Using a fake ID on campus? Here’s what’s at risk

On By robertpotesta3 Comments

About a year ago, Morgantown Police Department announced their fake ID “crackdown” to the community and to WVU students. Sure, almost everyone drinks while they’re in college, but that presents a problem because a huge fraction of students aren’t of legal age. This problem is what makes faulty identification so attractive to students who aren’t 21. The question is, is it worth the risk?

Obviously, there are consequences if you’re caught with a fake ID. Repercussions range from almost nothing all the way to a felony, it just depends on who catches you. Most of the time, kids are charged with a misdemeanor just for being in possession of fake identification. Sometimes, especially if police are actively involved, the charge carries a possibility of incarceration, probation, and some severe fines. Once you’re on criminal level rather than student, that’s when consequences get serious.

Last year, we saw these repercussions in full force when it was reported that over 70 underage Morgantown residents were cited for fake ID possession. Police said “all were subject to either a $500.00 fine and/or a suspension of driving privileges.”

Unfortunately, things aren’t this way everywhere. In states like Florida and Illinois, you can be charged with a full-on felony for using a fake. Even though you probably won’t serve jail time as a first time offender, the risk is still very present. Getting caught with a fake trying to get into a bar doesn’t usually result in a full-on felony charge, but using it to impersonate someone else for financial gain absolutely will, no matter where you are.

Overall, your charge will depend on the circumstances, who you were trying to deceive, and for what reason. It all comes down to who catches you, and what trick you were trying to pull off.

The question still remains, is it worth it to risk having to face those consequences?

Probably not worth it when you truly weigh the options. If you are in fact underage, there are tons of alternative ways to get alcohol other than using a fake ID. The simplest being just drink at home, or at a friend’s. All an ID brings you is the opportunity to party in public, there are endless, far less risky ways to drink if thats what you want to do. But, there will always be those brave few who take the chance.

President Gee vs. WV

On By Sadie Janes2 Comments
by Sadie Janes

Since President E. Gordon Gee began his second tenure at West Virginia University in 2014, it’s been clear that he has a particular vision in mind for not only the university, but also the state the university calls home. However, President Gee’s vision is often at odds with the state government in West Virginia. The tug-of-war between WVU and the West Virginia state government is clearly a battle for the future of the Mountain State.

The most recent example of the state and the university butting heads is the recently-defeated-but-perpetually-proposed Campus Carry bill. In a recent interview with the Daily Athenaeum, President Gee reiterated his support for “local control” when it comes to guns on campus. State legislators are well-aware that the universities in West Virginia don’t want Campus Carry, but that didn’t stop them from proposing it and it didn’t stop the House of Delegates from passing it. The bill died in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but President Gee told the DA that he’s pretty sure it’ll come up again. He thinks either the legislature will propose it again next year or wait until 2020 because it’s an election year. On why the vote taking place during an election year may sway some legislators, President Gee said the following:

“People in political life are afraid of being labeled, or afraid of having someone run further to the right than them, and I think that’s probably where it is.”

President E. Gordon Gee, to the Daily Athenaeum

Campus Carry is not the only example of the state going right when the University goes left. Back in 2017, President Trump signed a now-infamous travel ban that impacted people from 7 Muslim-majority countries. WVU immediately looked for ways to take care of its students from Muslim-majority nations by releasing statements of support and holding open forums to answer questions about the travel ban and its implications. Meanwhile, many West Virginia politicians came to the defense of President Trump and his Executive Order. The West Virginia State Attorney General joined Republican officials from 15 other states in filing a legal brief for the Supreme Court in support of the travel ban.

It’s easy to attribute the legislature’s choice to support restricted travel to the U.S. as a simple policy choice — a decision made based on the will of the people and the best-available information. However, there’s evidence that some West Virginia legislators may have a more sinister motivation: bigotry. Last month, photos of anti-Muslim posters and flyers at the West Virginia State Capitol on GOP Day went viral. Some of those posters insinuated Muslim U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was a terrorist, while others demeaned the “Islamization of American Public Schools.” The West Virginia GOP released a statement condemning the display, but the damage was done in terms of perceptions of the WV Legislature.

