THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
“Little good is accomplished without controversy, and no civic evil is ever defeated without publicity.”
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Friday November 21, 2014
Volume 127, Issue 67
www.THEDAONLINE.com
BETA THETA PI LOSES CHARTER
In midst of Greek Life moratorium, national headquarters pulls charter, WVU no longer recognizes group by laura haight city editoR @LAURA_HAIGHT
Although the Greek Life moratorium continues, a third fraternity is in trouble and has lost ITS charter. On Wednesday night, West Virginia University was informed Beta Theta Pi Fraternity’s national headquarters had revoked the chapter’s charter for past behavioral issues. The chapter will no longer be recognized as an organization on campus and has lost all rights and
privileges. WVU’s Inter-Fraternity and Panhellenic councils are still in moratorium with all social and new member activities suspended until further notice. The Office of Student Activities and both councils are planning to bring in a national facilitator after Thanksgiving break. According to a University press release, the facilitator will “assist students in thoughtful discussions and development of solutions.” The Morgantown Police Department released
a statement concerning the incident in the South Park neighborhood of Morgantown involving 19 pledges of Sigma Chi fraternity. On Nov. 6, The fraternity held a social gathering at Boomer’s Nightclub with active members and pledges. The pledges were then taken to South Park, left alone and told to find their way back to the Sigma Chi house. PD were called to the neighborhood for reports of a large crowd screaming, yelling and engaging in disorderly conduct.
“The Sigma Chi Fraternity acknowledged their involvement with the incident and has been very cooperative with the Morgantown Police Department during the investigation,” said MPD Chief Ed Preston. Upon conclusion of the investigation, Morgantown PD released the names of the individuals responsible for organizing the event and transporting the pledges to South Park. The following were issued criminal citations for Hazing: Alec Mandich, Gillian
Bowan, Connor McCaffrey, Garrick Davis, Shane Boyce and Michael McKenna. Morgantown Police continue to investigate the “catastrophic medical emergency” on Nov. 12 that led to the death of Nolan Michael Burch, a freshman student who was pledging Kappa Sigma. Kappa Sigma had also lost its charter two days prior to the incident. The University originally planned a bus for students to take to Burch’s funeral in Buffalo, N.Y., but had to cancel due to inclem-
ent weather in the Buffalo region. The Trinity Episcopal Church in Morgantown held a memorial service Thursday with Eucharist service in celebration of Burch’s life. Burch was a member of the Episcopal Church and received Last Rites before he died. WVU will hold a bellringing ceremony to honor Burch’s memory after student’s return from Thanksgiving break. lhaight@mail.wvu.edu
GENDER, SEX, EVERYTHING BETWEEN
WVU 20 | K STATE 26 SEE MORE>>> SPORTS PAGE 10
Geography Awareness Week comes to WVU by courtney gatto
JAKE JARVIS/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
staff writer @Dailyathenaeum
Danielle Gasparro, a junior fashion merchandising student, participates in an interactive activity exploring Kim Kardashian’s recent photo shoot.
Tough issues tackled at annual Women’s, Gender Studies fair
In an attempt to raise awareness and excite people about geography, National Geographic created Geography Awareness Week to educate the public on the roll it plays in everyday life. At West Virginia University, the Geography Club certainly doesn’t let this week go unnoticed. “(Geography Awareness Week is) important because a lot of people don’t really understand what geography is,” said Rich White, president of the WVU Geography Club. “Some people think it’s just all about
by jake jarvis managing editor @jakejarviswvu
Hundreds of students enrolled in Women’s and Gender Studies courses at West Virginia Unviersity brought what they’ve learned throughout the semester to life at the Women’s and Gender Studies fair Thursday in the Mountianlair Ballrooms. Students were charged with the task of creating a display that’s not only informative to the members of the public who were visiting the fair, but is also one that’s interactive and requires audience participation. “We try to improve or add to (the fair) each time,” said Brian Jara, a senior lecturer in the Center for Women’s and
JAKE JARVIS/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Students gather in the Mountainlair Ballrooms at the Women’s and Gender Studies Fair.
