Tag: Wheeling Jesuit University

Wheeling Jesuit University Welcomes ServeCon

More than twenty programs will be recruiting service-minded people at Wheeling Jesuit University this week in the first-ever ServeCon event.

ServeCon is kind of like a service-job fair. It’s a free conference where service programs and organizations come together hoping to attract applicants. Participants can apply for more than 5,000 available positions. Over 20 programs, including the Peace Corp, AmeriCorp, Habitat for Humanity, and the Nazareth Farm will be represented.

Full-year and summer opportunities are available for community members of all ages and skill levels. Program participants might tutor and mentor children; or address issues of homelessness and poverty; provide kids with meals through summer months; develop heritage sites; or recruit and manage volunteers.

“We’ve got secular, we’ve got spiritually-oriented, we’ve got a lot of different opportunities for people who aren’t quite sure what to do with the next year. If they want to get involved with something good or build their resume or just gain some real-world experience,” said Nic Cochran who in the Appalachian Institute of Wheeling Jesuit University.

In addition to WJU, The Franklin Project, Campus Compact West Virginia, and Volunteer West Virginia are all sponsoring the free event which runs from 2-4 p.m. February 23rd on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Programs present at the event will include:

  • The Christian Appalachian Project
  • Girl Scouts of Black Diamond
  • Horseshoe Leadership Center
  • Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center
  • Faith in Action Caregivers, Inc.
  • City Year
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Nazareth Farm
  • LifeBridge AmeriCorps
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Volunteer West Virginia
  • AmeriCorps on the Frontline
  • STEM Network Schools Program
  • Preservation Alliance of WV
  • Peace Corps
  • VISTA Collaborative
  • WV Promise
  • Energy Express

Gingrich Talks Presidential Politics at Wheeling Jesuit University

Former Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich visited the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling last night. He spoke with students and community members about the upcoming presidential election.

“Why 2016 Will Be An Extraordinary Election” was the title of the talk. Several hundred gathered to hear Gingrich analyze the  front runners in  the upcoming presidential election.

A Republican and former presidential candidate himself, Gingrich predicted that Hillary Clinton would be indicted before the election over an email scandal leaving democratic socialist Bernie Sanders with the Democratic nomination. Gingrich also  spent a lot of time describing the campaign techniques Donald Trump uses to maintain a lead in GOP polls, namely his ability to make a lot of noise, talk at a 4th grade level, and suppress logical debate.

As for who West Virginians would rally behind, Gingrich wouldn’t venture a guess other than to say:

“I think if you had a choice between the Hillary-or-Sanders versus the not Hillary-or-Sanders, the not-Hillary-or-Sanders is going to do well.”

In the end, Gingrich said, there would likely be two candidates forming two camps – one wanting to abolish all billionaires, and one wanting to make everyone a billionaire.

Gingrich also spoke about how the system of government in the U.S. is “stupid” and “decaying” and that any wild-ride candidate would be better than business-as-usual.

“If you end up with Trump or Cruz, or Sanders, but particularly Trump or Cruz, just hold onto your chair because it’s going to be a wild ride,” Gingrich said. “I happen to think that’s better, more creative, and more optimistic for America’s future than the decay we’re living through — which has been a bipartisan decay — it’s not an Obama comment. The system has been decaying.”

Many students were in attendance. One student, a senior theology major at the university Elizabeth Nawrocki wrote a letter to school administrators before the event expressing some disapproval of the decision to bring Gingrich to the school.

“I don’t think most of Gingrich’s political stances are in line with what we stand for as a Jesuit, Catholic institution.”

Nevertheless students were attentive, respectful, and peaceful, offering thoughtful questions.

Members of the audience asked Gingrich questions that encompassed issues such as the Black-Lives-Matter, West Virginia’s depressed economy, and gun control.

Gingrich talked about how the legacy of slavery has led to current social dynamics that leave undereducated black men especially disenfranchised. His advice to lawmakers regarding West Virginia’s economy is to throw out all policies that don’t create jobs. As for guns, Gingrich underlined his support of the right to bear arms saying that the constitution was designed above all else to protect the public from government itself.

During his visit Gingrich, a Catholic, also planned to attend a reception hosted by the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Michael Bransfield.

Challenger Learning Center to Commemorate 30th Anniversary

The Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit University will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle explosion that killed seven astronauts.

The event is set for Thursday evening.

Teacher Christa McAuliffe and six other astronauts died on Jan. 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After the tragedy, the astronauts’ families founded the Challenger Center of Space Education. Its goal is to continue the educational spirit of the Challenger mission by engaging students in science and math.

The Challenger Learning Center at Wheeling Jesuit is one of 44 worldwide. Its commemoration will include interaction with astronaut Jon McBride and former NASA scientist Chuck Wood, who worked with McAuliffe, along with learning sessions and hands-on activities.

Wheeling Jesuit Plans Discussion on EPA's Clean Power Plan

Wheeling Jesuit University’s Appalachian Institute will hold a panel discussion on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan.

The discussion will take place on Wednesday night in the Center for Educational Technologies building on the Wheeling Jesuit campus.

The EPA’s proposed regulations are intended to limit carbon emissions from power plants that cause climate change. It calls for a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2030.

States and industry groups opposed to the plan filed lawsuits Friday at the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Obama administration and environmental groups say the rules are needed to cut carbon emissions while curbing the worst impacts of climate change and sea-level rise. They also say the plan will spur new clean-energy jobs.

Wheeling Jesuit University Lists Events Tied to Papal Visit

Wheeling Jesuit University has scheduled a series of events this month to mark Pope Frances’ first visit to the United States.

The first event is scheduled Sept. 14 with an address by the parish social ministry coordinator for Catholic Charities of West Virginia. Kate Kosydar will discuss the papal encyclical and its impact on West Virginians.

On Sept. 21, the Nuns on the Bus tour will stop on its way to Washington, D.C. The Roman Catholic sisters promote Catholic social justice.

Wheeling Jesuit will also join 150 other colleges and parishes to participate in “Pope2Congress.” The gatherings will watch as the pope addresses Congress.

The pope is scheduled to arrive on Sept. 22 in Washington.

Wheeling Jesuit to Pay $2.3 Million to End Grant Probe

Wheeling Jesuit University has agreed to pay $2.3 million to the federal government to settle claims that it misused grant funding.

U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II announced the settlement Monday. He said the agreement ends an investigation into allegations that the university misused funds from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation from 2003 to 2010. A NASA audit led to the allegations.

Ihlenfeld said settlement does not preclude criminal charges.

The university said in a statement that it operated in good faith in dealing with “highly complex and divergent” regulations. Wheeling Jesuit said the settlement will be paid with operating funds and will not affect other federally funded programs at the university.

 

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