The DA 02-11-2016

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Thursday February 11, 2016

Volume 128, Issue 91

www.THEDAONLINE.com

WELLWVU fights campus violence by rachel mcbride staff writer @dailyathenaeum

West Virginia University’s Office of Wellness and Health Promotion is encouraging WVU students to take a stand against sexual assault and street violence by participating in a bystander intervention program. Expanding upon WELLWVU’s Green Dot program, which aims to reduce violence in communities, WVU’s Office of Wellness and Health Pro-

motion is implementing its WELLAware initiative, a program aimed toward reducing the harmful effects and occurrences of sexual assault, stalking, bullying and dating violence. According to a recent study conducted by the White House’s Office of the Press Secretary, “one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college.” This study states that the assault usually takes place during a woman’s freshman or sophomore year of college. It is also stated in this

Mountain Line looks to update outdated equipment by cara devenney correspondent @dailyathenaeum

Representatives from the Mountain Line Transit Authority asked the Mo n o nga l i a C ou nt y Commission at its regular Wednesday meeting to impose a $2 million levy so the authority can replace some of its aging equipment. Dave Bruffy, the Authority’s general manager, said the group’s budget to replace equipment had been cut by $5 million. “I just want to take a second and thank the board,” said Commission President Eldon Callen. “They recognized a problem and are trying to deal with it, so thank you.” Mountain Line’s financial woes stem from the county’s declining revenue. State leaders expect a serious decline in revenue stemming from the coal severance tax. County leaders imposed a hiring freeze at the start of winter and cut some agency budgets by about 25 percent. In the meantime, the Mountain Line Authority developed the idea to raise revenue through a transportation levy. Commissioner Tom Bloom told those attending the meeting that unlike property tax, which distributes funding to the state, county and local school system, all of the funding would go toward improving the county’s transportation. “We have to work together,” Callen said. “We have to stand together

report that although fewer, men are also victimized, and neither gender is likely to report the occurrence of the assault to officials. Wesley Thomas, Male Engagement Specialist for WVU’s Office of Wellness and Health promotion, said the goal of this program is to train and educate students on what sexual assault and street violence are, as well as how to safely intervene if students see a fellow peer in a potentially damaging situation.

“You want (students) to know what they can do as individuals,” Thomas said. “It helps to clarify any misconceptions as to what sexual assault is.” Students who choose to participate in WELLAware training sessions will have the opportunity to become peer educators for the local community and WVU campus, where they will gain adequate knowledge on how to appropriately intervene and help other WVU students or community members who may be in a violent environment.

“We want to grow this pro-social movement of having each other’s backs,” said Alison Tartaglia, health education specialist for WVU’s Office of Wellness and Health Promotion. Tartaglia said this program will allow students to become heavily involved with important issues present across universities all over the United States. Because students are more likely to listen to other students rather than officials, Tartaglia said students should carry for-

ward the message of taking a stand against violent behavior within University communities. “You don’t have to be the person that specifically steps in,” Tartaglia said. “But there are a lot of ways to intervene.” Tartaglia said safe ways to intervene in a potentially distressing situation include contacting University officials or contacting the police. In a recent report conducted by U.S. Department

see bystander on PAGE 2

ELECTION SEASON HAS ARRIVED

and collaborate together to be able to solve West Virginia’s problems.” The bus system represents a crucial part of Morgantown’s infrastructure. In 2015, there were more than 300,000 trips to West Virginia University’s downtown campus alone, according to Bruffy. If the Commission accepts the levy, it will go on the ballot during West Virginia’s primary election in May. The levy must be approved by 60 percent of voters. Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the Commission heard from Bradford Warden, the chair of WVU’s cardiology department, and Denise Palmer, ambulatory clinic manager at the WVU Heart Institute. Warden spoke on the importance of recognizing Heart Disease Awareness Month, and the commission unanimously passed a resolution to recognize it. Bloom suggested Warden and WVU Medicine should offer classes at a new community center expected to be built in Morgantown. The new facility, which will feature partnership from WVU and other public entities, will include, among other things, an aquatic center and an indoor track. The Monongalia County Commission is expected to discuss the transportation levy during its regular meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in the county courthouse.