Unfortunately, that’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bigotry coming from the WV state legislature. Meanwhile, WVU makes an effort to support its more vulnerable students. The University doesn’t always get it right when it comes to diversity, but it still tries to use organizations like its Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to promote a more progressive and inclusive future for West Virginia.

Of course, the difference between a future led by the state government and a future led by WVU is that West Virginians did not elect President Gee. They elected a majority-Republican legislature and a conservative-Democrat-turned-Republican governor. West Virginians of late tend to support right-wing policies and right-wing candidates. The more progressive vision coming from WVU isn’t what the people want, even though it might be what they need. So for now, WVU will continue to come up against a state legislature with which it is ideologically incompatible.

WVU’s Ethnic Diversity is Reported Below the National Average

On By lyndseymoran3 Comments

As a West Virginia native, I often overheard discussions regarding the topic of diversity in the state – or rather, the lack thereof.

Does the state’s lack of diversity reflect onto West Virginia University’s enrollment?

WVU Enrollment Statistics

Source: https://datausa.io/profile/university/west-virginia-university/#enrollment

The graphic above utilizes student enrollment data from 2016 and compares WVU (orange) to average data of doctoral universities (grey) by race/ethnicity.

Source: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/west-virginia-university/student-life/diversity/chart-ethnic-diversity.html
Source: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/west-virginia-university/student-life/diversity/chart-faculty-ethnic-diversity.html

WVU’s ethnic diversity of students and faculty is reported below the national average among higher education institutions.

WVU Promoting Diversity

It is apparent that the university makes an effort to cultivate diversity and inclusion on campus.

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division works to establish an inclusive environment on campus. Additionally, the division hosts diversity initiatives to celebrate many individuals and groups on campus: Diversity Week, Multicultural Graduation Celebration, LGBTQ initiatives, Veteran’s Breakfast, etc.

However, the promotion/celebration of diversity can also be found outside of the Division’s office.

Additionally, WVU partnered with ten universities in an effort to promote STEM education for underrepresented students in Appalachia. The $3.5 million began in fall 2018 to examine underrepresented students’ perceptions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines and careers and work to improve recruitment, retention and graduation rates of these students.

“In keeping with the goals of our statewide West Virginia Forward initiative, we are committed to building a dynamic, diverse STEM workforce in our state,” said Joyce McConnell, provost and vice president for academic affairs at WVU.

The WVU campus may not be the most diverse, but the efforts that have been made are inspiring other organizations and students to understand the importance of diversity and creating a welcoming environment on campus.

WVU students’ access to alcohol is only getting easier

On By Cody Nespor8 Comments

Depending on what list you look at, WVU is considered the second, third, or fourth best party school in the US.

An aspect as to why this is to consider would be students’ access to alcohol, which has a large impact on drinking. The state of West Virginia recently passed a bill that expands the allowed sale of alcohol on Sundays giving students even more opportunity to acquire alcohol.

The new liquor law permits the retail sale of liquor past 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. Beer and wine could already be sold after 1:00 p.m. on Sundays. On weekdays and Saturdays, places that sell beer, wine and liquor must be closed by 3:30 a.m. and cannot open until 8:00 a.m.

Studies have shown that about 80% of college students drink alcohol and universities with a strong Greek system or large athletic programs tend to drink more. Considering this it’s not a big surprise that WVU would top a lot of party school lists.

While time is one aspect of accessibility, location is the other. There are over 20 places within one mile of the Mountainlair where students can purchase alcohol.

With so many options so close by WVU’s main campus it is no surprise that Morgantown ranks among the top ten college towns in alcohol consumption. That article describes the drinking scene in Morgantown as such, “Bars in Morgantown tend to have a policy that allows anyone over the age of 18 in the doors as opposed to limiting admission to those of the legal drinking age of 21, which may contribute to underage drinking and looking the other way while it occurs. Students may drink at bars, at each other’s houses, or even out in a field in Morgantown, a town with a definite college and party feel to it.”

