The DA 12-08-2015

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Tuesday December 8, 2015

Volume 128, Issue 71

www.THEDAONLINE.com

UPD warns students of phone scam by robert lee staff writer @dailyathenaeum

All it takes is nine or 16 specific numbers for a phone scam to wreak havoc on someone’s life.

Currently, one is making rounds through West Virginia University’s campus, officials said.

On Thursday, Dec. 3 a phone scam appearing to target students by imitating the WVU Financial Aid

Office’s phone number was brought to WVU Information Technology Service and West Virginia University Police Department’s attention, said Alex Jalso, chief information security officer at WVU. “This scam is after students’ identity (and) any and all information that can lead to identity theft, such as social security numbers, credit cards or bank account information,” Jalso said. “The finan-

cial aid angle is just the way they’re trying to get [students’] attention and generate a response.”

This scam, like many other phone scams, tells people that a balance is due on their account and an arrest warrant is out for them if they do not pay it, Jalso said. When this specific information is heard, it’s completely fraudulent and students should not share any information regarding their payments or personal

identity information.

Knowing that the financial aid office will never issue an arrest warrant for students with overdue balances will reduce the chances of falling victim, Jalso said. Students also need to know they can always check their balance online through their STAR account or by contacting the Mountaineer HUB at (304) 293-1988.

It’s of the utmost importance that if students are

tact with this phone scam to file a report with only the UPD and not the Morgantown Police Department.

When reported to UPD, the information record is then shared with WVU ITS, and those forces are able to collaborate on developing the appropriate awareness measures needed, Jalso said.

But this is only possible when people start ac-

contacted by this phone scam, to file a report and know the financial aid office will never say these types of statements, especially through a phone call, Jalso said.

“Students shouldn’t have to be nervous about whether scammers will be able to get a hold of their information,” said Alyssa Acquevella, a senior at WVU. Jalso strongly urges those who come in con-

see scam on PAGE 2

Morgantown residents exposed to dangerous air pollutants

The Daily Athenaeum’s

MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

of 2015

Every year, The Daily Athenaeum crafts a list of the most influential people at West Virginia University.

This list is voted on by the DA Editorial Board.

1

Arvind Thiruvengadam Research Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Thir uvengadam carried out the emissions testing in the WVU Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emission’s study that cost Volkswagon CEO Martin Winterkorn his job. The team of CAFEE researchers, graduate students and engineers, under the instruction of Daniel Carder, interim director of CAFEE, examined emissions from standard VW cars and compared them with results released by the Environmental Protection Agency previously. The team discovered a discrepancy in the results, and it was later learned that VW installed a “defeat device”

into some of its models that controls emission rates based on whether the car is undergoing emission testing or not.

Thiruvengadam’s, and the CAFEE team’s work led VW’s stock to plummet as people learned of the falsified emissions ratings, and the company came under regulation investigations world wide.

Winterkorn resigned as CEO days following the scandal, and research and development heads from Porsche and Audi were suspended.

The scandal, overall, raised international attention about the threatening levels of pollution emitted by several carmakers. Potentially, Thiruvengadam’s work could

2

3

wvutoday.wvu.edu

garrett yurisko/the daily athenaeum

Two diesel trucks make their rounds through downtown Morgantown.

By Robert Lee & Elisha Wagoner Mountaineer News Service

WVUTODAY.WVU.EDU

revolutionize the way government agencies, like the EPA, regulate and test vehicle emissions.

Thiruvengadam ranked second on Motor Trend’s an-

nual Power List, joining the likes of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser and Motor Trend Person of the Year Thomas Doll.

and Dr. Powsiri Klinkhachorn ing the Coun-

and advancement in WVU’s robotics. He leads the WVU robotics team, which has excelled in competitions including the NASA Robotic Mining Competition and Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems Robotic International Space Mining Competition. Klinkhachorn is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

West Virginia University professor Dr. Powsiri Klinkhachorn was named West Virginia’s Professor of the Year last month by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teach-

Kadeisha Buchanan

tional team. While Canada in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, she started in the game versus China, and won the Young Player Award. Her accomplishments at WVU include being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and NSCAA/Continental Tire All-American

WVU Women’s Soccer Player representing

Kadeisha Buchanan is a soccer player for the West Virginia University Mountaineers as well as the backline starter for the Canadian Women’s National Team. Buchanan was one of the youngest players on a women’s na-

4

5

facebook.com

Hilary Kinney

Journalism Student

Hilary Kinney is the founder of the West Virginia University chapter of the Food Recovery Network.

This organization eliminates food waste by tak-

cil for Advancement and Support of Education. Klinkhachorn, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering and expert in microprocessors and digital electronics, Klinkhachorn was recognized for his involvement with students,

First Team.

She was also instrumental in WVU’s Tournament run in 2015.

Buchanan is currently a senior pursuing a criminology degree.

Student Program Advisor

In May, Vice President of Student Life Bill Schafer announced at a faculty senate meeting that seven changes would be implemented to WVU’s Greek Life following the morato-

ing leftover food from various locations and gives it to those in need. Kinney, a junior journalism student at WVU, was inspired to start the network while working to map food pantries in West Virginia.

By Jordan Miller staff writer @dailyathenaeum

rium that took over the spring semester. These changes included delaying fall recruitment, adding a retreat for leaders and hiring a Director of Greek Life, among others.

Li has been crucial in working with Greek leaders and students as they adapted to changes following the morato-

rium. Li has done work to improve the Greek’s reputation around campus, including starting a social media campaign #MeetTheGreeks that allowed other students to see a side of Greek organizations and participants not regularly publicized.

Kinney is a member of the WVU Honors College, as well as a certified ProLiteracy tutor. facebook.com

51°/38°

COOL CHRISTMAS CRAFTS

INSIDE

Fun holiday project ideas A&E PAGE 5

CLOUDY

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

THE DA’s HIRING WRITERS

This semester alone, the West Virginia University student organization Engineers Without Borders has logged 576 service hours, with the intent to break 600 by the end of finals week.

The organization, composed of engineers from all backgrounds and specialties, has completed several service projects both abroad and in the Morgantown area.

“There’s never an opportunity they say no to,” said Cate Schlobohm, outreach program coordinator at the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “Whether it’s laying a French drain or volunteering at a Legoleague competition, they’re always willing to help with anything.”

One of EWB’s goals for

this year was to increase membership to more than 100 active members with paid dues, said Colin Frosch, EWB president.

This semester, EWB has more than 125 members from the 12 different engineering majors offered in the Statler College.

Unlike traditional student organizations, EWB has 14 people in leadership positions, making sure work is evenly distributed and everyone gets an opportunity to lead. “(Frosch) is a really good leader because he tries to help other people learn to be leaders, too,” Schlobohm said. “He’s not a leader who takes all the credit.”

EWB completed the most volunteer hours in 2015 by a landslide, according to Schlobohm, more than doubling the hours of the second place

see ewb on PAGE 2

PRESS VS. PACKLINE

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

see pollution on PAGE 2

Engineers Without Borders offers international experience for students while helping communities

Askar Salikhov/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Jessica Li

Morgantown residents are exposed to high levels of toxic particles in the air emitted by coal-powered plants and diesel trucks so ubiquitous on the city’s downtown streets. These microscopic particles can have harmful effects on people, according to several researchers at West Virginia University.

These fine particles do lead to very high levels of mortality,” said James Kotcon, associate professor of plant and soil sciences at WVU’s Davis College of Agriculture.Even short-term exposure can be risky because such ultra-fine particles can damage lungs and cause can-

cer. Such pollutants can also increase the chance of developing asthma and exacerbate existing breathing problems, particularly in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the American Lung Association.

Michael McCawley, interim chair of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at WVU, has been studying ultra-fine particles in regions of West Virginia where surface mining occurs. But McCawley said that anywhere there’s a lot of traffic or diesel generators, people are exposed to high levels of ultra-fine particle pollution, a recent West Virginia

HOLIDAY DONATIONS People should donate more to chartiy year-round

It’s a battle of defenses tonight in NYC SPORTS PAGE 9

OPINION PAGE 4

FUEL FINALS

December 9 at Hatfield’s 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

FREE all-you-can eat breakfast.

ALL students are invited!

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

2 | NEWS

Tuesday December 8, 2015

WVU prepares for upcoming state budget cuts

By Corey McDonald Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum

West Virginia—facing financial difficulties—announced a decrease in funding for state agencies, including West Virginia University. This has prompted the Department of Administration and Finance to prepare a plan of action.

