Fairmont State University Story Archives - Page 3 of 5

W.Va. Holds First High School Robotics Competition

Many of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation were in Fairmont Monday morning to commemorate the state’s first high school robotics competition.

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, as well as Rep. Carol Miller were at Fairmont State University Monday morning to cheer on high school teams from all over the state at the first West Virginia Robotics Championship.

“I’m really excited about what we see today,” Capito said. “The teams, they’re from all over the state, but they’re also different ages, and they’re also mixed boys and girls together. Everybody can participate here and mentor one another.”

Teamwork – both between humans and between humans and robots – was a focus of the comments delivered by Morgantown-born astronaut Andrew Morgan.

“Today, you’re here as a team, and you’ll win or lose as a team,” Morgan said. “But teams are made of great team players. As astronauts, we want crewmates that are great at being team players.”

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy was also on hand and highlighted the importance of robotics for upcoming lunar missions.

“What you’re doing today is incredibly important, because we’re going to do science differently on the surface of the moon,” Melroy said. “We think that the future of science in space is going to be human robotic teaming, meaning that you will work together with robots.”

This is the first year robotics is recognized as a high school co-curricular activity under the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission.

National Science Foundation Awards $880,000 For W.Va. Projects

The National Science Foundation has awarded more than $880,000 for projects at West Virginia University and Fairmont State University.

The awards total $889,849 and were announced Tuesday by the state’s U.S. senators, Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Shelley Moore Capito.

The individual awards include $749,693 to Fairmont State for a project to support low-income undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines; $90,156 to West Virginia University for a project to enhance understanding, modeling and forecasting of variations in the upper atmosphere; and $50,000 to WVU to develop a health care patient scheduling system to predict patient no-shows.

Fairmont State Offering Aid For Students Affected By COVID

Fairmont State University will continue offering aid during the spring semester for students affected by COVID-19, the West Virginia school announced.

Awards of $1,500 may be given to full-time students enrolled for the spring semester, while students enrolled part-time can receive $1,000, the school said Thursday.

“The continuation of this initiative will have a profound effect on these students, and will allow them to focus more on their studies, and less on financial obligations,” Fairmont State University President Mirta M. Martin said.

Funds awarded will be limited and are not guaranteed as the program is made available through federal funding, the school said. Applications are required to be considered.

Students may apply online. The application review process will begin on Feb. 1.

WVU To Allow Remote Work In Back-To-Campus Plan

Universities across West Virginia have released updated COVID-19 plans detailing how and if employees are expected to return to campus for the fall semester.

West Virginia University on Tuesday was the first institution in the state to publicly allow employees who can work remotely to continue to do so through the fall semester. This comes four days after West Virginia reached its highest daily confirmed case count, at 177, since the pandemic began.

According to the news release, WVU employees will work either entirely remotely, on-campus or a mix of both. Those returning to campus will coordinate with their departments to alternate workdays and stagger arrival and departure times. Additionally, employees working on campus will have to wear a face mask, as well as receive a COVID-19 test.

Marshall, Fairmont State and Concord universities will require employees to work on campus for the fall semester, other than those with medical conditions. All three institutions will enforce the use of face masks but will not require COVID-19 testing of all employees.

Ginny Painter, Marshall University senior vice president for communications and marketing, said the school is following guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which does not recommend mass testing for returning students, faculty and staff. According to the CDC, the effectiveness of mass testing has not been studied, and its unknown if it reduces person-to-person transmission.

Marshall’s classes will be held at 50 percent seating capacity and Concord has said desks and lecterns will either be six feet apart or separated by Plexiglas. According to Fairmont State’s plan, class sizes and seating capacity will not be reduced, except on a case-by-case basis.

All the universities have said their back-to-campus plans are subject to change based on the status of the pandemic in the coming weeks. As of July 14, West Virginia had the third-highest rate of coronavirus transmission, behind Alaska and Montana, respectively.

August 12, 1925: Alpha Psi Omega Fraternity Forms at Fairmont State Normal School

On August 12, 1925, the Alpha Psi Omega fraternity was formed at Fairmont State Normal School—now Fairmont State University. At the time, the college’s drama club wanted to join a national honorary theater organization. But the club members discovered that no such organization existed, so they formed their own, under the leadership of English professor Paul Opp.

Alpha Psi Omega grew quickly in popularity across the country. Each chapter was referred to as a “cast.” Fairmont was home to the Alpha cast. The second chapter, the Beta cast, was founded at Marshall College—now Marshall University. Within a year, 18 additional casts were founded, and a national convention was held in Chicago.

The fraternity’s home office, initially located at Fairmont State, published a nationally circulated magazine called The Playbill. Alpha Psi Omega soon founded auxiliary branches for junior colleges and high schools. In the 1930s, the national office was relocated to Cincinnati, where it still remains.

Alpha Psi Omega now has more than 600 casts in the United States and abroad, while the high school fraternity lists 3,200 troupes with an aggregate membership of nearly 2 million.

Fairmont State Widening President Search after Lawsuit

Following a lawsuit over Fairmont State University’s presidential selection process, officials who had already chosen three finalists for the job are widening their hunt.

The Times West Virginian reports the Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday to hire a search firm to broaden the pool of candidates.

Faculty representative Bud Sapp says the faculty senate endorsed Christopher Cirmo. Cirmo is a dean at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and was one of three finalists announced in February. Officials say all three will be considered.

Chairwoman Dixie Yann says she doesn’t know if an interim president will be necessary after FSU President Maria Rose retires in June.

Professors Galen Hansen and Albert Magro filed a lawsuit this month against the board over its selection process. The board has declined to comment.