THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
Tuesday February 24, 2015
W.Va named unhappiest state by john mark shaver correspondent @dailyathenaeum
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, West Virginia has been named the least happy state in the nation for a record sixth year in a row, but the results may not be entirely what they seem. The Well-Being Index determines its rankings through self-reported surveys taken by each state’s citizens, and has five integral elements of wellbeing: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. According to Gallup, the results were gathered from phone interviews over the course of last year, with more than 150,000 people being surveyed. In addition to West Virginia scoring lowest over-
all, the state also came dead last in both the purpose and physical categories, signifying that West Virginia’s citizens are not only the least motivated, but also the least active, according to the index. This correlates with West Virginia being the second most obese state in 2014, behind Mississippi. Logan Helfferich, a West Virgina University senior print journalism student and Pennsylvania native, was not surprised at West Virginia’s low purpose score. “It makes total sense to me,” Helfferich said. “I always see people just standing around downtown, not really having anything to do, and probably up to no good.” Along with four other
see UNHAPPY on PAGE 3
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In this file photo from May 2014, students prepare to canoe 20 miles with Adventure WV on the Colorado River.
Adventure WV price lowered to $95 by emily leslie correspondent @dailyathenaeum
West Virginia University’s Office of the Provost began subsidizing Adventure WV trips last October, lowering the cost of their freshman orientation trips to $95 per student and making them free for students eligible for the Pell Grant. Adventure WV offers several 7-day, peerled programs for incoming freshmen that include white water rafting, backpacking, rock climbing and building homes with Habitat for Humanity. Students who do an Adventure WV program before going into their first semester tend to have higher retention and graduation rates. Greg Corio, director of Adventure WV, noted the importance of giving new students, who may be nervous about going to college, a social group and a connection to WVU. “It’s all about helping students find a community and a sense of belongingness at WVU – and that they’re going to stay and they’re going to be more successful and hopefully walk away with their degree,” Corio said. “We work with students, addressing the concerns and fears about the transition for students when it is relevant – the summer before they come to school. After their trip they already belong at WVU, they’ve got their social group. They’ve had an incredibly powerful educational
experience, probably unlike anything they’ve ever done before.” Corio said lowering the cost of programs and offering the Pell Grant gives students equal opportunity to participate in a program that will increase their likelihood of staying in school and graduating. Now, more students have a fair shot of getting this opportunity thanks to the University making it more affordable. “The administration has been invested in cutting down the barriers for people to participate. What they’ve done is they’ve helped us cut down our costs. Trips, which were usually around $445 a piece, are now $95 a student, or they are free if they are Pell Grant eligible,” Corio said. “What this is about is breaking down financial barriers for increased participation. Ultimately, we want students to be successful.” Corio commented on the growing number of specialty programs Adventure WV offers, as well. While trips with the College of Media, the School of Engineering and the Honors College have been around for at least a couple of years, Adventure WV is beginning to offer brand new programs, such as the new trip with the School of Art and Design. “Not only are you connecting with students in your general incoming class, but you’re connecting with students in your
see ADVENTURE on PAGE 3
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INSIDE
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The three SGA candidate parties dropped their banners Sunday evening in the Mountainlair, marking the beginning of SGA election season.
