The DA 03-15-2016

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Tuesday March 15, 2016

Volume 128, Issue 114

www.THEDAONLINE.com

WVU launches music therapy degree by amy pratt

staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Beginning in fall of 2016, West Virginia University will be the first to host an undergraduate degree program in music therapy in the state of West Virginia. Music therapy is the systematic use of music to address non-music goals. Music therapists are highly trained musicians who work in various settings, such as palliative care, with premature infants or to help people with autism better their communication skills.

“There are music therapists who work in the neonatal intensive care unit. In that situation, babies who are born prematurely have a really hard time with their neurologic system coming together and being able to take in stimulation,” said Dena Register, director of the music therapy program. “We work to use music and what we call multimodal stimulation—touch and humming—to help babies learn to integrate the different sensory inputs they get…” Register said there have been students at WVU wanting to major in mu-

sic therapy, but had to leave the state to do so, which causes them to stay out of state for jobs and internships. “West Virginians who want to be music therapists leave and don’t come back. If they do come back they have to change their job,” Register said. “We are capitalizing on an interest growing across the country so we will attract students from other states, but we’re also looking at the number of students who will stay in the state because they want to major in this.” A degree in music therapy offers students a way

to participate in music and have a career serving others. Register began college knowing she wanted to continue her music, but not wanting to perform. She has worked in music therapy for nearly 25 years. “I started out as a jazz and commercial music major with voice as my principle instrument and as a sophomore went home and announced to my parents that I wanted to quit school and move to (Los Angeles) to be a jazz singer. They invited me to rethink that plan,” Register said. “I started looking

PLAGUED FROM THE START West Virginia’s drug epidemic continues to impact future generations

around and I had a friend who was a music therapy major. I talked to the professor who was in charge of that program and realized it was exactly what I wanted to do...” Prospective music therapy students must audition and be accepted into the WVU School of Music. Students in the program will continue learning about their primary instrument along with learning voice, piano and guitar. They will also take music therapy specific course-work, including psychology, anatomy and physiology. There are plans to add

a master’s and PhD music therapy program by 2018. “One of the really important things is the capacity we have to serve not only WVU students, but to serve the people of West Virginia…” Register said. “So that the people of West Virginia are being served in their hospitals, their schools and their rehabilitation facilities. That’s one of the really cool things about this, the number of people we hope to touch and provide services for and increase their quality of life in the state.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

‘Spring into Spring’ event aims to relieve student stress

Askar Salikhov/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

A few students relax on the Mountainlair Green away from the main crowd.

by brittnay osteen A&E Writer @dailyathenaeum

mountaineernewsservice.com

Every 25 minutes in the United States, a child is born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Alex, above, is one of many children born addicted to drugs.

by TOri Konczal, Steven Sharpe and cj harvey Mountaineer News service

June and Lonnie Atwell of Cyclone, West Virginia, were faced with a difficult decision when they discovered their nephew, Alex, had been born addicted to heroin, OxyContin and barbiturates. They couldn’t decide whether to adopt Alex or leave him as a ward of the state. His parents were addicts themselves, and according to his doctors, the drugs were to blame for Alex’s severe autism and deafness. The drug epidemic in West Virginia is not just harming adults and teenagers addicted to opioids and barbiturates; it is also afflicting the next generation: Babies who are born addicted. Babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome can suffer from seizures, tremors, fever, diarrhea and have difficulty feeding. Sometimes there is permanent brain damage, as in Alex’s case. The rate of babies born addicted to drugs in West Virginia has quadrupled in the last six years, and is three times higher than the national average, according to a study from the Journal of Rural Health. The study showed a four-fold increase in di-

mountaineernewsservice.com

agnoses of neonatal abstinence syndrome, from eight in 2007 to 32 per 1,000 births in 2013; the national average is four cases per 1,000 live births. In Cabell County alone, which includes Huntington, West Virginia, there were 139 reported cases of children born with neonatal syndrome in 2015, an increase from the 106 cases in 2014, according to the Marshall University School of Medicine. That number represents 1,000 times the national

66°/51°

ROM-COM CRAVING

INSIDE

‘Love’ gets good start on Netflix A&E PAGE 4

A.M. SHOWERS

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

average. Neonatal abstinence syndrome occurs when pregnant mothers ingest an addictive substance during pregnancy. Those substances are absorbed into the bloodstream and passed along to the developing fetus. While Cabell Huntington Hospital and Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown screen every baby for this syndrome, not all hospitals in West Virginia do. Out of the 20,363 babies born

in West Virginia last year, only 697 were officially diagnosed with the syndrome, according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. But experts suggest that number could be much higher. West Virginia has had the highest rate of drug overdoses in the nation for several years, and the number continues to rise. Between 2007 and 2009, there were about 22 drug

This Thursday, students can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Mountaineer Midway Carnival as a part of Spring Into Spring week. “For our week Spring into Spring, we try to do fun events at the request of our students,” said Sonja Wilson, adviser for student activities. “Before planning everything for this week, we assess certain student groups to get their feedback on what they would like to have. In this regard, carnival items seem to be what the students wanted.” Students can enjoy events all week before heading out for spring break. The events build up until Thursday, which is the last day for the Spring into Spring week. Wilson said the goal of the event is to help students get prepared for a fun and safe spring break. Today, there will be spring break care package giveaways that are won by following social media clues. Tonight, there will be Nerf wars in the Rec Center Basketball Courts and a balloon man in the Mountainlair. Students can also grab free pepperoni rolls and drinks during the Nerf wars. Tomorrow, students can get free massages in the Health Sciences Center, pet puppies in the Mountainlair or get free cotton candy and popcorn in the Mountainlair. Between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., MTV is holding auditions for its hit show “The Real World.” Thursday is the main event. The day will begin with St. Patrick’s breakfast in all dining halls and Hatfield’s. Until 2 p.m., there are free massages and an Irish Photo Booth in the Mountainlair. From 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m., students can pick up green Krispy Kreme Donuts from the Mountainlair, Health Sciences Building, Law and Engineering Science Building. At 3 p.m. there is a St. Patrick’s Day Costume Contest in the Mountainlair, which is followed by more Nerf wars in the Rec Center. The Mountaineer Midway Carnival begins at 4 p.m. with free food, music and many inflatables. “I think that the DJ will set the tone and then the inflatables and carnival will be the most favorite parts,” Wilson said. All on the Mountainlair Plaza, WELLWVU Umbrella will be sharing information on making smart decisions when it comes to alcohol. Students can grab free food consisting of hot dogs, chips, drinks and ice cream. DJ Owen will be playing the whole night. The Mountaineer Midway will feature an obstacle course, rock wall, Euro Bungee trampoline, bungee run, jousting, wrecking ball and double lane slide. Students can fly 35 feet in the air with the Euro Bungee trampoline or slide 30 feet down the double lane changer slides. The carnival itself will feature games such as beanbag toss, duck pond, over and under, ring toss and tic tac toe. After enjoying the Mountaineer Midway Carnival, students can head in for WVUp All Night. “We are hoping for a great crowd and great weather. If the weather would be bad, most events will move inside the Mountainlair and Rec Center,” Wilson said. For more information on “Spring into Spring” week, visit http://studentlife.wvu.edu/spring.

see drugs on PAGE 2

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SEAWORLD Parks should release captive orcas, not just end live shows OPINION PAGE 3

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MARCH MADNESS WVU learns its NCAA Tournament seeding SPORTS PAGE 8


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