Tax revenues for the state are $91 million behind estimates, and officials have predicted a $250 million shortfall on the state’s $4 billion budget, according to a press release from WVU Today. Severance taxes are down 41 percent, and natural gas severance tax collections are down more than 35 percent.

In the past, West Virginia state budget cuts have led to higher education budget cuts that have affected life at the University, whether in the form of job losses or tuition increases.

In 2004, for example, The Daily Athenaeum reported West Virginia took on a $120 million deficit from the $3 billion state budget at the time, resulting in a loss of $22 million for the University.

“Five years of economic woes cut about 500 WVU employees. We’re not just losing high-scale professors either. People who have worked here years and depended on this institution to support their families are suffering,” the staff columnist wrote.

In a report by The DA in

2012 – in the face of a $12 million budget decrease to University funds – Narvel Weese, vice president of Administration and Finance, said there were several considerations in adjusting the University’s budget to reflect the cuts.

“Theoretically, the process would involve a base cut, and then we would consider program cuts probably delay some deferred maintenance - and you should probably anticipate a little higher tuition increase for students,” Weese said in the report.

Consistent pushback has been present by University officials as well as members of Student Government. In March 2015, Student Body President Chris Nyden wrote a letter expressing his

disappointment in the cuts made at the time, and urging the Governor and the state to exclude higher education cuts.

“We have been told for several years that higher education will be cut, but the budget situation looks brighter in future years,” Nyden wrote in the letter.

“The actual results have been overly optimistic predictions and increased budget cuts.”

But the University continues to try and accommodate by creating more efficient expenses and savings.

Each year, the Department of Administration and Finance tries to determine where revenues are going to be through a 5-year financial forecast.

“The financial team is

constantly looking at what those out-years look like, what our revenues are likely to be, what our expenses are likely to be, what the enrollment count (is) going to be,” said Rob Alsop, vice president for legal, governmental and entrepreneurial engagement at WVU. “(The Department of Administration and Finance) has been looking at ways to make this work.”

The University maintains it will continue to work toward creating an efficient financial plan to compensate for state budget cuts and ensure the best possible campus experience for students.

“It’s a balancing act,” Alsop said. “The goal is to become more efficient as an institution so that we don’t

have to sacrifice any type of quality for the faculty or the students. We have to work hard in looking at how we provide those services, and try and do it in an efficient way. And I know the President does not want to sacrifice any of those quality metrics to continue to do business.”

The Department of Administration and Finance will present a plan of action at the next Board of Governors meeting on Dec. 18 to deal with the budget shortfalls, according to a WVU Today press release.

Alsop said it may be some time before they “come forward with any sort of plan for revenues for the next year.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

ap

FBI: Killers had been radicalized ‘for quite some time’ SAN BERNARDINO, California (AP)—The San Bernardino killers had been radicalized “for quite some time” and had taken target practice at area gun ranges, in one instance just days before the attack that left 14 people dead, the FBI said Monday.

In a chilling twist, authorities also disclosed that a year before the rampage, Syed Farook’s co-workers at the county health department underwent “active shooter” training in the same conference room where he and his wife opened fire on them last week.

It was not immediately clear whether Farook attended the late-2014 session on what to do when a gunman invades the workplace, San Bernardino County spokeswoman Felisa Cardona said.

Two employees who sur vive d the attack said colleagues reacted Wednesday by trying to do as they had been trained dropping under the tables and staying quiet so as not to attract attention.

“Unfortunately, the room just didn’t provide a whole lot of protection,” said Corwin Porter, assistant county health director.

Farook, a 28-year-old restaurant inspector born

in the U.S. to a Pakistani family, and Tashfeen Malik, a 29-year-old immigrant from Pakistan, went on the rampage at a holiday luncheon at about the same time Malik pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group on Facebook, authorities said. The Muslim couple were killed hours later in a gunbattle with police.

“We have learned and believe that both subjects were radicalized and have been for quite some time,” said David Bowdich, chief of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.

He added: “The question we’re trying to get at is how did that happen and by whom and where did that happen? And I will tell you right now we don’t know those answers.”

He also said the couple had taken target practice at ranges in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, with one session held within days of the rampage.

John Galletta, an instructor at Riverside Magnum Range, said in a statement that Farook had been there Nov. 29 and 30, two days before the attack, and “nothing was out of the ordinary regarding his behavior.”

Galletta told reporters that he never spoke to Farook and that no one had

seen Farook’s wife around there.

Asked whether in hindsight he or others at the range should have been suspicious of Farook, Galletta said: “How are you able to determine what somebody’s intents are?”

Authorities also discovered 19 pipes in the couple’s home in Redlands, California, that could be turned into bombs, Bowdich said. The FBI previously said it had found 12 pipe bombs.

Newly released emergency radio transmissions from the fast-moving tragedy show that police identified Farook as a suspect almost immediately, even though witnesses reported that the attackers wore black ski masks.

An unidentified police officer put out Farook’s name because Farook had left the luncheon “out of the blue” 20 minutes before the shooting, “seemed nervous,” and matched the description of one of the attackers, according to audio recordings posted

by The Press-Enterprise newspaper of Riverside.

In addition to the 14 killed, 21 people were hurt. At least six remained hospitalized, two in critical condition.

President Barack Obama said in a prime-

An investigator works the site of a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 in San Bernardino, Calif. The FBI said it’s investigating the massacre on Wednesday in San Bernardino, Calif., that killed dozens as a terrorist attack. time address Sunday night been legally purchased by into shock and mourning. that the attack was an “act an old friend of Farook’s, A custody hearing of terrorism designed to Enrique Marquez, author- for Farook and Malik’s kill innocent people.” ities said, but they are still 6-month-old daughter The killers had “gone trying to determine how was held Monday, with down the dark path of the couple got the weap- Farook’s sister seeking to radicalization,” he said, ons. Marquez has not been adopt the baby, the Counbut there was no evidence charged with a crime. cil on American-Islamic they were part of a larger Meanwhile, most of the Relations said. No longconspiracy or were di- county’s 20,000 employ- term decisions were made, rected by an overseas ter- ees went back to work for and the child will remain the first time since the in county custody for now. ror organization.

The two assault rifles rampage five days earlier Another hearing is set for used in the attack had plunged the community next month.

scam

nancial aide obligations, paired with scare tactics.

But what makes this specific scam dangerous is the fact that it’s a phone scam occurring for the first time this semester, officials say.

This is particularly dangerous because of the situational impacts students are dealing with that are associated with the semester ending.

“I am extremely busy with finals, jobs and internships that if I received

a call from someone claiming to be WVU financial aid, I probably wouldn’t even question it and give them my information,” Acquevella said. “I’m sure all students are so focused on finals that if the financial aid office called asking for their information, they wouldn’t think twice about giving it to them, which is really scary.”

Because this is the time of year when students are concerned about other

things, it increases the chance of them acknowledging this phone call, Jalso said, specifically when they notice the number appears to be University affiliated.

Filing a report also allows WVU ITS to start tracking trends and figuring out what the common element being used in scams is so students’ personal information can be better protected Students aren’t the only ones who need to be aware

of this scam, however, because for some, they’re not the ones handling the financial situation.

“It’s just as important for parents to know about it,” Acquevella said. “My parents handle my financial aid and it makes me nervous that they may receive calls from scammers trying to get my information.”

These types of scams can occur when someone is very busy and not focused, Jalso said. Students may

just react, instead of listening to the question to determine if it’s legitimate.

“Don’t just listen,” Jalso said. “Process the information and process what the caller is telling you.”

For additional information and advice on phone scams, students are advised to visit: http://it.wvu.edu/security/defend-your-data/ phone-scams

EWB FLEX officer. “It’s kind of like a little community within engineering, where you get to meet people that may not share similar interests, but still have that common goal of wanting to help people.”

Last year, EWB partnered with Penn State Harrisburg, taking a group of students to the Dominican Republic to collect data for a project focused on water filtration.

Students worked in three teams that focused on mapping out the area, talking to families to collect

data on water availability and sampling nearby water sources, according to Allen.

While last year’s journey was mainly to assess resources available in the area, EWB plans to return to the Dominican Republic in August to install filtration systems, and continue working with five WVU students and their faculty advisor, Dr. Lian-Shin Lin. “(We’re looking for) the most sustainable, engineered solution that we can apply so that they can have a dependable and clean water source,” Frosch said.

