The DA 08-26-2010

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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

da

Thursday August 26, 2010

VOLUME 124, ISSUE 5

www.THEDAONLINE.com

SGA governors release master plan by SARAH O’ROURKE STAFF WRITER

The West Virginia University Student Government Association released its master plan report at Wednesday’s meeting. The plan, developed during the summer, outlines phases and goals each governor hopes to achieve. “Here it is, 40 pages of pretty

substantial stuff,” SGA Vice President Ron Cheng said holding the master plan for the audience to see. “You can open it up and know what the governors are working on and immediately know what their goals are.” The plan includes a playbook on different topics and contains a chart of SGA’s hierarchy, he said.

During governor reports, members of the Board of Governors stood and introduced themselves to the audience. They discussed their specific platforms and their perspective plans. Gov. Joe Harmon said his accomplishments thus far included changing the Mountainline Blue & Gold Connector to arrive every 10 minutes instead

of 20 minutes at Towers. Harmon also said he was responsible for getting the PRT master plan released to the students. Former-Gov. Taylor Richmond, said during open student forum, he did not think Harmon was giving enough credit to other people who worked on his platform in the past. Richmond said the PRT mas-

ter plan was scheduled to be released and Harmon had nothing to do with its release. Richmond said he was just checking in on the new administration by attending the meeting. “For myself and a lot of SGA’s alumni, SGA has played a role in a lot of our hearts. SGA has defined us,” Richmond said. “So for those of us who can,

by samantha cossick staff writer

Tara Mayle/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Organic chemistry professor uses Facebook to keep students updated by Melissa Candolfi STAFF WRITER

When organic chemistry professor John Penn prepares for class, he turns to a method most college students embrace. Penn uses the social networking website, Facebook, to invite students to a group established for his class. Through the group, Penn invites students to test dates, reminds them of homework assignments and posts important dates to the online calendar. “Facebook is programmed into cell phones and students check it daily,” Penn said. “So instead of relying on e-mail – which 10 years ago that would have been best – my students can receive the information in five minutes.” Since Facebook is used far more regularly than eCam-

STAFF WRITER

A West Virginia University doctor and his staff will be featured on a three-part ABC series about the brain. Dr. Julian Bailes, head and chair of the neurosurgery department at West Virginia University Hospital, will appear tonight on ABC’s “Nightline” series, “Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do.” The episode will air at 10 p.m. on ABC. Bailes’ work on the show will appear on three epi-

pus or MIX students will be more likely to quickly receive the information, Penn said. He decided to implement Facebook instead of a University website because it was more flexible and easier to use, he said. Penn said he still uses eCampus and MIX, but is using Facebook to experiment. The group is updated regularly with news feed, wall posts and videos from Penn. Students are also allowed to post their own questions, videos and comments about the class onto the group’s page, he said.

sodes, starting with tonight’s appearance. The show explores how love, violence, medical emergencies and food affect the brain. Each installment of the series will focus on a different area of research. “We’ve worked with ‘Nightline’ in the past on other stories,” Bailes said. “They asked us if we’d be willing to be the featured medical center in a pilot series about the brain, and we agreed.” He added that he and his

see nightline on PAGE 2

TEXT FROM: TAZIKI’S

INSIDE

Taziki’s in the Mountainlair will text when the order is done. A&E PAGE 3

News: 1, 2 Opinion: 4 A&E: 3, 5, 7 Sports: 8, 9, 10, 12 Campus Calendar: 6 Puzzles: 6 Classifieds: 10, 11

see salary on PAGE 2

To check out the group go to Facebook and type in groups: Dr. John’s Chem 234 Fall 2010 Page.

77° / 49°

PARTLY CLOUDY

West Virginia University Staff Council will be working to increase the University budget as well as salaries for classified staff this year. The council created a committee to travel to Charleston in November or December to speak with delegates about the budget and salary issues, said Ron Campolong, council member and trade specialist at Facilities Management. The Council wants to see the budget increase, Campilong said. “They want us to do more with less,” said Jo Morrow, president of Staff Council. “The wages we make, we have to live on them.” The council has asked for pay raises before. Morrow said in April, when the Board of Governors was to pass the budget, it postponed the salary portion to write a new proposal that did not include pay raises for classified staff who had 15 or more years of service.

The Council presented its own proclamation to University President James P. Clements April 26, Morrow said. The proclamation proposed that everyone, including faculty and non-classified staff with more than 15 years work, should not receive a pay raise, Morrow said. Clements is currently working with his financial team to come up with models supporting staff salary raises for the first Board of Governors meeting, she said. The council would also like to change the way salaries are distributed, Ron said. Classified staff falls under the University’s payroll as state employees. Workers are paid twice a month, but the council would like a more consistent every two weeks pay schedule, Ron said. “It needs a legislative rule or law change to adjust the pay roll schedule,” Ron said. Council members will meet with chairs of the Finance and Education

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Tara Mayle/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

Professor John Penn gives an introductory lesson to his Chemistry 234 class in the Business and Economics building Wednesday morning. “The group lets students have easy access to not only information on the class but links like my Google Calendar that lets students know when I will be in my office and when I am unavailable,” Penn said. The professor thought of the idea when he attended a conference over the summer. A high school teacher

shared his experience of using Facebook as a way to contact his students and that it was easier and quicker, he said. “When the high school teacher told me about it, and I compared it to a high school class of 20 and a college class of 200, I thought it would be a

see facebook on PAGE 2

WVU brain doctor featured on national TV series BY ANN COMPTON

see plan on PAGE 2

Staff Council pursuing salary, budget increase

New Facebook notification

Professor John Penn shows the Facebook page he created for his chemistry classes during a Chemistry 234 lecture Wednesday morning.

we at least say involved and come back and see what is going on and how the new SGA is progressing and taking itself one step further.” SGA Chief-of-Staff Daniel Brummage said the Transportation Board had equal involvement in the bus policy change. Harmon said after the

submitted

West Virginia University Dr. Julian Bailes speaks to ABC Nightline News anchor Terry Morgan.

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WVU VOLLEYBALL COACH Jill Kramer wants to boost the popularity of the sport in West Virginia. Sports page 12.

Chelsi Baker/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

School of Dentistry dean candidate Dr. Angelo J. Mariotti speaks about his plans and the future of dentistry at the Health Sciences Center Wednesday afternoon.

School of Dentistry dean candidate speaks on dental care education BY KAYLA GROGG STAFF WRITER

Angelo Mariotti, a finalist for the dean position at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry spoke Wednesday about faculty salaries. Audience members in attendance were given an opportunity to ask any questions regarding current issues within the School of Dentistry. A faculty member asked about staff salaries and if they would increase. With money often being an issue, the faculty has to become more and more entrepreneurial and productive, Mariotti said.

“The most important resource of any institution, not just this one, is its faculty,” he said. “As such, I think it’s important that both institution and the administration support them as much as they can.” Three additional finalists will meet and speak with the School’s staff, faculty and students in the next several weeks to discuss their ideas of reform and interest in being a part of the school. Mariotti, professor and chair of periodontology in the College of Dentistry at Ohio State University, said being able to educate future

see dean on PAGE 2

WVU MEN SCORE THREE The West Virginia men’s soccer team scores three goals in an exhibition shutout over Robert Morris. SPORTS PAGE 8


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