THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Tuesday September 30, 2014
Volume 127, Issue 32
www.THEDAONLINE.com
THE PRT THAT WOULD NOT die Andrew Spellman/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Students riding the PRT at 4 p.m. Monday are trapped as the the car halts. This was the second time the PRT broke down within two hours.
Associate director of transportation, parking talks PRT problems, need for major renovations by david schlake staff writer @dailyathenaeum
Whether traveling to class, work or a sporting event in Morgantown, W.Va., there’s always a risk in taking the Personal Rapid Transit as it frequently breaks down. The 40-year-old system is convenient because it avoids traffic, is free for students and transports riders to any major part of West Virginia University’s campuses. But, if users have somewhere to be at a certain time, becoming trapped on the tracks can result in tardiness. Aside from the possibility of not making an appointment or being late for class, there is a question of safety and what actions students should take if they’re trapped on the PRT. On Sept. 20, the day West Virginia played Oklahoma, one of the cars stopped right before the Medical Station near the football stadium. The car had 15-20 people crunched inside who would end up being trapped for approximately 30 minutes. “It was so hot that people were trying to use the emergency exit,” said Cory Gabrielli, a senior at WVU. “We
teamed up to pull a door open to get air inside, and lodged a water bottle in front of the door to keep it open. If we didn’t get the doors opened, people would’ve passed out.” Dylan Schaffer, another senior who was trapped in the car, stressed the biggest problem was a lack of staff. “They announced over the intercom that there was a guy on his way but he was stuck in traffic. But, you would think that on game day they would have people ready for this kind of thing to happen,” Schaffer said. “You know it’s going to break down, and you know traffic is going to be bad. They need more people ready to help if something does happen, because had it been an hour instead of 30 minutes, it could have been really bad.” Another idea that has circulated is the installment of a backup air conditioner in each car in the case of one breaking down. “The situation would have been completely different if we weren’t sitting in a sauna of sweat,” said WVU alumni Darren Klaus. “The heat, mixed with the stress of the situation, just made everyone panic. They need to make some changes to the system
“It was so hot that people were trying to use the emergency exit.” – Cory Gabrielli, a senior at WVU
to make it safe for everyone.” Arlie Forman, associate director of Parking and Transportation at WVU, said with the age of the system, problems like these shouldn’t come as a surprise. “It’s tough when it breaks down and it’s that hot,” Foreman said. “We know how bad
Safe Zone creates ‘visible network of allies’ for students in LGBTQ community by rachel mcbride correspondent @dailyathenaeum
Diversity Week hosted a Safe Zone Training for students at West Virginia University Monday. Safe Zone focuses on creating a safe space of allies to support individuals in the LGBTQ community on campus. “(The program) ties into diversity, ties into creating a safe space for all students,” said Melissa Chesanko, a diversity specialist from the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at WVU. The program was founded by WVU psychologist Rosemary Srebalus in 1997. Since then, training has been provided to anyone who wants to support the LGBTQ community and its strides against prejudice and inequality. Many programs such as Safe Zone are found throughout universi ties across the nation. Although the names of the programs may vary, their mission statements remain similar. Chesanko organized the presentation by focusing on four main points. These included situating oneself, allocating resources, tak-
it can be when there is no air conditioning and our personnel is caught in traffic. And, we can understand why people get upset, but this system has been functioning a lot longer than we thought it would. Until we renovate it, we’re going to continue having problems like these.”
see PRT on PAGE 2
“I think WVU promotes diversity really well especially because I live at the international house. That’s about as diverse as you can get. I’m American, but I wanted to experience different cultures before I traveled outside the country.” – Marie Adigwe, a freshman student
Shannon McKenna/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Melissa Chesanko, a diversity specialist from the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, leads a group discussion on the importance of the Safe Zone program. ing action and obtaining tions. They were also made knowledge. aware of all the resources With the proper train- available to students pering, students can learn to taining to sexuality and handle delicate situations gender identity. Vulnerinvolving the LGBTQ com- ability and group work munity.One can provide were key factors in the appropriate resources de- training. pending on the person’s Students attending the need or position, take ac- training were encouraged tion against discrimina- to work with one another, tion toward the LGBTQ discuss different scenarios community and acquire as well as outcomes and be knowledge about it and respectful of others’ viewpass that knowledge onto points and opinions. others. After completion of the “The goal of this pro- training, students who gram is to create a visible chose to become Safe network of allies,” Che- Zone members received sanko said. a Safe Zone pin and emAmple information was blem which serves as a provided to the students symbol of a safe space for in attendance as to what see SAFE ZONE PAGE 2 to do in sensitive situa-
CHECK US OUT ON ISSUU
INSIDE
Popular Netflix show promotes diversity. A&E PAGE 6
In addition to our print coverage, The Daily Athenaeum posts version of its print edition on www.thedaonline.com
Campus Connection: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 9
longer. “When people get out, we have to account for everyone and do a system-wide search. Once the door is open, they all shut down, and then we have to search for people before we can get them running again,”
How well do you think West Virginia University promotes diversity?
‘OITNB’
News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 6 Sports: 7, 8, 10
The PRT was estimated to be fully functional for about 15 years before it would need renovations, yet it stands at more than twice its life expectancy. However, Forman said when people do open doors and try to get out, the delay time becomes exponentially
WE ASKED:
79° / 56°
PARTLY CLOUDY
Andrew Spellman/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Students wait along Monongahela Boulevard in a stalled PRT car during their commute.
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
“I think it’s difficult because the state of West Virginia gets a lot of people in-state and, as a state, West Virginia isn’t very diverse. I think it is diverse but because of where we’re located, it’s not as diverse as it could be.” – Steven Gingerich, a junior management information systems student
“I saw it’s Diversity Week, but until I saw that, I’ve never seen anything promoting (diversity).” – Emily Sabino, a junior sports and exercise psychology student
“I think diversity is pretty good on this campus. Two of my roommates are from Oman, and I didn’t know that was a country before (I met) them. They turned out to be really cool and they both ride motorcycles.” – Waset Davis, a junior mechanical engineering student
TODAY’S DIVERSITY Diversity Week continues with myriad events across WVU’s campuses. NEWS PAGE 2
FLYING FRESHMAN Safety Dravon Henry finds success early on. SPORTS PAGE 10