WVUToday on the Radio

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. Now leading the WVU Army ROTC Mountaineer Battalion as Commander, JT Fetty, a WVU alumnus, Grafton native, and US army sergeant. He returned to the university after serving three years as a combat engineer with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy, a move to the military he made soon after earning his undergraduate degree.

JT Fetty: Thought it'd be a challenge. My dad was in the army and jumped out of airplanes, and I wanted to jump out of airplanes, so I thought it would be cool and just kind of took the leap.

Shauna Johnson: Now Fetty has a new goal.

JT Fetty: I'd like to make at least full Bird Colonel one day.

Shauna Johnson: Reaching that goal will take a lot of years and a lot of experience in the army.

JT Fetty: So since I was enlisted, I made it to the rank of sergeant, E-5, decided I wanted to make bigger decisions in the army and influence more people in the army, so I applied for a program called Green to Gold. It's kind of like a path to becoming an officer, and so I ended up getting accepted for Green to Gold and coming back to WVU to earn a Master's degree and go through the ROTC program.

Shauna Johnson: After initially deciding ROTC was not for him during his first semester at WVU, the highly selective Green to Gold program, limited to a few hundred soldiers across the entire army, now gives Fetty a chance to share real-world military experiences with his more than 100 fellow army ROTC cadets.

JT Fetty: Since I'm a little bit older and I have prior service experiences, I think I have a way of hoping to teach them about being in the army and things you should know in the army and how you should be as a leader.

Shauna Johnson: When he completes his Master's degree in May, Fetty will commission as an officer, taking the next step in his military career.

JT Fetty: WVU has been great to me. I met my wife here, made a ton of friends here, had tons of great experiences. If you're thinking about joining the army and you're in college, don't be afraid to come to the ROTC program, try it out for a semester.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. Coming from diverse backgrounds and academic disciplines, presidential student ambassadors are student leaders who exemplify Mountaineer values.

Logan Pierce: Hi, my name is Logan Pierce. I'm a junior political science and international studies student, and I am from Carolina, West Virginia.

Shauna Johnson: Pierce is one of the members of Cohort 12, presidential student ambassadors who work closely with student engagement and leadership and the Center for Community Engagement under the direction of Professor Emerita Carolyn Atkins.

Logan Pierce: My most meaningful favorite part is I think being able to connect with campus in a way that I would not be able to without the program otherwise. And not even the campus, but the community as a whole as well.

Shauna Johnson: Freshmen and sophomore students are eligible for the program, which is focused on cultivating leaders through community service and public speaking.

Logan Pierce: There's a lot of transferable skills that you get out of the program that'll be able to use in the future, and I think just being a good leader and being able to stick up for others and articulate my position when I need to will help me go miles.

Shauna Johnson: The PSA program is also designed to produce lifelong advocates for the university.

Logan Pierce: My favorite thing about being a WVU student is the community that I was able to join by being at the university. And I say that because WVU isn't just a Morgantown community, it's a statewide community. You're always going to be a part of that community. And right now I'm a big part of that community because I am a student, but I think being able to be here and experience that community first hand, but also being able to go into my future and still be part of that amazing community with just such kind people. Just because you're part of that community means a lot to me.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Lessons students learn while outdoors with Adventure West Virginia. Whether hiking a trail, climbing a rock base or paddling white water can be applied inside classrooms and other academic areas, setting students up for success.

C.J. Belknap: We're trying to really give students a sense of confidence, sense of belonging, sense of resilience, so they can pursue their goals and objectives and what they want to become, and an environment that continuously challenges them to be better.

Shauna Johnson: C.J. Belknap is the director of Adventure West Virginia, one of the largest outdoor programs of its kind.

C.J. Belknap: A lot of outdoor departments that are similar to WVU want to get folks certifications. They want to get students outside and they look at it from like, how many times are we getting student outdoors? How many number of days are we sitting folks and they're experiencing the outdoors? For us, although that's an important metric, it's also more about are they learning enough to become a resilient student.