see FAIR on PAGE 2
maps, but realistically there is a lot more to it. You have to look at how humans affect other humans or how we affect our environment and it always varies from place to place. It’s more like an educational week just to show off how geography can be related to our everyday lives.” Each year, the Geography Club chooses a new theme for the week. After careful consideration, “Geography of Food” was chosen for this year’s. Club members planned events to teach people not affiliated with the club about food from around the world.
see GEOGRAPHY on PAGE 2
Schiefelbein’s ‘Au Milieu’ travels to continue in Campus MovieFest competition by lauren caccamo correspondent @dailyathenaeum
A man sits alone inside a dimly lit theater. Suddenly, the lights go off. A woman is projected onto the screen, black and white colors only. She is with another person. The man recognizes whom she is with. It is himself: he is watching his memories play out in front of him. The opening scene to the winner of this year’s Campus MovieFest, “Au Milieu,” is both eerie and mesmerizing. The five-minute film captures a range of emotion and personal experiences, challenging the viewer to guess what exactly is being said. “It’s open to interpre-
tation,” said West Virginia University student Lauren Schiefelbein, the screenwriter, director and editor behind the movie. “I made this film with one thing in mind, but everybody watches it and kind of comes up with their own ideas of what’s going on, and I think that’s why people enjoy watching it.” Marketing student Kevin Langue, the main actor in the film, agreed. “If you go watch it, you can take away different things from it,” Langue said. “You might think this happened or that happened, but it’s really up to anybody.” Campus MovieFest is the world’s largest student film festival. By winning the competi-
27° / 22°
QUIDDITCH @ UCLA
INSIDE
Documentary ‘Mudbloods’ follows Quidditch World Cup A&E PAGE 6
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News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 6 Sports: 7, 8, 10 Campus Connection: 5 Puzzles: 5 Classifieds: 9
tion, Langue, Schiefelbein, and their third partner in the project, broadcast journalism student Victoria Licata, are given the chance to participate in workshops at Universal Studios in Hollywood this summer. Langue, who also won last year’s Campus MovieFest, said while the workshops provide valuable information about the industry, what he really enjoys are the other film winners who come in from all over the country. “A lot of that stuff is good information. But honestly, I think the biggest part of it for me was not the people who were already established, but everybody that came because they wanted to make films and they won the
competition,” Langue said. “They’re the next generation of moviemakers.” Last year, Langue’s short film not only sent him to the Hollywood Hills for his work but also to the Cannes Film Festival in France, one of the largest film festivals in the world. This year, Langue hopes for “Au Milieu” to make a debut at Cannes much like his winning film last year, “The B Team.” Meanwhile, the trio is doing what they can to balance school and pursue their passions. When asked what advice he had for people who feel they do not have enough time to begin their own projects, Langue laughed. With
18 credits on his plate, a parttime job and social responsibilities, Langue said he felt he barely had enough time to sit down. But that isn’t to say Langue is complaining. In fact, he insists anybody who wants to follow a dream should be taking the steps to reach that goal. “One of the things I always say is don’t wait. If you want to do something, do it. I used to always talk about making videos but never really got around to it. Then, one day I was sitting in Dr. Houghton’s class, and he said, ‘Don’t wait. If you want to do something, do it now’,” Langue said. “You might be able to see your dream, but you can’t do that today. But
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ANONYMOUS vs. KKK When it comes to social justice, is it okay to dox? OPINION PAGE 4
SAVE THE DATE
Charleston Civic Center s Charleston, West Virginia
you can start taking the steps toward that dream.’ After that class, I went to Best Buy and I bought my first camera. And now, here we are.” “Au Milieu” actress Victoria Licata, who won “Best Actress” in the competition, said as she nears her graduation date in December, she, too, feels her time to act is now. “You can’t be afraid. We’re young and our time is now. You should want to go and do it while you’re fearless,” Licata said, who after graduating hopes to move to New York and pursue a career in acting. Schiefelbein, a graduate graphic design student, said while her associates clearly have a knack for acting, she
see MOVIEFEST on PAGE 2
GOODBYE VOLLEYBALL Volleyball team ends home season against Baylor SPORTS PAGE 8