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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
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Friday October 4, 2013
Volume 126, Issue 35
www.THEDAONLINE.com
WELCOME HOME SURPRISE Spooky run to
hit Morgantown BY Caroline Peters Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum
ERIN IRWIN/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Kathryn Samuels embraces her father John after he surprised her in her math class Thursday.
Father returns from Afghanistan, surprises daughter on campus by Madison fleck & summer ratcliff da staff @daily athenaeum
ERIN IRWIN /THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Kathryn Samuels carries her father’s backpack after his surprise return home from deployment in Afghanistan.
After enduring hours of traveling, lost luggage and Morgantown traffic, Captain John Samuels of Wisconsin, a member of the Army National Guard, finally arrived back to the U.S. after a 14-month deployment to surprise his daughter, Kathryn, for Fall Family Weekend at West Virginia University. As Kathryn, a WVU forensic science student, sat in her regular third-row seat for math class in Hodges Hall, she did not expect the surprise walking her way. The class was told a guest speaker would come at the end of the class, and to their surprise, John was the one standing in the doorway. “I was so surprised,” Kathryn said. “I’m (extremely) excited.”
see SURPRISE on PAGE 2
Men’s rowing to compete in first regatta BY Sam Bosserman Correspondent @DailyAthenaeum
Thousands of rowers representing more than 75 colleges will come together Saturday in Pittsburgh to compete in the Head of the Ohio Regatta. This annual event is one of the largest single-day regattas in the country, and will mark the opening of the competitive season for the West Virginia University men’s rowing club. Jenna Lapointe, the club’s head coach, said men’s rowing is different from other club sports because they represent WVU at the highest levels of competition within rowing. “Since NCAA doesn’t recognize men’s rowing, we are not just rac-
ing against other clubs but against varsity programs, as well,” Lapointe said. “The other cool thing is that regattas don’t just pit one or two schools against each other; I know we’ll be racing at least 10 other schools all at once.” Lapointe said the Head of the Ohio is one of three competitions the club would be participating in this season and was by far the closest in distance. Additionally, Lapointe said WVU would field both novice (first-year) and varsity boats. She also said there is very good reason to be optimistic about WVU’s chances at the upcoming competition. “I think we have the potential to make this a very successful year,” Lapointe said. “The novice squad, in particular, is pulling good
time, and at this point it’s just about getting them to refine their technique.” Lapointe said the rowing team at WVU is a group of very hardworking guys who push themselves at every practice, every day. Novice rower Brian Vaughan said rowing is one of the most intense sports in terms of getting a workout. “We spend a lot of time every day doing weight training and about an equal amount of time out on the water trying to perfect our technique,” Vaughan said. “It takes a good amount of determination to go to practice for two hours every evening after a long day of school. “Rowing is definitely a very taxing sport and really tests your endurance.” Vaughan also said he thinks the best thing about
the rowing team is no prior experience is required to join. “Our coaches are very good at training us up to standards; they try very hard to keep us motivated,” Vaughan said. “We (novices) have only been doing this for about a month, but I think the coaches have really gotten us well prepared.” The Head of the Ohio Regatta kicks off early Saturday morning at Wa s h i n g t o n ’s Landing on the Allegheny River. WVU’s varsity team will race at 10:05 a.m., and the novices will follow at 3:25 p.m. To learn more about the WVU men’s rowing team, visit http://mens-crew. studentorgs.wvu.edu. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
Fall Family Weekend tabloid inside
The Morgantown Roller Vixens roller derby league will host a 5k Zombie Run Sunday to benefit two charities. The Zombie Run will be held at Heston Farms, near Fairmont, W.Va., at 11 a.m. All participants in the 3.1-mile race will be running to raise money for charity. “The money is going to two different charities,” said Samantha Kyle, co-organizer of the race. “One is not for profit, the Morgantown roller derby girls, and (the second is) the Fairmont Community Garden, which grows organic food at various places throughout the town. “(The Garden) is trying to get a community orchard where they bring kids in and teach them how to grow food. Heston Farms is one of the main purchasers of the food, and that money goes back into the soil and everything you need to buy
for the event.” Any extra food from the event that isn’t sold will be donated to a homeless shelter. Kyle said the derby girls put a lot of emphasis on community service and charity work. “The derby girls are a WVU student organization, so we do a lot of fundraisers for different charities,” she said. “Heston Farms really loves our organization and has been generous in many ways, including allowing us to use their farmland.” Kyle said she encourages all community members to attend the race. “The race has everything that could be fun in October,” she said. “There are going to be numerous obstacles including a tire and a spider web. It is our first year, and we pulled this off in a little over a month of getting things together. “It’s not professional, but it’s fun. We have a bunch of zombies that are going to chase you in
see ZOMBIES on PAGE 2
No. 10 women’s soccer to host Soctoberfest BY Summer Ratcliff City Editor @SummerRatcliff
West Virginia University’s No. 10 women’s soccer team will take on the Texas Longhorns in a Gold Rush game tonight at 7 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. In addition to a Gold Rush, the game will also be the second annual Soctoberfest celebration, featuring an evening full of American and German food and drink, including a Biergarten. “Now that we are in the Big 12 Conference season for the women’s soccer program and have a big match coming up with Texas, we’re looking to help attendance and help pack the stands to create a great atmosphere for tonight’s match,” said Matt Wells, assistant athletic director of marketing and sales. “With the Oktoberfest celebration and tying in the sport of soccer and calling it ‘Soctoberfest,’ hopefully we’ll create a unique event and give fans a reason to come out and enjoy a great Big 12 Conference soccer match and create a great environment.” The match is also a “Dollar Night,” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products avail-
able for just $1. Additionally, German dishes such as sausage, pretzels, potato salad and more will be served. Oktoberfest beers and domestic beers will also be available for purchase. Parents who are in town for Fall Family Weekend are encouraged to attend the soccer match with their students; admission is free for WVU students with a valid student ID. To generate excitement leading up to tonight’s match, the Mountaineer Maniacs will host a special Chalk Talk event with head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown at noon in the Mountainlair Food Court. Izzo-Brown will talk about the matchup and distribute free pizza and rally towels to students. “We’re very excited that Coach Izzo-Brown has decided to come down to the Lair to preview their big game against Texas,” said Chris Northrup, Mountaineer Maniacs executive director. “This is a great way for students to come get a free lunch and hear from one of our most passionate coaches at WVU.” The Mountaineer Maniacs will also host a tailgate event at 5:30 p.m. at Dick
see SOCTOBER on PAGE 2
TAKING ON THE BEARS WVU will travel to Waco, Texas, Saturday and will face No. 17 Baylor. SPORTS PAGE 7