a series of events leading up to the outrage taking place around the country. “There has been a new police brutality case almost every year,” Dixon said. “Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, these people need to be supported and their families need to be supported.” Mouaz Haffar, president of the Muslim Student Association, said the Michael Brown shooting affects all minorities, not just African Americans. “As a minority here in America, I feel like the African Americans took the first blow for all the minorities,” Haffar said. “They represent all the minorities. Their struggle is our struggle. The moment that we realize that, as minorities, we stand and unite with each other, is the mo-

by taylor mcsorley staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Jacob Bojesson/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Muslim Student Association President Mouaz Haffar, second from right, stands amongst attendees Monday evening in front of the Mountainlair. ment that we’ll start getting change in society.” Each person taking part in the candlelight vigil lit the candle of the person to his or her right, before they stood in silence for about 20 minutes. The participants faced University Avenue to get the attention of drivers and pedestrians passing by. Before Haffar ended the vigil with a prayer, the participants held up their hands to pay respect for Brown. Student Body President Chris Nyden took part in the vigil and said universities around the country play an important role in eliminating racism. “I think that right here on college campuses, these are the kinds of places where we need to start discussing racism in America,” Nyden said. “The conversation is just not

WHAT YOU MISSED

INSIDE

A recap of all the action at MTV’s Video Music Awards Sunday. A&E PAGE 6

News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 6 Sports: 7, 8, 10 Campus Connection: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 9

see bog on PAGE 2

WVU Fire Service Extension to train armed forces

86° / 64°

SUNNY

The West Virginia University Board of Governors serves as the governing body of the University and makes important decisions affecting the everyday lives of students, faculty and employees. “The Board of Governors is a 17-member board that oversees and manages financial, business and education policies at West Virginia University,” said Becky Lofstead, Assistant Vice President for University Communications. The Board is composed of the current student government president, two faculty representatives, one staff representative, the BOG chairman, BOG vice-chairman, BOG secretary and 10 other members dictated by the governor. Approving and altering tuition and budgets are two of the many tasks the Board of Governors is responsible for. They also deal with other financial tasks, business decisions and educational programs. Every five years, the

Board of Governors oversees a review of all academic programs at the University so WVU can compete with other universities globally. They also manage personnel matters such as employment and compensation of the University’s employees. This past year, the Board of Governors dealt with a monumental personnel matter when they appointed current WVU President Gordon Gee. Former Student Body President, Ryan Campione, was the student member on the Board of Governors when the selection was made. “The Board of Governors deals mostly with the oversight of the direction of the University and the actions of the University president,” Campione said. “Last year one of the biggest things I got to work on was the selection of the new president.” The Board was able to use Campione to gain a valuable insight from students and faculty in regards to their choice of WVU President. “You take a lot of different opinions into consideration,” Campione said. “One thing I did was ask students, faculty and employees at the University what they expected and wanted to see out of the University president.”

happening at a national level. I think that here at WVU we have a good opportunity to discuss these issues candidly and intelligently.” Many African American students on campus have been greatly affected by the recent events and said they feel scared for their families and loved ones. “It makes me worried for my family members,” said Kamaria Dingle, a business and finance student at WVU. “This could have been my brother or my cousin, so I’m very worried for our family members.” A similar gathering to raise awareness of police brutality will be held around 5 p.m. today outside the Mountainlair. carl.bojesson@mail.wvu.edu

THE DA’s HIRING WRITERS Inquire about paid positions at The Daily Athenaeum at DA-editor@mail.wvu.edu or pick up an application at our office at 284 Prospect St.

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 With senior cornerback Ishmael Banks suspended for the first three games of the season, West Virginia’s depth in the secondary will be tested. SPORTS PAGE 7

West Virginia University has been awarded a contract with the Center for National Response to help train and keep America’s military safe. This contract will ensure training conducted by the WVU Fire Service Extension to spread knowledge the armed forces need to stay safe in emergency situations. This is the second time WVU has been awarded this contract. During the previous award term, University experts traveled all around the country training approximately 15,000 military members. The WVU Fire Service Extension is located near WVU Jackson’s Mill in Weston, W.Va. It trains more than 2,000 firefighters and first responders every year from West Virginia and surrounding states. WVU Extension Service is the primary outreach division of the University. There are offices in all 55 counties of the state, with WVU faculty members in each of those offices. “Instead of teaching in a classroom, those faculty members teach in com-

munities,” said Cassie Thomas, communications & marketing manager for WVU Extension Service. “It’s essentially the land-grant mission in action, where we take University resources and provide them to communities outside of Morgantown, so that the entire state benefits from the University’s research and work.” The WVU Extension Service was created by an act of Congress and is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The entity that WVU Fire Extension Service works with in the contract is the Center for National Response. This is an operational component of the Joint Interagency Training & Education Center that is a National Guard training activity operated by the Chief National Guard Bureau and the Adjutant General of West Virginia. This training complex provides multi-scenario exercises for the military or joint operations with military and first responders. According to the WVU State Fire Training Academy website, WVU Fire Service Extension serves

see FIRE on PAGE 2

‘A HISTORICAL OCCASION’ The short-season Class-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates will be moving to Morgantown. SPORTS PAGE 7


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