The DA 11-05-2014

Page 1

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Wednesday November 5, 2014

www.THEDAONLINE.com

CAPITO(L) BOUND

Volume 127, Issue 55

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito wins the open Senate seat for West Virginia, defeats Secretary of State Natalie Tennant by jake jarvis

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) was elected as West Virginia’s first female U.S. Senator yesterday. Her term will be the first in 55 years West Virginia was represented by a Republican. With her election, and the election of senators in Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Kansas, Georgia, Iowa and North Carolina, Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate. “Around the country today, Americans came together and made their voices heard to tell Washington that we can do better,” Capito said in a speech in Charleston, W.Va., shortly after the polls closed. “And, West Virginians voted to send a new voice to Washington to speak for them that will always fight for our values.” Capito served for seven terms in the House of Rep-

ried a strong lead. This part of the state is also a historically Republican stronghold. Challenging Capito was the Democratic Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. From the beginning, pollsters predicted Cap-

Around the country today, Americans came together and made their voices heard to tell Washington that we can do better. And, West Virginians voted to send a new voice to Washington to speak for them that will always fight for our values.

resentatives, representing West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District. Her incumbency was a clear advantage in the eastern panhandle where she car-

licans have also remained in control of the House of Representatives. Three republicans will represent West Virginia: Incumbent David McKinley of the 1st Congressional District, Alex Mooney Born Nov. 26, 1953, in Glen Dale, W.Va. (taking Capito’s seat) for the 2nd Congressional DisAttended Duke University & trict and Evan Jenkins who University of Virginia defeated Democrat incumbent Nick J. Rahall in the Daughter of three-term West Virginia 3rd Congressional District. As the Republicans take Governor Arch Alfred Moore, Jr. control of Congress, party Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority leaders are already questioning who will run for member Senate Majority leader. Held the 2nd Congressional District’s Sen. Mitch McConnell already announced U.S. House of Representative seat for (Ky.) he will run. Others have seven terms questioned whether Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) will vie huffingtonpost.com coming 2016 presidential appointed after Matthew for the position. Capito prevailed to win elections, candidates will Neely (D) died in 1958. In Louisianna, neither the majority of votes in have murky waters to wade Besides taking control the Democrat nor Repubeach county. This ranged into. of the U.S. Senate, Repub- lican candidates received from a smaller average The last Republican enough votes fiver point lead in Monon- U.S. Senator to be elected to be elected Monongalia County galia County to land- in West Virginia was and will have final votes: slide 70.5 points in Grant William Revercomb a runoff elecCapito: 10, 424 County. in 1956 to finish Demtion Dec. 6. Tennant trailed the least ocrat Harley KilgoAlaska’s reTennant: 7, 982 in Marion County where re’s term. Then, John sults were not released by she was born and raised. Hoblitzell, Jr., (R), press time. In McDowell county, the was the last Repubmost southern point in lican to represent jajarvis@mail.wvu. West Virginia, she trailed West Virginia in by 8.3 points. the U.S. Senate. edu Capito focused her cam- He was paign efforts on associating Tennant with President Barack Obama. Despite Tennant’s efforts to disCapito’s won with tance herself from Democratic party leaders, such a landslide victory as former Senate Main Grant County, jority Leader Harry Reid, voters did not leading by 70.5% .......... respond. Capito received Capito led the least with three out of every ten Democratic 5.2% in Marion County, votes, according Tennant’s home county. to an exit poll of 960 ............. voters conducted by the Asssociated Press. This Capito will take office Jan. 3. represents a shift in West Virginia’s ideologies. In the

Meet West Virginia’s new U.S. Senator

MANAGINg editor @jakejarviswvu

ito would win. In late August and early September, there were some predictions that Tennant might have a chance at winning as Capito’s lead lessened.

Saira Blair becomes youngest ever W.Va. legislator by jacob bojesson editor-in-chief @jbojesson

West Virginia University student Saira Blair (R) will become the youngest person to ever serve in the West Virginia state legislature after getting elected Tuesday. Blair, an 18-year-old freshman, was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 59th district after beating her two opponents by a landslide. Blair received more than twice the votes of her main opponent, Democratic Party candidate Layne Dieh. “It was amazing to see that the 59th district had so much faith in me,” Blair said shortly after getting the results. Blair celebrated the victory at Buffalo Wild Wings before heading to the Berkley County Court House and later to Charles Town to celebrate with another newly

pbs.org

elected Republican, Alex Mooney, who will take over Shelley Moore Capito’s seat in the U.S. Congress. Blair was just 17 years old when she defeated two-term Republican Del. Larry D. Kump in the primary election in May.

