THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
da
Thursday November 12, 2015
Volume 128, Issue 59
www.THEDAONLINE.com
SGA supports rally for Mizzou by jake jarvis staff writer @newsroomjake
At West Virginia University, students gathered on the Mountainlair Green and set up a weeklong tent city to celebrate the annual Homecoming Game. At the University of Missouri, students recently camped out in tents to support a student during his hunger strike and
to draw the university administration’s attention to the school’s systemic racism. Two very different colleges with very different reasons to pitch a tent, but campus leaders at the former say WVU students should pay attention to what happened across the country. Daniel Brewster, a sociology instructor and coadviser to the Student Government Association, said
at SGA’s Wednesday meeting that although Mizzou students might face a campus more ostentatious in its racism, WVU has problems of its own. WVU’s chapter of the NAACP, along with other diversity groups on campus, will host a “Solidarity with Mizzou” event in front of the Mountainlair today from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. To ensure WVU never reaches a point where the
Media professionals to discuss 2016 presidential election by caity coyne city editors @caitycoyne
With a national election less than a year away, potential presidential nominees have been in the American media’s spotlight as they appear on talk shows, interact with voters and perform
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“This (election) is going to determine the direction that the country is going in for your formative adult years.” Michael Tomasky Panel Moderator
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in debates. As the media follows these candidates, the public follows the media, and at 7:30 p.m. tonight in 202 Brooks Hall, an expert panel of journalists will sit down to discuss why the 2016 presidential election
could be one of the most important elections of our lifetime. “If you are 20 years old now,” said Michael Tomasky, moderator of the panel, “this (election) is going to determine the direction that the country is going in for your formative adult years.” In “Beyond the Hype and Headlines,” panelists Ezra Klein, editor-in-chief of Vox; Jamelle Bouie, chief political correspondent at Slate; Paige Lavender, senior political editor at The Huffington Post and Mercedes Schlapp, former White House spokesperson, will talk about “the Trump phenomenon,” the baggage hanging off some candidates and what this election will mean for the future, among other things, according to Dean Maryanne Reed of the Reed College of Media. Tomasky believes 2016 could be the turning point for American politics and policy. “If you think of political
see ELECTION on PAGE 2
WVU alumni, state representative discuss plan to help Syrian refugees By Amy Pratt
Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum
Mouhammed Sakkal’s family is scattered. Originally, they’re from Syria, but turmoil in their home land forced them to flee to different countries—G ermany, Jordan, Lebanon and the Netherlands. Two of his cousins are stuck, alone in Turkey. They have tried five times to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, but border patrol has caught them three times. The other two, their raft sank, and they had to swim back to Turkey. For these reasons, Sakkal, a graduate of West Virginia University, joined the West Virginia Friends of Syria Movement as the head of the group’s University outreach subcommittee,
hoping to do something. “They’re teenagers. They were in school before the crisis happened, and now they’re just working very low wage jobs, just making enough money to live,” he said. “That’s one of my greatest motivations, is having family that’s really negatively affected by this crisis. When I heard that raft sank twice, I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked.” The West Virginia Friends of Syria Movement is a group of community members who want to help refugees that are accepted into the country. Started this year by Abra Sitler, another graduate of WVU, members plan to assist 150 refugees—100 of which are from Syria—settle into life in West Virginia by
see refugees on PAGE 2
60°/43°
GLOW HARD
INSIDE
Glowbal Fest comes to Mainstage Morgantown Friday A&E PAGE 4
SHOWERS
News: 1, 2 Opinion: 3 A&E: 4, 5 Sports: 7, 8 Campus Calendar: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 9
administration doesn’t listen to the concerns of its minority students, SGA unanimously supports the WVU NAACP’s event—but not without controversy. “We have to stand up and do what is right. (It’s) not going to be easy…” said Blake Humphrey, SGA governor. “I think it’s an issue in our country, and (an) issue across the world and on this campus. And systemic oppression is as
well, and I’ll stand by that.” The WVU NAACP sent out tweets yesterday afternoon advertising the event. Affixed at the bottom of the poster was SGA’s logo. During a speech from Humphrey, he warned other executives not to allow groups to use the organization’s logo without permission from the Board of Governors. In order for the logo to appear on any type
of flyer like this, the organization’s bylaw requires support and approval from the Board of Governors. “It goes back to the old saying that it’s (a) better thing to ask forgiveness,” Humphrey said. “It’s important enough that I believe we should give forgiveness (in) this case.” Brewster expressed his worries, as well.
see SGA on PAGE 2
SHARE-A-SWIPE
Students donate their extra meal swipes at the Summit Grab n’ Go to the “Share A Swipe” campaign.