EWB secretary Josh Watson emphasized the importance of sustainability, as well.

“We could go in and help them, but we also want there to be a teaching aspect,” Watson said, “so that when we leave, they will to be able to apply what we did to fix the systems we put in place, or adopt new systems in other areas.”

The organization wants all of its members to experience service learning, but since not everyone is eligible to go abroad, students are able to get involved lo-

cally, in everything from WVU new student welcome days to Habitat for Humanity.

Alexis Zini, another EWB FLEX officer, said her favorite local project so far was when they went to the Chestnut Mountain Ranch home for boys and stained a deck for one of the families living on site. A weekend’s worth of work was completed in one Sunday afternoon.

“It was really rewarding. They sacrifice so much to help and instruct these boys, so it was great to

get to help them and see them just take time to relax while we worked for them, instead of them always being the ones who give their time,” Zini said.

EWB would like to thank their faculty advisor Dr. Lin, the Statler College, Ryan Sigler and Cate Schlobohm for all their help in EWB projects.

For more information on Engineers Without Borders, visit http://ewb.studentorgs.wvu.edu.

ful particles in the air, but only at one site, said Renu Chakrabarty, air toxics coordinator with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Agency. This monitor is located at one of the city’s highest points, Morgantown Municipal Airport, which has an elevation of 1,248 feet.

During the ’80s and ‘90s, the city used two monitors to track air pollution, Chakrabarty said, and only one exists today.

As a result, monitors may be not picking up dangerously high levels of ultra-fine particles present in heavily trafficked low points in Morgantown, such as Beechurst Avenue.

“The city of Morgantown could see some real benefits from [more monitoring], especially in downtown areas where we see a lot of truck traffic,” Kotcon said.

Morgantown City Manager Jeff Mikorski said air quality assessments are not the city’s responsibility. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is the agency responsible for such monitoring, Mikorski said.

State officials, however, are not “politically aligned” to look for air pollution problems, Nichols said.

Several years ago, the air pollution was so bad in parts of Morgantown, which lies in a valley that traps smog, the city came close to violating EPA air quality standards, according to an article published on the Mountaineer News Service. At that time, Mikorski acknowledged that if Morgantown’s air quality fell below EPA standards, the city would not be allowed to use any of the federal funding it receives for anything other than cleaning up air pollution.

As measured at the airport, Morgantown’s air quality stays within EPA limits most of the year, with the exception of summer when the standards are exceeded a few days out of the season, Kotcon said.

Ultra-fine particles less than 100 nanometers in diameter originate from industrial fossil fuel combustion and diesel trucks.

These particles are so small they are not visible to the human eye. Yet, they are still present in the black smoke emitted by large diesel trucks as they rumble by. These particles remain in the air for a substantial amount of time due to their tiny size, Nichols said.

Last year, Morgantown city officials attempted to ban big trucks from downtown streets, but the ban was challenged in court by several trucking companies. A judge in Kanawha County overturned the ban

last December, but the city is appealing the ruling, Mikorski said.

In the meantime, Mikorski said city officials are trying to convince local trucking companies to voluntarily reroute their trucks to Greenbag Road instead of traveling through downtown on State Highway 7, otherwise known as Walnut Street.

Given that the coal-powered plant on Beechurst supplies WVU’s energy needs, Morgantown City Council member Nancy Ganz says the University should play a bigger role in combating air pollution.

“It seems that WVU could take a lead in monitoring stuff like this,” she said.

McCawley is expected to release a final report on his findings in February, Nichols said. At that point, he hopes that state and local officials will start by doing

something about the diesel trucks going through Morgantown.

“If you live near roadways, you’re potentially exposed to a higher concentration than if you live further away from a major roadway with a lot of truck traffic,” Chakrabarty said.

Many diesel trucks are transporting coal to the coal-powered plant on Beechurst Avenue. So as long as that plant, which supplies WVU’s electricity needs and also emits air pollution, remains open, diesel trucks will have to travel along University Avenue and Beechurst Avenue.

“Every five to 15 minutes a truck passes through downtown,” Nichols said.

“People need to be protected as they walk along those sidewalks. We shouldn’t subject them to known risks like this.”

Continued from page 1 knowledging this is a scam and begin filing reports immediately.

Students shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed about filing a report because it can help reduce the chance of others falling victim, Jalso said, especially when this scam tries to trigger or hook students through fi-

ewb

Continued from page 1 student organization.

While members hope to exceed their current record and maintain first place in the spring, they also agree it’s more about the group effort toward service and the community than anything else.

“Helping people is overall what we’re here for, and there are just so many different ways that you can (do that),” said Erika Allen,

pollution Continued from page 1

Broadcasting report read.

McCawley recently gave a talk to the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition, during which he reported measuring ultra-fine particles on selected streets in downtown Morgantown. He said he found these particles in sufficiently high concentrations to be of concern, according to Duane Nichols, coordinator of the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition.

Coal-powered plants can release hydrogen oxide that can interact with the moisture in the air to form the ozone, which causes breathing problems, exacerbates asthma and is a potent agent that can be detrimental to the lining in lungs.

Morgantown officials currently monitor harm-

ap

danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

Tuesday December 8, 2015

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

NEWS | 3

AP

Fear at the tap: Uranium contaminates water in the west

ap

In this Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 photo, 9-year-old Carlos Velasquez drinks well water from a hose at a trailer park near Fresno, Calif. Residents of the trailer park receive notices warning that their well water contains uranium at a level considered unsafe by federal and state standards.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP)—In a trailer park tucked among irrigated orchards that help make California’s San Joaquin Valley the richest farm region in the world, 16-year-old Giselle Alvarez, one of the few English-speakers in the community of farmworkers, puzzles over the notices posted on front doors: There’s a danger in their drinking water.

Uranium, the notices warn, tests at a level considered unsafe by federal and state standards. The law requires the park’s owners to post the warnings. But they are awkwardly worded and in English, a language few of the park’s dozens of Spanish-speaking families can read.

“It says you can drink the water - but if you drink the water over a period of time, you can get cancer,” said Alvarez, whose working-class family has no choice but keep drinking and cooking with the tainted tap water daily, as they have since Alvarez was just learning to walk. “They really don’t explain.”

Uranium, the stuff of nuclear fuel for power plants and atom bombs, increasingly is showing in drinking water systems in major farming regions of the U.S. West - a naturally occurring but unexpected byproduct of irrigation, of drought, and of the overpumping of natural underground water reserves.

An Associated Press investigation in California’s central farm valleys - along with the U.S. Central Plains, among the areas most affected - found authorities are doing little to inform the public at large of the growing risk.

That includes the one out of four families on private wells in this farm valley who, unknowingly, are drinking dangerous amounts of uranium, researchers determined this year and last. Government authorities say long-term exposure to uranium can damage kidneys and raise cancer risks, and scientists say it can have other harmful effects.

In this swath of farmland, roughly 250 miles long and encompassing major cities, up to one in 10 public water systems have raw drinking water with uranium levels that exceed federal and state safety standards, the U.S. Geological Survey has found.

More broadly, nearly 2 million people in California’s Central Valley and in the U.S. Midwest live within a half-mile of groundwater containing uranium over the safety standards, University of Nebraska researchers said in a study published in September.

Everything from state agencies to tiny rural schools are scrambling to deal with hundreds of tainted public wells - more regulated than private wells under safe-drinkingwater laws.

That includes water wells at the Westport Elementary School, where 450 children from rural families study outside the Central California farm hub of Modesto.

At Westport’s playground, schoolchildren take a break from tether ball to sip from fountains marked with Spanish and English placards: “SAFE TO DRINK.” The school, which draws on its own wells for its drinking fountains, sinks and cafeteria, is one of about 10 water systems in the farm region that have installed uranium removal facilities in recent years. Prices range from $65,000 for the smallest system to the millions of dollars.

Just off Westport’s playground, a school maintenance chief jangles the keys to the school’s treatment operation, locked in a shed the size of a garage.

Inside, a system of tubes, dials and canisters resembling large scuba tanks removes up to a pound a year of uranium from the school’s wells.

The uranium gleaned from the school’s well water and other Central California water systems is handled like the nuclear material it is - taken away by workers in masks, gloves and other protective garments, said Ron Dollar, a vice president at Water Remediation Technology, a Colorado-based firm.

It is then processed into nuclear fuel for power plants, Dollar said.

Before treatment, Westport’s water tests up to four times state and federal limits. After treatment, it’s safe for the children, teachers and staff to drink.