Shauna Johnson: New research shows students who participate in Adventure first-year trips are more likely to stay at the university from their freshman to their sophomore years and are more likely to graduate within six years compared to those who don't take the trips. Belknap says that's because participating students are gaining self-confidence and building resiliency with support from their peers while making friends and forging bonds before they get to campus, preparing them for what's ahead during academic semesters. The goal.

C.J. Belknap: Are we putting students in a position to where they know this place here, WVU, was their right choice, that they're going to stay here and they're going to pursue their career through higher education, and that comes into graduation rates, retention rates, and overall quality satisfaction.

Shauna Johnson: Find out more about Adventure West Virginia at Adventurewv.wvu.edu.

C.J. Belknap: It's great when we break records for students that are going through programs, that's always something to celebrate. We're always going to push towards getting more students in the door on an experience, get them through an opportunity or a program that may change their disposition or maybe change how they view themselves. But at the end of the day, it has to come back towards the why. And the why for us is preparing folks to participate in society and be the best possible professional person that they can be by going through this experience.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. For more than 150 years, the WVU Alumni Association has been creating connections and community for people who love the university.

Kevin Berry: If West Virginia University is in your heart, you can be a part of the Mountaineer community.

Shauna Johnson: Kevin Berry is a Vice President of Alumni Relations and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association.

Kevin Berry: Being a Mountaineer is a community for life. That community is a nurturing community that will help support our alums no matter what life stage they're in. So here at the WVU Alumni Association, it's about creating engagement opportunities and allowing individuals the opportunities to both support the university as well as at the same time for us to support them.

Shauna Johnson: Engagement takes many forms.

Kevin Berry: How many times have you been in an airport out of town and simply wearing what I think is the world's greatest logo makes somebody want to approach you? Create that connection. That's engagement. That's an opportunity for us to continue to extend the Mountaineer community.

Shauna Johnson: The growing number of Alumni Association members are forging lifelong connections, giving back to their alma mater, and celebrating Mountaineer pride, all while accessing exclusive benefits and tapping into lifelong learning opportunities. Memberships also support student scholarships, alumni programming, and outreach.

Kevin Berry: We have 210,000 alumni. We're in all 55 counties in West Virginia, all 50 states, more than 130 nations. We have 66 chapters, literally all around the country. And what I would encourage you to do is go to alumni.wvu.edu. You can learn more about our chapters, the events that they do, and particularly during this time of season, you can see where they're going to be game marches.

Shauna Johnson: Barry says he believes WVU changes lives.

Kevin Berry: It's always great to know that the work that you're doing helps to enrich individuals' lives, and helps to benefit the university. Because our alumni are the only permanent stakeholders of the university, they care deeply about West Virginia University. I just enjoy the opportunity to get to know them, to learn their stories, to learn their passions, and then to help connect them in the areas of the university that they're passionate about and can move West Virginia University forward.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Turning 25 this year, the Mountaineer Maniacs, the largest student organization on campus, now with upwards of 6,000 members making for the official student section of WVU Athletics.

Tyler Faulstick: My name is Tyler Faulstick. I am currently acting as the executive director for the Mountaineer Maniacs. I'm from Wheeling, West Virginia, and I'm an advertising and public relations senior.

Shauna Johnson: Led by Faulstick and his predecessors stretching back 25 years, the Mountaineer Maniacs support Mountaineer athletic teams and help promote good sportsmanship as well as golden blue pride and tradition.

Tyler Faulstick: Anyone that loves sports, at the end of the day, we try to bring people into our organization, but I see it more as just anybody that's a maniacal sports fan that wants to come and cheer on the mountaineers.

Shauna Johnson: Memberships are available to students at two levels, ultimate and basic, and come with perks including guaranteed football tickets and free swag.

Tyler Faulstick: We'd love to sell out the ultimate memberships, that way we can get as many people to games as possible. At the end of the day, just trying to get as many people as we can. That's ultimately our goal.