Blair said her main priority in the House will be to create more jobs throughout the state. “I think it’s important for us to bring jobs to the state of West Virginia,” Blair said. “I see a lot of people get their high school and their col-

lege education in West Virginia and then they leave the state because they can’t find a good paying job.” Blair created a 16 page booklet to give voters an introduction to her viewpoints and wrote 4,000 handwritten letters to show her dedication to the people of the district. Her young age makes her stand out among politicians in the state, but she said she’s gotten positive feedback on her campaign from the start. “It’s been both positive and negative (reactions to running at an early age) but mostly it’s been really positive,” Blair said. Blair will finish out the fall semester and then take a break from school until the end of her term. Election Day didn’t end as happily for another WVU student. John Williams (D), a 24-year-old senior politi-

cal science student, finished seventh in the 51st district election for the House of Delegates. Williams was disappointed with the outcome but blessed with the experience he’s had running for office. “This was an amazing experience that gave me the opportunity to love my state more than I ever thought that I could,” Williams said. “From here on out I’m just going to focus on work and getting out of school and I really don’t know what the future holds.” Williams was the third most popular Democratic candidate in the district, a slot that would have given him a seat in the last election two years ago. Williams believes the outcome of the election can be explained by the tendency of voters to vote against the party of the president half-

way into his or her final term in the White House, a trend that was extreme this time around according to Williams. “In elections, the last midterm of a presidents career, they often tend to sway to the opposing party and this was an extreme case of that,” Williams said. “I was extremely proud to have placed third on the Democratic ticket to the House of Delegates and I think if the results would have gone the way a lot of people were predicting I would have been elected, but the people have spoken and they’re unpleased with the policies of Democrats nationally. However, I wish they would have taken more time to look at what the local candidates like myself were proposing.” The House of Delegates will begin its new session in January, 2015. carl.bojesson@mail.wvu.edu

WELLWVU surprises students with flash mob, encourages meditation by kendall snee staff writer @dailyathenaeum

With the semester more than halfway over, and much of the student body feeling burnt out from their scholarly anxieties, West Virginia University’s WELLWVU:The Students’ Center of Health staged a flash mob meditation Monday in front of the Mountainlair to remind students to chillWELL. WELLWVU hosts its annual chillWELL campaign in the month of November,

where the organization’s main focus is to educate students on different ways to stay mentally healthy. The kickoff to this portion of the program for the past three years has been the flash mob meditation in front of the Mountainlair during its busiest hour. For 15 minutes, a group of WELLWVU representatives sat in a comfortable Indian style position and drowned out the noise of the passersby. Yoga mats were placed at the sides of the flash mob to allow all and any who wanted

56° / 41°

TOURNEY TRAVEL

INSIDE

Women’s soccer prepares for Big 12 Tournament SPORTS PAGE 7

SHOWERS

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

to join. Passing students looked confused by the scene. Some even stopped to take a selfie with the meditators mid “ohm.” “I think it’s cool,” said Jen Calabrese, a sophomore criminal psychology student. “It makes a statement in front of everyone. I think things like these are better than the emails they send out. It’s more interesting.” Calabrese was not the only one to find the demonstration fascinating. “I think it’s very healthy to

go outside and sit by yourself to get your air flowing and think,” said Kumail AlQatari, a junior chemical engineering student. “If I didn’t have class in five minutes I would definitely stay.” Despite the impact the demonstration had on the students, the meditation flash mob also affected those participating. “When it started of course I felt a little uneasy,” said Anthony Danko, a senior public relations student. “Once you get control of yourself, it’s easy to find peace. You just

realize you can’t control the things going on around you, you can only control you and your peace. I think I benefited from doing this because I was able to shut out the noise.” Shannon Foster, a health education specialist, said the flash mob is a unique way to grab student attention. “This has been our third year doing this. We use social marketing to express to students different ways to relieve their stress and to have better stress management,” Foster said. “ChillWELL looks to shift the lenses to a positive

THE DA’s HIRING WRITERS Inquire about paid positions at The Daily Athenaeum at DA-editor@mail.wvu.edu or pick up an application at our office at 284 Prospect St.

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

CAMPUS EXPERIENCE Online schooling presents advantages, doesn’t outweigh benefits of on-campus learning OPINION PAGE 4

light.” Foster said many students sit down and join the mob each year. “Large numbers of students pass through and take this time to clear their minds,” she said. “The mood just changes, even the passing students get quiet just by looking at what’s happening.” For more information on chillWELL, visit http://well. wvu.edu/ or http://well. wvu.edu/wellness/livewell/ chillwell. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu

COSTUME CONTEST Check out the winner of our Halloween Costume Contest! A&E PAGE 6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.