THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Thursday October 10, 2013
Volume 126, Issue 39
www.THEDAONLINE.com
Students celebrate identity differences By laura Haight Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum
In honor of the 25th anniversary of National Coming Out Day, Spectrum, an on-campus student organization, celebrated the different identities among West Virginia University students. National Coming Out Day will take place on Oct. 11, as part of LGBTQ History Month, but with fall break beginning Friday,
the club decided to celebrate it early. Students were able to “come out” by writing down their identity on a post it note then sticking it on a board full of different identities. These identities were anything ranging from “nerd” to “bisexual” to “lesbian.” Melissa Chesanko, a graduate student at WVU and a member of Spectrum, said she hoped to create a feeling of commu-
nity through the efforts of the coming out event. “One of the most powerful things in changing opinions is knowing someone who is gay, bisexual, transgender or queer,” she said. “The idea is the more people who come out, the more we can break stereotypes and the more we can understand experiences.” Chesanko also offered advice for students who might be nervous about accepting an identity or coming out.
“Breaking through your own stereotypes about what it means to be any certain identity is important,” Chesanko said. “You may be having trouble identifying yourself or coming to terms with an identity because of your own internalized homophobia, biphobia or transphobia. “So, recognize that, and recognize that structural MICK POSEY/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM component as to why you might be feeling that way.” Members of WVU’s Spectrum club encourage students to identify themselves and support the LGBTQ community by writing their identity on a sticky note and posting it on a board. see LGBTQ on PAGE 2
SCRUFF ENOUGH?
SGA passes Office of LGBTQ Programs resolution by sam bosserman correspondent @dailyathenaeum
Erin Irwin/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Men of West Virginia University take the stage at the beard growing competition’s shave bar in the Mountainlair Wednesday. Upon entering the competition, contestants must shave their current facial hair.
Students shave in hopes to grow Mountaineer-worthy facial hair by caroline peters staff writer @dailyathenaeum
From prickly beards to grizzly beards, 36 men stepped up to shave off their facial hair Wednesday in the for the traditional Mountaineer Beard Shaving competition.
Although in the past, the competition has accepted only beard growers, this year, mustache growing is welcome, as well. The kick-off event was hosted by Jonathan Kimble, the Mountaineer mascot, and Miranda Harrison, Miss West Virginia. “This is so fun and is the perfect contest for home-
coming,” Harrison said. “It really represents the Mountaineer image. “I want to see a beard as close to the Mountaineer’s as possible. I have faith in the contestants.” Harrison said the contestants are serious about growing their beard. “Some of the contestants say they are going to eat po-
tatoes and almonds to help them grow a beard,” she said. “I don’t know if these are myths, but the players seem pretty serious.” The Beard Shaving competition is open to all students and faculty who wish to participate, and contestants are allowed
see BEARDS on PAGE 2
Spotlight: WVU 2013 Homecoming Court The DA will continue to feature two Homecoming candidates. BY Summer Ratcliff City Editor @SummerRatcliff
Erin Barthelmess, from Hurricane, W.Va. , is a senior biology student, with minors in psychology and Spanish. Barthelmess’ mother and father, as well as a large part of her extended family, all pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees at West Virginia University. Because of these deep WVU roots, Barthemess said she grew up hearing stories of late-night study sessions in the Wise Library, the “newness” of the PRT and the first female Mountaineer. “Fast forward to my senior year of high school, I toured no less than nine colleges,” she said. “However, I knew in my heart that WVU would be my home.” WVU’s tradition, paired with its successes in innovation, is what Barthelmess said being a Mountaineer is all about. “This University is steeped in tradition, and I love knowing that I am a part of that,” she said. “At the same time, WVU continues to excel in technology and innovation, giving its students an excellent education and vast
61° / 53°
P.M. SHOWERS
INSIDE News: 1, 2, 3 Opinion: 4 A&E: 6, 7, 8 Sports: 9, 10, 12 Campus Calendar: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 11
Erin Barthelmess
Shawn Russman
people together, crafting, WVU football and chocolate. Barthelmess said she applied for homecoming queen because she believes she would make a good ambassador for the University to show current and prospective students how WVU’s excellence. “I can remember being a little girl, watching from the football stands as a homecoming queen was crowned every year,” she said. “Now that I am older, I understand that homecoming queen is much more than a title.”
opportunity.” Although she has many fond memories of her time at WVU, Barthelmess said one of her favorites will always be her freshman class welcome in the fall of 2010. “The entire Coliseum was filled with my classmates, where we stood arm in arm and sang ‘Country Roads’,” she said. “That is a feeling I will never forget.” In addition to her studies in biology, Barthelmess said her passions in life are training service dogs, traveling, planning events and getting
see HOMECOMING on PAGE 2
KEEPING UP
CHECK US OUT ON ISSUU
Kris and Bruce Jenner have filed for divorce after 22 years of marriage. A&E PAGE 6
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ON THE INSIDE Celebrating National Coming Out Day. OPINION PAGE 4
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At Wednesday evening’s regular meeting of the West Virginia University Student Government Association, a resolution was passed endorsing the creation of an Office of LGBTQ Programs on campus. The Board of Governors passed the resolution unanimously after hearing its second reading by SGA Vice President Benjamin Seebaugh. The proposed office would serve as both an advocate and a center for LGBT Students. According to the resolution, the preferred staffing scenario for the office would be one full-time director, one full-time program coordina-
tor, and two other part-time assistants. Vice President Seebaugh, an ardent supporter of the resolution, said he was pleased to see the board pass the resolution with overwhelming support. “Today we were able to pass, for the third consecutive year, support from the student body as a whole for an LGBTQ office,” Seebaugh said. “This (office) will benefit a number of students who have been underrepresented for years and will make the University more competitive for bringing in diverse applicants in the future.” Seebaugh said he was also very optimistic about the chances of the office actually being created by the
see SGA on PAGE 2
University community disheartened by government shutdown BY Daniel Schatz Correspondent @DailyAthenaeum
With the U.S. Congress still undecided on a tangible budget for government spending, the shutdown continues. According to the Antideficiency Act, until Congress proposes a bill clarifying the annual budget and the president signs this bill, the government will remain in a shutdown state. By failing to reach an agreement and pass a budget, officials on Capitol Hill have halted funding of certain organizations, and some nonessential government personnel have been furloughed. In consequence, the state of West Virginia may experience economic hardships due to the large number of federal workers the state houses. “Any federal workers who are deemed ‘nonessential’ are on unpaid leave,” said Patrick Hickey, a political science assistant professor. “These people are probably spending a lot less money, and that will hurt our state economy.” This shutdown may prove to be detrimental to any student veterans attending school with aid from the Servicemen’s
Readjustment Act, also known as the G.I. Bill. Since these students already have this semester paid for, they won’t be immediately forced to withdraw from classes, but many veterans will experience financial hardship now the government has stopped providing funds. The Morgantown branch of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has been forced to stop all research. Their website is still running, but there will be no updates until the shutdown ends. Despite the shutdown, there are many essential government entities that will continue to operate, such as federal prisons and Social Security programs. “The government should not claim it is shut down if it can still fund essentials like prisons,” said David Leviev, a sophomore political science student. Freshman journalism student Maia Brumage said she thinks the decisions made on Capitol Hill are farcical. “The government shutdown is an extremely immature move by both parties,” Brumage said. “Were they truly representative of the people, they would
see SHUTDOWN on PAGE 2
CATCHING ON Wide receiver Kevin White is emerging as a key player on West Virginia’s offense. SPORTS PAGE 9