Other Central California farm schools opt to buy bottled water in place of drinking fountains, which are off limits because of uranium and other contaminants.

“We don’t have a choice,” said Terri Lancaster, principal of the 260 students at Waukena elementary school in rural Tulare County. “You do what you have to do.”

Until winning a state grant to pay for trucked-in drinking water, her school was spending $10,000 a year from its general fund on bottled water.

Meanwhile, the city of Modesto, with a half-million residents, recently spent more than $500,000 to start blending water from one contaminated well to dilute the uranium

to safe levels. The city has retired a half-dozen other wells with excess levels of uranium.

State officials don’t track spending on uranium-contaminated wells.

But the state’s Water Resources Control Board identified at least $16.7 million the state has spent since 2010 helping public water systems deal with high levels of uranium.

In coming years, more public water systems likely will be compelled to invest in such costly fixes, said Miranda Fram, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey in Sacramento.

Fram and colleagues at USGS have taken the lead over the past decade in identifying the problem in farm centers including Central California, which produces a quarter of the country’s agriculture.

Geologists and water experts are still piecing together the ways levels of uranium exceeding federal and state health standards are seeping into more public water systems and household wells in major farm areas.

Fram and her colleagues believe the amount of uranium increased in Central Valley drinking water supplies over the last 150 years with the spread of farming.

In California, as in the Rockies, mountain snowmelt washes uraniumladen sediment to the flatlands, where groundwater is used to irrigate crops.

Irrigation allows yearround farming, and the irrigated plants naturally create a weak acid that is leeching more and more uranium from sediment, said Fram and Bryant Jurgens, a fellow researcher at the federal agency’s office in California’s capital.

Groundwater pumping pulls the contaminated water down into the earth, where it is tapped by wells that supply drinking water.

California is now experiencing its driest fouryear span on record, and farmers and other users are pumping groundwater at the highest rates ever, helping to pull yet more uranium into areas of aquifers tapped by water wells.

“This has been a decades-long process that has occurred,” Jurgens said.

And even if authorities were to intervene to somehow curb uranium contamination - and no such effort is under way “we expect that it’s going to take many decades to reverse this,” Jurgens said.

The USGS calculates that the average level of uranium in public-supply wells of the eastern San Joaquin Valley increased 17 percent from 1990 to the mid-2000s. The num-

ber of public-supply wells with unsafe levels of uranium, meantime, climbed from 7 percent to 10 percent over the same period there.

But the problem remains so unpublicized that even Fresno County farmer Mark Sorensen - who grows grapes and blueberries in one of the most impacted parts of the country, and deals with water issues routinely as a leader of the local farm bureau - admits to not knowing about it.

“To be honest, I have never spoken to anybody about uranium,” said Sorensen, a fifth-generation farmer. “I’ve never even heard of it in drinking water.”

Scientists have long known that uranium can damage kidneys and increase the risks of cancer when consumed over a year or more, which is why authorities have set maximum levels for drinking water.

Drinking water tainted by uranium is the chief concern - but uranium also sticks to potatoes, radishes and other root vegetables if they’re not properly washed. (While studies have confirmed livestock and people can ingest high levels of uranium by eating contaminated vegetation, scientists have yet to fully research the dangers involved.)

Though people think mainly about uranium’s radioactivity, the danger in water mainly comes from the toxic chemical effects of the metal.

Old public health models for uranium date back to the U.S. uranium boom of the 1940s and 1950s, when the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission set off a nuclear-age mining boom in the Central Valley and other points West as the country sought to build uranium stockpiles.

Countless miners succumbed to cancer from breathing radioactive gas.

But those models now need revising to deal with the larger population exposed through sources like drinking water, academics say.

“We should not have any doubts as to whether drinking water with uranium in it is a problem or not. It is,” said Doug Brugge, professor of public health and community medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. “The larger the population that’s drinking this water, the more people that are going to be affected.”

Because “there has not been an appreciation of the number of people exposed, it has received a lot less attention” than it

should, said researcher Johnnye Lewis at the University of New Mexico, which along with Brugge’s team is studying the health impacts of uranium on communities.

Research teams at Tufts and the University of New Mexico also link longterm exposure to signs of reproductive and genetic damage, among other problems.

In California, changes in water standards since the late 2000s have mandated testing for uranium in public water systems, and the state frequently helps public water systems deal with wells testing at high levels.

For private well owners and small water systems, however, officials were unable to point to any public health campaigns in the most-affected areas or any help with testing or dealing with wells that do test for high levels.

USGS researchers recently sampled 170 domestic water wells in the San Joaquin Valley, and found 20 to 25 percent bore uranium at levels that broke federal and state limits.

State and federal regulators say the U.S. Congress, outlining drinking water standards, has limited their enforcement authority to public water systems. “Your home’s your castle. If you’ve got a well at home, that’s your business,” said Bruce Macler, a San Franciscobased water program toxicologist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Uranium is on the radar of California water officials, but the officials are paying more attention to other farming-related contaminants, including nitrates, as well as simply having enough water in the fourth year of the state’s drought, said John Borkovich, head of water quality at the state Water Resources Control Board.

“When it comes to private domestic wells, we do what we can to get the word out,” Borkovich said.

“It’s safe to say that there’s always more that can be done.”

The Associated Press commissioned sampling of wells at five homes in the countryside outside Modesto, to look more closely at whether unregulated private wells that families depend on were as vulnerable as contaminated public water systems nearby.

The results: Water from two of the five wells contained dangerous levels of uranium.

None of the five families, however, had ever heard that uranium could be a problem in ground-

water - let alone that it was a problem in their area.

“That’s something I’m sure a lot of people are unaware of,” said Reyna Rico, whose rural home overlooking farm fields had a well that tested three times the federal and state health limits.

“It would be nice to be informed, so we can make an informed decision, and those wells can be tested,” said a resident nearby, Michelle Norleen, who was relieved to know that her own water - unlike those of two of her neighbors tested below the limits in the AP sampling.

Even for bigger water systems for which government help is available, accessing safe water doesn’t always come quickly. That’s true at the Double L Mobile Ranch outside Fresno, where Giselle Alvarez lives in the one-room trailer with her mother and father.

Authorities have recorded years of tests showing dangerous levels of uranium in the water provided to the Double L’s low-income residents.

The park ’s ow ner, Carl Hunt, minimized the health r isks to the families who live there.

“Not afraid of that water at all,” Hunt told the AP. An independent water test commissioned by the AP found water at Hunt’s trailer park remained over the limits for uranium.

Officials trying to set up delivery of safe water for the Double L’s families have arranged with a local farm town, Kerman, to run its own water lines out to the trailer park but Kerman is awaiting funding to deal with its own, uranium-contaminated well first. State officials expect it will take another three years to get safe water to the trailer park.

For now, families in the rural trailer park mostly throw away the regular water notices, unable to comprehend their meaning. Suspicious in general of the park’s tap water, families at the Double L who can afford it buy bottled water.

That doesn’t include Alvarez’s family.

“We can’t really do anything about it,” she says on the wooden steps of her mobile home. “As you can see, we’re not rich.”

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OPINION

Tuesday December 8, 2015

CONTACT US 304-293-5092 ext. 4 | DAperspectives@mail.wvu.edu

editorial

Finding brotherhood, staying united Since the attacks in Paris last month, even more violence has been conducted in the name of religion around the world.

A shooting at a workplace in San Bernadino, California, injured 21 and killed 14. A shooting at a Planned Parenthood facility killed three and injured nine. On Dec. 5, a man was stabbed in the London subway system after his attacker yelled, “This is for Syria.”

What happened after the last incident has garnered more media attention than the attack itself. In a recording of the stabbing, a bystander can be heard repeatedly yelling, “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv,” at the attacker. The phrase quickly became a popular Twitter hashtag, with even British Prime Minister David Cameron publicly applauding the bystander’s words.

What religion is and isn’t has never been a resolved issue in society. Religion has been used as an excuse to enact violence upon others since the beginning of humanity, with

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The station where a metro user was stabbed is under heavy security. the Crusades and the Holocaust as just two devastating examples.

Though the message a religion advocates and how its followers interpret it are two different things,

it’s becoming overwhelmingly evident that the views and motivations of ISIS, whose numbers have been estimated at the high end at 200,000, do not represent all Muslims, who con-

sist of 1.67 billion people.