SGA CAMPAIGNING OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF by taylor jobin
ELECTION TIMELINE
Student Government Association election season is now in full swing, and with it comes the discussion of the candidates and their platforms. This year, there are three competing parties – a first since 1996. The three official parties are: “The Make a Difference Movement,” “The Experience” and the “Youth Party.” There are also a record number of 57 candidates this year. SGA elections are a critical time at West Virginia University because SGA has the important role of allocating funds directly to students, through the use of grants. The student body president also gets to sit on the institutional board of WVU, giving a voice to the students. “At the end of the day, these are people who will push your issues,” said Stephen Scott, presidential candidate of The Experience Party. “These are the people who want to serve you.” George Capel, the presidential candidate for The Make a Difference Movement (M.A.D.), followed that sentiment by explaining how student involvement directly reflects the level of respect and engagement with the Morgantown community. “The more that students are active and involved and engaged in the community, I feel like they are much more likely to respect it,” Capel said. All three parties have varying platforms, allowing students to vote on the direction the University will take in the coming year. Along with the rare three-party race, five of the six people who are in the running, for either president or vice president, were all on the same ticket two years ago, The Revolution. However, Spenser Wempe, the presidential candidate for the Youth Party, said there is no animosity between former party members. “When you run (in a) SGA election with somebody, and as cliché and as silly as it sounds, you really do become close with these people, and when you’re spending a lot of time together you’re bound to become friends, and that’s what Stephen, Braxton, Ashley, George and I all did.” The Make a Difference Movement has a four-part plan with the hopes to engage students, the local Morgantown community, the state as a whole, the Big 12 and the rest of the nation, as well. The first part of the plan will be a “student summit.” This will entail a representative from every student organization, academic college and program, meeting at the beginning of every semester and have an open dialogue on what is important on campus, with SGA being the liaison for the event. The second part will be petitioning the Morgantown City Council to have a member of SGA sit on City Council as an ex officio. The third part of the plan will be a statewide day of ser-
CAMPAIGNING BEGINS
staff writer @dailyathenaeum
see SGA on PAGE 3
EXPENDITURE REPORTS Friday, 3 p.m. Per the Student Government Association’s Elections Code, all tickets must release their expenditure report to the elections chair by this time. DEBATE PART 1 - SUNDAY Mountainlair, 9 p.m. Because of the high number of candidates running for SGA, the annual debate will take place in two parts. This night, candidates running for Board of Governors will debate. DEBATE PART 2 - MONDAY Mountainlair, 9 p.m. Because the high number of candidates running for SGA, the annual debate will take place in two parts. This night, candidates running for Board of Govenors will debate. VOTING BEGINS Students can cast their votes March 3-5 at the Mountainlair and the Student Recreation Center. Also, there are rotating locations: TUESDAY- Towers WEDNESDAY - Brooks Hall THURSDAY - Engineering
INAUGURATION TBD
Regulations make business difficult for ecig sellers by john mark shaver correspondent @dailyathenaeum
The “Wild West” of Morgantown’s electronic cigarette business might soon be in danger because of imminent FDA regulations. The electronic cigarette industry is one of the fastest growing in the country. The number of electronic cigarette users has quintupled over the last two years. Today’s users have a multitude of options in front of them. Downtown Morgantown alone boasts four different electronic cigarette shops, all which carry unique products and flavors known as “e-juice” or simply “juice.” However, none of these products are regulated
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time.com
Electronic cigarettes, such as the one shown above, have been increasing in popularity. or certified by the Food any long-term testing to & Drug Administration. be done to see if they’re Jane Shehorn, a respira- safe to use,” Shehorn said. tory therapist and mem- “They may be safer than ber of the American Lung regular cigarettes because Association, is pushing for there’s no combustion, but for overall safety, there’s heavier regulation. “They haven’t been no scientific evidence around long enough for to establish the safety of
PUBLIC RECORD REQUESTS Editorial: Our view on how the University responds to public record requests OPINION PAGE 4
e-cigarettes.” Shehorn isn’t alone. Although there are no current federal laws or regulations regarding electronic cigarettes, many states have adopted their own practices for businesses to follow. Current West Virginia State law says it’s illegal to sell electronic cigarettes to those under the age of 18. Juice manufacturers must also list their ingredients on the bottle labels. The FDA recently passed its first set of regulations on electronic cigarettes, which are scheduled to become official national law this June. Despite this, local businesses are not worried about the new laws. “A lot of stores were al-
see E-CIGS on PAGE 3
TEXAS TUESDAY No. 20 Mountaineers take on Longhorns tonight at the Coliseum SPORTS PAGE 9