Shauna Johnson: In addition to attending athletic games and matches, members travel to away contests and meet for watch parties.

Tyler Faulstick: I would say my favorite part is just seeing the faces of students at games. There's nothing that really brings people together, kind of like sports and overall seeing students interact and enjoy things that we're able to give out or at events that we hold. That really is my favorite part of it.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Now marking its 15th year at the WVU Health Sciences Center, the David and JoAnn Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety, also known as STEPS. Medical director, Dr. Dorian Williams has been with the site one of the most comprehensive simulation learning environments in the country since its conception.

Dorian Williams: Our environment allows our learners to practice in a safe environment. They can practice their skills without fear of making mistakes. They can do it over and over, learn from their mistakes, practice till they feel competent and capable. It makes it safer for the patients, better for the patients.

Shauna Johnson: More than 30,000 learners from all disciplines at all levels participate in STEPS simulations each year live, remotely, or virtually working in the 20,000 square feet of space in some cases with standardized patients, real people portraying difficult health scenarios.

Dorian Williams: We've got mannequins that are full-body mannequins that are super high fidelity. They breathe in oxygen, they breathe up carbon dioxide. They're physiologically responsive to medications for very complicated simulations. We have surgical trainers of all different types. We have robot... practice robotic surgery far beyond our first blueprints. 17, 18 years ago were just a couple of exam rooms with mannequins. We've just grown so much.

Shauna Johnson: STEPS is one of only a small number of sites worldwide accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, in teaching assessment, research, and systems integration. Take a virtual tour of STEPS online at www.steps.wvu.edu.

Dorian Williams: At the very core, we're here for patient safety. It's in our name, it's in our mission, it's in our vision. Everything we do revolves around safety of the patient. STEPS would not exist if it wasn't for the learners embracing this type of education. The donors and former grads of the university helping us exist because this type of training is really expensive and seeing the outcomes as our learners go through the health system and mature into practicing clinicians, there's nothing more gratifying than that.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. At times, gold and blue Mountaineers go green.

Traci Knabenshue: Here at WVU, what sustainability means to us is taking care of our campus and managing our campus in an environmentally friendly way. Also, in a way that is good for our faculty, staff, and students on campus, and in a way that's also good for our bottom line.

Shauna Johnson: Traci Knabenshue is the University's Director of Sustainability.

Traci Knabenshue: We engage in things like recycling, energy conservation, alternative transportation options, getting students involved in service and learning, centered around sustainability, procurement of goods and services that we use, and how that impacts our environmental footprint.

Shauna Johnson: The past decade plus has brought changes to the University's recycling system. More sustainable, dining takeaway options, energy efficient building upgrades, adding up to millions of dollars in savings, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through improved HVAC system, lighting, and water conservation efficiencies.

Traci Knabenshue: Getting everybody centered around how we do it, what are our expectations, and how easy it is to incorporate it into your day.

Shauna Johnson: Knabenshue says students get to be hands-on, working in the campus pollinator gardens, or planting trees. During the three-day residence hall move-in period, more than 13 tons of cardboard were collected and recycled. See sustainability success stories, an interactive map of campus sustainability initiatives and more, at sustainability.wvu.edu.

Traci Knabenshue: I'm a native West Virginian, and I definitely have a passion for sustainability, and I know that we know how to do it. West Virginians are resilient, go-getters. Our motto here at WVU is Go First. We know how to do these things. We know how to implement sustainability in our operations, and none of this stuff is really new stuff. It's really about using our resources the best way we know how, to minimize our impact on the environment. We know how to do that, we just have to rally together to make it happen.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Now available from the West Virginia University Police Department, the Campus Safety Online Training Module, what Captain Matthew Swain describes as on-demand safety training.