Several tweets using the #YouAintNoMuslimBruv read, “Anyone who screams ‘this is for Syria’ and stabs innocents is... acting politically, not reli-

giously,” and “If you are a terrorist, you aren’t a Muslim, a Christian, a Hindu or a Buddhist. No religion promotes violence.” Muslim users who also used the hashtag have taken

the opportunity to quote peaceful verses from the Qu’ran in order to demonstrate its inherent advocacy for non-violence.

Though the lives lost in global terrorist attacks and in the Syrian civil war will always be deeply felt by their families and communities, the areas affected by these tragedies have only become more united as a result of the violence enacted against them. The hashtag #YouAintNoMuslimBruv is a prime example of people of all faiths and backgrounds coming together and comforting one another after horrific events.

As the world moves forward in the wake of terrorism, losing sight of the true enemy will hurt more people than it will help. Taking the opportunity to celebrate community and faith and demonstrate what religion should stand for will undoubtedly aid more people than simply condemning all who follow a particular faith. daperspectives@mail.wvu.edu

commentary

Donations should be made year-round to charities jenna gilbert columnist @J3nn_1f3R

Every year during the holiday season, more individuals are willing to open their wallets to charities and nonprofit organizations.

However, being generous shouldn’t last only throughout the holidays or be saved until the end of the year.

After Thanksgiving, bellringers from the Salvation Army can be found asking for donations outside most grocery stores. As Christmas approaches, it may feel like you can’t go anywhere without being solicited for donations to one charity or another.

When fall hits, more time and money is given to charities than any other time of the year. Fall is known as “the giving season” among different organizations, as 34 percent of all liberal giving is done during this time.

Nonprofit organizations will start producing more “peerto-peer” donation activities like walks, runs and marathons in fall and early winter, and as the holidays approach, more organizations will start to publicly solicit donations.

The holiday giving season kicks off on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and recently gained the nickname “Giving Tuesday.” Though this day is important, the actual giving season unofficially continues until Dec. 31. The chief executive of Network for Good, an online platform for charities to fundraise, commented on the types of donators who

politico.com

Bell-ringers stand outside popular stores like Walmart and encourage shoppers to donate. wait until the giving season to do so, calling them “generous procrastinators.”

Why do we wait so long to donate? Besides the universal feeling of enjoying putting off less pressing matters until a later date, I believe much of it has to do with spending more time with friends and family during the holidays. Surrounding ourselves with loved ones makes us realize how fortunate we may be and create the desire to help and im-

pact our community. This season tends to put things into perspective and make us realize what is most important in life.

Although most people are taught that Christmas is about giving and not receiving, young children will always look forward to finding presents under the tree on Christmas morning. The thought that some children may wake up with few or no presents likely hits home as people are out shopping

for gifts for loved ones. This may be why the average donation received by many charity organizations is 52 percent bigger than donations received throughout the rest of the year.

The holiday season shouldn’t be the only time people decide to give back to their communities. It’s important to keep the giving mindset year-round, because a donation able to protect a family from hunger or a toy for a child is

useful at any time of year.

Christmas shouldn’t be the only reason we are thinking of helping the Salvation Army or cancer research.

It appears we donate more during the holidays simply because we are asked in many different ways during this time, whether by the volunteers ringing the bell, by cashiers when checking out at a store, by members of a religious organization, in emails from friends and family and many other

methods. However, we should keep the true reason for donating in mind year-round: Kindness toward others.

We shouldn’t need to be asked in order to help someone out at any time of year. Keeping this in mind in 2016 could potentially benefit many people, as our levels of compassion shouldn’t change with the seasons. daperspectives@mail.wvu.edu

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A&E

Tuesday December 8, 2015

CONTACT US 304-293-5092 ext. 3 | DAA&E@mail.wvu.edu

Clever, creative holiday crafts

strokes.

4. Once completed, pour the red and brown paint on a different portion of the plate, and mix the colors together until you get a dark crimson color. Lightly paint sporadic streaks onto the canvas.

5. Repeat the sporadic streaks using the gold and white metallic paint, until your canvas has just the right amount of dimensions of color.

6. Let paint dry.

7. Cover the outline of the canvas in Elmer’s glue.

8. Pour silver glitter onto the canvas.

9. Roll out roughly 5 sheets of paper towels. Turn canvas upright over the paper towels, and knock any unwanted glitter off of the canvas.

hannah harless A&E writer @dailyathenaeum

The holiday season often brings out the inner-crafter in many people. Whether it’s sprucing up the home with new and original decorations or making the perfect gifts for loved ones, many people take the DIY route to accomplish their goals and have fun doing it. With the rise of Pinterest and the cornucopia of lifestyle blogs, DIY crafts are easier and more affordable than ever. New techniques and a variety of versions of products are created, a trial and error system informs DIYers what works and what doesn’t.

Holiday decorations are all about the use of color, orginality adding a bit of sparkle to brighten up a home, making it more hospitable than ever. It’s the time of year to host guests to celebrate the season, so it’s important to make a home look its best and be picture-worthy.

Mason Jar Project

Mason jars have been overwhelmingly popular over the years to use in home decorating projects.

Mason jars bring a rustic, country feel and can make a house more of a home. In this project, I transformed an ordinary mason jar into a winter wonderland snow globe.

Supplies:

1 Miniature Christmas tree 1 box of fake power snow 1 jar of iridescent glitter 1 large clear Mason jar 1 spool of thin, tan rope 1 jar of rubber cement

Steps:

1. Cover the bottom of the miniature Christmas tree with rubber cement.

2. Unscrew the lid of the Mason jar and place it upside down on a hard surface. Place the bottom of the Christmas tree covered in rubber cement onto the Mason jar lid.

3. Press the tree onto the Mason jar

Sound of Music Decoration

Many people find that movies have some sort of special sentiASKAR SALIKHOV/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM ment to them, especially around With some creativity and a little effort, lots of do-it-yourself projects can be accomplished in the holidays. This may be because of who watched the films with time for the holidays. you, memories you might have or with pressure for 30 seconds, or until the 1 bottle of grey metallic paint maybe just a strong connection to glue dries and the tree is firmly glued 1 bottle of gold/mustard paint the story and the characters. “The onto the lid.

1 bottle of red paint Sound of Music” has become one 4. Gradually pour fake snow into lid 1 bottle of brown paint of the most adored movies of all while mixing in a small amount of irides1 bottle of white metallic paint time. It evokes a heartwarming cent glitter, giving the snow a little spar1 bottle of silver glitter feeling, especially during classic kle. Continue to pour snow until lid is 1 printout of a deer outline Christmas scenes like the one in halfway to three-fourths of the way full. this film.

1 pair of scissors Sprinkle a pinch of glitter onto the tree.

1 bottle of Elmer’s glue 5. Carefully place jar facing down Supplies: 1 pencil onto the lid and screw tightly.

Record art – purchased at the 1 mid-size paintbrush 6. Cut a 10-inch piece of rope from flea market, can be purchased 1 cup full of water the spool and tie it in a ribbon around online Paper towels the lid.

1 sheet of scrapbook paper 1 paper plate 1 jar of rubber cement Reindeer Canvas Steps: 1 picture frame

Project

What’s a holiday season without reindeer decorations? Reindeer decorations give a home a vintage feel, and it’s one decoration you’ll be able to keep up throughout winter.

Supplies:

1 blank canvas

1. Cut out the outline of the deer, making the cuts as precise as possible.

Steps: 2. Place the outline of the deer in the 1. Cover the back of the record art center of the canvas. Hold the outline with rubber cement. down with one hand and trace with the 2. Place record art onto scrapbook other. art.

3. Pour grey metallic paint onto a por3. Frame record art and scrapbook tion of a paper plate. Using the paint- paper. brush, cover the canvas with paint outside of the deer outline using vertical daa&e@mail.wvu.edu

Top 10 Christmas movies

Jillian Clemente A&E Writer @dailyathenaeum

They make us laugh, cry, smile, cuddle up with a blanket and feel loved - Christmas movies are back.

The movies to choose from are more unique than snow flakes. It was tough choosing 10 of the best.

Nonetheless, in no particular order, the following are the top 10 Christmas movies, ranging from romcoms to cartoons, comedies, classics and heartwarming films.

1. “A Year Without A Santa Claus” - Heat Miser and Snow Miser are Mother Nature’s favorite twins. Although they constantly fight, they can carry a tune and help viewers reminisce about sibling fights and forced make-ups in a Christmas-like way. It even restores hope in the resilience of a weary yet jolly Santa Claus. Plus, its stop-motion animation exudes the Christmas spirit of the previous generation.

