10:06am: Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval

WVU’s Gee: Start of semester reflects culture change

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Seeking to change the culture on a campus known for partying, West Virginia University’s president saw progress during the first week of fall classes.

In the five days surrounding the return of some 30,000 students, Morgantown city police calls nearly doubled compared to the prior weekend. Still, with no violent crimes reported, Gee called the problems manageable.

“If you take a look at compared to the last several years in terms of arrests and or misbehavior, they were way down dramatically,” Gee said. “So that shows we’re making real progress.”

Of the 222 criminal citations in the city, 86 were for underage consumption. Another 76 citations were written for open container violations.

From Aug. 13-17, WVU hosted more than two dozen activities that included introduction sessions, food fairs, band performances, fireworks and the annual FallFest concert. Some events were designed for entertainment while other presentations aimed to shape students’ expectations.

“You have this immediate rush of freedom. What we’re trying to do is make certain that we had everyone understand they had both freedom but they had responsibility,” Gee said.

WVU police on Wednesday released FallFest weekend statistics compared to 2014: Arrests dropped from 70 to 48, and criminal citations fell from 30 to 14.

On MetroNews “Talkline,” Gee claimed the incoming class of freshmen is among the best academically prepared groups to be admitted.

The land-grant university, long known for its relaxed admissions standards, is on the verge of, Gee said.

“There’s a fine line between being elite and being elitist,” he said. “We want to be a place in which we attract the best and brightest students academically, but also the place in which the kids from small towns and large towns who may have certain deficits can come here and succeed.”

The university reported double the number of honors college students this fall over last year.





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