Matthew Swain: Anything to know how to protect yourself during active shooter situations. With the new campus carry law, how you can comply with the law and safely do so, as well as if you see things that are unsafe or you're unsure about, numbers of who to contact and how to contact UPD. There's things as far as suspicious packages. From across our country, we've had some bomb threats. And so what you should do during those times if you're ever involved in those scenarios or receive a phone call like that. And the biggest thing that we're proud of is our de-escalation, how to communicate to folks, how to make sure when they're in stressful situations they're handling themselves appropriately to make sure that they're keeping the situation from getting worse and how to handle themselves during those stressful times.

Shauna Johnson: Developed in response to community feedback about the desire for more training opportunities to supplement existing in-person courses, the Campus Safety Online Training Module is designed to provide critical knowledge and skills for a variety of situations.

Matthew Swain: We're teaching our members of the institution how to be vigilant, how to be understanding of what's going on, be aware of their surroundings, and making sure that they're prepared. We hope that they never have to come encounter with these situations, but if they do, they're prepared and educated on not just how to handle themselves, but numbers to call, who to alert, and how to be safe in those stressful times.

Shauna Johnson: For more on the training module and other UPD training opportunities and services, go online to police.wvu.edu. Campus community members are also encouraged to download the LiveSafe app and allow push notifications to receive the latest safety information.

Matthew Swain: UPD is one of the only departments on campus' 24/7, 365. Somebody will always answer our phone. If we don't know the answer, we'll get somebody to you that does know the answer to try to help you with any situation that you may have, whether it's emergency or not emergency. That's what we're here to do is to help serve.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go, follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. For more than 25 years now, WVUp All Night has been providing food and entertainment to university students late into Friday and Saturday nights at no charge.

Shannon Griffiths: There are a lot of people that definitely make it a pillar of their weekend.

Shauna Johnson: Shannon Griffiths, a junior ceramics major from Mountaintop, Pennsylvania, works as an intern with WVU Arts and Entertainment, one of more than 30 interns who help plan Up All Night activities, choosing movies, games, and crafts for fellow students.

Shannon Griffiths: I love to do the crafts. I love to come in, do some painting. As an artist, I love to just do some carefree little crafts.

Shauna Johnson: Up All Night draws thousands of students to the mountain lair each weekend from 10:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. for activities like bingo, laser tag, bowling, or even trips through interactive inflatable obstacle courses, depending on the always-changing schedule.

Shannon Griffiths: Mostly with our generation, people just love to go and be a kid again. So getting to bounce around on an inflatable is so fun.

Shauna Johnson: Dinner is available, so is breakfast, all free.

Shannon Griffiths: I love anything that's free.

Shauna Johnson: Many nights you'll find Shannon staffing the face painting station.

Shannon Griffiths: It's really fun and you get to have one-on-one time talking to somebody I've never met before and I've made some new friends doing it, and people like to talk to each other while they're waiting and getting it done. So it's a really communal, friendly experience.

Shauna Johnson: Creating space for those kinds of connections is at the heart of Up All Night. Many students say they made friends while at the university event or were encouraged to try something new, turning a way to simply get out on Friday and Saturday nights into much more.

Shannon Griffiths: I always hear students saying, "Oh, are you going to Up All Night this weekend?" It's definitely something that everybody knows about, everybody's been to and people even go to, not even just when they're freshmen, but they keep going to when they're seniors even more so.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. With hundreds of student organizations available, West Virginia University students have many options for finding their fit and making connections on campus.

Ellie Brewer: It's mostly about having fun with your friends.

Shauna Johnson: History major Ellie Brewer races with the club's ski team. When Ellie started...

Ellie Brewer: I knew how to ski, but I'd never raced before, and I think that's the case for most people. It's kind of simple to learn once you've already skied. It's only hard if you make it hard on yourself.

Shauna Johnson: Rex McAllister, a computer engineering major, has been part of the Experimental Rocketry Club for three years.

Rex McAllister: I like the fact that you can kind of show up first day as a freshman and get started getting hands-on with building these things that are going to be flying to Mach 1.7, and your fingerprints are going to be over that rocket from day one.