2. “Jingle All the Way” - Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad who just wants to make his kid happy with the coolest toy on Christmas.

His facial expressions and man-

nerisms give the movie character, and there’s plenty of silliness along the way; even a black-market Santa scheme. Plus, there aren’t any cell phones and the movie is less than 20 years old, so it’s a reminder of the changing times, too.

3. “It’s a Wonderful Life” - Simply a tear-jerker that reminds us of the importance of every human life, especially in these colder months.

4. “White Christmas” - Bing Crosby’s smooth vocals are above anything, and these stellar vocals paired with a heart-warming story sets a perfect Christmas atmosphere.

5. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” - No offense to Jim Carrey, but the cartoon version of this classic trail trumps the live-action remake.

There’s no imitating the Grinch’s evil, snide grin that only Dr. Seuss could draw, and a heart growing three sizes is best represented in an animated form. It’s cute seeing how the town of Whoville learned to love and accept the Grinch when he renounced his evil ways, too.

6. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” - Family vacations typically go haywire, but they’re nothing compared to the Christmas vacation adventure of the Gris-

wolds. Good luck avoiding your own Cousin Eddie this year.

7. “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” - This movie is more than a reindeer saving Christmas. Rudolf goes to show that having something different that sets one apart from all others can be a useful, life- (or Christmas-) saving asset.

8. “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” - Another stop-motion animation made the list because of its timelessness. The songs are classic, just like those from “A Year Without A Santa Claus.”

9. “A Christmas Story” - As an owner of a Red Rider BB gun, I know they’re a hoot and a half to shoot. It’s no surprise Ralphie wanted one and dedicated a silly movie to it. This film is very representative of a kid like Ralphie in that time, from having to stand up to the neighbor bully to dreaming about a favorite Christmas present to getting bad gifts and learning to swear from his dad. TBS plays it for 24 hours from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, and watching it that long won’t make you want to shoot your eye out. This is easily the most quot-

able Christmas movie. Well, one of the most.

10. “Elf ”‑ No description needed. Go ahead and watch it with a buddy for the 11th time this week.

Readers, what do you think should have made the list? Tweet us @DailyAthenaeum. daa&e@mail.wvu.edu

Easy-on-the-wallet holiday gift ideas Megan Weissend A&E Writer @dailyathenaeum

The Etsy Search Etsy is an online shopping site for buying and selling handmade or vintage items and supplies, as well as unique factory-manufactured items. By searching a specific subject your gift receiver is interested in and sorting the prices from low to high, you can find hundreds of wonderfully weird or adorable gifts for a very cheap price that can be shipped in just a few days.

For Moms Candles are a classic. Other inexpensive options are coffee mugs, throw blankets and picture frames, all of which can be found for under $10

at Target. Lotion is under $15 at Bath & Body Works. Consider gifts giving her a special memory with you.

For example, buying two tickets to a movie is inexpensive and a win-win for you and your mom.

For Dads Target always has huge DVD sales, selling popular movies as cheap as $5. Brown faux-leather belts can be found for less than $20 at Old Navy, and a fly fishing wallet is sold for just under $20 at L.L.Bean. You can never go wrong with an inexpensive WVU flag for him to fly proudly in the yard.

For Him A drinking helmet can be found on Amazon.com for under $10, American Eagle boxers can be bought for under $20 and posters for almost any movie or TV show in the world can be

found on Etsy for under $10.

For Her A few inexpensive ideas for her are an iPhone case, a tote or nail polish and other beauty products that can all be found for less than $5 in stores or online. You can never go wrong with gift cards.

Mason Jar Gifts Filling a Mason jar is a popular giftgiving strategy. There are many more ideas than layering dry ingredients for a favorite cookie or hot cocoa recipe. You can make the jar into a snow globe, fill it with someone’s favorite candy, make a homemade body scrub, add all the spare change you can find or even fill it with dog treats.

There are YouTube videos showing many DIYs that do not require much skill, creating a super inexpensive and

thoughtful gift for the holiday season.

Weird Gifts Everyone Secretly Wants You can buy a marshmallow shooter on Amazon.com for less than $10 and include ammunition with the gift. You can purchase a head massager, a knuckle tattoo set and a notepad of “you park like an idiot because…” notes you can stick to windshields. Both portable phone chargers and customized pillow cases are under $14 on Amazon.com.

It is not impossible to find cheap presents. With the help of the Internet, free shipping and a little determination, inexpensive Christmas presents can be found. After all, it is the thought that counts. daa&e@mail.wvu.edu

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

6 | SPORTS

Tuesday December 8, 2015

da sports STAFF 2015 BOWL PICKIN’ EXTRAVAGANZA DANA HOLGORSEN QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We’re used to playing on the road in some hostile environments, and we’re sure Mountaineer Nation will bring some fans..”

Nicole Curtin

David Statman

David Schlake

DJ Deskins

Sports Editor

Associate Sports Editor

Managing Editor

Sports Writer

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6-4 86-44

Cactus Bowl: West Virginia vs. Arizona State Alamo Bowl: Oregon vs. TCU Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Arkansas Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss Taxslayer Bowl: Penn State vs. Georgia Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Stanford Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida Orange Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Clemson Cotton Bowl: Michigan State vs. Alabama Peach Bowl: Houston vs. Florida State Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Texas Tech Russell Athletic Bowl: North Carolina vs. Baylor Military Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Navy Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Wisconsin Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Memphis Music City Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Louisville St. Petersburg Bowl: Connecticut vs. Marshall Belk Bowl: NC State vs. Mississippi State Foster Farms Bowl: UCLA vs. Nebraska LAST WEEK SEASON RECORD

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Watkins defies odds by returning from knee injury

BY DAVID STATMAN ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR @DJSTATMAN77

When WVU big man Brandon Watkins suffered a serious knee injury late last season, one might have been forgiven for writing the junior off for this year.

Watkins needed a total reconstruction after tearing the ACL in his left knee, and for months it seemed the most likely outcome would be that he would redshirt this season. It’s an injury that often takes well over a year to fully recover from.

Instead, just over six months after his surgery, Watkins came off the bench to make his season debut Saturday in the West Virginia University men’s basketball team’s 87-54 win over Kennesaw State.

Watkins said his knee felt fine after some early stiffness – his biggest concern was the nerves he felt when head coach Bob Huggins called his number after months on the sidelines.

“I was just nervous, wondering about how well I would do, whether I’d be able to move up and down, am I going to look bad in front of everybody,” Watkins said. “I was just wondering about how I would look, but once I started it just all went away.”

It helps when you get in on the action early. Watkins entered just seven minutes into the game to a rousing ovation from Mountaineer fans, and on one of his first trips down the floor he raised the roof with a resounding blocked shot.

“I thought he made a

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great block down there,” Huggins said. “He gives us a presence around the rim we don’t have without him.”

Watkins wound up staying in for 17 minutes, putting up 6 points and six rebounds and getting more playing time than either he or Huggins expected as the Mountaineers rolled to a win and a 7-0 start to the season.

A regular role-player last season, Watkins initially suffered what was believed to be a sprained MCL during a breakout 14-point, 9-rebound performance against Kansas State in February.

Watkins returned late in the season wearing a knee brace, but further tests revealed a torn ACL – an injury he was believed to have originally sustained in high school, according to a report

by BlueGoldNews.

Watkins had reconstructive surgery in late May, but despite the strong possibility that he would miss the entire 2015-16 season, he continued to push through a mentally exhausting rehab process with a goal of seeing the court again by the end of the year.

“It was hard,” Watkins said. “It’s really a mental thing. When I first started off, I tried to give it my all, but after a while doing the rehab, you get tired of it and you just want to be back out there. You just have to stay in it mentally.”

As the season got underway, Watkins continued to ramp up his output in oncourt activities. After successfully putting in a full shift at Friday’s practice, Watkins was given the green light.

Although Watkins said he only expected to receive a brief cameo, his comfort on the court and the play of his fellow big men convinced Huggins to leave him out there even longer.

“I probably played him a little more than what I intended to, but he said he felt really good and he didn’t have any pain or anything,” Huggins said. “He’s got to play. If a couple of our other guys don’t start playing the right way, he’ll see a lot more time.”

It will take Watkins time to build his strength back all the way – his vertical leap is not yet where it was preinjury, and he struggled through calf cramping toward the end of the game.

