MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Student government leaders on the campus of West Virginia University are watching two pieces of legislation.
Colin Street
WVU Student Body President Colin Street said he made a commitment to be more legislatively engaged during this session, and the effort is energizing the student body.
Street said Monday on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town” the Student Government Association is encouraging involvement after the development of apathy following the pandemic. Street said to encourage more involvement, the size of student government at WVU has been increased from 40 to 150 members that engage with lawmakers and the campus community.
“It’s that level of inspiration that knows giving students responsibility and civic action to students can really achieve, and it’s that inspiration that will get young leaders to stay in West Virginia and help lead the state,” Street said.
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Senate Bill 675, sponsored by Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, would restore voting rights for students and faculty members to boards of governors statewide and is one of the measures the organization is lobbying in favor of.
SGA State Government Liaison Logan Pierce said the other bill of interest, House Bill 4081, would establish the Higher Education Health and Aid Grant program.
“It would allow institutions across the state of West Virginia to establish food pantries or fund food pantries that already exist,” Pierce said. “We’re also working on Senate Bill 675 that would restore the students’ vote to boards of governors across the state.”
Logan Pierce
Street said the student voice is an important one when it comes to fees, tuition increases, and the overall campus experience.
“Having not just the student voice but an impact with a vote behind that voice allows the university to cultivate an educational experience that’s going to geared toward students and bring more students to Morgantown,” Street said.
WVU SGA works with other assemblies through the Advisory Council of Students to keep the board of governors informed, provide information to the student body about legislative activities, and finally work with lawmakers on policy matters they favor. The task is one Street is working harder to develop.
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“That last one, ACS—the Advisory Council of Students—has faltered in the last couple of years,” Street said. “And it’s what we’ve really tried to emphasize this year in our pursuit of getting the board vote back.”
One attempt to revive civic engagement is the proposed revival of the Hardesty Festival of Ideas that will bring a wide range of speakers to campus to interact with students.
“Our student body vice president, Rozaireo Jones, has been planning the revival of the Hardesty Festival of Ideas, which will start on February 16,” Street said. “We hope to bring alumni and speakers to campus not only to engage with students and the larger Morgantown community.”
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia lawmakers continued working as the Saturday midnight deadline approaches.
Senate Action
The Senate passed 12 bills, including one requiring adult content websites to use age verification to block minors. Senators also passed a bill creating a Cold Case Task Force.
House Bill 49-90, targeting gift card crimes, and House Bill 54-37, the Vape Safety Act, also passed unanimously. All four bills now go to the House for concurrence.
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Delegates passed Alyssa’s Law, allowing teachers to wear mobile alert buttons that notify 9-1-1 and trigger a school lockdown in emergencies. The bill is named after a victim of the 2018 Parkland shooting.
Bill 4005, which clarifies jobs prohibited for workers under 16 — including bar work and logging — also passed. Both bills now head to Governor Patrick Morrisey’s desk.
Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stay at least 30 feet from first responders.
Senate Bill 75 would allow West Virginia law enforcement to cooperate with officers in bordering states. A bill from the Education Committee would allow teachers with at least 15 years of experience to become certified as school principals.
For more legislative coverage, go to our website at wdtv.com.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