Shauna Johnson: The overall goal is engagement, whether through established clubs or those newly created, research shows real benefits for students who feel connected to campus. Students like Madison Welch, an animal and nutritional sciences major from Magnolia, Delaware, who's part of the Pre-Veterinary Club. A club that's helped her make friends.

Madison Welch: Tons of friends. Yeah, for sure. Some of my best friends are here and it really made me have study groups. We're all in the same classes, so it works out really well. Being able to just say, "Hey, you're in my bio class, right?" and "Oh, you're in Pre-Vet Club too." Then we make time and just make it work.

Shauna Johnson: Emily Holliman, a horticulture major from Pensacola, Florida is the president of the Horticulture Club.

Emily Holliman: My favorite thing is that I showed up my freshman year. I did not know anybody, and immediately I was just a part of it because we're very social. We're very inclusive to everybody. Yeah, I found my friends there. I found my roommates there. After the first meeting, I was like, I want to be the Horticulture Club president, and I made that happen.

Shauna Johnson: So, let's go. Follow our stories at Wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. It's time to celebrate the graduates in gold and blue. Commencement weekend will include nine ceremonies over three days beginning May 10th at the Coliseum. Kelly Flanagan is the Director of University Events.

Kelly Flanagan: This is our favorite event that we do all year. We get to do a lot of fun things in University Events, but this is definitely our favorite.

Shauna Johnson: Thousands of graduates from 13 colleges and schools are expected to cross the stage to cheers from family members and friends.

Kelly Flanagan: You walk across, your dean is there, President Gee, Provost Reed, Chancellor Marsh are there as well, depending on your degree path, and ready to do those handshakes and the smiles and the hugs and the end of photo moments, which is great.

Shauna Johnson: Among the honorary degree recipients this year, US Senator Shelley Moore Capito, 84 Lumber and Nemacolin owner and CEO Maggie Hardy, award-winning television writer Don DeNoon, and Cynthia Bissett Germanotta, president and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation. US Senator Joe Manchin is one of the scheduled commencement speakers. For those who can not attend in person, ceremony live streams will be available online at graduation.wvu.edu.

Kelly Flanagan: My favorite part is just seeing the families and the graduates so excited. It's been four years or longer depending on your degree or your path. So it's been a long time coming for them, and they're all just really excited. So it's a great time.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go, follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. For 50 years now, WVU students have been playing rugby, making it the oldest recognized club sport on campus. Twenty-fourteen graduate. Trevor Stiefken from New Jersey is one of them.

Trevor Stiefken: It was a sport that I knew that I would find success in, mainly from my wrestling background, but also because there is a position for everybody. Generally, your bigger, heavier guys are going to be up front in the scrum and your smaller faster guys are going to be in the backs.

Shauna Johnson: More than 120 former men's and women's rugby players are joining Stiefken, along with 50 current players, in Morgantown, April 19th and 20th. To mark the milestone anniversary, a reception is planned at the Erickson Alumni Center. Alumni rugby matches with varying degrees of contact will be played on the rec center fields.

Trevor Stiefken: Rugby has always been near and dear to my heart. I grew up watching it, didn't start playing until I was in college. After I got out of college, I played for men's club for 10, 11 years before I joined the union. I took a little bit of a hiatus and this will be my first time stepping on a rugby pitch since the fall of 2019. So I'm excited to kind of get back into the swing of things.

Shauna Johnson: A portion of the proceeds from the weekend will benefit current players, helping to cover costs for equipment jerseys and other needed team items. More than anything though, Stiefken says he's hoping the Golden Anniversary weekend can help strengthen the ties that bind former and current players in a physical club sport that in his words, "You really have to love to play." So let's go. Follow our stories at WVUtoday.WVU.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Now in its 20th year, Adventure West Virginia is offering all kinds of opportunities for members of the university and surrounding communities to connect in purposeful ways by getting outside and having fun. Emily Chapman is a program support specialist.