Garrett Yurisko/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Jordin Wilcher, a member of the SGA communication team, fills in for Communications Director Liz Barnhart during SGA’s weekly meeting.

Constitutional amendment to raise GPA minimum added to SGA election ballot by caity coyne city editor @caitycoyne

When students cast their vote for the Student Government Association election on March 1 and 2, they will also vote for two amendments to SGA’s constitution: one concerning the procedure for appointing members to the Board of Governors and another raising the minimum GPA for elected and appointed officials in SGA from 2.0 to 2.5. A resolution to the latter amendment to appear on the ballot was approved at Wednesday evening’s West Virginia University SGA meeting, and was an

danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

intensely debated topic among the Board of Governors after being introduced by Governor Blake Humphrey. “Essentially, what we were doing here is we were adjusting our student government constitution to reflect what institutional policy already states in regards to academic standing for student organizations and officer status,” Humphrey said. With the exception of SGA, all officers in every student organization must hold at least a 2.5 GPA, as outlined in the West Virginia University constitution. The resolution ultimately introduced a ballot

Garrett Yurisko/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

SGA Attorney General Matt Blaire and Student Body Vice President Ashley Morgan listen to members of the board propose a constitutional amendment.

measure codifying some“I hope this lets other thing already in existence, student organizations but in order for the raise know we hold ourselves in GPA to happen, the stu- to the same standards dent body must vote to approve it. see SGA on PAGE 2

ap

Obama vows to press ahead on clean power plan after setback

WASHINGTON (AP)—The administration of President Barack Obama is vowing to press ahead with efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emissions after a divided Supreme Court put his signature plan to address climate change on hold until after legal challenges are resolved. Tuesday’s surprising move by the court is a blow to Obama and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents, who call the regulations “an unprecedented power grab.” By issuing the temporary freeze, a 5-4 majority of

the justices signaled that opponents made strong arguments against the rules. The high court’s four liberal justices said they would have denied the request for delay. The administration’s plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about onethird by 2030. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration’s plan is based on a strong legal and technical foundation, and gives the states time to develop cost-effective plans to reduce emis-

21°/11°

NETFLIX AND CHILL

INSIDE

Best binge-worthy series for your snow day A&E PAGE 5

CLOUDY

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

sions. He also said the administration will continue to “take aggressive steps to make forward progress to reduce carbon emissions.” A federal appeals court in Washington last month refused to put the plan on hold. That lower court is not likely to issue a ruling on the legality of the plan until months after it hears oral arguments begin on June 2. Any decision will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, meaning resolution of the legal fight is not likely to happen until after Obama leaves office. Compliance with the new

rules isn’t required until 2022, but states must submit their plans to the Environmental Protection Administration by September or seek an extension. Many states opposing the plan depend on economic activity tied to such fossil fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued that the plan oversteps federal authority to restrict carbon emissions, and that electricity providers would have to spend billions of dollars to begin complying with a rule that might end up being overturned. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia,

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

GENDER-SEGREGATED SCHOOLS Same-sex classrooms not as beneficial as previously thought OPINION PAGE 4

whose coal-dependent state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed the court’s decision. “We are thrilled that the Supreme Court realized the rule’s immediate impact and froze its implementation, protecting workers and saving countless dollars as our fight against its legality continues,” Morrisey said. Implementation of the rules is considered essential to the United States meeting emissions-reduction targets in a global climate agreement signed in Paris last month. The Obama administration and environmental groups also say the plan will spur new

clean-energy jobs. In opposing the request for delay, the EPA argued that states had plenty of time to comply with the requirements as the rule is rolled out over the next 6 years. “A stay that delays all of the rule’s deadlines would postpone reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and thus contribute to the problem of global climate change even if the rule is ultimately sustained,” U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli said in legal filings. Environmentalists were

see obama on PAGE 2

FIRED UP WVU continues to roll with win over ISU SPORTS PAGE 7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
The DA 02-11-2016 by The Daily Athenaeum - Issuu