Kristen Uppercue/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Second-consecutive ‘Share-A-Swipe’ campaign allows students to donate to the homeless By Jamie Mason correspondent @DailyAthenaeum
Students at West Virginia University have found a way to help the people of Morgantown who might not know where their next meal is coming from. WVU’s Student Government Association kicked off the Share-A-Swipe campaign for the second year in a row on Wednesday afternoon. At the Summit Grab ‘n Go downtown and the Brew n’ Gold Café on Evansdale, students donated their dining hall swipes to be turned into meals for the local homeless. “(Share-A-Swipe) started last year as an awareness campaign to let freshmen realize that their meal swipes don’t roll over from one semester to the next,” said Julie Merow, vice chair for the SGA
Board of Governors. Share-A-Swipe is a campaign that allows students with a meal plan the opportunity to “share” a swipe, and in return, Dining Services makes that many meals for the homeless. Once the meals are prepared, SGA members and other student volunteers deliver the food to the Salvation Army, the Bartlett House and the Rosenbaum Family House, all of which are located in the Morgantown area. “I think it’s awesome that we’re able to personally donate the food and serve the food,” said SGA Governor Amber Kaska. “Everything is very student driven, and it just makes you feel wonderful after helping out the community.” The program initially started in 2014 with Merow
trying to transfer leftover meal swipes from one semester to the next. After finding out that was not possible, Merow and Kaska came together to start the initiative. Merow said WVU students donated about 700 swipes within the program’s first year. “I’m hoping that we can get a few hundred more (than last year),” Merow said. “It would be cool if we could get one thousand (swipes). As long as it goes well and there are at least a few hundred (swipes) donated, I think it will be successful.” This year, SGA paired up with the Food Recovery Network, a student movement across the country where leftover food is collected and redistributed to those in need. The network helped to volunteer and increase the awareness of the campaign, and will also assist delivering the food,
Kaska said. Hilary Kinney, primary leader of WVU’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network, said when they heard about the event and the Share-A-Swipe mission, they thought it was similar to their own. “… That’s when we decided to come on board with SGA,” Kinney said. “(The students) I have talked to have seemed really enthusiastic about what is happening.” Wednesday was the first day of the semester that students had the opportunity to donate. There were already 200 swipes donated at Brew n’ Gold by 2 p.m., according to Kaska. One student who donated a swipe, Alexandria Mazza, was excited to help, and thinks more Share-ASwipe events should be held,
see SWIPE on PAGE 2
Muslim Student Association fights hunger with ‘Fast-a-Thon’ By Madeleine Hall Staff Writer @DailyAthenaeum
West Virginia University’s Muslim Student Association, with campus chapters of Oxfam America and UNICEF, invited students to go hungry for the hungry on Wednesday in an inaugural “Fast-a-Thon.” With each pledge to fast, or abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, sponsors donated to Scotts Run Settlement House, a local food pantry. At sunset, participants came together for a catered banquet to break their fast and were encouraged to donate one canned food item as a ticket to the dinner. “Fasting is a way for you
to humble yourself and really see what it’s like for those that are chronically hungry,” said Sara Berzingi, president of the MSA. Justice McCoy, a representative from Scotts Run Settlement House, spoke at the event, thanking all those who participated for their support of the Scotts Run Settlement House food pantry, which serves around 8,000 in need each year. “Who felt hungry today?” McCoy joked with audience members, who promptly raised their hands. “Can you imagine what it would be like to feel that every day?” More than 180 people registered for the Fast-aThon, and the turnout for
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VEGETARIANISM Saving all animals’ lives should be a priority OPINION PAGE 3
Shelby Thoburn/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Students donate canned foods to participate in the ‘WVU Fast-A-Thon’.
the event itself was high, and said they were fasting. according to Berzingi. I consider that a win in my “I think the event was book.” After the fast was brovery successful,” Berzingi said. “So many peosee FAST on PAGE 2 ple came up to me today
DEEP BENCHES WVU reserves must contribute this season SPORTS PAGE 7