Emily Chapman: Adventure West Virginia strives to build community through outdoor recreation. We strive to challenge people's comfort zones and get them to try new activities.

Shauna Johnson: Adventure West Virginia is starting a new season at two recreational sites open to faculty, staff, students, and the public. The Outdoor Education Center offers aerial and custom group adventures in the WVU Research Forest near Cooper's Rock. Morgantown Adventure Outfitters provides equipment rentals and guided programs in downtown Morgantown with easy access to the rail trail system and the Monongahela River.

Emily Chapman: We have youth and child bicycles, as well as adult rail trail bikes. You can get a bike trailer to tow along your little ones. And then for on the water, we have single kayaks, double kayaks, and stand-up paddle boards.

Shauna Johnson: Adventure West Virginia runs the Walnut Street Site in partnership with the City of Morgantown.

Emily Chapman: This location lowers the barrier to entry for outdoor recreation. You don't have to take a kayak and drive it across town to get to Cheat Lake. You can just walk up, get on the equipment, and go for as little as 15 minutes. Or you can spend all day riding bikes, kayaking. It presents a much easier way for the community to access recreation.

Shauna Johnson: Find out more and make reservations for the two sites at Adventurewv.wvu.edu. These are sites that Chapman says tap into West Virginia's abundant natural outdoor resources.

Emily Chapman: I just haven't found anywhere like it yet.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. To help improve community safety and break stigmas surrounding substance use, ONEboxes are now available on campus, kits containing Naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication. Collegiate Recovery Director, Olivia Dale Pape says the more than 25 Morgantown locations for the purple ONEboxes, including at all residence halls, the Mountainlair, and at the Student Rec Center were chosen with accessibility and visibility in mind.

Olivia Dale Pape: Overdose can and does happen regularly. It's not just reserved for people who are dealing with substance use disorders. It can be anyone. You can think that you're taking one thing and it's cut with something else. You can be a child getting into your parents' medication. There's all sorts of ways that this happens. We just want to make sure that people have the opportunity to keep living their lives no matter how overdose might happen.

Shauna Johnson: The ONEboxes include Naloxone, other supplies, and a training video detailing step-by-step, how to administer the medications.

Olivia Dale Pape: Naloxone's very easy to use. It comes in the form of a nasal spray. It is very simple to use, but in an emergency, you never know how you're going to respond.

Shauna Johnson: WELLWVU works with Collegiate Recovery on regular campus Naloxone trainings. The ONEboxes supplement that work as another preventive measure. They're the result of collaboration between WVU Collegiate Recovery, the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network, and the State Agency, formerly known as the Department of Health and Human Resources.

Olivia Dale Pape: We hope that you don't need it, but if you do, it's there and that should be normalized, that if an overdose were to happen, we want to make sure that everybody is taken care of. Everyone deserves to be revived in case of that, no matter how they experienced an overdose.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first.

Shauna Johnson: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Braden Adkins: Let's go Mountaineers.

Shauna Johnson: The 70th Mountaineer mascot hails from Nicholas County.

Braden Adkins: My name is Braden Adkins. I'm a junior studying economics, and I'm from Richwood, West Virginia.

Shauna Johnson: Following a selection announcement in early March, Adkins will officially take over as the new Mountaineer mascot during an April 26th ceremony at the Mountainlair. During the event, he'll formally accept the rifle from Mikel Hager, the 69th Mountaineer mascot after a year serving as the alternate.

Braden Adkins: Being the alternate Mountaineer, you get to have a lot of experience in this role. You get to step into the situations that you would be as the main Mountaineer. You get to go to community events, and you get to go to supporting events. And these types of things, they can prepare you for the role itself. And that experience is something that I've taken advantage of.

Shauna Johnson: During his time at WVU, Adkins has worked in the Division of Student Life and been a member of the Mountaineer Maniacs and WVU Pickleball Club.

