WVU alumnus Gene Vance Jr. was a decorated U.S. Special Forces (Airborne) Crytpologic Linguistic member of the West Virginia Army National Guard who was killed in action on May 18, 2002, in Afghanistan. He was the first National Guardsman to be killed in direct action since the Vietnam War and is credited with saving the lives of two Americans and more than 18 Afghani soldiers.

To honor Vance and the nation’s armed forces during Armed Forces Day, Morgantown has proclaimed Saturday, May 18, to be Gene Vance Jr. Day. Residents are invited to observe a moment of silence at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday to observe the day.

This is the second observance of the day created to remember fallen and wounded soldiers.

In 2012, leadership representatives from the State of West Virginia, City of Morgantown, West Virginia Army National Guard, West Virginia University, The Gene Vance Jr. Foundation, businesses, groups and media together with the public at large proclaimed May 18 as Gene Vance Jr. Day.

“Plans for celebrations later in the year are underway. My hope for the day is to catapult support and lend a
voice to veterans in need everywhere,” says Michael M.J. Minc, founder of the day.

Minc is Vance’s brother-in-law, Founder and Chairman of the Gene Vance Jr. Foundation for Catastrophically
Injured War Veterans – a privately funded non- profit, all volunteer organization that is leading an
unprecedented nationwide health care initiative dedicated to supporting military medicine’s efforts to
advance medical science and help increase quality of life for the severely wounded.

Downtown Campus

Steam will be shut off on Sunday, May 19, at midnight and systems will return to service on Friday, May 24, at or about 8 a.m. for the following buildings:
(For these buildings heating, domestic hot water and lab steam will be affected, but air conditioning will not be affected.)

Dadisman Hall
Stalnaker Hall
Student Services Center
Oglebay/Ming Hsieh halls
Stewart Hall
Clark Hall
Chemistry Annex
Woodburn Hall
Martin Hall
Chitwood Hall
Libraries
White Hall
Mountainlair
Stansbury Hall
Purinton House
Hodges Hall
Armstrong Hall
Brooks Hall
E. Moore Hall
Eiesland Hall
Colson Hall
Arnold Hall
Arnold Apartments
Boreman North and South

Evansdale Campus

For these buildings, steam will be shut off on Sunday, May 26, at approximately 5 p.m. Steam systems will return to service on Friday, May 31, at or about 8 a.m. for the following buildings. (Heating, domestic hot water and lab steam will be affected but air conditioning will not be affected except for Allen and Percival halls.)

Student Recreation Center
Greenhouse
Engineering Sciences
Engineering Research
Engineering Research Annex
Agricultural Sciences
South Agricultural Sciences
Agricultural Sciences Annex
Creative Arts Center
Evansdale Library
Civil Engineering Lab
Mineral Resources
NRCCE
Allen/Percival

West Virginia University is committed to decreasing the amount of energy used on campus through strong conservation efforts, which has resulted in significant drops in energy usage and substantial savings to WVU. As the University continues efforts to reduce operating costs, WVU asks for your help to continue decreasing energy consumption on campus by doing simple daily activities.

With the warm summer months approaching there are a variety of energy saving tips that can help conserve energy as well as save money:

• Turn off lights when you leave the room or an area that is unoccupied, especially at night and on weekends.
• Turn off printers when they are not is use and consider using shared centralized printers to eliminate low-use personal printers.
• Maintain room temperatures during the cooling season around 74 or 76 degrees.
• Use double-sided printing settings on your printer, or use e-mail. Print only what you need.
• Connect electronics to a power strip and then turn off strip when items are not in use.
• Unplug electronic device chargers when not in use. They use electricity even when they are plugged in but not charging.
• Eliminate or turn off coffee pots, personal refrigerators, cup warmers and other devices when not in use.

WVU’s annual Ecolympics event is just one demonstration of how simple behavior changes can produce significant results. Through outreach and education of recycling and energy conservation methods, students and employees were challenged to increase recycling and reduce energy consumption. Results from 2012 showed that in division I, Arnold Hall came in first with a 42 percent energy reduction followed by Stalnaker Hall at 37 percent. In division II the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design was the winner with 41 percent reduction followed by the College of Creative Arts with 33 percent.

These results are proof that the University is on a successful sustainable path, and through daily reinforcement of simple habits and behaviors, significant savings are possible. The reduction is waste and energy consumption can help the budget as well as improve the environment we enjoy. It’s a path that WVU would like to encourage more to walk.

Every day is “Earth Day” and together WECAN make a difference. To learn more about energy conservation and any other areas of sustainability go to http://wecan.wvu.edu

Students begin college seeking rewarding academic experiences. Some first-year students enter with undeclared majors, wanting to explore a variety of disciplines. Others just want to learn it all.

Whatever the case, WVU will launch a centralized support college aimed on July 1 to assist these students who don’t have an academic major. University officials hope it will also improve retention and graduation rates.

Although WVU’s 77.2 percent retention rate and 57 percent graduation rate are above the national average, Elizabeth Dooley, dean of the University College and associate provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, anticipates this program will improve those figures.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/05/07/university-college-launches-july-1-to-provide-an-academic-hub-for-undecideds

Bugzy Idowu spent the first 16 years of his life surrounded by family. In Nigeria, you’re surrounded by your extended family throughout your life.

When he came to WVU in 2009, he didn’t have that family for the first time, and he wasn’t sure how exactly those rich roots and traditions would translate to his new experience in America.

Like many international students at WVU, it took some time to adjust to things like the food and the weather. He didn’t have much of that, though, as he moved onto campus to begin his studies in petroleum and natural gas engineering just four days before school started that fall.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/features/24000/bugzy_idowu

The Public Open Forum for Library Dean candidate, Patrick Dawson, will be held in Room 104 of the Downtown Library, rather than the Greenbrier Room as previously announced. A reception will follow the forum, also in Room 104.

WVU and the City of Morgantown are making it easier for students as they move out of their on and off-campus housing throughout the next two weeks.

WVU is collecting gently used items through the United Way Blue and Gold Mine Sale. Students and community members are asked to give up their unwanted household items to the sale to benefit the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties.

Students are welcome to donate furniture, clothes, linens, bedding, rugs, lamps, desks, books and much more.

Donation stations of “pods” to donate to the Blue and Gold Mine Sale can be found at all residence halls, the WVU Student Recreation Center, the Seneca Center, Chateau Royale, Grant Avenue, “Mountaineer Station”http://transportation.wvu.edu/mountaineerstation and the intersection of Prospect and Spruce Streets.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/05/07/wvu-students-move-out-information-business-hours-and-more-for-your-end-of-semester-needs

Spring is the ideal time to perform upkeep tasks outdoors. Removing fallen or trimming overgrown trees are essential parts of property maintenance. WVU Extension Service experts suggest tips to keep you and your property safe—and your trees healthy.

Each year, approximately 85 people die in the United States as a result of accidents that occur from improperly trimming and pruning trees, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health data.

“The safest way to trim a tree is to hire a professional,” said Karen Cox, WVU Extension Service Marshall County agriculture program assistant.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/05/08/wvu-extension-offers-need-to-know-tips-on-tree-removal-and-trimming-services

The Outdoor Recreation Center is hosting a family camping trip on June 14-16. The event, ideal for kids 5 years and older, will visit Seneca Rocks, Blackwater falls and Dolly Sods. The cost is $60 per person. Register at the Outdoor Recreation Center at 304-293-5076.

Due to a hardware failure at WVNET this afternoon, several WVU systems were temporarily unavailable. The equipment has been replaced and MAP, MyTime, and MyAccess, are now operational. We apologize for any inconvenience.