But Watkins has fought through the toughest part of his recovery to make it

back without having to use his redshirt. Along the way, Watkins has offered advice to freshman guard James “Beetle” Bolden, a promising prospect who has seen his first year at WVU wiped out after suffering a similar knee injury in preseason.

“I’ve just been telling him, ‘Beetle, this is one of the hardest things you’re ever going to go through.,” Watkins said. “It was hard for me, just the work ethic you have to put in. So I try to tell him to keep going and be positive mentally.”

Watkins is set to continue his comeback tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York City, when the Mountaineers (7-0) face off against the Virginia Cavaliers (7-1) at 7 p.m. djstatman@mail.wvu.edu

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Tuesday December 8, 2015

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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation of discrimination. The Daily Athenaeum will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

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8 | CAMPUS CONNECTION

S U D O k U

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Tuesday December 8, 2015

Difficulty Level Medium

team trivia!

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.

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Across 1 __-Saxon 6 Swedish quartet 10 “Woe is me!”

14 Plain-paper copier pioneer 15 Rider’s strap 16 Hitchhiker’s ride 17 “Revenge” co-star VanCamp 18 Drug cop 19 Words to an old chap 20 Doughnut order: Abbr.

21 *”I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member” speaker 24 Potsdam pair 26 Bum kin 27 In great detail 31 Keyed into the register 35 Votes against 36 Slender woodwind 38 Loy of “The Thin Man” 39 Belief suffix 40 Artist Moses ... and, when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues 42 N.C. State’s conference 43 Step 45 Pitchers Darling and Guidry 46 Singer Lovett 47 __-weensie 49 Paid for the release of 51 Dynamic opening?

53 Cake served au rhum 54 *Score-settling competition 59 Indent key 62 Forfeited auto 63 __ San Lucas: Baja resort 64 Bandleader Shaw 66 Cupid 67 Gradual melting 68 Marsh stalks 69 With 11-Down, Louvre masterpiece 70 Get wise with 71 Central Park’s 843 Down 1 Gave the boot 2 Jules Verne captain 3 *2005 documentary about a bear enthusiast 4 Cyberchuckle 5 Scuba gear element 6 River of Pisa 7 Belle’s beloved 8 White state tree of New Hampshire 9 News show VIP 10 Payment after a divorce

11 See 69-Across 12 Quite a long distance away 13 River of Hades 22 Harshness 23 44th president 25 Director Craven 27 Ouzo flavoring 28 Aesthetic judgment 29 Vanishing ski resort apparatus 30 Wedding vows word 32 *Brains, figuratively 33 Cry of surrender 34 Measured in steps 37 Poet __ St. Vincent Millay 40 Norwegian composer Edvard 41 News network with a six-color logo 44 Dancer Duncan 46 Return from Venus?

48 Builds 50 North African expanse 52 Nebraska city 54 Fat measure 55 San __, Italy

56 In the know about 57 “Down with,” in Paris 58 Auto club services 60 Assistant 61 Porgy’s beloved 65 Camcorder button

mONday’S puzzle solved

C R O S S W O R D

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Mitchell Ibarra (left), a senior mechanical and aerospace engineering student, and Kyle Albright (right), a sophomore geology student, practice drumming Monday evening | pHOTO BY kYLE MONROE

HOROSCOPE BY nancy black

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) HHHH Work together to achieve your muARIES (March 21-April 19) HHHHH tual aim. Negotiate and comproExploration suits you today and to- mise. Take a trip together. It’s an exmorrow. Get carried away by travels cellent moment for romance and or studies. It doesn’t need to get ex- travel. Strengthen bonds and grow pensive (but it could). Make a great your partnership for shared gain. connection through a loved one.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) HH Do Expand your boundaries. Try someyour best at work over the next two thing new. days. Satisfied clients are your best promotion. Contribute your talents.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Energize with healthy foods and a HHHH Ask for more and get it. walk in nature. Discover a new perspective. Everything seems possible.

Put away provisions for the future.

Review your reserves today and toLEO (July 23-Aug. 22) HHH Fammorrow. Collaborate to grow shared ily fun beckons over the next two assets. Put in extra effort for impecdays. It doesn’t need to be expencable results. Your reputation grows sive. Play games with popcorn and with excellent service.

hot cocoa. Share delicious flavors SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) HHH and moments. The puzzle pieces Bring in the money today and tofall together in a delightfully unex- morrow. Have faith in your own pected way. imagination. Avoid lies like the plague. Dreams reveal your true VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHHH feelings. Distill your work to its truToday and tomorrow favor domes- est core. Follow your muse. It’s all tic projects. Clean and prepare for for love. upcoming festivities. Soft lighting works wonders. Surprise someone SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) you love with a thoughtful detail. HHHH Focus on personal prioriCreate beauty and flavorful treats for ties. You’re especially hot for the next family and friends. Play with color. two days. Maximize your advantage by talking about what you want to LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHHH create. Take charge, and make the Writing, publishing and networking positive changes you envision. go well over the next two days. Research your story and get it out. FolCAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) HH low the undercurrent of love. Express Consider the road ahead, and plan the heart of the matter. your moves. Rest today and to-

morrow. Build the foundations for a profitable venture by envisioning your desired future first, and listing tasks backwards to now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) HHH Your friends are your key to success today and tomorrow. Their encouragement is the wind in your sails. Invite others to contribute to what you’re creating. Collaborate. Your networks hold the missing puzzle pieces.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) HHHHH A professional test or challenge engages you today and tomorrow. Meditate to focus. Re-

view expert opinions. Expand in the direction of least resistance. Imagine ultimate success. Use what you can get for free. Contribute to the greater good.

BORN TODAY Personal dreams come true this year with dedication and focus. Feather your nest this spring for parties and group gatherings, when Jupiter enters Libra for a year-long community phase. Your influence rises next autumn, before family matters require attention.

Protect what you love.

9

SPORTS

Tuesday December 8, 2015

Smallwood reached new heights this year

BY DJ DESKINS

SPORTS WRITER @DAILYATHENAEUM

Some say fashion trends are cyclical, but football may be too.

West Virginia has been a pass-first team since the departures of star running backs Steve Slaton and Noel Devine, but the Mountaineers may have found another gem in junior Wendell Smallwood.

A three-star recruit out of Wilmington, Delaware, Smallwood was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to play for the Mountaineers, but he expected to be a receiving-type back in head coach Dana Holgorsen’s air raid offense.

A system that produced NFL Draft picks like Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Kevin White isn’t necessarily the type of system to put a running back on professional scout’s radars. However, Holgorsen was forced to adapt due to a struggling passing game and made the switch to a run-first team.

The result was a number of sensational performances by Smallwood, who did everything in his power to capitalize on his opportunities.

Smallwood eclipsed the 100-yard mark eight out of 12 games this season, including a season-high 165 yards against Texas. He finished the season with 1,447 rushing yards, which placed him 13th in the country in rushing, a much higher mark than Mountaineer fans may have expected at the onset of the year but obviously a welcome change of pace.

Smallwood was also spectacular in Big 12 play, breaking the century mark on the ground all but two times against Baylor and Iowa State.

He still averaged 80.5 yards between the two games and was able to break the 100yard mark against Baylor when coupled with his gains

through the air.

Smallwood also finished in the top 20 in the country in yards per attempt for players with more than 100 rushing attempts, with 6.4 yards a carry.

Last weekend in a disappointing loss to Kansas State, Smallwood was one of the lone bright spots, notching 141 rushing yards and a score.

His efforts earned him Co-Big 12 Player of the Week, the first time he’s received the honor.

It’s very likely Smallwood will challenge for All-Big 12 honors this year as he was only outpaced by one other back in the conference, Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington.

His challenge will come because of his trouble finding the end zone. Despite his commendable rushing numbers, he only found the end zone nine times. Tied for ninth in the conference, he fell behind four other running backs in the Big 12, including the conference leader Samaje Perine with 15 scores.

Smallwood’s numbers should get Mountaineer fans very excited for next season as he’ll be set up for even more success.

Holgorsen continually attributes the run game’s success to quarterback Skyler Howard’s ability to make decisions in the backfield. Tailback Rushel Shell gained nearly 700 yards on the ground and scored eight times, taking the pressure to perform off Smallwood’s shoulders. Both will return to the West Virginia backfield next season.