Braden Adkins: Something that I want to do as the main Mountaineer is fully utilize my personality and my strengths and fully help the state of West Virginia and give back to the people of West Virginia.

Shauna Johnson: Replacing Adkins in the alternate Mountaineer mascot position is Justin Waybright, a junior, mining engineering major from Parkersburg. So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. WVU alumni and friends are invited to come together on March 20th in support of the seventh WVU Day of Giving, an annual 24-hour university-wide fundraising effort organized by the WVU Foundation. BJ Davisson is the foundation's executive vice president and chief development officer.

BJ Davisson: My favorite part of the day is just the energy it creates here at the institution and among our donor base. Every single unit plays a role, and I think it speaks to the tremendous variety of the institution. It's land grant mission. Our medicine units, our clinical areas, Potomac State, W Tech, and Beckley, everybody's part of this.

Shauna Johnson: It's collective giving with a purpose. Leading the way support for student scholarships.

BJ Davisson: The scholarship aid, we know, will always be a high priority for the institution. Last year, the institution provided about $157 million in scholarship support, and quite frankly, it's never quite enough.

Shauna Johnson: During Day of Giving, watch for hourly challenges on social media, calls to action via email to support specific units, and more.

BJ Davisson: Every gift matters. Every gift makes a difference. We bring on new donors to the institution every year through Day of Giving. So sometimes it might be someone who's parting with their first $10 gift, for example. It adds up, and it makes a big difference.

Shauna Johnson: Find details at dayofgiving.wvu.edu.

BJ Davisson: I'm just continually amazed by how mountaineer nation gets behind this institution when we make the call and people answer.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, mountaineers go first. Services through the rack. The WVU Student Food Pantry are expanding with the opening of a third campus location in Morgantown. The new snack rack site at the Mineral Resources building on the Evansdale campus has seen steady traffic since opening in January. The location joins the existing snack rack at the student rec center, along with the Maine Morgan House location on the downtown campus. Sydney Vega oversees the rack as a program assistant for student engagement and leadership.

Sydney Vega: We cater to students as a whole. You're a student, you're paying tuition. You can come and get food if you want.

Shauna Johnson: To address food insecurity among students, the sites provide perishable and non-perishable food items along with hygiene products at no charge.

Sydney Vega: Many people believe that food insecurity is just lack of food. There's much more to it. You can be food insecure if your daily diet doesn't have high nutritional value.

Shauna Johnson: The rack see students of all ages and demographics from their first years at WVU up to those in graduate and doctoral programs. Along with supplies, the rack provides lessons in food safety, food prep, budgeting, and more.

Sydney Vega: There is more to this than just feeding selves. There's an educational portion to it as well. And how to support yourself long-term rather than finding those quick fixes.

Shauna Johnson: The rack is funded through grants, donations, and purchases made through the site's Amazon wishlist. Details are at studentengagement.wvu.edu. So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. Registration is off to a strong start for Adventure West Virginia's first-year trips open to incoming students and scheduled for the coming summer months ahead of the start of the fall semester.

Marcedes Minana: The friends, the community, the solid support network is absolutely like where it's at.

Shauna Johnson: Program Coordinator, Marcedes Minana says trips offer a range of adventure levels with hiking, rock climbing, camping, and whitewater rafting programming for the general student population, or those with specific colleges, schools, units, and interests.

Marcedes Minana: The goal, three things. You're going to learn about the state. You're going to get to see things, learn more about the university, but you're going to learn that through the lens of upperclassmen, undergraduate students who have been there, they've jumped through these hoops so they can give you the tips and tricks. The best part, and the reason why I think everybody should do a trip or at least consider it, is the community. It's building that solid foundation of friends, of support, of just finding that place to belong. And that to me is the real benefit.

Shauna Johnson: Adventure West Virginia is marking its 20th year of these kinds of successful connection-building trips. Funding from the office of the Provost helps keep down costs for students. Those who are Pell-eligible attend at no charge.