The less than one-mile distance represents a very reasonable walking distance, which is another factor in college drinking.

This is not an aspect unique to Morgantown and WVU however. Several college towns across the country are packed with places close to campus where students can buy alcohol. With this being the case, it makes one wonder why WVU is routinely singled out as being a party school.

So while WVU’s party culture is often blamed on students’ mindsets or recklessness, perhaps the accessibility to alcohol in Morgantown is a bigger problem than people think.

Fallout of WVU Fraternities

On By Patrick Downey2 Comments

Participating in greek life during college has been a tradition as old as time, but is it all about to come crashing down?

The idea of hazing has always surrounded greek life. Everyone knows it happens but do people really do anything to stop it? West Virginia University has had some terrible incidents with greek life in the past few years. In 2014, Kappa Sigma pledge Nolan Burch died after consuming a large amount of alcohol during a fraternity event. In 2016, Kappa Alpha brother Sean Guthrie went to smoke on the roof of the Kappa Alpha house and fell to his death. Other incidents include a fraternity member using racial slurs on social media and a group of guys were involved in a kidnapping case. All of these incidents have played a part in why fraternities at WVU are failing.

On February 4th, 2017 the entire nation knew something was wrong when Tim Piazza, a student at Penn State University was hazed to death. 26 members of the fraternity faced charges including involuntary manslaughter. Greek life officials at colleges all over the United States needed to make a change, including West Virginia University.

Image result for tim piazza
Tim Piazza via NBC News

On February 14th, 2018, about a year after Piazza’s death WVU placed an immediate freeze on all fraternity activities. Fraternities could only run philanthropic or brotherhood events, basically everything except social and pledging events. President Gordon Gee said “we have two paths before us, one is the path that many of our peers have chosen: shut down greek life. Or two, work together as partners-the University, students, alumni, and our national leaderships- to create real change. I wish to choose the latter.”

Fraternities on WVU’s campus dealt with the moratorium for the rest of the 2018 spring semester. However, at the start of the fall semester, five fraternities chose to disassociate from the university and run on their own. Alpha Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha Order, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Chi, and Theta Chi were all unhappy with the new rules and regulations implemented by the university especially not being allowed to recruit first semester freshman. Eight fraternities remain remain in WVU’s Interfraternity Council today.

The five fraternities that chose to disassociate quickly made plans to keep their chapters alive. The fraternities joined forces to form the Independent Interfraternity Council (IIFC). These fraternities still participate in all the activities that the recognized WVU fraternities are doing, they are just not listening to WVU’s rules. Because they are still a nationally recognized fraternity and they own their house, they are free to do what they want.

IIFC board
Members of IIFC via @wvugreeklife

 

WVU ranked amongst top 3 party schools again, but what does that actually mean?

On By robertpotesta6 Comments

The top 3 party schools of 2019 are the University of Delaware, Tulane University, and West Virginia University. Ranking order varies depending on the source. But what exactly does it mean to be a “party school”? Even if your college has a notorious reputation for fraternities and sororities, drug and alcohol abuse, and partying, does that reputation correctly reflect your university’s performance? Does going to a “party school” actually affect a student’s education?

Compared to other universities in the top 10, WVU’s graduation rate is a good bit lower on average. The mountaineers are currently around 57.3% while most of the other schools on the list sit around an 80% rate. Although those numbers are undeniable, when you change the scope of comparison to nationwide rather than just the ranked party schools, WVU beats out most of the other colleges in the country. Not just in graduation rate, but in areas like retention rate as well.

Historically, WVU has always been a part of the top party school ranks, unlike universities like Lehigh and Colgate who are this year’s additions. Not to mention both these recent additions have graduation rates above 85%. This further displays WVU as an outlier. Schools like Syracuse, Bucknell, and Wisconsin-Madison all have a history in the rankings as well, and still somehow maintain a higher graduation rate.

At least this proves that a party reputation doesn’t directly affect a student’s chances at graduation, there are clearly other elements that factor in. Even if you take a look at the list of the most sober schools in the country, some of their graduation rates still don’t top most of the school’s in the opposing party rankings.