WVU will also return most of its offensive line rotation in Tyler Orlosky, Kyle Bosch, Adam Pankey, Yodny Cajuste and Tony Matteo. With pieces around him, Smallwood could be the Mountaineers’ biggest offensive weapon, one of the conferences top playmakers and possibly one of the nation’s top backs. dasports@mail.wvu.edu

CONTACT US

304-293-5092 ext. 2 | DAsports@mail.wvu.edu

N.Y. STATE OF MIND

WVU guards Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles pressure a Stetson player during a game last week.

ASKAR SALIKHOV/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

WVU, UVA defenses face off tonight in New York

BY CHRIS JACKSON SPORTS WRITER @DAILYATHENAEUM

While the No. 14 West Virginia University men’s basketball team has been able to soar through its first seven opponents, tonight’s Jimmy V Classic game in New York City is far different from anything it’s experienced all year.

No. 10 Virginia (7-1) has won six straight games since suffering an upset to George Washington in the second game of the season, demoralizing opponents with a 21-point average margin of victory during that span.

But it’s the style of play Virginia employs that’s unlike anything else WVU has seen.

It’s a style that wastes the entire shot clock, and it was how Virginia led the nation in scoring defense last season (51.4 points per game).

“Their defense gets a lot of credit and justifiably so, but when you keep taking time

off the clock with your offense there’s not as many possessions,” said WVU head coach Bob Huggins. “You have to work a little harder because they want you to take quick shots, but you work a little harder on the offensive end to get shots and then you have to guard for a longer period of time on the defensive end.”

Virginia’s list of accolades has stretched on and on since Tony Bennett took over in 2009. The Cavaliers have won back-to-back ACC regular season titles, including an ACC Tournament championship last year following a 72-63 victory over eventual national champion Duke.

Bennett has coached three All-Americans over the past two campaigns, with senior guard Malcolm Brogdon finishing as a 2nd Team Consensus All-American in 2015.

Forward Anthony Gill returns after he was named an AP Honorable Mention, and Justin Anderson was also an

Honorable Mention candidate before being drafted 21st overall by the Dallas Mavericks.

Brogdon’s status continues to escalate, and he’s added onto last season’s total by now averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game. He’s converted nearly half the shots he takes and has become a guaranteed make at the free throw line, sinking 88 percent during his breakout 2014-15 season.

Only eight of Virginia’s 34 opponents last year exceeded 60 points, with 14 teams failing to score 50. It’s a team that prides itself on time of possession and playing relentless half-court defense, unlike the nonstop full-court pressure that WVU forces for every second of the action.

Only one opponent has reached 60 points during the last six games as George Mason put up 66 in an 83-66 loss to Virginia, a lofty total for any team to reach against Bennett’s squad.

Through the first eight games, the Cavaliers have committed the fewest turnovers per game of any team in the country this season, giving the ball away just 7.2 times each night.

“Tony’s had great success with it,” said Huggins. “A lot of people have tried to copy it. They’re the masters, and they’re the guys who do it the best. What Tony’s done at Virginia is amazing.”

But WVU’s high-flying style creates a problem many teams have never faced and one Virginia has never prepared for. The Mountaineers are fifth in the nation in steals and lead all Division I teams in opponent turnovers per contest (23.4), forcing 31 in Saturday’s rout of Kennesaw State.

“We want to go out there, play hard, give it our all and get the win,” said junior Devin Williams. dasports@mail.wvu.edu

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

10 | SPORTS

Tuesday December 8, 2015

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ASKAR SALIKHOV/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Freshman guard Katrina Pardee goes up for a shot in a game with Delaware State last month.

Freshman Katrina Pardee states her case for bigger role this season

BY ROGER TURNER SPORTS WRITER @DAILYATHENAEUM

Inexperience has been a big concern for the WVU women’s basketball team so far this season, but freshman guard Katrina Pardee proved just how valuable first-year players can be after scoring a season-high 19 points against Farleigh Dickinson on Sunday.

Pardee earned Player of the Game honors after netting a game-high 19 points and shooting 50 percent from the, field in the Mountaineers 91-42 rout

over FDU. “It’s huge being on a team like this to get in a couple games and work on the things we need to work on,” Pardee said.

The freshman from Cedar Park, Texas credited the subpar non-conference schedule thus far in the season as good practice for bigger games later in the season.

Listed as a three-star recruit coming out of high school, Pardee has been the only freshman listed in this year’s starting lineup, playing alongside unanimous All-Big 12 First Team

selection Bria Holmes in the backcourt. The 5-foot-8 guard from Vista Ridge High School was an AllState selection after leading her team to a 36-3 overall record in her senior season.

“We’ve got some good young kids,” said WVU coach Mike Carey. “Once she (Pardee) gets her strength and all that together, she’s going to be a really good player at West Virginia.”

Pardee was rated the No. 22 guard of the class of 2015 and regarded as one of the nation’s best pure high

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school shooters. In her eighth game as a Mountaineer, Pardee showed off her skill set, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and knocking down three 3-pointers on Sunday night.

The impressive shooting performance from Pardee was enough for Carey to take notice, as he commended the freshman’s effort from the field.

“For a freshman, she has a short memory,” Carey said. “A lot of freshmen miss a couple and they stop shooting. She’s going to keep shooting, and we want her to.”

Pardee also helped the Mountaineers capitalize in transition on Tuesday, as the team scored 44 points on 29 FDU turnovers.

As the Mountaineers prepare for Big 12 competition, Carey intends to either extend or shorten the playing time for the inexperienced players on the bench. Pardee’s careerhigh on Sunday solidifies her case for a starting role, as she looks to continue shooting and building confidence with Carey’s support.

“Coach Carey helps me a lot,” Pardee said. “He lets

me know if you go and miss the first five, you better go and shoot the sixth one.

That helps a lot knowing he’s not going to get mad if I miss or make it.”

WVU takes a week off before heading to Charleston on Dec. 13 for the annual Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic against Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center. Next Sunday’s game will mark the first taste of the heated in-state rivalry for Pardee and the eight other freshman Mountaineers making the trip. dasports@mail.wvu.edu

WRESTLING

Change in weight class has paid dividends for Dylan Cottrell

BY JOEL NORMAN SPORTS WRITER @DAILYATHENAEUM

Sometimes, the slightest adjustment can lead to tremendous results.

Entering his junior year, Dylan Cottrell was looking to take a big step forward and establish himself as one of West Virginia’s best wrestlers.

To do that, Cottrell needed to gain weight. Prior to this season, the transfer from Appalachian State had competed in the 149-pound category during his time with the Mountaineers of Boone, North Carolina. Now, after spending the summer adding muscle, Cottrell weighs 157 pounds.

“At 49, I was just too weak to go out there and wrestle the way I wanted to. I feel like at 57, I (am) able to use a lot more of my athleticism, which helps me,” Cottrell said.

“I’m a lot more athletic than most guys I wrestle. By going up a weight class, I felt like I was really able to utilize that.”

This season, Cottrell is reaping the benefits of the additional weight. He leads the Mountaineers with a 16-2 record and 23 takedowns. His seven bonus point victories are tied with sophomore Zeke Moisey for the team lead.

Just this past weekend, Cottrell finished third overall in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in the 157-pound category with a 6-1 performance. Along with fellow junior Jake A. Smith, Cottrell became one of the first

ASKAR SALIKHOV/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

WVU’s Dylan Cottrell wrestles at the Mountaineer Quad last month.

Mountaineers to finish in the 17th at 157 pounds by Intertop 5 at the invitational since Mat and FloWrestling, respectively. Only two other Kurt Brenner in 2006.

Cottrell said moving up Mountaineers are ranked to 157 pounds was always higher than Cottrell: Moihis plan. After transferring to sey is ranked 10th and ninth West Virginia this past Janu- at 125 pounds, and Smith is ary, Cottrell approached head ranked seventh and eighth at coach Sammie Henson with 197 pounds. his idea.

Cottrell was hungry to “I asked him what he compete after being ineligithought, I thought that I ble for the 2014-15 season due wanted to go up to 157. He to his late transfer. So far, he’s and the coaching staff were been excited about his perforon board,” Cottrell said. “Last mance a month into the seayear I didn’t really have much son but knows there is much of a weight program, then this tougher competition to come.

“It’s a great start,” Cottrell summer we really tried to get strong, tried to get a lot big- said. “I really want to get to ger. I feel like it’s worked out later in the season when I’m pretty good.” wrestling the best kids in the Henson agreed, saying country and gauge myself Cottrell “could do something then.” special.” dasports@mail.wvu.edu Cottrell is ranked 14th and

Tuesday December 8, 2015

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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Tuesday December 8, 2015

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