Marcedes Minana: Success is often viewed as an individual pursuit, but when we look closer, we see that a huge part of somebody's success is that support system that they have in place. First-year trips are going to help incoming students to do just that. They're going to develop that support system that is going to help them to be successful in all aspects of their time at WVU.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go, follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers to first. Black History Month continues at WVU with dozens of events being held university-wide that are designed to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions, successes, and experiences of African-Americans now and throughout history.

Javier McCoy: All Of our events are open to the public, they're open to university community members as well.

Shauna Johnson: Javier McCoy is interim director of the Center for Black Culture, where the achievements of African-Americans are marked not just in February, but all year.

Javier McCoy: Black history is American history, and I think when we think about it from that perspective, then Black History is every day. The month is just a celebratory month to acknowledge Black history and all that it is.

Shauna Johnson: On campus the Center for Black Culture serves as a hub for education and growth with a focus on making real connections with students.

Javier McCoy: I always say that students don't care about anything you say until they know that you care. And I think after they know I care, this office cares, the people in this office cares, other affecting staff care, that they're able to lean in more and do better at WVU.

Shauna Johnson: Read more about the work of the Center for Black Culture online at Cbc.wvu.edu.

Javier McCoy: The work is never done. We are always aiming to do better, be better, support students in all the ways that we can. It's a job that doesn't stop, but it's a job that's needed.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. For more than 50 years now, student legal services has been working to protect the legal rights and interests of WVU students. Patrick Brooks is the current managing attorney.

Patrick Brooks: I don't want ever want there to be a student who finds himself in a bind and they don't even think to come to us.

Shauna Johnson: Brooks and his team offer students legal counseling, education, advice, and representation with costs for legal and mediation services cover through student fees. Services include leases, contracts, landlord-tenant issues, consumer and insurance questions, wills and powers of attorney, debt collection, expungement of criminal records, employment grievances, family law, and domestic matters, and notary services.

Patrick Brooks: It's a really wide array of things that we'll meet with students about and we're just here. Sometimes that means representing the students in court. Sometimes that means offering some advice and guidance. It really is kind of a case by case to meet the needs of that student in that situation. There are a lot of students who don't know that the service exists, who don't realize that they can come here and ask questions, that they can get help, and a lot of the students' problems that I end up helping them out with on the backend could be avoided upfront.

Shauna Johnson: More information is available at studentlegalservices.wvu.edu.

Patrick Brooks: I really do enjoy sitting down with students and talking through things with them and helping them understand their situation. Sometimes I'm not here to solve the problem. Sometimes I'm here to help them better understand their problem. Hopefully they never have to utilize the office. But if they need us, I want them to know we're here and how to get to us.

Shauna Johnson: So let's go. Follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.

Shauna Johnson: At West Virginia University, Mountaineers go first. And Mountaineers thrive on community. A driving factor in Mountaineer Meetups here. Support communities now open to WVU students for a second semester.

Sara DiSimone: Mountaineer Meetups are a really good opportunity for students to connect with other students who have similar interests or similar identities.

Shauna Johnson: Sara DiSimone is interim Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement at the Carruth Center.

Sara DiSimone: A lot ff students classically connect with other people in a club scenario or Greek life, or different extracurriculars that they might participate in outside of academics. Mountaineer Meetups is an opportunity for students who might not find their fit in those areas, so we provide space for them virtually as well as in person to be able to connect with other students of similar interests.

Shauna Johnson: Groups include those for students of color, graduate students, students dealing with substance use in their families, and first year students who want to get together for meals. Along with those four, students interested in gaming or adventure and wellbeing.

Sara DiSimone: Research is showing that students are lonely. Research is showing that students don't feel connected on campus here at WVU, so we know that there's a big need for students to find that connection to do well academically and also to flourish emotionally here.

Shauna Johnson: Mountaineer Meetups are offered through the university's division of student life. So let's go follow our stories at wvutoday.wvu.edu.