Surprisingly, the #1 party school listed is the University of Delaware, and they named Brigham Young University the #1 “stone-cold sober” school. Although it may not make sense, they both have the same graduation rate of 79%.

So this makes me wonder, what does it even mean to be a “party school”? If it doesn’t say anything about the institution’s academics, what does it say about a school? It definitely says something about the town’s social scene, but whether or not you participate in said scene is up to you. Also, not everyone’s definition of a “party” is the same. People have fun and relax in different ways. While some students might go out on the weekends to rage and riot, just as many are staying in to watch netflix or play video games. Especially these days, since it’s become a lot more appealing to stay in than ever before. Basically, it seems partiers just gravitate together toward schools that act almost as enablers. Schools that are in true college towns, with an active night life, large population, and raging reputation. Why wouldn’t a party-loving student attend a “party school”? Especially after reading endless articles discussing, debating, and ranking them. In the end, academic success comes down to the student, not the school.

Race and Reputation: Alpha Phi’s Recent Scandal and Its Impact

On By Sadie Janes5 Comments

For weeks, student journalists and the general WVU population tried to uncover the truth about the interim suspension of Alpha Phi, one of the University’s numerous social sororities. Finally, it seems as if the truth has come out. After an investigation surrounding a black-faced doll hung from the ceiling in the Alpha Phi house, the University determined the incident was one of “impact rather than intent.” Regardless of whether Alpha Phi meant to offend, people were horrified. The incident certainly got people talking about race relations at WVU, especially within Greek life.


The Daily Athenaeum, WVU’s student newspaper, tracked this story from the very beginning. The editor-in-chief even requested information on the sorority’s suspension from WVU under the Freedom of Information Act, but his request was denied. In fact, it seems like WVU didn’t release any information aside from assertions that the incident “did not involve physical harm to any individual at Alpha Phi” until they concluded the investigation.

Tweet from DA Editor Douglas Soule about his denied Freedom of Information Act request

Still, word got around among students and on social media. News spread not only on Twitter but on websites like Greek Rank, a website where students in fraternities and sororities connect and rate Greek organizations. There were even some accusations leveled against Alpha Phi of its members paying to have negative comments about their developing scandal taken down, though it’s unclear if that’s a possibility on the site.

Screenshot from February 26 on Greek Rank

Between February 12 when the DA first reported that Alpha Phi was suspended and March 2 when the University finally released some details regarding the investigation, people had time to make up their own minds and draw their own conclusions. Many of those conclusions were about the character of members of Alpha Phi. Commenters on Greek Rank claim that some Alpha Phis quietly took their sorority letters out of their social media bios, trying to distance themselves from the incident before it was even confirmed.

Ultimately, this is not just another example of the University butting heads with Greek organizations. It’s a racially charged act in an era where you can’t really pretend you don’t know blackface is wrong anymore. The incident has those currently enrolled at WVU side-eyeing their fellow students, but there doesn’t seem to be much national news coverage yet. If this story picks up, it could impact WVU’s reputation nationwide – or it could be just one example of many of racism in Greek organizations.

Some say the Greek system is inherently racist, since it was founded to create exclusionary groups for the rich and white as universities became more diverse. Matthew Hughey, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, told NPR the following:

As more and more students started to come into university, and university started to become a little less elite, Greek letter organizations were formed. And they were formed as a way for those very elite, propertied, white, male students to create even more exclusionary spaces within college and university life.

Matthew Hughey

If you search “fraternity blackface,” you’ll get a plethora of results – Cal Poly, UNC Chapel Hill, UC Irvine, and UCLA are just a few examples of schools where a Greek organization has engaged in blackface. Prominent politicians have recently owned up to donning blackface during their time in a fraternity. It seems that these inherently exclusionary groups don’t just stop at exclusion. They often shoot for outright intimidation of those they feel don’t belong.

So, what should we do about Greek life? Is it worth saving? Is it beneficial to universities – WVU specifically, but also universities in general? It’s a question many in the country are asking and maybe it’s one that WVU should give some serious consideration.